SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Nature of Business

HEICO Corporation, through its principal subsidiaries consisting of HEICO Aerospace Holdings Corp. (“HEICO Aerospace”), HEICO Flight Support Corp. and HEICO Electronic Technologies Corp. (“HEICO Electronic”) and their respective subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”), is principally engaged in the design, manufacture and sale of aerospace, defense and electronic related products and services throughout the United States ("U.S.") and internationally. The Company’s customer base is primarily the aviation, defense, space, medical, telecommunications and electronics industries.

Basis of Presentation

The Company has two operating segments: the Flight Support Group (“FSG”), consisting of HEICO Aerospace and HEICO Flight Support Corp. and their respective subsidiaries; and the Electronic Technologies Group (“ETG”), consisting of HEICO Electronic and its subsidiaries.

The consolidated financial statements include the financial accounts of HEICO Corporation and its subsidiaries, all of which are wholly owned except for HEICO Aerospace, which is 20% owned by Lufthansa Technik AG ("LHT"), the technical services subsidiary of Lufthansa German Airlines. In addition, HEICO Aerospace consolidates two subsidiaries which are 80.1% and 82.3% owned, respectively, and a joint venture, which is 84% owned. Also, HEICO Flight Support Corp. consolidates two subsidiaries which are 80.0% and 84% owned, respectively, and four subsidiaries that are each 80.1% owned. Furthermore, HEICO Electronic consolidates four subsidiaries, which are 80.1%, 80.1%, 82.5%, and 95.9% owned, respectively, and a wholly owned subsidiary of HEICO Electronic consolidates a subsidiary which is 78% owned. See Note 11, Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests. All intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated.

Use of Estimates and Assumptions

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

For purposes of the consolidated financial statements, the Company considers all highly liquid investments such as U.S. Treasury bills and money market funds with an original maturity of three months or less at the time of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable consist of amounts billed and currently due from customers and unbilled costs and estimated earnings related to revenue from certain fixed price contracts recognized on the percentage-of-completion method that have been recognized for accounting purposes, but not yet billed to customers. The valuation of accounts receivable requires that the Company set up an allowance for estimated uncollectible accounts and record a corresponding charge to bad debt expense. The Company estimates uncollectible receivables based on such factors as its prior experience, its appraisal of a customer’s ability to pay, age of receivables outstanding and economic conditions within and outside of the aviation, defense, space, medical, telecommunications and electronics industries.

Concentrations of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of temporary cash investments and trade accounts receivable. The Company places its temporary cash investments with high credit quality financial institutions and limits the amount of credit exposure to any one financial institution. Concentrations of credit risk with respect to trade receivables are limited due to the large number of customers comprising the Company’s customer base and their dispersion across many different geographical regions. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers, but does not generally require collateral to support customer receivables.

Inventory

Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost being determined on the first-in, first-out or the average cost basis. Losses, if any, are recognized fully in the period when identified.

The Company periodically evaluates the carrying value of inventory, giving consideration to factors such as its physical condition, sales patterns and expected future demand in order to estimate the amount necessary to write down any slow moving, obsolete or damaged inventory. These estimates could vary significantly from actual amounts based upon future economic conditions, customer inventory levels or competitive factors that were not foreseen or did not exist when the estimated write-downs were made. In accordance with industry practice, all inventories are classified as a current asset including portions with long production cycles, some of which may not be realized within one year.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment is recorded at cost. Depreciation and amortization is generally provided on the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the various assets. The Company’s property, plant and equipment is depreciated over the following estimated useful lives:

The costs of major additions and improvements are capitalized. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the leasehold improvement’s useful life or the lease term. Repairs and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred. Upon an asset's disposition, its cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the financial accounts and any resulting gain or loss is reflected within earnings.

Capital Leases

Assets acquired under capital leases are recorded at the lower of the asset's fair value or the present value of the future minimum lease payments, excluding any portion of the lease payments representing executory costs. The discount rate used in determining the present value of the minimum lease payments is the lower of the rate implicit in the lease or the Company's incremental borrowing rate. Assets under capital leases are included in property, plant and equipment and are depreciated over the shorter of the lease term or the useful life of the leased asset. Lease payments under capital leases are recognized as a reduction of the capital lease obligation and as interest expense.

Business Combinations

The Company allocates the purchase price of acquired entities to the underlying tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities and any noncontrolling interests assumed based on their estimated fair values, with any excess recorded as goodwill. The operating results of acquired businesses are included in the Company’s results of operations beginning as of their effective acquisition dates. Acquisition costs are generally expensed as incurred and were not material in fiscal 2015, 2014 or 2013.

For contingent consideration arrangements, a liability is recognized at fair value as of the acquisition date with subsequent fair value adjustments recorded in operations. Information regarding additional contingent purchase consideration may be found in Note 2, Acquisitions, and Note 7, Fair Value Measurements.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

The Company tests goodwill for impairment annually as of October 31, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of goodwill may not be fully recoverable. In evaluating the recoverability of goodwill, the Company compares the fair value of each of its reporting units to its carrying value to determine potential impairment. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the implied fair value of that reporting unit’s goodwill is to be calculated and an impairment loss is recognized in the amount by which the carrying value of the reporting unit’s goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, if any. The fair values of the Company's reporting units are determined by using a weighted average of a market approach and an income approach. Under the market approach, fair values are estimated using published market multiples for comparable companies. The Company calculates fair values under the income approach by taking estimated future cash flows that are based on internal projections and other assumptions deemed reasonable by management and discounting them using an estimated weighted average cost of capital.

The Company’s intangible assets not subject to amortization consist principally of its trade names. The Company’s intangible assets subject to amortization are amortized on the straight-line method (except for certain customer relationships amortized on an accelerated method) over the following estimated useful lives:



Customer relationships	7	to	12	years
Intellectual property	7	to	15	years
Licenses	10	to	17	years
Non-compete agreements	2	to	7	years
Patents	5	to	20	years
Trade names	8	to	10	years

Amortization expense of intellectual property, licenses and patents is recorded as a component of cost of sales, and amortization expense of customer relationships, non-compete agreements and trade names is recorded as a component of selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company tests each non-amortizing intangible asset for impairment annually as of October 31, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. To derive the fair value of its trade names, the Company utilizes an income approach, which relies upon management's assumptions of royalty rates, projected revenues and discount rates. The Company also tests each amortizing intangible asset for impairment if events or circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. The test consists of determining whether the carrying value of such assets will be recovered through undiscounted expected future cash flows. If the total of the undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of those assets, the Company recognizes an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the assets. The determination of fair value requires management to make a number of estimates, assumptions and judgments of such factors as projected revenues and earnings and discount rates.

Investments

Investments are stated at fair value based on quoted market prices. Investments that are intended to be held for less than one year are included within prepaid expenses and other current assets in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets, while those intended to be held for longer than one year are classified within other assets. Unrealized gains or losses associated with available-for-sale securities are reported net of tax within other comprehensive income or (loss) in shareholders’ equity. Unrealized gains or losses associated with trading securities are recorded as a component of other income in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Customer Rebates and Credits

The Company records accrued customer rebates and credits as a component of accrued expenses and other current liabilities in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. These amounts generally relate to discounts negotiated with customers as part of certain sales contracts that are usually tied to sales volume thresholds. The Company accrues customer rebates and credits as a reduction within net sales as the revenue is recognized based on the estimated level of discount rate expected to be earned by each customer over the life of the contractual rebate period (generally one year). Accrued customer rebates and credits are monitored by management and discount levels are updated at least quarterly.

Product Warranties

Product warranty liabilities are estimated at the time of shipment and recorded as a component of accrued expenses and other current liabilities in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. The amount recognized is based on historical claims experience.

Defined Benefit Pension Plan

In connection with a fiscal 2013 acquisition, the Company assumed a frozen qualified defined benefit pension plan (the "Plan"). The Plan's benefits are based on employee compensation and years of service. However, since the Plan was closed to new participants effective December 31, 2004, the accrued benefit for Plan participants was fixed as of the date of acquisition. The Company uses an actuarial valuation to determine the projected benefit obligation of the Plan and records the difference between the fair value of the Plan's assets and the projected benefit obligation as of October 31 in its Consolidated Balance Sheets. Additionally, any actuarial gain or loss that arises during a fiscal year that is not recognized as a component of net periodic pension income or expense is recorded as a component of other comprehensive income or (loss), net of tax. See Note 10, Employee Retirement Plans, for additional information and disclosures about the Plan.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue from the sale of products and the rendering of services is recognized when title and risk of loss passes to the customer, which is generally at the time of shipment. Revenue from the rendering of services represented less than 10% of consolidated net sales for all periods presented. Revenue from certain fixed price contracts for which costs can be dependably estimated is recognized on the percentage-of-completion method, measured by the percentage of costs incurred to date to estimated total costs for each contract. The percentage of the Company’s net sales recognized under the percentage-of-completion method was approximately 4%, 3% and 1% in fiscal 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Contract costs include all direct material and labor costs and those indirect costs related to contract performance, such as indirect labor, supplies, tools, repairs and depreciation costs. Selling, general and administrative costs are charged to expense as incurred.

Revisions in cost estimates as contracts progress have the effect of increasing or decreasing profits in the period of revision. Provisions for estimated losses on uncompleted contracts are made in the period in which such losses are determined. Variations in actual labor performance, changes to estimated profitability, and final contract settlements may result in revisions to cost estimates and are recognized in income in the period in which the revisions are determined. Changes in estimates pertaining to percentage-of-completion contracts did not have a material effect on net income from consolidated operations in fiscal 2015, 2014 or 2013.

The asset, “costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings” on uncompleted percentage-of-completion contracts, included in accounts receivable, represents revenue recognized in excess of amounts billed. The liability, “billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings,” included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities, represents billings in excess of revenue recognized on contracts accounted for under the percentage-of-completion method. Billings are made based on the completion of certain milestones as provided for in the contracts.

For fixed price contracts in which costs cannot be dependably estimated, revenue is recognized on the completed-contract method. A contract is considered complete when all significant costs have been incurred or the item has been accepted by the customer. Progress billings and customer advances (“billings to date”) received on fixed price contracts accounted for under the completed-contract method are classified as a reduction to contracts in process (a component of inventories), if any, and any remaining amount is included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company records compensation expense associated with stock options in its Consolidated Statements of Operations based on the grant date fair value of those awards. The fair value of each stock option on the date of grant is estimated using the Black-Scholes pricing model based on certain valuation assumptions. Expected stock price volatility is based on the Company’s historical stock prices over the contractual term of the option grant and other factors. The risk-free interest rate used is based on the published U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of the option grant for instruments with a similar life. The dividend yield reflects the Company’s expected dividend yield at the date of grant. The expected option life represents the period of time that the stock options are expected to be outstanding, taking into consideration the contractual term of the option grant and employee historical exercise behavior. The Company generally recognizes stock option compensation expense ratably over the award’s vesting period.

Income Taxes

Income tax expense includes U.S. and foreign income taxes, plus a provision for U.S. taxes on undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries not deemed to be permanently invested. Deferred income taxes are provided on elements of income that are recognized for financial accounting purposes in periods different from periods recognized for income tax purposes. The Company’s policy is to recognize interest and penalties related to income tax matters as a component of income tax expense. Further information regarding income taxes can be found in Note 6, Income Taxes.

Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests

As further detailed in Note 11, Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests, the holders of equity interests in certain of the Company’s subsidiaries have rights (“Put Rights”) that require the Company to provide cash consideration for their equity interests (the “Redemption Amount”) at fair value or at a formula that management intended to reasonably approximate fair value based solely on a multiple of future earnings over a measurement period. The Put Rights are embedded in the shares owned by the noncontrolling interest holders and are not freestanding. The Company tracks the carrying cost of such redeemable noncontrolling interests at historical cost plus an allocation of subsidiary earnings based on ownership interest, less dividends paid to the noncontrolling interest holders. Redeemable noncontrolling interests are recorded outside of permanent equity at the higher of their carrying cost or management’s estimate of the Redemption Amount. The initial adjustment to record redeemable noncontrolling interests at the Redemption Amount results in a corresponding decrease to retained earnings. Subsequent adjustments to the Redemption Amount of redeemable noncontrolling interests may result in corresponding decreases or increases to retained earnings, provided any increases to retained earnings may only be recorded to the extent of decreases previously recorded. Adjustments to Redemption Amounts based on fair value will have no affect on net income per share attributable to HEICO shareholders whereas the portion of periodic adjustments to the carrying amount of redeemable noncontrolling interests based solely on a multiple of future earnings that reflect a redemption amount in excess of fair value will affect net income per share attributable to HEICO shareholders. Acquisitions of redeemable noncontrolling interests are treated as equity transactions.

Net Income per Share Attributable to HEICO Shareholders

Basic net income per share attributable to HEICO shareholders is computed by dividing net income attributable to HEICO by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income per share attributable to HEICO shareholders is computed by dividing net income attributable to HEICO by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period plus potentially dilutive common shares arising from the assumed exercise of stock options, if dilutive. The dilutive impact of potentially dilutive common shares is determined by applying the treasury stock method.

Foreign Currency

All assets and liabilities of foreign subsidiaries that do not utilize the U.S. dollar as its functional currency are translated at period-end exchange rates, while revenue and expenses are translated using average exchange rates for the period. Unrealized translation gains or losses are reported as foreign currency translation adjustments through other comprehensive income or (loss) in shareholders’ equity. Transaction gains or losses related to balances denominated in a currency other than the functional currency are recorded in the Company's Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Contingencies

Losses for contingencies such as product warranties, litigation and environmental matters are recognized in income when they are probable and can be reasonably estimated. Gain contingencies are not recognized in income until they have been realized.

New Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2013-05, “Parent's Accounting for the Cumulative Translation Adjustment upon Derecognition of Certain Subsidiaries or Groups of Assets within a Foreign Entity or of an Investment in a Foreign Entity,” which clarifies the applicable guidance for the release of any cumulative translation adjustments into net earnings. ASU 2013-05 specifies that the entire amount of cumulative translation adjustments should be released into earnings when an entity ceases to have a controlling financial interest in a subsidiary or group of assets within a consolidated foreign entity and the sale or transfer results in the complete or substantially complete liquidation of the investment in the foreign entity. The Company adopted ASU 2013-05 in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, resulting in no impact on the Company's consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” which provides a comprehensive new revenue recognition model that will supersede nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance. Under ASU 2014-09, an entity will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to a customer at an amount that reflects the consideration it expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. The guidance also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14 which defers the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year. Accordingly, ASU 2014-09 is effective for fiscal years and interim reporting periods within those years beginning after December 15, 2017, or in fiscal 2019 for HEICO. Early adoption in the year preceding the effective date is permitted. ASU 2014-09 shall be applied either retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying ASU 2014-09 recognized at the date of initial application. The Company is currently evaluating which transition method it will elect and the effect the adoption of this guidance will have on its consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, “Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory,” which requires entities to measure inventories at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Under current guidance, inventories are measured at the lower of cost or market. ASU 2015-11 must be applied prospectively and is effective for fiscal years and interim reporting periods within those years beginning after December 15, 2016, or in fiscal 2018 for HEICO. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the effect, if any, the adoption of this guidance will have on its consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

In September 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-16, “Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments," which requires that an acquirer recognize adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement period in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined, including any cumulative effect on earnings as a result of the change to the provisional amounts as if the accounting had been completed as of the acquisition date. The Company adopted ASU 2015-16 in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, resulting in no impact on the Company's consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-17, “Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes," which requires that all deferred tax assets and liabilities be classified as noncurrent in the balance sheet. ASU 2015-17 may be applied either prospectively or retrospectively and is effective for fiscal years and interim reporting periods within those years beginning after December 15, 2016, or in fiscal 2018 for HEICO. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating which transition method it will elect. The adoption of this guidance will only effect the presentation of deferred taxes in the Company's consolidated statement of financial position.

Buildings and improvements

Leasehold improvements

Machinery and equipment