Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Newell Brands Inc. (collectively with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include all adjustments (including normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair statement of the financial position and the results of operations of the Company. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements, and the footnotes thereto, included in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2022 has been derived from the audited financial statements as of that date, but it does not include all the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for a complete financial statement.

The condensed consolidated financial statements for all comparable prior periods presented have been retrospectively adjusted to reflect the following:

•Effective January 1, 2023, as a result of the implementation of a new operating model intended to drive further simplification and unlock additional efficiencies and synergies within the Company, the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) now reviews the businesses as three operating segments: Home and Commercial Solutions, Learning and Development and Outdoor and Recreation. The Home and Commercial Solutions operating segment represents the combination of the previously reported Commercial Solutions, Home Appliances and Home Solutions operating segments. See Footnote 16 for further information;

•A prior-year change in method of accounting for certain inventory in the U.S. from the last-in, first-out method to the first-in, first-out method resulted in a $5 million and $16 million reduction of cost of products sold and corresponding increase to operating income and income before income taxes, additional income tax provision of $1 million and $4 million and increase of $4 million and $12 million to net income in the Company's previously issued unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, respectively;

•A revision associated with an incorrect change in functional currency designation in the prior year resulted in additional expense to record mark to market adjustments of $16 million and $35 million in other (income) expense, net in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, respectively, and a reclassification between Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss and Retained Deficit in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Stockholder’s Equity of $35 million at September 30, 2022. Refer to Footnote 19 of the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on February 15, 2023.

On March 31, 2022, the Company sold its Connected Home & Security (“CH&S”) business to Resideo Technologies, Inc. See Footnotes 2 and 16 for further information.

Use of Estimates and Risks

Management’s application of U.S. GAAP in preparing the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements requires the pervasive use of estimates and assumptions. The Company continues to be impacted by inflationary pressures, softening global demand, focus by major retailers on the rebalancing of inventory levels, rising interest rates and indirect macroeconomic impacts from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. These collective macroeconomic trends, the duration or severity of which are highly uncertain, are rapidly changing the retail and consumer landscape and are expected to continue to negatively impact the Company’s operating results, cash flows and financial condition during the current year. As consumers continue to face widespread increases in prices and interest rates, their discretionary spending and purchase patterns may continue to be unfavorably impacted. The high level of uncertainty of these factors has resulted in estimates and assumptions that have the potential for more variability and are more subjective. In addition, some of the other inherent estimates and assumptions used in the Company’s forecasted results of operations and cash flows that form the basis of the determination of the fair value of the reporting units for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment testing are outside the control of management, including interest rates, cost of capital, tax rates, industry growth, credit ratings, foreign exchange rates and labor inflation. Although management has made its best estimates and assumptions based upon current information, actual results could materially differ given the uncertainty of these factors and may require future changes to such estimates and assumptions, including reserves, which may result in future expense or impairment charges.

During the third quarter of 2023, the Company concluded that a triggering event had occurred for the goodwill associated with the Baby reporting unit in the Learning and Development segment, and for an indefinite-lived tradename in the Outdoor and Recreation segment, as a result of a downward revision of forecasted cash flows due to market conditions, as well as rising interest rates. The Company performed a quantitative impairment test and determined that the Baby reporting unit goodwill and the indefinite-lived tradename in the Outdoor and Recreation segment were impaired. During the third quarter of 2023, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $241 million for the Baby reporting unit goodwill and $22 million for the indefinite-lived tradename in the Outdoor and Recreation segment, as the carrying values exceeded their fair values. See Footnote 7 for further information.

During the second quarter of 2023, the Company concluded that a triggering event had occurred for an indefinite-lived tradename in the Home Fragrance reporting unit in the Home and Commercial Solutions segment and for the goodwill associated with the Baby reporting unit in the Learning and Development segment, as a result of a downward revision of forecasted cash flows due to softening global demand, primarily caused by continued inflationary pressure that is impacting discretionary spending behavior of consumers, as well as rising interest rates. The Company performed a quantitative impairment test and determined that the indefinite-lived tradename in the Home and Commercial Solutions segment was impaired. During the second quarter of 2023, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $8 million, as the carrying value of the tradename exceeded its fair value. The Company concluded that the Baby reporting unit goodwill was not impaired during the second quarter of 2023. See Footnote 7 for further information.

Seasonal Variations

Sales of the Company’s products tend to be seasonal, with sales, operating income and operating cash flow in the first quarter generally lower than any other quarter during the year, driven principally by reduced volume and the mix of products sold in the first quarter. The seasonality of the Company’s sales volume combined with the accounting for fixed costs, such as depreciation, amortization, rent, personnel costs and interest expense, impacts the Company’s results on a quarterly basis. Also, the Company typically tends to generate the majority of its operating cash flow in the third and fourth quarters of the year due to seasonal variations in operating results, the timing of annual performance-based compensation payments, customer program payments, working capital requirements and credit terms provided to customers. In addition, uncertainty still remains over the volatility and direction of future consumer and customer demand patterns, as well as inflationary and supply chain pressures. Accordingly, the Company’s results of operations and cash flows for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 may not necessarily be indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2023.

Adoption of New Accounting Guidance

Changes to U.S. GAAP are established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) in the form of accounting standards updates (“ASUs”) to the FASB’s Accounting Standards Codification. The Company considers the applicability and impact of all ASUs.

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting.” In January 2021, the FASB clarified the scope of this guidance with the issuance of ASU 2021-01, Reference Rate Reform: Scope. ASU 2020-04 provides optional expedients and exceptions to account for contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions that reference London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or another reference rate if certain criteria are met. This ASU was further updated with the issuance of ASU 2022-06, Reference Rate Reform: Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848, which extends the sunset date of the guidance. ASU 2020-04 may be applied prospectively to contract modifications made and hedging relationships entered into or evaluated on or before December 31, 2024. The Company adopted ASU 2020-04 and it did not have a material impact on its Consolidated Financial Statements.

In October 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-04, “Supplier Finance Programs (Subtopic 405-50): Disclosure of Supplier Finance Program Obligations.” This ASU requires that a buyer in a supplier finance program disclose sufficient information about the program to allow a user of financial statements to better consider the effect of the programs on an entity’s working capital, liquidity, and cash flows. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, except for the amendment on roll forward information which is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023. See disclosures hereafter for further information.

Sales of Accounts Receivables

Factored receivables at September 30, 2023 associated with the Company's existing factoring agreement (the “Customer Receivables Purchase Agreement”) were approximately $345 million, a decrease of approximately $75 million from December 31, 2022. Transactions under this agreement are accounted for as sales of accounts receivable, and the receivables sold are removed from the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet at the time of the sales transaction. The Company classifies the proceeds received from the sales of accounts receivable as an operating cash flow and collections of accounts receivables not yet submitted to the financial institution as a financing cash flow in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. The Company records the discount as other (income) expense, net in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations. As further described in Footnote 18, in October 2023, the Company entered into a new accounts receivable facility pursuant to which receivables of certain subsidiaries are sold or pledged.

Supplier Finance Program Obligations

The Company has worked with its suppliers of goods and services over the past several years to revisit terms and conditions, including the extension of payment terms. Additionally, a global financial institution offers a voluntary supply chain finance program (the “SCF Program”) which enables suppliers, at their sole discretion, to sell their receivables from the Company to the financial institution on a non-recourse basis.

The Company and its suppliers agree on contractual terms for the goods and services procured, including prices, quantities and payment terms, regardless of whether the supplier elects to participate in the SCF Program. Payments terms average approximately 125 days. The suppliers sell goods or services, as applicable, to the Company and issue the associated invoices to the Company based on the agreed-upon contractual terms. Suppliers that participate in the SCF Program, at their sole discretion, determine which invoices, if any, they want to sell to the financial institution. The suppliers’ voluntary inclusion of invoices in the SCF Program does not change the Company’s existing contractual terms with its suppliers. The Company does not provide any guarantees under the SCF Program, nor does it have any economic interest in a supplier’s decision to participate in the SCF Program.

Amounts due under the SCF Program are included in accounts payable in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and as operating cash flows in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. At September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, outstanding payment obligations under the SCF Program were approximately $100 million for both periods.