Basis of Presentation (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation and Other Items

1.   Basis of Presentation and Other Items. The interim consolidated financial statements of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. ("Merit," "we" or "us") for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 are not audited. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with the requirements for unaudited interim periods and, consequently, do not include all disclosures required to be made in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). In the opinion of our management, the accompanying consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring accruals, necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, and our results of operations and cash flows for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2021 and 2020. The results of operations for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results for a full-year period. Percentages and earnings per share amounts presented are calculated from the underlying amounts. These interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and risk factors included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 (the “2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K”).

Recently Issued Financial Accounting Standards

We currently believe that all other issued and not yet effective accounting standards are not materially relevant to our financial statements.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue from Contracts with Customers. We recognize revenue when a customer obtains control of promised goods. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for these goods. Our revenue recognition policies have not changed from those disclosed in Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of the 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Derivatives

Derivatives.

General. Our earnings and cash flows are subject to fluctuations due to changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, and we seek to mitigate a portion of the risks attributable to those fluctuations by entering into derivative contracts. The derivatives we use are interest rate swaps and foreign currency forward contracts. We recognize derivatives as either assets or liabilities at fair value in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, regardless of whether or not hedge accounting is applied. We report cash flows arising from our hedging instruments consistent with the classification of cash flows from the underlying hedged items. Accordingly, cash flows associated with our derivative contracts are classified as operating activities in the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows.

We formally document, designate and assess the effectiveness of transactions that receive hedge accounting treatment initially and on an ongoing basis. For qualifying hedges, the change in fair value is deferred in accumulated other comprehensive income, a component of stockholders’ equity in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, and recognized in earnings at the same time the hedged item affects earnings. Changes in the fair value of derivatives not designated as hedging instruments are recorded in earnings throughout the term of the derivative.

Interest Rate Risk. Our debt bears interest at variable interest rates. Therefore, we are subject to variability in the cash payable for interest expense. In order to mitigate a portion of the risk attributable to such variability, we use a hedging strategy to reduce the variability of cash flows in the interest payments associated with a portion of the variable-rate debt outstanding under our Third Amended Credit Agreement that varies in accordance with changes in the benchmark interest rate.

Derivative Instruments Designated as Cash Flow Hedges

On August 5, 2016, we entered into a pay-fixed, receive-variable interest rate swap with a notional amount of $175 million with Wells Fargo to fix the one-month LIBOR rate at 1.12%. The variable portion of the interest rate swap was tied to the one-month LIBOR rate (the benchmark interest rate). The interest rate swap expired on July 6, 2021.

On December 23, 2019, we entered into a pay-fixed, receive-variable interest rate swap with a notional amount of $75 million with Wells Fargo to fix the one-month LIBOR rate at 1.71% for the period from July 6, 2021 to July 31, 2024. The variable portion of the interest rate swap is tied to the one-month LIBOR rate (the benchmark interest rate). On a monthly basis, the interest rates under both the interest rate swap and the underlying debt reset, the swap is settled with the counterparty, and interest is paid.

On September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, our interest rate swaps qualified as cash flow hedges. The fair value of our interest rate swap on September 30, 2021 was a liability of approximately $2.5 million, which was partially offset by approximately $0.6 million in deferred taxes. The fair value of our interest rate swaps on December 31, 2020 was a liability of $4.4 million, partially offset by approximately $1.1 million in deferred taxes.

Foreign Currency Risk. We operate on a global basis and are exposed to the risk that our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be adversely affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. To reduce the potential effects of foreign currency exchange rate movements on net earnings, we enter into derivative financial instruments in the form of foreign currency exchange forward contracts with major financial institutions. Our policy is to enter into foreign currency derivative contracts with maturities of up to two years. We are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risk with respect to transactions and balances denominated in Chinese Renminbi, Euros, British Pounds, Mexican Pesos, Brazilian Reals, Australian Dollars, Hong Kong Dollars, Swiss Francs, Swedish Krona, Canadian Dollars, Danish Krone, Japanese Yen, and South Korean Won, among others. We do not use derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. We do not believe we are subject to any credit risk contingent features related to our derivative contracts, and we seek to manage counterparty risk by allocating derivative contracts among several major financial institutions.

Derivative Instruments Designated as Cash Flow Hedges

For derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges, the gain or loss on the derivative instrument is temporarily reported as a component of other comprehensive income (loss) and then reclassified into earnings in the same line item associated with the forecasted transaction and in the same period or periods during which the hedged transaction affects earnings. We entered into forward contracts on various foreign currencies to manage the risk associated with forecasted exchange rates which impact revenues, cost of sales, and operating expenses in various international markets. The objective of the hedges is to reduce the variability of cash flows associated with the forecasted purchase or sale of the associated foreign currencies.

Derivative Instruments Not Designated as Cash Flow Hedges

We forecast our net exposure in various receivables and payables to fluctuations in the value of various currencies, and we enter into foreign currency forward contracts to mitigate that exposure.

Balance Sheet Presentation of Derivative Instruments. As of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, all derivative instruments, both those designated as hedging instruments and those that were not designated as hedging instruments, were recorded at fair value on a gross basis on our consolidated balance sheets. We are not subject to any master netting agreements.