Fair Value Measurements

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Abstract]

NOTE 2 – FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

The Company uses the fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used to measure the fair value of certain of its financial instruments. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurement) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurement). The Company uses the income and market approaches to determine the fair value of its assets and liabilities. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are set forth below:


•	Level 1 – Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity can access at the measurement date.


•	Level 2 – Inputs other than quoted prices in active markets included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly.


•	Level 3 – Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability.

Non-financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis:

Certain long-lived non-financial assets and liabilities may be required to be measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis in certain circumstances, including when there is evidence of impairment. These non-financial assets and liabilities may include assets acquired in a business combination or property and equipment that are determined to be impaired. As of September 30, 2014, and December 31, 2013, the Company did not have any non-financial assets or liabilities that had been measured at fair value subsequent to initial recognition.

Fair value of financial instruments:

The carrying amounts of the Company’s senior notes are included in “Long-term debt, less current portion” on the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2014, and December 31, 2013.

The table below identifies the estimated fair value of the Company’s senior notes, using the market approach. The fair values as of September 30, 2014, and December 31, 2013, were determined by reference to quoted market prices of the same or similar instruments (Level 2) (in thousands):



	September 30, 2014				December 31, 2013
	Carrying Amount		Estimated Fair Value		Carrying Amount		Estimated Fair Value
4.875% Senior Notes due 2021	$	497,788	$	548,188	$	497,525	$	524,434
4.625% Senior Notes due 2021	$	299,637	$	325,432	$	299,598	$	310,141
3.800% Senior Notes due 2022	$	299,084	$	307,882	$	299,011	$	290,453
3.850% Senior Notes due 2023	$	299,979	$	307,859	$	299,976	$	289,362

The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets include other financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, amounts receivable from vendors and accounts payable. Due to the short-term nature of these financial instruments, the Company believes that the carrying values of these instruments approximate their fair values.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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