Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 29, 2019

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include Belden Inc. and all of its subsidiaries (the Company, us, we, or our). We eliminate all significant affiliate accounts and transactions in consolidation.

The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements presented as of any date other than December 31, 2018:


•	Are prepared from the books and records without audit, and


•	Are prepared in accordance with the instructions for Form 10-Q and do not include all of the information required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for complete statements, but


•	Include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial statements.

These Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data contained in our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Business Description

We are a global supplier of specialty networking solutions built around two global business platforms - Enterprise Solutions and Industrial Solutions. Our comprehensive portfolio of solutions enables customers to transmit and secure data, sound, and video for mission critical applications across complex enterprise and industrial environments.

Reporting Periods

Our fiscal year and fiscal fourth quarter both end on December 31. Our fiscal first quarter ends on the Sunday falling closest to 91 days after December 31, which was March 31, 2019, the 90th day of our fiscal year 2019. Our fiscal second and third quarters each have 91 days. The nine months ended September 29, 2019 and September 30, 2018 included 272 and 273 days, respectively.

Fair Value Measurement

Accounting guidance for fair value measurements specifies a hierarchy of valuation techniques based upon whether the inputs to those valuation techniques reflect assumptions other market participants would use based upon market data obtained from independent sources or reflect our own assumptions of market participant valuation. The hierarchy is broken down into three levels based on the reliability of the inputs as follows:


•	Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets that are unadjusted and accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities;


•	Level 2 – Quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, or financial instruments for which significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly; and


•	Level 3 – Prices or valuations that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable.

As of and during the three and nine months ended September 29, 2019 and September 30, 2018, we utilized Level 1 inputs to determine the fair value of cash equivalents, and we utilized Level 2 and Level 3 inputs to determine the fair value of net assets acquired in business combinations (see Note 3). We did not have any transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measurements during the nine months ended September 29, 2019 and September 30, 2018.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

We classify cash on hand and deposits in banks, including commercial paper, money market accounts, and other investments with an original maturity of three months or less, that we hold from time to time, as cash and cash equivalents. We periodically have cash equivalents consisting of short-term money market funds and other investments. As of September 29, 2019, we did not have any such cash equivalents on hand. The primary objective of our investment activities is to preserve our capital for the purpose of funding operations. We do not enter into investments for trading or speculative purposes.

Contingent Liabilities

We have established liabilities for environmental and legal contingencies that are probable of occurrence and reasonably estimable, the amounts of which are currently not material. We accrue environmental remediation costs based on estimates of known environmental remediation exposures developed in consultation with our environmental consultants and legal counsel. We are, from time to time, subject to routine litigation incidental to our business. These lawsuits primarily involve claims for damages arising out of the use of our products, allegations of patent or trademark infringement, and litigation and administrative proceedings involving employment matters and commercial disputes. Based on facts currently available, we believe the disposition of the claims that are pending or asserted will not have a materially adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flow.

As of September 29, 2019, we were party to standby letters of credit, bank guaranties, and surety bonds totaling $9.7 million, $3.9 million, and $3.3 million, respectively.

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue consistent with the principles as outlined in the following five step model: (1) identify the contract with the customer, (2) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (3) determine the transaction price, (4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and (5) recognize revenue when (or as) each performance obligation is satisfied. See Note 2.

Subsequent Events

We evaluated subsequent events after the balance sheet date through the financial statement issuance date for appropriate accounting and disclosure. See Note 17.

Current-Year Adoption of Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, Leases ("ASU 2016-02"), a leasing standard for both lessees and lessors that supersedes the lease requirements in Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 840, "Leases." Under its core principle, a lessee will recognize a right-of-use (ROU) asset and lease liability on the balance sheet for nearly all leased assets, and additional disclosures are required to enable users of financial statements to assess the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. Lessor accounting remains largely consistent with existing U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. We adopted ASU 2016-02 on January 1, 2019 using the permitted transition method issued in July 2018, under ASU No. 2018-11 (“ASU 2018-11”), Leases: Targeted Improvements, which provides an additional (and optional) transition method for adopting the new lease standard. Furthermore, we elected the following practical expedients and accounting policy elections upon adoption: (i) the package of practical expedients as defined in ASU 2016-02, (ii) the short-term lease accounting policy election, (iii) the practical expedient to not separate non-lease components from lease components, and (iv) the easement practical expedient, which permits an entity to continue applying its current policy for accounting for land easements that existed as of the effective date of ASU 2016-02. The adoption of ASU 2016-02 on January 1, 2019 resulted in the recognition of right-of-use assets of approximately $90.5 million and lease liabilities for operating leases of approximately $103.4 million on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, with no material impact to the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations or Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Statement. The difference between the initial lease liabilities and the ROU assets is related primarily to previously existing lease liabilities. See Note 7 for further information regarding the impact of the adoption of ASU 2016-02 on the Company's financial statements.

In August 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities (“ASU 2017-12”). The new guidance better aligns an entity’s risk management activities and financial reporting for hedging relationships through changes to both the designation and measurement guidance for qualifying hedging relationships and the presentation of hedge results. The new guidance also makes certain targeted improvements to simplify the application of hedge accounting guidance and ease the administrative burden of hedge documentation requirements and assessing hedge effectiveness. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. We adopted ASU 2017-12 effective January 1, 2019. The adoption had no impact on our results of operations.

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-02 (“ASU 2018-02”), Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. ASU 2018-02 provides an option to allow reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The new guidance is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. We adopted ASU 2018-02 effective January 1, 2019, and elected to not reclassify the income tax effects of the Act from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings. The adoption had no impact on our results of operations.

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07 (“ASU 2018-07”), Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The amendments in ASU 2018-07 expand the scope of Topic 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation, to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from non-employees, and provide that non-employee share-based payment awards be measured at their grant-date fair value and the probability of satisfying performance conditions be taken into account when non-employee share-based payment awards contain such conditions. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. We adopted ASU 2018-07 effective January 1, 2019. The adoption had no impact on our results of operations.

In August 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted the final rule under SEC Release No. 33-10532, Disclosure Update and Simplification, amending certain disclosure requirements that were redundant, duplicative, overlapping, outdated or superseded. Additionally, the amendments expanded the disclosure requirements on the analysis of stockholders' equity for interim financial statements. Under the amendments, an analysis of changes in each caption of stockholders' equity presented in the balance sheet must be provided in a note or separate statement. The analysis should present a reconciliation of the beginning balance to the ending balance of each period presented. This final rule was effective on November 5, 2018. We implemented SEC Release No. 33-10532 effective January 1, 2019, which had no impact on our results of operations.

Pending Adoption of Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13 (“ASU 2016-13”), Financial Instruments - Credit Losses. The main provisions of ASU 2016-13 provide financial statement users with more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments and other commitments to extend credit held by a reporting entity at each reporting date, and require a financial asset (or a group of financial assets) measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. The new standard will be effective for us beginning January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact this update will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.