1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Nature of Operations

Stepan Company (the Company) operations consist predominantly of the production and sale of specialty and intermediate chemicals, which are sold to other manufacturers for use in a variety of end products. Principal markets for all products are manufacturers of cleaning and washing compounds (including detergents, shampoos, fabric softeners, toothpastes and household cleaners), paints, cosmetics, food, beverages, nutritional supplements, agricultural products, plastics, furniture, automotive equipment, insulation and refrigeration.

Use of Estimates

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

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and all wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries in which the Company exercises controlling influence. The equity method is used to account for investments in which the Company exercises significant but noncontrolling influence. Intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.

The Company is a partner in two joint ventures: Nanjing Stepan Jinling Chemical Limited Liability Company (Stepan China) in Nanjing, China, and TIORCO, LLC (TIORCO) in Denver, Colorado. The Company has an 80 percent ownership interest in the Stepan China joint venture and exercises controlling influence. Therefore, Stepan China’s accounts are included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The joint venture partner’s interest in Stepan China’s net income is reported in the net income attributable to noncontrolling interests line of the consolidated statements of income. The joint venture partner’s interest in the net assets of Stepan China is reported in the noncontrolling interests line (a component of equity separate from Company equity) of the consolidated balance sheets.

TIORCO is equally owned and controlled by the Company and Nalco Company (a subsidiary of Ecolab Inc.). The Company’s investment in TIORCO is accounted for using the equity method and is included in the other non-current assets line on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company’s share of TIORCO’s net earnings is included in the loss from equity in joint ventures line of the consolidated statements of income. In October 2015, the Company and Nalco Company made the decision to dissolve TIORCO. See Note 25 for information regarding the dissolution of the joint venture.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with purchased maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

At December 31, 2015, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents totaled $176.1 million including $68.8 million in two separate money market funds, each of which was rated AAA by Standard and Poor’s and Aaa by Moody’s. Cash in U.S. demand deposit accounts totaled $20.2 million and cash of the Company’s non-U.S. subsidiaries held outside the U.S. totaled $87.1 million as of December 31, 2015.

Receivables and Credit Risk

Receivables are stated net of allowances for doubtful accounts and other allowances and primarily include trade receivables from customers, as well as nontrade receivables from suppliers, governmental tax agencies and others.

The Company is exposed to credit risk on accounts receivable balances. This risk is mitigated by the Company’s large, diverse customer base, which is dispersed over various geographic regions and industrial sectors. No single customer comprised more than 10 percent of the Company’s consolidated net sales in 2015, 2014 or 2013.

The Company maintains allowances for potential credit losses. Specific customer allowances are recorded when a review of customer creditworthiness and current economic conditions indicate that collection is doubtful. In addition, the Company maintains a general allowance as a percentage of total trade receivables. The general allowance percentage is periodically reviewed and adjusted based on historical bad debt losses of the Company.

The Company also maintains other customer allowances that occur in the normal course of business. Such allowances are based on historical averages and trade receivable levels.

The following is an analysis of the allowance for doubtful accounts and other accounts receivable allowances for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013:

(In thousands)	2015			2014			2013
Balance at January 1	$	10,011		$	5,945		$	5,533
Provision charged to income		1,106			4,625			719
Accounts written off, net of recoveries		(3,071	)		(559	)		(307	)
Balance at December 31	$	8,046		$	10,011		$	5,945

The 2014 provision charged to income included a $2,388,000 bad debt allowance for a major Polymer customer that filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in September 2014. Also included in the 2014 provision charged to income were additional allowances for certain high risk accounts and for general reserves. The accounts written off for 2015 included the write-off of the Polymer customer’s uncollectible receivable balance.

Inventories

Inventories are valued at cost, which is not in excess of market value, and include material, labor and plant overhead costs. The last-in, first-out (LIFO) method is used to determine the cost of the Company’s U.S. inventories. The first-in, first-out (FIFO) method is used for all other inventories. Inventories priced at LIFO as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, accounted for 72 and 67 percent of total inventories, respectively.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment is provided on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Lives used for calculating depreciation are generally 30 years for buildings and 15 years for building improvements. For assets classified as machinery and equipment, lives generally used for calculating depreciation expense range from 10 to 15 years for manufacturing equipment, five to 10 years for furniture and fixtures, three to five years for vehicles and three to 10 years for computer equipment and software. Manufacturing of chemicals is capital intensive with a large majority of the assets included in machinery and equipment representing manufacturing equipment. Major renewals and betterments are capitalized in the property accounts, while maintenance and repairs ($52,549,000, $55,923,000, and $48,683,000 in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively), which do not renew or extend the life of the respective assets, are charged to operations as incurred. Land is not depreciated. The cost of property retired or sold and the related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in income.

Included in the computer equipment and software component of machinery and equipment are costs related to the acquisition and development of internal-use software. Capitalized costs for internal-use software include external direct costs of materials and services consumed in obtaining and developing the software. For development projects where major internal resources are committed, payroll and payroll-related costs incurred during the application development phase of the project are also capitalized. The capitalized costs are amortized over the useful lives of the software, which are generally three to 10 years. Costs incurred in the preliminary project phase are expensed.

Interest charges on borrowings applicable to major construction projects are capitalized.

Property, plant and equipment assets are tested for impairment when events indicate that impairment may have occurred.

Fair Value Measurements

GAAP defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Furthermore, GAAP establishes a framework, in the form of a three-level hierarchy, for measuring fair value that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The following describes the hierarchy levels:

Level 1 - quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.

Level 2 - inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are directly or indirectly observable for the asset or liability, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3 - unobservable inputs which reflect the entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants use in pricing the assets and liabilities.

The Company applies the fair value measurement provisions of GAAP to any of its financial assets and liabilities that are carried at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets (see Note 2), its outstanding debt for disclosure purposes (also Note 2) and its pension plan assets (see Note 13).

The Company also applies the fair value measurement requirements to nonrecurring fair value measurements of nonfinancial assets and liabilities recorded in conjunction with business combinations and as part of impairment reviews for goodwill and other long-lived assets.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue is recognized upon shipment of goods to customers, at which time title and risk of loss pass to the customer. For arrangements where the Company consigns product to a customer location, revenue is recognized when the customer uses the inventory. The Company records shipping and handling billed to a customer in a sales transaction as revenue. Costs incurred for shipping and handling are reported in cost of sales. Volume discounts due customers are estimated and recorded in the same period as the sales to which the discounts relate and reported as reductions of revenue in the consolidated statements of income.

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales comprises raw material costs (including inbound freight expense to deliver the raw materials), manufacturing plant labor expenses and various manufacturing overhead expenses, such as utility, maintenance, operating supply, amortization and manufacturing asset depreciation expenses. Cost of sales also includes outbound shipping and handling expenses, inter-plant transfer costs and warehouse expenses.

Operating Expenses

Selling expense comprises salary and the related fringe benefit expenses for marketing and sales personnel and operating costs, such as outside agent commissions, automobile rental and travel-related expenses, which support the sales and marketing functions. Bad debt charges and any depreciation expenses related to marketing assets (e.g., computers) are also classified as selling expense.

Administrative expense comprises salary and the related fringe benefit expenses and operating costs for the Company’s various administrative functions, which include information services, finance, legal, and human resources. Environmental remediation expenses are also classified as administrative expense.

The Company’s research and development costs are expensed as incurred. These expenses are aimed at discovery and commercialization of new knowledge with the intent that such effort will be useful in developing a new product or in bringing about a significant improvement to an existing product or process. Total research and development expenses were $30,315,000, $27,236,000 and $28,782,000 in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The remainder of research, development and technical service expenses reflected on the consolidated statements of income relates to technical services, which include routine product testing, quality control and sales support service.

Compensation expense or income related to the Company’s deferred compensation plans is presented in the Deferred compensation expense (income) line in the Consolidated Statements of Income. In prior years, the deferred compensation expense or income was reported in the administrative expense line. The 2014 and 2013 information has been changed to conform to the current year presentation. The current year presentation is consistent with the Company’s analysis of operating expenses as discussed in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Environmental Expenditures

Environmental expenditures that relate to current operations are expensed in cost of sales. Expenditures that mitigate or prevent environmental contamination and that benefit future operations are capitalized as assets and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which are typically 10 years.

Estimated future expenditures that relate to an existing condition caused by past operations, and which do not contribute to current or future revenue generation, are recorded as liabilities, with the corresponding charge recorded in administrative expenses, when environmental assessments and/or remedial efforts are probable and the cost or range of possible costs can be reasonably estimated. When no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount, the minimum amount in the range is accrued. Some of the factors on which the Company bases its estimates include information provided by feasibility studies, potentially responsible party negotiations and the development of remedial action plans. Legal costs related to environmental matters are expensed as incurred (see Note 16 for environmental contingencies).

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

The Company’s intangible assets include patents, agreements not to compete, trademarks, customer lists, technological and manufacturing know-how and goodwill, all of which were acquired as part of business or product line acquisitions. Intangible assets other than goodwill are determined to have either finite or indefinite useful lives. The Company currently has no indefinite-life intangible assets. The values for intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over the useful lives of the assets. In addition, finite-life intangible assets are tested for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an intangible asset may not be recoverable. Goodwill is not amortized. Goodwill is tested for impairment at least annually or more frequently if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit to which goodwill relates below the reporting unit’s carrying value. For more details see Note 4.

Income Taxes

The provision for income taxes is determined using the asset and liability method, under which deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets or liabilities are computed using the currently enacted tax rates that apply to taxable income in effect for the years in which those tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for changes in tax rates or laws, and the effects of the changes are recorded in income in the period of enactment. Valuation allowances are recorded to reduce deferred tax assets when the Company determines that it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will not be realized.

The Company recognizes the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. If the tax position meets the more-likely-than-not threshold, the tax benefit recognized in the consolidated financial statements is measured at the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon effective settlement. Unrecognized tax benefits, which are differences between the tax position taken on a tax return and the amounts recognized in the financial statements, are recorded either as an increase to a tax liability or as a decrease to an income tax receivable. The Company includes estimated interest and penalty amounts related to the unrecognized tax benefits in the tax provision.

See Note 9 for detailed information about income taxes.

Translation of Foreign Currencies

For the Company’s consolidated foreign subsidiaries whose functional currency is the local foreign currency, assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at exchange rates in effect at year end and revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates for the year. Any resulting translation adjustments are included in the consolidated balance sheets in the accumulated other comprehensive loss line of stockholders’ equity. Gains or losses on foreign currency transactions are reflected in the other, net caption of the consolidated statements of income. The Company has one foreign subsidiary whose functional currency is the U.S. dollar. For this subsidiary, nonmonetary assets and liabilities are translated at historical rates, monetary assets and liabilities are translated at exchange rates in effect at year end, revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates for the year and translation gains and losses are included in the other, net caption of the consolidated statements of income.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company grants stock options, performance stock awards and stock appreciation rights (SARs) to certain employees under its incentive compensation plans. The Company calculates the fair values of stock options, performance stock awards and SARs on the date such instruments are granted. The fair values of the stock option and performance stock awards are then recognized as compensation expense over the vesting periods of the instruments. The Company’s SARs granted before 2015 are cash-settled and accounted for as liabilities that must be re-measured at fair value at the end of each reporting period. Compensation expense for each reporting period is calculated as the period-to-period change (or portion of the change, depending on the proportion of the vesting period that has been completed at the reporting date) in the fair value of the cash-settled SARs. The Company’s SARs granted in 2015 are stock-settled only and the accounting treatment of their compensation expenses is similar to those of stock options. See Note 11 for detailed information about the Company’s stock-based compensation.

Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share amounts are computed based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Net income used in computing basic earnings per share is net income attributable to the Company reduced by dividends paid to preferred stockholders (as of August 9, 2013, all Company preferred stock had been redeemed or converted to Company common stock). Diluted earnings per share amounts are based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding plus the increased number of common shares that would be outstanding assuming the exercise of certain outstanding stock options, contingent performance awards and SARs settling in stock only (under the treasury stock method), the conversion of the convertible preferred stock (when such conversion would have the effect of reducing earnings per share), and contingent stock awards that are part of the Company’s incentive stock-based compensation program (see Note 11). See Note 18 for detailed information about the Company’s earnings per share calculations.

Comprehensive Income and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income includes net income and all other non-owner changes in equity that are not reported in net income. Comprehensive income is disclosed in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) is reported as a component of stockholders’ equity in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. See Note 19 for detailed information regarding changes in the Company’s AOCI and reclassifications out of AOCI to income.

Segment Reporting

The Company reports financial and descriptive information about its reportable operating segments. Operating segments are components of the Company that have separate financial information that is regularly evaluated by the chief operating decision maker to assess segment performance and allocate resources. The Company discloses segment revenue, operating income, assets, capital expenditures and depreciation and amortization expenses. Enterprise-wide financial information about the geographic locations in which the Company earns revenues and holds assets is also disclosed (see Note 17).

Derivative Instruments

Derivative instruments are recognized in the consolidated balance sheets as either assets or liabilities measured at fair value. For derivative instruments that are not designated as hedging instruments, changes in the fair values of the derivative instruments are recognized currently in earnings. For derivative instruments designated as hedging instruments, depending on the nature of the hedge, changes in the fair values of the derivative instruments are either offset in earnings against changes in the fair values of the hedged items or recognized in AOCI until the hedged transaction is recognized in earnings. At the time a hedging relationship is designated, the Company establishes the method it will use for assessing the effectiveness of the hedge and the measurement approach for determining the ineffective aspect of the hedge. Company policy prohibits the use of derivative instruments for trading or speculative purposes. See Note 3 for further information regarding the Company’s use of derivatives.

At December 31, 2015, the Company held open forward contracts for the purchase of 1.1 million dekatherms of natural gas in 2016 at a cost of $3,561,000. The Company uses forward contracts to minimize its exposure to volatile natural gas prices. Because the Company anticipates taking delivery of the natural gas for use in its operations, the forward contracts qualify for the normal purchase exception election provided under U.S. GAAP for derivative instruments. The Company has elected the exception for such contracts. As a result, the forward contracts are not accounted for as derivative instruments. The cost of natural gas is charged to expense at the time the natural gas is delivered and used.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In April 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-08, Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360): Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity. The update amends the definition of a discontinued operation, changes the criteria for reporting discontinued operations and requires expanded disclosures for discontinued operations and new disclosures about disposal transactions that do not meet the discontinued operations criteria. Under the new guidance, a discontinued operation is defined as a disposal of a component or group of components that is disposed of or is classified as held for sale and represents a strategic shift that has or will have a major effect on an entity's operations and financial results. The requirements of ASU No. 2014-08 were effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2014, with early adoption permitted. This ASU did not have an effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The new update was later amended by ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date. The standard, which is the result of a joint project by the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board, outlines a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers. In addition, the ASU requires expanded disclosures about revenue recognition that enable the users of the financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. ASU No. 2014-09 supersedes most of the previous revenue recognition guidance. For public entities, the new guidance, as amended, is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. An entity may use either a full retrospective or a modified retrospective approach to adopt the requirements of the new standard. The Company continues the process of determining the effects, if any, that adoption of ASU No. 2014-09 will have on Company financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

In January 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-01, Simplifying Income Statement Presentation by Eliminating the Concept of Extraordinary Items, which amends Subtopic 225-20, Income Statement – Extraordinary and Unusual Items, of the Accounting Standards Codification. The update, which is part of FASB’s initiative to reduce complexity of accounting standards, eliminates the US GAAP concept of extraordinary items. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. A reporting entity may apply the amendments prospectively or retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. Early adoption is permitted provided that the guidance is applied from the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. This ASU is not expected to have an effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-02, Consolidation (Topic 810): Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis. The amendments in this update affect reporting entities that are required to evaluate whether they should consolidate certain legal entities. All legal entities are subject to reevaluation under the revised consolidation model. Specifically, the amendments: 1) modify the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities are variable interest entities (VIEs) or voting interest entities; 2) eliminate the presumption that a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership; 3) affect the consolidation analysis of reporting entities that are involved with VIEs, particularly those that have fee arrangements and related party relationships; and 4) provide a scope exception from consolidation guidance for reporting entities with interests in legal entities that are required to comply with or operate in accordance with certain Investment Company Act of 1940 requirements for registered money market funds. The amendments in ASU No. 2015-02 are effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. A reporting entity may apply the amendments in this update using a modified retrospective approach by recording a cumulative-effect adjustment to equity as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. A reporting entity also may apply the amendments retrospectively. Early adoption is permitted. Under the assumption that the Company’s organizational structure remains as it is currently, adoption of ASU No. 2015-02 is not expected to have an effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, Interest – Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs. The amendments in this update change the presentation of debt issuance costs in financial statements. Under this ASU, an entity will be required to present debt issuance costs in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the related debt liability rather than as an asset. Amortization of the costs is to be reported as interest expense. The guidance in ASU No. 2015-03 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is allowed for financial statements that have not been previously issued. The new guidance is to be applied retrospectively to all prior periods. Upon adoption of ASU No. 2015-03, the Company will reclassify its debt issuance costs from the other non-current assets line of the consolidated balance sheet to the long-term, and where applicable, current maturities of long-term debt lines. Adoption of the update is not expected to have an effect on the Company’s results of operations or cash flows. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-15, Interest—Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Presentation and Subsequent Measurement of Debt Issuance Costs Associated with Line-of-Credit Arrangements—Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to Staff Announcement at June 18, 2015 EITF Meeting (SEC Update which) that sets forth additional guidance from the SEC regarding debt issuance costs associated with line-of-credit arrangements, which ASU No. 2015-03 does not address. The SEC has stated that given the absence of authoritative guidance for debt issuance costs related to line-of-credit arrangements, the SEC staff would not object to an entity deferring and presenting debt issuance costs as an asset and subsequently amortizing the deferred debt issuance costs ratably over the term of the line-of-credit arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the line-of-credit arrangement. The SEC’s guidance is not expected to have an effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-05, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other – Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement. This ASU provides guidance to customers about whether a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license. If a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license, then the customer should account for the software license element of the arrangement consistent with the acquisition of other software licenses. If a cloud computing arrangement does not include a software license, the customer should account for the arrangement as a service contract. The amendments in ASU No. 2015-05 will be effective for annual periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. An entity can elect to adopt the amendments either prospectively to all arrangements entered into or materially modified after the effective date or retrospectively. Based on the Company’s current cloud computing arrangements, the Company does not believe that adoption of ASU No. 2015-05 will have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330), Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory, which requires an entity to measure inventory within the scope of the update at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Prior guidance required inventory to be measured at the lower of cost or market. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. Subsequent measurement is unchanged for inventory measured using LIFO or the retail inventory method. For public entities, ASU No. 2015-11 is effective prospectively for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods therein. Early adoption is permitted. Adoption of ASU No. 2015-11 is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In September 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-16, Business Combinations (Topic 805), Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments. The update requires that the acquirer in a business combination recognize adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement period in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined (not retrospectively as with prior guidance). Additionally, the acquirer must record in the same period’s financial statements the effect on earnings of changes in depreciation, amortization or other income effects as a result of the change to the provisional amounts, calculated as if the accounting had been completed at the time of acquisition. The acquiring entity is required to disclose, on the face of the financial statements or in the footnotes to the financial statements, the portion of the amount recorded in current period earnings, by financial statement line item, that would have been recorded in previous reporting periods if the adjustment to the provisional amounts had been recognized as of the acquisition date. The guidance in ASU No. 2015-16 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Earlier application is permitted for financial statements that have not been issued. Adoption of ASU No. 2015-16 is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17, Income Taxes (Topic 740), Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes. The update requires entities to present deferred tax assets and liabilities as noncurrent in a classified balance sheet. The update simplifies the current guidance, which requires entities to separately present deferred tax assets and liabilities as current and noncurrent in a classified balance sheet. The guidance in ASU 2015-17 is effective for financial statements issued for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. Earlier application is permitted for all entities as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. As allowed, the Company early-adopted the amendments in this update on a prospective basis in the fourth quarter of 2015. Therefore, the classifications of prior year amounts were not changed from those previously reported. Adoption of ASU No. 2015-17 did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. See Note 9 to these consolidated financial statements.