Debt and Other Financing Arrangements
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Dec. 31, 2014
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Debt And Other Financing Arrangements Disclosure [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Debt and Other Financing Arrangements [Text Block] | Note 9. Debt and Other Financing Arrangements
The effective interest rates for the fixed-rate debt include the stated interest on the notes, the accretion of any discount or amortization of any premium and, if applicable, adjustments related to hedging. See Note 12 for fair value information pertaining to the company’s long-term obligations.
As of December 31, 2013, short-term obligations and current maturities of long-term obligations in the accompanying balance sheet included $280.0 million of commercial paper, short-term bank borrowings and borrowings under lines of credit of certain of the company’s subsidiaries. The weighted average interest rate for short-term borrowings was 0.58% at December 31, 2013. The company had no outstanding short-term borrowings at December 31, 2014. In addition to available borrowings under the company’s revolving credit agreements, discussed below, the company had unused lines of credit of $107.7 million as of December 31, 2014. These unused lines of credit generally provide for short-term unsecured borrowings at various interest rates. Credit Facilities The company has a revolving credit facility with a bank group that provides unsecured multi-currency revolving credit. In February 2015, the maximum capacity of this facility was increased from $1.50 billion to $2.00 billion. The facility expires in July 2018. The agreement calls for interest at either a LIBOR-based rate or a rate based on the prime lending rate of the agent bank, at the company’s option. The agreement contains affirmative, negative and financial covenants, and events of default customary for financings of this type. The financial covenant requires the company to maintain a Consolidated Leverage Ratio of debt to EBITDA (as defined in the agreement) below 4.5 to 1.0 until February 2015 and decreasing, based on the passage of time, to 3.5 to 1.0, by August 2015 and an Interest Coverage Ratio of EBITDA (as defined in the agreement) to interest expense of 3.0 to 1.0. The credit agreement permits the company to use the facility for working capital; acquisitions; repurchases of common stock, debentures and other securities; the refinancing of debt; and general corporate purposes. The credit agreement allows for the issuance of letters of credit, which reduces the amount available for borrowing. If the company borrows under this facility, it intends to leave undrawn an amount equivalent to outstanding commercial paper to provide a source of funds in the event that commercial paper markets are not available. As of December 31, 2014, no borrowings were outstanding under the facility, although available capacity was reduced by approximately $59 million as a result of outstanding letters of credit. Commercial Paper Program The company has a U.S. commercial paper program pursuant to which it may issue and sell unsecured, short-term promissory notes (CP Notes). Maturities may not exceed 397 days from the date of issue and the CP Notes rank pari passu with all of the company’s other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness. CP Notes are issued on a private placement basis under customary terms in the commercial paper market and are not redeemable prior to maturity nor subject to voluntary prepayment. CP Notes are issued at a discount from par, or, alternatively, are sold at par and bear varying interest rates on a fixed or floating basis. As of December 31, 2014, no borrowings were outstanding under this program. Term Loan In connection with the acquisition of Life Technologies, the company entered into an unsecured term loan agreement. The term loan agreement calls for interest at either a LIBOR-based rate or a rate based on the prime lending rate of the agent bank, at the company’s option. The term loan agreement contains affirmative, negative and financial covenants, and events of default customary for financings of this type. The financial covenants require the company to maintain a Consolidated Leverage Ratio of debt to EBITDA (as defined in the agreements) below 4.5 to 1.0 until February 2015 and decreasing, based on the passage of time, to 3.5 to 1.0, by August 2015. The company must also maintain a minimum interest coverage ratio of 3.0 to 1.0. As of December 31, 2014, outstanding borrowings under the term loan agreement were $1.28 billion. The company is required to make minimum periodic payments through March 2016. Borrowings may be prepaid without penalty. Senior Notes Interest on the euro-denominated 2.00% Senior Notes due 2025 is payable annually. Interest on each of the other senior notes is payable semi-annually. Each of the notes may be redeemed at any time at a redemption price of 100% of the principal amount plus a specified make-whole premium plus accrued interest. The company is subject to certain affirmative and negative covenants under the indentures governing the senior notes, the most restrictive of which limits the ability of the company to pledge principal properties as security under borrowing arrangements. The 4.40% Senior Notes due 2015, 3.50% Senior Notes due 2016, 6.00% Senior Notes due 2020 and 5.00% Senior Notes due 2021 were assumed by the company in connection with the Life Technologies acquisition. The fair value of these senior notes on the date of acquisition exceeded the par value by $207 million which was recorded as part of the carrying value of the underlying debt and will be amortized as a reduction of interest expense over the remaining terms of the respective debt instruments. This adjustment does not affect cash interest payments. Interest Rate Swap Arrangements In 2013, upon the issuance of $900 million principal amount of 1.30% Senior Notes due 2017, the company entered into LIBOR-based interest rate swap arrangements with various banks. The aggregate amount of the swaps is equal to the principal amount of the 1.30% Notes and the payment dates of the swaps coincide with the payment dates of the 1.30% Notes. The swap contracts provide for the company to pay a variable interest rate of one-month LIBOR plus a spread of 0.6616% (0.8166% at December 31, 2014) and to receive a fixed rate of 1.30%. The variable interest rate resets monthly. The swaps have been accounted for as a fair value hedge of the 1.30% Notes. See Note 12 for additional information. Cash Flow Hedge Arrangements In 2013, prior to issuing the 4.15% Senior Notes due 2024, the company entered into interest rate swap agreements to mitigate the risk of interest rates rising prior to completion of a debt offering. Based on the company’s conclusion that a debt offering was probable as a result of near-term debt maturities and that such debt would carry semi-annual interest payments over a 10-year term, the swaps hedged the cash flow risk for each of the semi-annual fixed-rate interest payments on $700 million of principal amount of the planned 10-year fixed-rate debt issue. In December 2013, the company issued senior notes and terminated the swap arrangements. The company received $11 million at the termination of these agreements and recorded a gain of $1 million on the ineffective portion in other expense, net in the accompanying statement of income. The remaining favorable change in the fair value of the hedge upon termination (the effective portion) was $6 million, net of tax, and was classified as an increase to accumulated other comprehensive items within shareholder’s equity and is being amortized to interest expense over the term of the debt through 2024. |