UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549



FORM 10-Q







or





Commission File Number 1-584

FERRO CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)











Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. YES ☒ NO ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

YES ☒ NO ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):





Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). YES ☐ NO ☒

At March 31, 2016, there were 83,181,350 shares of Ferro Common Stock, par value $1.00, outstanding.





 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS







 

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PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION



Item 1.  Financial Statements (Unaudited)



Ferro Corporation and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations















See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.



 

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Ferro Corporation and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss)







See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.



 

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Ferro Corporation and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets







See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.



 

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Ferro Corporation and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Equity







See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.



 

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Ferro Corporation and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows







 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.



 

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Ferro Corporation and Subsidiaries

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements



1.    Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Ferro Corporation (“Ferro,” “we,” “us” or “the Company”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information, the instructions to Form 10-Q, and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. These statements reflect all normal and recurring adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary to present fairly the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. These interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.



The Company owned 51% of an operating affiliate in Venezuela that was a consolidated subsidiary of Ferro.  During the fourth quarter of 2015, we sold our interest in the operating affiliate in Venezuela for a cash purchase price of $0.5 million. During the first quarter of 2015, the Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Public Banking, and the Central Bank of Venezuela published a new exchange rate, the Foreign Exchange Marginal System (“SIMADI”). We concluded in March 2015 that SIMADI was the most relevant exchange mechanism available, and began using SIMADI to translate the local currency financial statements.  As a result of the revaluation, we recognized a $1.9 million foreign currency loss and a $2.6 million loss due to lower of cost or market charges against our inventory, prior to the adjustment for losses allocated to our noncontrolling interest partner, which is recorded within Foreign currency losses, net and Cost of sales, respectively, within our condensed consolidated statement of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2015.



During the second quarter of 2014, substantially all of the assets and liabilities of the Europe-based Polymer Additives business were classified as held-for-sale.  As further discussed in Note 3, we have classified the assets and liabilities as held-for-sale in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets and have classified the related operating results, net of income tax, as discontinued operations in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations for all periods presented.



Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2016, are not necessarily indicative of the results expected in subsequent quarters or for the full year ending December 31, 2016.  





2.    Recent Accounting Pronouncements

New Accounting Standards

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Topic 606. This ASU replaces nearly all existing U.S. GAAP guidance on revenue recognition. The standard prescribes a five-step model for recognizing revenue, the application of which will require significant judgment. This standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017.  The Company is in the process of assessing the impact the adoption of this ASU will have on our condensed consolidated financial statements.



In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-17, Income Taxes: Topic 740: Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes.  ASU 2015-17 requires deferred tax assets and liabilities to be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position.  This pronouncement is effective for financial statements issued for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted.  ASU 2015-17 may be applied either on a retrospective or prospective basis.  The Company is in the process of assessing the impact the adoption of this ASU will have on our condensed consolidated financial statements.



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In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases: Topic 842.  ASU 2016-02 requires companies to recognize a lease liability and asset on the balance sheet for operating leases with a term greater than one year.  This pronouncement is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years.  Early adoption is permitted.  The Company is in the process of assessing the impact the adoption of this ASU will have on our condensed consolidated financial statements.



In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation: Topic 718: Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting.  ASU 2016-09 is intended to simplify several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows.    This pronouncement is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods.  Early adoption is permitted.  The Company is in the process of assessing the impact the adoption of this ASU will have on our condensed consolidated financial statements.



No other new accounting pronouncements issued or with effective dates during fiscal 2016 had or are expected to have a material impact of the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.



3.    Discontinued Operations



During the second quarter of 2014, we commenced a process to market for sale all of the assets within our Europe-based Polymer Additives business, including the Antwerp, Belgium dibenzoates manufacturing assets, and related Polymer Additives European headquarters and lab facilities.  We determined that the criteria to classify these assets as held-for-sale under ASC Topic 360, Property, Plant and Equipment, have been met.  We have classified the Europe-based Polymer Additives assets and liabilities as held-for-sale in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets and have classified the related operating results, net of income tax, as discontinued operations in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations for all periods presented. Though the sale process of these assets has taken longer than initially expected, we continue to believe that it is probable that we will sell the Europe-based Polymer Additives assets within a year.



The table below summarizes results for the Europe-based Polymer Additives assets, for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, which are reflected in our condensed consolidated statements of operations as discontinued operations.  Interest expense has been allocated to the discontinued operations based on the ratio of net assets of each business to consolidated net assets excluding debt.









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The following table summarizes the assets and liabilities which are classified as held-for-sale at March 31, 2016, and December 31, 2015:





Included within non-current assets is a deferred tax asset of $36.6 million at March 31, 2016, and $25.0 million at December 31, 2015, which were fully reserved for at both periods.



4.    Acquisitions



Ferer



On January 5, 2016, the Company completed the purchase of 100% of the equity of privately held Istanbul-based Ferer Dis Ticaret Ve Kimyasallar Anonim Sirketi A.S. (“Ferer”) on a cash-free and debt-free basis for approximately $9.4 million in cash, subject to customary working capital and other adjustments. The information included herein has been prepared based on the preliminary allocation of the purchase price using estimates of the fair value and useful lives of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, which were determined with the assistance of third parties who performed independent valuations using discounted cash flow and comparative market approaches and estimates made by management. As of March 31, 2016, the purchase price allocation is subject to further adjustment until all information is fully evaluated by the Company. The Company preliminarily recorded $3.2 million of amortizable intangible assets, $4.3 million of goodwill, $0.6 million of personal and real property, $0.6 million of a deferred tax liability related to the amortizable intangible assets, and $1.9 million of net working capital on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. 



Al Salomi

On November 17, 2015, the Company acquired 100% of the equity of Egypt-based tile coatings manufacturer Al Salomi for Frits and Glazes (“Al Salomi”) for EGP 307 million (approximately $38.2 million), including the assumption of debt.  The acquired business contributed net sales of $5.6 million and net income attributable to Ferro Corporation of $0.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016. 

The information included herein has been prepared based on the preliminary allocation of the purchase price using estimates of the fair value and useful lives of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, which were determined with the assistance of third parties who performed independent valuations using discounted cash flow and comparative market approaches and estimates made by management. As of March 31, 2016, the purchase price allocation is subject to further adjustment until all information is fully evaluated by the Company. The Company preliminarily recorded $15.0 million of amortizable intangible assets, $14.3 million of goodwill, $10.7 million of personal and real property, $4.8 million of a deferred tax liability related to the amortizable intangible assets, and $3.0 million of net working capital on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. 



Nubiola



On July 7, 2015, the Company acquired the entire share capital of Corporación Química Vhem, S.L., Dibon USA, LLC and Ivory Corporation, S.A. (together with their direct and indirect subsidiaries, “Nubiola”) on a cash-free and debt-free basis for €167 million

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(approximately $184.2 million).  The acquisition was funded with excess cash and borrowings under the Company’s existing revolving credit facility.  See Note 8 for additional detail on the revolving credit facility.  Nubiola is a worldwide producer of specialty inorganic pigments and the world’s largest producer of Ultramarine Blue. Nubiola also produces specialty Iron Oxides, Chrome Oxide Greens and Corrosion Inhibitors. Nubiola has production facilities in Spain, Colombia, Romania, and India and a joint venture in China. 

The information included herein has been prepared based on the preliminary allocation of the purchase price using estimates of the fair value and useful lives of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, which were determined with the assistance of third parties who performed independent valuations using discounted cash flow and comparative market approaches and estimates made by management. As of March 31, 2016, the purchase price allocation is subject to further adjustment until all information is fully evaluated by the Company.

The following table summarizes the preliminary purchase price allocations:



 

The acquired business contributed net sales of $33.4 million and net income attributable to Ferro Corporation of $5.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016.  The Company incurred acquisition related costs of $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016, which is recorded within Selling, general and administrative expenses, within our condensed consolidated statements of operations. 

The estimated fair value of the receivables acquired is $24.5 million, with a gross contractual amount of $25.2 million.  The Company preliminarily recorded acquired intangible assets subject to amortization of $27.0 million, which is comprised of $10.3 million of customer relationships and $16.7 million of technology/know-how, which will be amortized over 20 years and 15 years, respectively.  The Company preliminarily recorded acquired indefinite-lived intangible assets of $6.2 million related to trade names and trademarks.  Goodwill is calculated as the excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed in the acquisition and is a result of anticipated synergies.  Goodwill is not expected to be deductible for tax purposes.    

The following unaudited pro froma information represents the consolidated results of the Company as if the Nubiola acquisition occurred as of January 1, 2014:





The unaudited pro forma information has been adjusted with the respect to certain aspects of the acquisition to reflect the following:

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Thermark

In February 2015, the Company acquired TherMark Holdings, Inc., a leader in laser marking technology, for a cash purchase price of $5.5 million.  The Company recorded $4.6 million of amortizable intangible assets, $2.5 million of goodwill, $1.7 million of a deferred tax liability related to the amortizable intangible assets, and $0.1 million of net working capital on the condensed consolidated balance sheet.    





5.    Inventories







In the production of some of our products, we use precious metals, some of which we obtain from financial institutions under consignment agreements with terms of one year or less. The financial institutions retain ownership of the precious metals and charge us fees based on the amounts we consign. These fees were $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015. We had on-hand precious metals owned by participants in our precious metals consignment program of $23.5 million at March 31, 2016, and $20.5 million at December 31, 2015, measured at fair value based on market prices for identical assets and net of credits.





6.    Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment is reported net of accumulated depreciation of $435.1 million at March 31, 2016, and $421.3 million at December 31, 2015. Unpaid capital expenditure liabilities, which are non-cash investing activities, were $3.5 million at March 31, 2016, and $4.0 million at March 31, 2015. 



As discussed in Note 3 - Discontinued Operations, during the second quarter of 2014, our Europe-based Polymer Additives assets were classified as held-for-sale under ASC Topic 360, Property, Plant and Equipment. As such, at each reporting date, these assets are tested for impairment comparing the fair value of the assets less costs to sell to the carrying value.  The fair value was determined using both the market approach and income approach, utilizing Level 3 measurements within the fair value hierarchy, which indicated the fair value less costs to sell was less than the carrying value.  As a result of the current quarter analysis, the assets had a carrying value that exceeded fair value, resulting in an impairment charge of $24.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2016.  The impairment charge  of $24.1 million is included in Loss from discontinued operations, net of income taxes in our condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2016. 



The following table presents information about the Company's impairment charges on assets that were measured on a fair value basis for the three months ended March 31, 2016, and for the year ended December 31, 2015.  The table also indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques used by the Company to determine the fair value:

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The inputs to the valuation techniques used to measure fair value are classified into the following categories:



Level 1: Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2: Observable market-based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data.





7.   Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets 

Details and activity in the Company’s goodwill by segment follow:





(1) During the first quarter of 2016, the Company recorded goodwill related to the Ferer acquisition.  Refer to Note 4 for additional details.

Goodwill is calculated as the excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed in the acquisition.

Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level on an annual basis in the fourth quarter and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value.  As of March 31, 2016, the Company is not aware of any events or circumstances that occurred which would require a goodwill impairment test.



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Amortizable intangible assets consisted of the following:





Indefinite-lived intangible assets consisted of the following:



















8.    Debt

Loans payable and current portion of long-term debt consisted of the following:





Long-term debt consisted of the following:





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Credit Facility

On July 31, 2014, the Company entered into a credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) with a group of lenders to refinance the majority of its then outstanding debt.  The Credit Facility consisted of a $200 million secured revolving line of credit with a term of five years and a $300 million secured term loan facility with a term of seven years. On January 25, 2016, the Company amended the Credit Facility by entering into the Incremental Assumption Agreement (the “Incremental Agreement”) to increase the revolving line of credit commitment amount from $200 million to $300 million.  The Company then used a portion of the increase in the revolving line of credit to repay $50 million of the term loan facility. The Credit Facility was amended and a portion of the outstanding term loans were repaid to increase the amount of total liquidity available under the Credit Facility and reduce the total cost of borrowings.

Principal payments on the term loan facility of $0.75 million quarterly, are payable commencing December 31, 2014, with the remaining balance due on the maturity date. At March 31, 2016, the Company had borrowed $245.5 million under the term loan facility,  taking into account all prior quarterly payments and the $50 million prepayment that was made in January 2016, at an annual rate of 4.0%.  There are no additional borrowings available under the term loan facility. 

Subject to certain conditions, the Company can request up to $100 million of additional commitments under the Credit Facility, though the lenders are not required to provide such additional commitments. In addition, up to $100 million of the revolving line of credit will be available to certain of the Company’s subsidiaries in the form of revolving loans denominated in Euros.

Certain of the Company’s U.S. subsidiaries have guaranteed the Company’s obligations under the Credit Facility and such obligations are secured by (a) substantially all of the personal property of the Company and the U.S. subsidiary guarantors and (b) a pledge of 100% of the stock of most of the Company’s U.S. subsidiaries and 65% of most of the stock of the Company’s first tier foreign subsidiaries.

Interest Rate – Term Loan:  The interest rates applicable to the term loans will be, at the Company’s option, equal to either a base rate or a London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) rate plus, in both cases, an applicable margin. 

Interest Rate – Revolving Credit Line:  The interest rates applicable to loans under the revolving credit line will be, at the Company’s option, equal to either a base rate or a LIBOR rate plus an applicable variable margin.  The variable margin will be based on the ratio of (a) the Company’s total consolidated debt outstanding at such time to (b) the Company’s consolidated EBITDA computed for the period of four consecutive fiscal quarters most recently ended. 

At March 31, 2016, the Company had borrowed $247.6 million under the revolving credit facilities at an annual weighted average interest rate of 3.4%.    The borrowing on the revolving credit facilities was used to fund the acquisitions, the share repurchase program, and for other general business use. After reductions for outstanding letters of credit secured by these facilities, we had $48.0 million of additional borrowings available under the revolving credit facilities at March 31, 2016.

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The Credit Facility contains customary restrictive covenants including, but not limited to, limitations on use of loan proceeds, limitations on the Company’s ability to pay dividends and repurchase stock, limitations on acquisitions and dispositions and limitations on certain types of investments.  The Credit Facility also contains standard provisions relating to conditions of borrowing and customary events of default, including the non-payment of obligations by the Company and the bankruptcy of the Company.

    Specific to the revolving credit facility, the Company is subject to financial covenants regarding the Company’s outstanding net indebtedness and interest coverage ratios.

If an event of default occurs, all amounts outstanding under the Credit Facility may be accelerated and become immediately due and payable.  At March 31, 2016, we were in compliance with the covenants of the Credit Facility.

Other Financing Arrangements

We maintain other lines of credit to provide global flexibility for our short-term liquidity requirements. These facilities are uncommitted lines for our international operations and totaled $7.9 million and $8.0 million at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. The unused portions of these lines provided additional liquidity of $6.6 million at March 31, 2016, and $7.3 million at December 31, 2015.





9.    Financial Instruments

The following financial instrument assets (liabilities) are presented at their respective carrying amount, fair value and classification within the fair value hierarchy:











(1) The carrying value of the term loan facility is net of unamortized debt issuance costs.



The fair values of cash and cash equivalents are based on the fair values of identical assets. The fair values of loans payable are based on the present value of expected future cash flows and approximate their carrying amounts due to the short periods to maturity.  The fair values of the term loan facility, the revolving credit facility and other long-term notes payable are based on the present value of expected future cash flows and interest rates that would be currently available to the Company for issuance of similar types of debt instruments with similar terms and remaining maturities adjusted for the Company's non-performance risk. 

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Foreign currency forward contracts.  We manage foreign currency risks principally by entering into forward contracts to mitigate the impact of currency fluctuations on transactions. These forward contracts are not formally designated as hedges. Gains and losses on these foreign currency forward contracts are netted with gains and losses from currency fluctuations on transactions arising from international trade and reported as Foreign currency losses, net in the condensed consolidated statements of operations. We recognized net foreign currency losses of $1.6 million and $1.7  million in the three months ended March 31, 2016, and March 31, 2015, respectively, which is primarily comprised of the foreign exchange impact on transactions in countries where it is not economically feasible for us to enter into hedging arrangements and hedging inefficiencies, such as timing of transactions. We recognized net losses of $10.6 million in the three months ended March 31, 2016, and net gains of $1.6 million