During the first nine months of 2023 and 2022, the Company purchased $2 million and $11 million of investments, respectively, while $2 million and $78 million of investments matured, respectively, and were used for financing activities described below.
During the first nine months of 2022, the Company paid $5 million for the CDMS technology and intellectual property right asset from Megadalton, and the Company is required to make an additional $4 million of guaranteed payments at various dates in the future through 2029. The total purchase price of approximately $10 million was accounted for as Acquired In-Process Research and Development and expensed as part of costs and operating expenses in the statement of operations in 2022.
During the first nine months of 2022, the Company received $10 million in proceeds from equity investments and made $1 million of investments in equity investments.
On May 16, 2023, the Company completed the acquisition of Wyatt for a total purchase price of $1.3 billion in cash. Wyatt is a pioneer in innovative light scattering and field-flow fractionation instruments, software, accessories, and services. The acquisition will expand Waters’ portfolio and increase exposure to large molecule applications.
Cash Flow from Financing Activities
The Company had entered into a credit agreement in September 2021 governing the Company’s five-year, $1.8 billion revolving facility that matures in September 2026. On March 3, 2023, in anticipation of closing of the Wyatt acquisition, the Company entered into an agreement to amend the credit agreement governing its revolving credit facility (the “2023 Amendment”). The 2023 Amendment increases the borrowing capacity by $200 million to an aggregate total borrowing capacity of $2.0 billion. As of September 30, 2023, the Company had a total of $2.5 billion in outstanding debt, which consisted of $1.3 billion in outstanding senior unsecured notes and $1.2 billion borrowed under its credit agreement. The Company’s net debt borrowings increased by $0.9 billion and $30 million during the first nine months of 2023 and 2022, respectively, primarily to fund the Wyatt acquisition.
As of September 30, 2023, the Company had entered into interest rate cross-currency swap derivative agreements with durations up to three years with an aggregate notional value of $625 million to hedge the variability in the movement of foreign currency exchange rates on a portion of its euro-denominated and yen-denominated net asset investments. As a result of entering into these agreements, the Company lowered net interest expense by approximately $8 million and $6 million during the first nine months of 2023 and 2022, respectively. The Company anticipates that these swap agreements will lower net interest expense by approximately $10 million in 2023.
In January 2019, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the Company to repurchase up to $4 billion of its outstanding common stock over a two-year period. This new program replaced the remaining amounts available from the pre-existing program. In December 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the extension of the share repurchase program through January 21, 2023. In December 2022, the Company’s Board of Directors amended and extended this repurchase program’s term by one year such that it shall now expire on January 21, 2024 and increased the total authorization level to $4.8 billion, an increase of $750 million. During the first nine months of September 30, 2023 and October 1, 2022, the Company repurchased $58 million and $467 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock, respectively, under the share repurchase program. In addition, the Company repurchased $12 million and $11 million of common stock related to the vesting of restricted stock units during the first nine months of September 30, 2023 and October 1, 2022, respectively. While the Company believes that it has the financial flexibility to fund these share repurchases, as well as to invest in research, technology and business acquisitions, given current cash levels and debt borrowing capacity, it has temporarily suspended its share repurchases due to its acquisition of Wyatt.
The Company received $18 million and $36 million of proceeds from the exercise of stock options and the purchase of shares pursuant to the Company’s employee stock purchase plan during the first nine months of 2023 and 2022, respectively.
The Company had cash, cash equivalents and investments of $337 million as of September 30, 2023. The majority of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents are generated from foreign operations, with $307 million held by foreign subsidiaries at September 30, 2023, of which $196 million was held in currencies other than U.S. dollars.
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