Cash Flow from Financing Activities
The Company has a credit agreement with an aggregate borrowing capacity of $2.0 billion. As of June 29, 2024, the Company had a total of $2.0 billion in outstanding debt, which consisted of $1.3 billion in outstanding senior unsecured notes and $750 million borrowed under its credit agreement. The Company’s net debt borrowings decreased by $350 million and increased by $1.1 billion during the first half of 2024 and 2023, respectively, with the prior year increase primarily being due to the funding of the Wyatt acquisition.
As of June 29, 2024, 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 $5 million during both the first half of 2024 and 2023. The Company anticipates that these swap agreements will lower net interest expense by approximately $10 million in 2024.
In December 2023, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the extension of its existing share repurchase program through January 21, 2025. The Company’s remaining authorization is $1.0 billion. During the first half of 2023, the Company repurchased $58 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock under the Company’s share repurchase program. In addition, the Company repurchased $13 million and $11 million of common stock related to the vesting of restricted stock units during the first half of 2024 and 2023, respectively. 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.
The Company received $22 million and $9 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 half of 2024 and 2023, respectively.
The Company had cash, cash equivalents and investments of $327 million as of June 29, 2024. The majority of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents are generated from foreign operations, with $290 million held by foreign subsidiaries at June 29, 2024, of which $228 million was held in currencies other than U.S. dollars.
On July 12, 2024, the Company entered into a Master Note Facility Agreement pursuant to which the Company may, at its option, authorize the issuance and sale of senior promissory notes up to an aggregate principal amount of $200 million with a maturity date not to exceed 15 years after the issuance date.
Contractual Obligations, Commercial Commitments, Contingent Liabilities and Dividends
A summary of the Company’s contractual obligations and commercial commitments is included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as filed with the SEC on February 27, 2024. The Company reviewed its contractual obligations and commercial commitments as of June 29, 2024 and determined that there were no material changes outside the ordinary course of business from the information set forth in the Annual Report on Form 10-K.
From time to time, the Company and its subsidiaries are involved in various litigation matters arising in the ordinary course of business. The Company believes that it has meritorious arguments in its current litigation matters and that any outcome, either individually or in the aggregate, will not be material to the Company’s financial position or results of operations.
During fiscal year 2024, the Company expects to contribute a total of approximately $3 million to $6 million to its defined benefit plans.
The Company has not paid any dividends and has no plans, at this time, to pay any dividends in the future.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
In the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as filed with the SEC on February 27, 2024, the Company’s most critical accounting policies and estimates upon which its financial status depends were identified as those relating to revenue recognition, valuation of long-lived assets, intangible assets and goodwill, income taxes, uncertain tax positions and business combinations and asset acquisitions. The Company reviewed its policies and determined that those policies remain the Company’s most critical accounting policies for the six months ended June 29, 2024. The Company did not make any changes in those policies during the six months ended June 29, 2024.
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