| SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES a. Management Estimates: The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) as included in the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. b. Basis of Consolidation: The Company’s consolidated financial statements include the accounts of CMI and its wholly-owned domestic and foreign subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. c. Impairments: On January 23, 2024, the Company terminated its pursuit of its lithium development. Consequently, the Company evaluated the capitalized assets, including site preparation, project engineering, equipment and materials and capitalized labor and interest and recorded an impairment charge of $74.8 million. Refer to Note 8 for additional details. As a result of a sustained decrease in the Company’s publicly quoted share price and market capitalization continuing into fiscal 2024 and recent developments related to its magnesium chloride-based fire retardants impacting its Fortress business, the Company determined in the second quarter of fiscal 2024 that there were indicators of impairment and therefore performed long-lived assets and goodwill impairment testing. The analysis for Plant Nutrition resulted in no long-lived asset impairment but did result in a goodwill impairment, as discussed further below. The Fortress analysis resulted in an impairment of the Company’s magnesium chloride-related assets and goodwill; see below for additional details. On March 22, 2024, the Company was notified of the decision by the U.S. Forest Service that the Company would not be awarded a contract to supply its magnesium chloride-based aerial fire retardant for the calendar 2024 fire season. For purposes of the long-lived asset impairment evaluation, management grouped and tested the magnesium chloride-related assets given their unique classification and separately identifiable cash flows. As a result of the evaluation using the income approach, the Company impaired all magnesium chloride-related assets which resulted in a long-lived asset, net, impairment of $15.6 million (finite-lived intangible assets) and an impairment of $2.4 million of inventory for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024. The long-lived asset impairment is included in loss on impairments, while the inventory impairment is reflected in product cost, both on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The undiscounted cash flows for the remaining Fortress assets were greater than their carrying value resulting in no incremental impairment. Management will continue to monitor events and circumstances that would require a future test of recoverability on the remaining Fortress long-lived assets. The Company performed the interim goodwill impairment tests consistent with its approach for annual impairment testing, including using similar models, inputs and assumptions. As a result of the interim goodwill impairment test in the second quarter of fiscal 2024, the Company recognized impairment charges totaling $83.0 million included in loss on impairments, on the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024. Goodwill impairment of $51.0 million was related to the Company’s Plant Nutrition segment, primarily due to decreases in projected future revenues and cash flows and an increase in discount rates due to the uncertain regulatory environment in Utah. The remaining goodwill impairment of $32.0 million was related to the Company’s Fortress reporting unit (included in the Corporate and Other segment), primarily due to changes in assumptions surrounding the magnesium chloride-based fire retardants which impacted projected future revenues and cash flows. Following the impairment charges, there is no remaining goodwill balance for the Plant Nutrition and Fortress reporting units. Refer to Note 9 for a summary of goodwill by segment. On September 3, 2024, the Company announced a binding Voluntary Agreement (“Voluntary Agreement”) with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (“FFSL”) outlining water and land conservation commitments the company is making toward the long-term health of the Great Salt Lake. Per the terms of the Voluntary Agreement, the Company is in the process of donating non-production-related water rights totaling approximately 201,000 acre feet annually to be used by the State of Utah for lake conservation and preservation. In connection with the annual impairment analysis, the Company performed a fair value analysis of the indefinite-lived intangible asset that resulted in an impairment of approximately $17.6 million. A summary of the impairments incurred for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, is detailed below (in millions): Impairment Financial Statement Line Item Segment Fiscal Year Ended Lithium long-lived assets, net Loss on impairments Corporate & Other $ 74.8 Plant Nutrition goodwill Loss on impairments Plant Nutrition 51.0 Fortress goodwill Loss on impairments Corporate & Other 32.0 Fortress long-lived assets, net Loss on impairments Corporate & Other 15.6 Fortress inventory Product cost Corporate & Other 2.4 Water rights Loss on impairments Plant Nutrition 17.6 Total $ 193.4 In connection with the aforementioned impairments, the Company determined the estimated fair value for each reporting unit based on discounted cash flow projections (income approach), market values for comparable businesses (market approach) or a combination of both. Under the income approach, the Company is required to make judgments about appropriate discount rates, long-term revenue growth rates and the amount and timing of expected future cash flows. The cash flows used in its estimates are based on the reporting unit's forecast, long-term business plan, and recent operating performance. Discount rate assumptions are based on an assessment of the risk inherent in the future cash flows of the respective reporting unit and market conditions. The Company’s estimates may differ from actual future cash flows. The risk adjusted discount rate used is consistent with the weighted average cost of capital of the Company’s peer companies and is intended to represent a rate of return that would be expected by a market participant. Under the market approach, market multiples are derived from market prices of stocks of companies in the Company’s peer group. The appropriate multiple is applied to the forecasted revenue and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of the reporting unit to obtain an estimated fair value. The most critical assumptions used in the calculation of the fair value of each reporting unit are the projected revenue growth rates, long-term operating margin, terminal growth rates, discount rate, and the selection of market multiples. The projected long term operating margin utilized in the Company’s fair value estimates is consistent with its operating plan and is dependent on the successful execution of its long-term business plan, overall industry growth rates and the competitive environment. The discount rate could be adversely impacted by changes in the macroeconomic environment and volatility in the equity and debt markets. Although management believes its estimate of fair value is reasonable, if the future financial performance falls below expectations or there are unfavorable revisions to significant assumptions, or if the Company’s market capitalization declines, an additional non-cash goodwill or long-lived asset impairment charge may be required in a future period. d. Business Combinations: The Company accounts for its business combinations using the acquisition accounting method, which requires it to determine the fair value of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed, including any contingent consideration, to properly allocate the purchase price to the individual assets acquired and liabilities assumed and record any residual purchase price as goodwill at the date of the acquisition in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board “(FASB”) ASC Topic 805, “Business Combinations”. Management uses its best estimates and assumptions to assign fair value to the tangible and intangible assets acquired, liabilities assumed and contingent consideration at the acquisition date. Such estimates are inherently uncertain and may be subject to refinement. The determination of fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed requires estimates and the use of valuation techniques when a market value is not readily available. Any excess of purchase price over the fair value of net tangible and intangible assets acquired is allocated to goodwill. If the initial accounting for the business combination has not been completed by the end of the reporting period in which the business combination occurs, provisional amounts are reported to present information about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date. During the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, the Company may record adjustments to the fair value of the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill, to the extent such information was not available to the Company at the acquisition date to determine such amounts. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the fair value of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded to the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations. Accounting for business combinations requires the Company to make significant estimates and assumptions at the acquisition date. Significant assumptions relevant to the determination of the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed include, but are not limited to, future expected cash flows, contract renewal rates, discount rates, terminal growth rate and other assumptions. All acquisition-related costs, other than the costs to issue debt or equity securities, are accounted for as expenses in the period in which they are incurred. The fair value of contingent consideration arrangements is remeasured each reporting period until resolved. Any changes that are not measurement period adjustments are recognized in earnings. In the event the Company acquires an entity with which the Company has a preexisting relationship, the Company will generally recognize a gain or loss to remeasure its previously held equity interest at acquisition date fair value on its Consolidated Statements of Operations. e. Discontinued Operations: The Company reports its financial results from discontinued operations and continuing operations separately to distinguish the financial impact of disposal transactions from ongoing operations. Discontinued operations reporting occurs when a component or a group of components of an entity has been disposed of or classified as held for sale and represents a strategic shift that has a major effect on the entity’s operations and financial results. In the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, the cash flows from discontinued operations are not separately classified. Significant components of cash flows related to discontinued operations are disclosed in Note 4 . See Note 4 for information on discontinued operations and Note 14 for information on the Company’s reportable segments. f. Foreign Currency: Assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at end of period exchange rates. Sales and expenses are translated using the monthly average rates of exchange during the year. Adjustments resulting from the translation of foreign-currency financial statements into the reporting currency, U.S. dollars, are included in accumulated other comprehensive loss. The Company recorded foreign exchange (loss) gain of $(0.2) million, $(1.6) million and $6.7 million for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively, in accumulated other comprehensive loss related to intercompany notes which, had been deemed to be of long-term investment nature. As discussed in Note 4 , the Company completed the disposition of certain foreign entities and assets during fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2022. There are certain monetary assets and liabilities that are currently being held in Brazil that will be remeasured each period with changes in foreign currency exchange rates included in earnings until they are settled or transferred to a U.S. subsidiary. Aggregate exchange losses and gains from transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency, which are included in other expense (income) for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2024, 2023 and 2022, were $0.7 million, $2.3 million and $(14.9) million, respectively. These amounts include the effect of translating intercompany notes which were deemed to be temporary in nature. g. Revenue Recognition: The FASB revenue recognition guidance provides a single, comprehensive model for recognizing revenue from contracts with customers. The revenue recognition model requires revenue to be recognized upon the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration an entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. The Company’s revenue arrangements generally consist of a single performance obligation to transfer promised goods or services. The Company also derives revenue from a full-service air base fire retardant contract with the United States Forest Service (“USFS”), which is comprised of three performance obligations, namely product sales, providing operations and maintenance personnel services and leasing of specified equipment. Substantially all of the Company’s revenue is recognized at a point in time when control of the goods transfers to the customer. The Company typically recognizes revenue at the time of shipment to the customer, which coincides with the transfer of title and risk of ownership to the customer. Sales represent billings to customers net of sales taxes charged for the sale of the product. Sales include amounts charged to customers for shipping and handling costs, which are expensed when the related product is sold. h. Cash and Cash Equivalents: The Company considers all investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The Company maintains the majority of its cash in bank deposit accounts with several commercial banks with high credit ratings in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Brazil. Typically, the Company has bank deposits in excess of federally insured limits. Currently, the Company does not believe it is exposed to significant credit risk on its cash and cash equivalents. i. Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts: Receivables consist almost entirely of trade accounts receivable. Trade accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount and do not bear interest. The allowance for doubtful accounts is the Company’s best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in its existing trade accounts receivable. The Company determines the allowance based on historical write-off experience by business line and a current assessment of its portfolio, including information regarding individual customers. The Company reviews its account balances for collectability and adjusts its allowance for doubtful accounts accordingly. Account balances are charged off against the allowance when the Company believes it is probable that the trade accounts receivable will not be recovered. j. Inventories: Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Finished goods, work in process and raw material are predominately valued using the average cost method on a first-in-first-out basis. Spare parts and supply costs are valued at average costs. Work in process costs primarily consist of costs incurred to operate the Company’s evaporation ponds prior to their harvest. Raw materials and supply costs primarily consist of raw materials purchased to aid in the production of mineral products, maintenance materials and packaging materials. Finished goods are primarily comprised of salt, magnesium chloride, SOP products and fire retardants readily available for sale. Substantially all costs associated with the production of finished goods at the Company’s production locations are captured as inventory costs. As required by GAAP, a portion of the fixed costs at a location are not included in inventory and are expensed as a product cost if production at that location is determined to be abnormally low in any period or if the nature of the cost incurred is not attributable to its production processes. Additionally, since the Company’s products are often stored at warehousing locations, the Company includes in the cost of inventory the freight and handling costs necessary to move the product to storage until the product is sold to a customer. k. Other Current Assets: The items included in other current assets as of September 30, 2024 and 2023, consist principally of prepaid expenses of $26.9 million and $33.3 million, respectively. l. Property, Plant and Equipment: Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost and includes capitalized interest. The costs of replacements or renewals, which improve or extend the life of existing property, are capitalized. Maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred. Upon retirement or disposition of an asset, any resulting gain or loss is included in the Company’s operating results. Property, plant and equipment also includes mineral interests. The mineral interests for the Company’s Winsford U.K. mine are owned. The Company leases probable mineral reserves at its Cote Blanche and Goderich mines, its Ogden facility and several of its other North American facilities. These leases have varying terms, and many provide for a royalty payment to the lessor based on a specific amount per ton of mineral extracted or as a percentage of sales. The Company’s rights to extract minerals are contractually limited by time. The Cote Blanche mine is operated under land and mineral leases, and the mineral lease expires in 2060 with two additional 25-year renewal periods. The Goderich mine mineral reserve lease expires in 2043 with the Company’s option to renew for an additional twenty-one years after demonstrating to the lessor that the mine’s useful life is greater than the lease’s term. The Ogden facility mineral reserve lease renews annually. The Company believes it will be able to continue to extend lease agreements as it has in the past, at commercially reasonable terms, without incurring substantial costs or material modifications to the existing lease terms and conditions, and therefore, management believes that assigned lives are appropriate. The Company’s mineral interests are depleted on a units-of-production basis based upon the latest available mineral study. The weighted average amortization period for the leased probable mineral reserves is 85 years as of September 30, 2024. The Company also owns other mineral properties. The weighted average life for the probable owned mineral reserves is 33 years as of September 30, 2024, based upon management’s current production estimates. Buildings and structures are depreciated on a straight-line basis over lives generally ranging from 10 to 30 years. Portable buildings generally have shorter lives than permanent structures. Leasehold and building improvements have estimated lives of 5 to 40 years or lower based on the life of the lease to which the improvement relates. The Company’s fixed assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over their respective lives. The following table summarizes the estimated useful lives of the Company’s different classes of property, plant and equipment: Years Land improvements 10 to 25 Buildings and structures 10 to 30 Leasehold and building improvements 5 to 40 Machinery and equipment – vehicles 2 to 10 Machinery and equipment – other mining and production > 1 to 50 Office furniture and equipment 2 to 10 Mineral interests 20 to 99 The Company has finance leases which are recorded in property, plant and equipment at the beginning of the lease at the lower of the fair value of the leased property or the present value of the minimum lease payments. Lease payments are recorded as interest expense and a reduction of the lease liability. A finance lease asset is depreciated over the lower of its useful life or the lease term. The Company has capitalized computer software costs of $3.0 million and $3.7 million as of September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, recorded in property, plant and equipment. The capitalized costs are being amortized over five years. The Company recorded $1.6 million, $3.3 million and $7.6 million of amortization expense related to capitalized computer software for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The Company recognizes and measures obligations related to the retirement of tangible long-lived assets in accordance with applicable U.S. GAAP. Asset retirement obligations are not material to the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. The Company reviews its long-lived assets and the related mineral reserves for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amounts of such assets may not be recoverable. If an indication of a potential impairment exists, recoverability of the respective assets is determined by comparing the forecasted undiscounted net cash flows of the operation to which the assets relate, to the carrying amount, including associated intangible assets, of such operation. If the operation is determined to be unable to recover the carrying amount of its assets, then intangible assets are written down first, followed by the other long-lived assets of the operation, to fair value. Fair value is determined based on discounted cash flows or appraised values, depending upon the nature of the assets. The Company recorded an impairment charge, related to its lithium development, of $74.8 million, including $7.6 million associated with future commitments for the year ended September 30, 2024 to reflect the assets at their estimated fair value, considering equipment expected to be used by the on-going business and amounts estimated to be recoverable through returns or salvage value. Refer to Note 8 for additional details. m. Leases: In accordance with U.S. GAAP, lessees are required to recognize on their balance sheet a right-of-use asset which represents a lessee’s right to use the underlying asset, and a lease liability which represents a lessee’s obligation to make lease payments for the right to use the asset. In addition, the guidance requires expanded qualitative and quantitative disclosures. Refer to Note 6 for additional details. n. Intangible Assets: The Company amortizes its intangible assets deemed to have finite lives on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives which, for the Company, range from 5 to 50 years. The Company reviews indefinite-lived intangible assets annually for impairment. In addition, intangible assets are reviewed when an event or change in circumstances indicates the carrying amounts of such assets may not be recoverable. o. Other Noncurrent Assets: Other noncurrent assets include certain inventories of spare parts, net of reserve, of $42.2 million and $35.8 million at September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of September 30, 2024 and 2023, other noncurrent assets also include net operating lease assets of $50.0 million and $54.7 million, respectively. The Company sponsors a non-qualified defined contribution plan for certain of its executive officers and key employees as described in Note 11 . As of September 30, 2024 and 2023, investments in marketable securities representing amounts deferred by employees, Company contributions and unrealized gains or losses totaling $3.1 million and $2.6 million, respectively, were included in other noncurrent assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The marketable securities are classified as trading securities and accordingly, gains and losses are recorded as a component of other expense, net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. p. Income Taxes: The Company accounts for income taxes using the liability method in accordance with the provisions of U.S. GAAP. Under the liability method, deferred taxes are determined based on the differences between the consolidated financial statements and the tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect in the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. The Company’s foreign subsidiaries file separate company returns in their respective jurisdictions. The Company recognizes potential liabilities in accordance with applicable U.S. GAAP for anticipated tax issues in the U.S. and other tax jurisdictions based on its estimate of whether, and the extent to which, additional taxes will be due. If payment of these amounts ultimately proves to be unnecessary, the reversal of the liabilities would result in tax benefits being recognized in the period when the Company determines the liabilities are no longer necessary. If the Company’s estimate of tax liabilities proves to be less than the ultimate assessment, a further charge to expense would result. Any penalties and interest that are accrued on the Company’s uncertain tax positions are included as a component of income tax expense. In evaluating the Company’s ability to realize deferred tax assets, the Company considers the sources and timing of taxable income, including the reversal of existing temporary differences, the ability to carryback tax attributes to prior periods, qualifying tax-planning strategies, and estimates of future taxable income exclusive of reversing temporary differences. In determining future taxable income, the Company’s assumptions include the amount of pre-tax operating income according to different state, federal and international taxing jurisdictions, the origination of future temporary differences, and the implementation of feasible and prudent tax-planning strategies. If the Company determines that a portion of its deferred tax assets will not be realized, a valuation allowance is recorded in the period that such determination is made. In the future, if the Company determines, based on the existence of sufficient evidence, that more or less of the deferred tax assets are more likely than not to be realized, an adjustment to the valuation allowance will be made in the period such a determination is made. On December 22, 2017, the U.S. enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act which subjects U.S. shareholders, including the Company, to tax on Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (“GILTI”) earned by certain foreign subsidiaries. The FASB issued guidance stating that an entity can make an accounting policy election to either recognize deferred taxes for temporary basis differences expected to reverse as GILTI in future years or to provide for the tax expense related to GILTI in the year the tax is incurred as a period expense only. The Company has elected to account for GILTI as a period expense only. q. Contingent Consideration: The approach to valuing the initial contingent consideration associated with the purchase price, including milestone achievement and the earn-out, also uses similar unobservable factors such as projected revenues and expenses over the term of the contingent milestone achievement and earn-out periods, discounted for the period of time over which the initial contingent consideration is measured. Based upon these assumptions, the initial earn-out contingent consideration is then adjusted for relevant volatility rates and valued using a Monte Carlo simulation. The milestone contingent consideration related to the Fortress acquisition can be paid in cash and/or Compass Minerals common stock, at the Company’s discretion, at a fixed price of approximately $32 per share upon the achievement of certain performance measures. This fixed share price settlement option is also factored into the fair value of the milestone contingent consideration. The fair value of the milestone contingent consideration is estimated using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model, including a Black-Scholes option value related to a share conversion feature with significant inputs not observable in the market. r. Environmental Costs: Environmental costs, other than those of a capital nature, are accrued at the time the exposure becomes known and costs can be reasonably estimated. Costs are accrued based upon management’s estimates of all direct costs. Amounts reserved for environmental matters were not material at September 30, 2024 or 2023. s. Equity Compensation Plans: The Company has equity compensation plans under the oversight of the Company’s Board of Directors, whereby stock options, restricted stock units, performance stock units, deferred stock units and shares of common stock are granted to the Company’s employees and directors. See Note 15 for additional discussion. t. Earnings per Share: When calculating earnings per share, the Company’s participating securities are accounted for under the two-class method in periods in which dividends are declared. In the second fiscal quarter of 2024, the Company ceased paying dividends. The two-class method requires allocating the Company’s net earnings to both common shares and participating securities based upon their rights to receive dividends. Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net earnings available to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of outstanding common shares during the period. Diluted earnings per share reflects the potential dilution that could occur under the more dilutive of either the treasury stock method or the two-class method for calculating the weighted-average number of outstanding common shares. The treasury stock method is calculated assuming unrecognized compensation expense, income tax benefits and proceeds from the potential exercise of employee stock options are used to repurchase common stock. u. Derivatives: The Company is exposed to the impact of fluctuations in foreign exchange and interest rates on its borrowings and fluctuations in the purchase price of natural gas, diesel fuel consumed in operations and fuel costs incurred to deliver its products to its customers. The Company may hedge portions of these risks through the use of derivative agreements. The Company records derivative financial instruments as assets or liabilities measured at fair value. Accounting for the changes in the fair value of a derivative depends on its designation and effectiveness. Derivatives qualify for treatment as hedges when there is a high correlation between the change in fair value of the derivative instrument and the related change in value of the underlying hedged item. For qualifying hedges, the effective portion of the change in fair value is recognized through earnings when the underlying transaction being hedged affects earnings, allowing a derivative’s gains and losses to offset related results from the hedged item in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Until the effective portion of a derivative’s change in fair value is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations, the change in fair value is recognized in other comprehensive income. For derivative instruments that are not accounted for as hedges, or for the ineffective portions of qualifying hedges, the change in fair value is recorded through earnings in the period of change. The Company formally documents, designates and assesses the effectiveness of transactions that receive hedge accounting treatment initially and on an ongoing basis. v. Concentration of Credit Risk: The Company sells its salt and magnesium chloride products to various governmental agencies, manufacturers, distributors and retailers primarily in the Midwestern U.S. and throughout Canada and the U.K. The Company’s plant nutrition products are sold across the Western Hemisphere and globally. No single customer or group of affiliated customers accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s sales during the fiscal years ended September 30, 2024, 2023, or 2022, or more than 10% of receivables at September 30, 2024 or 2023. w. Rec |
