(22) the Company’s ability to comply with, and the costs associated with compliance with, U.S. and foreign environmental protection laws, (23) the Company’s ability to realize the benefits of its cost and productivity initiatives, (24) the Company’s ability to successfully manage its working capital and inventory balances, (25) the impact of the failure to comply with U.S. or foreign anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws and regulations, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, (26) the Company’s ability to protect its intellectual property rights, (27) the impact of the outcome of legal claims, regulatory investigations and litigation, (28) changes in market conditions or governmental regulations relating to our pension and postretirement obligations, (29) the impact of future impairment of our tangible or intangible long-lived assets, (30) the impact of changes in federal, state, local and international tax legislation or policies, including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, with respect to transfer pricing and state aid, and adverse results of tax audits, assessments, or disputes, (31) the effect of potential government regulation on certain product development initiatives, and restrictions or costs that may be imposed on the Company or its operations as a result, and (32) the impact of the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union. New risks emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risks on the Company’s business. Accordingly, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Use ofNon-GAAP Financial Measures
We provide in this press releasenon-GAAP financial measures, including: (i) currency neutral sales; (ii) adjusted operating profit; (iii) adjusted operating profit (margin) ex. amortization; (iv) adjusted EPS; (v) adjusted EPS ex. amortization and (vi) currency neutral adjusted EPS ex amortization.
Ournon-GAAP financial measures are defined below.
Currency Neutral metrics eliminate the effects that result from translating international currency to U.S. dollars. We calculate currency neutral numbers by comparing current year results to the prior year results restated at exchange rates in effect for the current year based on the currency of the underlying transaction.
Adjusted Operating Profit excludes the impact of operational improvement initiatives, integration related costs, restructuring and other charges, net, losses (gains) on sale of assets, Frutarom
acquisition related costs, compliance review & legal defense costs, and N&B transaction related costs (“Operating Profit Items Impacting Comparability”).
Adjusted Operating Profit (Margin) ex. Amortization excludes the impact of Operating Profit Items Impacting Comparability and the amortization of acquisition related intangible assets.
Adjusted EPS excludes the impact of operational improvement initiatives, integration related costs, restructuring and other charges, net, losses (gains) on sale of assets, Frutarom acquisition related costs, compliance review & legal defense costs, N&B transaction related costs, and redemption value adjustment to EPS (often referred to as “Items Impacting Comparability”).
Adjusted EPS ex. Amortization excludes the impact of Items Impacting Comparability and the amortization of acquisition related intangible assets.
Thesenon-GAAP measures are intended to provide additional information regarding our underlying operating results and comparable year-over-year performance. Such information is supplemental to information presented in accordance with GAAP and is not intended to represent a presentation in accordance with GAAP. In discussing our historical and expected future results and financial condition, we believe it is meaningful for investors to be made aware of and to be assisted in a better understanding of, on aperiod-to-period comparable basis, financial amounts both including and excluding these identified items, as well as the impact of exchange rate fluctuations. Thesenon-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of the Company’s results under GAAP and may not be comparable to other companies’ calculation of such metrics.
In the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2018, we began including Adjusted EPS ex. Amortization as a keynon-GAAP financial measure of our business. Full amortization expense of intangible assets acquired in connection with acquisitions will be excluded from Adjusted EPS ex. Amortization calculation. The exclusion of amortization expense allows comparison of operating results that are consistent over time for newly and long-held businesses and with both acquisitive andnon-acquisitive peer companies. We believe this calculation will provide a more accurate presentation in this and in future periods in the event of additional acquisitions. Further, this allows the investors to evaluate and understand operating trends excluding the impact on operating income and earnings per diluted share. In addition, the Frutarom acquisition related costs and N&B transaction related costs have been separated from costs related to prior acquisitions. The Frutarom acquisition related costs and N&B transaction related costs represent a significant balance and we believe this amount should be shown separately to provide an accurate presentation of the acquisition related costs. Our GAAP results and GAAP metrics do not change, and this change has no effect on day to day business operations, or how we manage our business.