AGCO CORP /DE (AGCO) FY 2023 MD&A
This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
We are a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and precision agriculture technology. We sell a full range of agricultural equipment, including tractors, combines, self-propelled sprayers, hay tools, forage equipment, seeding and tillage equipment, implements, replacement parts and grain storage and protein production systems. Our products are widely recognized in the agricultural equipment industry and are marketed under a number of well-known brand names, including Fendt®, GSI®, Massey Ferguson®, Precision Planting® and Valtra®, supported by our FUSE® precision agriculture solutions. We distribute most of our products through a combination of approximately 3,100 dealers and distributors as well as associates and licensees. In addition, we provide retail and wholesale financing through our finance joint ventures with Rabobank.
We sell our equipment, precision agriculture technology and replacement parts to our independent dealers, distributors and other customers. A large majority of our sales are to independent dealers and distributors that sell our products to end users. To the extent practicable, we attempt to sell products to our dealers and distributors on a level basis throughout the year to reduce the effect of seasonal demands on our manufacturing operations and to minimize our investment in inventories. However, retail sales by dealers to farmers are highly seasonal and are a function of the timing of the planting and harvesting seasons. In certain markets, particularly in North America, there is often a time lag, which varies based on the timing and level of retail demand, between our sale of the equipment to the dealer and the dealer’s sale to a retail customer.
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Financial Highlights
The following table sets forth the percentage relationship to net sales of certain items included in our Consolidated Statements of Operations:
| Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||||||
| $ | % of Net Sales(1) | $ | % of Net Sales(1) | ||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 14,412.4 | 100.0 | % | $ | 12,651.4 | 100.0 | % | |||||
| Cost of goods sold | 10,635.0 | 73.8 | 9,650.1 | 76.3 | |||||||||
| Gross profit | 3,777.4 | 26.2 | 3,001.3 | 23.7 | |||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | 1,454.5 | 10.1 | 1,189.5 | 9.4 | |||||||||
| Engineering expenses | 548.8 | 3.8 | 444.2 | 3.5 | |||||||||
| Amortization of intangibles | 57.7 | 0.4 | 60.1 | 0.5 | |||||||||
| Impairment charges | 4.1 | — | 36.0 | 0.3 | |||||||||
| Restructuring expenses | 11.9 | 0.1 | 6.1 | — | |||||||||
| Income from operations | 1,700.4 | 11.8 | 1,265.4 | 10.0 | |||||||||
| Interest expense, net | 4.6 | — | 13.0 | 0.1 | |||||||||
| Other expense, net | 362.3 | 2.5 | 145.2 | 1.1 | |||||||||
| Income before income taxes and equity in net earnings of affiliates | 1,333.5 | 9.3 | 1,107.2 | 8.8 | |||||||||
| Income tax provision | 230.4 | 1.6 | 296.6 | 2.3 | |||||||||
| Income before equity in net earnings of affiliates | 1,103.1 | 7.7 | 810.6 | 6.4 | |||||||||
| Equity in net earnings of affiliates | 68.2 | 0.5 | 64.1 | 0.5 | |||||||||
| Net income | 1,171.3 | 8.1 | 874.7 | 6.9 | |||||||||
| Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests | 0.1 | — | 14.9 | 0.1 | |||||||||
| Net income attributable to AGCO Corporation and subsidiaries | $ | 1,171.4 | 8.1 | % | $ | 889.6 | 7.0 | % |
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(1) Rounding may impact summation of amounts.
2023 Compared to 2022
Net income attributable to AGCO Corporation and subsidiaries for 2023 was $1,171.4 million, or $15.63 per diluted share, compared to $889.6 million, or $11.87 per diluted share, for 2022.
Net sales for 2023 were $14,412.4 million, or 13.9% higher than 2022, primarily due to favorable pricing impacts, favorable product mix related to high horsepower tractors, combines, hay tools and application tools and favorable currency impacts. Income from operations was $1,700.4 million in 2023 compared to $1,265.4 million in 2022. The increase in income from operations during 2023 was primarily the result of positive net pricing and favorable product mix, partially offset by higher selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A expenses") and engineering expenses.
We estimate that worldwide average price increases were approximately 10.0% and 11.6% in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Consolidated net sales of tractors and combines, which comprised approximately 64.9% of our net sales in 2023, increased approximately 1.7% in 2023 compared to 2022. Unit sales of tractors and combines decreased approximately 11.7% during 2023 compared to 2022. The primary driver of the decrease in unit sales was lower sales of compact and mid-range tractors. The difference between the unit sales change and the change in net sales was primarily the result of pricing, foreign currency translation and sales mix changes.
Overall, global production hours increased approximately 3.6% during 2023 compared to 2022. The increase was primarily due to robust market demand as well as easing of supply chain and logistics disruptions experienced in 2022.
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Results of Operations
Gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased during 2023 compared to 2022, primarily due to positive net pricing impacts and favorable product mix.
SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales, were higher during 2023 compared to 2022. The absolute level of SG&A expenses increased during 2023 primarily due to higher compensation costs and Trimble Ag joint venture-related transaction costs. We recorded stock compensation expense of $44.6 million and $32.7 million during 2023 and 2022, respectively, within SG&A expenses, as is more fully explained in Note 15 of our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Engineering expenses as a percentage of net sales, were higher during 2023 compared to 2022, primarily driven by an increase in product innovation and other technology investments.
We recorded impairment charges of $4.1 million and $36.0 million during 2023 and 2022, respectively. During the fourth quarter of 2023, we recorded an impairment charge of $4.1 million related to the impairment of certain patents and technology amortizing intangible assets from a prior acquisition. In 2022, as a consequence of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, we recorded asset impairment charges of $36.0 million related to our Russian distribution joint venture. Refer to Note 12 of our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
We recorded restructuring expenses of $11.9 million and $6.1 million during 2023 and 2022, respectively. The restructuring expenses primarily related to severance and other related costs associated with the rationalization of certain South American, North American, European, African and Asian manufacturing facilities and administrative offices. See Note 12 of our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Interest expense, net was $4.6 million for 2023 compared to $13.0 million for 2022 resulting primarily from an increase in interest income, partially offset by an increase in interest expense from increased debt levels and interest rates in 2023 as compared to 2022. See “Liquidity and Capital Resources” for further information on our available funding.
Other expense, net was $362.3 million in 2023 compared to $145.2 million in 2022. The increase was primarily driven by foreign currency exchanges losses which where approximately $202.1 million and $64.1 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively. These losses related primarily to the devaluation of the Argentine peso and the Turkish lira during 2023. In December 2023, the central bank of Argentina adjusted the official foreign currency exchange rate for the Argentine peso from approximately 366.5 to approximately 800.0 pesos to United States dollar for substantially all goods, significantly devaluing the currency relative to the United States dollar. The December 2023 impact of the devaluation and remeasurement of net monetary assets was approximately $79.9 million. Losses on sales of receivables, primarily related to our accounts receivable sales agreements with our finance joint ventures in North America, Europe and Brazil and included in "Other expense, net," were approximately $148.4 million and $71.1 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase in losses was primarily the result of higher sales of accounts receivable and higher interest rates in 2023 as compared to 2022. The increases in "Other expense, net" were partially offset by business interruption insurance recoveries of $20.0 million related to the cyber attack in 2022.
We recorded an income tax provision of $230.4 million in 2023 compared to $296.6 million in 2022. Our tax provision and effective tax rate are impacted by the differing tax rates of the various tax jurisdictions in which we operate, permanent differences for items treated differently for financial accounting and income tax purposes, losses in jurisdictions where no income tax benefit is recorded, and provisions for unrecognized income tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions. Our 2023 income tax provision includes a one-time benefit of $112.3 million related to the recognition of a deferred tax asset of $197.7 million, net of a valuation allowance of $85.4 million, related to the finalization of negotiations surrounding the application of Swiss Tax reform legislation enacted in 2020. This benefit was partially offset by a provision of approximately $26.4 million that we recorded in 2023 associated with our enrollment in a Brazilian tax amnesty program as is more fully described in Note 19 of our Consolidated Financial Statements. Refer to Note 19 of our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.
Equity in net earnings of affiliates, which is primarily comprised of income from our AGCO Finance joint ventures, was $68.2 million in 2023 compared to $64.1 million in 2022. The increase was primarily due to higher earnings in our finance joint ventures. During the first quarter of 2022, we recorded a write-down of our investment in our Russian finance joint venture of approximately $4.8 million. The Russian finance joint venture was sold during the three months ended December 31, 2022. Refer to Note 9 of our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests was $0.1 million in 2023 compared to $14.9 million in 2022. The loss during 2022 related to the sale of our Russian distribution joint venture.
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Results of Operations - Segment Information
The Company has four operating segments which are also its reportable segments which consist of the Europe/Middle East ("EME"), North America, South America and Asia/Pacific/Africa ("APA") regions. The Company’s reportable segments are geography based and distribute a full range of agricultural machinery and precision agriculture technology. The Company evaluates segment performance primarily based on income from operations. Sales for each segment are based on the location of the third-party customer. The Company’s selling, general and administrative expenses and engineering expenses are charged to each segment based on the region and division where the expenses are incurred. As a result, the components of income from operations for one segment may not be comparable to another segment.
The following table sets forth, for the year ended December 31, 2023, the impact to net sales of currency translation by geographical segment (in millions, except percentages):
| Change | Change due to Currency Translation | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ | % | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||
| EME | $ | 7,540.5 | $ | 6,447.3 | $ | 1,093.2 | 17.0 | % | $ | (18.3) | (0.3) | % | |||||||||
| North America | 3,752.7 | 3,175.1 | 577.6 | 18.2 | % | 5.3 | 0.2 | % | |||||||||||||
| South America | 2,234.2 | 2,121.6 | 112.6 | 5.3 | % | 56.8 | 2.7 | % | |||||||||||||
| APA | 885.0 | 907.4 | (22.4) | (2.5) | % | (30.8) | (3.4) | % | |||||||||||||
| $ | 14,412.4 | $ | 12,651.4 | $ | 1,761.0 | 13.9 | % | $ | 13.0 | 0.1 | % |
EME
| Change | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ | ||||||||
| Net Sales | $ | 7,540.5 | $ | 6,447.3 | $ | 1,093.2 | ||||
| Income from Operations | 1,100.6 | 784.1 | 316.5 |
Net sales in EME increased in 2023 compared to 2022, primarily due to positive pricing impacts, favorable product mix related to mid-range and high-horsepower tractors and higher replacement parts sales, partially offset by unfavorable foreign currency translation.
Income from operations increased by $316.5 million in 2023 compared to 2022, driven primarily by positive net pricing and favorable product mix related to mid-range and high-horsepower tractors, partially offset by higher SG&A expenses primarily related to higher compensation costs.
North America
| Change | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ | ||||||||
| Net Sales | $ | 3,752.7 | $ | 3,175.1 | $ | 577.6 | ||||
| Income from Operations | 459.3 | 278.8 | 180.5 |
Net sales in North America increased in 2023 compared to 2022, primarily due to positive pricing impacts and favorable product mix related to high-horsepower tractors, application equipment and combines. The expansion of Fendt product sales in North America was a key driver of the favorable product mix.
Income from operations increased by $180.5 million compared to the prior year as a result of positive net pricing and favorable product mix related to significant growth in Fendt products as well as improved margins on our grain and protein product sales. These increases were partially offset by higher warranty costs and higher SG&A expenses primarily related to higher compensation costs.
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South America
| Change | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ | ||||||||
| Net Sales | $ | 2,234.2 | $ | 2,121.6 | $ | 112.6 | ||||
| Income from Operations | 386.4 | 373.9 | 12.5 |
Net sales increased in South America in 2023 compared to 2022, primarily due to positive pricing impacts, favorable product mix related to high-horsepower and mid-range tractors and favorable foreign currency translation. These increases were partially offset by modest declines in sales related to grain and protein products.
Income from operations increased $12.5 million in 2023 compared to 2022 despite higher retail incentives in the fourth quarter as a result of positive net pricing and favorable product mix related to high-horsepower tractors and combines, partially offset by a decrease in sales of grain and protein products and higher SG&A expenses primarily related to higher dealer termination charges and higher compensation costs.
APA
| Change | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ | ||||||||
| Net Sales | $ | 885.0 | $ | 907.4 | $ | (22.4) | ||||
| Income from Operations | 77.3 | 116.9 | (39.6) |
Net sales decreased in APA in 2023 compared to 2022, primarily due to unfavorable currency translation, lower sales volumes of mid-range tractors and combines and lower sales of grain and protein products. Higher sales in Australia were mostly offset by lower sales in Japan. These decreases were partially offset by positive pricing impacts and increased sales of precision agriculture equipment.
Income from operations decreased $39.6 million in 2023 compared to 2022, primarily due to lower sales volumes of mid-range tractors and combines, higher warranty costs and higher SG&A expenses primarily related to higher compensation costs. These decreases were partially offset by positive net pricing.
2022 Compared to 2021
A comparison of the results of operations for 2022 versus that of 2021 was included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Outlook
Our operations are subject to the cyclical nature of the agricultural industry. Sales of our equipment are affected by, among other things, changes in farm income, farm land values and debt levels, financing costs, acreage planted, crop yields, weather conditions, the demand for agricultural commodities, commodity and protein prices, agricultural product demand and general economic conditions and government policies and subsidies.
Global industry demand for farm equipment, driven by farm income, is expected to be modestly lower during 2024 in most major markets compared to 2023. Our net sales are expected to moderately decrease in 2024 compared to 2023, resulting from lower sales volumes, offset in part by modest positive pricing. Gross and operating margins are expected to moderately decrease from 2023 levels, reflecting the impact of lower net sales and production volumes and relatively flat investments in engineering and other technology efforts to support our precision agriculture and digital initiatives.
Our outlook is based on current assumptions regarding a number of factors including demand, currency stability, pricing and market share gains. If our assumptions are incorrect, or other issues arise or return, such as a worsening of our supply chain, our results of operations will be adversely impacted. Refer to “Risk Factors” in Item 1A for further discussion.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our financing requirements are subject to variations due to seasonal changes in inventory and receivable levels. Internally generated funds are supplemented when necessary from external sources, primarily our credit facility and accounts receivable sales agreement facilities, subject to the discussion below with respect to financing of the Trimble Ag joint venture transaction. Additional information regarding our indebtedness is contained in Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data." We believe that the following facilities listed below, together with available cash and internally generated funds, and assuming customary renewals and replacements, will be sufficient to support our working capital, capital expenditures and debt service requirements for the foreseeable future (in millions):
| December 31, 2023(1) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Credit facility, expires 2027 | $ | — |
| 1.002% EIB Senior term loan due 2025 | 276.7 | |
| EIB Senior Term Loan due 2029 | 276.7 | |
| Senior term loans due between 2025 and 2028 | 162.1 | |
| 0.800% Senior Notes Due 2028 | 664.0 | |
| Other long-term debt | 3.1 |
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(1) The amounts above are gross of debt issuance costs of an aggregate amount of approximately $3.1 million.
The Company has a credit facility providing for a $1.25 billion multi-currency unsecured revolving credit facility (“Credit Facility”) that matures on December 19, 2027. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had no outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility and had the ability to borrow $1,155.0 million.
In addition, the Company has an uncommitted revolving credit facility that allows the Company to borrow up to €100.0 million (or approximately $110.7 million as of December 31, 2023). The credit facility expires on December 31, 2026. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had no outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility.
On September 29, 2023, the Company entered into a multi-currency Finance Contract with the European Investment Bank ("EIB") permitting the Company to borrow up to €250.0 million, to fund up to 50% of certain investments in research, development and innovation primarily in Germany, France and Finland during the period from 2023 through 2026. On October 26, 2023, the Company borrowed €250.0 million (approximately $263.7 million) under the arrangement. The loan matures on October 26, 2029. As of December 31, 2023, there was €250.0 million (approximately $276.7 million) outstanding under the EIB Senior Term Loan due 2029.
Subsequent to the end of the year, on January 25, 2024, the Company entered into an additional multi-currency Finance Contract with EIB permitting the Company to borrow up to €170.0 million, for which the proceeds will be used in a similar manner as described for the EIB Senior Term Loan due 2029 above. On February 15, 2024, the Company borrowed €170.0 million (approximately $183.2 million) under the arrangement. The loan matures on February 15, 2030.
In connection with the planned Trimble Ag joint venture, on September 28, 2023, the Company entered into a bridge facility commitment letter with Morgan Stanley pursuant to which Morgan Stanley has committed to provide, subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, a $2.0 billion senior unsecured 364-day bridge facility. There were no amounts outstanding under the Bridge Facility as of December 31, 2023. Subject to market conditions, the Company intends to finance the planned Joint Venture transaction through a combination of existing liquidity, ongoing cash flows from operations and the issuance of new debt and not to utilize funding pursuant to the commitment letter. In December 2023, the Company amended the Credit Facility to allow for incremental borrowings in the form of a delayed draw term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $250.0 million ("Term Loan Facility"). Borrowings under the Term Loan Facility bear interest at the same rate and margin as the Credit Facility. There are currently no amounts outstanding under the Term Loan Facility. The Company expects to draw on the Term Loan Facility in conjunction with the close of the Trimble Ag joint venture. The amount available under the Bridge Facility was reduced by $250.0 million upon the Company's entry into the Term Loan Facility in December 2023. In January 2024, the Company and its lenders agreed to further reduce the Bridge Facility by $300.0 million as a result of cash flows generated in the quarter ended December 31,2023.
We are in compliance with the financial covenants contained in these facilities and expect to continue to maintain such compliance. Should we ever encounter difficulties, our historical relationship with our lenders has been strong and we anticipate
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their continued long-term support of our business. Refer to Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” for additional information regarding our current facilities, including the financial covenants contained in each debt instrument.
Our accounts receivable sales agreements in North America, Europe and Brazil permit the sale, on an ongoing basis, of a majority of our receivables to our U.S., Canadian, European and Brazilian finance joint ventures. The sales of all receivables are without recourse to us. We do not service the receivables after the sales occur, and we do not maintain any direct retained interest in the receivables. These agreements are accounted for as off-balance sheet transactions. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the cash received from receivables sold under the U.S., Canadian, European and Brazilian accounts receivable sales agreements was approximately $2.5 billion and $1.8 billion, respectively.
In addition, we sell certain trade receivables under factoring arrangements to other financial institutions around the world. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the cash received from these arrangements was approximately $254.1 million and $226.0 million, respectively.
Our finance joint ventures in Europe, Brazil and Australia also provide wholesale financing directly to our dealers. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, these finance joint ventures had approximately $211.3 million and $69.5 million, respectively, of outstanding accounts receivable associated with these arrangements. These arrangements are accounted for as off-balance sheet transactions. The total finance portfolio in our finance joint ventures was approximately $14.1 billion and $11.8 billion as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The total finance portfolio as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 included approximately $10.8 billion and $9.5 billion, respectively, of retail receivables and $3.3 billion and $2.3 billion of wholesale receivables from AGCO dealers as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
In order to efficiently manage our liquidity, we generally pay vendors in accordance with negotiated terms. To enable vendors to obtain payment in advance of our payment due dates to them, we have established programs in certain markets with financial institutions under which the vendors have the option to be paid by the financial institutions earlier than the payment due dates. Should we not be able to negotiate extended payment terms with our vendors, or should financial institutions no longer be willing to participate in early payment programs with us, we would expect to have sufficient liquidity to timely pay our vendors without any material impact on us or our financial position. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the amount outstanding that remains unpaid to the banks or other intermediaries associated with these programs totaled approximately $82.7 million and $121.5 million, respectively. Refer to Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” for further discussion.
Our debt to capitalization ratio, which is total indebtedness divided by the sum of total indebtedness and stockholders’ equity, was 23.0% at December 31, 2023 compared to 27.3% at December 31, 2022.
Cash Flows
Cash flows provided by operating activities were approximately $1,103.1 million during 2023 compared to approximately $838.2 million during 2022. The increase during 2023 compared to 2022 was primarily due to higher net income in 2023.
Our working capital requirements are seasonal, with investments in working capital typically building in the first half of the year and then reducing in the second half of the year. We had $1,997.2 million in working capital at December 31, 2023, as compared with $1,651.3 million at December 31, 2022. Accounts receivable and inventories, combined, at December 31, 2023 were approximately $635.0 million higher than at December 31, 2022, primarily due to positive pricing, lower sales of accounts receivable under our factoring programs at the end of the year and higher finished goods inventory levels.
Capital expenditures were approximately $518.1 million compared to $388.3 million for the same period in 2022, primarily related to high capital investments related to capacity increases and precision agriculture initiatives.
Share Repurchase Program and Dividends
In November 2023, the Company entered into an accelerated share repurchase (“ASR”) agreement with a financial institution to repurchase $53.0 million of shares of our common stock. We received approximately 371,669 shares associated with this transaction as of December 31, 2023. In January 2024, we received an additional 82,883 shares upon final settlement of our November 2023 ASR agreement. All shares received under the ASR agreements were retired upon receipt, and the excess of the purchase price over par value per share was recorded to a combination of “Additional paid-in capital” and “Retained earnings” within the our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We did not purchase any shares directly or enter into any
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accelerated share repurchase agreements during 2022. As of December 31, 2023, the remaining amount authorized to be repurchased under board-approved share repurchase authorizations was approximately $57.0 million, which has no expiration date. In addition, on April 27, 2023, our Board of Directors approved an increase to our quarterly dividend commencing in the second quarter of 2023 by 21% to $0.29 per common share and declared a special variable dividend of $5.00 per common share that was paid during the second quarter of 2023. During 2022, our Board of Directors declared and we paid a special variable dividend of $4.50 per common share. On January 18, 2024, the Company approved the quarterly dividend of $0.29 per common share to be paid on March 15, 2024, to all stockholders of record as of the close of business February 15, 2024.
Contractual Obligations and Cash Requirements
Our material cash requirements include the following contractual and other obligations:
Indebtedness – As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $14.1 million of payments due within the year ending December 31, 2024, related to indebtedness and certain short-term obligations, in addition to approximately $56.1 million of interest payments associated with indebtedness we expect to pay during 2024. This does not include interest payments related to future indebtedness expected to finance the planned Trimble Ag joint venture. Our projected amount of interest payments includes assumptions regarding the future fluctuations in interest rates, as well as borrowings under our revolving credit facility and other variable debt instruments. Indebtedness amounts reflect the principal amount of our EIB senior term loans, senior notes, credit facility and certain short-term borrowings, gross of any debt issuance costs. Refer to the discussion above and Note 11 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding our indebtedness.
Finance and operating lease obligations – As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $0.7 million and $52.8 million of payments due during the year ending December 31, 2024, related to finance and operating lease obligations, respectively. Refer to Note 23 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding our lease obligations.
Unconditional purchase obligations – As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $263.7 million of outstanding purchase obligations payable during the year ending December 31, 2024. The Company's unconditional purchase obligations are primarily payable within 12 months.
Other short-term and long-term obligations – As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $9.9 million of income tax liabilities related to uncertain income tax provisions connected with ongoing income tax audits in various jurisdictions that we expects to pay or settle within the next 12 months. Additionally, we had approximately $16.7 million of estimated future minimum contribution requirements under our U.S. and non-U.S. defined benefit pension and postretirement plans due during the year ending December 31, 2024. Refer to Notes 19 and 20 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding our uncertain tax positions and pension and postretirement plans, respectively. These obligations comprise a majority of our other short-term and long-term obligations.
Commitments and Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
Guarantees
At December 31, 2023, the Company had outstanding guarantees issued to its Argentine finance joint venture, AGCO Capital Argentina S.A. (“AGCO Capital”) of approximately $42.2 million. Such guarantees generally obligate the Company to repay outstanding finance obligations owed to AGCO Capital if end users default on such loans to the extent that, due to non-Credit Risk, the end users are not able, or not required, to pay their loans, or are required to pay in a different currency than the one agreed in their loan. The Company also has obligations to guarantee indebtedness owed to certain of its finance joint ventures if dealers or end users default on loans. Losses under such guarantees historically have been insignificant. The Company believes the credit risk associated with these guarantees is not material.
In addition, at December 31, 2023, the Company accrued approximately $13.8 million of outstanding guarantees of residual values that may be owed to its finance joint ventures in the United States and Canada upon expiration of certain eligible operating leases between the finance joint ventures and end users. The maximum potential amount of future payments under the guarantees is approximately $182.1 million.
Other
At December 31, 2023, we had outstanding designated and non-designated foreign exchange contracts with a gross notional amount of approximately $3,387.3 million. The outstanding contracts as of December 31, 2023 range in maturity
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through December 2024. We also had outstanding designated steel commodity contracts with a gross notional amount of approximately $2.5 million that range in maturity through June 2024. See Note 14 of our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
As discussed above, we sell a majority of our wholesale accounts receivable in North America, Europe and Brazil to our U.S., Canadian, European and Brazilian finance joint ventures. We also sell certain accounts receivable under factoring arrangements to financial institutions around the world. We have determined that these facilities should be accounted for as off-balance sheet transactions.
Contingencies
During 2017, the Company purchased Precision Planting, which provides precision agricultural technology solutions. In 2018, Deere & Company (“Deere”) filed separate complaints in the U.S. District Court of Delaware against the Company and Precision Planting alleging that certain products of those entities infringed certain patents of Deere. The two complaints subsequently were consolidated into a single case, Case No. 1:18-cv-00827-CFC. In July 2022, the case was tried before a jury, which determined that the Company and Precision Planting had not infringed the Deere patents. Following customary post-trial procedures, the Court entered a judgement in the Company’s favor, and Deere appealed the judgment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The appeal is fully briefed and is awaiting oral arguments before the court. The Company has an indemnity right under the purchase agreement related to the acquisition of Precision Planting from its previous owner. Pursuant to that right, the previous owner of Precision Planting currently is responsible for the litigation costs associated with the complaint and is obligated to reimburse AGCO for some or all of the damages in the event of an adverse outcome in the litigation.
We are party to various claims and lawsuits arising in the normal course of business. We closely monitor these claims and lawsuits and frequently consult with our legal counsel to determine whether they may, when resolved, have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations and accrue and/or disclose loss contingencies as appropriate. See Note 22 of our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.
Related Party Transactions
In the ordinary course of business, we engage in transactions with related parties. See Note 18 of our Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding related party transactions and their impact to our consolidated results of operations and financial position.
Foreign Currency Risk Management
We have significant manufacturing locations in the United States, France, Germany, Finland, Italy, China and Brazil, and we purchase a portion of our tractors, combines and components from third-party foreign suppliers, primarily in various European countries and in Japan. We also sell products in approximately 140 countries throughout the world. The majority of our net sales outside the United States are denominated in the currency of the customer location, with the exception of sales in Middle East, Africa, Asia and parts of South America, where net sales are primarily denominated in British pounds, Euros or the United States dollar.
The Company has a wholly-owned subsidiary in Turkey that distributes agricultural equipment and replacement parts. On the basis of available data related to inflation indices and as a result of the devaluation of the Turkish lira relative to the United States dollar, the Turkish economy was determined to be highly inflationary during 2022. A highly inflationary economy is one where the cumulative inflation rate for the three years preceding the beginning of the reporting period, including interim reporting periods, is in excess of 100 percent. For subsidiaries operating in highly inflationary economies, the United States dollar is the functional currency. Remeasurement adjustments for financial statements in highly inflationary economies and other transactional exchange gains and losses are reported in "Other expense, net" within our Consolidated Statements of Operations. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary in Turkey had net sales of approximately $394.6 million and total assets of approximately 4.5 billion Turkish lira (or approximately $152.4 million). The monetary assets and liabilities denominated in the Turkish lira were approximately 4.2 billion Turkish lira (or approximately $142.7 million) and approximately 3.4 billion Turkish lira (or approximately $116.3 million), respectively, as of December 31, 2023. The monetary assets and liabilities were remeasured into United States dollar based on exchange rates as of December 31, 2023.
We also are subject to the risk of the imposition of limitations by governments on international transfers of funds. In recent years, the Argentine government has substantially limited the ability of companies to transfer funds out of Argentina. As
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a consequence of these limitations, the spread between the official government exchange rate and the exchange rates resulting implicitly from certain capital market operations, usually effected to obtain United States dollars, had broadened significantly. Argentina's economy was determined to be highly inflationary during 2018. In December 2023, the central bank of Argentina adjusted the official foreign currency exchange rate for the Argentine peso, significantly devaluing the currency relative to the United States dollar. The December 2023 impact of the devaluation and remeasurement of net monetary assets was approximately $79.9 million. The Company has a wholly-owned subsidiary in Argentina that assembles and distributes agricultural equipment and replacement parts. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary in Argentina had net sales of approximately $204.9 million and total assets of approximately 194.9 billion pesos (or approximately $233.9 million). The monetary assets of the Company's operations in Argentina denominated in pesos at the official government rate were approximately 68.3 billion pesos (or approximately $82.0 million), inclusive of approximately 27.7 billion pesos (or approximately $33.3 million) in cash and cash equivalents, as of December 31, 2023. The monetary liabilities of the Company's operations in Argentina denominated in pesos at the official government rate were approximately 12.4 billion pesos (or approximately $14.9 million) as of December 31, 2023. The monetary assets and liabilities were remeasured into United States dollars based on exchange rates as of December 31, 2023. The Company's finance joint venture in Argentina, AGCO Capital has net monetary assets denominated in pesos at the official government rate of approximately 11.0 billion (or approximately $13.2 million) as of December 31, 2023, of which a majority is cash and cash equivalents. All gains and losses resulting from AGCO Capital's remeasurement of its monetary asset and liabilities are reported in “Equity in net earnings of affiliates” within our Consolidated Statements of Operations. If limitations on transfer of funds remain, we may be subject to future losses on the net monetary assets described above.
We manage our transactional foreign currency exposure by hedging foreign currency cash flow forecasts and commitments arising from the anticipated settlement of receivables and payables and from future purchases and sales. Where naturally offsetting currency positions do not occur, we hedge certain, but not all, of our exposures through the use of foreign currency contracts. Our translation exposure resulting from translating the financial statements of foreign subsidiaries into United States dollars may be partially hedged from time to time. When practical, this translation impact is reduced by financing local operations with local borrowings. Our hedging policy prohibits use of foreign currency contracts for speculative trading purposes.
The total notional value of our foreign currency instruments was $3,687.3 million and $4,318.8 million, including $300.0 million and $300.0 million related to net investment hedges, as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, inclusive of both those instruments that are designated and qualified for hedge accounting and non-designated derivative instruments. We enter into cash flow hedges to minimize the variability in cash flows of assets or liabilities or forecasted transactions caused by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, and we enter into foreign currency contracts to economically hedge receivables and payables on our balance sheets that are denominated in foreign currencies other than the functional currency. In addition, we use derivative and non-derivative instruments to hedge a portion of our net investment in foreign operations against adverse movements in exchange rates. See Note 14 of our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information about our hedging transactions and derivative instruments.
Assuming a 10% change relative to the currency of the hedge contracts, the fair value of the foreign currency instruments could be negatively impacted by approximately $26.5 million as of December 31, 2023. Due to the fact that these instruments are primarily entered into for hedging purposes, the gains or losses on the contracts would largely be offset by losses and gains on the underlying firm commitment or forecasted transaction. The gains and losses on the Company’s net investment in the designated foreign operations driven by changes in foreign exchange rates would largely be offset by movements in the fair value of the cross currency swap contracts or foreign currency denominated debt.
Interest Rate Risk
Our interest expense is, in part, sensitive to the general level of interest rates. We manage our exposure to interest rate risk through our mix of floating rate and fixed rate debt. From time to time, we enter into interest rate swap agreements to manage our exposure to interest rate fluctuations. See Notes 11 and 14 of our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Based on our floating rate debt and our accounts receivable sales facilities outstanding at December 31, 2023, a 10% increase in interest rates, would have increased, collectively, “Interest expense, net” and “Other expense, net” for the year ended December 31, 2023, by approximately $13.7 million.
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Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 1 of our Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding recent accounting pronouncements and their impact to our consolidated results of operations and financial position.
Critical Accounting Estimates
We prepare our Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. In the preparation of these financial statements, we make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The significant accounting policies followed in the preparation of the financial statements are detailed in Note 1 of our Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.” We believe that our application of the policies discussed below involves significant levels of judgment, estimates and complexity.
Due to the levels of judgment, complexity and period of time over which many of these items are resolved, actual results could differ from those estimated at the time of preparation of the financial statements. Adjustments to these estimates would impact our financial position and future results of operations.
Discount and Sales Incentive Allowances
We provide various volume bonus and sales incentive programs with respect to our products. These sales incentive programs include reductions in invoice prices, reductions in retail financing rates, dealer commissions and dealer incentive allowances. In most cases, incentive programs are established and communicated to our dealers on a quarterly basis. The incentives are paid either at the time of the cash settlement of the receivable (which is generally at the time of retail sale), at the time of retail financing, at the time of warranty registration, or at a subsequent time based on dealer purchase volumes. The incentive programs are product line specific and generally do not vary by dealer. The cost of sales incentives associated with dealer commissions and dealer incentive allowances is estimated based upon the terms of the programs and historical experience, is based on a percentage of the sales price, and estimates for sales incentives are made and recorded at the time of sale for expected incentive programs using the expected value method. These estimates are reassessed each reporting period and are revised in the event of subsequent modifications to incentive programs, as they are communicated to dealers. The related provisions and accruals are made on a product or product-line basis and are monitored for adequacy and revised at least quarterly in the event of subsequent modifications to the programs. Interest rate subsidy payments, which are a reduction in retail financing rates, are recorded in the same manner as dealer commissions and dealer incentive allowances. Volume discounts are estimated and recognized based on historical experience, and related reserves are monitored and adjusted based on actual dealer purchase volumes and the dealers’ progress towards achieving specified cumulative target levels. Estimates of these incentives are based on the terms of the programs and historical experience. All incentive programs are recorded and presented as a reduction of revenue, due to the fact that we do not receive a distinct good or service in exchange for the consideration provided. In the United States and Canada, reserves for incentive programs related to accounts receivable not sold to our U.S. and Canadian finance joint ventures are recorded as “Accounts receivable allowances” within our Consolidated Balance Sheets due to the fact that the incentives are paid through a reduction of future cash settlement of the receivable. Globally, reserves for incentive programs that will be paid in cash or credit memos, as is the case with most of our volume discount programs, as well as sales incentives associated with accounts receivable sold to our finance joint ventures, are recorded within “Accrued expenses” within our Consolidated Balance Sheets.
At December 31, 2023, we had recorded an allowance for discounts and sales incentives of approximately $1,008.3 million that will be paid either through a reduction of future cash settlements of receivables and through credit memos to our dealers or through reductions in retail financing rates paid to our finance joint ventures. If we were to allow an additional 1% of sales incentives and discounts at the time of retail sale for those sales subject to such discount programs, our reserve would increase by approximately $41.5 million as of December 31, 2023. Conversely, if we were to decrease our sales incentives and discounts by 1% at the time of retail sale, our reserve would decrease by approximately $41.5 million as of December 31, 2023.
Deferred Income Taxes and Uncertain Income Tax Positions
We recorded an income tax provision of $230.4 million in 2023 compared to $296.6 million in 2022 and $108.4 million in 2021. Our tax provision and effective tax rate are impacted by the differing tax rates of the various tax jurisdictions in which we operate, permanent differences for items treated differently for financial accounting and income tax purposes, losses in jurisdictions where no income tax benefit is recorded and provisions for unrecognized income tax
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benefits related to uncertain tax positions. The provision for income taxes involves a significant amount of management judgment regarding interpretation of relevant facts and laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Future changes in applicable laws, projected levels of taxable income, and tax planning could change the effective tax rate and tax balances recorded by us. In addition, tax authorities periodically review income tax returns filed by us and can raise issues regarding our filing positions, timing and amount of income or deductions, and the allocation of income among the jurisdictions in which we operate. A significant period of time may elapse between the filing of an income tax return and the ultimate resolution of an issue raised by a revenue authority with respect to that return. We believe that we have adequately provided for any reasonably foreseeable resolution of these matters.
At December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had gross deferred tax assets of $634.2 million and $301.2 million, respectively, including $42.1 million and $45.9 million, respectively, related to net operating loss carryforwards. We maintain a valuation allowance to reserve a portion of our net deferred tax assets in the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions. A valuation allowance is established when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets may not be realized. At December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had total valuation allowances as an offset to our gross deferred tax assets of $149.8 million and $47.3 million, respectively. These valuation allowances are held against deferred tax assets (including net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes) in the U.S and certain foreign jurisdictions. Realization of the remaining deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2023 depends on generating sufficient taxable income in future periods, net of reversing deferred tax liabilities. We believe it is more likely than not that the remaining net deferred tax assets should be able to be realized.
We recognize income tax benefits from uncertain tax positions only when there is a more than 50% likelihood that the tax positions will be sustained upon examination by the taxing authorities based on the technical merits of the positions. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had approximately $351.2 million and $281.7 million, respectively, of gross unrecognized tax benefits, all of which would impact our effective tax rate if recognized. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had approximately $9.9 million and $10.4 million, respectively, of current accrued taxes related to uncertain income tax positions connected with ongoing tax audits in various jurisdictions that we expect to settle or pay in the next 12 months. At December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had approximately $344.2 million and $274.1 million, respectively, of accrued taxes reflected in “Other noncurrent liabilities”, and approximately $2.9 million and $2.8 million of deferred tax assets, respectively, related to uncertain tax positions that it expects to settle or pay beyond 12 months, reflected in “Deferred tax assets” in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. We recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain income tax positions in income tax expense. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits of approximately $27.9 million and $25.8 million, respectively. See Note 19 of our Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of our uncertain income tax positions.
Pensions
We sponsor defined benefit pension plans covering certain employees, principally in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, France, Norway and Argentina. Our primary plans cover certain employees in the United States and the United Kingdom.
In the United States, we sponsor a funded, qualified defined benefit pension plan for our salaried employees, as well as a separate funded qualified defined benefit pension plan for our hourly employees. Both plans are closed to new entrants and frozen, and we fund at least the minimum contributions required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code to both plans. Additionally, as of December 31, 2023, we amended and merged the defined benefit plans for our hourly and salaried employees into one plan (the "Plan") and subsequently terminated the Plan effective December 31, 2023, subject to the approval by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (the “PBGC”). Following the approval of the Plan’s termination by the PBGC, the benefits of all participants and beneficiaries will be satisfied in full through cash distributions to participants, payment to the PBGC, or the purchase of annuities under a group annuity contract. In addition, we maintain an unfunded, nonqualified defined benefit pension plan for certain senior executives, which is our Executive Nonqualified Pension Plan (“ENPP”). The ENPP also is closed to new entrants, and, during 2021, we amended the ENPP to freeze future benefit accruals as of December 31, 2024 and to eliminate a lifetime annuity feature for participants reaching age 65 subsequent to December 31, 2022.
In the United Kingdom, we sponsor a funded defined benefit pension plan that provides an annuity benefit based on participants’ final average earnings and service. Participation in this plan is limited to certain older, longer service employees and existing retirees. This plan is closed to new participants.
See Note 20 of our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding costs and assumptions for employee retirement benefits.
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Nature of Estimates Required. The measurement date for all of our benefit plans is December 31. The measurement of our pension obligations, costs and liabilities is dependent on a variety of assumptions provided by management and used by our actuaries. These assumptions include estimates of the present value of projected future pension payments to all plan participants, taking into consideration the likelihood of potential future events such as salary increases and demographic experience. These assumptions may have an effect on the amount and timing of future contributions.
Assumptions and Approach Used. The assumptions used in developing the required estimates include, but are not limited to, the following key factors:
| • Discount rates | • Inflation |
|---|---|
| • Salary growth | • Expected return on plan assets |
| • Retirement rates and ages | • Mortality rates |
For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we used a globally consistent methodology to set the discount rate in the countries where our largest benefit obligations exist. In the United States, the United Kingdom and the Euro Zone, we constructed a hypothetical bond portfolio of high-quality corporate bonds and then applied the cash flows of our benefit plans to those bond yields to derive a discount rate. The bond portfolio and plan-specific cash flows vary by country, but the methodology in which the portfolio is constructed is consistent. In the United States, the bond portfolio is large enough to result in taking a “settlement approach” to derive the discount rate, in which high-quality corporate bonds are assumed to be purchased and the resulting coupon payments and maturities are used to satisfy our U.S. pension plans’ projected benefit payments. Historically, the settlement approach was used for both the hourly and salaried plans and the ENPP. As a result of the termination of the Plan in 2023, we changed the discount rate methodology to align with the expected termination liability of the Plan more closely. The discount rate was derived using a "yield curve approach" as described below. The settlement approach used for the ENPP has not changed. In the United Kingdom and the Euro Zone, the discount rate is derived using a “yield curve approach,” in which an individual spot rate, or zero coupon bond yield, for each future annual period is developed to discount each future benefit payment and, thereby, determine the present value of all future payments. We use a spot yield curve to determine the discount rate applicable in the United Kingdom to measure the U.K. pension plan’s service cost and interest cost. Under the settlement and yield curve approaches, the discount rate is set to equal the single discount rate that produces the same present value of all future payments.
The other key assumptions and methods were set as follows:
•Our inflation assumption is based on an evaluation of external market indicators.
•The salary growth assumptions reflect our long-term actual experience, the near-term outlook and assumed inflation.
•The expected return on plan asset assumptions reflects asset allocations, investment strategy, historical experience and the views of investment managers, and reflects a projection of the expected arithmetic returns over ten years.
•Determination of retirement rates and ages as well as termination rates, based on actual plan experience, actuarial standards of practice and the manner in which our defined benefit plans are being administered.
•The mortality rates for the U.K. defined benefit pension plan were updated during 2023 to reflect the latest expected improvements in the life expectancy of the plan participants. The mortality rates for the U.S. defined benefit pension plans were unchanged from 2022, which reflected the Society of Actuaries’ most recent findings on the topic of mortality.
•The fair value of assets used to determine the expected return on assets does not reflect any delayed recognition of asset gains and losses.
The effects of actual results differing from our assumptions are accumulated and amortized over future periods and, therefore, generally affect our recognized expense in such periods.
Our U.S. and U.K. defined benefit pension plans, including our ENPP, comprised approximately 83% of our consolidated projected benefit obligation as of December 31, 2023. The effects of a 25 basis point change in certain actuarial
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assumptions on the 2023 net annual pension and ENPP costs and related benefit obligations as of December 31, 2023 would be as follows:
| Year-end Benefit Obligation | 2024 Net Annual Pension Cost | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 basis point increase | 25 basis point decrease | 25 basis point increase | 25 basis point decrease | |||||||||||
| Discount rate: | ||||||||||||||
| U.S. qualified defined benefit pension plans and ENPP | $ | (2.6) | $ | 2.7 | $ | 0.1 | $ | (0.1) | ||||||
| U.K. defined benefit pension plans | (11.9) | 12.4 | (0.3) | 0.2 |
| 2024 Net Annual Pension Cost | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 basis point increase | 25 basis point decrease | |||||
| Long-term rate of return on plan assets: | ||||||
| U.S. qualified defined benefit pension plans and ENPP | $ | (0.1) | $ | 0.1 | ||
| U.K. defined benefit pension plans | (1.2) | 1.2 |
Unrecognized actuarial net losses related to our defined benefit pension plans and ENPP were $280.2 million as of December 31, 2023 compared to $270.0 million as of December 31, 2022. The increase in unrecognized net actuarial losses between years primarily resulted from lower discount rates at December 31, 2023 compared to December 31, 2022. The unrecognized net actuarial losses will be impacted in future periods by actual asset returns, discount rate changes, currency exchange rate fluctuations, actual demographic experience and certain other factors. For some of our defined benefit pension plans, these losses, to the extent they exceed 10% of the greater of the plan’s liabilities or the fair value of assets (“the gain/loss corridor”), will be amortized on a straight-line basis over the periods discussed as follows. For our U.S. salaried, U.S. hourly and U.K. defined benefit pension plans, the population covered is predominantly inactive participants, and losses related to those plans, to the extent they exceed the gain/loss corridor, will be amortized over the average remaining lives of those participants while covered by the respective plan. For our ENPP, the population is predominantly active participants, and losses related to the plan will be amortized over the average future working lifetime of the active participants expected to receive benefits. As of December 31, 2023, the average amortization periods were as follows:
| ENPP | U.S. Plans | U.K. Plan | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average amortization period of losses related to defined benefit pension plans | 6 years | 13 years | 18 years |
Unrecognized prior service cost related to our defined benefit pension plans was $31.4 million as of December 31, 2023 compared to $32.5 million as of December 31, 2022.
As of December 31, 2023, our unfunded or underfunded obligations related to our defined benefit pension plans and ENPP were approximately $75.0 million, primarily related to our defined benefit pension plans in Europe and the United States. In 2023, we contributed approximately $35.1 million towards those obligations, and we expect to fund approximately $29.4 million in 2024. Future funding is dependent upon compliance with local laws and regulations and changes to those laws and regulations in the future, as well as the generation of operating cash flows in the future. We currently have an agreement in place with the trustees of the U.K. defined benefit plan that obligates us to fund approximately £10.9 million per year (or approximately $13.9 million) towards that obligation through December 2024. The funding arrangement is based upon the current funded status and could change in the future as discount rates, local laws and regulations, and other factors change.
See Note 20 of our Consolidated Financial Statements for more information regarding the investment strategy and concentration of risk.
Goodwill, Other Intangible Assets and Long-Lived Assets
Goodwill
We have significant goodwill on our balance sheet related to historical acquisitions and will add significant additional goodwill in connection with the planned Trimble Ag joint venture. We test goodwill for impairment, at the reporting unit level, annually as of October 1st or more frequently when events or circumstances indicate that the fair value of a reporting unit is more likely than not less than its carrying value. A reporting unit is an operating segment or one level below an operating
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segment, for example, a component. We combine and aggregate two or more components of an operating segment as a single reporting unit if the components have similar economic characteristics. Our reportable segments are not our reporting units.
Goodwill is evaluated for impairment using a qualitative assessment or a quantitative assessment. If we elect to perform a qualitative assessment and determine the fair value of our reporting units more likely than not exceeds their carrying value of net assets, no further evaluation is necessary. For reporting units where we perform a quantitative assessment, we compare the fair value of each reporting unit to its respective carrying value of net assets, including goodwill. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds its carrying value of net assets, the goodwill is not considered impaired. If the carrying value of net assets is higher than the fair value of the reporting unit, an impairment charge is recorded in the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value.
For the quantitative impairment assessment, we utilize a combination of valuation techniques. We use a discounted cash flow model (income approach) whereby the present value of future expected operating net cash flows are calculated using a discount rate; and a guideline public company method (market approach), whereby EBITDA and/or revenue multiples are derived from the market prices of stocks of companies that are engaged in the same or similar lines of business and that are actively traded on a free and open market. These valuation techniques are equally weighted in determining the fair value of the reporting unit.
We make various assumptions, including assumptions regarding future cash flows, growth rates, discount rates, and market multiples in our assessment of the impairment of goodwill. The assumptions about future cash flows and growth rates are based on the current and long-term business plans of the reporting unit and country specific agricultural industry and economic growth projections. Future cash flows and growth rates are dependent upon the agricultural industry and other factors that could adversely affect the agricultural industry, including but not limited to, declines in the general economy, increases in farm input costs, weather conditions, lower commodity and protein prices and changes in the availability of credit. Discount rate assumptions are based on an assessment of the risk inherent in the future cash flows of the reporting unit. These assumptions require significant judgments on our part, and the conclusions that we reach could vary significantly based on these judgments.
Our annual impairment tests completed as of October 1, 2023 indicated the fair value of each reporting unit was substantially above its respective carrying value except the Grain & Protein production systems EME reporting unit (G&P EME) which is part of the EME segment, the Grain & Protein North America reporting unit (G&P North America) which is part of the North America segment and the Grain & Protein production systems APA reporting unit (G&P APA) which is part of the APA segment. The results of these impairment tests indicated that the fair values in excess of the carrying value of our G&P EME, G&P North America and G&P APA reporting units were approximately 4%, 12% and 10%, respectively. The most critical assumptions used in the calculation of the fair value of the G&P EME, North America and APA reporting units are projected revenue, projected gross margin, and discount rate used in the discounted cash flow model as well as the selection of peer companies and respective trading multiples used in the guideline public company method. Demand for G&P products is highly cyclical and impacted by commodity prices. Differences in our expectations of demand and commodity prices could have a negative impact on our valuation. Additionally, inability to generate future improvement in revenues and / or operating margins could have a negative impact on our valuation.
If we had changed the assumptions used to estimate the fair value of our G&P EME, North America and APA reporting units, as of the 2023 annual impairment test for each of these reporting units, these isolated changes, which are reasonably possible to occur, would have resulted in changes in the fair value in excess of the carrying value of these reporting units. The resulting "cushion levels" would have been as follows:
| Amount (%) Fair Value exceeds carrying value assuming a50-Basis-Point Decrease | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Goodwill Balance (in millions) | Revenue Growth | Gross Margin | Discount Rate | |||||||
| G&P EME | $ | 60.8 | 3 | % | 3 | % | 1 | % | ||
| G&P North America | 524.1 | 11 | % | 9 | % | 8 | % | |||
| G&P APA | 109.7 | 9 | % | 7 | % | 7 | % |
As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $1,333.4 million of goodwill. While our annual impairment testing in 2023 supported the carrying amount of this goodwill, we may be required to re-evaluate the carrying amount in future periods, thus utilizing different assumptions that reflect the then current market conditions and expectations, and, therefore, we could conclude that an impairment has occurred.
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We are currently conducting a strategic review of our G&P business. In future periods, we may test market the business and determine whether to pursue a potential sale. In conjunction with this process, we may secure new information related to the value of the business or one or more reporting units of the business which would need to be considered in assessing potential impairment of goodwill for these G&P reporting units.
Long-lived assets
We review our long-lived assets, which include intangible assets subject to amortization, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. The evaluation for recoverability is performed at a level where independent cash flows may be attributed to either an asset or asset group. If we determine that the carrying amount of an asset or asset group is not recoverable based on the expected undiscounted future cash flows of the asset or asset group, an impairment loss is recorded equal to the excess of the carrying amounts over the estimated fair value of the long-lived assets. Estimates of future cash flows are based on many factors, including current operating results, expected market trends and competitive influences. We also evaluate the amortization periods assigned to our long-lived assets to determine whether events or changes in circumstances warrant revised estimates of useful lives. Assets to be disposed of by sale are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value, less estimated costs to sell.
Recoverable Indirect Taxes
Our Brazilian operations incur value added taxes (“VAT”) on certain purchases of raw materials, components and services. These taxes are accumulated as tax credits and create assets that are reduced by the VAT collected from our sales in the Brazilian market. We regularly assess the recoverability of these tax credits, and establishes reserves when necessary against them through analyses that include, amongst others, the history of realization, the transfer of tax credits to third parties as authorized by the government, anticipated changes in the supply chain and the future expectation of tax debits from our ongoing operations. We believe that these tax credits, net of established reserves are realizable. Our assessment of realization of these tax assets involves significant judgments on our part, and the conclusions that we reach could vary significantly based upon these judgments. We recorded approximately $139.2 million and $143.9 million, of VAT tax credits, net of reserves of approximately $45.7 million and $49.3 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.