Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies

Note 1: Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies

In the opinion of management, the accompanying consolidated financial statements of Universal Electronics Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries contain all the adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. All such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature and certain reclassifications have been made to prior year amounts in order to conform to the current year presentation. Information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. As used herein, the terms “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Universal Electronics Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates to the contrary.

Our results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the “Risk Factors,” “Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations,” “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk,” and the “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” and notes thereto included in Items 1A, 7, 7A, and 8, respectively, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011.

Estimates, Judgments and Assumptions

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires us to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, 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. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates, judgments and assumptions, including those related to revenue recognition, allowances for sales returns and doubtful accounts, warranties, inventory valuation, business combination purchase price allocations, impairment of long-lived assets, intangible assets and goodwill, income taxes and stock-based compensation expense. Actual results may differ from our expectations. Based on our evaluation, our estimates, judgments and assumptions may be adjusted as more information becomes available. Any adjustment may be material.

See Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 for a summary of our significant accounting policies.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

During May 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-04, “Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”).” This pronouncement was issued to provide a consistent definition of fair value and ensure that the fair value measurement and disclosure requirements are similar between U.S. GAAP and IFRS. ASU 2011-04 changes certain fair value measurement principles and enhances the disclosure requirements particularly for level 3 fair value measurements. This pronouncement is effective for reporting periods beginning on or after December 15, 2011. We adopted this ASU beginning January 1, 2012.

During June 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-05 which requires an entity to present the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement or in two separate but consecutive statements. This pronouncement is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011. We adopted this ASU beginning January 1, 2012.

During September 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-08, “Testing Goodwill for Impairment.” The amendments in ASU 2011-08 are intended to reduce the cost and complexity associated with goodwill impairment tests required under the Accounting Standard Codification Topic 350 Intangibles – Goodwill and Other. The update permits an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test described in Topic 350. The more-likely-than-not threshold is defined as having a likelihood of more than 50 percent. The amendments in this update are effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. This guidance became effective January 1, 2012 and will be considered during the 2012 goodwill impairment testing. We do not expect it to have an impact on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.

During December 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-11, “Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities.” The amendments in ASU 2011-11 require an entity to disclose information about offsetting and related arrangements to enable users of its financial statements to understand the effect of those arrangements on its financial position. This pronouncement is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning on or after January 1, 2013 with retrospective application required. The adoption of ASU 2011-11 will result in changes to our presentation and disclosure only and will not have an impact on our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.

During July 2012, the FASB issued ASU 2012-02, “Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment.” The new accounting guidance is intended to simplify impairment testing for indefinite-lived intangible assets. Entities will now be allowed to perform a qualitative assessment on indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment to determine whether a quantitative assessment is necessary. This guidance is effective for annual and interim indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after September 15, 2012. Early adoption is permitted. We do not expect it to have an impact on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.