DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 26, 2015

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The Company manages risk from foreign currency rate risk related to foreign currency denominated transactions and from natural gas supply pricing. From time to time, the Company manages these risks using derivative financial instruments. Some of these derivative financial instruments are marked to market and recorded in the Company’s consolidated statements of earnings, while others may be accounted for as a fair value or cash flow hedge. Derivative financial instruments have credit risk and market risk. To manage credit risk, the Company only enters into derivative transactions with counterparties who are recognized, stable multinational banks.

Natural Gas Prices: Natural gas supplies to meet production requirements of production facilities are purchased at market prices. Natural gas market prices are volatile and the Company effectively fixes prices for a portion of its natural gas usage requirements of certain of its U.S. facilities through the use of swaps. These contracts reference physical natural gas prices or appropriate NYMEX futures contract prices. While there is a strong correlation between the NYMEX futures contract prices and the Company’s delivered cost of natural gas, the use of financial derivatives may not exactly offset the change in the price of physical gas. The contracts are traded in months forward and settlement dates are scheduled to coincide with gas purchases during that future period. The financial effects of these derivatives in 2015 and 2014 were minimal.

Interest Rate Fluctuations: In prior years, the Company executed contracts to lock in the treasury rate related to the issuance of each of their unsecured notes due in 2020, 2044, and 2054. These contracts were executed to hedge the risk of potential fluctuations in the treasury rates which would change the amount of net proceeds received from the debt offering. As the benchmark rate component of the fixed rate debt issuance and the cash flow hedged risk is based on that same benchmark, each was deemed an effective hedge at inception. The settlement with each of the counterparties was recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income and at December 26, 2015, the Company has a $4.5 million deferred loss and a $4.4 million deferred gain remaining in accumulated other comprehensive loss related to the past settlement of these forward contracts. The amount is amortized as a reduction of interest expense (for the deferred gain) or an increase in interest expense (for the deferred loss) over the term of the debt.

Foreign Currency Fluctuations: The Company operates in a number of different foreign countries and may enter into business transactions that are in currencies that are different from a given operation’s functional currency. In certain cases, the Company may enter into foreign currency exchange contracts to manage a portion of the foreign exchange risk associated with either a receivable or payable denominated in a foreign currency, a forecasted transaction or a series of forecasted transactions denominated in a foreign currency.

(15) DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (Continued)

At December 26, 2015, the Company had a number of open foreign currency forward contracts, which are generally accounted for as cash flow hedges if hedge accounting is utilized. The Company has one open forward contract related to interest payments on a large intercompany note denominated in Australian dollars. The interest from these notes are used to fund the delta pension plan in the United Kingdom with a functional currency of the British pound. The derivative is accounted for as a cash flow hedge and has a notional amount to sell Australian dollars of $36,590, which was settled in January 2016. Total gains on the forward contract related to the intercompany note interest payments in fiscal 2015 was $1,821. There is no gain or loss recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income in the consolidated balance sheets related to foreign currency forward contracts at December 26, 2015. At December 27, 2014, the Company had open foreign currency forward contracts, including one related to a large sales contract that was settled in Canadian dollars and was accounted for as a cash flow hedge. The notional amount of the open Canadian forward contracts at the end of 2014 was $14,757 with unrealized gains of $424, and $242 was recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income in the consolidated balance sheets. The forward contracts were settled by September 2015.