Fair Value of Financial Instruments

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2015

5. Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying values of cash, restricted cash, prepaid expenses, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses, and other short-term assets and liabilities approximate their respective fair values due to the short-term maturities of these assets and liabilities.

Fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received from the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. Fair value is determined based on observable and unobservable inputs. Observable inputs reflect readily obtainable data from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect certain market assumptions. As a basis for considering such assumptions, GAAP establishes a three-tier value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used to develop the assumptions and for measuring fair value as follows: (Level 1) observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets; (Level 2) inputs other than the quoted prices in active markets that are observable either directly or indirectly; and (Level 3) unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which requires the Company to develop its own assumptions. This hierarchy requires the Company to use observable market data, when available, and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs when determining fair value.

Recurring Fair Value Measurements

The following tables show assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 and the input categories associated with those assets and liabilities:


(in thousands) As of September 30, 2015	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Assets:
Cash equivalents – money market funds	$	28,081	$	—	$	—
Investments – corporate debt securities		—		6,000		—

As of December 31, 2014	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Assets:
Cash equivalents – money market funds	$	33,199	$	—	$	—
Investments – commercial paper		—		6,491		—
Investments – corporate debt securities		—		81,849		—

The Company’s investment portfolio consists of investments classified as cash equivalents and available-for-sale securities. All highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased are considered to be cash equivalents. The Company’s cash equivalents consist of money market funds that invest in U.S. treasury and various corporate debt securities. All investments with an original maturity when purchased of greater than three months are classified as available-for-sale. Available-for-sale securities are carried at fair value, with the unrealized gains and losses reported in other comprehensive income (loss). The amortized cost of securities in this category is adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts to maturity.

There were no realized gains or losses on available-for-sale securities during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015. As of September 30, 2015, the Company had no cash equivalents or available-for-sale securities in an unrealized loss position. There have been no impairments of the Company’s assets measured and carried at fair value during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015. In addition, there were no changes in valuation techniques or transfers between the fair value measurement levels during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015.

Other Fair Value Measurements

The estimated fair value of the $125.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Notes was $187.8 million as of September 30, 2015. The Company estimated the fair value of the Notes by using a quoted market rate in an inactive market, which is classified as a Level 2 input. The carrying value of the Notes is $86.6 million due to the bifurcation of the conversion feature of the Notes as described more fully in Note 7, “Borrowings.”

The estimated fair value of the loans payable under the Loan Agreement with Hercules was $40.6 million as of September 30, 2015. The Company estimated the fair value of the loans payable by using publicly available information related to Hercules’ portfolio of debt investments based on unobservable inputs, which is classified as a Level 3 input. The carrying value of the loans payable was $39.7 million as of September 30, 2015.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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