Goodwill and Intangible Assets

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

. Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of all acquisitions over the estimated fair value of the net assets acquired. The Company evaluates goodwill and intangible assets for impairment at least annually or more frequently whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset may be impaired, or in the case of goodwill, the fair value of the reporting unit is below its carrying amount. The analysis of potential impairment of goodwill requires the Company to compare the estimated fair value at each of its reporting units to its carrying amount, including goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds the estimated fair value of the reporting unit, a non-cash goodwill impairment loss is recognized as an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit's fair value; however, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit.

For purposes of the impairment analysis, the fair value of the Company’s reporting units is estimated based upon an average of the market approach and the income approach, both of which incorporate numerous assumptions and estimates such as company forecasts, discount rates, and growth rates, among others. The determination of the fair value of the reporting units and the allocation of that value to individual assets and liabilities within those reporting units requires the Company to make significant estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions primarily include, but are not limited to, the selection of appropriate peer group companies, control premiums appropriate for acquisitions in the industries in which the Company competes, the discount rate, terminal growth rates, and forecasts of revenue, operating income, and capital expenditures. The allocation requires several analyses to determine fair value of assets and liabilities including, among others, customer relationships and property and equipment. Although the Company believes its estimates of fair value are reasonable, actual financial results could differ from those estimates due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making such estimates. Changes in assumptions concerning future financial results or other underlying assumptions could have a significant impact on either the fair value of the reporting units, the amount of the goodwill impairment charge, or both. Future declines in the overall market value of the Company's stock may also result in a conclusion that the fair value of one or more reporting units has declined below its carrying value.

The Company has four reporting units for its three segments: one reporting unit for its TL segment; one reporting unit for its LTL segment; and two reporting units for its Ascent segment, which are the Ascent reporting unit and the Warehousing & Consolidation reporting unit. The Company conducts its goodwill impairment analysis for each of its four reporting units as of July 1 of each year.

There were no changes to goodwill during the first six months of 2017. The following is a breakdown of the Company's goodwill as of December 31, 2016 and June 30, 2017 by segment (in thousands):



	TL		LTL		Ascent		Total
Goodwill	$	99,214	$	—	$	213,327	$	312,541

There were no changes to the accumulated goodwill impairment during the first six months of 2017. The following is a breakdown of the Company's accumulated goodwill impairment losses as of December 31, 2016 and June 30, 2017 by segment (in thousands):



	TL		LTL		Ascent		Total
Accumulated goodwill impairment charges	$	157,538	$	197,312	$	17,231	$	372,081

Intangible assets consist primarily of customer relationships acquired from business acquisitions. Intangible assets as of June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 were as follows (in thousands):



	June 30, 2017							December 31, 2016
	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Net Carrying Value		Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Net Carrying Value
TL	$	54,973	$	(15,878	)	$	39,095	$	54,973	$	(13,606	)	$	41,367
LTL	1,358		(1,117		)	241		1,358		(1,083		)	275
Ascent	38,427		(16,365		)	22,062		38,427		(14,520		)	23,907
Total	$	94,758	$	(33,360	)	$	61,398	$	94,758	$	(29,209	)	$	65,549

The customer relationships intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives, ranging from five to 12 years. Amortization expense was $2.0 million and $2.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Amortization expense was $4.1 million and $4.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Estimated amortization expense for each of the next five years based on intangible assets as of June 30, 2017 is as follows (in thousands):



Remainder 2017	$	4,046
2018	7,932
2019	7,629
2020	7,257
2021	7,075
Thereafter	27,459
Total	$	61,398

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the aggregate amount of goodwill and a description of intangible assets, which may include (a) for amortizable intangible assets (also referred to as finite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, the amount of any significant residual value, and the weighted-average amortization period, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization (also referred to as indefinite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, and (c) the amount of research and development assets acquired and written off in the period, including the line item in the income statement in which the amounts written off are aggregated, if not readily apparent from the income statement. Also discloses (a) for amortizable intangibles assets in total and by major class, the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization, the total amortization expense for the period, and the estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the five succeeding fiscal years, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization the carrying amount in total and by major class, and (c) for goodwill, in total and for each reportable segment, the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the period (including the aggregate amount of goodwill acquired, the aggregate amount of impairment losses recognized, and the amount of goodwill included in the gain (loss) on disposal of a reporting unit). If any part of goodwill has not been allocated to a reportable segment, discloses the unallocated amount and the reasons for not allocating. For each impairment loss recognized related to an intangible asset (excluding goodwill), discloses: (a) a description of the impaired intangible asset and the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method for determining fair value, (c) the caption in the income statement or the statement of activities in which the impairment loss is aggregated, and (d) the segment in which the impaired intangible asset is reported. For each goodwill impairment loss recognized, discloses: (a) a description of the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method of determining the fair value of the associated reporting unit, and (c) if a recognized impairment loss is an estimate not finalized and the reasons why the estimate is not final. May also disclose the nature and amount of any significant adjustments made to a previous estimate of an impairment loss.

+ References + Details