Fair Value of Financial Instruments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

GAAP establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation methods used to measure fair value. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:


Fair Value Hierarchy	Description of Fair Value Level	Fair Value Technique Utilized
Level 1	Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities	Investments - equity securities - The fair values of these trading securities are recorded at fair value based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities. Investments - mutual funds and other - The fair values of these investments, comprised of money market and mutual funds, are recorded at fair value based on quoted net asset values of the shares.
Level 2	Quoted prices in markets that are not active, or inputs which are observable, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability	Derivative assets and liabilities - The fair value of the propane put/call options, propane and interest rate swap agreements are measured using market transactions for similar assets and liabilities in either the listed or over-the-counter markets.
Level 3	Prices or valuation techniques requiring inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable (i.e., supported by little or no market activity)	Investments - guaranteed income fund - The fair values of these investments are recorded at the contract value, which approximates their fair value.

Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value

The following tables summarize our financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and the fair value measurements, by level, within the fair value hierarchy as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively:


			Fair Value Measurements Using:
As of December 31, 2023	Fair Value		Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
(in thousands)
Assets:
Investments—equity securities	$	21	$	21	$	—	$	—
Investments—guaranteed income fund	1,489		—		—		1,489
Investments—mutual funds and other	10,772		10,772		—		—
Total investments	12,282		10,793		—		1,489
Derivative assets	1,067		—		1,067		—
Total assets	$	13,349	$	10,793	$	1,067	$	1,489
Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	$	1,281	$	—	$	1,281	$	—


			Fair Value Measurements Using:
As of December 31, 2022	Fair Value		Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
(in thousands)
Assets:
Investments—equity securities	$	24	$	24	$	—	$	—
Investments—guaranteed income fund	1,853		—		—		1,853
Investments—mutual funds and other	8,699		8,699		—		—
Total investments	10,576		8,723		—		1,853
Derivative assets	3,769		—		3,769		—
Total assets	$	14,345	$	8,723	$	3,769	$	1,853
Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	$	2,215	$	—	$	2,215	$	—

The changes in the fair value of our Level 3 investments for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were immaterial. Investment income from our Level 3 investments is reflected in other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of income.

At December 31, 2023 and 2022, there were no non-financial assets or liabilities required to be reported at fair value. We review our non-financial assets for impairment at least on an annual basis, as required.

Other Financial Assets and Liabilities

Financial assets with carrying values approximating fair value include cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable. Financial liabilities with carrying values approximating fair value include accounts payable, other accrued liabilities and short-term debt. The fair value of cash and cash equivalents is measured using the comparable value in the active market (Level 1 measurement). The fair value of short-term debt approximates the carrying value due to its near-term maturities and because interest rates approximate current market rates (Level 2 measurement).

At December 31, 2023, long-term debt, which includes the current maturities but excludes debt issuance cost, had a carrying value of $1.2 billion, compared to the estimated fair value of $1.2 billion. At December 31, 2022, long-term debt, which includes the current maturities and excludes debt issuance costs, had a carrying value of $600.8 million, compared to a fair value of $505.0 million. The fair value was calculated using a discounted cash flow methodology that incorporates a market interest rate based on published corporate borrowing rates for debt instruments with similar terms and average maturities, and with adjustments for duration, optionality, and risk profile. The valuation technique used to estimate the fair value of long-term debt would be considered a Level 2 measurement.

See Note 16, Employee Benefit Plans, for fair value measurement information related to our pension plan assets.

- 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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