Fair Value Measurements

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2019

We report certain assets and liabilities at fair value, which is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (exit price). We record cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable at carrying value, which substantially approximates fair value due to the short-term nature of these assets and liabilities. For other financial assets and liabilities, we primarily use quoted market prices and other observable market pricing information to minimize the use of unobservable pricing inputs in our measurements when determining fair value. The methods used to determine fair value for our assets and liabilities are fully described in Note 2 to the financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. During the nine months ended June 30, 2019, there were no changes in these methods.

Fair value measurements also apply to the valuation of our pension and postretirement plan assets. Current accounting guidance requires employers to annually disclose information about fair value measurements of the assets of a defined benefit pension or other postretirement plan. The fair value of these assets is presented in Note 7 to the financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

Quantitative Disclosures

Financial Instruments

The classification of our fair value measurements requires judgment regarding the degree to which market data is observable or corroborated by observable market data. Authoritative accounting literature establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value based on observable and unobservable data. The hierarchy categorizes the inputs into three levels, with the highest priority given to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities (Level 1), with the lowest priority given to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The following tables summarize, by level within the fair value hierarchy, our assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of June 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018. Assets and liabilities are categorized in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.



	Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)⁽¹⁾		Significant Other Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)		Netting and Cash Collateral		June 30, 2019
	(In thousands)
Assets:
Financial instruments	$	—	$	2,557	$	—	$	—	$	2,557
Debt and equity securities
Registered investment companies	43,798		—		—		—		43,798
Bond mutual funds	25,778		—		—		—		25,778
Bonds⁽²⁾	—		31,097		—		—		31,097
Money market funds	—		1,369		—		—		1,369
Total debt and equity securities	69,576		32,466		—		—		102,042
Total assets	$	69,576	$	35,023	$	—	$	—	$	104,599
Liabilities:
Financial instruments	$	—	$	3,871	$	—	$	—	$	3,871



	Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)⁽¹⁾		Significant Other Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)		Netting and Cash Collateral		September 30, 2018
	(In thousands)
Assets:
Financial instruments	$	—	$	1,619	$	—	$	—	$	1,619
Debt and equity securities
Registered investment companies	42,644		—		—		—		42,644
Bond mutual funds	21,507		—		—		—		21,507
Bonds⁽²⁾	—		31,400		—		—		31,400
Money market funds	—		3,834		—		—		3,834
Total debt and equity securities	64,151		35,234		—		—		99,385
Total assets	$	64,151	$	36,853	$	—	$	—	$	101,004
Liabilities:
Financial instruments	$	—	$	56,837	$	—	$	—	$	56,837

(1)

Our Level 2 measurements consist of over-the-counter options and swaps, which are valued using a market-based approach in which observable market prices are adjusted for criteria specific to each instrument, such as the strike price, notional amount or basis differences, municipal and corporate bonds, which are valued based on the most recent available quoted market prices and money market funds that are valued at cost.


(2)	Our investments in bonds are considered available-for-sale debt securities in accordance with current accounting guidance as described in Note 2.

Debt and equity securities are comprised of our available-for-sale debt securities and our equity securities. We regularly evaluate the performance of our available-for-sale debt securities on an investment by investment basis for impairment, taking into consideration the investment’s purpose, volatility and current returns. If a determination is made that a decline in fair value is other than temporary, the related investment is written down to its estimated fair value and the other-than-temporary impairment is recognized in the statement of comprehensive income. At June 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, our available-for-sale debt securities amortized cost was $31.0 million and $31.5 million. At June 30, 2019, we maintained investments in bonds that have contractual maturity dates ranging from July 2019 through February 2022.

Other Fair Value Measures

Our debt is recorded at carrying value. The fair value of our debt is determined using third party market value quotations, which are considered Level 1 fair value measurements for debt instruments with a recent, observable trade or Level 2 fair value measurements for debt instruments where fair value is determined using the most recent available quoted market price. The following table presents the carrying value and fair value of our debt as of June 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018:



	June 30, 2019		September 30, 2018
	(In thousands)
Carrying Amount	$	3,685,000	$	3,085,000
Fair Value	$	4,144,253	$	3,161,679

- 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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