Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of the financial statements requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

AB Holding’s financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes of AB, which are included in this Form 10-K.

Investment in AB

AB Holding records its investment in AB using the equity method of accounting. AB Holding’s investment is increased to reflect its proportionate share of income of AB and decreased to reflect its proportionate share of losses of AB and cash distributions made by AB to its Unitholders. In addition, AB Holding's investment is adjusted to reflect its proportionate share of certain capital transactions of AB.

Cash Distributions

AB Holding is required to distribute all of its Available Cash Flow, as defined in the Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of AB Holding (“AB Holding Partnership Agreement”), to its Unitholders pro rata in accordance with their percentage interests in AB Holding. Available Cash Flow is defined as the cash distributions AB Holding receives from AB minus such amounts as the General Partner determines, in its sole discretion, should be retained by AB Holding for use in its business (such as the payment of taxes) or plus such amounts as the General Partner determines, in its sole discretion, should be released from previously retained cash flow.

On February 12, 2020, the General Partner declared a distribution of $0.85 per unit, representing a distribution of Available Cash Flow for the three months ended December 31, 2019. Each general partnership unit in AB Holding is entitled to receive distributions equal to those received by each AB Holding Unit. The distribution is payable on March 5, 2020 to holders of record at the close of business on February 24, 2020.

Total cash distributions per Unit paid to Unitholders during 2019, 2018 and 2017 were $2.32, $2.88 and $2.13, respectively.

Long-term Incentive Compensation Plans

AB maintains several unfunded, non-qualified long-term incentive compensation plans, under which the company grants awards of restricted AB Holding Units to its employees and members of the Board of Directors, who are not employed by AB or by any of AB’s affiliates (“Eligible Directors”).

AB funds its restricted AB Holding Unit awards either by purchasing AB Holding Units on the open market or purchasing newly-issued AB Holding Units from AB Holding, and then keeping these AB Holding Units in a consolidated rabbi trust until delivering them or retiring them. In accordance with the AB Holding Partnership Agreement, when AB purchases newly-issued AB Holding Units from AB Holding, AB Holding is required to use the proceeds it receives from AB to purchase the equivalent number of newly-issued AB Units, thus increasing its percentage ownership interest in AB. AB Holding Units held in the consolidated rabbi trust are corporate assets in the name of the trust and are available to the general creditors of AB.

During 2019 and 2018, AB purchased 6.0 million and 9.3 million AB Holding Units for $172.6 million and $268.0 million, respectively (on a trade date basis). These amounts reflect open-market purchases of 2.9 million and 6.5 million AB Holding Units for $82.7 million and $183.2 million, respectively, with the remainder relating to purchases of AB Holding Units from employees to allow them to fulfill statutory tax withholding requirements at the time of delivery of long-term incentive compensation awards.

Each quarter, AB considers whether to implement a plan to repurchase AB Holding Units pursuant to Rules 10b5-1 and 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”). A plan of this type allows a company to repurchase its shares at times when it otherwise might be prevented from doing so because of self-imposed trading blackout periods or because it possesses material non-public information. Each broker selected by AB has the authority to repurchase AB Holding Units on AB’s behalf in accordance with the terms and limitations specified in the plan. Repurchases are subject to regulations promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as well as certain price, market volume and timing constraints specified in the plan. The plan adopted during the fourth quarter of 2019 expired at the close of business on February 11, 2020. AB may adopt additional plans in the future to engage in open-market purchases of AB Holding Units to help fund anticipated obligations under its incentive compensation award program and for other corporate purposes.

During 2019, AB granted to employees and Eligible Directors 7.7 million restricted AB Holding Units (including 5.4 million granted in December for 2019 year-end awards). During 2018, AB granted to employees and Eligible Directors 8.7 million restricted AB Holding Units (including 6.2 million granted in December for 2018 year-end awards). AB used AB Holding Units repurchased during the periods and newly-issued AB Holding Units to fund theses awards.

During 2019 and 2018, AB Holding issued 0.5 million and 0.9 million AB Holding Units, respectively, upon exercise of options to buy AB Holding Units. AB Holding used the proceeds of $11.5 million and $16.6 million, respectively, received from award recipients as payment in cash for the exercise price to purchase the equivalent number of newly-issued AB Units.