Fair Value

9 Months Ended

Apr. 25, 2020

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. When determining the fair value measurements for assets and liabilities required or permitted to be either recorded or disclosed at fair value, we consider the principal or most advantageous market in which we would transact, and we also consider assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability.


(a)	Fair Value Hierarchy

The accounting guidance for fair value measurement requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The standard establishes a fair value hierarchy based on the level of independent, objective evidence surrounding the inputs used to measure fair value. A financial instrument’s categorization within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The fair value hierarchy is as follows:

Level 1 applies to assets or liabilities for which there are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 applies to assets or liabilities for which there are inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets with insufficient volume or infrequent transactions (less active markets); or model-derived valuations in which significant inputs are observable or can be derived principally from, or corroborated by, observable market data.

Level 3 applies to assets or liabilities for which there are unobservable inputs to the valuation methodology that are significant to the measurement of the fair value of the assets or liabilities.


(b)	Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis were as follows (in millions):



	APRIL 25, 2020 FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS						JULY 27, 2019 FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
	Level 1		Level 2		Total Balance		Level 1		Level 2		Total Balance
Assets:
Cash equivalents:
Money market funds	$	8,829	$	—	$	8,829	$	10,083	$	—	$	10,083
Commercial paper	—		189		189		—		—		—
Certificates of deposit	—		20		20		—		—		—
Available-for-sale debt investments:
U.S. government securities	—		2,610		2,610		—		808		808
U.S. government agency securities	—		54		54		—		169		169
Corporate debt securities	—		12,377		12,377		—		19,262		19,262
U.S. agency mortgage-backed securities	—		1,667		1,667		—		1,421		1,421
Commercial paper	—		1,272		1,272		—		—		—
Certificates of deposit	—		228		228		—		—		—
Equity investments:
Marketable equity securities	—		—		—		3		—		3
Derivative assets	—		200		200		—		89		89
Total	$	8,829	$	18,617	$	27,446	$	10,086	$	21,749	$	31,835
Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	$	—	$	22	$	22	$	—	$	15	$	15
Total	$	—	$	22	$	22	$	—	$	15	$	15

Level 1 marketable equity securities are determined by using quoted prices in active markets for identical assets. Level 2 available-for-sale debt investments are priced using quoted market prices for similar instruments or nonbinding market prices that are corroborated by observable market data. We use inputs such as actual trade data, benchmark yields, broker/dealer quotes, and other similar data, which are obtained from quoted market prices, independent pricing vendors, or other sources, to determine the ultimate fair value of these assets and liabilities. We use such pricing data as the primary input to make our assessments and determinations as to the ultimate valuation of our investment portfolio and have not made, during the periods presented, any material adjustments to such inputs. We are ultimately responsible for the financial statements and underlying estimates. Our derivative instruments are primarily classified as Level 2, as they are not actively traded and are valued using pricing models that use observable market inputs. We did not have any transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measurements during the periods presented.


(c)	Assets Measured at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis

The carrying value of our non-marketable equity securities recorded to fair value on a non-recurring basis is adjusted for observable transactions for identical or similar investments of the same issuer or impairment. These securities are classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy because we estimate the value based on valuation methods using the observable transaction price at the transaction date and other unobservable inputs such as volatility, rights, and obligations of the securities we hold.

The fair value for purchased intangible assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis was categorized as Level 3 due to the use of significant unobservable inputs in the valuation. Significant unobservable inputs that were used included expected revenues and net income related to the assets and the expected life of the assets. The difference between the estimated fair value and the carrying value of the assets was recorded as an impairment charge, which was included in product cost of sales and operating

expenses as applicable. See Note 5. The remaining carrying value of the specific purchased intangible assets that were impaired was zero as of April 25, 2020.

(d) Other Fair Value Disclosures

The fair value of short-term loan receivables and financed service contracts approximates their carrying value due to their short duration. The aggregate carrying value of long-term loan receivables and financed service contracts as of April 25, 2020 and July 27, 2019 was $3.6 billion and $3.7 billion, respectively. The estimated fair value of long-term loan receivables and financed service contracts approximates their carrying value. We use significant unobservable inputs in determining discounted cash flows to estimate the fair value of our long-term loan receivables and financed service contracts, and therefore they are categorized as Level 3.

As of April 25, 2020, the estimated fair value of our short-term debt approximates its carrying value due to the short maturities. As of April 25, 2020, the fair value of our senior notes and other long-term debt was $18.5 billion with a carrying amount of $16.1 billion. This compares to a fair value of $22.1 billion and a carrying amount of $20.5 billion as of July 27, 2019. The fair value of the senior notes and other long-term debt was determined based on observable market prices in a less active market and was categorized as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.

- 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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