Long-Term Debt and Commitments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2024

Long-Term Debt and Commitments [Abstract]

Long-Term Debt and Commitments

Note 15.  Long-Term Debt and Commitments

The following is a summary of long-term debt:

	December 31,
(millions of dollars)	2024		2023
Secured Credit Agreement:
Term Loan due 2031, net of unamortized deferred financing cost and original issue discount of $7.3 million and $— million	$	567.7	$	—
Previous Secured Credit Agreement:
Term Loan due 2027, net of unamortized deferred financing cost of $— million and $2.4 million		—		530.4
Senior Notes:
5.00% due 2028, net of unamortized deferred financing costs of $3.2 million and $3.9 million		396.8		396.1
Other debt		1.6		2.6
Total	$	966.1	$	929.1
Less: Current maturities		6.5		18.0
Long-term debt	$	959.6	$	911.1

On November 26, 2024, the Company, entered into a Refinancing Facility Agreement and Incremental Facility Amendment (the “Amendment”) to amend the previous credit agreement (the "Previous Credit Agreement"; the previous credit agreement, as amended by the Amendment, being the "Amended Credit Agreement").

The Amendment provides for, among other things, a new senior secured revolving credit facility with aggregate commitments of $400 million (the “Revolving Facility”), a portion of which may be used for the issuance of letters of credit and swingline loans, and a new senior secured term loan facility with aggregate commitments of $575 million (the “Term Loan Facility” and, together with the Revolving Facility, the "Senior Secured Credit Facilities"). The Revolving Facility and the Term Loan Facility replace the facilities under the Previous Credit Agreement, which provided for, among other things, a $550 million senior secured term loan facility and a $300 million senior secured revolving credit facility. The maturity date for loans and commitments under the Revolving Facility is November 26, 2029, and the maturity date for loans under the Term Loan Facility is November 26, 2031; provided that the maturity dates of the Revolving Facility and the Term Loan Facility will be adjusted to the date that is 91 days prior to the stated maturity date of the Company’s 5.0%  Senior Notes due 2028 (the “Notes”) unless, prior to the date that is 91 days prior to the stated maturity date of the Notes, all amounts in excess of $50 million of the Notes have been either (a) refinanced with indebtedness permitted under the Amended Credit Agreement maturing later than 90 days after the scheduled maturity date of the Revolving Facility or of the Term Loan Facility, as applicable, or (b) repaid, discharged or repaid (other than with the proceeds of any indebtedness maturing earlier than 91 days after the scheduled maturity date of the Revolving Facility or of the Term Loan Facility, as applicable).  Loans under the Term Loan Facility amortize at a rate equal to 1.00% per annum, payable in equal quarterly installments, and were issued with original issue discount at 99.875% of par.

Loans under the Revolving Facility will bear interest at a rate equal to (a) for loans denominated in U.S. dollars, at the election of the Company, Term SOFR plus an applicable margin equal to 1.375% per annum or a base rate plus an applicable margin equal to 0.375% per annum, (b) for loans denominated in Euros, adjusted EURIBOR plus an applicable margin equal to 1.375% per annum and (c) for loans denominated in Pounds Sterling, SONIA plus an applicable margin equal to 1.375% per annum, subject in each case to (i) an increase of 37.5 basis points in the event that, and for so long as, the Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Amended Credit Agreement) is greater than or equal to 3.00 to 1.00 as of the last day of the preceding fiscal quarter, (ii) an increase of 12.5 basis points in the event that, and for so long as, the Net Leverage Ratio is less than 3.00 to 1.00 and greater than or equal to 2.00 to 1.00 as of the last day of the preceding fiscal quarter and (iii) a decrease of 12.5 basis points in the event that, and for so long as, the Net Leverage Ratio is less than 1.00 to 1.00 as of the last day of the preceding fiscal quarter.  Loans under the Term Loan Facility will bear interest at a rate equal to, at the election of the Company, Term SOFR plus an applicable margin equal to 2.00% per annum or a base rate plus an applicable margin equal to 1.00% per annum.  The Company will pay certain fees under the Amended Credit Agreement, including (a) a commitment fee of 0.175% per annum on the undrawn portion of the Revolving Facility (subject to a step-ups to 0.300% and 0.250% and a step-down to 0.150% at the same levels described above), (b) a fronting fee of 0.125% per annum on the average daily undrawn amount of, plus unreimbursed amounts in respect of disbursements under, letters of credit issued under the Revolving Facility and (c) customary annual administration fees. The obligations of the Company under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities are unconditionally guaranteed jointly and severally by, subject to certain exceptions, all material domestic subsidiaries of the Company (the “Guarantors”) and secured, subject to certain exceptions, by a security interest in substantially all of the tangible and intangible assets of the Company and the Guarantors.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, the Company recorded $1.8 million in non-cash debt extinguishment expenses related to the refinancing of our credit facilities, which represents the difference between the redemption payment and the carrying value of the debt at the refinancing date. All lenders under the previous facility were repaid in full.

As of December 31, 2024, there were $4.5 million in loans and $9.1 million in letters of credit outstanding under the Revolving Facility.

On June 30, 2020, the Company issued $400 million aggregate principal amount of “Notes”.  The Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture, dated as of June 30, 2020, between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the “Indenture”).  The Notes bear an interest rate of 5.0% per annum payable semi-annually on January 1 and July 1 of each year, beginning on January 1, 2021.  The Notes are unconditionally guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by each of the Company’s existing and future wholly owned domestic restricted subsidiaries that is a borrower under or that guarantees the Company’s obligations under its Senior Secured Credit Facilities or that guarantees the Company’s or any of the Company’s wholly owned domestic subsidiaries’ long-term indebtedness in an aggregate amount in excess of $50 million.

The Company may redeem some or all of the Notes at any time and from time to time at the applicable redemption prices listed in the Indenture, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the applicable redemption date.

If the Company experiences a change of control (as defined in the indenture), the Company is required to offer to repurchase the Notes at 101% of the principal amount of such Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the date of repurchase.

The Amended Credit Agreement and the Indenture both contain certain customary affirmative and negative covenants that limit or restrict the ability of the Company and its restricted subsidiaries to enter into certain transactions or take certain actions, as well as customary events of default.  In addition, the Amended Credit Agreement contains a financial covenant that requires the Company to maintain a maximum Net Leverage Ratio of 4.00 to 1.00 for each four fiscal quarter period (subject to an increase to 5.00 to 1.00 for four quarters in connection with certain significant acquisitions).

The Company has a committed loan facility in Japan.  As of December 31, 2024, there was an outstanding balance of $0.9 million on this facility. Principal will be repaid in accordance with the payment schedule ending in 2026. The Company repaid $0.4 million on this loan in 2024.

As part of the Concept Pet acquisition, the Company assumed $1.9 million in long-term debt, recorded at fair value, consisting of two terms loans, one that matures in 2025 and one that matures in 2027.  Both loans have annual payments and carry a variable interest rate.  The Company repaid $0.3 million on these loans during 2024.

As of December 31, 2024, the Company had $24.3 million in uncommitted short-term bank credit lines, $0.6 million of which were in use.

There were $5.1 million and $85.4 million short-term borrowings as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The weighted average interest rates on short-term borrowings outstanding was 6.9% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

The aggregate maturities of long-term debt are as follows: $6.5 million in 2025; $6.4 million in 2026; $6.0 million in 2027, $405.8 million in 2028; $5.7 million in 2029 and $546.3 million thereafter.

During 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively, the Company incurred interest costs of $63.2 million, $64.1 million and $48.6 million, including $1.0 million, $1.0 million and $1.3 million, respectively, which were capitalized.  Interest paid approximated the incurred interest cost.