Fair Value Measurements

12 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

The Company measures certain assets and liabilities at fair value in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures. The fair value hierarchy consists of three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value as follows:

Level 1 - quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 - significant other observable market-based inputs.

Level 3 - significant unobservable inputs for which little or no market data exists and requires considerable assumptions that are significant to the fair value measurement.

Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

Cash and cash equivalents at March 31, 2021 and 2020 included investments in money market funds of $1.6 billion and $2.0 billion, respectively, which are reported at fair value. The fair value of money market funds was determined using quoted prices for identical investments in active markets, which are considered to be Level 1 inputs under the fair value measurements and disclosure guidance. The carrying value of all other cash equivalents approximates their fair value due to their relatively short-term nature. Fair values for the Company’s marketable securities were not material at March 31, 2021 and 2020.

Fair values of the Company’s interest rate swaps and foreign currency forward contracts were determined using observable inputs from available market information, including quoted interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates and other observable inputs from available market information. These inputs are considered Level 2 under the fair value measurements and disclosure guidance, and may not be representative of actual values that could have been realized or that will be realized in the future. Refer to Financial Note 16, “Hedging Activities,” for fair value and other information on the Company’s derivatives including interest rate swaps, forward foreign currency contracts and cross-currency swaps.

The Company holds investments in equity securities of U.S. growth stage companies that address both current and emerging business challenges in the healthcare industry and which had carrying values of $269 million and $170 million at March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. These investments primarily consist of equity securities without readily determinable fair values and are included in “Other non-current assets” in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. During 2021, several of the Company’s investments in equity securities without readily determinable fair values experienced transactions which resulted in changes in the observable price of those securities, while others were converted into shares of public common stock through initial public offerings and an acquisition. The Company exited most of its investments in publicly traded shares in the fourth quarter of 2021. Net gains related to the Company’s investments in these equity securities were approximately $133 million for the year ended March 31, 2021. These gains were recorded in “Other income, net” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. There were no other material changes in the carrying value of these investments during the year ended March 31, 2021. The carrying value of publicly traded investments was determined using quoted prices for identical investments in active markets and are considered to be Level 1 inputs.

Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis

In addition to assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis, the Company’s assets and liabilities are also subject to nonrecurring fair value measurements. Generally, assets are recorded at fair value on a nonrecurring basis as a result of impairment charges.

At March 31, 2021, assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis included long-lived assets of the Company’s International segment and goodwill of the Company’s Europe Retail Pharmacy reporting unit within the International segment.

At March 31, 2020, assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis included long-lived assets of the Company’s International segment. Refer to Financial Note 4, “Restructuring, Impairment, and Related Charges” and Financial Note 12, “Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Net,” for more information.

The aforementioned investments in equity securities of U.S. growth stage companies include the carrying value of investments without readily determinable fair values, which were determined using a measurement alternative and are recorded at cost less impairment, plus or minus any changes in observable price from orderly transactions of the same or similar security of the same issuer. These inputs are considered Level 2 under the fair value measurements and disclosure guidance and may not be representative of actual values that could have been realized or that will be realized in the future.

There were no liabilities measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis at March 31, 2021 and 2020.

Other Fair Value Disclosures

At March 31, 2021 and 2020, the carrying amounts of cash, certain cash equivalents, restricted cash, marketable securities, receivables, drafts and accounts payable, short-term borrowings, and other current liabilities approximated their estimated fair values because of the short maturity of these financial instruments.

The Company determines the fair value of commercial paper using quoted prices in active markets for identical instruments, which are considered Level 1 inputs under the fair value measurements and disclosure guidance.

The Company’s long-term debt is also recorded at cost. The carrying value and fair value of the Company’s long-term debt was as follows:


	March 31, 2021				March 31, 2020
(In millions)	Carrying Value		Fair Value		Carrying Value		Fair Value
Long-term debt, including current maturities	$	7,148	$	7,785	$	7,387	$	7,792

The estimated fair value of the Company’s long-term debt was determined using quoted market prices in a less active market and other observable inputs from available market information, which are considered to be Level 2 inputs, and may not be representative of actual values that could have been realized or that will be realized in the future.

Goodwill

Fair value assessments of the reporting unit and the reporting unit's net assets, which are performed for goodwill impairment tests, are considered a Level 3 measurement due to the significance of unobservable inputs developed using company-specific information. The Company considered a market approach as well as an income approach using a DCF model to determine the fair value of the reporting unit.

Refer to Financial Note 12, “Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Net,” for more information regarding goodwill impairment charges recorded for certain reporting units during 2021 and 2019.

Long-lived Assets

The Company utilizes multiple approaches including the DCF model and market approaches for estimating the fair value of intangible assets. The future cash flows used in the analysis are based on internal cash flow projections from its long-range plans and include significant assumptions by management. Accordingly, the fair value assessment of the long-lived assets is considered a Level 3 fair value measurement.

The Company measures certain long-lived and intangible assets at fair value on a nonrecurring basis when events occur that indicate an asset group may not be recoverable. If the carrying amount of an asset group is not recoverable, an impairment charge is recorded to reduce the carrying amount by the excess over its fair value. Refer to Financial Note 4, “Restructuring, Impairment, and Related Charges” under the heading “Long-Lived Assets Impairments” for more information.

- 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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