Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Significant judgment is required to estimate the fair value of our goodwill reporting units and intangible assets. Accordingly, we typically obtain the assistance of third-party valuation specialists for significant goodwill reporting units and intangible assets. The fair value estimates are based on available historical information and on future expectations. We typically estimate the fair value of these assets using the income method, which is based on the present value of estimated future cash flows attributable to the respective assets. The valuations used to establish and to test goodwill and intangible assets for impairment are dependent on a number of significant estimates and assumptions, including macroeconomic conditions, overall category growth rates, competitive activities, cost containment and margin progression, Company business plans and the discount rate applied to cash flows.
Indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill are not amortized, but are tested at least annually for impairment. Our ongoing annual impairment testing for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets occurs during the 3 months
ended December 31. Assumptions used in our impairment evaluations, such as forecasted growth rates and cost of capital, are consistent with internal projections and operating plans. We believe these estimates and assumptions are reasonable and comparable to those that would be used by other marketplace participants. Unanticipated market or macroeconomic events and circumstances may occur, which could affect the accuracy or validity of the estimates and assumptions. For example, future changes in the judgments, assumptions and estimates that are used in our impairment testing for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, including discount and tax rates or future cash flow projections, could result in significantly different estimates of the fair values. In addition, changes to, or a failure to achieve business plans or deterioration of macroeconomic conditions could result in reduced cash flows or higher discount rates, leading to a lower valuation that would trigger an impairment of the goodwill and intangible assets of these businesses.
We test individual indefinite-lived intangible assets by comparing the book value of each asset to the estimated fair value. Our impairment testing for goodwill is performed separately from our impairment testing of indefinite- lived intangible assets. If the fair value of the reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible is less than its carrying value, that difference represents an impairment.
Determining the useful life of an intangible asset also requires judgment. Certain brand intangible assets are expected to have indefinite lives based on their history and our plans to continue to support and build the acquired brands. Other acquired intangible assets (e.g., certain brands, all customer relationships, patents and technologies) are expected to have determinable useful lives. Our assessment as to brands that have an indefinite life and those that have a determinable life is based on a number of factors including competitive environment, market share, brand history, underlying product life cycles, operating plans and the macroeconomic environment of the countries in which the brands are sold. Determinable-lived intangible assets are amortized to expense over their estimated lives. An impairment assessment for determinable-lived intangibles is only required when an event or change in circumstances indicates that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable.
Most of our goodwill reporting units are comprised of a combination of legacy and acquired businesses and as a result have fair value cushions that, at a minimum, exceed two times their underlying carrying values. Certain of our goodwill reporting units, in particular Shave Care and Appliances, are comprised entirely of acquired businesses and as a result have fair value cushions that are not as high as our legacy businesses. The Appliances reporting unit has a fair value that significantly exceeds the underlying carrying value.
During fiscal 2019, a non-cash before- and after-tax impairment charge of $6.8 billion was recognized to reduce the carrying amount of goodwill for the Shave Care reporting unit, and a non-cash, before-tax impairment charge
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of $1.6 billion ($1.2 billion after-tax) was recognized to reduce the carrying amount of the Gillette indefinite-lived intangible asset to its fair value. The underlying reductions in fair values were due in large part to significant currency devaluations in a number of countries relative to the U.S. dollar, a deceleration of category growth caused by changing grooming habits, primarily in the developed markets, and an increased competitive market environment in the U.S. and certain other markets. As a result of the fiscal 2019 impairment determined by the step two testing (that existed under previous accounting standards), the Shave Care fair value exceeded the carrying value by approximately 20% as of June 30, 2019. Because the impairment testing for intangible assets has historically been a one-step process, the Gillette indefinite-lived intangible asset fair value approximated its carrying value at that date.
During our annual impairment testing during the quarter ended December 31, 2019, we reduced the discount rate used in the valuation based on developments in the macroeconomic environment. As a result of this change and updates to other underlying cash flow projections, the Shave Care fair value exceeded its carrying value by more than 20% and the Gillette indefinite-lived intangible asset’s fair value exceeded its carrying value by approximately 5%.
The COVID-19 pandemic that originated during the second half of fiscal 2020 resulted in a reduction in shave incidents by consumers and a weakening of certain currencies relative to the U.S. dollar, which led to a reduction in net
sales for Gillette-branded products. This resulted in a triggering event for the Gillette indefinite-lived intangible asset, which caused us to perform an
additional impairment assessment for that asset as of June 30, 2020. That assessment indicated that the fair value of the Gillette trade name
approximated its carrying value. Accordingly, no impairment charge was recorded during the year ended June 30, 2020. Based on our annual impairment testing during the three months ended December 31, 2020, the Shave Care reporting unit’s fair value continued to exceed its carrying value by more than 20% and the Gillette indefinite-lived intangible asset’s fair value continued to approximate its carrying value.
The most significant assumptions utilized in the determination of the estimated fair values of the Shave Care reporting unit and the Gillette indefinite-lived intangible asset are the net sales and earnings growth rates (including residual growth rates) and discount rate. The residual growth rate represents the expected rate at which the reporting unit and Gillette brand are expected to grow beyond the shorter-term business planning period. The residual growth rate utilized in our fair value estimates is consistent with the reporting unit and brand operating plans and approximates expected long- term category market growth rates. The residual growth rate is dependent on overall market growth rates, the competitive environment, inflation, relative currency exchange rates and business activities that impact market share. As a result, the residual growth rate could be adversely impacted by a sustained deceleration in category growth, grooming habit changes, devaluation of currencies
against the U.S. dollar or an increased competitive environment. The discount rate, which is consistent with a weighted average cost of capital that is likely to be expected by a market participant, is based upon industry required rates of return, including consideration of both debt and equity components of the capital structure. Our discount rate may be impacted by adverse changes in the macroeconomic environment, volatility in the equity and debt markets or other country specific factors, such as further devaluation of currencies against the U.S. dollar. Spot rates as of the fair value measurement date are utilized in our fair value estimates for cash flows outside the U.S. Another key assumption in our fair value determination of the Gillette indefinite-lived intangible asset is the royalty rate, which is driven by historical and estimated future profitability of the underlying Gillette business. The royalty rate may be impacted by significant adverse changes in long-term operating margins.
While management can and has implemented strategies to address these events in the past, changes in operating plans or adverse changes in the future could reduce the underlying cash flows used to estimate fair values and could result in a decline in fair value that would trigger future impairment charges of the Shave Care reporting unit’s goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles.
The duration and severity of the pandemic could result in additional future impairment charges for the Shave Care reporting unit goodwill and the Gillette indefinite-lived intangible asset. While we have concluded that a triggering event did not occur during the quarter ended June 30, 2021, the Gillette indefinite-lived intangible asset is most susceptible to future impairment risk. Our assessment of the Gillette intangible asset assumes the net sales growth rates will begin to recover from the impact of the pandemic during the next fiscal year. There continues to be a high level of uncertainty relating to how the pandemic will evolve, how governments and consumers
will react and progress on the distribution of vaccines. Accordingly, there continues to be risk related to this key assumption. A more prolonged pandemic recovery period could impact the assumptions utilized in the determination of the estimated fair values of Shave Care reporting unit and the Gillette indefinite-lived intangible asset that are significant enough to trigger an impairment. Net sales and earnings growth rates could be negatively impacted by more prolonged reductions or changes in demand for
our shave care products, which may be caused by, among other things: the temporary inability of consumers to purchase our products due to illness, quarantine or other travel restrictions, financial hardship, changes in the use and frequency of grooming products or by shifts in demand away from one or more of our higher priced products to lower priced products. In addition, relative global and country/regional macroeconomic factors could result in additional and prolonged devaluation of other countries’ currencies relative to the U.S. dollar. Finally, the discount rate utilized in our valuation model could be impacted by changes in the underlying interest rates and risk premiums included in the determination of the cost of
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capital. As of June 30, 2021, the carrying values of the Shave Care goodwill and the Gillette indefinite-lived intangible asset were $12.8 billion and $14.1 billion, respectively.
We performed a sensitivity analysis for the Shave Care reporting unit and the Gillette indefinite-lived intangible asset during our annual impairment testing, utilizing reasonably possible changes in the assumptions for the shorter-term and residual growth rates, the discount rate, and the royalty rate to demonstrate the potential impacts to the estimated fair values. The table below provides, in isolation, the estimated fair value impacts related to a 25 basis point increase in the discount rate, a 25 basis point decrease in our shorter-term and residual growth rates, or a 50 basis point decrease in our royalty rate, any of which, in isolation, would result in an impairment of the Gillette indefinite-lived intangible asset.
Approximate Percent Change in Estimated Fair Value
+25 bps Discount Rate
-25 bps Growth Rate
-50 bps Royalty Rate
Shave Care goodwill reporting unit (6)% (6)% N/A Gillette indefinite-lived intangible asset (6)% (6)% (4)%
See Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional discussion on goodwill and intangible asset impairment testing results.
New Accounting Pronouncements
Refer to Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for recently adopted accounting pronouncements and recently issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted as of June 30, 2021.