DONALDSON Co INC (DCI) FY 2022 MD&A

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) provides a comparison of the Company’s results of operations, as well as liquidity and capital resources for the years ended July 31, 2022 and 2021. A discussion of changes in the Company’s results of operations and liquidity and capital resources for the year ended July 31, 2021 from July 31, 2020 can be found in Part II, “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2021 (the “2021 Annual Report”), which was filed with the SEC on September 24, 2021.

The MD&A should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes included in Item 8 of this Annual Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report, particularly Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and in the Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

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Throughout this MD&A, the Company refers to measures used by management to evaluate performance, including a number of financial measures that are not defined under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in the U.S. Excluding foreign currency translation from net sales and net earnings (i.e. constant currency) are not measures of financial performance under GAAP; however, the Company believes they are useful in understanding its financial results and provide comparable measures for understanding the operating results of the Company between different fiscal periods. Reconciliations within this MD&A provide more details on the use and derivation of these measures.

Overview

Founded in 1915, Donaldson Company, Inc. is a global leader in technology-led filtration products and solutions, serving a broad range of industries and advanced markets. Donaldson’s diverse, skilled employees at over 140 locations, 74 of which are manufacturing and distribution centers, on six continents partner with customers — from small business owners to the world’s biggest OEM brands — to solve complex filtration challenges. Customers choose Donaldson’s filtration solutions due to their stringent performance requirements, natural replacement change cycles and need for reliability.

The Company’s operating segments are Engine Products and Industrial Products. The Engine segment is organized based on a combination of customers and products and consists of the Off-Road, On-Road, Aftermarket and Aerospace and Defense business units. Within these business units, Engine products consist of replacement filters for both air and liquid filtration applications as well as exhaust and emissions. Applications include air filtration systems, fuel and lube systems, hydraulic applications and exhaust and emissions systems and sensors, indicators and monitoring systems. Engine sells to OEMs in the construction, mining, agriculture, transportation, aerospace and defense end markets and to independent distributors, OEM dealer networks, private label accounts and large fleets.

The Industrial segment is organized based on product type and consists of the IFS, GTS and Special Applications business units. Within the IFS business unit, products consist of dust, fume and mist collectors, compressed air purification systems, gas and liquid filtration for food, beverage and industrial processes. The GTS business unit products consist of air filtration systems for gas turbines. Special applications products include PTFE membrane-based products as well as specialized air and gas filtration systems for applications including hard disk drives and semi-conductor manufacturing and sensors, indicators and monitoring systems. Industrial sells to various dealers, distributors, OEMs and end users.

The Company’s results of operations are affected by conditions in the global economic and geopolitical environment. Under most economic conditions, the Company’s market diversification between its diesel engine end markets, its global end markets, its diversification through technology and its OEM and replacement parts customers has helped to limit the impact of weakness in any one product line, market or geography on the consolidated operating results of the Company.

Operating Environment

Russia and Ukraine

Following the Russia and Ukraine conflict, the Company complied with all sanctions, including those from the European Union, Great Britain and the U.S. and ceased direct product shipments into Russia and Belarus. In fiscal years 2022, 2021 and 2020, total revenues associated with customers in these areas were less than 2% of the Company’s net sales in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, the Company recorded a related charge of $3.4 million which was included in corporate and unallocated. The Company recorded $2.4 million in operating expenses, primarily related to accounts receivables, and recorded $1.0 million in cost of sales related to inventory in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings.

Supply Chain Disruptions

The Company continues to experience supply chain disruptions, including global logistics and labor challenges and constrained supplies of steel, petrochemical products and filter media. These disruptions have increased the Company’s input costs significantly and extended lead times. The Company has undertaken steps to mitigate these negative impacts, such as increasing prices, carrying a higher level of inventories, evaluating alternative supply chain options, qualifying additional suppliers and making strategic raw material purchases. This dynamic impacted results throughout fiscal 2022 and is expected to continue into fiscal 2023.

Inflation

In connection with the supply chain disruptions described above, the Company has experienced the effects of inflation related to raw materials and other expenses, including freight, labor and energy. These inflationary pressures have had an adverse impact on profit margins. The Company continues to negotiate price increases with its customers and is working with its suppliers to mitigate these cost increases. Inflation impacted results throughout fiscal 2022 and is expected to continue into fiscal 2023.

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Consolidated Results of Operations

Operating Results

Operating results were as follows (in millions, except per share amounts):

Geographic Net Sales by Origination

Net sales, generally disaggregated by location where the customer’s order was received, were as follows (in millions):

Impact of Foreign Currency Translation on Net Sales

Net sales were impacted by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. The impact was as follows (in millions):

(1)The impact of foreign currency translation was calculated by translating current fiscal year foreign currency net sales into U.S. dollars using the average foreign currency exchange rates for the prior fiscal year.

Net Sales

Net sales for the year ended July 31, 2022 increased $452.7 million, or 15.9% from fiscal 2021, reflecting higher sales in the Engine Products segment of $345.0 million, or 17.6%, and the Industrial Products segment of $107.7 million, or 12.0%. Foreign currency translation decreased net sales by $87.1 million compared to the prior fiscal year, reflecting decreases in the Engine Products and Industrial Products segments of $55.1 million and $32.0 million, respectively. In fiscal 2022, the Company’s net sales increased from strong, broad-based end-market demand and higher pricing.

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Cost of Sales and Gross Margin

Cost of sales for the year ended July 31, 2022 was $2,239.2 million, compared with $1,882.2 million for the year ended July 31, 2021, an increase of $357.0 million, or 19.0%. Gross margin as a percentage of net sales for the year ended July 31, 2022 was 32.3% compared with 34.0% for the year ended July 31, 2021, a decrease of 1.7%. The gross margin as a percentage of net sales decrease was driven by supply chain disruptions which increased input costs, higher raw material, freight, energy and labor costs as well as an inventory charge of $1.0 million related to the Russia and Ukraine conflict in the current fiscal year, partially offset by pricing. Prior fiscal year gross margin was negatively impacted by restructuring charges of $5.8 million.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses for the year ended July 31, 2022 were $554.8 million, or 16.8% of net sales, compared with $519.2 million, or 18.2% of net sales, for the year ended July 31, 2021, an increase of $35.6 million, or 6.9%. The 140 basis point decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales reflects greater leverage from higher sales, partially offset by a charge of $2.4 million related to the Russia and Ukraine conflict in the current fiscal year. In addition, prior fiscal year selling, general and administrative expenses included restructuring charges of $9.0 million.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses for the year ended July 31, 2022 were $69.1 million, or 2.1% of net sales, compared with $67.8 million, or 2.4% of net sales, for the year ended July 31, 2021, an increase of $1.3 million, or 2.0%. Research and development expenses as a percentage of net sales reflects the Company’s continued investment in technology.

Non-Operating Items

Interest expense for the year ended July 31, 2022 was $14.9 million, compared with $13.0 million, for the year ended July 31, 2021, an increase of $1.9 million, or 13.9%. The increase reflected a higher debt level.

Other income, net for the year ended July 31, 2022 was $9.8 million, compared with $9.3 million, for the year ended July 31, 2021, an increase of $0.5 million, or 5.0%.

Income Taxes

The effective tax rates were 24.1% and 24.7% for the years ended July 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The lower effective tax rate was primarily due to an overall increase in discrete tax benefits.

Net Earnings

Net earnings for the year ended July 31, 2022 were $332.8 million, compared with $286.9 million for the year ended July 31, 2021, an increase of $45.9 million, or 16.0%. Diluted EPS were $2.66 for the year ended July 31, 2022, compared with $2.24 for the year ended July 31, 2021.

Net earnings were impacted by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. The impact of these fluctuations on net earnings was as follows (in millions):

(1)The impact of foreign currency translation was calculated by translating current fiscal year foreign currency net earnings into U.S. dollars using the average foreign currency exchange rates for the prior fiscal year.

Restructuring

In the second quarter of fiscal 2021, the Company initiated activities to further improve its operating and manufacturing cost structure, primarily in EMEA. These activities resulted in restructuring expenses, primarily related to severance, of $14.8 million. Charges of $5.8 million were included in cost of sales and $9.0 million were included in operating expenses in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings for the year ended July 31, 2021. The Company expects approximately $8 million in annualized savings from these restructuring activities, and the initiative is now substantially completed.

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Segment Results of Operations

Net sales and earnings before income taxes were as follows (in millions):

(1)Corporate and unallocated includes corporate expenses determined to be non-allocable to the segments, such as interest expense, restructuring charges and certain incentive compensation. In fiscal 2022, corporate and unallocated also included a charge of $3.4 million related to the Russia and Ukraine conflict.

Engine Products Segment

Net sales were as follows (in millions):

Net sales for the Engine Products segment for the year ended July 31, 2022 were $2,302.7 million, compared with $1,957.7 million for the year ended July 31, 2021, an increase of $345.0 million, or 17.6%. Excluding a $55.1 million decrease from foreign currency translation, net sales increased 20.4%.

Net sales of Aftermarket increased $245.7 million, which reflected broad growth across all regions driven by pricing and continued high end-market demand. Net sales of Off-Road increased $77.7 million primarily due to increased pricing, equipment production levels remaining high in most regions, with the exception of mainland China, and strong sales for Exhaust and Emissions in EMEA. Aerospace and Defense increased by $24.3 million as stronger economic conditions in the commercial aerospace industry and market share gains drove results.

Earnings before income taxes for the Engine Products segment for the year ended July 31, 2022 were $329.2 million, or 14.3% of Engine Products’ net sales, a decrease from 14.8% of net sales for the year ended July 31, 2021. The decrease was driven by supply chain disruptions which increased input costs, higher raw material, freight, energy and labor costs, partially offset by pricing. Prior fiscal year earnings were negatively impacted by restructuring charges of $2.5 million.

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Industrial Products Segment

Net sales were as follows (in millions):

Net sales for the Industrial Products segment for the year ended July 31, 2022 were $1,003.9 million, compared with $896.2 million for the year ended July 31, 2021, an increase of $107.7 million, or 12.0%. Excluding a $32.0 million decrease from foreign currency translation, net sales increased 15.6%.

Net sales of IFS increased $89.3 million primarily in the U.S. reflecting improved end market conditions in Industrial Air Filtration (IAF) for both first-fit and replacement parts of dust collection products. EMEA had continued strength in IAF and Process Filtration within the food and beverage market. IFS includes net sales related to acquisitions in fiscal 2022 of Solaris and PAIS which were immaterial for the fiscal year. All business units in IFS benefited from increased pricing. GTS increased by $14.0 million due to pricing and project timing.

Earnings before income taxes for the Industrial Products segment for the year ended July 31, 2022 were $162.5 million, or 16.2% of Industrial Products’ net sales, an increase from 14.9% of net sales for the year ended July 31, 2021. The increase was driven by higher sales leveraging operating expenses and pricing, partially offset by supply chain disruptions which increased input costs and increased raw material, freight, labor and energy costs. Prior fiscal year earnings were negatively impacted by restructuring charges of $6.5 million.

Liquidity, Capital Resources, Capital Requirements and Financial Condition

Liquidity

Liquidity is assessed in terms of the Company’s ability to generate cash to fund its operating, investing and financing activities. Significant factors affecting liquidity are cash flows generated from operating activities, capital expenditures, acquisitions, dividends, repurchases of outstanding shares, adequacy of available credit facilities and the ability to attract long-term capital with satisfactory terms. The Company generates substantial cash from the operation of its businesses as its primary source of liquidity, with sufficient liquidity available to fund growth through reinvestment in existing businesses and strategic acquisitions.

Cash Flow Summary

Cash flows were as follows (in millions):

Operating Activities

Cash provided by operating activities for the year ended July 31, 2022 was $252.8 million, compared with $401.9 million for the year ended July 31, 2021, a decrease of $149.1 million. The decrease in cash provided by operating activities was primarily driven by an increase in inventory as the Company continues to experience strengthening demand while mitigating supply chain disruptions, higher incentive compensation paid as well as increased accounts payable driven by higher business activity, partially offset by higher earnings.

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Investing Activities

Cash used in investing activities for the year ended July 31, 2022 was $154.0 million, compared with $58.3 million for the year ended July 31, 2021, an increase of $95.7 million. In fiscal 2022, the Company acquired Solaris, Purilogics and PAIS for cash consideration of $68.9 million, net of cash acquired, and invested a higher level of capital investment in various projects, including capacity expansion, cost reduction initiatives and tooling for new programs.

Financing Activities

Cash used in financing activities generally relates to the use of cash for payment of dividends and repurchases of the Company’s common stock, net of borrowing activity and proceeds from the exercise of stock options. Cash used in financing activities for the year ended July 31, 2022 was $114.2 million, compared with $363.3 million for the year ended July 31, 2021, a decrease of $249.1 million. The decrease was driven primarily by proceeds from the issuance of new debt.

To determine the level of dividend and share repurchases, the Company considers recent and projected performance across key financial metrics, including earnings, cash flow from operations and total debt. Dividends paid for the years ended July 31, 2022 and 2021 were $110.1 million and $107.2 million, respectively. Share repurchases for the years ended July 31, 2022 and 2021 were $170.6 million and $142.2 million, respectively.

Capital Resources

Additional sources of liquidity are existing cash and available credit facilities. Cash and cash equivalents as of July 31, 2022 was $193.3 million, compared with $222.8 million as of July 31, 2021. A significant portion of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents are held by subsidiaries throughout the world as over half of the Company’s earnings occur outside the U.S. Additionally, the Company has capacity of $615.0 million available for further borrowing under existing credit facilities as of July 31, 2022.

Short-term borrowing capacity as of July 31, 2022 was as follows (in millions):

Other non-borrowing reductions include financial instruments such as bank guarantees and foreign exchange instruments.

Long-term borrowing capacity is maintained through a $500.0 million revolving credit facility. Borrowings against the credit facility are reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Borrowing capacity as of July 31, 2022 was as follows (in millions):

Certain debt agreements contain financial covenants related to interest coverage and leverage ratios, as well as other non-financial covenants. As of July 31, 2022, the Company was in compliance with all such covenants.

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Capital Requirements

The Company’s cash requirements within the next 12 months include short-term borrowings, accounts payable, accrued expenses, income taxes payable, dividends payable, purchase commitments and other current liabilities. Additionally, in fiscal 2023, the Company expects its cash paid for capital expenditures to be between $115 million and $135 million, primarily associated with capacity expansion, new products and technologies as well as infrastructure investments.

The Company’s cash requirements greater than 12 months from various contractual obligations and commitments primarily include:

•debt obligations and interest payments - see Note 7. Short-Term Borrowings and Long-Term Debt in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8 of Part II in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further detail of the Company’s debt and the timing of expected future principal and interest payments; and

•operating leases - see Note 9. Leases in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8 of Part II in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further detail of our lease obligations and the timing of expected future payments.

The Company believes the liquidity available from the combination of expected cash generated by operating activities, existing cash and available credit under existing credit facilities will be sufficient to meet its cash requirements for the next 12 months and beyond, including working capital needs, debt service obligations, capital expenditures, payment of anticipated dividends, share repurchase activity and potential acquisitions.

Financial Condition

The Company’s total capitalization components and debt-to-capitalization ratio were as follows (in millions):

As of July 31, 2022, total debt, including short-term borrowings and long-term debt, represented 36.4% of total capitalization, defined as total debt plus total stockholders’ equity, compared with 30.9% as of July 31, 2021.

Long-term debt outstanding as of July 31, 2022 was $644.3 million compared with $461.0 million as of July 31, 2021, an increase of $183.3 million. In fiscal 2022, the Company received proceeds of $150.0 million of unsecured senior notes for which it had entered into an agreement in fiscal 2021, and had additional borrowings on its revolving credit facilities.

Working Capital

In order to help measure and analyze the impact of working capital management, the Company calculates days sales outstanding as the average accounts receivable, net for the quarter, divided by net sales for the quarter multiplied by the number of days in the quarter. The Company calculates days inventory outstanding as the average inventories, net for the quarter, divided by cost of sales for the quarter multiplied by the number of days in the quarter, and calculates inventory turns as the cost of sales for the quarter, annualized by the ratio of the number of days in the year to the number of days in the quarter, divided by the average inventories, net for the quarter. The Company calculates days payable outstanding as the average accounts payable for the quarter, divided by cost of sales for the quarter multiplied by the number of days in the quarter.

Accounts receivable, net as of July 31, 2022 was $616.6 million, compared with $552.7 million as of July 31, 2021, an increase of $63.9 million. Days sales outstanding were 62 days as of July 31, 2022, a decrease from 65 days as of July 31, 2021.

Inventories, net as of July 31, 2022 was $502.4 million, compared with $384.5 million as of July 31, 2021, an increase of $117.9 million. Days inventory outstanding were 78 days as of July 31, 2022, an increase from 68 days as of July 31, 2021. Inventory turns were 4.7 times and 5.4 times per year as of July 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Accounts payable as of July 31, 2022 was $338.5 million, compared with $293.9 million as of July 31, 2021, an increase of $44.6 million. Days payable outstanding were 52 days as of July 31, 2022, an increase from 51 days as of July 31, 2021.

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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

Joint Venture Guarantee

The Company has an unconsolidated joint venture, Advanced Filtration Systems Inc. (AFSI), established by the Company and Caterpillar Inc. (Caterpillar) in 1986. AFSI designs and manufactures high-efficiency fluid filters used in Caterpillar’s machinery worldwide. The Company and Caterpillar equally own the shares of AFSI, and both companies guarantee certain debt and banking services, including credit and debit cards, merchant processing and treasury management services, of the joint venture. The Company accounts for AFSI as an equity method investment.

The outstanding debt relating to AFSI, which the Company guarantees half, was $68.8 million and $37.8 million as of July 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. AFSI has $63.0 million in revolving credit facilities which expire in 2024 and $17.0 million in an additional multi-currency revolving credit facility which terminates upon notification of either party. The Company does not believe this guarantee will have a current or future effect on its financial condition, results of operations, liquidity or capital resources.

Critical Accounting Estimates

The Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in conformity with GAAP. Our significant accounting policies are disclosed in Note 1 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report. The preparation of these Consolidated Financial Statements requires the use of estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the Consolidated Financial Statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the periods presented. Management bases estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about recorded amounts. The Company believes its use of estimates and underlying accounting assumptions adheres to GAAP and are reasonable and consistently applied. The Company’s Critical Accounting Estimates are those which require more significant assumptions and judgments used in the preparation of its Consolidated Financial Statements and are the most important to aid in fully understanding its financial results. The Company’s Critical Accounting Estimates are as follows:

Revenue Recognition - Variable Consideration

Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for the fulfillment of performance obligations. The transaction price of a contract could be reduced by variable consideration including volume, purchase rebates and discounts, product refunds and returns. At the time of sale to a customer, the Company records an estimate of variable consideration as a reduction from gross sales. The Company primarily relies on historical experience and anticipated future performance to estimate the variable consideration. Revenue is recognized to the extent it is probable a significant reversal of revenue will not occur when the contingency is resolved.

For volume, purchase rebates and discounts, management estimates are based on the terms of the arrangements with customers, historical payment experience, field inventory levels, volume in quantity or mix of purchases of product during a specified time period and expectations for changes in relevant trends in the future. Actual results may differ from estimates if competitive factors create the need to enhance or reduce sales promotion and incentive accruals or if customer usage and field inventory levels vary from historical trends. Adjustments to sales promotions and incentive accruals are made as actual usage becomes known in order to properly estimate the amounts necessary to generate consumer demand based on market conditions as of the balance sheet date.

For product refunds and returns, estimates are based primarily on the expected number of products sold, the trend in the historical ratio of returns to sales and the historical length of time between the sale and resulting return. Actual refunds and returns could be higher or lower than amounts estimated due to such factors as performance of new products or significant manufacturing or design defects not discovered until after the product is delivered to customers.

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net assets acquired in business combinations under the purchase method of accounting. Goodwill is assessed for impairment annually or if an event occurs or circumstances change that would indicate the carrying amount may be impaired. The Company performed its annual impairment assessment during the third quarter of fiscal 2022. The goodwill impairment assessment is conducted at a reporting unit level, which is one level below the operating segment level, and utilizes either a qualitative or quantitative assessment. The Company determined the fair value for all its reporting units was substantially in excess of their respective carrying values and there were no indicators of impairment for any of the reporting units evaluated. An impairment loss would be recognized when the carrying amount of a reporting unit’s net assets exceeds the estimated fair value of the reporting unit.

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The optional qualitative assessment evaluates general economic, industry and entity-specific factors that could impact the reporting units’ fair values. For reporting units evaluated using a qualitative assessment, if it is determined the fair value more likely than not exceeds the carrying value, no further assessment is necessary. The Company has elected this option for certain reporting units. For reporting units evaluated using a quantitative assessment, the fair values are determined using an income approach, a market approach or a weighting of the two. The income approach determines fair value based on discounted cash flow models derived from the reporting units’ long-term forecasts. The market approach determines fair value based on earnings multiples derived from prices investors paid for the stocks of comparable publicly traded companies. Estimates and assumptions are utilized in the valuations, including discounted projected cash flows, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization margins, terminal value growth rates, revenue growth rates, discount rates and the determination of comparable, publicly traded companies. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value and goodwill impairment.

Income Taxes

Management is required to estimate income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which the Company operates. This process involves estimating current tax exposure and assessing future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amount of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. These deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the fiscal years in which those temporary differences are anticipated to reverse based on future taxable income projections and the impact of tax planning strategies. The Company intends to indefinitely reinvest undistributed earnings for certain of its non-U.S. subsidiaries and thus has not provided for income taxes on these earnings.

Additionally, benefits of tax return positions are recognized in the Consolidated Financial Statements when the position is more likely than not to be sustained by the taxing authorities based solely on the technical merits of the position. If the recognition threshold is met, the tax benefit is measured and recognized as the largest amount of tax benefit that in the Company’s judgment is greater than 50% likely to be realized. The Company maintains a reserve for uncertain tax benefits that are currently unresolved and routinely monitors the potential impact of such situations. The liability for unrecognized tax benefits, accrued interest and penalties was $16.3 million and $20.3 million as of July 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The Company believes it is remote that any adjustment necessary to the reserve for income taxes for the next 12 months will be material. However, it is possible the ultimate resolution of audits or disputes may result in a material change to the Company’s reserve for income taxes, although the quantification of such potential adjustments cannot be made at this time.

Defined Benefit Pension Plans

The Company incurs expenses for employee benefits provided through defined benefit pension plans. In accounting for these defined benefit pension plans, management must make a variety of estimates and assumptions including discount rates and expected return on plan assets. The Company considers current and historical data and uses a third-party specialist to assist management in determining these estimates.

Discount Rates

The Company’s objective in selecting a discount rate is to select the best estimate of the rate at which the benefit obligations could be effectively settled on the measurement date, taking into account the nature and duration of the benefit obligations of the plan. In making this best estimate, the Company looks at the rates of return on high-quality fixed-income investments currently available and expected to be available, during the period to maturity of the benefits. This process includes assessing the universe of bonds available on the measurement date with a quality rating of Aa or better. Similar appropriate benchmarks are used to determine the discount rate for the non-U.S. plans. The Company utilized a 4.62% and 2.55% weighted average discount rate for its U.S. plans for the years ended July 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The Company used a 3.26% and 1.55% weighted average discount rate for its non-U.S. plans for the years ended July 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Expected Long-Term Rate of Return on Plan Assets

The Company considers historical returns and future expected returns for each asset class, as well as the target asset allocation to develop the assumption for each of its U.S. pension plans. The assumption for non-U.S. pension plans reflects the investment allocation and expected total portfolio returns specific to each plan and country.

The Company utilized a 5.41% and 5.33% asset-based weighted average expected return on plan assets for its U.S. plans for the years ended July 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The Company utilized a 3.40% and 3.13% asset-based weighted average expected return on plan assets for its non-U.S. plans for the years ended July 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The expected returns on plan assets are used to develop the following fiscal years’ expense for the plans.

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Alternative Assumptions

If the Company were to use alternative assumptions for its pension plans as of July 31, 2022, a one percentage point change in the assumptions would impact fiscal 2022 net periodic benefit cost as follows (in millions):

The Company’s net periodic benefit cost recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings was $2.8 million, $5.3 million and $7.2 million for the years ended July 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. While changes to the Company’s pension plan assumptions would not be expected to impact its net periodic benefit cost by a material amount, such changes could significantly impact the Company’s projected benefit obligation.

Business Combinations

The Company allocates the purchase price of acquired businesses to the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, as well as any contingent consideration, where applicable, as of the date of acquisition. The fair values of the long-lived assets acquired, primarily intangible assets, are determined using calculations which can be complex and require significant judgment. Estimates include many factors such as the nature of the acquired company’s business, its historical financial position and results, customer retention rates, discount rates and expected future performance. Independent valuation specialists are used to assist in determining certain fair value calculations.

The Company estimates the fair value of acquired customer relationships using the multi-period excess earnings method. This approach is typically applied when cash flows are not directly generated by the asset, but rather, by an operating group which includes the particular asset. Fair value is estimated as the present value of the benefits anticipated from ownership of the asset, in excess of the economic returns required on the investment in contributory assets which are necessary to realize those benefits. The intangible asset’s estimated earnings are determined as the residual earnings after quantifying estimated economic returns from contributory assets. Assumptions used in these calculations include same-customer revenue growth rates, estimated earnings and customer attrition rates.

The Company estimates the fair value of trade names and/or trademarks using the relief from royalty method, which calculates the cost savings associated with owning rather than licensing the assets. Assumed royalty rates are applied to projected revenue for the remaining useful lives of the assets to estimate the royalty savings. Royalty rates are selected based on the attributes of the asset, including reputation and recognition within the industry.

While, the Company uses its best estimates and assumptions, especially at the acquisition date, including its estimates for intangible assets, pre-acquisition contingencies and any contingent consideration, where applicable, the fair value estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, the Company may record adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Any adjustments required after the measurement period are recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings. The judgments required in determining the estimated fair values and expected useful lives assigned to each class of assets and liabilities acquired can significantly affect net income.

New Accounting Standard Not Yet Adopted

For the new accounting standard not yet adopted, refer to Note 1 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

The Company, through its management, may make forward-looking statements reflecting the Company’s current views with respect to future events and expectations, such as forecasts, plans, trends and projections relating to the Company’s business and financial performance. These forward-looking statements, which may be included in reports filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), in press releases and in other documents and materials as well as in written or oral statements made by or on behalf of the Company, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report, which could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated. The words or phrases such as “will likely result,” “are expected to,” “will continue,” “will allow,” “estimate,” “project,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “forecast,” “plan” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Exchange Act and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, as enacted by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA). In particular, the Company desires to take advantage of the protections of the PSLRA in connection with the forward-looking statements made in this Annual Report. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. These statements do not guarantee future performance.

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These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date such statements are made and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could affect the Company’s performance and could cause the Company’s actual results for future periods to differ materially from any opinions or statements expressed. These factors include, but are not limited to, challenges in global operations; impacts of global economic, industrial and political conditions on product demand, including the Russia and Ukraine conflict; impacts from unexpected events, including the COVID-19 pandemic; effects of unavailable raw materials or material cost inflation; inability to attract and retain qualified personnel; inability to meet customer demand; inability to maintain competitive advantages; threats from disruptive technologies; effects of highly competitive markets with pricing pressure; exposure to customer concentration in certain cyclical industries; inability to manage productivity improvements; results of execution of any acquisition, divestiture and other strategic transactions; vulnerabilities associated with information technology systems and security; inability to protect and enforce intellectual property rights; costs associated with governmental laws and regulations; impacts of foreign currency fluctuations; and effects of changes in capital and credit markets. These and other factors are described in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by law.