Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Investments

v3.8.0.1
Investments
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Investments [Abstract]  
Investments
Investments

Investments in Marketable Securities

The Company invests a portion of its cash reserves in marketable debt securities. These investments are reported in Short-term investments in marketable securities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The following is a summary of the fair values, which were equal to the amortized costs, of the Company’s available-for-sale securities, all due in one year or less, as of December 31, 2017 and 2016:
 
(in millions)
 
2017
 
2016
Commercial Paper
 
$

 
$
35.0

U.S. Treasury Bills
 
0.8

 
0.8

Total available-for-sale securities
 
$
0.8

 
$
35.8


The Company had $35.0 million, $10.7 million and $109.8 million in maturities of available-for-sale securities during 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The Company had no sales of available-for-sale securities during 2017 and 2016, and had $9.5 million of sales of available-for-sale securities during 2015.

At each reporting date, management reviews the debt securities to determine if any loss in the value of a security below its amortized cost should be considered “other-than-temporary.”  For the evaluation, management determines whether it intends to sell, or if it is more likely than not that it will be required to sell, the securities. This determination considers current and forecasted liquidity requirements, regulatory and capital requirements and the strategy for managing the Company’s securities portfolio. For all impaired debt securities for which there was no intent or expected requirement to sell, the evaluation considers all available evidence to assess whether it is likely the amortized cost value will be recovered. The Company also considers the nature of the securities, the credit rating or financial condition of the issuer, the extent and duration of the unrealized loss and market conditions.  As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, there were no unrealized losses related to debt securities that required management evaluation.

Equity Investments

The Company has certain unconsolidated international and domestic affiliates that are accounted for using the equity method. The equity method is applied in situations in which the Company has the ability to exercise significant influence, but not control, over the investees. Management reviews equity investments for impairment whenever indicators are present suggesting that the carrying value of an investment is not recoverable. The following items are examples of impairment indicators: significant, sustained declines in an investee’s revenue, earnings, and cash flow trends; adverse market conditions of the investee’s industry or geographic area; the investee’s inability to execute its operating plan; the investee’s ability to continue operations measured by several items, including liquidity; and other factors. Once an impairment indicator is identified, management uses considerable judgment to determine if the decline in value is other than temporary, in which case the equity investment is written down to its estimated fair value, which could negatively impact reported results of operations.

Refer to Note 10 – Financial Services for more details on the Company’s Brunswick Acceptance Company, LLC joint venture.

In 2017, the Company contributed $2.1 million to fund a part ownership of TN-BC Holdings, LLC (TN-BC), a joint venture with TechNexus Holdings, LLC. Contributions to TN-BC are strategically invested in targeted growth opportunities determined by the joint venture's investment committee.

The Company also contributed $1.6 million, $1.0 million and $0.6 million in 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively, to fund a part ownership of Mercury Finance, a joint venture between Brunswick's Mercury Marine division and Allied Credit, an Australian-based finance company.

Brunswick received $0.4 million in dividends from its unconsolidated affiliates in 2017 and did not receive any dividends from its unconsolidated affiliates in 2016 or 2015.