| NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | 1. NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (“we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company,” or “Lamb Weston”) is a leading global producer, distributor, and marketer of value-added frozen potato products and is headquartered in Eagle, Idaho. We have four reportable segments: Global, Foodservice, Retail, and Other. Basis of Presentation These Consolidated Financial Statements present the financial results of Lamb Weston for the fiscal years ended May 28, 2023, May 29, 2022, and May 30, 2021 (“fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021”), and have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States of America (“U.S.”). The fiscal year of Lamb Weston ends the last Sunday in May. The fiscal years for the Consolidated Financial Statements presented consist of 52-week periods. The financial statements include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) that we consider necessary for a fair presentation of such financial statements. Our consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Lamb Weston and all of our majority-owned subsidiaries. Intercompany investments, accounts, and transactions have been eliminated. Certain amounts in the prior period consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform with the current period presentation. The equity method of accounting is applied for investments when the Company has significant influence over the investee’s operations, or when the investee is structured with separate capital accounts and our investment is considered more than minor. Our equity method investments are described in Note 4, Joint Venture Investments. Use of Estimates The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including but not limited to those related to the measurement of assets acquired and the liabilities assumed based on fair value at the acquisition date, provisions for income taxes, estimates of sales incentives and trade promotion allowances. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. We adjust such estimates and assumptions when facts and circumstances dictate. As future events and their effects cannot be determined with precision, actual results could differ significantly from these estimates. Changes in these estimates will be reflected in the consolidated financial statements in future periods. Revenue from Contracts with Customers Generally, we recognize revenue on a point-in-time basis when the customer takes title to the product and assumes the risks and rewards for the product. However, for customized products, which are products manufactured to customers’ unique specifications, we recognize revenue over time, utilizing an output method, which is generally as the products are produced. This is because once a customized product is manufactured pursuant to a purchase order, we have an enforceable right to payment for that product. Our Global segment sells the majority of our customized products, for which revenue is recognized when a purchase order is received to the extent the product has been manufactured, as opposed to sales of non-customized products, for which revenue is generally recognized upon shipment. As a result, the timing of the receipt of a purchase order may create quarterly fluctuations in this segment. The nature of our contracts varies based on the business, customer type, and region; however, in all instances it is our customary business practice to receive a valid order from the customer, in which each party’s rights and related payment terms are clearly identifiable. Our payment terms are consistent with industry standards and generally include early pay discounts. Amounts billed and due from customers are short-term in nature and are classified as receivables, since payments are unconditional and only the passage of time is required before payments are due. As of May 28, 2023, and May 29, 2022, we had $146.9 million and $122.7 million, respectively, of unbilled receivables for customized products for which we have accelerated the recognition of revenue and recorded the amounts in “Receivables” on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We generally do not offer financing to our customers. We also do not provide a general right of return. However, customers may seek to return defective or non-conforming products. Following a customer return, we may offer remedies, including cash refunds, credit towards future purchases, or product replacement. As a result, customers’ right of return and related refund or product liabilities are estimated and recorded as reductions in revenue. We have contract terms that give rise to variable consideration including, but not limited to, discounts, coupons, rebates, and volume-based incentives. We estimate volume rebates based on the most likely amount method outlined in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers We have elected to present all sales taxes on a net basis, account for shipping and handling activities as fulfillment activities, recognize the incremental costs of obtaining a contract as expense when incurred if the amortization period of the asset we would recognize is one year or less, and not record interest income or interest expense when the difference in timing of control or transfer and customer payment is one year or less. Advertising and Promotion Advertising and promotion expenses totaled $34.4 million, $18.9 million, and $17.8 million in fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively, and are included in “Selling, general and administrative expenses” in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings as the expenses are incurred. Research and Development Research and development costs are expensed as incurred and totaled $17.2 million, $16.2 million, and $12.9 million in fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively, and are included in “Selling, general and administrative expenses” in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings. Stock-Based Compensation Compensation expense resulting from all stock-based compensation transactions is measured and recorded in the consolidated financial statements based on the grant date fair value of the equity instruments issued. Compensation expense is recognized over the period the employee or non-employee director provides service in exchange for the award. See Note 10, Stock-Based Compensation, for additional information. Pension and Post-Retirement Benefits Certain U.S. employees covered by collective bargaining agreements are covered by defined benefit pension plans. We make pension plan We also have a nonqualified defined benefit pension plan that provides unfunded supplemental retirement benefits to certain U.S. executives. This plan is closed to new participants and pension benefit accruals are frozen for active participants. Our pension benefit obligations and post-retirement benefit obligations, and the related costs, are calculated using actuarial concepts. The measurement of such obligations and expenses requires that certain assumptions be made regarding several factors, most notably including the discount rate and the expected rate of return on plan assets. We evaluate these assumptions on an annual basis. The funded status of our plans are based on company contributions, benefit payments, the plan asset investment return, the discount rate used to measure the liability, and expected participant longevity. The benefit obligations of the plans exceeded the assets by $9.3 million and $11.0 million for the pension plan and $4.3 million and $5.5 million for the other post-retirement benefit plan for the years ended May 28, 2023 and May 29, 2022, respectively. We recognize the unfunded status of these plans in “Other noncurrent liabilities” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, and we recognize changes in funded status in the year changes occur through the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Net periodic benefit costs were $2.5 million, $2.7 million, and $3.8 million in fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. Participants that do not actively participate in a pension plan are eligible to participate in defined contribution savings plans with employer matching provisions. Eligible U.S. employees participate in a contributory defined contribution plan (“the 401(k) Plan”), which permits participants to make contributions by salary reduction pursuant to Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Regardless of employee participation level, we generally provide a 3% contribution to the 401(k) Plan. In addition to this, we will generally match 100% of the first 6% of the participating employee’s contribution election to the 401(k) Plan. The Plan’s matching contributions have a five-year graded vesting with 20% vesting each year. We made employer-matching contributions of $38.7 million, $30.5 million, and $28.8 million in fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. We sponsor a non-qualified deferred compensation savings plan that permits eligible U.S. employees to continue to make deferrals and receive company matching contributions when their contributions to the 401(k) Plan are stopped due to limitations under U.S. tax law. In addition, we sponsor a non-qualified deferred compensation plan for non-employee directors that allow directors to defer their cash compensation and stock awards. Both deferred compensation plans are unfunded nonqualified defined contribution plans. Participant deferrals and company matching contributions (for the employee deferred compensation plan only) are not invested in separate trusts, but are paid directly from our general assets at the time benefits become due and payable. At May 28, 2023 and May 29, 2022, we had $22.6 million and $21.6 million, respectively, of liabilities attributable to participation in our deferred compensation plans recorded on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less at the date of acquisition are classified as cash and cash equivalents and stated at cost, which approximates market value. We maintain various banking relationships with high quality financial institutions, and we invest available cash in money market funds that are backed by U.S. Treasury securities and can be redeemed without notice. Trade Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Trade accounts receivable are stated at the amount we expect to collect based on our past experience, as well as reliance on the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, which was enacted to help promote fair trade in the fruit and vegetable industry by establishing a code of fair business practices. The collectability of our accounts receivable is based upon a combination of factors. In circumstances where a specific customer is unable to meet its financial obligations (e.g., bankruptcy filings, substantial downgrading of credit sources), a specific reserve for bad debts is recorded against amounts due to the Company to reduce the net recorded receivable to the amount that we reasonably believe will be collected. For all other customers, reserves for bad debts are recognized based on forward-looking information to assess expected credit losses. If collection experience deteriorates, the estimate of the recoverability of amounts due could be reduced. We periodically review our allowance for doubtful accounts and adjustments to the valuation allowance are recorded as income or expense in “Selling, general and administrative expenses” in our Consolidated Statements of Earnings. Trade accounts receivable balances that remain outstanding after we have used reasonable collection efforts are written off through a charge to the valuation allowance and a credit to accounts receivable. Inventories Inventories are valued at the lower of cost (determined using the first-in, first-out method) or net realizable value and include all costs directly associated with manufacturing products: materials, labor, and manufacturing overhead. Inventories are reduced to net realizable value after consideration of excess, obsolete, and unsaleable inventories based on quantities on hand and estimated future usage and sales. The components of inventories were as follows: May 28, May 29, (in millions) 2023 2022 Raw materials and packaging $ 145.7 $ 96.1 Finished goods 708.3 426.5 Supplies and other 78.0 51.8 Inventories $ 932.0 $ 574.4 Leased Assets Leases consist of real property and machinery and equipment. Operating lease assets and liabilities are recognized at the commencement date of the lease based on the present value of the lease payments over the lease term. Our leases may include options to extend or terminate these leases. These options to extend are included in the lease term when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option. Some leases have variable payments, however, because they are not based on an index or rate, they are not included in lease assets and liabilities. Variable payments for leases of land and buildings primarily relate to common area maintenance, insurance, taxes, and utilities. Variable payments for equipment, vehicles, and leases within supply agreements primarily relate to usage, repairs, and maintenance. As the implicit rate is not readily determinable for most of our leases, we use an incremental borrowing rate to determine the initial present value of lease payments over the lease terms on a collateralized basis over a similar term, which is based on market and company specific information. This rate is updated quarterly for measurement of new lease liabilities. Assets and liabilities related to leases having a lease term of twelve months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet and the related lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. In addition, we account for lease and non-lease components as a single lease component for all of our leases. See Note 9, Leases, for more information. Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost. Cost includes expenditures for major improvements and replacements and the amount of interest cost associated with significant capital additions. The amount of interest capitalized from construction in progress was $17.5 million, $6.0 million, and $1.9 million in fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. Construction in progress does not include deposits made on equipment, materials, and services yet to be received. As of May 28, 2023 and May 29, 2022, deposits for construction in progress were $30.5 million and $57.8 million, respectively, and were recorded in “Other assets” on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Repairs and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred. The components of property, plant and equipment were as follows: May 28, May 29, (in millions) 2023 2022 Land and land improvements $ 163.2 $ 114.1 Buildings, machinery and equipment 3,524.3 2,919.0 Furniture, fixtures, office equipment and other 177.5 92.1 Construction in progress 818.8 156.1 Property, plant and equipment, at cost 4,683.8 3,281.3 Less accumulated depreciation (1,875.8) (1,702.1) Property, plant and equipment, net $ 2,808.0 $ 1,579.2 Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the respective classes of assets as follows: Land improvements 1-30 years Buildings 10-40 years Machinery and equipment 5-20 years Furniture, fixtures, office equipment, and other 3-15 years We recorded $211.3 million, $181.5 million, and $177.7 million of depreciation expense in fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. At May 28, 2023 and May 29, 2022, purchases of property, plant and equipment included in accounts payable were $82.6 million and $38.3 million, respectively. Long-Lived Asset Impairment We review long-lived assets for impairment upon the occurrence of events or changes in circumstances which indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable, measured by comparing their net book value to the undiscounted projected future cash flows generated by their use. Impaired assets are recorded at their estimated fair value. Goodwill and Other Identifiable Intangible Assets We perform an annual impairment assessment of goodwill at the reporting unit level in the fourth quarter of each year, or more frequently if indicators of potential impairment exist. We have an option to evaluate goodwill for impairment by first performing a qualitative assessment of events and circumstances to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting until is less than its carrying amount. If we determine that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amounts, then a quantitative goodwill impairment test is not required to be performed. The quantitative assessment requires us to estimate the fair value of our reporting units using a weighted approach based on discounted future cash flows, market multiples and transaction multiples. If the carrying amount of the reporting units is in excess of their estimated fair value, the reporting unit will record an impairment charge by the amount that the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value, not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. We amortize intangible assets with finite lives over their estimated useful life. We perform a review of significant finite-lived identified intangible assets to determine whether facts and circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. These reviews can be affected by various factors, including external factors such as industry and economic trends, and internal factors such as changes in our business strategy and our forecasts for our products lines. See Note 6, Goodwill and Other Identifiable Intangible Assets, for additional information. Fair Values of Financial Instruments When determining fair value, we consider the principal or most advantageous market in which we would transact, as well as assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability. The three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value are: Level 1—Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. We evaluate security-specific market data when determining whether a market is active. Level 2—Observable market-based inputs other than those included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets or quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in inactive markets. Level 3—Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability reflecting our own assumptions and best estimate of what inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. See Note 11, Fair Value Measurements, for additional information. Foreign Currency Most of our foreign subsidiaries use the local currency of their respective countries as their functional currency. Assets and liabilities are translated at exchange rates prevailing at the balance sheet dates. Revenues and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars using daily and monthly average exchange rates. Gains and losses resulting from the translation of Consolidated Balance Sheets are recorded as a component of “Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).” Foreign currency transactions resulted in a gain of $19.7 million, a loss of $3.3 million, and a gain of $1.3 million in fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. These amounts were recorded in “Selling, general and administrative expenses” in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings. Derivative Financial Instruments We use derivatives and other financial instruments to hedge a portion of our commodity and interest rate risks. We do not hold or issue derivatives and other financial instruments for trading purposes. Derivative instruments are reported in our Consolidated Balance Sheets at their fair values, unless the derivative instruments qualify for the normal purchase normal sale exception (“NPNS”) under GAAP and such exception has been elected. If the NPNS exception is elected, the fair values of such contracts are not recognized. Changes in derivative instrument values are recognized in “Cost of sales” in our Consolidated Statements of Earnings. We do not designate commodity derivatives to achieve hedge accounting treatment. Income Taxes We recognize current tax liabilities and assets based on an estimate of taxes payable or refundable in the current year for each of the jurisdictions in which we transact business. As part of the determination of our current tax liability, management exercises judgment in evaluating positions taken in the tax returns. We recognize the effect of income tax positions only if those positions are more likely than not of being sustained. Recognized income tax positions are measured at the largest amount that is greater than 50% likely of being realized. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment occurs. We also recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the estimated future tax effects attributable to temporary differences (e.g., the difference in book basis versus tax basis of fixed assets resulting from differing depreciation methods). Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are remeasured to reflect new tax rates in the periods rate changes are enacted. If appropriate, we recognize valuation allowances to reduce deferred tax assets to amounts that are more likely than not to be ultimately realized, based on our assessment of estimated future taxable income. See Note 5, Income Taxes, for more information. New and Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements There were no accounting pronouncements recently issued that had or are expected to have a material impact on our financial statements. |
