Quaker Houghton
Retirement Savings Plan
Notes to Financial Statements - Continued
7
NOTE 4 – FAIR VALUE
MEASURES
The Plan applies the guidance of the Financial Accounting
Standards Board regarding fair value measurements, which
establishes a
common definition for fair value.
Specifically, the
guidance utilizes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to
valuation
techniques used to measure fair value into three broad
levels.
The following is a brief description of those three levels:
●
Level 1: Observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted)
in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
●
Level 2: Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable
for the asset or liability,
either directly or indirectly.
These
include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active
markets and quoted prices for identical or similar assets or
liabilities in markets that are not active.
●
Level 3: Unobservable inputs that reflect the reporting entity’s
own assumptions.
The following is a description of the valuation methodologies
used for the investments measured at fair value, including
the general
classification of such instruments pursuant to the valuation
hierarchy:
Registered Investment Companies
The shares of registered investment companies, which
represent the Net Asset Value
(“NAV”)
of shares held by the Plan, are
valued based on quoted market prices on an exchange
in an active market and are classified as Level 1 investments.
Common Stock Fund
The common stock fund is comprised of investments in the
Quaker Chemical Corporation Stock Fund, which is composed
of
shares of the Company and uninvested cash.
The shares of the Company are traded on an exchange in an
active market and are
classified as a Level 1 investment.
Participant-Directed Brokerage
Account
The participant-directed brokerage account is mainly composed
of investments in common stock, registered investment
companies and warrants, which are valued based on
quoted market prices on an exchange in an active market and
are classified as
The Plan also invests in a common/collective trust,
the Vanguard
Retirement Savings Trust (the “Trust”),
a stable value fund that
invests in the Vanguard
Retirement Savings Master Trust (“VRSMT”).
The VRSMT is composed of an investment in fully
benefit-responsive contracts that are issued by insurance
companies and commercial banks and in contracts that are
backed by
bond funds and trusts that are selected by Vanguard
Fiduciary Trust Employer,
the Trustee.
Contract value, as reported by
VRSMT, is the amount
participants would receive if they were to initiate a permitted transaction under the terms of the Plan, and
also, represents contributions made under the contract,
plus earnings, less participant withdrawals.
Participants may ordinarily
direct the withdrawal or transfer of all or a portion
of their investment at contract value.
Certain events limit the Plan’s ability to
transact at contract value, including: 1) premature termination
of the contracts by the Plan; 2) Plan termination; and 3)
bankruptcy
of the Plan sponsor.
The Plan administrator does not believe that any events that would
limit the Plan’s ability to transact at
contract value with Plan participants are probable of occurring.
Contract issuers may terminate and settle the contracts at other
than contract value if there is a change in qualification status of
a participant, sponsor or plan, a breach of material obligations
under the contract and misrepresentation by the contract
holder or failure of the underlying portfolio to conform to
pre-established
investment guidelines.
The Trust is valued at the NAV
of units held at year end.
The NAV,
as provided by the Trustee, is used as
a practical expedient to estimate fair value.
The NAV
($1 at each December 31, 2020 and 2019) is based on the fair
value of the
underlying investments less any liabilities.
The practical expedient would not be used when it is determined
to be probable that
the Trust will sell the investment for
an amount different than the reported NAV.
The Trust has a fair value of $23,218,127 and
$14,053,213 as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively,
with no unfunded commitments, daily pricing frequency,
and daily
redemption notice periods.
The valuation methodologies described above may produce
fair value calculations that may not be indicative of net
realizable value or
reflective of future fair values.
Furthermore, while the Plan believes its valuation methodologies
are appropriate and consistent with
other market participants, the use of different
methodologies or assumptions to determine the fair value of
certain financial
instruments could result in a different fair
value measurement at the reporting date.
There have been no significant changes in
methodologies used or transfers between levels during
the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.