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Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR)
Analysis of Property, Plant and Equipment
Difficulty: Advanced
Property, Plant and Equipment Accounting Policy
Additions to property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost, including all material, labor and certain indirect costs associated with the construction of cable transmission and distribution facilities. While Charter’s capitalization is based on specific activities, once capitalized, costs are tracked on a composite basis by fixed asset category at the cable system level and not on a specific asset basis. For assets that are sold or retired, the estimated historical cost and related accumulated depreciation is removed. Costs associated with the initial placement of the customer drop to the dwelling and the initial placement of outlets within a dwelling along with the costs associated with the initial deployment of customer premise equipment necessary to provide video, Internet or voice services are capitalized. Costs capitalized include materials, direct labor and certain indirect costs. Indirect costs are associated with the activities of Charter’s personnel who assist in installation activities and consist of compensation and other costs associated with these support functions. Indirect costs primarily include employee benefits and payroll taxes, vehicle and occupancy costs, and the costs of sales and dispatch personnel associated with capitalizable activities. The costs of disconnecting service and removing customer premise equipment from a dwelling and the costs to reconnect a customer drop or to redeploy previously installed customer premise equipment are charged to operating expense as incurred. Costs for repairs and maintenance are charged to operating expense as incurred, while plant and equipment replacement, including replacement of certain components, betterments, including replacement of cable drops and outlets, are capitalized.
Depreciation is recorded using the straight-line composite method over management’s estimate of the useful lives of the related assets as follows:
| Cable distribution systems | 8-21 years |
| Customer premise equipment and installations | 3-8 years |
| Vehicles and equipment | 4-9 years |
| Buildings and improvements | 15-40 years |
| Furniture, fixtures and equipment | 2-10 years |
Source: 10-K (filing date: 2019-01-31).
Property, Plant and Equipment Disclosure
Charter Communications Inc., Statement of Financial Position, Property, Plant and Equipment
USD $ in millions
| Dec 31, 2018 | Dec 31, 2017 | Dec 31, 2016 | Dec 31, 2015 | Dec 31, 2014 | |||||||
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| Cable distribution systems | |
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| Vehicles and equipment | |
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| Buildings and improvements | |
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| Furniture, fixtures and equipment | |
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| Property, plant and equipment, gross | |
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| Accumulated depreciation | |
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| Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation | |
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Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-01-31), 10-K (filing date: 2018-02-02), 10-K (filing date: 2017-02-16), 10-K (filing date: 2016-02-10), 10-K (filing date: 2015-02-24).
| Item | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Property, plant and equipment, gross | Amount before accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization of physical assets used in the normal conduct of business and not intended for resale. Examples include, but are not limited to, land, buildings, machinery and equipment, office equipment, and furniture and fixtures. | Charter Communications Inc.’s property, plant and equipment, gross increased from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018. |
| Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation | Amount after accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization of physical assets used in the normal conduct of business to produce goods and services and not intended for resale. Examples include, but are not limited to, land, buildings, machinery and equipment, office equipment, and furniture and fixtures. | Charter Communications Inc.’s property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation increased from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018. |
Property, Plant and Equipment Ratios (Summary)
Charter Communications Inc., Property, Plant and Equipment Ratios
| Dec 31, 2018 | Dec 31, 2017 | Dec 31, 2016 | Dec 31, 2015 | Dec 31, 2014 | ||
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| Estimated total useful life (years) | |
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| Estimated age, time elapsed since purchase (years) | |
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| Estimated remaining life (years) | |
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Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-01-31), 10-K (filing date: 2018-02-02), 10-K (filing date: 2017-02-16), 10-K (filing date: 2016-02-10), 10-K (filing date: 2015-02-24).
| Ratio | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Average age | As long as straight-line depreciation is used, this is an accurate estimate of asset age as a percentage of depreciable life. The relative age is a useful measure of whether the company’s fixed asset base is old or new. Newer assets are likely to be more efficient. | Charter Communications Inc.’s average age of depreciable property, plant and equipment deteriorated from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018. |
| Estimated total useful life | Over longer time periods, this ratio is a useful measure of company’s depreciation policy and can be used for comparisons with competitors. | Charter Communications Inc.’s estimated total useful life of depreciable property, plant and equipment declined from 2016 to 2017 but then slightly increased from 2017 to 2018. |
| Estimated time elapsed since purchase | The approximate age in years of a company’s fixed assets. Useful for comparison purposes. | Charter Communications Inc.’s estimated time elapsed since purchase of depreciable property, plant and equipment deteriorated from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018. |
| Estimated remaining life | Charter Communications Inc.’s estimated remaining life of depreciable property, plant and equipment declined from 2016 to 2017 but then slightly increased from 2017 to 2018. |
Average Age
| Dec 31, 2018 | Dec 31, 2017 | Dec 31, 2016 | Dec 31, 2015 | Dec 31, 2014 | ||
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| Accumulated depreciation | |
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| Property, plant and equipment, gross | |
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| Ratio | ||||||
| Average age1 | |
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Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-01-31), 10-K (filing date: 2018-02-02), 10-K (filing date: 2017-02-16), 10-K (filing date: 2016-02-10), 10-K (filing date: 2015-02-24).
2018 Calculations
1 Average age = 100 × Accumulated depreciation ÷ Property, plant and equipment, gross
= 100 × ÷ =
| Ratio | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Average age | As long as straight-line depreciation is used, this is an accurate estimate of asset age as a percentage of depreciable life. The relative age is a useful measure of whether the company’s fixed asset base is old or new. Newer assets are likely to be more efficient. | Charter Communications Inc.’s average age of depreciable property, plant and equipment deteriorated from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018. |
Estimated Total Useful Life
Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-01-31), 10-K (filing date: 2018-02-02), 10-K (filing date: 2017-02-16), 10-K (filing date: 2016-02-10), 10-K (filing date: 2015-02-24).
2018 Calculations
1 Estimated total useful life (years) = Property, plant and equipment, gross ÷ Depreciation expense
= ÷ =
| Ratio | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated total useful life | Over longer time periods, this ratio is a useful measure of company’s depreciation policy and can be used for comparisons with competitors. | Charter Communications Inc.’s estimated total useful life of depreciable property, plant and equipment declined from 2016 to 2017 but then slightly increased from 2017 to 2018. |
Estimated Age, Time Elapsed since Purchase
| Dec 31, 2018 | Dec 31, 2017 | Dec 31, 2016 | Dec 31, 2015 | Dec 31, 2014 | ||
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| Selected Financial Data (USD $ in millions) | ||||||
| Accumulated depreciation | |
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| Depreciation expense | |
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| Time elapsed since purchase (years)1 | |
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Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-01-31), 10-K (filing date: 2018-02-02), 10-K (filing date: 2017-02-16), 10-K (filing date: 2016-02-10), 10-K (filing date: 2015-02-24).
2018 Calculations
1 Time elapsed since purchase (years) = Accumulated depreciation ÷ Depreciation expense
= ÷ =
| Ratio | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated time elapsed since purchase | The approximate age in years of a company’s fixed assets. Useful for comparison purposes. | Charter Communications Inc.’s estimated time elapsed since purchase of depreciable property, plant and equipment deteriorated from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018. |
Estimated Remaining Life
Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-01-31), 10-K (filing date: 2018-02-02), 10-K (filing date: 2017-02-16), 10-K (filing date: 2016-02-10), 10-K (filing date: 2015-02-24).
2018 Calculations
1 Estimated remaining life (years) = Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation ÷ Depreciation expense
= ÷ =
| Ratio | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated remaining life | Charter Communications Inc.’s estimated remaining life of depreciable property, plant and equipment declined from 2016 to 2017 but then slightly increased from 2017 to 2018. |