2. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS |
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Fair Value Measurements | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS |
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date in the principal or most advantageous market. The Company uses a fair value hierarchy that has three levels of inputs, both observable and unobservable, with use of the lowest possible level of input to determine fair value.
Level 1 Valuations for assets and liabilities traded in active exchange markets, such as the NASDAQ Stock Market. The Company had 13 of these instruments as of February 29, 2016 and none of these instruments as of August 31, 2015.
Level 2 Valuations for assets and liabilities obtained from readily available pricing sources via independent providers for market transactions involving similar assets or liabilities. The Company had 41 Level 2 assets at February 29, 2016, its certificate of deposits. The Company had no Level 2 assets or liabilities as of August 31, 2015.
Level 3 Valuations for assets and liabilities that are derived from other valuation methodologies, including discounted cash flow models and similar techniques, and not based on market exchange, dealer, or broker-traded transactions. Level 3 valuations incorporate certain assumptions and projections in determining the fair value assigned to such assets or liabilities. The Company had no Level 3 liability as of February 29, 2016 or August 31, 2015.
The Company maintains policies and procedures to value instruments using what management believes to be the best and most relevant data available.
Level 2 Asset Available for Sale Securities. The Company's available for sale securities are the Company's only financial asset measured on a recurring basis. The fair value of the available for sale securities is based on the values reported by the financial institutions where the funds are held. These securities include only federally insured certificates of deposit.
The Company's non-financial assets measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis consist entirely of its investments in water and water systems, land held for sale, and other long-lived assets. See Note 3 Water and Land Assets below.
The following table provides information on the assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of February 29, 2016:
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