Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)]

Investments

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Investments
6 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2026
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]  
Investments Investments
Non-current investments consisted of the following:
  March 31, 2026 September 30, 2025
Equity and fixed income mutual funds $ 575  $ 859 
Life insurance policies 4,126  5,239 
Equity-method investments 202,552  214,133 
Preferred equity investment 51,594  52,086 
Other (primarily cost-method) investments 17,319  16,320 
  $ 276,166  $ 288,637 

On May 1, 2025, the Company contributed its SGK Business to a newly-formed entity, Propelis, in exchange for consideration which included 40% of the common equity of Propelis and a $50,000 preferred equity investment in Propelis. The Company initially recognized these investments at fair value, which totaled $263,000 ($213,000 equity-method and $50,000 preferred equity investment). The Company will subsequently adjust the carrying amount of its equity-method investment for its share of earnings and losses reported by the investee, distributions received, and other-than-temporary impairments.

The Company recognizes its portion of the earnings or losses for its equity-method investment in Propelis on a three-month lag to ensure consistency and timely filing of the Company’s financial statements. Consequently, for the three months ended March 31, 2026, the Company's portion of earnings (losses) for its equity-method investment in Propelis includes the months from October 2025 through December 2025. For the six months ended March 31, 2026, the Company's portion of earnings (losses) for its equity-method investment in Propelis includes the months from July 2025 through December 2025. For the three and six months ended March 31, 2026, the Company recognized $9,283 and $11,581, respectively, of equity-method losses for its equity-method investment in Propelis, which has been recorded as a component of administrative expense. Equity-method losses for the three and six months ended March 31, 2026 included $8,092 and $9,198 of losses, respectively, representing the Company's portion of the investee's losses, and $1,191 and $2,383 of additional expense, respectively, reflecting the amortization of the Company's portion of the basis difference of the amortizable assets contributed from SGS & Co. ("SGS") to
Note 7.     Investments (continued)

Propelis. The Company also recognized $1,258 and $2,508, respectively, of paid-in-kind interest income for the three and six months ended March 31, 2026, related to the Company's preferred equity investment in Propelis, which was included as a component of other income (deductions), net.