8. DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The Company’s earnings and cash flows are subject to fluctuations due to changes in interest rates, and the Company seeks to mitigate a portion of this risk by entering into derivative contracts. The derivatives the Company currently uses are interest rate swaps and interest rate caps. The Company recognizes derivatives as either assets or liabilities at fair value on the interim unaudited consolidated balance sheets and does not designate the derivatives as hedging instruments. Changes in the fair value of derivatives are therefore recorded in earnings throughout the terms of the respective derivatives.

The Company currently has two interest rate swap agreements intended to limit its exposure to interest rate risk on its variable rate debt. These swaps expire on June 30, 2026. Since July 1, 2023, the interest rate swap agreements have paid a fixed rate of 2.03% and received the one-month SOFR rate, subject to a 0.50% floor. The aggregate notional amount of the interest rate swaps remained unchanged at $520.0 million at June 28, 2025 and December 28, 2024, respectively. The fair value of the interest rate swaps was $9.3 million at June 28, 2025 and $15.7 million at December 28, 2024 and is included in other long-term assets in the interim unaudited consolidated balance sheets. The Company does not apply hedge accounting to these agreements and records all mark-to-market adjustments directly to other (expense) income in the consolidated statements of operations, which are included within cash flows from operating activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows. The net settlements incurred with swap counterparties under the swap agreements are recognized through cash flows from financing activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows due to an other-than-insignificant financing element on the interest rate swaps.

The Company has interest rate cap agreements with an aggregate notional amount of $880.0 million and a cap rate of 2.96%. The cap agreements have an expiration date of February 28, 2027. The cap agreements provide that the counterparty pays the Company the amount by which SOFR exceeds 2.96%. The fair value of the interest rate cap agreements was $11.4 million at June 28, 2025 and $22.5 million at December 28, 2024 and is included in other long-term assets on the interim unaudited consolidated balance sheets. The Company does not apply hedge accounting to interest rate cap agreements and records all mark-to-market adjustments directly to other (expense) income in the consolidated statements of operations, which are included within cash flows from operating activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows. The proceeds received from cap counterparties under the cap agreements are recognized through cash flows from operating activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows.

The Company does not utilize financial instruments for trading or other speculative purposes.