NDSN Nordson Corporation

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Nordson Employees’ Savings Trust Plan

The following description of the Nordson Employees’ Savings Trust Plan (“Plan”) provides only general information. Participants should refer to the Plan document for a complete description of the Plan’s provisions.

General:

The Plan, which began March 16, 1962, is a defined contribution plan covering certain salaried, full-time and part-time, domestic employees of Nordson Corporation (“Company”). It is subject to the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”).

The Plan was restated effective January 1, 2016 to incorporate all prior amendments and to state the terms of the related trust in a separate agreement.

Effective January 1, 2016, employees of MatriX-FocalSpot, Inc. became participants in the Plan and on October 3, 2016, the assets of MatriX-FocalSpot, Inc. 401(k) Plan were merged into the Plan.

The Plan was amended December 1, 2017 to add Roth contributions and Roth conversion contributions.

Eligibility:

All salaried and non-union hourly domestic employees of the Company are eligible to become active participants in the Plan effective beginning with the first payroll period after completion of one hour of service.

Contributions:

Participants may elect between 1% and 30% of their compensation to be contributed to the Plan by the Company. Effective December 1, 2017, participant contributions can be designated as a Roth contribution, a pre-tax contribution or a combination of the two types of participant contributions. Certain higher-paid participants may be limited to a lesser percentage. New employees will be auto-enrolled into the Plan after 30 days of employment with pre-tax contributions of 3% of their compensation.

Participant pre-tax contributions are automatically increased by 1% each year until a contribution rate of 6% is reached. The automatic enrollment provision does not apply to Roth 401(k) contributions. Participants can opt out of the automatic increase program.

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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Nordson Employees’ Savings Trust Plan

Contributions, Continued:

Post-tax Employee Contribution—Participants may elect between 1% and 5% of their compensation to be contributed to the Plan by the Company. Certain higher-paid participants may be limited to a lesser percentage.

Total pre-tax, Roth and post-tax employee contributions may not exceed 30%.

Employer Contributions—The Company makes contributions equal to 50% of each participant’s contributions, which were attributable to the first 6% of compensation, subject to Plan restrictions.

The Company may also make additional discretionary contributions, if authorized by its Board of Directors.

Rollover contributions from other plans are also accepted, provided certain specified conditions are met.

Contributions are subject to limitations on annual additions and other limitations imposed by the Internal Revenue Code, as defined in the Plan agreement.

Participants’ Accounts:

A separate account in each fund is maintained for each participant. The account balances for participants are adjusted periodically as follows:

Vesting:

Participants are fully vested in all employee contributions and rollover contributions and the related gains and losses. Participants vest in employer contributions (adjusted for gains and losses) 33 1/3% for each year of service.

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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Nordson Employees’ Savings Trust Plan

Forfeitures:

Forfeitures due to termination from the Plan before a participant is 100% vested shall be allocated to remaining participants. Forfeitures are available for allocation after the earlier of a five-year period commencing from the date on which the participant’s employment was terminated or upon the participant requesting a distribution. Forfeitures available to be allocated are fully allocated to the remaining participants. Forfeitures allocated were $67,942 (2017) and $69,665 (2016). Forfeitures available to be allocated were $106,909 (2017) and $67,957 (2016).

Notes Receivable from Participants:

Notes receivable are permitted under certain circumstances and are subject to limitations. Participants may borrow from their fund accounts up to a maximum amount equal to the lesser of $50,000 or 50% of their vested account balance. Notes receivable are repaid over a period not to exceed five years.

The notes receivable are secured by the balance in the participant’s account and bear interest at rates established by the Company. Principal and interest are paid ratably through payroll deductions.

Payment of Benefits:

Upon retirement after age 55 or death or disability, if earlier, the balance in the separate account is paid to the participant or his beneficiaries either in a lump sum or in installments. A participant who has attained age 59 1/2 can also elect to withdraw amounts from his separate account. Until distribution, each account shall participate in the allocation of earnings and appreciation or depreciation of assets.

If the employment of a participant is terminated for any cause other than death or total disability prior to the attainment of the age of 55 years, any distribution will be based on the number of years the participant participated in the Plan. The portion of the account to be distributed will be equal to all the employee’s contributions and related earnings, plus 33 1/3% of the remainder of the balance (the employer’s matching contribution, forfeitures and related earnings) in the separate account for each full year of participation in the Plan up to 100%.

Benefit payments to participants are recorded upon distribution.

Investment Options:

Each participant may direct that all of his contributions and, when the participant is fully vested or attains age 55, all matching employer contributions, be invested in 1% increments in any of the investment funds offered by the Plan. For participants not fully vested and less than 55 years old, all Company matching contributions are deposited in the Nordson Match Stock Fund. A participant who has completed at least three years of service may elect to have his separate account, which is attributable to employer matching contributions and invested in the Nordson Match Stock Fund, transferred to any other investment option.

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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Nordson Employees’ Savings Trust Plan

Basis of Accounting:

The Plan’s transactions are reported on the accrual basis of accounting.

Investment Valuation:

Investments are reported at fair value. Investments in equity and debt securities traded on a national exchange and mutual funds are valued at the market price on the last business day of the Plan year. Securities traded in the over-the-counter market are valued at the mean between the last reported bid and ask prices. Deposits under group annuity contracts are valued at the fair value, as reported by the insurance companies. Guaranteed investment contracts are valued at contract value which represents contributions and reinvested income, less any withdrawals plus accrued interest. Contract value approximates fair value.

Purchases and sales of securities are recorded on a trade-date basis. Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis. Dividends are recorded on the ex-dividend date.

Interest is calculated and paid using money market interest rates on late transfers of money between the various funds. This is done to record the proper investment earnings within each fund.

Notes Receivable from Participants:

Notes receivable from participants are valued at their unpaid principal balance plus any accrued, but unpaid interest. Interest income on notes receivable from participants is recorded when it is earned. No allowance for credit losses has been recorded as of December 31, 2017 or 2016. Delinquent participant loans are deemed distributions based on the terms of the Plan document.

Use of Estimates:

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Nordson Employees’ Savings Trust Plan

Plan Termination:

Although it has not expressed any intent to do so, the Company has the right under the Plan to discontinue its contributions at any time and to terminate the Plan subject to the provisions of ERISA. In the event of Plan termination, participants will become 100% vested in their accounts.

Risks and Uncertainties:

The Plan invests in various investment securities. Investment securities are exposed to various risks such as interest rate, market and credit risks. Due to the level of risk associated with certain investment securities, it is at least reasonably possible that changes in the values of investment securities will occur in the near term and that such changes could materially affect participants’ account balances and the amounts reported in the Statements of Net Assets Available for Benefits.

Reclassifications:

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform with the current year’s presentation.

On December 29, 2016, the Internal Revenue Service stated that the Plan, as then designed, was in compliance with the applicable requirements of the Internal Revenue Code. The Plan Administrator and the Plan’s tax counsel believe that the Plan is currently designed and being operated in compliance with the applicable requirements of the Internal Revenue Code. Therefore, the Plan’s Administrator and tax counsel believe that the Plan was qualified and the related trust was tax-exempt as of the financial statement date.

Accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America require Plan management to evaluate tax positions taken by the Plan and recognize a tax liability if the Plan has taken uncertain tax positions that more-likely-than-not would not be sustained upon examination by applicable taxing authorities. The Plan Administrator has analyzed tax positions taken by the Plan and has concluded that, as of December 31, 2017, there are no uncertain tax positions taken, or expected to be taken, that would require recognition of a liability or disclosure in the financial statements. The Plan is subject to routine audits by taxing jurisdictions. However, currently no audits for any tax periods are in progress.

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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Nordson Employees’ Savings Trust Plan

Accounting guidance defines fair value as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. When determining the fair value measurements for assets and liabilities required to be reported at fair value, the Plan considers the principal or most advantageous market in which it would transact and considers assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability, such as inherent risk, transfer restrictions and risk of nonperformance.

The guidance also establishes a fair value hierarchy that requires the Plan to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value are described as follows:

If the asset or liability has a specified (contractual) term, the Level 2 input must be observable for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

The asset or liability’s fair value measurement level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Valuation techniques maximize the use of relevant observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.

The following is a description of the valuation methodologies used to measure fair value of assets held in the Plan. There have been no changes in the methodologies used at December 31, 2017 and 2016.

Mutual Funds : The mutual funds are public investment vehicles valued using the net asset value (“NAV”) provided by the administrator of the fund. The NAV is based on the value of the underlying assets owned by the fund. The NAV is a quoted price in an active market, thus the mutual funds are classified within Level 1 of the hierarchy.

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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Nordson Employees’ Savings Trust Plan

Money Market Fund : The money market fund is a public investment vehicle that is valued with a NAV of $1. This NAV is a quoted price in an active market, thus this investment is classified within Level 1 of the hierarchy.

Common/Collective Funds : Common/collective funds are public investment vehicles valued using the NAV provided by the administrator of the fund. The NAV is based on the value of the assets owned by the funds, less liabilities. Participant transactions (purchases and sales) may occur daily. Were the Plan to initiate a full redemption of the common/collective funds, the investment advisor reserves the right to temporarily delay withdrawal from the funds in order to ensure that securities liquidations will be carried out in an orderly business manner. These investments are not quoted on an active market.

Nordson Corporation Common Stock : The stock is valued at the closing price reported on the NASDAQ stock exchange and is classified within Level 1 of the hierarchy.

Investment Contract : This is an investment in a group annuity contract with Hartford Life, which guarantees a fixed interest rate each year. The asset is valued at the fair value as reported by Hartford Life. This value is calculated monthly and is the sum of amounts invested, less withdrawals, plus interest computed at the guaranteed interest rate. This contract does not hold any specific assets. This investment is classified within Level 3 of the hierarchy.

Annuity : This annuity is invested with National Western Life. The asset is valued at contract value, as reported by National Western Life. This value is the sum of the amounts invested, less withdrawals, plus simple interest at the guaranteed rate, earned daily, compounded annually. This investment is classified within Level 3 of the hierarchy.

Investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis consisted of the following types of instruments as of December 31, 2017:

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The table below sets forth the changes in fair value of the Plan’s Level 3 assets for the year ended December 31, 2017:

The table below sets forth the changes in fair value of the Plan’s Level 3 assets for the year ended December 31, 2016:

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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Nordson Employees’ Savings Trust Plan

Certain legal, accounting and administrative expenses are paid by the Company. The Plan also invests in the common stock of the Company. John Hancock Retirement Plan Services (“John Hancock”) provides certain administrative services to the Plan pursuant to a service agreement between the Company and John Hancock. John Hancock receives revenue from certain mutual fund companies or other investment providers pursuant to service agreements that John Hancock maintains in connection with services provided to the Plan. The revenue is used to offset certain amounts owed to John Hancock for its administrative services to the Plan. If the revenue received by John Hancock exceeds the required amount under the Plan’s service agreement, the excess is remitted to the Plan as a service fee credit, which is used to pay administrative expenses of the Plan. To the extent that the service fee credits exceed the Plan’s administrative expense, the excess will be allocated on an annual basis to participants with account balances as of March 31 of the following year.

An employee who has participated under the Nordson Corporation Non-Union Employees Stock Ownership Plan for 10 or more years and who has attained age 55 may elect, within the 90-day election period following the close of each Plan year during his qualified period, to transfer up to 25% of the aggregate balance of his separate account from the Nordson Corporation Non-Union Employees Stock Ownership Plan to the Nordson Employees’ Savings Trust Plan. For the last Plan year in his qualified period, he may elect to transfer up to 50% of the aggregate balance of his separate account. The qualified period is the six Plan year period beginning with the Plan year following the Plan year in which the participant attains age 55 or completes 10 years as a participant, whichever is later.

During the Plan year ended December 31, 2017, employee withholdings in the amount of $159 were not remitted by the Company to the Plan within the required timeframe, as defined by ERISA. This transaction constitutes a prohibited transaction. The Company has remitted the contributions to the Plan and followed the appropriate correction guidelines.

Management evaluates events occurring through the date the financial statements are available to be issued in determining the accounting for and disclosure of transactions and events that affect the financial statements.

Effective January 1, 2018, eligible employees of Plas-Pak Industries, Inc. became participants in the Plan.     

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