7.  DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS & HEDGING ACTIVITIES

The Company addresses certain financial exposures through a controlled program of risk management that includes the use of derivative financial instruments and hedging activities. 

The fair value of the Company’s derivative financial instruments included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets is presented as follows:

The amount of gains and losses related to the Company’s derivative financial instruments for the three months ended March 28, 2020 and March 30, 2019, are presented as follows:

Interest expense presented in the Consolidated Statements of Operations, in which the effects of cash flow hedges are recorded, totaled $2,951 and $4,385 for the three months ended March 28, 2020 and March 30, 2019, respectively.

Interest Rate Swap Contract

The Company has entered into an interest rate swap transaction to hedge the variable interest rate payments on the credit facilities. In connection with this transaction, the Company pays interest based upon a fixed rate as agreed upon with the respective counterparties and receives variable rate interest payments based on the one-month LIBOR. The interest rate swap has an aggregate notional amount of $175,000, which decreases by $25,000 annually, has been designated as a hedging instrument and is accounted for as a cash flow hedge. The interest rate swap was effective on August 2, 2018 and is scheduled to expire on April 3, 2023. The contract will be settled with the respective counterparties on a net basis at each settlement date.

Forward Foreign Exchange Contracts

The Company has entered into forward contracts to economically hedge transactional exposure associated with commitments arising from transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the respective operating entity. The Company’s forward contracts are not designated as hedging instruments for accounting purposes.

At March 28, 2020, the Company had eleven forward foreign exchange contracts with an aggregate notional value of €61,843, maturing at various dates through October 1, 2021.

Net Investment Hedge

The Company utilizes foreign currency denominated debt to hedge currency exposure in foreign operations. The Company has designated €100,000 of borrowings on the revolving credit facility as a net investment hedge of a portion of the Company’s European operations. The carrying value of the euro denominated debt totaled $111,365 as of March 28, 2020 and is included in the Revolving line of credit line item in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The gain or loss on the net investment hedge recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) as part of the currency translation adjustment was a gain of $265, net of tax, for the three months ended March 28, 2020. No amounts associated with the net investment hedge were reclassified from AOCI into income for the three months ended March 28, 2020.