we manage the pricing volatility of our natural gas purchases with natural gas forward swap contracts up to 36 months in advance of purchases , helping to reduce the impact of short-term spot market price volatility . we focus on building intrinsic value by improving our ebitda and by improving our asset quality . we can employ our operating cash flow and other sources of liquidity to pay dividends , re-invest in our business , pay down debt and make acquisitions . our goal is to achieve $ 500 million in ebitda by 2018. salt segment highlights salt segment sales were $ 849.0 million , a decrease of 15 % from 2014 primarily due to mild winter weather in the fourth quarter of 2015. salt segment average selling price increased 2 % from 2014. replace_table_token_30_th compass minerals international , inc. 2015 form 10-k salt segment volumes were down 17 % from 2014. our operating results are impacted by the winter weather in the markets we serve . we assess the severity of winter weather compared to recent averages , using official government snow data and comparisons of our sales volumes to historical trends and other relevant data . our assessment of the frequency of winter events in the three past winter weather seasons in the markets we serve are summarized below ( a ) : 2013 near average in the first quarter above average in the fourth quarter 2014 above average in first quarter below average in the fourth quarter 2015 slightly above average in the first quarter significantly below average in the fourth quarter ( a ) the number of snow events reported may not directly correlate to compass minerals ' deicing results due to a variety of factors , including the relative significance to each city we serve within our market regions . the weather data should be used only as an indicator of year-to-year variations in winter weather conditions in our markets . general salt is indispensable and enormously versatile with thousands of reported uses . in addition , there are no known cost-effective alternatives for most high-volume uses . as a result , our cash flows from salt have not been materially impacted through a variety of economic cycles . we are among the lowest-cost salt producers in our markets due to our high-grade quality salt deposits , which are among the most extensive in the world , and through the use of effective mining techniques and efficient production processes . since the highway deicing business accounts for nearly half of our annual sales , our business is seasonal , therefore results and cash flows will vary depending on the severity of the winter weather in our markets . deicing products , consisting of deicing salt and magnesium chloride used by highway deicing and consumer and industrial customers , constitute a significant portion of our salt segment sales . we use inventory management practices to respond to the varying level of sales demand , which impacts our production volumes , the resulting per-ton cost of inventory , and ultimately profit margins , particularly during the second and third quarters when we build our inventory levels for the upcoming winter . net earnings are typically lower during the second and third quarters than in the first and fourth quarters . not only does the weather affect our highway and consumer and industrial deicing salt sales volumes and resulting gross profit and cash flows , but it also impacts our inventory levels , which influences production volume , the resulting cost per ton , and ultimately our profit margins . plant nutrition segment highlights plant nutrition sales were $ 238.4 million , a decrease of 12 % from 2014 , primarily due to weakness in the agriculture market . plant nutrition average selling price increased by 12 % from 2014. plant nutrition volumes decreased 21 % from 2014 driven by weakness in the agriculture market . per-unit costs have been unfavorably impacted in 2015 by purchased kcl used to supplement the raw mineral feedstock produced through solar-evaporation at our ogden , utah , facility . general our plant nutrition segment includes sales of specialty plant nutrition products including sop and micronutrient and other products under our wolf trax product line . sop , a specialty potassium fertilizer product which is also an ingredient in specialty fertilizer blends , is used as a potassium source for both high-value and chloride-sensitive crops and turf . the yields and quality of many high-value or chloride-sensitive crops are generally better when sop is used as a potassium nutrient rather than kcl . our sop product is marketed under the brand name protassium+ . our wolf trax product line is produced using proprietary and patented technologies . many factors influence the fertilizer market such as world grain and food supply , changes in consumer diets , general levels of economic activity , governmental food programs , and governmental agriculture and energy policies in the u.s. and around the world . economic factors may impact the amount or type of crop grown in certain locations , or the type or amount of fertilizer product used . worldwide consumption of potash and other crop nutrients has increased in response to growing populations and the need for additional food supplies . we expect the long-term demand for potassium and other plant nutrients to continue to grow as arable land per capita decreases , thereby necessitating crop yield efficiencies . our domestic sales of protassium+ are concentrated in the western and southeastern u.s. where the crops and soil conditions favor the use of low-chloride potassium nutrients , such as sop . consequently , weather patterns and field conditions in these locations can impact the amount of plant nutrient sales volumes . additionally , the demand for and market price of protassium+ may be affected by the broader potash market and the economics of the specialty crops sop serves . story_separator_special_tag in december 2015 , we completed the acquisition of a 35 % equity stake in produquímica , one of brazil 's leading manufacturers and distributors of specialty plant nutrients . the all-cash transaction was valued at r $ 452.4 million ( approximately $ 114.1 million u.s. dollars at closing ) , subject to customary post-closing adjustments . we acquired 6 % of the common shares at closing and have approximately 29 % of preferred shares that will be converted to common shares upon the settlement of certain post-closing adjustments , including possible additional consideration . the additional consideration will be based upon 2015 adjusted ebitda , as defined in the agreements . terms of the investment provide an opportunity for the company to acquire the remainder of produquímica by early 2019 at the latest . as a holding company , cmi 's investments in its operating subsidiaries constitute substantially all of its assets . consequently , our subsidiaries conduct all of our consolidated operations and own substantially all of our operating assets . the principal source of the cash needed to pay our obligations is the cash generated from our subsidiaries ' operations and their borrowings . our subsidiaries are not obligated to make funds available to cmi . furthermore , we must remain in compliance with the terms of our senior secured credit facilities , including the total leverage ratio and interest coverage ratio , in order to make payments on our 4.875 % senior notes or pay dividends to our stockholders . we must also comply with the terms of our indenture , which limits the amount of dividends we can pay to our stockholders . we are in compliance with our debt covenants as of december 31 , 2015. see note 10 to our consolidated financial statements for a discussion of our outstanding debt . historically , our cash flows from operating activities have generally been adequate to fund our basic operating requirements ; ongoing debt service ; and sustaining investment in property , plant and equipment . we have also used cash generated from operations to fund capital expenditures which strengthen our operational position , pay dividends , fund smaller acquisitions and repay our debt . we have been able to manage our cash flows generated and used across the company to permanently reinvest earnings in our foreign jurisdictions or efficiently repatriate those funds to the u.s. as of december 31 , 2015 , we had $ 54.4 million of cash and cash equivalents ( in the consolidated balance sheets ) that was either held directly or indirectly by foreign subsidiaries . due in large part to the seasonality of our deicing salt business , we experience large changes in our working capital requirements from quarter to quarter . typically , our consolidated working capital requirements are the highest in the fourth quarter and lowest in the replace_table_token_37_th compass minerals international , inc. 2015 form 10-k second quarter . when needed , we fund short-term working capital requirements by accessing our $ 125 million revolving line of credit ( `` revolving credit facility `` ) . due to our ability to generate adequate levels of domestic cash flow on an annual basis , it is our current intention to permanently reinvest our foreign earnings outside of the u.s. however , if we were to repatriate our foreign earnings to the u.s. , we may be required to accrue and pay u.s. taxes in accordance with the applicable u.s. tax rules and regulations as a result of the repatriation . we review our tax circumstances on a regular basis with the intent of optimizing cash accessibility and minimizing tax expense . in addition , the amount of permanently reinvested earnings is influenced by , among other things , the profits generated by our foreign subsidiaries and the amount of investment in those same subsidiaries . the profits generated by our domestic and foreign subsidiaries are , to some extent , impacted by the values charged on the transfer of our products between them . we calculate values charged on transfers based on guidelines established by a multi-national organization which publishes accepted tax guidelines recognized in all of the jurisdictions in which we operate , and those calculated values are the basis upon which our subsidiary income taxes , profits and cash flows are realized . some of our calculated values have been approved by taxing authorities for certain periods , while the values for those same periods or different periods have been challenged by the same or other taxing authorities . while we believe our calculations are proper and consistent with the accepted guidelines , we can make no assurance that the final resolution of these matters with all of the relevant taxing authorities will be consistent with our existing calculations and resulting financial statements . additionally , the timing for settling these challenges may not occur for many years . we currently expect the outcome of these matters will not have a material impact on our results of operations . however , it is possible the resolution could impact the amount of earnings attributable to our domestic and foreign subsidiaries , which could impact the amount of permanently reinvested earnings and the tax-efficient access to consolidated cash on hand in all jurisdictions , as well as future cash flows from operations . see note 8 to our consolidated financial statements for a discussion regarding our canadian tax reassessments . as part of the produquímica investment , the majority shareholders have a put option that may be exercised in october of 2016 , 2017 or 2018 to sell the remaining equity stake in produquímica . the funding and closing of the acquisition would occur early the following year , subject to regulatory review . we also have a call option that is exercisable in october 2018. the option exercise price is based on full-year ebitda at a multiple of 9.4x ( 2016 ) , 9.3x ( 2017

capital resources we believe our primary sources of liquidity will continue to be cash flow from operations and borrowings under our revolving credit facility . we believe that our current banking syndicate is secure and believe we will have access to our entire revolving credit facility . we expect that ongoing requirements for debt service and committed or sustaining capital expenditures will primarily be funded from these sources . see note 4 to our consolidated financial statements for a discussion of cash received related to a tornado that struck our mine and evaporation plant in goderich , ontario , in august 2011. our debt service obligations could , under certain circumstances , materially affect our financial condition and prevent us from fulfilling our debt obligations . see item 1a. , `` risk factors – our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition and impair our ability to operate our business . '' furthermore , cmi is a holding company with no operations of its own and is dependent on its subsidiaries for cash flows . as discussed in note 10 to the consolidated financial statements , at december 31 , 2015 , we had $ 727.0 million of outstanding indebtedness consisting of $ 250.0 million 4.875 % senior notes due 2024 and $ 477.0 million of borrowings outstanding under our senior secured credit agreement ( `` credit agreement '' ) , including $ 4.5 million borrowed against our revolving credit facility . letters of credit totaling $ 5.6 million reduced available borrowing capacity under the revolving credit facility to $ 114.9 million .


 Write a concise suspicious activity report of the following text delimited by triple backquotes. Return your response as a formal report which covers the key points highlighting the location,dates,entity names and account holder information in chronological order of the text.
     ```capital resources we believe our primary sources of liquidity will continue to be cash flow from operations and borrowings under our revolving credit facility . we believe that our current banking syndicate is secure and believe we will have access to our entire revolving credit facility . we expect that ongoing requirements for debt service and committed or sustaining capital expenditures will primarily be funded from these sources . see note 4 to our consolidated financial statements for a discussion of cash received related to a tornado that struck our mine and evaporation plant in goderich , ontario , in august 2011. our debt service obligations could , under certain circumstances , materially affect our financial condition and prevent us from fulfilling our debt obligations . see item 1a. , `` risk factors – our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition and impair our ability to operate our business . '' furthermore , cmi is a holding company with no operations of its own and is dependent on its subsidiaries for cash flows . as discussed in note 10 to the consolidated financial statements , at december 31 , 2015 , we had $ 727.0 million of outstanding indebtedness consisting of $ 250.0 million 4.875 % senior notes due 2024 and $ 477.0 million of borrowings outstanding under our senior secured credit agreement ( `` credit agreement '' ) , including $ 4.5 million borrowed against our revolving credit facility . letters of credit totaling $ 5.6 million reduced available borrowing capacity under the revolving credit facility to $ 114.9 million .
```    
 Suspicious Activity Report : we manage the pricing volatility of our natural gas purchases with natural gas forward swap contracts up to 36 months in advance of purchases , helping to reduce the impact of short-term spot market price volatility . we focus on building intrinsic value by improving our ebitda and by improving our asset quality . we can employ our operating cash flow and other sources of liquidity to pay dividends , re-invest in our business , pay down debt and make acquisitions . our goal is to achieve $ 500 million in ebitda by 2018. salt segment highlights salt segment sales were $ 849.0 million , a decrease of 15 % from 2014 primarily due to mild winter weather in the fourth quarter of 2015. salt segment average selling price increased 2 % from 2014. replace_table_token_30_th compass minerals international , inc. 2015 form 10-k salt segment volumes were down 17 % from 2014. our operating results are impacted by the winter weather in the markets we serve . we assess the severity of winter weather compared to recent averages , using official government snow data and comparisons of our sales volumes to historical trends and other relevant data . our assessment of the frequency of winter events in the three past winter weather seasons in the markets we serve are summarized below ( a ) : 2013 near average in the first quarter above average in the fourth quarter 2014 above average in first quarter below average in the fourth quarter 2015 slightly above average in the first quarter significantly below average in the fourth quarter ( a ) the number of snow events reported may not directly correlate to compass minerals ' deicing results due to a variety of factors , including the relative significance to each city we serve within our market regions . the weather data should be used only as an indicator of year-to-year variations in winter weather conditions in our markets . general salt is indispensable and enormously versatile with thousands of reported uses . in addition , there are no known cost-effective alternatives for most high-volume uses . as a result , our cash flows from salt have not been materially impacted through a variety of economic cycles . we are among the lowest-cost salt producers in our markets due to our high-grade quality salt deposits , which are among the most extensive in the world , and through the use of effective mining techniques and efficient production processes . since the highway deicing business accounts for nearly half of our annual sales , our business is seasonal , therefore results and cash flows will vary depending on the severity of the winter weather in our markets . deicing products , consisting of deicing salt and magnesium chloride used by highway deicing and consumer and industrial customers , constitute a significant portion of our salt segment sales . we use inventory management practices to respond to the varying level of sales demand , which impacts our production volumes , the resulting per-ton cost of inventory , and ultimately profit margins , particularly during the second and third quarters when we build our inventory levels for the upcoming winter . net earnings are typically lower during the second and third quarters than in the first and fourth quarters . not only does the weather affect our highway and consumer and industrial deicing salt sales volumes and resulting gross profit and cash flows , but it also impacts our inventory levels , which influences production volume , the resulting cost per ton , and ultimately our profit margins . plant nutrition segment highlights plant nutrition sales were $ 238.4 million , a decrease of 12 % from 2014 , primarily due to weakness in the agriculture market . plant nutrition average selling price increased by 12 % from 2014. plant nutrition volumes decreased 21 % from 2014 driven by weakness in the agriculture market . per-unit costs have been unfavorably impacted in 2015 by purchased kcl used to supplement the raw mineral feedstock produced through solar-evaporation at our ogden , utah , facility . general our plant nutrition segment includes sales of specialty plant nutrition products including sop and micronutrient and other products under our wolf trax product line . sop , a specialty potassium fertilizer product which is also an ingredient in specialty fertilizer blends , is used as a potassium source for both high-value and chloride-sensitive crops and turf . the yields and quality of many high-value or chloride-sensitive crops are generally better when sop is used as a potassium nutrient rather than kcl . our sop product is marketed under the brand name protassium+ . our wolf trax product line is produced using proprietary and patented technologies . many factors influence the fertilizer market such as world grain and food supply , changes in consumer diets , general levels of economic activity , governmental food programs , and governmental agriculture and energy policies in the u.s. and around the world . economic factors may impact the amount or type of crop grown in certain locations , or the type or amount of fertilizer product used . worldwide consumption of potash and other crop nutrients has increased in response to growing populations and the need for additional food supplies . we expect the long-term demand for potassium and other plant nutrients to continue to grow as arable land per capita decreases , thereby necessitating crop yield efficiencies . our domestic sales of protassium+ are concentrated in the western and southeastern u.s. where the crops and soil conditions favor the use of low-chloride potassium nutrients , such as sop . consequently , weather patterns and field conditions in these locations can impact the amount of plant nutrient sales volumes . additionally , the demand for and market price of protassium+ may be affected by the broader potash market and the economics of the specialty crops sop serves . story_separator_special_tag in december 2015 , we completed the acquisition of a 35 % equity stake in produquímica , one of brazil 's leading manufacturers and distributors of specialty plant nutrients . the all-cash transaction was valued at r $ 452.4 million ( approximately $ 114.1 million u.s. dollars at closing ) , subject to customary post-closing adjustments . we acquired 6 % of the common shares at closing and have approximately 29 % of preferred shares that will be converted to common shares upon the settlement of certain post-closing adjustments , including possible additional consideration . the additional consideration will be based upon 2015 adjusted ebitda , as defined in the agreements . terms of the investment provide an opportunity for the company to acquire the remainder of produquímica by early 2019 at the latest . as a holding company , cmi 's investments in its operating subsidiaries constitute substantially all of its assets . consequently , our subsidiaries conduct all of our consolidated operations and own substantially all of our operating assets . the principal source of the cash needed to pay our obligations is the cash generated from our subsidiaries ' operations and their borrowings . our subsidiaries are not obligated to make funds available to cmi . furthermore , we must remain in compliance with the terms of our senior secured credit facilities , including the total leverage ratio and interest coverage ratio , in order to make payments on our 4.875 % senior notes or pay dividends to our stockholders . we must also comply with the terms of our indenture , which limits the amount of dividends we can pay to our stockholders . we are in compliance with our debt covenants as of december 31 , 2015. see note 10 to our consolidated financial statements for a discussion of our outstanding debt . historically , our cash flows from operating activities have generally been adequate to fund our basic operating requirements ; ongoing debt service ; and sustaining investment in property , plant and equipment . we have also used cash generated from operations to fund capital expenditures which strengthen our operational position , pay dividends , fund smaller acquisitions and repay our debt . we have been able to manage our cash flows generated and used across the company to permanently reinvest earnings in our foreign jurisdictions or efficiently repatriate those funds to the u.s. as of december 31 , 2015 , we had $ 54.4 million of cash and cash equivalents ( in the consolidated balance sheets ) that was either held directly or indirectly by foreign subsidiaries . due in large part to the seasonality of our deicing salt business , we experience large changes in our working capital requirements from quarter to quarter . typically , our consolidated working capital requirements are the highest in the fourth quarter and lowest in the replace_table_token_37_th compass minerals international , inc. 2015 form 10-k second quarter . when needed , we fund short-term working capital requirements by accessing our $ 125 million revolving line of credit ( `` revolving credit facility `` ) . due to our ability to generate adequate levels of domestic cash flow on an annual basis , it is our current intention to permanently reinvest our foreign earnings outside of the u.s. however , if we were to repatriate our foreign earnings to the u.s. , we may be required to accrue and pay u.s. taxes in accordance with the applicable u.s. tax rules and regulations as a result of the repatriation . we review our tax circumstances on a regular basis with the intent of optimizing cash accessibility and minimizing tax expense . in addition , the amount of permanently reinvested earnings is influenced by , among other things , the profits generated by our foreign subsidiaries and the amount of investment in those same subsidiaries . the profits generated by our domestic and foreign subsidiaries are , to some extent , impacted by the values charged on the transfer of our products between them . we calculate values charged on transfers based on guidelines established by a multi-national organization which publishes accepted tax guidelines recognized in all of the jurisdictions in which we operate , and those calculated values are the basis upon which our subsidiary income taxes , profits and cash flows are realized . some of our calculated values have been approved by taxing authorities for certain periods , while the values for those same periods or different periods have been challenged by the same or other taxing authorities . while we believe our calculations are proper and consistent with the accepted guidelines , we can make no assurance that the final resolution of these matters with all of the relevant taxing authorities will be consistent with our existing calculations and resulting financial statements . additionally , the timing for settling these challenges may not occur for many years . we currently expect the outcome of these matters will not have a material impact on our results of operations . however , it is possible the resolution could impact the amount of earnings attributable to our domestic and foreign subsidiaries , which could impact the amount of permanently reinvested earnings and the tax-efficient access to consolidated cash on hand in all jurisdictions , as well as future cash flows from operations . see note 8 to our consolidated financial statements for a discussion regarding our canadian tax reassessments . as part of the produquímica investment , the majority shareholders have a put option that may be exercised in october of 2016 , 2017 or 2018 to sell the remaining equity stake in produquímica . the funding and closing of the acquisition would occur early the following year , subject to regulatory review . we also have a call option that is exercisable in october 2018. the option exercise price is based on full-year ebitda at a multiple of 9.4x ( 2016 ) , 9.3x ( 2017

