CORNING INC NY

11. Employee Retirement Plans

Defined Benefit Plans

Corning has defined benefit pension plans covering certain domestic and international employees. The Company may contribute, as necessary, an amount exceeding the minimum requirements to achieve the Company’s long-term funding targets. During the year ended December 31, 2024, no voluntary cash contributions were made to domestic plans and cash contributions of $9 million were made to international pension plans. During the year ended December 31, 2023, no voluntary cash contributions were made to domestic plans and cash contributions of $25 million were made to international defined benefit plans. In 2025, the Company plans to make cash contributions of $10 million to international pension plans.

Corning offers postretirement plans that provide health care and life insurance benefits for retirees and eligible dependents. Certain employees may become eligible for such postretirement benefits upon reaching retirement age and service requirements. In 2024 and 2023, no voluntary cash contributions were made to domestic postretirement plans. For current retirees (including surviving spouses) and active employees eligible for the salaried retiree medical program, Corning has placed a “cap” on the amount to be contributed toward retiree medical coverage in the future. The cap is equal to 120% of the 2005 contributions toward retiree medical benefits. Once contributions toward salaried retiree medical costs reach this cap, impacted retirees will have to pay the excess amount in addition to their regular contributions for coverage. This cap was attained for post-65 retirees in 2008 and attained for pre-65 retirees in 2010. Furthermore, employees hired or rehired on or after January 1, 2007 will be eligible for Corning retiree medical benefits upon retirement; however, these employees will pay 100% of the cost.

Obligations and Funded Status

The following table presents the change in benefit obligation and the funded status of the defined benefit pension and post-retirement benefit plans (in millions):

(1)Other consists of domestic plan special termination benefits charge and curtailment and international plan settlements. Refer to Note 2 (Restructuring, Impairment and Other Charges and Credits) in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for more information.

Across total pension benefits, an actuarial gain of $0.1 billion was recognized in 2024 primarily due to increases in bond yields during the year, leading to domestic plan weighted-average discount rates that were 51 basis points higher than 2023, partially offset by international plan weighted-average discount rates that were 20 basis points lower than 2023. In 2023, an actuarial loss of $0.1 billion was recognized primarily due to decreases in bond yields during the year, leading to domestic and international plan weighted-average discount rates that were 34 and 16 basis points lower, respectively, than 2022. The accumulated benefit obligation for defined benefit pension plans was $3.6 billion and $3.7 billion as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, postretirement benefits actuarial gains of $32 million and $7 million, respectively, were recognized. The increase in actuarial gain recognized is primarily due to changes in weighted-average discount rates in response to bond yields during the year. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the changes in weighted-average discount rates were an increase of 42 basis points and a decrease of 34 basis points, respectively.

The following table presents information for pension plans where the projected benefit obligation or the accumulated benefit obligation exceeded the fair value of plan assets (in millions):

The following table presents the components of net periodic benefit expense (income) for employee retirement plans, which other than the service cost component is recorded in other (expense) income, net in the consolidated statements of income (in millions):

Corning uses a hypothetical yield curve and associated spot rate curve to discount the plan’s projected benefit payments. Once the present value of projected benefit payments is calculated, the suggested discount rate is equal to the level rate that results in the same present value. The yield curve is based on actual high-quality corporate bonds across the full maturity spectrum, which also includes private placements and eurobonds that are denominated in U.S. currency. The curve is developed from yields on hundreds of bonds from four grading sources, Moody’s, S&P, Fitch and the Dominion Bond Rating Service. A bond will be included if at least half of the grades from these sources are Aa, non-callable bonds. The very highest 10% yields and the lowest 40% yields are excluded from the curve to eliminate outliers in the bond population.

Mortality is one of the key assumptions used in valuing liabilities of retirement plans. It is used to assign a probability of payment for benefits that are contingent upon participants’ survival. To make this assumption, benefit plan sponsors typically use a base mortality table and an improvement scale to mortality rates for future anticipated changes to historical death rates.

Corning uses the base mortality assumption (PRI-2012 white collar table and PRI-2012 blue collar table for non-union and union participants, respectively) to value its U.S. benefit plan obligation. In addition, Corning uses the MP-2020 projection scale and the mortality assumption applied to disabled participants (PRI-2012 disabled mortality base table with future improvements using MP-2020). As the Society of Actuaries publishes additional mortality improvement scales and base mortality tables, Corning considers these revised schedules in setting its mortality assumptions.

Measurement of postretirement benefit expense is based on assumptions used to value the postretirement benefit obligation at the beginning of the year.

The following table presents the weighted-average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations:

The following table presents the weighted-average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit expense (income):

The following table presents the assumed health care trend rates:

Plan Assets

The Company’s primary objective is to ensure the plan has sufficient return on assets to fund the plan’s current and future obligations as they become due. Investments are primarily made in public securities to ensure adequate liquidity to support benefit payments. Corning has a diversification to the portfolio through the investment in domestic stocks. The target allocation range equity investment is 50% which includes large, mid and small-cap companies and investments in developed markets. The target allocation for bond investments is 50%, which includes corporate bonds. Long-duration fixed income assets are utilized to mitigate the sensitivity of funding ratios to changes in interest rates.

The following table presents the fair values of domestic defined benefit and post-retirement benefit plan assets, by asset category (in millions):

(1)This category includes venture capital, leverage buyouts and distressed debt limited partnerships invested primarily in U.S. companies. The inputs are valued by discounted cash flow analysis and comparable sale analysis.

(2)This category includes industrial, office, apartments, hotels, infrastructure and retail investments which are limited partnerships predominately in the U.S. The inputs are valued by discounted cash flow analysis; comparable sale analysis and periodic external appraisals.

The following table presents the fair values of international defined benefit plan assets, by asset category (in millions):

The following table presents the changes in the fair value of the defined benefit plans’ Level 3 assets (in millions):

Credit Risk

41% of domestic plan assets are invested in bonds with an average credit rating of AA-. These bonds are subject to both credit and default risk and changes in the risk could lead to a decline in the value of these bonds.

Liquidity Risk

Less than 1% of the domestic securities are invested in Level 3 securities. These are long-term investments in private equity and private real estate investments that may not mature or be sellable in the near-term without significant loss.

As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the amount of Corning common stock included in equity securities was not significant.

Cash Flow Data

The following table presents the gross benefit payments expected to be paid for domestic and international defined benefit pension plans and the postretirement medical and life plans (in millions):

Other Benefit Plans

Corning offers defined contribution plans covering employees meeting certain eligibility requirements. Total consolidated defined contribution plan expense was $110 million, $118 million and $117 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.