ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
The following risks could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows and, as a result, the trading price of our common stock could decline. These risk factors do not identify all risks that we face; our operations could also be affected by factors that are not presently known to us or that we currently consider to be immaterial to our operations. Due to risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, our past financial results may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods. Investors should also refer to the other information set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and our Consolidated Financial Statements including the related Notes. Investors should carefully consider all risks, including those disclosed here, before making an investment decision.
Technology & Data Security Risks
Loss, corruption and misappropriation of data and information relating to clients and others
Many of our products, as well as our internal systems and processes, involve the collection, retrieval, processing, storage and transmission through a variety of media channels of our own, as well as supplier and customer, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. We rely on, and continuously invest in, a complex system of internal processes and controls, along with policies, procedures and training, designed to protect data that we receive in the ordinary course of business, including information from client portfolios and strategies. However, these measures do not guarantee security, and improper access to or release of confidential information may still occur through, for example, employee error or malfeasance, system error, other inadvertent release, failure to properly purge and protect data, or cybersecurity threats or attacks. Additionally, the maintenance and enhancement of our systems may not be completely effective in preventing loss, unauthorized access or misappropriation. Data misappropriation, unauthorized access or data loss could instill a lack of confidence in our products and systems and damage our brand, reputation and business. Breaches of security measures could expose us, our clients or the individuals affected to a risk of loss or misuse of this information, potentially resulting in litigation and liability for us, as well as the loss of existing or potential clients and suppliers. Many jurisdictions in which we operate have laws and regulations relating to data privacy and protection of personal information, including, for example, the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, an increasing number of U.S. state laws, such as California's Consumer Privacy Act and Connecticut's Personal Data Privacy and Online Monitoring Act, China's Personal Information Protection Law, and India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act. These laws contain requirements regarding the handling of personal and sensitive data, including our use, protection and the ability of persons whose data is stored to correct or delete such data about themselves. The law in this area continues to develop and the changing nature of these laws could impact our processing and cross-border transfer of personal and sensitive information related to our content, operations, employees, clients, suppliers and others, and may expose us to claims of violations.
Successful access to prohibited data and other cyber-attacks and the failure of cyber-security systems and procedures
In providing our digital-enabled services to clients, we rely on information technology infrastructure that is managed internally along with placing reliance on third-party service providers for critical functions. We and these third-party service providers are subject to the risks of system failures and security breaches, including cyber-attacks (such as those sponsored by nation-states, terrorist organizations, or global corporations seeking to illicitly obtain technology or other intellectual property and those accomplished by phishing scams, hacking, viruses, denials of service attacks, tampering, intrusions, physical break-ins, ransomware and malware), as well as employee errors or malfeasance. In some cases, these risks might be heightened when employees are working remotely. Our and our vendors' use of mobile and cloud technologies may increase our risk for such threats. Our protective systems and procedures and those of third parties to which we are connected, such as cloud computing providers, may not be effective against these threats. Our information technology systems must be constantly updated and patched to protect against known vulnerabilities and to optimize performance.
While we have dedicated resources responsible for maintaining appropriate levels of cybersecurity and implemented systems and processes intended to help identify cyberattacks and protect and remediate our network infrastructure, we are aware that these attacks have become increasingly frequent, sophisticated, and difficult to detect and, as a result, we may not be able to anticipate, prevent or detect all such attacks. We also may be impacted by a cyberattack targeting one of our vendors or within our technology supply chain or infrastructure. Our contracts with service providers typically require them to implement and maintain adequate security controls, but we may not have the ability to effectively monitor these security measures. As a result, inadequacies of the third-party security technologies and practices may not be detected until after a security breach has occurred. These risks may be heightened in connection with employees working from remote work environments, as our dependency on certain service providers, such as video conferencing and web conferencing services, has significantly increased. In addition, to access our network, products and services, customers and other third parties may use personal mobile devices or computing devices that are outside of our network environment and are subject to their own security risk.
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We could suffer significant damage to our brand and reputation: if a cyber-attack or other security incident were to allow unauthorized access to, or modification of, clients’ or suppliers’ data, other external data, internal data or information technology systems; if the services provided to clients were disrupted; or if products or services were perceived as having security vulnerabilities. The costs we would incur to address and resolve these security incidents would increase our expenses. These types of security incidents could also lead to lawsuits, regulatory investigations and claims, loss of business and increased legal liability. Cyberattacks, security breaches or third-party reports of perceived security vulnerability to our systems, even if no breach has occurred, also could damage our brand and reputation, result in litigation, regulatory actions, loss of client confidence and increased legal liability. We also make acquisitions periodically. While significant effort is placed on addressing information technology security issues with respect to the acquired companies, we may inherit such risks when these acquisitions are integrated into our infrastructure. While we maintain insurance coverage that is intended to address certain aspects of cybersecurity and data protection risks, such coverage may not include, or may not be sufficient to cover, all or the majority of the costs, losses or types of claims.
A prolonged or recurring outage at our data centers and other business continuity disruptions at facilities could result in reduced service and the loss of clients
Our clients rely on us for the delivery of time-sensitive, up-to-date data and applications. Our business is dependent on our ability to process substantial volumes of data and transactions rapidly and efficiently on our computer-based networks, database storage facilities, and other network infrastructure, which are located across multiple facilities globally. If we experience significant growth of our customer base or increases in the number of products or services or in the speed at which we are required to provide products and services, it may strain our systems. Additionally, our systems and networks may become strained due to aging or end-of-life technology that we have not yet updated or replaced.
Our computer operations, as well as our other business centers, and those of our suppliers and clients, may be vulnerable to interruption by fire, natural disaster, extreme weather or climate conditions, power loss, telecommunications failures, terrorist attacks, acts of war or civil unrest, internet failures, computer viruses or security breaches, employee or systems errors, and other events beyond our reasonable control. In addition, in the remote work environments, the daily activities and productivity of our workforce is now more closely tied to key vendors, such as video conferencing services, consistently delivering their services without material disruption. Our ability to deliver information using the internet and to operate in a remote working environment may be impaired because of infrastructure failures, service outages at third-party internet providers, malicious attacks, or other factors.
We also currently use multiple providers of cloud services; however, one supplier provided the majority of our cloud computing support for fiscal 2023. While we believe this provider to be reliable, we have limited control over its performance, and a disruption or loss of service from this provider could impair our system's operation and our ability to operate for a period of time. We maintain back-up facilities and certain other redundancies for each of our major data centers to minimize the risk that any such event will disrupt those operations. However, a loss of our services involving our significant facilities may materially disrupt our business and may induce our clients to seek alternative data suppliers. Any such losses or damages we incur could have a material adverse effect on our business. Although we seek to minimize these risks through security measures, controls, back-up data centers and emergency planning, there can be no assurance that such efforts will be successful or effective. Additionally, we may also face significant increases in our use of power and data storage and may experience a shortage of capacity and increased costs associated with such usage.
Transition to new technologies, applications and processes could expose us to unanticipated disruptions
The technology landscape is constantly evolving. To remain competitive, we must adapt and migrate to new technologies, applications and processes. Use of more advanced technologies and infrastructure is critical to the development of our products and services, the scaling of our business for future growth, and the accurate maintenance of our data and operations. The implementation of new technologies and infrastructure, such as migration to new cloud-based systems, is complex and can involve substantial expenditures as well as risks inherent in the conversion to any new system, including potential loss of information and disruption to operations. We may experience unanticipated interruption and delay in the performance and delivery of certain of our products and services. Certain of our technologies are also dependent upon third-party providers to maintain adequate systems to protect the security of our confidential information and data. Failure by our providers to maintain appropriate security could result in unauthorized access to our systems or a network disruption that could further lead to improper disclosure of confidential information or data, regulatory penalties and remedial costs. Any disruption to either the provider’s systems or the communication links between us and the provider could negatively affect our ability to operate our data systems and could impair our ability to provide services to our clients. If the services to our clients are disrupted, or if there is unauthorized access to the confidential information of our clients or our vendors, we could suffer significant damage to our brand and reputation and lose clients. We also may incur increased operating expenses to recover data, repair or remediate systems, equipment or facilities, and to protect ourselves from such disruptions. As we increase our reliance on third-party
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systems, our exposure to damages from services disruptions may increase, and we may incur additional costs to remedy damages caused by these disruptions.
Use of open source software could introduce security vulnerabilities, impose unanticipated restrictions on our ability to commercialize our products and services, and subject us to increased costs
We use open source code in our software development and incorporate it into our products and internal systems. The use of open source code may entail greater risks than the use of third-party commercial software. Open source licensors generally do not provide warranties or other contractual protections regarding infringement claims or the quality or security of the code. Some open source licenses provide that if we combine our proprietary applications with the open source software in a certain manner, we could be required to release the source code of our proprietary applications to the public. This would allow our competitors to create similar products with less development effort and time and ultimately put us at a competitive disadvantage. We have implemented procedures to control the use of open source code so as to mitigate this risk; however, the terms of many open source licenses are also ambiguous and have not been interpreted by U.S. or other courts. Therefore, there is a risk that our internal procedures controlling the use of open source code could fail, or that the licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or restrictions on us. If any of this were to occur, we could be required to seek alternative third-party licenses at increased costs or reduced scope, to re-engineer products or systems, or potentially to discontinue the licensing of certain products. Any remedial actions could divert resources away from our development efforts, be time intensive and have a significant cost.
Our use of artificial intelligence technologies may not be successful and may present business, compliance, and reputational risks
We use, and will expand our use of, machine learning and artificial intelligence ("AI") technologies in some of our products and processes. If we fail to keep pace with rapidly evolving AI technological developments, our competitive position and business results may be negatively impacted. Our use of AI technologies will require resources to develop, test and maintain such products, which could be costly. Third parties may be able to use AI to create technology that could reduce demand for our products. In addition, the introduction of AI technologies, particularly generative AI, into new or existing offerings may result in new or expanded risks and liabilities, due to enhanced governmental or regulatory scrutiny, litigation, compliance issues, ethical concerns, confidentiality, data privacy or security risks, as well as other factors that could adversely affect our business, reputation, and financial results. For example, use of AI technologies could lead to unintended consequences, such as accuracy issues, cybersecurity risks, unintended biases, and discriminatory outputs, could impact our ability to protect our data, intellectual property, and client information, or could expose us to intellectual property claims by third parties.
Strategy & Market Demand Risks
Competition in our industry may cause price reductions or loss of market share
We continue to experience intense competition across all markets for our products, with competitors ranging in size from smaller, highly specialized, single-product businesses to multi-billion-dollar companies. While we believe the breadth and depth of our suite of products and applications offer benefits to our clients that are a competitive advantage, our competitors may offer price incentives to attract new business. Future competitive pricing pressures may result in decreased sales volumes and price reductions, resulting in lower revenues and ASV. Weak economic conditions may also result in clients seeking to utilize lower-cost information that is available from alternative sources. The impact of cost-cutting pressures across the industries we serve could lower demand for our products. Clients within the financial services industry that strive to reduce their operating costs may seek to reduce their spending on financial market data and related services, such as ours. If our clients consolidate their spending with fewer suppliers, by selecting suppliers with lower-cost offerings or by self-sourcing their needs for financial market data, our business could be negatively affected.
The continued shift from active to passive investing could negatively impact user count growth and revenues
The predominant investment strategy today is still active investing, which attempts to outperform the market. The main advantage of active management is the expectation that the investment managers will be able to outperform market indices. They make informed investment decisions based on their experiences, insights, knowledge and ability to identify opportunities that can translate into superior performance. The main advantage of passive investing is that it closely matches the performance of market indices. Passive investing requires little decision-making by investment managers and low operating costs which result in lower fees for the investor. A continued shift to passive investing, resulting in an increased outflow to passively managed index funds, could reduce demand for the services of active investment managers and consequently, the demand of our clients for our services.
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A decline in equity and/or fixed income returns may impact the buying power of investment management clients
The majority of our ASV is derived from our investment management clients, and the profitability and management fees of many of these clients are tied to assets under management. An equity market decline not only depresses the value of assets under management but also could cause a significant increase in redemption requests from our clients’ customers, further reducing their assets under management. Reduced client profits and management fees may cause our clients to cut costs. Moreover, extended declines in the equity and fixed income markets may reduce new fund or client creation. Each of these developments may result in lower demand from investment managers for our services and workstations, which could negatively affect our business.
Uncertainty or downturns in the global economy and consolidation in the financial services industry may cause us to lose clients and users
Many of our clients are asset and wealth managers, investment and commercial bankers, hedge funds, private equity and venture capital professionals, and other financial services entities. Uncertainty or downturns in the global economy or a lack of confidence in the global financial system could negatively impact our clients, which could cause a corresponding negative impact on our business results. Mergers, consolidation or contraction of our clients in the financial services industry also could directly impact the number of clients, prospective clients and users of our products and services. If our clients merge with or are acquired by other entities that are not our clients, or that use fewer of our products and services, they may discontinue or reduce their use of our products and services. Thus, economic uncertainty, economic downturns, lack of confidence in the global financial system, and consolidation in this sector could adversely affect our business, financial results and future growth.
Volatility or downturns in the financial markets may delay the spending pattern of clients and reduce future ASV growth
The decision on the part of large institutional clients to purchase our services often requires management-level sponsorship and typically depends upon the size of the client, with larger clients having more complex and time-consuming purchasing processes. The process is also influenced by market volatility and market downturns. These characteristics often lead us to engage in relatively lengthy sales efforts. Purchases (and incremental ASV) may therefore be delayed as uncertainties or downturns in the financial markets may cause clients to remain cautious about capital and data content expenditures, particularly in uncertain economic environments. Market volatility or market downturns may curtail our client's spending and lead them to delay or defer purchasing decisions or product service implementations, or cause them to cancel or reduce their spending with us, which could negatively impact our revenues and future growth.
Failure to develop and market new products and enhancements that maintain our technological and competitive position and failure to anticipate and respond to changes in the marketplace for our products and customer demands
The market for our products is characterized by rapid technological change, including methods and speed of delivery, changes in client demands, development of new investment instruments and evolving industry standards. The direction of these trends can render our existing products less competitive, obsolete or unmarketable. As a result, our future success will continue to depend upon our ability to identify and develop new products and enhancements that address the future needs of our target markets and to respond to their changing standards and practices. We may not be successful in developing, introducing, marketing, licensing and implementing new products and enhancements on a timely and cost-effective basis or without impacting the stability and efficiency of existing products and customer systems. Further, any new products and enhancements may not adequately meet the requirements of the marketplace or achieve market acceptance. We must make long-term investments and commit significant resources before knowing whether these investments will eventually result in products and services that satisfy our clients' needs and generate revenues required to provide the desired results. Our failure or inability to anticipate and respond to changes in the marketplace, including competitor and supplier developments, may also adversely affect our business, operations and growth.
Errors or defects can exist at any point in a product's life cycle, but are more frequently found after the introduction of new products or enhancements to existing products. Despite internal testing and testing by clients, our products may contain errors. We may also experience delays while developing and introducing new products for various reasons, such as difficulties in licensing data inputs. Defects, errors, or delays in our products that are significant, or are perceived to be significant, could result in rejection or delay in market acceptance, damage to our reputation, loss of revenues, lower rate of license renewals or upgrades, diversion of development resources, product liability claims or regulatory actions, or increases in service and support costs.
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We have provisions in our client contracts to limit our exposure to potential liability claims brought by clients based on the use of our products or services or our delay or failure to provide services. Contracts with customers also increasingly include service level requirements and audit rights to review our security. Many of our customers in the financial services sector are also subject to regulations and requirements to adopt risk management processes commensurate with the level of risk and complexity of their third-party relationships, and provide rigorous oversight of relationships that involve certain "critical activities," some of which may be deemed to be provided by us. Any failure on our part to comply with the specific provisions in customer contracts could result in the imposition of various penalties, which may include termination of contracts, service credits, suspension of payments, contractual penalties, adverse monetary judgments, and, in the case of government contracts, suspension from future government contracting. Even if the outcome of any claims brought against us were ultimately favorable, such a claim would require the time and attention of our management, personnel, as well as financial and other resources and potentially pose a significant disruption to our normal business operations.
Failure to identify, integrate, or realize anticipated benefits of acquisitions and strains on resources as a result of growth
There can be no assurance that we will be able to identify suitable candidates for successful acquisition at acceptable prices. Additionally, there may be integration risks or other risks resulting from acquired businesses, including our acquisition of CGS during fiscal 2022. Our ability to achieve the expected returns and synergies from past and future acquisitions and alliances depends in part upon our ability to integrate the offerings, technology, sales, administrative functions and personnel of these businesses effectively into our core business. We cannot guarantee that our acquired businesses will perform at the levels anticipated. In addition, past and future acquisitions may subject us to unanticipated risks or liabilities or disrupt operations.
Growth, such as the addition of new clients and acquisitions, puts demands on our resources, including our internal systems and infrastructure. These may require improvements or replacement to meet the additional demands of a larger organization. Further, the addition of new clients and the implementation of such improvements would require additional management time and resources. These needs may result in increased costs that could negatively impact results of operations. Failure to implement needed improvements, such as improved scalability, could result in a deterioration in the performance of our internal systems and negatively impact the performance of our business.
Failure to maintain reputation
We enjoy a positive reputation in the marketplace. Our ability to attract and retain clients and employees is affected by external perceptions of our brand and reputation. Reputational damage from negative perceptions or publicity, including without limitation market perception of our sustainability and corporate responsibility policies and practices, could affect our ability to attract and retain clients and employees and our ability to maintain our pricing for our products. Although we monitor developments for areas of potential risk to our reputation and brand, negative perceptions or publicity could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.
Operational Risks
Operations outside the United States involve additional requirements and burdens that we may not be able to control or manage successfully
In fiscal 2023, approximately 39% of our revenues related to operations located outside the U.S. In addition, approximately 80% of our employees are located in offices outside the U.S. We expect our growth to continue outside the U.S. Our non-U.S. operations involve risks that differ from or are in addition to those faced by our U.S. operations. These risks include difficulties in developing products, services and technology tailored to the needs of non-U.S. clients, including in emerging markets; different employment laws and rules; rising labor costs in lower-wage countries; difficulties in staffing and managing personnel that are located outside the U.S.; different regulatory, legal and compliance requirements, including in the areas of privacy and data protection, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, trade sanctions and restraints and currency controls, marketing and sales and other barriers to conducting business; social and cultural differences, such as language; diverse or less stable political, operating and economic environments and market fluctuations; civil disturbances or other catastrophic events that reduce business activity, including the risk that the current conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and in the Middle East expand in a way that impacts our business and operations; limited recognition of our brand and intellectual property protection; differing accounting principles and standards; restrictions on or adverse tax consequences from entity management efforts; and changes in U.S. or foreign tax laws. If we are not able to adapt efficiently or manage the business effectively in markets outside the U.S., our business prospects and operating results could be materially and adversely affected.
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Failure to enter into, renew or comply with contracts supplying new and existing data sets or products on competitive terms
We collect and aggregate third-party content from data suppliers, news sources, exchanges, brokers and contributors into our own dedicated managed databases, which clients access to perform their analyses. We combine the data from these sources into our own dedicated databases. Clients have access to the data and content found within our databases. These databases are important to our operations as they provide clients with key information. We have entered into third-party content agreements of varying lengths, which in some cases can be terminated on one year’s notice at predefined dates, and in other cases on shorter notice. Some of our content provider agreements are with competitors, who may attempt to make renewals difficult or expensive. We seek to maintain favorable contractual relationships with our data suppliers, including those that are also competitors. However, we cannot control the actions and policies of our data suppliers and we may have data suppliers who provide us with notice of termination, or exclude or restrict us from use of their content, or only license such content at prohibitive cost. Additionally, despite our efforts to comply with our third-party data supplier agreements, there can be no assurances that third parties may not challenge our use of their content, which could result in increased licensing costs, loss of rights, and costly legal actions. Certain data sets that we rely on have a limited number of suppliers, although we make every effort to assure that, where reasonable, alternative sources are available. We are not dependent on any one third-party data supplier to meet the needs of our clients, with only two data suppliers each representing more than 10% of our total data costs for fiscal 2023. Our failure to be able to maintain our supplier relationships, or the failure of our suppliers to deliver accurate data or in a timely manner, or the occurrence of a dispute with a vendor over use of their content, could increase our costs and reduce the type of content and products available to our clients, which could harm our reputation in the marketplace and adversely affect our business.
Increased accessibility to free or relatively inexpensive information sources may reduce demand for our products
Each year, an increasing amount of free or relatively inexpensive information becomes available, particularly through the internet, and this trend may continue. The availability of free or relatively inexpensive information may reduce demand for our products. While we believe our service offering is distinguished by such factors as customization, timeliness, accuracy, ease-of-use, completeness and other value-added factors, if users choose to obtain the information they need from public or other sources, our business, results of operations, and cash flows could be adversely affected.
Inability to hire and retain key qualified personnel
Our business is based on successfully attracting, motivating and retaining talented and diverse employees. Creating a diverse and inclusive environment that promotes empowerment and engagement is key to our ability to attract, retain, and develop talent. Competition for talent, especially engineering personnel, is strong. We need technical resources such as engineers to help develop new products and enhance existing services. We rely upon sales personnel to sell our products and services and maintain healthy business relationships. Our future success also is dependent on the continued service and performance of the members of our senior leadership team. All of these personnel possess business and technical capabilities that are difficult to replace. If we are unsuccessful in our recruiting efforts, or if we are unable to retain key employees, our ability to develop and deliver successful products and services may be negatively affected and could have a material, adverse effect on our business.
Pandemics and other global public health epidemics may adversely impact our business, our future results of operations and our overall financial performance
Our business could be materially and adversely affected by the risk, or the public perception of risk, related to a pandemic or widespread health crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant outbreak, epidemic or pandemic of contagious diseases in the human population could result in a widespread health crisis adversely affecting the broader economies, financial markets and overall demand for our products. In addition, any preventative or protective actions that governments implement or that we take in respect of a global health crisis, such as travel restrictions, quarantines or site closures, may interfere with the ability of our employees, vendors, and data suppliers to perform their respective responsibilities and obligations relative to the conduct of our business, including our ability to gather content. Such results could have a material adverse effect on our operations, business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
Legal & Regulatory Risks
Legislative and regulatory changes in the environments in which we and our clients operate
As a business, we are subject to numerous laws and regulations in the U.S. and in the other countries in which we operate. These laws, rules, and regulations, and their interpretations, may conflict or change in the future, and compliance with these changes may increase our costs or cause us to make changes in or otherwise limit our business practices. In addition, the global nature and scope of our business operations make it more difficult to monitor areas that may be subject to regulatory and
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compliance risk. If we fail to comply with any applicable law, rule, or regulation, we could be subject to claims and fines and suffer reputational damage. Uncertainty caused by political change globally, and complex relationships across countries, including the U.S. and nations in Europe and Asia, heightens the risk of regulatory uncertainty.
Many of our clients operate within a highly regulated environment and must comply with governmental legislation and regulations. The U.S. regulators have increased their focus on the regulation of the financial services industry. Increased regulation of our clients may increase their expenses, causing them to seek to limit or reduce their costs from outside services such as ours. Additionally, if our clients are subjected to investigations or legal proceedings they may be adversely impacted, possibly leading to their liquidation, bankruptcy, receivership, reduction in assets under management, or diminished operations, which would adversely affect our revenues.
Some recent legislative and regulatory changes that we believe might materially impact us and our clients include: (a) in the European Union ("EU") and the United Kingdom ("UK"), the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (recast) ("MiFID II"), which became effective in January 2018, may adversely affect demand for our services; (b) in the UK, the uncertainty surrounding the UK and EU regulatory frameworks following the UK's departure from the EU in January 2020 ("Brexit"), including the Financial Services and Markets Bill, may negatively impact our revenues or growth; and (c) evolving laws, rules and regulations in a variety of jurisdictions around such areas as climate, data privacy, cybersecurity, and data protection.
Adverse resolution of litigation or governmental investigations
We are party to lawsuits in the normal course of our business. Litigation and governmental investigations can be expensive, lengthy and disruptive to normal business operations. Moreover, the results of complex legal proceedings are difficult to predict. Unfavorable resolution of lawsuits could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition. For additional information regarding legal matters, see Item 3. Legal Proceedings, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Third parties may claim we infringe upon their intellectual property rights or they may infringe upon our intellectual property rights
We may receive notice from others claiming that we have infringed upon their intellectual property rights. Responding to these claims may require us to enter into royalty and licensing agreements on unfavorable terms, incur litigation costs, enter into settlements, stop selling or redesign affected products, or pay damages and satisfy indemnification commitments with our clients or suppliers under contractual provisions of various license arrangements. Additionally, third parties may copy, infringe or otherwise profit from the unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights, requiring us to litigate to protect our rights. Certain countries may not offer adequate protection of proprietary rights. If we are required to defend ourselves or assert our rights or take such actions mentioned, our operating margins may decline as a result. We have incurred, and expect to continue to incur, expenditures to acquire the use of technology and intellectual property rights as part of our strategy to manage this risk.
Additional cost due to tax assessments resulting from ongoing and future audits by tax authorities as well as changes in tax laws
In the ordinary course of business, we are subject to changes in tax laws as well as tax examinations by various governmental tax authorities. The global and diverse nature of our business means that there could be additional examinations by governmental tax authorities and the resolution of ongoing and other probable audits which could impose a future risk to the results of our business. In August 2019, July 2021 and December 2022, we received Notices of Intent to Assess (the "Notices") additional sales/use taxes, interest and underpayment penalties from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Revenue relating to prior tax periods. We requested pre-assessment conferences with the Department of Revenue's Office of Appeals to appeal the Notices and in May 2023 we received a Letter of Determination from the Commonwealth upholding the Notices, along with a Notice of Assessment for all the periods covered by the Notices. On June 22, 2023, we filed an Application for Abatement with the Commonwealth disputing all amounts assessed, which was subsequently denied. We are filing petitions with the Appellate Tax Board to appeal all amounts assessed by the Commonwealth and believe that we will ultimately prevail; however, if we do not prevail the amount of these assessments could have a material impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
As of August 31, 2023, we have concluded that some payment to the Commonwealth is probable. We have recorded an accrual which is not material to our consolidated financial statements. While we believe that the assumptions and estimates used to determine the accrual are reasonable, future developments could result in adjustments being made to this accrual.
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Changes in tax laws or the terms of tax treaties in a jurisdiction where we are subject to tax could have an impact on our taxes payable. In addition, as a global taxpayer, we face challenges due to increasing complexities in accounting for taxes in a variety of jurisdictions, which could impact our tax obligations and effective tax rate.
Financial Market Risks
Exposure to fluctuations in currency exchange rates and the failure of hedging arrangements
Due to the global nature of our operations, we conduct business outside the U.S. in several currencies. Our primary currency exposures include the Indian Rupee, Euro, British Pound Sterling and Philippine Peso. To the extent our international activities increase in the future, our exposure to fluctuations in currency exchange rates may increase as well. To manage this exposure, we utilize derivative instruments, namely foreign currency forward contracts. By their nature, all derivative instruments involve elements of market and credit risk. The market risk associated with these instruments resulting from currency exchange movements is expected to offset the market risk of the underlying transactions, assets and liabilities being hedged. Credit risk is managed through the continuous monitoring of exposure to the counterparties associated with these instruments. Our primary objective in holding derivatives is to reduce the volatility of earnings with changes in foreign currency. Although we believe that our foreign exchange hedging policies are reasonable and prudent under the circumstances, our attempt to hedge against these risks may not be successful, which could cause an adverse impact on both our results of operations and cash flows.
Business performance may not be sufficient to meet financial guidance or publicly disclosed long-term targets
We provide public, full-year financial guidance based upon assumptions regarding our expected financial performance, including our ability to grow revenues and organic ASV plus professional services, to meet our planned expenses and maintain a certain tax rate, and our ability to achieve our profitability targets. We can provide no assurances that we will be able to maintain the levels of growth and profitability that we have experienced in the past, or that our growth strategies will be successful. If we are unable to successfully execute on our strategies to achieve our growth objectives and retain our existing clients, or if we experience higher than expected operating costs or taxes, we risk not meeting our full-year financial guidance or may find it necessary to revise such guidance during the year.
Economic, political and market forces beyond our control could adversely affect our business.
Our costs and the demand for our products may be impacted by domestic and international factors that are beyond our control. Negative conditions in the general economy in either the United States or abroad, including conditions resulting from financial and credit market fluctuations, changes in economic policy, inflation rate fluctuations and trade uncertainty, including changes in tariffs, sanctions, international treaties and other trade restrictions, or other geopolitical events, such as the ongoing military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East, could result in an increase in our costs and/or a reduction in demand for our products, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Risks Relating to Our Debt
Our indebtedness may impair our financial condition and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under the Senior Notes and our other debt instruments
As of August 31, 2023, our total outstanding principal amount of debt was $1.6 billion, none of which is secured. This includes our obligations under the Senior Notes and the 2022 Credit Facilities. Under the 2022 Revolving Facility, we have $250.0 million of unused commitments and an option to increase the size of the facility by an additional $750.0 million. Refer to Note 12, Debt in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for definitions of these terms and more information on the Senior Notes, 2022 Credit Facilities and 2019 Revolving Credit Facility.
Our indebtedness could have important consequences to investors, including:
a.making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations;
b.limiting our ability to borrow additional amounts to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our growth strategy and other purposes;
c.requiring us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations to pay interest on our debt and scheduled amortization on the 2022 Term Facility, which would reduce availability of our cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, execution of our strategy and other general corporate purposes;
d.making us more vulnerable to adverse changes in general economic, industry and government regulations and in our business by limiting our flexibility in planning for, and making it more difficult for us to react quickly to, changing conditions;
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e.placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared with those of our competitors that have less debt; and
f.exposing us to risks inherent in interest rate fluctuations because some of our borrowings are at variable rates of interest, which could result in higher interest expense in the event of increases in market interest rates.
In addition, we may not be able to generate sufficient cash flows from our operations to repay our indebtedness when it becomes due and to meet our other cash needs. If we are not able to pay our debts as they become due, we will be required to pursue one or more alternative strategies, such as selling assets, refinancing or restructuring our indebtedness or selling additional debt or equity securities. We may not be able to refinance our debt or sell additional debt or equity securities or our assets on favorable terms, if at all, and if we must sell our assets, it may negatively affect our ability to generate revenues.
Despite current indebtedness levels, we may still incur more debt. The incurrence of additional debt could further exacerbate the risks associated with our indebtedness
Subject to certain limitations, the 2022 Credit Agreement and the indenture governing the Senior Notes permit us and our subsidiaries to incur additional debt. If new debt is added to our or any such subsidiary’s current debt levels, the risks described above in the previous risk factor could intensify.
The restrictive covenants in our debt may affect our ability to operate our business successfully
The 2022 Credit Agreement contains, and our future debt instruments may contain, various provisions that limit our ability to, among other things: incur liens; incur additional indebtedness, guarantees or other contingent obligations; enter into sale and leaseback transactions; engage in mergers and consolidations; make investments and acquisitions; change the nature of our business; and make sales, transfers and other dispositions of property and assets. The indenture governing the Senior Notes also contains various provisions that limit our ability to, among other things: incur liens; enter into sale and leaseback transactions; engage in mergers and consolidations; and make sales, transfers and other dispositions of property and assets. These covenants could adversely affect our ability to finance our future operations or capital needs and pursue available business opportunities.
In addition, the 2022 Credit Agreement requires us to maintain specified financial ratios and satisfy certain financial condition tests. Events beyond our control, including changes in general economic and business conditions, may affect our ability to meet those financial ratios and financial condition tests. There can be no assurance that we will meet those tests or that the lenders will waive any failure to meet those tests. A breach of any of these covenants or any other restrictive covenants contained in the definitive documentation governing our indebtedness would result in a default or an event of default. If an event of default in respect of any of our indebtedness occurs, the holders of the affected indebtedness could declare all amounts outstanding, together with accrued interest, to be immediately due and payable, which, in turn, could cause the default and acceleration of the maturity of our other indebtedness. We expect we will be permitted to incur substantial amounts of secured debt under the covenants in the indenture governing the Senior Notes and the 2022 Credit Facilities. If, upon an acceleration, we were unable to pay amounts owed in respect of any such indebtedness secured by liens on our assets, then the lenders of such indebtedness could proceed against the collateral pledged to them.
Certain of our borrowings and other obligations are based upon variable rates of interest, which could result in higher expense in the event of increases in interest rates
The 2022 Credit Agreement provides that (i) loans denominated in U.S. dollars, at our option, will bear interest at either the one-month Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") (with a 0.1% credit spread adjustment and subject to a "zero" floor), (ii) the Daily Simple SOFR (with a 0.1% credit spread adjustment and subject to a "zero" floor) or (iii) an alternate base rate. Under the 2022 Credit Agreement, loans denominated in Pounds Sterling will bear interest at the Daily Simple Sterling Overnight Index Average ("SONIA") (subject to a "zero" floor) and loans denominated in Euros will bear interest at the Euro Interbank Offered Rate ("EURIBOR") (subject to a "zero" floor), in each case, plus an applicable interest rate margin. The interest rate margin will fluctuate based upon our senior unsecured non-credit enhanced long-term debt rating and our total leverage ratio. An increase in the alternate base rate, Term SOFR, Daily Simple SOFR, SONIA or EURIBOR would increase our interest payment obligations under the 2022 Credit Facilities and could have a negative effect on our cash flow and financial condition.
To mitigate this exposure, on March 1, 2022, we entered into an interest rate swap agreement to hedge the variable interest rate obligation on a portion of our outstanding balance under the 2022 Credit Facilities. However, as the interest rate swap agreement covers only a portion of our outstanding balance under the 2022 Credit Facilities, a substantial portion of our outstanding balance under the 2022 Credit Facilities continues to be exposed to interest rate volatility. An increase in the applicable rates would increase our interest payment obligations under the 2022 Credit Facilities and could have a negative effect on our cash flow and financial condition.
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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
FactSet’s information security program is managed by a dedicated Chief Information Security Officer (“CISO”), whose team is responsible for leading enterprise-wide cybersecurity strategy, policy, standards, architecture, and processes. The CISO provides periodic reports to our Board of Directors (the “Board”), as well as our Chief Executive Officer and other members of our senior management as appropriate. These reports include updates on the Company’s cyber risks and threats, the status of projects to strengthen our information security systems, assessments of the information security program, and the emerging threat landscape. Our program is regularly evaluated by internal and external experts with the results of those reviews reported to senior management and the Board. We also actively engage with key vendors, industry participants, and intelligence and law enforcement communities as part of our continuing efforts to evaluate and enhance the effectiveness of our information security policies and procedures.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
As of August 31, 2023, we leased 34 offices worldwide, including our corporate headquarters located at 45 Glover Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut, where we occupy 91,718 square feet of office space. Our leased office space also includes our data content collection offices located in India, the Philippines and Latvia and our data centers that support our technological infrastructure located in New Jersey and Virginia.
Refer to the table set forth below for the listing of our leased office space by geographic location. The listing excludes any office locations that we have fully vacated during fiscal 2022 and 2023 in advance of their original lease expiration dates. We vacated certain leased office space to resize our real estate footprint for our hybrid work environment. We believe the amount of leased space as of August 31, 2023 is adequate for our current business needs. We regularly review our real estate footprint to best support our operations and should our real estate needs increase, we believe additional space will be available.
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Segment Leased Location
Americas Austin, Texas
Boston, Massachusetts
Charlotte, North Carolina
Chicago, Illinois
Lakewood, Colorado
Los Angeles, California
New York, New York
Norwalk, Connecticut
Piscataway, New Jersey
Reston, Virginia
San Francisco, California
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Toronto, Canada
Youngstown, Ohio
EMEA Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Frankfurt, Germany
Gothenburg, Sweden
London, England
Milan, Italy
Paris, France
Riga, Latvia
Sofia, Bulgaria
Stockholm, Sweden
Asia Pacific Hong Kong SAR, China
Hyderabad, India
Manila, the Philippines
Melbourne, Australia
Mumbai, India
Shanghai, China
Singapore
Sydney, Australia
Tokyo, Japan
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time to time, we are subject to legal proceedings, claims and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. Based on currently available information, our management does not believe that the ultimate outcome of these unresolved matters against us, individually or in the aggregate, is likely to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, annual results of operations and cash flows. However, these matters are subject to inherent uncertainties and management’s view of these matters may change in the future. Refer to Note 13, Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for more information on contingent matters.
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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
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Part II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information
Our common stock is listed on the NYSE and NASDAQ under the symbol "FDS".
Holdersof Record – As of October 20, 2023, we had approximately 2,093 holders of record of our common stock. However, because many of our shares of common stock are held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of stockholders, we are unable to estimate the total number of stockholders represented by these record holders.
Dividends - We paid four quarterly dividends during fiscal 2023. In the third quarter of fiscal 2023, we increased our quarterly cash dividend from $0.89 cents per share to $0.98 cents per share. Future dividend payments will depend on our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors we consider relevant, and is subject to final determination by our Board of Directors. Refer to Note 14, Stockholders' Equity, in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information on our dividends.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
There were no sales of unregistered equity securities during fiscal 2023.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
The following table provides a month-to-month summary of the share repurchase activity during the three months ended August 31, 2023:
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
(1)Includes 264,400 shares repurchased under the existing stock repurchase program, as well as 3,492 shares repurchased to satisfy withholding tax obligations due upon the vesting of stock-based awards.
(2)As of August 31, 2023, we had $4.5 million authorized under our share repurchase program for future share repurchases, which was not available for use after August 31, 2023. On June 20, 2023, our Board of Directors authorized up to $300 million for share repurchases on or after September 1, 2023. Repurchases may be made from time-to-time in the open market and via privately negotiated transactions, subject to market conditions. There is no defined number of shares to be repurchased over a specified timeframe through the life of our share repurchase program. It is expected that share repurchases will be paid using existing and future cash generated by operations. Refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Liquidity and Capital Resources, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion on our share repurchase program.
Trading Arrangements
On August 11, 2023, we entered into an agreement to adopt a trading arrangement for the repurchase of shares of our common stock in the open market consistent with the provisions of Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The arrangement provides for the repurchase of up to $250 million of our common stock during the period from September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2024 pursuant to a written algorithm for determining the amount, price and date for purchase of shares of our common stock.
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
Refer to Part III, Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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StockPerformanceGraph
The annual changes for the five-year period shown in the graph below assume $100 had been invested in our common stock, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, the Dow Jones U.S. Financial Services Index and the S&P 500 Financial Exchange and Data Index on August 31, 2018.
The total cumulative dollar returns shown on the graph represent the value that such investments would have had on August 31, 2023. Stockholder returns over the indicated period are based on historical data and should not be considered indicative of future stockholder returns.
The information contained in the above graph shall not be deemed to be soliciting material or filed or incorporated by reference in future filings with the SEC, or subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent that we specificallyincorporate it by reference into a document filed under the Securities Actof 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
ITEM 6. RESERVED
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ("MD&A") should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes included in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Current Reports on Form 8-K and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For a similar detailed discussion comparing fiscal 2022 and 2021, refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations within our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended August 31, 2022. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed below. Factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below and those discussed in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our MD&A is designed to provide a reader of our financial statements with a narrative from the perspective of our management on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and certain other factors that may affect our future results. Our MD&A is presented in the following sections:
•Executive Overview
•Annual Subscription Value ("ASV")
•Client and User Additions
•Employee Headcount
•Results of Operations
•Non-GAAP Financial Measures
•Liquidity and Capital Resources
•Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
•Foreign Currency
•Critical Accounting Estimates
•New Accounting Pronouncements
Executive Overview
FactSet Research Systems Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, "we," "our," "us," the "Company" or "FactSet") is a global financial digital platform and enterprise solutions provider with open and flexible products that drive the investment community to see more, think bigger and do its best work.
Our platform delivers expansive data, sophisticated analytics and flexible technology used by global financial professionals to power their critical investment workflows. As of August 31, 2023, we had nearly 8,000 clients comprised of almost 190,000 investment professionals, including asset managers, bankers, wealth managers, asset owners, partners, hedge funds, corporate users and private equity & venture capital professionals. Our revenues are primarily derived from subscriptions to our multi-asset class data and solutions powered by our content refinery. Our products and services include workstations, portfolio analytics and enterprise solutions.
We drive our business based on our detailed understanding of our clients’ workflows, which helps us to solve their most complex challenges. We provide financial data and market intelligence on securities, companies, industries and people to enable our clients to research investment ideas, as well as to analyze, monitor and manage their portfolios. Our on- and off-platform solutions span the investment life cycle of investment research, portfolio construction and analysis, trade execution, performance measurement, risk management and reporting. We provide open and flexible technology offerings, including a configurable desktop and mobile platform, comprehensive data feeds, cloud-based digital solutions and APIs. Our CGS business supports security master files relied on by the investment industry for critical front, middle and back-office functions. Our platform and solutions are supported by our dedicated client service teams.
We operate our business through three segments: the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific. Refer to Note 18, Segment Information, in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion. For each of our segments, we execute our strategy through three workflow solutions: Research & Advisory; Analytics & Trading; and CTS. CGS operates as part of CTS.
Refer to Part I, Item 1. Business - Business Strategy, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion on our business strategy.
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Fiscal 2023 in Review
Revenues for fiscal 2023 were $2.1 billion, an increase of 13.1% from the prior year. Revenues increased in all our segments, primarily in the Americas, and, to a lesser extent, EMEA and Asia Pacific. This increase in revenues was supported by higher sales in each of our workflow solutions, primarily in CTS (driven by inorganic revenues from CGS), followed by Analytics & Trading and Research & Advisory. Organic revenues contributed to 8.2% of our growth during fiscal 2023, compared with the prior year. Refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Non-GAAP Financial Measures, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a reconciliation between revenues and organic revenues.
As of August 31, 2023, organic annual subscription value ("Organic ASV") plus Professional Services totaled $2.2 billion, an increase of 7.1% over the prior year. Organic ASV increased in all our segments, with the majority of the increase related to the Americas and, to a lesser extent, EMEA and Asia Pacific. This increase was driven by additional sales in our workflow solutions, primarily in Analytics & Trading, followed by CTS and Research & Advisory. Refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Annual Subscription Value, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the definitions of Organic ASV and Organic ASV plus Professional Services.
Operating income for fiscal 2023 was $629.2 million, an increase of 32.3% compared with the prior year. Operating margin increased in fiscal 2023 to 30.2%, compared with 25.8% for fiscal 2022. Operating margin increased primarily due to growth in revenues and, when expressed as a percentage of revenues, a decrease in asset impairment charges, employee compensation costs, professional fees, data costs and occupancy costs, partially offset by higher royalty fees and amortization of intangible assets.
Net income for fiscal 2023 was $468.2 million, an increase of 18.0% from the prior year. Diluted earnings per common share ("Diluted EPS") increased 17.5% compared with the prior year. This increase in net income and Diluted EPS was primarily due to higher operating income, partially offset by an increase in the provision for income taxes and an increase in interest expense as a result of higher outstanding debt compared to the prior year.
Our clients and users reached new highs of 7,921 and 189,972, respectively, in fiscal 2023. We returned $315.3 million to stockholders in the form of share repurchases and dividends paid during fiscal 2023.
As of August 31, 2023, our employee count was 12,237, up 9.2% compared to the prior year, due to an increase in net new employees of 12.4% in Asia Pacific, 3.6% in the Americas and 1.9% in EMEA.
We garnered multiple awards in fiscal 2023, with honors noted for research, risk, performance, trading and wealth management. FactSet was honored by more than thirty industry awards and rankings reports, including winning “Trading Tech’s Best Cloud-Based Market Data Delivery Solution.”
CUSIP Global Services Acquisition
On March 1, 2022, we completed our acquisition of CGS for a cash price of $1.932 billion, inclusive of working capital adjustments. We acquired CGS to expand our critical role in the global capital markets. Revenues from CGS are recognized based on geographic business activities in accordance with how our operating segments are currently aligned. During fiscal 2023, CGS functioned as part of the CTS workflow solution.
The purchase price for the CGS acquisition was financed from the net proceeds of the issuance of the Senior Notes and borrowings under the 2022 Credit Facilities. Refer to Note 6, Acquisitions andNote 12, Debt in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information on these defined terms as well as our acquisition of CGS, the Senior Notes and the 2022 Credit Facilities, respectively.
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Annual Subscription Value ("ASV")
We believe ASV reflects our ability to grow recurring revenues and generate positive cash flow and serves as a key indicator of the successful execution of our business strategy.
–"ASV" at any point in time represents our forward-looking revenues for the next 12 months from all subscription services currently being supplied to clients, excluding revenues from Professional Services.
–"Organic ASV" at any point in time equals our ASV excluding ASV from acquisitions and dispositions completed within the last 12 months and the effects of foreign currency movements.
–"Professional Services" are revenues derived from project-based consulting and implementation, annualized over the past 12 months.
–"Organic ASV plus Professional Services" at any point in time equals the sum of Organic ASV and Professional Services.
Prior year ASV now reflects additional CGS revenues not previously included.
Organic ASV plus Professional Services
The following table presents the calculation of Organic ASV plus Professional Services as of August 31, 2023. With proper notice provided as contractually required, our clients can add to, delete portions of, or terminate service, subject to certain limitations.
(dollar amounts in millions) As of August 31, 2023
As reported ASV plus Professional Services(1) $ 2,174.6
Currency impact(2) 0.5
Organic ASV plus Professional Services $ 2,175.1
Organic ASV plus Professional Services annual growth rate 7.1 %
(1)Includes $22.7 million in Professional Services as of August 31, 2023.
(2)The impact from foreign currency movements.
As of August 31, 2023, Organic ASV plus Professional Services was $2.2 billion, an increase of 7.1% compared with August 31, 2022. The increase in Organic ASV was primarily driven by higher sales to existing clients and, to a lesser extent, price increases to existing clients and sales to new clients, partially offset by existing client cancellations.
Organic ASV increased in all our segments, with the majority of the increase related to the Americas, followed by EMEA and Asia Pacific. This increase was driven by additional sales in our workflow solutions, primarily in Analytics & Trading, followed by CTS and Research & Advisory. Sales increased in Analytics & Trading mainly from our performance & reporting products, portfolio analytics solutions and portfolio & benchmark services. CTS sales increased mainly from CGS and, to a lesser extent, data management solutions, company data and real time data. Sales increased in Research & Advisory mainly due to higher demand for our workstations.
Segment ASV
As of August 31, 2023, ASV from the Americas represented 64% of total ASV and was $1,376.9 million, an increase from $1,286.7 million as of August 31, 2022. Americas Organic ASV was $1,376.9 million as of August 31, 2023, a 7.0% increase from the prior year. The Organic ASV increase in the Americas was primarily driven by increased sales from Analytics & Trading, followed by CTS and Research & Advisory.
As of August 31, 2023, ASV from EMEA represented 26% of total ASV and was $559.6 million, an increase from $516.1 million as of August 31, 2022. EMEA Organic ASV was $558.8 million as of August 31, 2023, a 7.7% increase from the prior year. The EMEA Organic ASV increase was mainly driven by higher sales from Analytics & Trading and CTS.
As of August 31, 2023, ASV from Asia Pacific represented 10% of total ASV and was $215.4 million, an increase from $200.5 million as of August 31, 2022. Asia Pacific Organic ASV was $216.7 million as of August 31, 2023, an 8.1% increase from the prior year. The Asia Pacific Organic ASV increase was primarily due to higher sales from Research & Advisory and Analytics & Trading.
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Buy-side and Sell-side Organic ASV Growth
The buy-side and sell-side Organic ASV annual growth rates as of August 31, 2023 were 6.9% and 9.3%, respectively. Buy-side clients account for approximately 82% of our Organic ASV, compared to 83% in the prior year, and primarily include asset managers, wealth managers, asset owners, partners, hedge funds and corporate firms. The remainder of our Organic ASV is derived from sell-side firms and primarily include broker-dealers, banking & advisory and private equity & venture capital firms.
Client and User Additions
The table below presents our total clients and users:
As of August 31,
(1)The client count includes clients with ASV of $10,000 and above.
Our total client count was 7,921 as of August 31, 2023, a net increase of 5.1%, or 383 clients compared to the prior year, mainly due to an increase in corporate clients, wealth management clients and partners. We believe this increase is primarily due to our on- and off- platform workflow solutions, connected content and client-focused services.
As of August 31, 2023, there were 189,972 professionals using FactSet, representing a net increase of 5.6%, or 9,990 users, compared to the prior year, primarily driven by an increase from our wealth management firms and sell-side users from our banking clients.
Annual ASV retention was greater than 95% for the year ended August 31, 2023 and August 31, 2022. When expressed as a percentage of clients, annual retention was approximately 91% for the year ended August 31, 2023, compared with approximately 92% for the year ended August 31, 2022.
Employee Headcount
As of August 31, 2023, our employee headcount was 12,237, an increase of 9.2% compared with 11,203 employees as of August 31, 2022. This headcount increase was primarily due to our continued investment in our COEs by expanding our talent pool primarily in India and the Philippines. Our COEs accounted for approximately 67% of our employees.
Our net headcount growth by segment as of August 31, 2023 compared with August 31, 2022 was 12.4% in Asia Pacific, 3.6% in the Americas and 1.9% in EMEA. As of August 31, 2023, the number of employees located in Asia Pacific was 8,322, in the Americas was 2,487 and in EMEA was 1,428.
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Results of Operations
For an understanding of the significant factors that influenced our performance during fiscal 2023 and 2022, the following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The following table summarizes our results of operations:
Years ended August 31,
(dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data) 2023 2022 $ Change % Change
Diluted weighted average common shares 38,898 38,736
Revenues
Revenues in fiscal 2023 were $2.1 billion, an increase of 13.1% compared to the prior year. This increase was primarily driven by higher sales to existing clients and, to a lesser extent, price increases to existing clients and sales to new clients, partially offset by existing client cancellations. Revenues increased in all our segments, primarily from the Americas, followed by EMEA and Asia Pacific. The increased revenues were supported by higher sales in all three of our workflow solutions, primarily in CTS (driven by inorganic revenues from CGS), and, to a lesser extent, by Analytics & Trading and Research & Advisory. Organic revenues increased to $1,995.0 million for fiscal 2023, an 8.2% increase over the prior year. Refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Non-GAAP Financial Measures, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion on organic revenues.
The 13.1% growth in revenues was reflective of organic revenues growth of 8.2% and a 5.2% increase primarily related to acquisition-related revenues, partially offset by a 0.3% decrease from foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations.
Revenues by Segment
The following table summarizes our revenues by segment:
Years ended August 31,
(dollar amounts in thousands) 2023 2022 $ Change % Change
Americas revenues increased 13.8% to $1,335.5 million in fiscal 2023, compared with $1,173.9 million in fiscal 2022. This increase was mainly due to higher sales in all our workflow solutions, primarily in CTS (driven by inorganic revenue from CGS). The 13.8% growth in revenues was reflective of a 7.7% increase in organic revenue and a 6.1% increase primarily due to the impact of acquisition-related revenues.
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EMEA revenues increased 11.5% to $539.8 million in fiscal 2023, compared with $484.3 million in fiscal 2022. This increase was mainly due to higher sales in all our workflow solutions, primarily in CTS (driven by inorganic revenues from CGS). The 11.5% growth in revenues was reflective of an 8.0% increase in organic revenue and a 3.9% increase primarily due to the impact of acquisition-related revenues, partially offset by a 0.4% decrease due to effects of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations.
Asia Pacific revenues increased 13.2% to $210.2 million in fiscal 2023, compared with $185.7 million in fiscal 2022. This increase was mainly due to higher sales in all our workflow solutions, primarily in CTS (driven by inorganic revenues from CGS), followed by Research & Advisory and Analytics & Trading. The 13.2% growth in revenues was reflective of an 11.8% increase in organic revenue and a 3.3% increase primarily due to the impact of acquisition-related revenues, partially offset by a 1.9% decrease due to effects of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations.
Revenues by Workflow Solution
The growth in revenues of 13.1% for fiscal 2023, compared with fiscal 2022, was due to higher revenues from each of our segments supported by increased revenues from our workflow solutions, primarily from CTS and, to a lesser extent, Analytics & Trading and Research & Advisory. The increased CTS revenues were driven mainly by CGS related data licensing and issuance revenues. The increased revenues from Analytics & Trading were primarily due to higher demand for our performance & reporting products, portfolio analytics solutions and portfolio & benchmark services. The increased Research & Advisory revenues was driven mainly by higher demand for our workstations.
Operating Expenses
Principal Operating Expenses
Cost of services is mainly comprised of employee compensation costs and also includes expenses related to data costs, computer-related expenses, amortization of identifiable intangible assets, royalty fees, client-related communication costs and computer depreciation.
Selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") consists primarily of employee compensation costs and also includes expenses related to occupancy costs, professional fees, depreciation of furniture and fixtures, amortization of leasehold improvements, travel and entertainment expenses, marketing costs, other employee-related expenses, internal communication costs and bad debt expense.
Employee compensation costs are a major component of both our Cost of services and SG&A. These expenses primarily include costs related to salaries, incentive compensation and sales commissions, stock-based compensation, benefits, employment taxes, and any applicable restructuring costs.
We assign employee compensation costs between Cost of services and SG&A based on the roles and activities associated with each employee. We categorize employees within the content collection, consulting, product development, software and systems engineering groups as Cost of services personnel. Employees included in our sales department and those that serve in various other support departments, including marketing, finance, legal, human resources and administrative services, are classified as SG&A.
Asset impairments consist primarily of expenses recognized when the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its fair value.
The following table summarizes the components of our total operating expenses and operating margin:
(dollar amounts in thousands) Years ended August 31,
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Cost of Services
Cost of services increased 11.7% to $973.2 million in fiscal 2023, compared with $871.1 million in fiscal 2022, primarily due to an increase in employee compensation costs, amortization of intangible assets, computer-related expenses and royalty fees related to our CGS acquisition.
Cost of services, when expressed as a percentage of revenues, was 46.7% for fiscal 2023, a decrease of 60 basis points compared with fiscal 2022. This decrease was primarily due to lower employee compensation costs and data costs, partially offset by higher royalty fees, amortization of intangible assets and computer-related expenses. When expressed as a percentage of revenues:
•Employee compensation costs decreased 180 basis points primarily due to growth of our revenues outpacing the increase in employee compensation costs. This decrease was also driven by higher capitalization of compensation costs related to the development of internal-use software, partially offset by higher annual base salaries and restructuring costs to drive organization realignment. The increase in annual base salaries was primarily driven by annual merit increases and a net headcount increase in Cost of services of 959 employees, primarily located in our COEs.
•Data costs decreased 80 basis points mainly due to the release of certain accruals in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 related to the successful resolution of exchange audits that were recorded during the prior year and revenue growth outpacing the increased cost of content.
•Royalty fees increased Cost of services 80 basis points due to contracts acquired in connection with the acquisition of CGS. Due to the timing of the CGS acquisition, fiscal 2023 included a full year of royalty fees, compared with a partial year during fiscal 2022.
•Amortization of intangible assets increased 80 basis points, mainly due to acquired intangible assets, primarily from the CGS acquisition. Due to the timing of the CGS acquisition, fiscal 2023 included a full year of CGS intangible amortization, compared with a partial year during fiscal 2022.
•Computer-related expenses increased 50 basis points, primarily due to higher spend related to licensed software arrangements and our cloud-based hosting services.
Selling, General and Administrative
SG&A expenses increased 5.6% to $457.1 million during fiscal 2023, compared with $433.0 million in fiscal 2022, primarily due to higher employee compensation costs and, to a lesser extent, an increase in travel and entertainment expenses, partially offset by a decrease in professional fees and occupancy costs.
SG&A expenses, when expressed as a percentage of revenues, were 21.9% for fiscal 2023, a decrease of 160 basis points over fiscal 2022. This decrease was primarily due to lower professional fees and occupancy costs, partially offset by an increase in travel and entertainment expenses. When expressed as a percentage of revenues:
•Professional fees decreased 100 basis points primarily due to CGS acquisition costs incurred during the prior year.
•Occupancy costs decreased by 60 basis points mainly driven by impairment charges recognized during fiscal 2022 related to vacating leased office space, which reduces occupancy costs recorded over their respective remaining lease terms.
•Travel and entertainment expenses increased by 30 basis points as we resumed essential business travel and incurred other employee-related expenses associated with return to office activities during the current year.
Asset Impairments
Asset impairments were $25.9 million and $64.3 million during fiscal 2023 and 2022, respectively. The asset impairments were mainly driven by an $18.0 million and $62.2 million charge during fiscal 2023 and 2022, respectively, related to our lease right-of-use ("ROU") assets and property, equipment and leasehold improvements ("PPE") associated with vacating certain leased office space to resize our real estate footprint for the hybrid work environment. As there were no expected future cash flows associated with lease ROU assets for locations we will not sublease nor PPE associated with the related vacated leased office space, we determined these assets had no remaining fair value and were fully impaired. For locations we intended to sublease, we recognized an impairment when the estimated fair value of the lease ROU asset was less than its carrying value.
The remaining asset impairments for fiscal 2023 and 2022 were $7.9 million related to Developed technology and Trade names and $2.1 million related to Developed technology, respectively.
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Operating Income and Operating Margin
Operating income increased 32.3% to $629.2 million in fiscal 2023, compared with $475.5 million in the prior year. This increase was primarily due to a 13.1% growth in revenues, and, to a lesser extent, a decrease in asset impairment charges and professional fees, partially offset by higher employee compensation costs, amortization of intangible assets, computer-related expenses and royalty fees. Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, net of hedge activity, increased operating income by $25.7 million during fiscal 2023, compared with a decrease of $3.1 million in fiscal 2022.
Operating margin increased in fiscal 2023 to 30.2%, compared with 25.8% in the prior year. This increase was primarily due to growth in revenues and, when expressed as a percentage of revenues, a decrease in asset impairment charges, employee compensation costs, professional fees, data costs and occupancy costs, partially offset by higher royalty fees and amortization of intangible assets.
Operating Income by Segment
We operate our business through three segments: the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific. Refer to Note 18, Segment Information in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion regarding our segments. The following table summarizes our operating income by segment:
Years ended August 31,
(dollar amounts in thousands) 2023 2022 $ Change % Change
Americas
Americas operating income increased 50.5% to $239.4 million during fiscal 2023, compared with $159.1 million from the prior year. This increase was primarily due to a 13.8% growth in revenues and, to a lesser extent, a decrease in asset impairment charges and professional fees, partially offset by higher employee compensation costs, amortization of intangible assets, computer-related expenses and royalty fees.
•Asset impairment charges decreased primarily due to lower lease ROU asset and PPE impairment charges associated with vacating certain leased office space during fiscal 2023, compared with fiscal 2022.
•Professional fees decreased primarily due to costs incurred during the prior year related to the acquisition of CGS.
•Employee compensation costs increased primarily due to an increase in annual base salaries and, to a lesser extent, higher stock-based compensation expense, payroll taxes and restructuring costs, partially offset by a decrease in variable compensation. The increase in annual base salaries was primarily driven by annual merit increases and a net headcount increase of 87 employees.
•Amortization of intangible assets increased mainly due to acquired intangible assets, primarily from the CGS acquisition. Due to the timing of the CGS acquisition, fiscal 2023 included a full year of CGS intangible asset amortization, compared with a partial year during fiscal 2022.
•Computer-related expenses increased primarily due to higher spend related to licensed software arrangements and our cloud-based hosting services.
•Royalty fees increased due to contracts acquired in connection with the acquisition of CGS. Due to the timing of the CGS acquisition, fiscal 2023 included a full year of royalty fees, compared with a partial year during fiscal 2022.
EMEA
EMEA operating income increased 23.8% to $243.0 million during fiscal 2023, compared with $196.2 million from the prior year. This increase was primarily due to an 11.5% growth in revenues and, to a lesser extent, a decrease in data costs and amortization of intangible assets. These increases in operating income were partially offset by higher employee compensation costs and, to a lesser extent, asset impairment charges.
•Data costs decreased due to the release of certain accruals during the first quarter of fiscal 2023 which related to the successful resolution of exchange audits that were recorded during the prior year.
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•Amortization of intangible assets decreased as certain acquired intangible assets were fully amortized during the third quarter of fiscal 2022.
•Employee compensation costs increased primarily due to higher annual base salaries, restructuring costs and, to a lesser extent, higher variable compensation. The increase in annual base salaries was primarily driven by annual merit increases and a net headcount increase of 26 employees.
•Asset impairment charges increased primarily due to higher lease ROU asset impairment charges associated with vacating certain leased office space during fiscal 2023, compared with fiscal 2022.
Asia Pacific
Asia Pacific operating income increased 22.2% to $146.8 million during fiscal 2023, compared with $120.1 million from the prior year. The increase was mainly due to a 13.2% growth in revenues, partially offset by an increase in employee compensation costs and, to a lesser extent, travel expenses. Employee compensation costs increased mainly due to an increase in annual base salaries driven by annual merit increases and a net headcount increase of 921 employees primarily in our COEs. Travel expenses increased due to other employee-related expenses associated with return to office activities in the current year.
Income Taxes
Years ended August 31,
(dollar amounts in thousands) 2023 2022 $ Change % Change
We are subject to taxation in the United States and various foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct our business.
Our effective tax rate is based on recurring factors and non-recurring events, including the taxation of foreign income. Our effective tax rate will vary based on, among other things, changes in levels of foreign income, as well as other non-recurring events. Our effective tax rate is lower than the applicable U.S. corporate income tax rate for fiscal 2023 driven mainly by research and development ("R&D") tax credits, a tax benefit from the exercise of stock options and a foreign derived intangible income ("FDII") deduction, partially offset by a one-time out-of-period adjustment related to a review and analysis of certain tax positions, as well as our net state taxes.
Our effective tax rate for fiscal 2023 was 19.8% compared to 10.5% in fiscal 2022. The increase was primarily driven by an out-of-period adjustment related to a review and analysis of certain tax positions, resulting in a one-time net charge of $22.1 million. The adjustment related to the accounting of tax balance sheet accounts. All local, federal and foreign taxes payable have been paid in a timely manner, subject to normal audits of open years. The increase was also driven by a lower impact from tax attributes on the effective tax rate as a result of an increase in income before income taxes, higher net state taxes, an increase in the UK's enacted tax rates and a reduction in the exercise of stock options.
Net Income and Diluted EPS
Years ended August 31,
(dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data) 2023 2022 $ Change % Change
Net income increased 18.0% and Diluted EPS increased 17.5% for fiscal 2023, compared with fiscal 2022. The increase in net income and Diluted EPS was primarily due to higher operating income, partially offset by an increase in the provision for income taxes and an increase in interest expense as a result of higher outstanding debt compared to the prior year.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
To supplement the financial measures prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP"), we use non-GAAP financial measures including organic revenues, adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted Diluted EPS. The reconciliations from our
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financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP to these non-GAAP financial measures are shown in the tables below. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures reported in accordance with GAAP. Moreover, these non-GAAP financial measures have limitations in that they do not reflect all the items associated with the operations of our business as determined in accordance with GAAP. Other companies may calculate similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures differently than we do, limiting the usefulness of those measures for comparative purposes.
Despite the limitations of these non-GAAP financial measures, we believe these adjusted financial measures and the information they provide are useful in viewing our performance using the same tools that management uses to gauge progress in achieving our goals. Adjusted measures may also facilitate comparisons to our historical performance.
Adjusted revenues exclude the impact of the fair value of deferred revenues acquired in a business combination. Organic revenues further excludes both acquisition-related revenues recognized in the current year in which the comparable prior year period predated the acquisition(s) and foreign currency movements in all years presented.
The table below provides an unaudited reconciliation of revenues to adjusted revenues and organic revenues:
Years ended August 31,
(dollar amounts in thousands) 2023 2022 $ Change % Change
Deferred revenues fair value adjustment(1) — 25 (25)
(1)Reflects the amortization effect of any purchase accounting adjustments related to the fair value of acquired deferred revenues for acquisitions prior to fiscal 2022. Acquisitions thereafter do not include this adjustment in accordance with ASU No. 2021-08, Business Combinations: Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers (Topic 805).
(2)Removes acquisition-related revenues recognized during fiscal 2023 in which the comparable prior year period predated the acquisition(s).
(3)The impact from foreign currency movements during the fiscal year.
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The table below provides an unaudited reconciliation of operating income, operating margin, net income and Diluted EPS to adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted Diluted EPS. Adjusted operating income and margin, adjusted net income, and adjusted Diluted EPS exclude the impact of the fair value of deferred revenues acquired in a business combination, intangible asset amortization and non-recurring items. EBITDA excludes interest expense, provision for income taxes and depreciation and amortization, while Adjusted EBITDA further excludes non-recurring non-cash expenses.
Years ended August 31,
(dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data) 2023 2022 % Change
Deferred revenues fair value adjustment — 25
Business acquisition / integration costs(2) 7,033 20,608
Transformation costs (3) — 3,368
Adjusted operating margin(4) 36.2 % 33.9 %
Deferred revenues fair value adjustment — 22
Business acquisition / integration costs(2) 5,845 18,151
Transformation costs(3) — 2,967
Deferred revenues fair value adjustment — 0.00
Intangible asset amortization 1.53 1.11
Restructuring / severance 0.43 0.23
Business acquisition / integration costs(2) 0.15 0.47
Transformation costs(3) — 0.08
Weighted average common shares (Diluted) 38,898 38,736
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(1)We reclassified Real estate charges to Asset impairments in the Non-GAAP Financial Measures to conform to current year's presentation. Asset impairments primarily related to impairment charges of lease ROU assets and PPE associated with vacating certain leased office space.
(2)Related to acquisition and integration costs of the CGS acquisition.
(3)Primarily related to professional fees associated with our multi-year investment plan.
(4)Adjusted operating margin is calculated as Adjusted operating income divided by Adjusted revenues as shown in the revenues reconciliation table above.
(5)For purposes of calculating Adjusted net income and Adjusted Diluted EPS, all adjustments for fiscal 2023 and 2022 were taxed at an adjusted tax rate of 16.9% and 11.9%, respectively.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our cash flows provided by operating activities, existing cash and cash equivalents, supplemented with our long-term debt borrowings, have been sufficient to fund our operations while allowing us to invest in activities that support the long-term growth of our operations. Generally, some or all of our remaining available cash flows have been used to, among other things, service our existing and future debt obligations, satisfy our working capital requirements and fund various activities, including our capital expenditures, acquisitions, investments, dividend payments and repurchases of our common stock. Based on past performance and current expectations, we believe our sources of liquidity, including the available capacity under our existing revolving credit facility and other financing alternatives, will provide us the necessary capital to fund these transactions and achieve our planned growth for the next 12 months and the foreseeable future. We are exposed to credit risk for cash and cash equivalents held in financial institutions in the event of a default, to the extent that such amounts are in excess of applicable insurance limits; however, we do not believe our concentration of cash and cash equivalents presents a significant credit risk as the counterparties to the instruments consist of multiple high-quality, credit-worthy financial institutions.
Sources of Liquidity
Long-Term Debt & Swap Agreements
2022 Credit Agreement
On March 1, 2022, we entered into a credit agreement (the "2022 Credit Agreement") and borrowed an aggregate principal amount of $1.0 billion under its senior unsecured term loan credit facility (the "2022 Term Facility") and $250.0 million of the available $500.0 million under its senior unsecured revolving credit facility (the "2022 Revolving Facility" and, together with the 2022 Term Facility, the “2022 Credit Facilities”). The 2022 Term Facility matures on March 1, 2025, and the 2022 Revolving Facility matures on March 1, 2027. The 2022 Revolving Facility allows for the availability of up to $100.0 million in the form of letters of credit and up to $50.0 million in the form of swingline loans. We may seek additional commitments under the 2022 Revolving Facility from lenders or other financial institutions up to an aggregate principal amount of $750.0 million.
We pay a commitment fee on the daily unused amount of the 2022 Revolving Facility using a pricing grid based on our senior unsecured non-credit enhanced long-term debt rating and our total leverage ratio. The commitment fee remained consistent at 0.125% from the borrowing date through August 31, 2023. During fiscal 2022, we incurred approximately $9.5 million in debt issuance costs related to the 2022 Credit Facilities.
We used these borrowings, along with the net proceeds from the issuance of the Senior Notes (as defined below) and cash on hand, to finance the consideration for the CGS acquisition, to repay borrowings under the 2019 Credit Agreement (as defined below) and to pay related transaction fees, costs and expenses.
We may voluntarily prepay loans under the 2022 Credit Facilities at any time without premium or penalty. During fiscal 2023, we repaid $375.0 million under the 2022 Term Facility, inclusive of voluntary prepayments of $325.0 million. Since loan inception on March 1, 2022, we have repaid $625.0 million under the 2022 Term Facility, inclusive of voluntary prepayments of $562.5 million.
As of August 31, 2023, the outstanding borrowings under the 2022 Credit Facilities bore interest at a rate equal to the applicable one-month Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") rate plus a 1.1% spread (comprised of a 1.0% interest rate margin based on a debt leverage pricing grid plus a 0.1% credit spread adjustment). The spread remained consistent from the borrowing date through August 31, 2023. Interest on the 2022 Credit Facilities is currently payable on the last business day of each month, in arrears.
The 2022 Credit Agreement contains usual and customary event of default provisions for facilities of this type, which are subject to usual and customary grace periods and materiality thresholds. If an event of default occurs under the 2022 Credit Agreement, the lenders may, among other things, terminate their commitments and declare all outstanding borrowings immediately due and payable.
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The 2022 Credit Agreement contains usual and customary affirmative and negative covenants for facilities of this type, including a financial covenant requiring maintenance of a total leverage ratio of no greater than 3.75 to 1.00 as of August 31, 2023. We were in compliance with all covenants and requirements of the 2022 Credit Agreement as of August 31, 2023.
Refer to Note 12, Debt in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion of the 2022 Credit Agreement.
2022 Swap Agreement
On March 1, 2022, we entered into an interest rate swap agreement (the "2022 Swap Agreement") to hedge a portion of our outstanding floating SOFR rate debt with a fixed interest rate of 1.162%. Effective December 30, 2022, we apportioned the then-outstanding notional amount of the 2022 Swap Agreement between two counterparties. Refer to Note 5, Derivative Instruments in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for defined terms and more information on the 2022 Swap Agreement.
Senior Notes
On March 1, 2022 we completed a public offering of $500.0 million aggregate principal amount of 2.900% Senior Notes due March 1, 2027 (the “2027 Notes”) and $500.0 million aggregate principal amount of 3.450% Senior Notes due March 1, 2032 (the “2032 Notes” and, together with the 2027 Notes, the “Senior Notes”). The Senior Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture, dated as of March 1, 2022, by and between us and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee (the "Trustee"), as supplemented by the supplemental indenture, dated as of March 1, 2022, between us and the Trustee (the "Supplemental Indenture").
Interest on the Senior Notes is payable semiannually in arrears on March 1 and September 1 of each year, with the first payment made on September 1, 2022. The Senior Notes were issued at an aggregate discount of $2.8 million and we incurred approximately $9.1 million in debt issuance costs.
We may redeem the Senior Notes, in whole or in part, at any time at specified redemption prices, plus any accrued and unpaid interest. Upon the occurrence of a change of control triggering event (as defined in the Supplemental Indenture), we must offer to repurchase the Senior Notes at 101% of their principal amount, plus any accrued and unpaid interest.
2019 Credit Agreement
On March 29, 2019, we entered into a credit agreement with PNC Bank, National Association (the "2019 Credit Agreement") and borrowed $575.0 million of the available $750.0 million provided by the revolving credit facility thereunder (the "2019 Revolving Credit Facility"). Borrowings under the 2019 Revolving Credit Facility bore interest on the outstanding principal amount at a rate equal to the daily London Interbank Offer Rate ("LIBOR") plus a spread using a debt leverage pricing grid. Interest on the amounts outstanding under the 2019 Revolving Credit Facility was payable quarterly, in arrears, and on the maturity date.
As of March 1, 2022, we repaid in full and terminated the 2019 Credit Agreement. Refer to Note 12, Debt in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information on the termination.
Uses of Liquidity
Returning Value to Stockholders
During fiscal 2023 and 2022, respectively, we returned $315.3 million and $144.6 million to our stockholders in the form of share repurchases and dividends.
Dividends
During fiscal 2023 and 2022, we paid dividends of $138.6 million and $125.9 million, respectively. During fiscal 2023, our dividends increased 10%, which marked the 24th consecutive year we have increased dividends, highlighting our continued
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commitment to returning value to our stockholders. Future cash dividends will depend on our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors considered relevant by us and are subject to final determination by our Board of Directors.
Share Repurchase Program
We may repurchase shares of our common stock under our share repurchase program from time-to-time in the open market and via privately negotiated transactions, subject to market conditions. We suspended our share repurchase program beginning in the second quarter of fiscal 2022, with the exception of potential minor repurchases to offset dilution from grants of equity awards or repurchases to satisfy withholding tax obligations due upon the vesting of stock-based awards. We suspended our share repurchase program to prioritize the repayment of debt under the 2022 Credit Facilities. We resumed our share repurchase program in the third quarter of fiscal 2023. For fiscal 2023 and 2022, we repurchased 430,350 shares for $176.7 million and 46,200 shares for $18.6 million, respectively.
There is no defined number of shares to be repurchased over a specified timeframe through the life of our share repurchase program. As of August 31, 2023, we had $4.5 million authorized under our share repurchase program for future share repurchases, which was not available for use after August 31, 2023. On June 20, 2023, our Board of Directors authorized up to $300 million for share repurchases on or after September 1, 2023.
Capital Expenditures
For the year ended August 31, 2023, capital expenditures increased by 18.8% to $60.8 million, compared with $51.2 million in fiscal 2022. This increase was primarily due to higher expenditures related to the development of capitalized internal-use software and investments in network-related equipment mainly at our data centers.
Acquisitions
We completed acquisitions of several businesses during fiscal 2021 through fiscal 2023, with the most significant cash flows related to the acquisitions of CGS, Cobalt Software, Inc. ("Cobalt") and Truvalue Labs, Inc. ("TVL").
CUSIP Global Services
On March 1, 2022, we completed the acquisition of CGS for a cash purchase price of $1.932 billion, inclusive of working capital adjustments. CGS manages a database of 60 different data elements uniquely identifying more than 50 million global financial instruments. It is the foundation for security master files relied on by critical front, middle and back-office functions. CGS, operating on behalf of the ABA, is the exclusive issuer of CUSIP and CINS identifiers globally and also acts as the official numbering agency for ISIN identifiers in the United States and as a substitute number agency for more than 30 other countries. We acquired CGS to expand our critical role in the global capital markets.
Cobalt Software, Inc.
On October 12, 2021, we acquired all of the outstanding shares of Cobalt for a purchase price of $50.0 million, net of cash acquired and inclusive of working capital adjustments. Cobalt is a leading portfolio monitoring platform for the private capital industry. We acquired Cobalt to scale our data and workflow solutions through targeted investments as part of our multi-year investment plan and to expand our private markets offering.
Truvalue Labs, Inc.
On November 2, 2020, we acquired all of the outstanding shares of TVL for a purchase price of $41.9 million, net of cash acquired. TVL is a leading provider of sustainability information. TVL applies artificial intelligence driven technology to over 100,000 unstructured text sources in multiple languages, including news, trade journals, and non-governmental organizations and industry reports, to provide daily signals that identify positive and negative sustainability behavior. We acquired TVL to further enhance our commitment to providing industry leading access to sustainability data across our platforms.
Refer to Note 6, Acquisitions,in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion of the CGS, Cobalt and TVL acquisitions.
Contractual Obligations
Purchase obligations represent our legally-binding agreements to purchase fixed or minimum quantities at determinable prices. As of August 31, 2023 and 2022, we had total purchase obligations with suppliers of $362.2 million and $373.9 million, respectively. Our total purchase obligations as of August 31, 2023 and 2022 primarily related to hosting services, acquisition of
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data and, to a lesser extent, third-party software providers. Hosting services support our hybrid cloud strategy, the majority of which rely on third-party hosting providers. Data is an integral component of the value we provide to our clients, and our commitments to third-party software providers mainly include internal-use software licenses.
We also have contractual obligations related to our lease liabilities and outstanding debt. Refer to Note 11, Leases and Note 12, Debt in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information regarding lease commitments and outstanding debt obligations, respectively.
Summary of Cash Flows
As of August 31, 2023, Cash and cash equivalents were $425.4 million, compared with $503.3 million as of August 31, 2022. Our cash and cash equivalents are held in numerous locations throughout the world, with $165.4 million in the Americas, $148.4 million in EMEA (predominantly in the UK) and the remaining $111.6 million in Asia Pacific (predominantly in India and the Philippines) as of August 31, 2023. As of August 31, 2023, we had approximately $204.0 million of undistributed foreign earnings. We permanently reinvest all foreign undistributed earnings, except in jurisdictions where earnings can be repatriated substantially free of tax. It is not practicable to determine the deferred tax liability that would be payable if these earnings were repatriated to the U.S.
The table below provides selected cash flow information:
Years ended August 31,
(dollar amounts in thousands) 2023 2022 $ Change % Change
Operating
For fiscal 2023, net cash provided by operating activities was $645.6 million, which included net income of $468.2 million, non-cash charges of $194.6 million and a net cash outflow of $17.2 million to support working capital requirements. The non-cash charges were primarily driven by $105.4 million of depreciation and amortization, $62.0 million of stock-based compensation expense and $32.3 million from amortization of lease ROU assets, partially offset by $31.1 million in deferred income taxes. The net cash outflow in working capital was primarily due to an increase in accounts receivable driven by sales and the timing of client payments and cash outflows for lease payments, partially offset by an increase in net taxes payable due to an out-of-period adjustment related to an ongoing review and analysis of certain tax positions and timing of tax payments in certain jurisdictions.
For fiscal 2022, net cash provided by operating activities was $538.3 million, which included net income of $396.9 million, non-cash charges of $241.3 million and net cash outflow of $99.9 million to support working capital requirements. The non-cash charges were primarily driven by $86.7 million of depreciation and amortization, $64.3 million in asset impairment charges, $56.0 million of stock-based compensation expense and $43.0 million from amortization of lease ROU assets. The net cash outflow in working capital was primarily driven by cash outflows for lease payments and an increase in accounts receivable driven by sales and the timing of client payments.
Investing
For fiscal 2023, net cash used in investing activities was $95.4 million, mainly driven by capital expenditures of $60.8 million, primarily due to capitalization of compensation costs related to development of capitalized internal-use software and, to a lesser extent, investments in network-related equipment mainly at our data centers and laptops. Cash used in investing activities was also driven by the acquisition of a business for $23.6 million.
For fiscal 2022, net cash used in investing activities was $2,033.7 million, mainly driven by the cash purchase of CGS for $1.932 billion, inclusive of working capital adjustments, and the cash purchase of Cobalt for $50.0 million, net of cash acquired and inclusive of working capital adjustments.
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Financing
For fiscal 2023, net cash used in financing activities was $632.0 million, consisting mainly of $375.0 million related to the partial repayment of the 2022 Term Facility, $176.7 million of share repurchases and $138.6 million of dividend payments, partially offset by $72.0 million in proceeds from employee stock plans.
For fiscal 2022, net cash provided by financing activities was $1,339.2 million, consisting mainly of $2,238.4 million proceeds received from the 2022 Credit Facilities and Senior Notes and $86.0 million of proceeds from employee stock plans, partially offset by $825.0 million related to the full repayment and termination of the 2019 Credit Agreement and, to a lesser extent, the partial repayment of the 2022 Term Loan Facility, $125.9 million of dividend payments and $18.6 million of share repurchases.
Free Cash Flow
We define free cash flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, as cash provided by operating activities, less purchases of PPE and capitalized internal use software. We believe free cash flow is a liquidity measure that provides useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated by the business that, after capital expenditures, can be used for strategic opportunities, including returning value to stockholders, investing in our business, making strategic acquisitions, and strengthening the balance sheet. Free cash flow should be considered in addition to, rather than as a substitute for, consolidated net income as a measure of our performance and net cash provided by operating activities as a measure of our liquidity.
The following table reconciles our net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow:
Years ended August 31,
(dollar amounts in thousands) 2023 2022 Change
During fiscal 2023, we generated free cash flow of $584.8 million, an increase of $97.7 million compared with fiscal 2022. This change reflects a $107.3 million increase in cash provided by operating activities, mainly due to lower working capital requirements and higher net income, partially offset by an increase in purchases of PPE and capitalized internal-use software, primarily driven by higher capitalized costs related to internal-use software and investments in network-related equipment at our data centers.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of August 31, 2023 and August 31, 2022, we had no off-balance sheet financing other than letters of credit incurred in the ordinary course of business. Refer to Note 12, Debt andNote 13, Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information on our letters of credit.
As of August 31, 2023 and August 31, 2022, we also had no other arrangements with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships (such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities) established for purposes of facilitating off-balance sheet financing other debt arrangements, or other contractually limited purposes.
Foreign Currency Exposure
As we operate globally, we are exposed to the risk that our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be impacted by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. As of August 31, 2023, we maintained a series of foreign currency forward contracts to hedge a portion of our primary currency exposures of the Indian Rupee, Euro, British Pound Sterling and Philippine Peso. To mitigate our currency exposure, we entered into these contracts to hedge between 25% to 75% of our
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projected primary currency operating expenses over their respective hedge periods which range from the first quarter of fiscal 2024 through the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024.
The following table summarizes the gross notional value of our foreign currency forward contracts to purchase the respective local currency with U.S. dollars:
Critical Accounting Estimates
We prepare the Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP, which requires us to make certain estimates and apply judgements that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and related disclosures. We base our estimates on historical experience and other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable at the time the Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared and, as such, they may ultimately differ materially from actual results.
We describe our significant accounting policies in Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We disclose the development and selection of our critical accounting estimates with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors. The critical accounting estimates and judgments that we believe to have the most significant impacts to our Consolidated Financial Statements are described below.
Income Taxes
We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Our tax provision is an estimate based on our understanding of laws in federal, state and foreign tax jurisdictions. These laws can be complicated and are difficult to apply to any business. The tax laws also require us to allocate our taxable income to many jurisdictions based on subjective allocation methodologies and information collection processes. Our effective tax rate differs from the statutory rate primarily due to the impact of state taxes, foreign operations, research and development ("R&D") and other tax credits, tax audit settlements, the tax benefit from stock option exercises and the foreign derived intangible income ("FDII") tax deduction.
Our provision for income taxes is subject to volatility and could be adversely impacted by numerous factors such as changes in earnings or tax laws, regulations, or accounting principles, including accounting for uncertain tax positions or interpretations of them. Significant judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities and unrecognized tax benefits.
Further, as a result of certain ongoing employment and capital investment actions and commitments, our income in certain countries is subject to reduced tax rates. Our failure to meet these employment and capital investment actions and commitments could adversely affect our provision for income taxes. In addition, we are subject to the continuous examination of our income tax returns by the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities. We regularly assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes. There can be no assurance that the outcomes from these continuous examinations will not have an adverse impact on our operating results and financial condition.
Significant judgement is required in determining our uncertain tax positions. We follow a two-step approach in recognizing and measuring uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not (defined as a likelihood of more than 50%) that a tax position will be sustained based on its technical merits as of the reporting date. The second step, for those positions that meet the recognition criteria, is to measure and recognize the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon effective settlement with a taxing authority. As the determination of liabilities related to uncertain tax positions and associated interest and penalties requires significant estimates and assumptions, there can be no assurance that we will accurately predict
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the outcomes of these audits. For this reason and due to ongoing audits by multiple tax authorities, we regularly engage in discussions and negotiations with tax authorities regarding tax matters in various jurisdictions. We adjust these reserves in light of changing facts and circumstances, such as the closing of a tax audit or the refinement of an estimate. To the extent that the final outcome of these matters is different than the amounts recorded, such differences will affect the provision for income taxes in the period in which such determination is made. We accrue interest on all tax exposures for which reserves have been established consistent with jurisdictional tax laws. The Provision for income taxes on our Consolidated Statements of Income includes the impact of changes to reserves and any related interest. We have no reason to believe that such audits will result in the payment of additional taxes and/or penalties that would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial position, beyond current estimates.
Refer to Note 10, Income Taxes in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.
Stock-based Compensation
We measure compensation expense for all stock-based awards using a lattice-binomial option-pricing model ("binomial model") or the Black-Scholes model to estimate the grant-date fair value. Both models involve certain estimates and subjective assumptions regarding our stock price volatility, the expected life of the award, the term selected for the risk-free rate and the expected dividend yield. The binomial model also incorporates market conditions, vesting restrictions and exercise patterns.
Our performance share units ("PSUs") require management to make assumptions regarding the probability of achieving specified performance levels established at the time of grant, which are reviewed on a quarterly basis. The ultimate number of common shares that may be earned from a PSU is determined pursuant to a payout range based on the achievement of specified performance levels.
We estimate expected forfeitures of equity awards at the date of grant and recognize compensation expense only for those awards expected to vest. The forfeiture assumption is revised if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.
The assumptions we use to calculate and account for stock-based compensation awards represent management's best estimates, which involve inherent uncertainties. As a result, if we revise our assumptions and estimates, our stock-based compensation expense could differ from amounts recorded. Refer to Note 16, Stock-Based Compensation in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Goodwill
Goodwill is assigned to one or more reporting units on the date of acquisition. Our reporting units are the same as our reportable segments. Goodwill is not amortized as it is estimated to have an indefinite life. We test our goodwill for impairment annually during the fourth quarter of each fiscal year and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of any one of our reporting units below its respective carrying amount.
We may elect to perform a qualitative analysis for the reporting units to determine whether it is more likely than not (a likelihood of more than 50%) that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value. In performing a qualitative assessment, we consider such factors as macro-economic conditions, industry and market conditions in which we operate, including the competitive environment and significant changes in demand for our services. We also consider the share price both in absolute terms and in relation to peer companies. If the qualitative analysis indicates that it is more likely than not the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount or if we elect not to perform a qualitative analysis, a quantitative analysis is performed to determine whether a goodwill impairment exists.
The quantitative goodwill impairment analysis is used to identify potential impairment by comparing the carrying amount of a reporting unit with its fair value. To perform this analysis, we apply the income approach which utilizes discounted cash flows, along with other relevant market information. Significant judgment is involved in determining the assumptions used in estimating future cash flows. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, the following estimates: expected sales, working capital needs to support each reporting unit, capital expenditures and related depreciation and amortization, operating expenses, expected tax rates and the weighted average cost of capital for each reporting unit. Our cost of capital is based on assumptions about interest rates, as well as a risk-adjusted rate of return required by our equity investors. Changes in these estimates can impact the present value of expected cash flows used in determining fair value of a reporting unit. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds the fair value, then the goodwill is considered impaired and written down to the reporting unit’s fair value. The impairment loss for the reporting unit cannot exceed the carrying amount of the goodwill allocated to that reporting unit.
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Intangible Assets
We amortize our identifiable intangible assets over their estimated useful lives, which are evaluated annually to determine whether events and circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining period of amortization. If the estimate of the remaining useful life is changed, the remaining carrying amount of the intangible asset is amortized prospectively over that revised remaining useful life. Determining the useful life of intangible assets requires judgement and an understanding of our planned use of the asset, among other factors.
Intangible assets are tested for impairment qualitatively on a quarterly basis or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group is not recoverable. If indicators of impairment are present, amortizable intangible assets are tested for impairment by comparing the carrying value to undiscounted cash flows and, if impaired, written down to fair value based on discounted cash flows. Significant judgment is involved in determining the assumptions used in estimating future cash flows.
Refer to Note 8, Goodwill and Note 9, Intangible Assets in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further details.
Business Combinations
We account for business combinations using the purchase method of accounting. The acquisition purchase price is allocated to the underlying identified, tangible and intangible assets and liabilities assumed, based on their respective estimated fair values on the acquisition date. The excess of the purchase consideration over the fair values of the identified assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill and assigned to one or more reporting units. The amounts and useful lives assigned to acquisition-related tangible and intangible assets impact the amount and timing of future amortization expense. Determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed and the expected useful life requires management’s judgment and often involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions, including assumptions with respect to future cash inflows and outflows, discount rates, asset lives and market multiples, among other items. Acquisition-related expenses and restructuring costs, if any, are recognized separately from the business combination and are expensed as incurred.
Long-lived Assets
We review our PPE to determine if any indicators of impairment are present on a quarterly basis or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable. If indicators of impairment are present, the asset group is tested for impairment by comparing the carrying value to undiscounted cash flows and, if impaired, written down to fair value based on discounted cash flows.
A significant amount of judgment is involved in determining if an indicator of impairment has occurred and in calculating the inputs to the impairment calculation. Indicators we consider include, but are not limited to, a significant decline in our expected future cash flows, a change in an expected useful life, unanticipated competition, slower growth rates, ongoing maintenance and improvements of the assets, or changes in the usage or operating performance. Inputs to an impairment calculation include estimates related to future cash flows and asset fair values, forecasting asset useful lives and selecting the discount rate that reflects the risk inherent in future cash flows. If actual results are not consistent with our estimates and assumptions included in our impairment assessment, we may be exposed to losses that could be material.
Refer to Note 7, Property, Equipment and Leasehold Improvements in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.
Contingencies
We are subject to various legal proceedings, claims and litigation that have arisen in the ordinary course of business, which involve inherent uncertainties. Assessing the probability of loss for such contingencies and determining how to accrue the appropriate liabilities requires judgment. If actual results differ from our assessments, our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows would be affected. Refer to Note 13, Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for more information on contingent matters.
New Accounting Pronouncements
Refer to Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a full description of recent accounting pronouncements, including the expected dates of adoption.
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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
In the normal course of business, we are exposed to foreign currency exchange risk and interest rate risk that could impact our financial position and results of operations. Current market events have not required us to materially modify our financial risk management strategies with respect to our exposures to foreign currency exchange risk or interest rate risk.
Foreign Currency Transaction Risk
We operate on a global basis and are exposed to the risk that our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be impacted by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. As of August 31, 2023, we maintained a series of foreign currency forward contracts to hedge a portion of our primary currency exposures of the Indian Rupee, Euro, British Pound Sterling and Philippine Peso. To mitigate our currency exposure, we entered into these contracts to hedge between 25% to 75% of our projected primary currency operating expenses over their respective hedge periods, which range from the first quarter of fiscal 2024 through the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. We do not enter into cash flow hedges for trading or speculative purposes.
The changes in fair value for these foreign currency forward contracts are initially reported as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive loss ("AOCL") on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and subsequently reclassified into SG&A in the Consolidated Statements of Income when the hedged exposure affects earnings.
The following table reflects the foreign currency forward contracts gain (loss) reclassified from AOCL into income and the impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, net of hedge activity, to operating income:
Years ended August 31,
(1)Impact to operating income is net of hedge activity.
We performed a sensitivity analysis to determine the effects on both the fair value of our outstanding foreign currency forward contracts and our operating income, excluding these forward contracts, of a hypothetical devaluation of the U.S. dollar by 10% as of August 31, 2023, relative to the other foreign currencies in which we transact. Based on the financial results for fiscal 2023, the fair value of our outstanding forward contracts would have increased by $17.0 million and our operating income, excluding these forward contracts, would have decreased by $42.9 million. This sensitivity analysis has inherent limitations as it disregards the possibility that rates of multiple foreign currencies will not always move in the same direction relative to the value of the U.S. dollar over time and does not account for our forward contracts that we utilize to mitigate fluctuations in exchange rates.
Refer to Note 5, Derivative Instruments in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information on our foreign currency exposures and our foreign currency forward contracts.
Foreign Currency Translation Risk
We are exposed to foreign currency risk due to the translation of our results from certain international operations into U.S. Dollars, as part of the consolidation process. Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates can create volatility in our results of operations and our financial condition.
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The following table reflects the foreign currency translation adjustment gains and losses recorded in Other comprehensive income (loss):
Years ended August 31,
Foreign currency translation adjustment gains (losses) $ 21,511 $ (74,666)
Interest Rate Risk
Cash and Cash Equivalents and Investments
As of August 31, 2023, we had Cash and cash equivalents of $425.4 million and Investments of $32.2 million. Our Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and highly liquid investments including demand deposits and money market funds. Our Investments consist of mutual funds. We are exposed to interest rate risk due to fluctuations in interest rates, which may affect our interest income and the fair market value of our investments. As we have a restrictive investment policy, our financial exposure to fluctuations in interest rates is expected to remain low. Refer to Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information on our cash and cash equivalents.
Debt
2022 Credit Agreement
As of August 31, 2023, our outstanding variable interest rate debt included $375.0 million under the 2022 Term Facility and $250.0 million under the 2022 Revolving Facility. During fiscal 2023, the outstanding borrowings under the 2022 Credit Facilities bore interest at a rate equal to the applicable one-month Term SOFR rate plus a spread using a debt leverage pricing grid, currently at 1.1% (comprised of a 1.0% interest rate margin based on a debt leverage pricing grid plus 0.1% credit spread adjustment). The spread remained consistent from the date of borrowing through August 31, 2023.
To mitigate our exposure to interest rate volatility due to changes in SOFR, we entered into the 2022 Swap Agreement on March 1, 2022, to hedge a portion of our outstanding floating SOFR rate debt with a fixed interest rate of 1.162%. The notional amount of the 2022 Swap Agreement declines by $100.0 million on a quarterly basis beginning May 31, 2022. Effective December 30, 2022, we apportioned the then-outstanding notional amount of the 2022 Swap Agreement between two counterparties. As of August 31, 2023, the notional amount of the 2022 Swap Agreement was $200.0 million, maturing on February 28, 2024.
As our Senior Notes have a fixed interest rate, they are not subject to interest rate changes. As a result of the 2022 Swap Agreement, our exposure to fluctuations in SOFR is limited to our borrowings from the 2022 Credit Facilities in excess of amounts that are hedged, which was $425.0 million of our outstanding principal balance as of August 31, 2023. Assuming all terms of our outstanding long-term debt remained the same, a hypothetical 25 basis point change (up or down) in the one-month SOFR would result in a $1.1 million change to our annual interest expense.
Refer to Note 12, Debt in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information on our outstanding borrowings as of August 31, 2023.
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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements Page
Management’s Statement of Responsibility for Financial Statements 52
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting 52
Consolidated Financial Statements:
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 61
Financial Statement Schedule:
Schedule II – Valuation and Qualifying Accounts 99
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Management’s Statement of Responsibility for Financial Statements
Our management prepares and is responsible for the fairness, integrity and objectivity of our Consolidated Financial Statements. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and include amounts based on our management’s estimates and judgments. All financial information in this Report on Form 10-K has been presented on a basis consistent with the information included in the accompanying financial statements.
Our policies and practices reflect corporate governance initiatives that are compliant with the listing requirements of the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ Stock Market and the corporate governance requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Our management, with oversight by our Board of Directors, has established and maintains a strong ethical climate so that our affairs are conducted to the highest standards of personal and corporate conduct.
We maintain accounting systems, including internal accounting controls, designed to provide reasonable assurance of the reliability of financial records and the protection of assets. The concept of reasonable assurance is based on recognition that the cost of a system should not exceed the related benefits. The effectiveness of those systems depends primarily upon the careful selection of financial and other managers, clear delegation of authority and assignment of accountability, inculcation of high business ethics and conflict-of-interest standards, policies and procedures for coordinating the management of corporate resources, and the leadership and commitment of top management. In compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, we assessed our internal control over financial reporting as of August 31, 2023 and issued a report (see below).
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting for FactSet. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Our management (with the participation of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer) conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
Based on this evaluation, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of August 31, 2023. Ernst & Young LLP (PCAOBID: 42), an independent registered public accounting firm, has audited the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and has issued a report on our internal control over financial reporting, which is included in their report on the subsequent page.
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of FactSet Research Systems Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (the Company) as of August 31, 2023 and 2022, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended August 31, 2023, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 8 (collectively referred to as the “Consolidated Financial Statements”). In our opinion, the Consolidated Financial Statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at August 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended August 31, 2023, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of August 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) and our report dated October 27, 2023 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matters
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the account or disclosure to which it relates.
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Measurement of income tax provision
/s/Ernst & Young LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2013.
Stamford, CT
October 27, 2023
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of FactSet Research Systems Inc.
Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited FactSet Research System Inc.’s (the Company) internal control over financial reporting as of August 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of August 31, 2023, based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the 2023 Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company and our report dated October 27, 2023, expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Stamford, CT
October 27, 2023
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FactSet Research Systems Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Income
(in thousands, except per share data) For the years ended August 31,
Operating expenses
Other income (expense), net
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.
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