Cover and table of contents

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Cover and table of contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

________________________________________________________

FORM 10-K

________________________________________________________

(Mark One)

x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022

o TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ___________ to ___________

Commission file number 001-33812

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msci-20221231_g1.gif

MSCI INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

________________________________________________________

Delaware13-4038723
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

7 World Trade Center

250 Greenwich Street, 49th Floor

New York, New York 10007

(Address of Principal Executive Offices, zip code)

(212) 804-3900

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each classTrading Symbol(s)Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, par value $0.01 per shareMSCINew York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filerxAccelerated filero
Non-accelerated fileroSmaller Reporting Companyo
Emerging growth companyo

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. x

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. o

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant's executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes o No x

The aggregate market value of Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter (based on the closing price of these securities as reported by The New York Stock Exchange on June 30, 2022) was $32,171,890,320. Shares of Common Stock held by executive officers and directors of the registrant are not included in the computation. However, the registrant has made no determination that such individuals are “affiliates” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933.

As of February 3, 2023, there were 79,959,989 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, outstanding.

Documents incorporated by reference: Portions of the registrant’s proxy statement for its 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, are incorporated herein by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

MSCI INC.

FORM 10-K

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I
Item 1.Business2
Item 1A.Risk Factors14
Item 1B.Unresolved Staff Comments29
Item 2.Properties30
Item 3.Legal Proceedings30
Item 4.Mine Safety Disclosures30
PART II
Item 5.Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities31
Item 6.[Reserved]32
Item 7.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations33
Item 7A.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk54
Item 8.Financial Statements and Supplementary Data55
Item 9.Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure88
Item 9A.Controls and Procedures88
Item 9B.Other Information89
Item 9C.Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdiction that Prevent Inspections89
PART III
Item 10.Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance90
Item 11.Executive Compensation90
Item 12.Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters90
Item 13.Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence91
Item 14.Principal Accountant Fees and Services91
PART IV
Item 15.Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules92
Item 16.Form 10-K Summary95

Except as the context otherwise indicates, the terms “MSCI,” the “Company,” “we,” “our” and “us” refer to MSCI Inc. together with its subsidiaries.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains trademarks, service marks and trade names owned by us, as well as those owned by others. MSCI, Barra, RiskMetrics, IPD, Real Capital Analytics, Datscha and other MSCI brands and product names are the trademarks, service marks or registered trademarks of MSCI, its subsidiaries or licensors in the United States and other jurisdictions.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

We have included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and from time to time may make in our public filings, press releases or other public statements, certain statements that constitute forward-looking statements. In addition, our management may make forward-looking statements to analysts, investors, representatives of the media and others. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts and represent only MSCI’s beliefs regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond our control. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these statements.

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Statements concerning our financial position, business strategy and plans or objectives for future operations are forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are, in some cases, beyond our control and that could materially affect our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Such risks and uncertainties include those set forth under “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if MSCI’s underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may vary significantly from what MSCI projected. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events levels of activity, performance or achievements and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity.

The forward-looking statements in this report speak only as of the time they are made and do not necessarily reflect our outlook at any other point in time. MSCI assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. Therefore, readers should carefully review the risk factors set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other reports or documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

PART I

Next: Item 1. Business