S&P Global 10-Q 2021-09-30

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2021

OR

For the transition period from to

Commission File Number: 1-1023

S&P Global Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 212-438-1000

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

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 ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Date 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 ☑ No ☐

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.

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 accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). YES ☐ NO ☑

As of October 22, 2021 (latest practicable date), 241.0 million shares of the issuer's classes of common stock (par value $1.00 per share) were outstanding.

S&P Global Inc.

INDEX

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of S&P Global Inc.

Results of Review of Interim Financial Statements

We have reviewed the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of S&P Global Inc. (and subsidiaries) (the “Company”) as of September 30, 2021, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, and equity for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, the related consolidated statements of cash flows for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated interim financial statements”). Based on our reviews, we are not aware of any material modifications that should be made to the consolidated interim financial statements for them to be in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We have previously audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheet of the Company as of December 31, 2020, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, equity and cash flows for the year then ended, and the related notes and schedule (not presented herein); and in our report dated February 9, 2021, we expressed an unqualified audit opinion on those consolidated financial statements. In our opinion, the information set forth in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2020, is fairly stated, in all material respects, in relation to the consolidated balance sheet from which it has been derived.

Basis for Review Results

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. 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 SEC and the PCAOB. We conducted our review in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. A review of interim financial statements consists principally of applying analytical procedures and making inquiries of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters. It is substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB, the objective of which is the expression of an opinion regarding the financial statements taken as a whole. Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion.

/s/ ERNST & YOUNG LLP

New York, New York

October 26, 2021

PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

S&P Global Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Income

(Unaudited)

See accompanying notes to the unaudited consolidated financial statements.

S&P Global Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(Unaudited)

See accompanying notes to the unaudited consolidated financial statements.

S&P Global Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

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The following Management's Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) provides a narrative of the results of operations and financial condition of S&P Global Inc. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, "S&P Global," the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021. The MD&A should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements, accompanying notes and MD&A included in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 (our “Form 10-K”), which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The MD&A includes the following sections:

• Overview

• Results of Operations — Comparing the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020

• Liquidity and Capital Resources

• Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Information

• Critical Accounting Estimates

• Recently Issued or Adopted Accounting Standards

• Forward-Looking Statements

OVERVIEW

We are a leading provider of transparent and independent ratings, benchmarks, analytics and data to the capital and commodity markets worldwide. The capital markets include asset managers, investment banks, commercial banks, insurance companies, exchanges, trading firms and issuers; and the commodity markets include producers, traders and intermediaries within energy, petrochemicals, metals and agriculture.

Our operations consist of four reportable segments: S&P Global Ratings ("Ratings"), S&P Global Market Intelligence ("Market Intelligence"), S&P Global Platts ("Platts") and S&P Dow Jones Indices ("Indices").

• Ratings is an independent provider of credit ratings, research, and analytics, offering investors and other market participants information, ratings and benchmarks.

• Market Intelligence is a global provider of multi-asset-class data, research and analytical capabilities, which integrate cross-asset analytics and desktop services.

• Platts is the leading independent provider of information and benchmark prices for the commodity and energy markets.

• Indices is a global index provider maintaining a wide variety of valuation and index benchmarks for investment advisors, wealth managers and institutional investors.

Key results for the periods ended September 30 are as follows:

1 % changes in the tables throughout the MD&A are calculated off of the actual number, not the rounded number presented.

2 Operating profit for the three months ended September 30, 2021 includes IHS Markit merger costs of $54 million and a gain on disposition of $3 million. Operating profit for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 includes IHS Markit merger costs of $153 million, a gain on dispositions of $5 million, a lease impairment of $3 million and Kensho retention related expense of $2 million. Operating profit for the three months ended September 30, 2020 includes a gain on dispositions of $8 million, a technology-related impairment charge of $5 million and Kensho retention related expense of $2 million. Operating profit for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 includes a gain on dispositions of $16 million, employee severance charges of $12 million, a technology-related impairment charge of $5 million and Kensho retention related expense of $10 million. Operating profit also includes amortization of intangibles from acquisitions of $21 million and $32 million for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and $74 million and $94 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Three Months

Revenue increased 13% driven by increases at all of our reportable segments. Revenue growth at Ratings was driven by an increase in transaction revenue and non-transaction revenue. Transaction revenue increased due to higher bank loan ratings revenue and an increase in structured finance revenue, partially offset by a decrease in corporate bond ratings revenue. Non-transaction revenue increased primarily due to an increase in surveillance, entity credit ratings, revenue at our CRISIL subsidiary and higher Ratings Evaluation Service ("RES") revenue. Revenue growth at Market Intelligence was driven by subscription revenue growth in Market Intelligence Desktop products, Credit Risk Solutions and Data Management Solutions. Revenue growth at Indices was due to higher average levels of assets under management for ETFs and mutual funds. The revenue increase at Platts was primarily due to continued demand for market data and market insights products. Foreign exchange rates had a favorable impact of less than 1 percentage point.

Operating profit increased 15%, with a favorable impact from foreign exchange rates of 1 percentage point. Excluding the unfavorable impact of IHS Markit merger costs in 2021 of 5 percentage points, partially offset by higher amortization of intangibles from acquisitions in 2020 of 1 percentage point and a technology-related impairment charge in 2020 of 1 percentage point, operating profit increased 18%. The increase was primarily due to revenue growth at all of our reportable segments, partially offset by higher incentive costs and an increase in compensation costs driven by additional headcount and annual merit increases.

Nine Months

Revenue increased 11% driven by increases at all of our reportable segments. Revenue growth at Ratings was driven by an increase in transaction revenue and non-transaction revenue. Transaction revenue increased due to higher bank loan ratings revenue and an increase in structured finance revenue, partially offset by a decrease in corporate bond ratings revenue. Non-transaction revenue increased primarily due to an increase in entity credit ratings, surveillance, higher RES revenue and an increase in revenue at our CRISIL subsidiary. Revenue growth at Market Intelligence was driven by subscription revenue growth in Credit Risk Solutions, Market Intelligence Desktop products and Data Management Solutions. Revenue growth at Indices was due to higher average levels of assets under management for ETFs and mutual funds, partially offset by lower exchange-traded derivative revenue. The revenue increase at Platts was primarily due to continued demand for market data and market insights products. Foreign exchange rates had a favorable impact of 1 percentage point.

Operating profit increased 12%, with a favorable impact from foreign exchange rates of 1 percentage point. Excluding the unfavorable impact of IHS Markit merger costs in 2021 of 5 percentage points, partially offset by higher amortization of intangibles from acquisitions in 2020 of 1 percentage point, operating profit increased 16%

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Our exposure to market risk includes changes in foreign exchange rates and interest rates. We have operations in foreign countries where the functional currency is primarily the local currency. For international operations that are determined to be extensions of the parent company, the U.S. dollar is the functional currency. We typically have naturally hedged positions in most countries from a local currency perspective with offsetting assets and liabilities. As of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we entered into foreign exchange forward contracts in order to mitigate the change in fair value of specific assets and liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet. These forward contracts are not designated as hedges and do not qualify for hedge accounting. As of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we entered into foreign exchange forward contracts to hedge the effect of adverse fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and cross-currency swap contracts to hedge a portion of our net investment in a foreign subsidiary against volatility in foreign exchange rates. During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we entered into a series of interest rate swaps to mitigate or hedge the adverse fluctuations in interest rates on our future debt refinancing. We have not entered into any derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes. See Note 5 - Derivative Instruments to the consolidated financial statements of this Form 10-Q for further discussion.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed so that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

As of September 30, 2021, an evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the CEO and CFO, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934). Based on that evaluation, management, including the CEO and CFO, concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of September 30, 2021.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the most recent quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of our workforce began working remotely in March 2020. These changes to the working environment did not have a material effect on our internal controls over financial reporting during the most recent quarter.

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

See Note 12 – Commitments and Contingencies - Legal & Regulatory Matters to the consolidated financial statements of this Form 10-Q for information on our legal proceedings.

See the risk factors we have previously disclosed in Item 1A, Risk Factors, in our most recent Form 10-K.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

On January 29, 2020, the Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program authorizing the purchase of 30 million shares (the "2020 Repurchase Program"), which was approximately 12% of the total shares of our outstanding common stock at that time. During the third quarter of 2021, we did not repurchase any shares under the 2020 Repurchase Program and, as of September 30, 2021, 30 million shares remained under the 2020 Repurchase Program.

On December 4, 2013, the Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program authorizing the purchase of up to 50 million shares (the "2013 Repurchase Program"), which was approximately 18% of the Company's outstanding shares at that time. During the third quarter of 2021, we did not repurchase any shares under our 2013 Repurchase Program and as of September 30, 2021, 0.8 million shares remained under the 2013 Repurchase Program.

Repurchased shares may be used for general corporate purposes, including the issuance of shares for stock compensation plans and to offset the dilutive effect of the exercise of employee stock options. Our 2013 and 2020 Repurchase Programs have no expiration date and purchases under this program may be made from time to time on the open market and in private transactions, depending on market conditions.

The following table provides information on our purchases of our outstanding common stock during the third quarter of 2021 pursuant to our 2013 and 2020 Repurchase Programs (column c). In addition to these purchases, the number of shares in column (a) include shares of common stock that are tendered to us to satisfy our employees’ tax withholding obligations in connection with the vesting of awards of restricted shares (we repurchase such shares based on their fair market value on the vesting date).

There were no other share repurchases during the quarter outside the repurchases noted below.

IRAN THREAT REDUCTION AND SYRIA HUMAN RIGHTS ACT DISCLOSURE

Pursuant to Section 219 of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, which amended the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, an issuer is required to disclose in its annual or quarterly reports, as applicable, whether, during the reporting period, it or any of its affiliates knowingly engaged in certain activities, transactions or dealings relating to Iran or with individuals or entities designated pursuant to certain Executive Orders. Disclosure is generally required even where the activities, transactions or dealings were conducted in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

During the third quarter of 2021, the Company recorded no revenue or net profit attributable to the transactions or dealings described below. The amount recorded in connection with the foregoing reflects the uncertainty of collection.

During the third quarter of 2021, Platts, a division of the Company that provides energy-related information in over 150 countries, provided information and informational materials, which are generally exempt from U.S. economic sanctions, to subscribers that are owned or controlled, or appear to be owned or controlled, by the Government of Iran or are otherwise subject to disclosure pursuant to Section 219 of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012. Platts provided such subscribers access to proprietary data, analytics, and industry information that enable commodities markets to perform with greater transparency and efficiency. The Company will continue to monitor its provision of products and services to such subscribers.

Signatures

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this quarterly report on Form 10-Q to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.