MOODYS CORP /DE/
Item 1 of this annual report on Form 10-K for more information. These laws and regulations:
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seek to encourage, and may result in, increased competition among rating agencies and in the credit rating business;
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may result in alternatives to credit ratings or changes in the pricing of credit ratings;
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restrict the use of information in the development or maintenance of credit ratings;
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increase regulatory oversight of the credit markets and CRA operations;
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provide for direct jurisdiction of the SEC over CRAs that seek NRSRO status, and grant authority to the SEC to inspect the operations of CRAs; and
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authorize the adoption of enhanced oversight standards and new pleading standards, which may result in increases in the number of legal proceedings claiming liability for losses suffered by investors on rated securities and aggregate legal defense costs.
These laws and regulations, and any future rulemaking or court rulings, could result in reduced demand for credit ratings and increased costs, which Moody’s may be unable to pass through to customers. In addition, there may be uncertainty over the scope, interpretation and administration of such laws and regulations. The Company may be required to incur significant expenses in order to ensure compliance and mitigate the risk of fines, penalties or other sanctions. Legal proceedings could become increasingly lengthy and there may be uncertainty over and exposure to liability. It is difficult to accurately assess the future impact of legislative and regulatory requirements on Moody’s business and its customers’ businesses. For example, new laws and regulations may affect MIS’s communications with issuers as part of the rating assignment process, alter the manner in which MIS’s ratings are developed, assigned and communicated, affect the manner in which MIS or its customers or users of credit ratings operate, impact the demand for MIS’s ratings and alter the economics of the credit ratings business, including by restricting or mandating business models for rating agencies. Further, speculation concerning the impact of legislative and regulatory initiatives and the increased uncertainty over potential liability and adverse legal or judicial determinations may negatively affect Moody’s stock price. Although these recent and pending legislative and regulatory initiatives apply to rating agencies and credit markets generally, they may affect Moody’s in a disproportionate manner. Each of these developments increase the costs and legal risk associated with the issuance of credit ratings and may have a material adverse effect on Moody’s operations, profitability and competitiveness, the demand for credit ratings and the manner in which such ratings are utilized.
Financial Reforms Outside the U.S. Affecting the Credit Rating Industry May Negatively Impact the Nature and Economics of the Company’s Business.
In addition to the extensive and evolving U.S. laws and regulations governing the industry, foreign jurisdictions have taken measures to increase regulation of rating agencies and the markets for ratings. In particular, the EU has adopted a common regulatory framework for rating agencies operating in the EU. As a result, ESMA has direct supervisory authority for CRAs in the EU and has the power to take enforcement action against non-compliant CRAs, including through the issuance of public notices, withdrawal of registration and, in some cases, the imposition of fines.
MIS is a registered entity and is therefore subject to formal regulation and periodic inspection in the EU. Applicable rules include procedural requirements with respect to ratings of sovereign issuers, liability for intentional or grossly negligent failure to abide by applicable regulations, mandatory rotation requirements of CRAs hired by issuers of securities for ratings of resecuritizations, and restrictions on CRAs or their shareholders if certain ownership thresholds are crossed. Additional procedural and substantive requirements include conditions for the issuance of credit ratings, rules regarding the organization of CRAs, restrictions on activities deemed to create a conflict of interest, pricing regulations, and special requirements for the rating of structured finance instruments. Compliance with the EU regulations may increase our costs of operations and could have a significant negative effect on Moody’s operations, profitability or ability to compete, or the markets for its products and services, including in ways that Moody’s presently is unable to predict. In addition, exposure to increased liability under the EU regulations may further increase costs and legal risks associated with the issuance of credit ratings and materially and adversely impact Moody’s results of operations.
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The EU and other jurisdictions engage in rulemaking on an ongoing basis that could significantly impact operations or the markets for Moody’s products and services, including regulations extending to products and services not currently regulated and regulations affecting the need for debt securities to be rated, increasing the level of competition in the market for credit ratings, establishing criteria for credit ratings or limiting the entities authorized to provide credit ratings. Moody’s cannot predict the extent of such future laws and regulations, and the effect that they will have on Moody’s business or the potential for increased exposure to liability could be significant. Financial reforms in the EU and other foreign jurisdictions may have a material adverse effect on Moody’s business, operating results and financial condition.
The Company Faces Exposure to Litigation and Government Regulatory Proceedings, Investigations and Inquiries Related to Rating Opinions and Other Business Practices.
Moody’s faces exposure to litigation and government and regulatory proceedings, investigations and inquiries related to MIS’s ratings actions, as well as other business practices and products. If the market value of credit-dependent instruments declines or defaults, whether as a result of difficult economic times, turbulent markets or otherwise, the number of investigations and legal proceedings that Moody’s faces could increase significantly. Parties who invest in securities rated by MIS may pursue claims against MIS or Moody’s for losses they face in their portfolios. We have faced numerous class action lawsuits and other litigation, government investigations and inquiries concerning events linked to the U.S. subprime residential mortgage sector and broader deterioration in the credit markets during the recent financial crisis. Legal proceedings impose additional expenses on the Company and require the attention of senior management to an extent that may significantly reduce their ability to devote time addressing other business issues, and any of these proceedings, investigations or inquiries could ultimately result in adverse judgments, damages, fines, penalties or activity restrictions. Risks relating to legal proceedings may be heightened in foreign jurisdictions that lack the legal protections or liability standards comparable to those that exist in the U.S. In addition, new laws and regulations have been and may continue to be enacted that establish lower liability standards, shift the burden of proof or relax pleading requirements, thereby increasing the risk of successful litigations in the U.S. and in foreign jurisdictions. These litigation risks are often difficult to assess or quantify. Moody’s may not have adequate insurance or reserves to cover these risks, and the existence and magnitude of these risks often remains unknown for substantial periods of time. Furthermore, to the extent that Moody’s is unable to achieve dismissals at an early stage and litigation matters proceed to trial, the aggregate legal defense costs incurred by Moody’s increase substantially, as does the risk of an adverse outcome. See Note 19 to the consolidated financial statements for more information regarding ongoing investigations and civil litigation that the Company currently faces. Due to the number of these proceedings and the significant amount of damages sought, there is a risk that Moody’s will be subject to judgments, settlements, fines, penalties or other adverse results that could have a material adverse effect on its business, operating results and financial condition.
The Company is Exposed to Legal, Economic, Operational and Regulatory Risks of Operating in Multiple Jurisdictions.
Moody’s conducts operations in various countries outside the U.S. and derives a significant portion of its revenue from foreign sources. Changes in the economic condition of the various foreign economies in which the Company operates may have an impact on the Company’s business. For example, economic uncertainty in the Eurozone or elsewhere could affect the number of securities offerings undertaken within those particular areas. In addition, operations abroad expose Moody’s to a number of legal, economic and regulatory risks such as:
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exposure to exchange rate movements between foreign currencies and USD;
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restrictions on the ability to convert local currency into USD and the costs, including the tax impact, of repatriating cash held by entities outside the U.S.;
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U.S. laws affecting overseas operations including domestic and foreign export and import restrictions, tariffs and other trade barriers;
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differing and potentially conflicting legal or civil liability, compliance and regulatory standards including as a result of the U.K.’s referendum vote whereby the U.K. citizens voted to withdraw from the EU, Brexit;
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current and future regulations relating to the imposition of mandatory rotation requirements on CRAs hired by issuers of securities;
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uncertain and evolving laws and regulations, including those applicable to the financial services industries and to the protection of intellectual property;
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economic, political and geopolitical market conditions;
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the possibility of nationalization, expropriation, price controls and other restrictive governmental actions;
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competition with local rating agencies that have greater familiarity, longer operating histories and/or support from local governments or other institutions;
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reduced protection for intellectual property rights;
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longer payment cycles and possible problems in collecting receivables;
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differing accounting principles and standards;
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difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations;
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difficulties and delays in translating documentation into foreign languages; and
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potentially adverse tax consequences.
Additionally, Moody’s is subject to complex U.S., foreign and other local laws and regulations that are applicable to its operations abroad, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010 and other anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws. Although the Company has implemented internal controls, policies and procedures and employee training and compliance programs to deter prohibited practices, such measures may not be effective in preventing employees, contractors or agents from violating or circumventing such internal policies and violating applicable laws and regulations. Any determination that the Company has violated anti-bribery or anti-corruption laws could have a material adverse effect on Moody’s business, operating results and financial condition. Compliance with international and U.S. laws and regulations that apply to the Company’s international operations increases the cost of doing business in foreign jurisdictions. Violations of such laws and regulations may result in severe fines and penalties, criminal sanctions, administrative remedies, restrictions on business conduct and could have a material adverse effect on Moody’s reputation, its ability to attract and retain employees, its business, operating results and financial condition.
Moody’s Operations and Infrastructure May Malfunction or Fail.
Moody’s ability to conduct business may be materially and adversely impacted by a disruption in the infrastructure that supports its businesses and the communities in which Moody’s is located, including New York City, the location of Moody’s headquarters, major cities worldwide in which Moody’s has offices, and locations in China used for certain Moody’s Analytics back office work. This may include a disruption involving physical or technological infrastructure (whether or not controlled by the Company), including the Company’s electronic delivery systems, data center facilities, or the Internet, used by the Company or third parties with or through whom Moody’s conducts business. Many of the Company’s products and services are delivered electronically and the Company’s customers depend on the Company’s ability to receive, store, process, transmit and otherwise rapidly handle very substantial quantities of data and transactions on computer-based networks. The Company’s customers also depend on the continued capacity, reliability and security of the Company’s telecommunications, data centers, networks and other electronic delivery systems, including its websites and connections to the Internet. The Company’s employees also depend on these systems for internal use. Any significant failure, compromise, cyber-breach or interruption of the Company’s infrastructure, whether due to human error, hardware failure or defect, natural disasters, fire, power loss, telecommunication failures, break-ins, sabotage, intentional acts of vandalism, acts of terrorism, political unrest, war or otherwise, may impair the Company’s ability to deliver its products and services.
Moody’s efforts to secure and plan for potential disruptions of its major operating systems may not be successful. The Company relies on third-party providers to provide certain essential services. While the Company believes that such providers are reliable, the Company has limited control over the performance of such providers. To the extent any of the Company’s third-party providers ceases to provide these services in an efficient, cost-effective manner or fails to adequately expand its services to meet the Company’s needs and the needs of the Company’s customers, the Company could experience lower revenues and higher costs. Additionally, although the Company maintains processes to prevent, detect and recover from a disruption, the Company also does not have fully redundant systems for most of its smaller office locations and low-risk systems, and its disaster recovery plan does not include restoration of non-essential services. If a disruption occurs in one of Moody’s locations or systems and its personnel in those locations or those who rely on such systems are unable to utilize other systems or communicate with or travel to other locations, such persons’ ability to service and interact with Moody’s clients and customers may suffer. The Company cannot predict with certainty all of the adverse effects that could result from the Company’s failure, or the failure of a third party, to efficiently address and resolve these delays and interruptions. A disruption to Moody’s operations or infrastructure may have a material adverse effect on its reputation, business, operating results and financial condition.
The Company is Exposed to Risks Related to Cybersecurity and Protection of Confidential Information.
The Company’s operations rely on the secure processing, storage and transmission of confidential, sensitive, proprietary and other types of information relating to its business operations and confidential and sensitive information about its clients and employees in the Company’s computer systems and networks, and in those of its third party vendors. The cyber risks the Company faces range from cyber-attacks common to most industries, to more advanced threats that target the Company because of its prominence in the global marketplace, or due to its ratings of sovereign debt. Breaches of Moody’s or Moody’s vendors’ technology and systems, whether from circumvention of security systems, denial-of-service attacks or other cyber-attacks, hacking, “phishing” attacks, computer viruses, ransomware, or malware, employee error, malfeasance, social engineering, physical breaches or other actions, may result in manipulation or corruption of sensitive data, material interruptions or malfunctions in the Company’s or such vendors’ web sites, applications, data processing, or disruption of other business operations, or may compromise the confidentiality and integrity of material information held by the Company (including information about Moody’s business, employees or customers), as well as sensitive personally identifiable
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information (“PII”), the disclosure of which could lead to identity theft. Measures that Moody’s takes to avoid, detect, mitigate or recover from material incidents can be expensive, and may be insufficient, circumvented, or may become ineffective. Recent well-publicized security breaches at other companies have led to enhanced government and regulatory scrutiny of the measures taken by companies to protect against cyber-attacks, and may in the future result in heightened cybersecurity requirements, including additional regulatory expectations for oversight of vendors and service providers. Any material breaches of cybersecurity or media reports of perceived security vulnerabilities to the Company’s systems or those of the Company’s third parties, even if no breach has been attempted or occurred, could cause the Company to experience reputational harm, loss of customers, regulatory actions, sanctions or other statutory penalties, litigation, liability for failure to safeguard the Company’s clients’ information, or financial losses that are either not insured against or not fully covered through any insurance maintained by the Company. Any of the foregoing may have a material adverse effect on Moody’s business, operating results, or financial condition.
Changes in the Volume of Debt Securities Issued in Domestic and/or Global Capital Markets and Changes in Interest Rates and Other Volatility in the Financial Markets May Negatively Impact the Nature and Economics of the Company’s Business.
Moody’s business is impacted by general economic conditions and volatility in the U.S. and world financial markets. Furthermore, issuers of debt securities may elect to issue securities without ratings or securities which are rated or evaluated by non-traditional parties such as financial advisors, rather than traditional CRAs, such as MIS. A majority of Moody’s credit-rating-based revenue is transaction-based, and therefore it is especially dependent on the number and dollar volume of debt securities issued in the capital markets. Market disruptions and economic slowdown and uncertainty have in the past negatively impacted the volume of debt securities issued in global capital markets and the demand for credit ratings. Potential changes to U.S. tax laws and policy could negatively affect the volume of debt securities issued in the U.S. Conditions that reduce issuers’ ability or willingness to issue debt securities, such as market volatility, declining growth, currency devaluations or other adverse economic trends, reduce the number and dollar-equivalent volume of debt issuances for which Moody’s provides ratings services and thereby adversely affect the fees Moody’s earns in its ratings business.
Economic and government factors such as a long-term continuation of difficult economic conditions and a worsening of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe may have an adverse impact on the Company’s business. Future debt issuances also could be negatively affected by increases in interest rates, widening credit spreads, regulatory and political developments, growth in the use of alternative sources of credit, and defaults by significant issuers. Declines or other changes in the markets for debt securities may materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, operating results and financial condition.
Moody’s initiatives to reduce costs to counteract a decline in its business may not be sufficient and cost reductions may be difficult or impossible to obtain in the short term, due in part to rent, technology, compliance and other fixed costs associated with some of the Company’s operations as well as the need to monitor outstanding ratings. Further, cost-reduction initiatives, including those undertaken to date, could make it difficult for the Company to rapidly expand operations in order to accommodate any unexpected increase in the demand for ratings. Volatility in the financial markets, including changes in the volumes of debt securities and changes in interest rates, may have a material adverse effect on the business, operating results and financial condition, which the Company may not be able to successfully offset with cost reductions.
The Company Faces Increased Pricing Pressure from Competitors and/or Customers.
There is price competition in the credit rating, research, credit risk management markets, research and analytical services and financial training and certification services. Moody’s faces competition globally from other CRAs and from investment banks and brokerage firms that offer credit opinions in research, as well as from in-house research operations. Competition for customers and market share has spurred more aggressive tactics by some competitors in areas such as pricing and services, as well as increased competition from non-NRSROs that evaluate debt risk for issuers or investors. At the same time, a challenging business environment and consolidation among customers, particularly those involved in structured finance products, and other factors affecting demand may enhance the market power of competitors and reduce the Company’s customer base. Weak economic growth is also intensifying competitive pricing pressures and can result in customers’ use of free or lower-cost information that is available from alternative sources. While Moody’s seeks to compete primarily on the basis of the quality of its products and services, it may lose market share if its pricing is not sufficiently competitive. In addition, the Reform Act was designed to encourage competition among rating agencies. The formation of additional NRSROs may increase pricing and competitive pressures. Furthermore, in some of the countries in which Moody’s operates, governments may provide financial or other support to local rating agencies. Any inability of Moody’s to compete successfully with respect to the pricing of its products and services could have a material adverse impact on its business, operating results and financial condition.
The Company is Exposed to Reputation and Credibility Concerns.
Moody’s reputation and the strength of its brand are key competitive strengths. To the extent that the rating agency business as a whole or Moody’s, relative to its competitors, suffers a loss in credibility, Moody’s business could be significantly impacted. Factors that may have already affected credibility and could potentially continue to have an impact in this regard include the appearance of a conflict of interest, the performance of securities relative to the rating assigned to such securities, the timing and nature of changes in rat-
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ings, a major compliance failure, negative perceptions or publicity and increased criticism by users of ratings, regulators and legislative bodies, including as to the ratings process and its implementation with respect to one or more securities and intentional or unintentional misrepresentations of Moody’s products and services in advertising materials, public relations information, social media or other external communications. Operational errors, whether by Moody’s or a Moody’s competitor, could also harm the reputation of the Company or the credit rating industry. Damage to reputation and credibility could have a material adverse impact on Moody’s business, operating results and financial condition.
The Introduction of Competing Products or Technologies by Other Companies May Negatively Impact the Nature and Economics of the Company’s Business.
The markets for credit ratings, research, credit risk management services, research and analytical services and financial training and certification services are highly competitive and characterized by rapid technological change, changes in client demands, and evolving regulatory requirements, industry standards and market preferences. The ability to develop and successfully launch and maintain innovative products and technologies that anticipate customers’ changing requirements and utilize emerging technological trends is a key factor in maintaining market share. Moody’s competitors include both established companies with significant financial resources, brand recognition, market experience and technological expertise, and smaller companies which may be better poised to quickly adopt new or emerging technologies or respond to customer requirements. Competitors may develop quantitative methodologies or related services for assessing credit risk that customers and market participants may deem preferable, more cost-effective or more valuable than the credit risk assessment methods currently employed by Moody’s, or may position, price or market their products in manners that differ from those utilized by Moody’s. Moody’s also competes indirectly against consulting firms and other information providers; these indirect competitors could choose to compete directly with us in the future. In addition, customers or others may develop alternative, proprietary systems for assessing credit risk. Such developments could affect demand for Moody’s products and services and its growth prospects. Further, the increased availability in recent years of free or relatively inexpensive Internet information may reduce the demand for Moody’s products and services. For example, in December 2016, the ESMA launched a database providing access to free, current information on certain credit ratings and rating outlooks. Moody’s growth prospects also could be adversely affected by Moody’s failure to make necessary or optimal capital infrastructure expenditures and improvements and the inability of its information technologies to provide adequate capacity and capabilities to meet increased demands of producing quality ratings and research products at levels achieved by competitors. Any inability of Moody to compete successfully may have a material adverse effect on its business, operating results and financial condition.
The Company Has a Significant Amount of Intangible Assets.
At December 31, 2016, Moody’s had $1,023.6 million of goodwill and $296.4 million of intangible assets on its balance sheet. Approximately 73% of these intangibles reside in the MA business and are allocated to the four reporting units within MA: RD&A; ERS; Financial Services Training and Certifications; and Moody’s Analytics Knowledge Services. The remaining 27% of these intangibles reside in MIS and primarily relate to ICRA. Failure to achieve business objectives and financial projections in any of these reporting units could result in an asset impairment charge, which would result in a non-cash charge to operating expenses. Goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives are tested for impairment on an annual basis and also when events or changes in circumstances indicate that impairment may have occurred. Determining whether an impairment of goodwill exists can be especially difficult in periods of market or economic uncertainty and turmoil, and requires significant management estimates and judgment. In addition, the potential for goodwill impairment is increased during periods of economic uncertainty. An asset impairment charge could have a material adverse effect on Moody’s business, operating results and financial condition.
Possible Loss of Key Employees and Related Compensation Cost Pressures May Negatively Impact the Company.
Moody’s success depends upon its ability to recruit, retain and motivate highly skilled, experienced financial analysts and other professionals. Competition for skilled individuals in the financial services industry is intense, and Moody’s ability to attract high quality employees could be impaired if it is unable to offer competitive compensation and other incentives or if the regulatory environment mandates restrictions on or disclosures about individual employees that would not be necessary in competing industries. As greater focus has been placed on executive compensation at public companies, in the future, Moody’s may be required to alter its compensation practices in ways that could adversely affect its ability to attract and retain talented employees. Investment banks, investors and competitors may seek to attract analyst talent by providing more favorable working conditions or offering significantly more attractive compensation packages than Moody’s. Moody’s also may not be able to identify and hire the appropriate qualified employees in some markets outside the U.S. with the required experience or skills to perform sophisticated credit analysis. There is a risk that even if the Company invests significant resources in attempting to attract, train and retain qualified personnel, it will not succeed in its efforts, and its business could be harmed.
Moody’s is highly dependent on the continued services of Raymond W. McDaniel, Jr., the President and Chief Executive Officer, and other senior officers and key employees. The loss of the services of skilled personnel for any reason and Moody’s inability to replace them with suitable candidates quickly or at all, as well as any negative market perception resulting from such loss, could have a material adverse effect on Moody’s business, operating results and financial condition.
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Moody’s Acquisitions, Dispositions and Other Strategic Transactions May Not Produce Anticipated Results.
Moody’s has made and expects to continue to make acquisitions, dispositions or enter into other strategic transactions to strengthen its business and grow the Company. Such transactions present significant challenges and risks. The market for acquisition targets, dispositions and other strategic transactions is highly competitive, especially in light of industry consolidation, which may affect Moody’s ability to complete such transactions. If Moody’s is unsuccessful in completing such transactions or if such opportunities for expansion do not arise, its business, operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
If such transactions are completed, the anticipated growth, synergies and other strategic objectives of such transactions may not be fully realized, and a variety of factors may adversely affect any anticipated benefits from such transactions. Any strategic transaction can involve a number of risks, including unanticipated challenges regarding integration of operations, technologies and new employees; the existence of liabilities or contingencies not disclosed to or otherwise known by the Company prior to closing a transaction; unexpected regulatory and operating difficulties and expenditures; scrutiny from competition and antitrust authorities; failure to retain key personnel of the acquired business; diverting management’s focus from other business operations; and failing to implement or remediate controls, procedures and policies appropriate for a larger public company at acquired companies that prior to the acquisition lacked such controls, procedures and policies. The anticipated benefits from an acquisition or other strategic transaction may not be realized fully, or may take longer to realize than expected. As a result, the failure of acquisitions, dispositions and other strategic transactions to perform as expected may have a material adverse effect on Moody’s business, operating results and financial condition.
The Company’s Compliance and Risk Management Programs May Not be Effective and May Result in Outcomes That Could Adversely Affect the Company’s Reputation, Financial Condition and Operating Results.
Moody’s operates in a number of countries, and as a result the Company is required to comply with numerous international and U.S. federal, state and local laws and regulations. The Company’s ability to comply with applicable laws and regulations, including anti-corruption laws, is largely dependent on its establishment and maintenance of compliance, review and reporting systems, as well as its ability to attract and retain qualified compliance and risk management personnel. Moody’s policies and procedures to identify, evaluate and manage the Company’s risks may not be fully effective, and Moody’s employees or agents may engage in misconduct, fraud or other errors. It is not always possible to deter such errors, and the precautions the Company takes to prevent and detect this activity may not be effective in all cases. If Moody’s employees violate its policies or if the Company’s risk management methods are not effective, the Company could be subject to criminal and civil liability, the suspension of the Company’s employees, fines, penalties, regulatory sanctions, injunctive relief, exclusion from certain markets or other penalties, and may suffer harm to its reputation, financial condition and operating results.
Legal Protections for the Company’s Intellectual Property Rights may not be Sufficient or Available to Protect the Company’s Competitive Advantages.
Moody’s considers many aspects of its products and services to be proprietary. Failure to protect the Company’s intellectual property adequately could harm its reputation and affect the Company’s ability to compete effectively. Businesses the Company acquires also involve intellectual property portfolios, which increase the challenges the Company faces in protecting its strategic advantage. In addition, the Company’s operating results may be adversely affected by inadequate or changing legal and technological protections for intellectual property and proprietary rights in some jurisdictions and markets. On January 6, 2015, a rule with direct relevance to the CRA industry was published in the Official Journal of the European Union regarding the types of information that CRAs are to provide about certain ratings (those that were paid for by issuers) for publication on a central website administered by ESMA (the European Ratings Platform). This rule directly relates to the Company’s intellectual property as it requires that the Company provide proprietary information at no cost that the Company currently sells, which could result in lost revenue. ESMA launched the European Rating Platform for public use on December 1, 2016.
Unauthorized third parties may also try to obtain and use technology or other information that the Company regards as proprietary. It is also possible that Moody’s competitors or other entities could obtain patents related to the types of products and services that Moody’s offers, and attempt to require Moody’s to stop developing or marketing the products or services, to modify or redesign the products or services to avoid infringing, or to obtain licenses from the holders of the patents in order to continue developing and marketing the products and services. Even if Moody’s attempts to assert or protect its intellectual property rights through litigation, it may require considerable cost, time and resources to do so, and there is no guarantee that the Company will be successful. These risks, and the cost, time and resources needed to address them, may increase as the Company’s business grows and its profile rises in countries with intellectual property regimes that are less protective than the rules and regulations applied in the United States.
The Company is Dependent on the Use of Third-Party Software, Data, Hosted Solutions, Data Centers, and Network Infrastructure (Together, “Third Party Technology”), and Any Reduction in Third-Party Product Quality or Service Offerings, Could Have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company’s Business, Financial Condition or Results of Operations.
Moody’s relies on Third Party Technology in connection with its product development and offerings. The Company depends on the ability of Third Party Technology providers to deliver and support reliable products, enhance their current products, develop new products
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on a timely and cost-effective basis, and respond to emerging industry standards and other technological changes. The Third Party Technology Moody’s uses may become obsolete, incompatible with future versions of the Company’s products, unavailable or fail to operate effectively, and Moody’s business could be adversely affected if the Company is unable to timely or effectively replace such Third Party Technology. The Company also monitors its use of Third Party Technology to comply with applicable license and other contractual requirements. Despite the Company’s efforts, the Company cannot ensure that such third parties will permit Moody’s use in the future, resulting in increased Third Party Technology acquisition costs and loss of rights. In addition, the Company’s operating costs could increase if license or other usage fees for Third Party Technology increase or the efforts to incorporate enhancements to Third Party Technology are substantial. Some of these third-party suppliers are also Moody’s competitors, increasing the risks noted above. If any of these risks materialize, they could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations.
Changes in Tax Rates or Tax Rules Could Affect Future Results.
As a global company, Moody’s is subject to taxation in the United States and various other countries and jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required to determine worldwide tax liabilities. Moody’s future tax rates could be affected by changes in the composition of earnings in countries or states with differing tax rates or other factors, including by increased earnings in jurisdictions where we face higher tax rates, losses incurred in jurisdictions for which we are not able to realize the related tax benefit, or changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Changes in the tax, accounting and other laws, treaties, regulations, policies and administrative practices, or changes to their interpretation or enforcement, including changes applicable to multinational corporations such as the Base Erosion Profit Shifting project being conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Union’s state aid rulings, could have a material adverse effect on our effective tax rate, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, Moody’s is subject to regular examination of our income tax returns by the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities, and we have experienced increased scrutiny as business has grown. Moody’s regularly assesses the likelihood of favorable or unfavorable outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes, however, developments in an audit or litigation could materially and adversely affect us. Although we believe our tax estimates and accruals are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any final determination will not be materially different than the treatment reflected in our historical income tax provisions and accruals, which could materially and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
The Company’s aggregate cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of $2.2 billion at December 31, 2016 consisted of approximately $1.7 billion located outside of the U.S. Except as required under U.S. tax laws, Moody’s does not provide for U.S. taxes on undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries that have not been previously taxed since we intend to invest such undistributed earnings indefinitely in our foreign operations. If our intent changes or if these funds are needed for our U.S. operations, we may be required to accrue or pay U.S. taxes on some or all of these undistributed earnings and our effective tax rate could be adversely affected.
ITEM 1B.
UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None
ITEM 2.
PROPERTIES
Moody’s corporate headquarters is located at 7 World Trade Center at 250 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10007, with approximately 797,537 square feet of leased space. As of December 31, 2016, Moody’s operations were conducted from 14 U.S. offices and 78 non-U.S. office locations, all of which are leased. These properties are geographically distributed to meet operating and sales requirements worldwide. These properties are generally considered to be both suitable and adequate to meet current operating requirements.
ITEM 3.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
For information regarding legal proceedings, see Part II, Item 8 - “Financial Statements”, Note 19 “Contingencies” in this Form 10-K.
ITEM 4.
MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
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PART II
ITEM 5.
MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Information in response to this Item is set forth under the captions below.
MOODY’S PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
For the three months ended December 31, 2016
(1) Includes the surrender to the Company of 728 shares and 3,248 shares of common stock in October and November, respectively, to satisfy tax withholding obligations in connection with the vesting of restricted stock issued to employees.
(2) As of the last day of each of the months. On December 15, 2015, the Board authorized a $1 billion share repurchase program. There is no established expiration date for the remaining authorization.
During the fourth quarter of 2016, Moody’s issued 0.1 million shares under employee stock-based compensation plans.
COMMON STOCK INFORMATION AND DIVIDENDS
The Company’s common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “MCO”. The table below indicates the high and low sales price of the Company’s common stock and the dividends declared and paid for the periods shown. The number of registered shareholders of record at January 31, 2017 was 2,139. A substantially greater number of the Company’s common stock is held by beneficial holders whose shares are held of record by banks, brokers and other financial institutions.
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On December 20, 2016, the Board of the Company approved the declaration of a quarterly dividend of 0.38 per share of Moody’s common stock, payable on March 10, 2017 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 20, 2017. The continued payment of dividends at the rate noted above, or at all, is subject to the discretion of the Board.
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
The table below sets forth, as of December 31, 2016, certain information regarding the Company’s equity compensation plans.
(1) Includes 6,140,346 options and unvested restricted shares outstanding under the Company’s 2001 Key Employees’ Stock Incentive Plan, 62,815 options outstanding under the Company’s 1998 Key Employees’ Stock Incentive Plan, and 15,638 unvested restricted shares outstanding under the 1998 Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Incentive Plan. This number also includes a maximum of 1,262,520 performance shares outstanding under the Company’s 2001 Key Employees’ Stock Incentive Plan, which is the maximum number of shares issuable pursuant to performance share awards assuming the maximum payout at 225% of the target award for performance shares granted in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Assuming payout at target, the number of shares to be issued upon the vesting of outstanding performance share awards is 561,120.
(2) Does not reflect unvested restricted shares or performance share awards included in column (a) because these awards have no exercise price.
(3) Includes 17,625,604 shares available for issuance as under the 2001 Stock Incentive Plan, of which all may be issued as options and 10,930,024 may be issued as restricted stock, performance shares or other stock-based awards; 927,472 shares available for issuance as options, shares of restricted stock or performance shares under the 1998 Directors Plan; and 2,846,635 shares available for issuance under the Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. No new grants may be made under the 1998 Stock Incentive Plan, which expired by its terms in June 2008.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
PERFORMANCE GRAPH
The following graph compares the total cumulative shareholder return of the Company to the performance of Standard & Poor’s Stock 500 Composite Index and the Russell 3000 Financial Services Index. Both of the aforementioned indexes are easily accessible to the Company’s shareholders in newspapers, the internet and other readily available sources for purposes of the following graph.
The comparison assumes that $100.00 was invested in the Company’s common stock and in each of the foregoing indices on December 31, 2011. The comparison also assumes the reinvestment of dividends, if any. The total return for the common stock was 201% during the performance period as compared with a total return during the same period of 212% for the Russell 3000 Financial Services Index and 98% for the S&P 500 Composite Index.
Comparison of Cumulative Total Return
Moody’s Corporation, Russell 3000 Financial Services Index and S&P 500 Composite Index
COMPARISON OF 5 YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN
Among Moody’s Corporation, the S&P 500 Index
and the Russell 3000 Financial Services Index
The comparisons in the graph above are provided in response to disclosure requirements of the SEC and are not intended to forecast or be indicative of future performance of the Company’s common stock.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
ITEM 6.
SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
The Company’s selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with Item 7. “MD&A” and the Moody’s Corporation consolidated financial statements and notes thereto.
(1) The 2016 amount includes an approximate $35 million FX gain relating to the substantial liquidation of a subsidiary. The 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012 amounts include benefits of $7.1 million, $7.1 million, $22.8 million, and $17.2 million, respectively, related to the favorable resolution of certain Legacy Tax Matters. The 2014 amount also includes the ICRA Gain of $102.8 million.
(2) The 2016 amount includes an approximate $35 million FX gain relating to the substantial liquidation of a subsidiary. The 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012 amounts include benefits of $6.4 million, $6.4 million, $21.3 million and $12.8 million, respectively, related to the resolution of certain Legacy Tax Matters. Also, the 2014 amount includes the ICRA Gain of $78.5 million and the 2013 amount includes a litigation settlement charge of $0.14.
(3) The 2016 amount excludes $300 million of the Series 2007-1 Notes due in 2017.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
ITEM 7.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
This discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the Moody’s Corporation consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K.
This MD&A contains Forward-Looking Statements. See “Forward-Looking Statements” commencing on page 55 and
ITEM 7A.
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Information in response to this Item is set forth under the caption “Market Risk” in Part II, Item 7 on page 47 of this annual report on Form 10-K.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
ITEM 8.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
MOODY’S 2016 10K
MANAGEMENT’S REPORT ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
Management of Moody’s Corporation is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting and for the assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. As defined by the SEC in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the Company’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by the Company’s Board, management and other personnel, 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.
Moody’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 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 Moody’s management and directors; 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.
Management of the Company has undertaken an assessment of the design and operational effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016 based on criteria established in the Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).
Based on the assessment performed, management has concluded that Moody’s maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016.
The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016 has been audited by KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report which appears herein.
/s/ RAYMOND W. MCDANIEL, JR.
Raymond W. McDaniel, Jr.
President and Chief Executive Officer
/s/ LINDA S. HUBER
Linda S. Huber
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
February 23, 2017
MOODY’S 2016 10K
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors and Shareholders of Moody’s Corporation:
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Moody’s Corporation (the Company) as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2016. We also have audited the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Moody’s Corporation’s management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, 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 these consolidated financial statements and an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
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.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Moody’s Corporation as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2016, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also in our opinion, Moody’s Corporation maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).
/s/ KPMG LLP
New York, New York
February 23, 2017
MOODY’S 2016 10K
MOODY’S CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Amounts in millions, except per share data)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(Amounts in millions)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
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MOODY’S CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Amounts in millions, except share and per share data)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
MOODY’S CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Amounts in millions)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements
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MOODY’S CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)
(Amounts in millions)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
(continued on next page)
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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT) continued
(Amounts in millions)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
(continued on next page)
MOODY’S 2016 10K
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT) continued
(Amounts in millions)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
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MOODY’S CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(tabular dollar and share amounts in millions, except per share data)
NOTE 1 DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
Moody’s is a provider of (i) credit ratings, (ii) credit, capital markets and economic research, data and analytical tools, (iii) software solutions and related risk management services, (iv) quantitative credit risk measures, financial services training and certification services and (v) research and analytical services. Moody’s has two reportable segments: MIS and MA.
MIS, the credit rating agency, publishes credit ratings on a wide range of debt obligations and the entities that issue such obligations in markets worldwide. Revenue is primarily derived from the originators and issuers of such transactions who use MIS ratings in the distribution of their debt issues to investors. Additionally, MIS earns revenue from certain non-ratings-related operations which consist primarily of the distribution of research and financial instrument pricing services in the Asia-Pacific region as well as revenue from ICRA’s non-ratings operations. The revenue from these operations is included in the MIS Other LOB and is not material to the results of the MIS segment.
The MA segment develops a wide range of products and services that support financial analysis and risk management activities of institutional participants in global financial markets. Within its RD&A business, MA distributes research and data developed by MIS as part of its ratings process, including in-depth research on major debt issuers, industry studies and commentary on topical credit-related events. The RD&A business also produces economic research as well as data and analytical tools such as quantitative credit risk scores. Within its ERS business, MA provides software solutions as well as related risk management services. The PS business provides research and analytical services along with financial training and certification programs.
In the first quarter of 2016, the Company adopted ASU No. 2015-17 “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes” on a prospective basis, and accordingly, prior year comparative periods have not been adjusted. This ASU requires the classification of all deferred income tax assets and liabilities as noncurrent on the balance sheet.
In the first quarter of 2016, the Company adopted ASU No. 2015-03, “Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs” on a retrospective basis. This ASU requires a company to present debt issuance costs in the balance sheet as a reduction of debt rather than as an asset. The impact to the Company’s balance sheet as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 relating to the adoption of this ASU is set forth in the table below:
Certain reclassifications have been made to prior period amounts to conform to the current presentation.
NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include those of Moody’s Corporation and its majority- and wholly-owned subsidiaries. The effects of all intercompany transactions have been eliminated. Investments in companies for which the Company has significant influence over operating and financial policies but not a controlling interest are accounted for on an equity basis whereby the Company records its proportional share of the investment’s net income or loss as part of other non-operating income (expense), net and any dividends received reduce the carrying amount of the investment. The Company applies the guidelines set forth in Topic 810 of the ASC in assessing its interests in variable interest entities to decide whether to consolidate that entity. The Company has reviewed the potential variable interest entities and determined that there are no consolidation requirements under Topic 810 of the ASC. The Company consolidates its ICRA subsidiaries on a three month lag.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash equivalents principally consist of investments in money market mutual funds and money market deposit accounts as well as high-grade commercial paper and certificates of deposit with maturities of three months or less when purchased.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
Short-term Investments
Short-term investments are securities with maturities greater than 90 days at the time of purchase that are available for operations in the next 12 months. The Company’s short-term investments primarily consist of certificates of deposit and their cost approximates fair value due to the short-term nature of the instruments. Interest and dividends on these investments are recorded into income when earned.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are stated at cost and are depreciated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs that do not extend the economic useful life of the related assets are charged to expense as incurred.
Research and Development Costs
All research and development costs are expensed as incurred. These costs primarily reflect the development of credit processing software and quantitative credit risk assessment products sold by the MA segment.
Research and development costs were $40.1 million, $29.1 million, and $37.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and are included in operating expenses within the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. These costs generally consist of professional services provided by third parties and compensation costs of employees.
Costs for internally developed computer software that will be sold, leased or otherwise marketed are capitalized when technological feasibility has been established. These costs primarily relate to the development or enhancement of products in the ERS business and generally consist of professional services provided by third parties and compensation costs of employees that develop the software. Judgment is required in determining when technological feasibility of a product is established and the Company believes that technological feasibility for its software products is reached after all high-risk development issues have been resolved through coding and testing. Generally, this occurs shortly before the products are released to customers. Accordingly, costs for internally developed computer software that will be sold, leased or otherwise marketed that were eligible for capitalization under Topic 985 of the ASC were immaterial for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014.
Computer Software Developed or Obtained for Internal Use
The Company capitalizes costs related to software developed or obtained for internal use. These assets, included in property and equipment in the consolidated balance sheets, relate to the Company’s accounting, product delivery and other systems. Such costs generally consist of direct costs for third-party license fees, professional services provided by third parties and employee compensation, in each case incurred either during the application development stage or in connection with upgrades and enhancements that increase functionality. Such costs are depreciated over their estimated useful lives on a straight-line basis. Costs incurred during the preliminary project stage of development as well as maintenance costs are expensed as incurred.
Long-Lived Assets, Including Goodwill and Other Acquired Intangible Assets
Moody’s evaluates its goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level, defined as an operating segment or one level below an operating segment, annually as of July 31 or more frequently if impairment indicators arise in accordance with ASC Topic 350.
The Company evaluates the recoverability of goodwill using a three-step impairment test approach at the reporting unit level. In the first step, the Company assesses various qualitative factors to determine whether the fair value of a reporting unit may be less than its carrying amount. If a determination is made that, based on the qualitative factors, an impairment does not exist, the Company is not required to perform further testing. If the aforementioned qualitative assessment results in the Company concluding that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit may be less than its carrying amount, the fair value of the reporting unit will be determined and compared to its carrying value including goodwill. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds the carrying value of the net assets assigned to that unit, goodwill is not impaired and the Company is not required to perform further testing. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than the carrying value, the Company must perform a third step of the impairment test to determine the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill. The implied fair value of the goodwill is determined based on the difference between the fair value of the reporting unit and the net fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities of the reporting unit. If the implied fair value of the goodwill is less than its carrying value, the difference is recognized as an impairment charge. The Company evaluates its reporting units for impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently if there are changes in the reporting structure of the Company due to acquisitions or realignments or if there are indicators of potential impairment. For the reporting units where the Company is consistently able to conclude that an impairment does not exist using only a qualitative approach, the Company’s accounting policy is to perform the second step of the aforementioned goodwill impairment assessment at least once every three years. Goodwill is assigned to a reporting unit at the date when an acquisition is integrated into one of the established reporting units, and is based on which reporting unit is expected to benefit from the synergies of the acquisition.
For purposes of assessing the recoverability of goodwill, the Company has six primary reporting units at December 31, 2016: two within the Company’s ratings business (one for the ICRA business and one that encompasses all of Moody’s other ratings operations) and four
MOODY’S 2016 10K
reporting units within MA: RD&A, ERS, FSTC and MAKS. The RD&A reporting unit encompasses the distribution of investor-oriented research and data developed by MIS as part of its ratings process, in-depth research on major debt issuers, industry studies, economic research and commentary on topical events and credit analytic tools. The ERS reporting unit consists of credit risk management and compliance software that is sold on a license or subscription basis as well as related advisory services for implementation and maintenance. The FSTC reporting unit consists of the portion of the MA business that offers both credit training as well as other professional development training and certification services. The MAKS reporting unit consists of research and analytical services.
Amortizable intangible assets are reviewed for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable.
Rent Expense
The Company records rent expense on a straight-line basis over the life of the lease. In cases where there is a free rent period or future fixed rent escalations the Company will record a deferred rent liability. Additionally, the receipt of any lease incentives will be recorded as a deferred rent liability which will be amortized over the lease term as a reduction of rent expense.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company records compensation expense for all share-based payment award transactions granted to employees based on the fair value of the equity instrument at the time of grant. This includes shares issued under stock option and restricted stock plans. The Company has also established a pool of additional paid-in capital related to the net Excess Tax Benefits relating to employee share-based compensation, which is available to absorb any recognized tax shortfalls.
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities
Based on the Company’s risk management policy, from time to time the Company may use derivative financial instruments to reduce exposure to changes in foreign exchange rates and interest rates. The Company does not enter into derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes. All derivative financial instruments are recorded on the balance sheet at their respective fair values. The changes in the value of derivatives that qualify as fair value hedges are recorded with a corresponding adjustment to the carrying value of the item being hedged. Changes in the derivative’s fair value that qualify as cash flow hedges are recorded to other comprehensive income or loss, to the extent the hedge is effective, and such amounts are reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income or loss to earnings in the same period or periods during which the hedged transaction affects income. Changes in the derivative’s fair value that qualify as net investment hedges are recorded to other comprehensive income or loss, to the extent the hedge is effective. Any changes in the fair value of derivatives that the Company does not designate as hedging instruments under Topic 815 of the ASC are recorded in the consolidated statements of operations in the period in which they occur.
Revenue Recognition
Revenue is recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or the services have been provided and accepted by the customer when applicable, fees are determinable and the collection of resulting receivables is considered probable.
Pursuant to ASC Topic 605, when a sales arrangement contains multiple deliverables, the Company allocates revenue to each deliverable based on its relative selling price which is determined based on its vendor specific objective evidence if available, third party evidence if VSOE is not available, or estimated selling price if neither VSOE nor TPE is available.
The Company’s products and services will generally qualify as separate units of accounting under ASC Topic 605. The Company evaluates each deliverable in an arrangement to determine whether it represents a separate unit of accounting. A deliverable constitutes a separate unit of accounting when it has stand-alone value to the customers and if the arrangement includes a customer refund or return right relative to the delivered item and the delivery and performance of the undelivered item is considered probable and substantially in the Company’s control. In instances where the aforementioned criteria are not met, the deliverable is combined with the undelivered items and revenue recognition is determined as one single unit.
The Company determines whether its selling price in a multi-element transaction meets the VSOE criteria by using the price charged for a deliverable when sold separately or, if the deliverable is not yet being sold separately, the price established by management having the relevant authority to establish such a price. In instances where the Company is not able to establish VSOE for all deliverables in a multiple element arrangement, which may be due to the Company infrequently selling each element separately, not selling products within a reasonably narrow price range, or only having a limited sales history, the Company attempts to establish TPE for deliverables. The Company determines whether TPE exists by evaluating largely similar and interchangeable competitor products or services in standalone sales to similarly situated customers. However, due to the difficulty in obtaining third party pricing, possible differences in its market strategy from that of its peers and the potential that products and services offered by the Company may contain a significant level of differentiation and/or customization such that the comparable pricing of products with similar functionality cannot be obtained, the Company generally is unable to reliably determine TPE. Based on the selling price hierarchy established by ASC Topic 605, when the Company is unable to establish selling price using VSOE or TPE, the Company will establish an ESP. ESP is the price at which the Company would transact a sale if the product or service were sold on a stand-alone basis. The Company establishes its best
MOODY’S 2016 10K
estimate of ESP considering internal factors relevant to is pricing practices such as costs and margin objectives, standalone sales prices of similar products, percentage of the fee charged for a primary product or service relative to a related product or service, and customer segment and geography. Additional consideration is also given to market conditions such as competitor pricing strategies and market trend. The Company reviews its determination of VSOE, TPE and ESP on an annual basis or more frequently as needed.
In the MIS segment, revenue attributed to initial ratings of issued securities is recognized when the rating is issued. Revenue attributed to monitoring of issuers or issued securities is recognized ratably over the period in which the monitoring is performed, generally one year. In the case of commercial mortgage-backed securities, structured credit, international residential mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, issuers can elect to pay the monitoring fees upfront. These fees are deferred and recognized over the future monitoring periods based on the expected lives of the rated securities, which was approximately 25 years on a weighted average basis at December 31, 2016. At December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, deferred revenue related to these securities was approximately $133 million, $121 million, and $107 million, respectively.
Multiple element revenue arrangements in the MIS segment are generally comprised of an initial rating and the related monitoring service. In instances where monitoring fees are not charged for the first year monitoring effort, fees are allocated to the initial rating and monitoring services based on the relative selling price of each service to the total arrangement fees. The Company generally uses ESP in determining the selling price for its initial ratings as the Company rarely sells initial ratings separately without providing related monitoring services and thus is unable to establish VSOE or TPE for initial ratings.
MIS estimates revenue for ratings of commercial paper for which, in addition to a fixed annual monitoring fee, issuers are billed quarterly based on amounts outstanding. Revenue is accrued each quarter based on estimated amounts outstanding and is billed when actual data is available. The estimate is determined based on the issuers’ most recent reported quarterly data. At December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, accounts receivable included approximately $25 million, $24 million, and $22 million, respectively, related to accrued commercial paper revenue. Historically, MIS has not had material differences between the estimated revenue and the actual billings. Furthermore, for certain annual monitoring services, fees are not invoiced until the end of the annual monitoring period and revenue is accrued ratably over the monitoring period. At December 31, 2016, 2015, and 2014, accounts receivable included approximately $159.1 million, $146.4 million, and $127.8 million, respectively, relating to accrued monitoring service revenue.
In the MA segment, products and services offered by the Company include software licenses and related maintenance, subscriptions, and professional services. Revenue from subscription based products, such as research and data subscriptions and certain software-based credit risk management subscription products, is recognized ratably over the related subscription period, which is principally one year. Revenue from sale of perpetual licenses of credit processing software is generally recognized at the time the product master or first copy is delivered or transferred to and accepted by the customer. If uncertainty exists regarding customer acceptance of the product or service, revenue is not recognized until acceptance occurs. Software maintenance revenue is recognized ratably over the annual maintenance period. Revenue from professional services rendered is generally recognized as the services are performed. A large portion of annual research and data subscriptions and annual software maintenance are invoiced in the months of November, December and January.
Products and services offered within the MA segment are sold either stand-alone or together in various combinations. In instances where a multiple element arrangement includes software and non-software deliverables, revenue is allocated to the non-software deliverables and to the software deliverables, as a group, using the relative selling prices of each of the deliverables in the arrangement based on the aforementioned selling price hierarchy. Revenue is recognized for each element based upon the conditions for revenue recognition noted above.
If the arrangement contains more than one software deliverable, the arrangement consideration allocated to the software deliverables as a group is allocated to each software deliverable using VSOE. In the instances where the Company is not able to determine VSOE for all of the deliverables of an arrangement, the Company allocates the revenue to the undelivered elements equal to its VSOE and the residual revenue to the delivered elements. If the Company is unable to determine VSOE for an undelivered element, the Company defers all revenue allocated to the software deliverables until the Company has delivered all of the elements or when VSOE has been determined for the undelivered elements. In cases where software implementation services are considered essential and VSOE of fair value exists for post-contract customer support (“PCS”), once the delivery criteria has been met on the standard software, license and service revenue is recognized on a percentage-of-completion basis as implementation services are performed, while PCS is recognized over the coverage period. If VSOE of fair value does not exist for PCS, once the delivery criteria has been met on the standard software, service revenue is recognized on a zero profit margin basis until essential services are complete, at which point total remaining arrangement revenue is then spread ratably over the remaining PCS coverage period. If VSOE does not exist for PCS at the beginning of an arrangement but is established during implementation, revenue not recognized due to the absence of VSOE will be recognized on a cumulative basis.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
Accounts Receivable Allowances
Moody’s records an allowance for estimated future adjustments to customer billings as a reduction of revenue, based on historical experience and current conditions. Such amounts are reflected as additions to the accounts receivable allowance. Additionally, estimates of uncollectible accounts are recorded as bad debt expense and are reflected as additions to the accounts receivable allowance. Actual billing adjustments and uncollectible account write-offs are recorded against the allowance. Moody’s evaluates its accounts receivable allowance by reviewing and assessing historical collection and adjustment experience and the current status of customer accounts. Moody’s also considers the economic environment of the customers, both from an industry and geographic perspective, in evaluating the need for allowances. Based on its analysis, Moody’s adjusts its allowance as considered appropriate in the circumstances.
Contingencies
Moody’s is involved in legal and tax proceedings, governmental investigations and inquiries, claims and litigation that are incidental to the Company’s business, including claims based on ratings assigned by MIS. Moody’s is also subject to ongoing tax audits in the normal course of business. Management periodically assesses the Company’s liabilities and contingencies in connection with these matters based upon the latest information available. Moody’s discloses material pending legal proceedings pursuant to SEC rules and other pending matters as it may determine to be appropriate.
For claims, litigation and proceedings and governmental investigations and inquires not related to income taxes, where it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated, the Company records liabilities in the consolidated financial statements and periodically adjusts these as appropriate. When the reasonable estimate of the loss is within a range of amounts, the minimum amount of the range is accrued unless some higher amount within the range is a better estimate than another amount within the range. In other instances, where a loss is reasonably possible, management does not record a liability because of uncertainties related to the probable outcome and/or the amount or range of loss, but discloses the contingency if significant. As additional information becomes available, the Company adjusts its assessments and estimates of such matters accordingly. In view of the inherent difficulty of predicting the outcome of litigation, regulatory, governmental investigations and inquiries, enforcement and similar matters, particularly where the claimants seek large or indeterminate damages or where the parties assert novel legal theories or the matters involve a large number of parties, the Company cannot predict what the eventual outcome of the pending matters will be or the timing of any resolution of such matters. The Company also cannot predict the impact (if any) that any such matters may have on how its business is conducted, on its competitive position or on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows. As the process to resolve any pending matters progresses, management will continue to review the latest information available and assess its ability to predict the outcome of such matters and the effects, if any, on its operations and financial condition. However, in light of the large or indeterminate damages sought in some of them, the absence of similar court rulings on the theories of law asserted and uncertainties regarding apportionment of any potential damages, an estimate of the range of possible losses cannot be made at this time.
The Company’s wholly-owned insurance subsidiary insures the Company against certain risks including but not limited to deductibles for worker’s compensation, employment practices litigation and employee medical claims and terrorism, for which the claims are not material to the Company. In addition, for claim years 2008 and 2009, the insurance subsidiary insured the Company for defense costs related to professional liability claims. For matters insured by the Company’s insurance subsidiary, Moody’s records liabilities based on the estimated total claims expected to be paid and total projected costs to defend a claim through its anticipated conclusion. The Company determines liabilities based on an assessment of management’s best estimate of claims to be paid and legal defense costs as well as actuarially determined estimates. Defense costs for matters not self-insured by the Company’s wholly-owned insurance subsidiary are expensed as services are provided.
For income tax matters, the Company employs the prescribed methodology of Topic 740 of the ASC which requires a company to first determine whether it is more-likely-than-not (defined as a likelihood of more than fifty percent) that a tax position will be sustained based on its technical merits as of the reporting date, assuming that taxing authorities will examine the position and have full knowledge of all relevant information. A tax position that meets this more-likely-than-not threshold is then measured and recognized at the largest amount of benefit that is greater than fifty percent likely to be realized upon effective settlement with a taxing authority.
Operating Expenses
Operating expenses include costs associated with the development and production of the Company’s products and services and their delivery to customers. These expenses principally include employee compensation and benefits and travel costs that are incurred in connection with these activities. Operating expenses are charged to income as incurred, except for certain costs related to software implementation services which are deferred until related revenue is recognized. Additionally, certain costs incurred to develop internal use software are capitalized and depreciated over their estimated useful life.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
SG&A expenses include such items as compensation and benefits for corporate officers and staff and compensation and other expenses related to sales of products. They also include items such as office rent, business insurance, professional fees and gains and losses from
MOODY’S 2016 10K
sales and disposals of assets. SG&A expenses are charged to income as incurred, except for certain expenses incurred to develop internal use software are capitalized and depreciated over their estimated useful life.
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest
The Company records its redeemable noncontrolling interest at fair value on the date of the related business combination transaction. The redeemable noncontrolling interest represents noncontrolling shareholders’ interest in entities which are controlled but not wholly-owned by Moody’s and for which Moody’s obligation to redeem the minority shareholders’ interest is governed by a put/call relationship. Subsequent to the initial measurement, the redeemable noncontrolling interest is recorded at the greater of its redemption value or its carrying value at the end of each reporting period. If the redeemable noncontrolling interest is carried at its redemption value, the difference between the redemption value and the carrying value would be adjusted through capital surplus at the end of each reporting period. The Company also performs a quarterly assessment to determine if the aforementioned redemption value exceeds the fair value of the redeemable noncontrolling interest. If the redemption value of the redeemable noncontrolling interest were to exceed its fair value, the excess would reduce the net income attributable to Moody’s shareholders. The Company settled its redeemable noncontrolling interest in the fourth quarter of 2014 by exercising its call option to acquire the remaining share of Copal Amba that it did not previously own.
Foreign Currency Translation
For all operations outside the U.S. where the Company has designated the local currency as the functional currency, assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars using end of year exchange rates, and revenue and expenses are translated using average exchange rates for the year. For these foreign operations, currency translation adjustments are accumulated in a separate component of shareholders’ deficit.
Comprehensive Income
Comprehensive income represents the change in net assets of a business enterprise during a period due to transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources including foreign currency translation impacts, net actuarial losses and net prior service costs related to pension and other retirement plans, gains and losses on derivative instruments designated as net investment hedges or cash flow hedges and unrealized gains and losses on securities designated as ‘available-for-sale’ under Topic 320 of the ASC. Comprehensive income items, including cumulative translation adjustments of entities that are less-than-wholly-owned subsidiaries, will be reclassified to noncontrolling interests and thereby, adjusting accumulated other comprehensive income proportionately in accordance with the percentage of ownership interest of the NCI shareholder.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method in accordance with ASC Topic 740. Therefore, income tax expense is based on reported income before income taxes and deferred income taxes reflect the effect of temporary differences between the amounts of assets and liabilities that are recognized for financial reporting purposes and the amounts that are recognized for income tax purposes. In 2016, the Company adopted ASU No. 2015-17, “Income Taxes (Topic 740), Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes” whereby all deferred income tax assets and liabilities as well as any related valuation allowances are classified as noncurrent on the balance sheet.
The Company classifies interest related to unrecognized tax benefits as a component of interest expense in its consolidated statements of operations. Penalties are recognized in other non-operating expenses. For uncertain tax positions (“UTPs”), the Company first determines whether it is more-likely-than-not (defined as a likelihood of more than fifty percent) that a tax position will be sustained based on its technical merits as of the reporting date, assuming that taxing authorities will examine the position and have full knowledge of all relevant information. A tax position that meets this more-likely-than-not threshold is then measured and recognized at the largest amount of benefit that is greater than fifty percent likely to be realized upon effective settlement with a taxing authority.
For certain of its non-U.S. subsidiaries, the Company has deemed the undistributed earnings relating to these subsidiaries to be indefinitely reinvested within its foreign operations. Accordingly, the Company has not provided deferred income taxes on these indefinitely reinvested earnings. It is not practicable to determine the amount of deferred taxes that might be required to be provided if such earnings were distributed in the future due to complexities in the tax laws and in the hypothetical calculations that would have to be made.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The Company’s financial instruments include cash, cash equivalents, trade receivables and payables, all of which are short-term in nature and, accordingly, approximate fair value. Additionally, the Company invests in certain short-term investments consisting primarily of certificates of deposit that are carried at cost, which approximates fair value due to their short-term maturities.
The Company also has certain investments in closed-ended and open-ended mutual funds in India which are designated as ‘available for sale’ under Topic 320 of the ASC. Accordingly, unrealized gains and losses on these investments are recorded to other comprehensive income and are reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income to the statement of operations when the investment matures or is sold using a specific identification method.
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Also, the Company uses derivative instruments, as further described in Note 5, to manage certain financial exposures that occur in the normal course of business. These derivative instruments are carried at fair value on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
The Company also was subject to contingent consideration obligations related to certain of its acquisitions as more fully discussed in Note 10. These obligations were carried at their estimated fair value within the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
Fair value is defined by the ASC as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The determination of this fair value is based on the principal or most advantageous market in which the Company could commence transactions and considers assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability, such as inherent risk, transfer restrictions and risk of nonperformance. Also, determination of fair value assumes that market participants will consider the highest and best use of the asset.
The ASC establishes a fair value hierarchy whereby the inputs contained in valuation techniques used to measure fair value are categorized into three broad levels as follows:
Level 1: quoted market prices in active markets that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the date of the fair value measurement;
Level 2: inputs other than quoted market prices described in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities;
Level 3: unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value measurement of the assets or liabilities.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk principally consist of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, trade receivables and derivatives.
The Company manages its credit risk exposure by allocating its cash equivalents among various money market mutual funds, money market deposit accounts, certificates of deposits and high-grade commercial paper. Short-term investments primarily consist of certificates of deposit as of December 31, 2016 and 2015. The Company manages its credit risk exposure on cash equivalents and short-term investments by limiting the amount it can invest with any single entity. No customer accounted for 10% or more of accounts receivable at December 31, 2016 or 2015.
Earnings (Loss) per Share of Common Stock
Basic shares outstanding is calculated based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the reporting period. Diluted shares outstanding is calculated giving effect to all potentially dilutive common shares, assuming that such shares were outstanding and dilutive during the reporting period.
Pension and Other Retirement Benefits
Moody’s maintains various noncontributory DBPPs as well as other contributory and noncontributory retirement plans. The expense and assets/liabilities that the Company reports for its pension and other retirement benefits are dependent on many assumptions concerning the outcome of future events and circumstances. These assumptions represent the Company’s best estimates and may vary by plan. The differences between the assumptions for the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets and actual experience is spread over a five-year period to the market-related value of plan assets which is used in determining the expected return on assets component of annual pension expense. All other actuarial gains and losses are generally deferred and amortized over the estimated average future working life of active plan participants.
The Company recognizes as an asset or liability in its consolidated balance sheet the funded status of its defined benefit retirement plans, measured on a plan-by-plan basis. Changes in the funded status due to actuarial gains/losses are recorded as part of other comprehensive income during the period the changes occur.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Estimates are used for, but not limited to, revenue recognition, accounts receivable allowances, income taxes, contingencies, valuation of long-lived and intangible assets, goodwill, pension and other retirement benefits, stock-based compensation, and depreciable lives for property and equipment and computer software.
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Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)”. This ASU outlines a comprehensive new revenue recognition model that requires a company to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to a customer at an amount that reflects the consideration it expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), Deferral of the Effective Date” which defers the effective date of the ASU for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted up to the original effective date of December 15, 2016. In addition, during 2016, the FASB issued additional updates clarifying the implementation guidance for the new revenue recognition standard.
The Company intends to adopt the new revenue guidance as of January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method and is currently evaluating the impact that adoption of these updates will have on its consolidated financial statements. Currently, the Company believes this ASU will have an impact on, but is not limited to: i) the accounting for certain software subscription revenue in MA whereby the license rights within the arrangement would be recognized at the inception of the contract based on estimated stand-alone selling price with the remainder recognized over the subscription period; ii) the accounting for certain ERS revenue arrangements where VSOE is not currently available under ASC 605 should result in the acceleration of revenue recognition and iii) the capitalization of certain contract implementation costs for its ERS business which will be expensed as incurred under the new standard.
In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01 “Financial Instruments-Overall (Subtopic 825-10), Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities”. The amendments in this ASU update various aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosures relating to financial instruments. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this ASU on the Company’s financial statements. The Company believes that the most pertinent impact to its financial statements upon the adoption of this ASU will relate to the discontinuance of the available-for-sale classification for investments in equity securities (unrealized gains and losses were recorded through OCI). Accordingly, subsequent to adoption of this ASU, changes in the fair value of equity securities held by the Company will be recorded through earnings.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)” requiring lessees to recognize a right-of-use asset and lease liability for all leases with terms of more than 12 months. Recognition, measurement and presentation of expenses and cash flows will depend on classification as either a finance or operating lease. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. This standard must be adopted using a modified retrospective approach whereby leases will be presented in accordance with the new standard as of the earliest period presented. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this ASU on the Company’s financial statements. The Company believes that the most notable impact to its financial statements upon the adoption of this ASU will be the recognition of a material right-of-use asset and lease liability for its real estate leases.
In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-07, “Investments-Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323), Simplifying the Transition to the Equity Method of Accounting”. This ASU amends the accounting for an investment not previously accounted for under the equity method that subsequently qualifies for the equity method of accounting. It requires a company to add the cost of the additional interest acquired to its current basis and the commencement of the equity method of accounting when the criteria are met. In addition, the unrealized gains or losses in accumulated other comprehensive related to an available for sale equity security should be recognized through earnings if the investment subsequently qualifies for the equity method of accounting. The amendments of this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this ASU will only impact the Company if an investment not previously accounted for under the equity method qualifies for accounting under the equity method.
In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, “Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718), Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting”. This ASU changes various aspects related to the accounting for share-based payments including: i) accounting for Excess Tax Benefits and shortfalls; ii) the accounting for forfeitures; iii) restrictions on the value of shares retained by an entity to fund the employee’s portion of payroll taxes; and iv) classification of Excess Tax Benefits in the statement of cash flows. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016 and early adoption is permitted if all amendments are adopted in the same period. The Company expects that the most significant effect of this ASU will be the impact on its reported Net Income and Diluted EPS as Excess Tax Benefits and shortfalls will be recorded to the provision for income taxes under this ASU as compared to an adjustment to capital surplus under current GAAP. The Company will adopt this ASU in the first quarter of 2017. The Company expects that the adoption of this ASU will result in a benefit to the 2017 ETR of approximately 200 BPS, or a $0.15 benefit per diluted share. This estimated impact is subject to change based on the trading price of the Company’s stock on the date that stock-based compensation awards are exercised/delivered and on the volume of employee exercises/delivery of restricted stock. Due to the sensitivity that Moody’s stock price has on the value of the Excess Tax Benefit/Shortfall, the impact in a given year may not be indicative of the impact in future years.
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326), Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments”. The amendments in this ASU require the use of an “expected credit loss” impairment model for most financial assets reported at amortized cost which will require entities to estimate expected credit losses over the lifetime of the instrument. This
MOODY’S 2016 10K
may result in the earlier recognition of allowances for losses. For available-for-sale debt securities with unrealized losses, an allowance for credit losses will be recognized as a contra account to the amortized cost carrying value of the asset rather than a direct reduction to the carrying value, with changes in the allowance impacting earnings. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted in annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Entities will apply the standard’s provisions as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first effective reporting period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this ASU on its financial statements. Currently, the Company believes that the most notable impact of this ASU will relate to its processes around the assessment of the adequacy of its allowance for doubtful accounts on accounts receivable.
In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230), Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments”. This ASU adds or clarifies guidance on the classification of certain cash receipts and payments in the statement of cash flows with the intent to alleviate diversity in practice for classifying various types of cash flows. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company will apply this clarification guidance in its statements of cash flows upon adoption.
In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-16, “Income Taxes (Topic 740), Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory”. This ASU requires companies to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs, instead of deferring recognition until the asset has been sold to a third party as required under current GAAP. The ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, using a modified retrospective approach, with the cumulative effect recognized through retained earnings at the date of adoption. Early adoption is permitted. The Company intends to early adopt this ASU in the first quarter of 2017 and does not anticipate it will have a material impact on its financial statements.
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, “Business Combinations (Topic 805), Clarifying the Definition of a Business”. This ASU clarifies the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and should be applied prospectively. Early adoption is permitted. Upon adoption, the Company will apply the guidance in this ASU when evaluating whether acquired assets and activities constitute a business.
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, “Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350), Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment”. This ASU removes the step of the goodwill impairment assessment in which a company must measure a goodwill impairment loss by comparing the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill. Under the ASU, goodwill impairment will now be the amount by which a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and should be applied prospectively. Early adoption is permitted. The Company intends to early adopt this ASU for impairment assessments performed in 2017.
NOTE 3 RECONCILIATION OF WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING
Below is a reconciliation of basic to diluted shares outstanding:
The calculation of diluted EPS requires certain assumptions regarding the use of both cash proceeds and assumed proceeds that would be received upon the exercise of stock options and vesting of restricted stock outstanding as of December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014. These assumed proceeds include Excess Tax Benefits and any unrecognized compensation on the awards.
The decrease in the diluted shares outstanding primarily reflects treasury share repurchases under the Company’s Board authorized share repurchase program.
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NOTE 4 CASH EQUIVALENTS AND INVESTMENTS
The table below provides additional information on the Company’s cash equivalents and investments:
(1) Consists of time deposits and money market deposit accounts. The remaining contractual maturities for the certificates of deposits classified as short-term investments were one month to 12 months at both December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015. The remaining contractual maturities for the certificates of deposits classified in other assets are 13 months to 15 months at December 31, 2016 and one month to 27 months at December 31, 2015. Time deposits with a maturity of less than 90 days at time of purchase are classified as cash and cash equivalents.
(2) Consists of investments in fixed maturity mutual funds and open-ended mutual funds. The remaining contractual maturities for the fixed maturity instruments range from six months to 19 months and 11 months to 31 months at December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 respectively.
The money market mutual funds as well as the fixed maturity and open ended mutual funds in the table above are deemed to be ‘available for sale’ under ASC Topic 320 and the fair value of these instruments is determined using Level 1 inputs as defined in the ASC.
NOTE 5 DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES
The Company is exposed to global market risks, including risks from changes in FX rates and changes in interest rates. Accordingly, the Company uses derivatives in certain instances to manage the aforementioned financial exposures that occur in the normal course of business. The Company does not hold or issue derivatives for speculative purposes.
Derivatives and non-derivative instruments designated as accounting hedges:
Interest Rate Swaps
The Company has entered into interest rate swaps to convert the fixed interest rate on certain of its long-term debt to a floating interest rate based on the 3-month LIBOR. The purpose of these hedges is to mitigate the risk associated with changes in the fair value of the long-term debt, thus the Company has designated these swaps as fair value hedges. The fair value of the swaps is adjusted quarterly with a corresponding adjustment to the carrying value of the debt. The changes in the fair value of the swaps and the underlying hedged item generally offset and the net cash settlements on the swaps are recorded each period within interest expense, net in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations.
The following table summarizes the Company’s interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges:
MOODY’S 2016 10K
The following table summarizes the impact to the statement of operations of the Company’s interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges:
Cross-currency swaps
In conjunction with the issuance of the 2015 Senior Notes, the Company entered into a cross-currency swap to exchange 100 million for U.S. dollars on the date of the settlement of the notes. The purpose of this cross-currency swap is to mitigate FX risk on the remaining principal balance on the 2015 Senior Notes that was not designated as a net investment hedge as more fully discussed below. Under the terms of the swap, the Company will pay the counterparty interest on the $110.5 million received at 3.945% per annum and the counterparty will pay the Company interest on the 100 million paid at 1.75% per annum. These interest payments will be settled in March of each year, beginning in 2016, until either the maturity of the cross-currency swap in 2027 or upon early termination at the discretion of the Company. The principal payments on this cross currency swap will be settled in 2027, concurrent with the repayment of the 2015 Senior Notes at maturity or upon early termination at the discretion of the Company. In March 2016, the Company designated these cross-currency swaps as cash flow hedges. Accordingly, changes in fair value subsequent to the date the swaps were designated as cash flow hedges will initially be recognized in OCI. Gains and losses on the swaps initially recognized in OCI will be reclassified to the statement of operations in the period in which changes in the underlying hedged item affects net income. Ineffectiveness, if any, will be recognized in other non-operating (expense) income, net in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations.
Net Investment Hedges
The Company enters into foreign currency forward contracts that are designated as net investment hedges and additionally has designated 400 million of the 2015 Senior Notes as a net investment hedge. These hedges are intended to mitigate FX exposure related to non-U.S. dollar net investments in certain foreign subsidiaries against changes in foreign exchange rates. These net investment hedges are designated as accounting hedges under the applicable sections of Topic 815 of the ASC.
Hedge effectiveness is assessed based on the overall changes in the fair value of the hedge. For hedges that meet the effectiveness requirements, any change in the fair value are recorded in AOCI in the foreign currency translation account. Any change in the fair value of these hedges that is the result of ineffectiveness is recognized immediately in other non-operating (expense) income, net in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations.
The following table summarizes the notional amounts of the Company’s outstanding forward contracts that are designated as net investment hedges:
The outstanding contracts to sell GBP for euros mature in June 2017. The hedge relating to the portion of the 2015 Senior Notes that was designated as a net investment hedge will end upon the repayment of the notes in 2027 unless terminated earlier at the discretion of the Company.
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The following table provides information on the gains/(losses) on the Company’s net investment and cash flow hedges:
* Reflects $6 million in losses recorded in other non-operating income, net and $2.3 million relating to the tax effect of the aforementioned item.
The cumulative amount of realized and unrecognized net investment and cash flow hedge gains/(losses) recorded in AOCI is as follows:
Derivatives not designated as accounting hedges:
Foreign exchange forwards
The Company also enters into foreign exchange forwards to mitigate the change in fair value on certain assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than a subsidiary’s functional currency. These forward contracts are not designated as accounting hedges under the applicable sections of Topic 815 of the ASC. Accordingly, changes in the fair value of these contracts are recognized immediately in other non-operating income, net in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations along with the FX gain or loss recognized on the assets and liabilities denominated in a currency other than the subsidiary’s functional currency. These contracts have expiration dates at various times through June 2017.
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The following table summarizes the notional amounts of the Company’s outstanding foreign exchange forwards:
The following table summarizes the impact to the consolidated statements of operations relating to the net losses on the Company’s derivatives which are not designated as hedging instruments:
The table below shows the classification between assets and liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets for the fair value of the derivative instrument as well as the carrying value of its non-derivative debt instruments designated and qualifying as net investment hedges:
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NOTE 6 PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET
Property and equipment, net consisted of:
Depreciation and amortization expense related to the above assets was $92.5 million, $81.6 million, and $67.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
NOTE 7 ACQUISITIONS
The business combinations described below are accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting whereby assets acquired and liabilities assumed were recognized at fair value on the date of the transaction. Any excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed was recorded to goodwill. The Company has not presented proforma combined results because the impact on previously reported statements of operations would not have been material. Additionally, the near term impact to the Company’s operations and cash flows is not material. These acquisitions are discussed below in more detail.
Korea Investor Service (KIS)
In July 2016, a subsidiary of the Company acquired the non-controlling interest of KIS and additional shares of KIS Pricing. The aggregate purchase price was not material and the near term impact to operations and cash flow is not expected to be material. KIS and KIS Pricing are a part of the MIS segment.
Gilliland Gold Young (GGY)
On March 1, 2016, subsidiaries of the Company acquired 100% of GGY, a leading provider of advanced actuarial software for the life insurance industry. The cash payments noted in the table below were funded with cash on hand. The acquisition of GGY will allow MA to provide an industry-leading enterprise risk offering for global life insurers and reinsurers.
The table below details the total consideration relating to the acquisition:
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Shown below is the purchase price allocation, which summarizes the fair value of the assets and liabilities assumed, at the date of acquisition:
Current assets in the table above include acquired cash of $7.5 million. Additionally, current assets include accounts receivable of $2.9 million. Goodwill, which has been assigned to the MA segment, is not deductible for tax.
In connection with the acquisition, the Company assumed liabilities relating to UTBs and certain other tax exposures which are included in the liabilities assumed in the table above. The sellers have contractually indemnified the Company against any potential payments that may have to be made regarding these amounts. Accordingly, the Company carries an indemnification asset on its consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2016.
The Company incurred $0.9 million of costs directly related to the GGY acquisition of which $0.6 million was incurred in 2015 and $0.3 million was incurred in the first quarter of 2016. These costs are recorded within selling, general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.
GGY is part of the ERS reporting unit for purposes of the Company’s annual goodwill impairment assessment.
BlackBox Logic
On December 9, 2015, a subsidiary of the Company acquired the RMBS data and analytics business of BlackBox Logic. The aggregate purchase price was not material and the near term impact to the Company’s operations and cash flows is not expected to be material. This business operates in the MA reportable segment and goodwill related to this acquisition has been allocated to the RD&A reporting unit.
Equilibrium
On May 21, 2015, a subsidiary of the Company acquired 100% of Equilibrium, a provider of credit rating and research services in Peru and Panama. The aggregate purchase price was not material and the near term impact to the Company’s operations and cash flows is not expected to be material. Equilibrium operates in the MIS reportable segment and goodwill related to this acquisition has been allocated to the MIS reporting unit.
Lewtan Technologies
On October 27, 2014, a subsidiary of the Company acquired 100% of Lewtan Technologies, a leading provider of analytical tools and data for the global structured finance market. The acquisition of Lewtan bolstered MA’s Structured Analytics and Valuations (SAV) business within its RD&A LOB, which provides an extensive data and analytics library for securitized assets. The aggregate purchase price is not material. Lewtan operates in the RD&A LOB of MA and goodwill related to this acquisition was allocated to the RD&A reporting unit.
WebEquity Solutions, LLC
On July 17, 2014, a subsidiary of the Company acquired 100% of WebEquity Solutions, LLC, a leading provider of cloud-based loan origination solutions for financial institutions. The payment of $130.5 million was funded with cash on hand. This acquisition enhanced MA’s risk management product portfolio.
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Shown below is the purchase price allocation, which summarizes the fair value of the assets and liabilities assumed, at the date of the acquisition:
The acquired goodwill, which has been assigned to the MA segment, will be deductible for tax.
As of the date of the acquisition, WebEquity is part of the ERS reporting unit.
ICRA Limited
On June 26, 2014, a subsidiary of the Company acquired 2,154,722 additional shares of ICRA Limited, a publicly traded company in India. ICRA is a leading provider of credit ratings and research in India and extends MIS’s reach in the growing domestic debt market in India as well as other emerging markets in the region. The acquisition of the additional shares increased Moody’s ownership stake in ICRA from 28.5% to just over 50%, resulting in a controlling interest in ICRA. Moody’s consolidates ICRA’s financial statements on a three-month lag.
Prior to the acquisition of the additional shares, Moody’s accounted for its investment in ICRA on an equity basis whereby the Company recorded its proportional share of the investment’s net income or loss as part of other non-operating income (expense), net. The acquisition of the additional shares has resulted in the Company consolidating ICRA into its financial statements. As a result of this consolidation and in accordance with ASC 805, the carrying value of the Company’s equity investment in ICRA was remeasured to fair value as of the acquisition date resulting in a pre-tax gain of $102.8 million ($78.5 million after-tax) in the second quarter of 2014. The fair value of the Company’s equity investment was based on ICRA’s quoted market price on the date of acquisition.
The table below details the total consideration relating to the ICRA step-acquisition:
The cash paid in the table above was funded above using Moody’s non-U.S. cash on hand.
Shown below is the purchase price allocation, which summarizes the fair value of the assets and liabilities assumed, at the date of acquisition:
* Primarily consists of acquired technical know-how and ratings methodologies
MOODY’S 2016 10K
Current assets include acquired cash of approximately $5 million. Additionally, current assets includes gross accounts receivable of approximately $14 million, of which an immaterial amount is not expected to be collectible. Goodwill, which has been assigned to the MIS segment, is not deductible for tax.
The fair value of the non-controlling interest was determined based on the quoted market price per share of ICRA on the date that the Company acquired the controlling stake.
ICRA operates at its own reporting unit for purposes of the Company’s annual goodwill impairment assessment.
In the fourth quarter of 2016, ICRA divested its interest in ICTEAS, which is part of the MIS Other LOB, and resulted in an immaterial gain. The impact of ICTEAS’s operations, financial position and cash flows were not material to Moody’s.
NOTE 8 GOODWILL AND OTHER ACQUIRED INTANGIBLE ASSETS
The following table summarizes the activity in goodwill:
The 2016 goodwill derecognized for the MIS segment in the table above relates to the divestiture of ICTEAS in the fourth quarter of 2016 as more fully discussed in Note 7. The 2016 additions/adjustments for the MA segment in the table above primarily relate to the acquisition of GGY. The 2015 additions/adjustments for the MIS segment in the table above relate to the acquisition of Equilibrium. The 2015 additions/adjustments for the MA segment primarily reflect an adjustment to an indemnification asset recognized as part of the Copal acquisition, goodwill acquired from the acquisition of a business from BlackBox Logic and adjustments to deferred revenue balances and deferred tax assets recognized as part of the Lewtan acquisition.
The accumulated impairment charge in the table above reflects an impairment charge recognized in 2012 relating to the FSTC reporting unit within MA. This impairment charge reflected a contraction in spending for training and certification services for many individuals and global financial institutions in 2012 due to macroeconomic uncertainties at the time. The fair value of the FSTC reporting unit utilized in this impairment assessment was estimated using a discounted cash flow methodology and comparable public company and precedent transaction multiples.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
Acquired intangible assets and related amortization consisted of:
(1) Other intangible assets primarily consist of databases, covenants not to compete, and acquired ratings methodologies and models.
Amortization expense relating to acquired intangible assets is as follows:
Estimated future annual amortization expense for intangible assets subject to amortization is as follows:
Amortizable intangible assets are reviewed for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. For all intangible assets, there were no such events or changes during 2016, 2015 or 2014 that would indicate that the carrying amount of amortizable intangible assets in any of the Company’s reporting units may not be recoverable.
NOTE 9 RESTRUCTURING
In September 2016, the Company approved a restructuring plan relating to cost management initiatives in the MIS segment as well as in certain corporate overhead functions. This restructuring plan consists solely of headcount reductions, which when combined with an
MOODY’S 2016 10K
immaterial restructuring in the first half of 2016, represented approximately 1% of the Company’s workforce. The entire charge for these actions will result in cash outlays that will be paid out over the next nine months. The cumulative amount of expense incurred from inception through December 31, 2016 for these actions was $12.0 million. Actions under these plans were substantially complete at September 30, 2016.
Total expenses included in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations are as follows:
Changes to the restructuring liability during the first twelve months of 2016 were as follows:
As of December 31, 2016 the remaining restructuring liability of $6.3 million relating to severance is expected to be paid out during the year ending December 31, 2017. This liability is recorded within accounts payable and accrued liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2016.
NOTE 10 FAIR VALUE
The table below presents information about items which are carried at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015:
MOODY’S 2016 10K
(a) Represents FX forwards on certain assets and liabilities and on net investments in certain foreign subsidiaries as well as interest rate swaps and cross-currency swaps as more fully described in Note 5 to the financial statements.
The following table summarizes the changes in the fair value of the Company’s Level 3 liabilities:
The following are descriptions of the methodologies utilized by the Company to estimate the fair value of its derivative contracts, fixed maturity plans, money market mutual funds, and contingent consideration obligations:
Derivatives:
In determining the fair value of the derivative contracts in the table above, the Company utilizes industry standard valuation models. Where applicable, these models project future cash flows and discount the future amounts to a present value using spot rates, forward points, currency volatilities, interest rates as well as the risk of non-performance of the Company and the counterparties with whom it has derivative contracts. The Company established strict counterparty credit guidelines and only enters into transactions with financial institutions that adhere to these guidelines. Accordingly, the risk of counterparty default is deemed to be minimal.
Fixed maturity and open ended mutual funds:
The fixed maturity mutual funds and open ended mutual funds primarily represent exchange traded funds in India and are classified as securities available-for-sale. Accordingly, any unrealized gains and losses are recognized through OCI until the instruments mature or are sold.
Money market mutual funds:
The money market mutual funds represent publicly traded funds with a stable $1 net asset value.
Contingent Consideration:
During the third quarter of 2015, the Company settled a contingent consideration obligation of 2.5 million Canadian dollars related to the acquisition of CSI that was based on certain non-financial metrics set forth in the acquisition agreement. Prior to the settlement of this obligation, the Company utilized a discounted cash flow methodology to value this obligation. These obligations were measured using Level 3 inputs as defined in the ASC.
For certain of the contingent consideration obligations relating to the acquisition of Copal, a portion of the contingent cash payments were based on revenue and EBITDA growth for certain of the Copal entities. This growth was calculated by comparing revenue and EBITDA in the year immediately prior to the exercise of the put/call option to acquire the remaining 33% ownership interest of Copal Partners Limited, to revenue and EBITDA in Copal’s fiscal year ended March 31, 2011. Payments of $12.2 million under this arrangement were made in the fourth quarter of 2014 pursuant to the Company exercising its call option to acquire the remaining shares of Copal Amba. The Company had utilized discounted cash flow methodologies to value these obligations prior to their settlement in 2014. The expected future cash flows for these obligations were discounted using a risk-free interest rate plus a credit spread based on the option adjusted spread of the Company’s publicly traded debt as of the valuation date plus sovereign and size risk premiums. The most significant unobservable input involved in the measurement of these obligations were the projected future financial results of the applicable Copal Amba entities.
For the contingent consideration obligations relating to the acquisition of Amba, the payment was based on the acquired entity achieving a revenue target for its fiscal year ended March 31, 2014 which was met resulting in a $4.3 million payment in 2014.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
NOTE 11 DETAIL OF CERTAIN BALANCE SHEET INFORMATION
The following tables contain additional detail related to certain balance sheet captions:
MOODY’S 2016 10K
Changes in the Company’s self-insurance reserves for claims insured by the Company’s wholly-owned insurance subsidiary, which primarily relate to legal defense costs for claims from prior years, are as follows:
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest:
In connection with the acquisition of Copal, the Company and the non-controlling shareholders entered into a put/call option agreement whereby the Company had the option to purchase from the non-controlling shareholders and the non-controlling shareholders had the option to sell to the Company the remaining 33% ownership interest of Copal Partners Limited based on a strike price to be calculated on pre-determined formulas using a combination of revenue and EBITDA multiples when exercised. The value of the estimated put/call option strike price on the date of acquisition was based on a Monte Carlo simulation model. This model contemplated multiple scenarios which simulated certain of Copal’s revenue, EBITDA margins and equity values to estimate the present value of the expected strike price of the option. In connection with the acquisition of Amba in December 2013, which was combined with Copal to form the Copal Amba operating segment and reporting unit, the aforementioned revenue and EBITDA multiples set forth in the put/call option agreement were modified to include the results of Amba. The option was subject to a minimum exercise price of $46 million. There was no limit as to the maximum amount of the strike price on the put/call option.
In the fourth quarter of 2014, the Company exercised its call option to acquire the remaining interest of Copal Amba.
The following table shows changes in the redeemable noncontrolling interest related to the acquisition of Copal Amba:
(1) The adjustment to the redemption value in the year ended December 31, 2014 reflects the aforementioned revisions to the revenue and EBITDA multiples pursuant to the amendment of the put/call agreement which occurred contemporaneously with the acquisition of Amba coupled with growth in the Copal Amba reporting unit. These adjustments were recorded with a corresponding reduction to capital surplus.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
NOTE 12. COMPREHENSIVE INCOME AND ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
The following table provides details about the reclassifications out of AOCI:
MOODY’S 2016 10K
The following table shows changes in AOCI by component (net of tax):
NOTE 13 PENSION AND OTHER RETIREMENT BENEFITS
U.S. Plans
Moody’s maintains funded and unfunded noncontributory Defined Benefit Pension Plans. The U.S. plans provide defined benefits using a cash balance formula based on years of service and career average salary or final average pay for selected executives. The Company also provides certain healthcare and life insurance benefits for retired U.S. employees. The retirement healthcare plans are contributory; the life insurance plans are noncontributory. Moody’s funded and unfunded U.S. pension plans, the U.S. retirement healthcare plans and the U.S. retirement life insurance plans are collectively referred to herein as the “Retirement Plans”. The U.S. retirement healthcare plans and the U.S. retirement life insurance plans are collectively referred to herein as the “Other Retirement Plans”. Effective at the Distribution Date, Moody’s assumed responsibility for the pension and other retirement benefits relating to its active employees. New D&B has assumed responsibility for the Company’s retirees and vested terminated employees as of the Distribution Date.
Through 2007, substantially all U.S. employees were eligible to participate in the Company’s DBPPs. Effective January 1, 2008, the Company no longer offers DBPPs to U.S. employees hired or rehired on or after January 1, 2008 and new hires in the U.S. instead will receive a retirement contribution in similar benefit value under the Company’s Profit Participation Plan. Current participants of the Company’s Retirement Plans and Other Retirement Plans continue to accrue benefits based on existing plan benefit formulas.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
Following is a summary of changes in benefit obligations and fair value of plan assets for the Retirement Plans for the years ended December 31:
The following information is for those pension plans with an accumulated benefit obligation in excess of plan assets:
The following table summarizes the pre-tax net actuarial losses and prior service cost recognized in AOCI for the Company’s Retirement Plans as of December 31:
MOODY’S 2016 10K
The following table summarizes the estimated pre-tax net actuarial losses and prior service cost for the Company’s Retirement Plans that will be amortized from AOCI and recognized as components of net periodic expense during the next fiscal year:
Net periodic benefit expenses recognized for the Retirement Plans for years ended December 31:
The following table summarizes the pre-tax amounts recorded in OCI related to the Company’s Retirement Plans for the years ended December 31:
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Assumptions - Retirement Plans
Weighted-average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations at December 31:
Weighted-average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit expense for years ended December 31:
MOODY’S 2016 10K
The expected rate of return on plan assets represents the Company’s best estimate of the long-term return on plan assets and is determined by using a building block approach, which generally weighs the underlying long-term expected rate of return for each major asset class based on their respective allocation target within the plan portfolio, net of plan paid expenses. As the assumption reflects a long-term time horizon, the plan performance in any one particular year does not, by itself, significantly influence the Company’s evaluation. For 2016, the expected rate of return used in calculating the net periodic benefit costs was 6.10%. For 2017, the Company’s expected rate of return assumption was 5.40% to reflect the Company’s current view of long-term capital market outlook. In addition, the Company has updated its mortality assumption by adopting the newly released mortality improvement scale MP-2016 to accompany the RP-2014 mortality tables to reflect the latest information regarding future mortality expectations by the Society of Actuaries. Additionally, the assumed healthcare cost trend rate assumption is not material to the valuation of the other retirement plans.
Plan Assets
Moody’s investment objective for the assets in the funded pension plan is to earn total returns that will minimize future contribution requirements over the long-term within a prudent level of risk. The Company works with its independent investment consultants to determine asset allocation targets for its pension plan investment portfolio based on its assessment of business and financial conditions, demographic and actuarial data, funding characteristics, and related risk factors. Other relevant factors, including historical and forward looking views of inflation and capital market returns, are also considered. Risk management practices include monitoring plan asset performance, diversification across asset classes and investment styles, and periodic rebalancing toward asset allocation targets. The Company’s Asset Management Committee is responsible for overseeing the investment activities of the plan, which includes selecting acceptable asset classes, defining allowable ranges of holdings by asset class and by individual investment managers, defining acceptable securities within each asset class, and establishing investment performance expectations. Ongoing monitoring of the plan includes reviews of investment performance and managers on a regular basis, annual liability measurements, and periodic asset/liability studies.
In 2014, the Company implemented a revised investment policy, which uses risk-controlled investment strategies by increasing the plan’s asset allocation to fixed income securities and specifying ranges of acceptable target allocation by asset class based on different levels of the plan’s accounting funded status. In addition, the investment policy also requires the investment-grade fixed income asset be rebalanced between shorter and longer duration bonds as the interest rate environment changes. This revised investment policy is designed to help protect the plan’s funded status and to limit volatility of the Company’s contributions. Based on the revised policy, the Company’s current target asset allocation is approximately 53% (range of 48% to 58%) in equity securities, 40% (range of 35% to 45%) in fixed income securities and 7% (range of 4% to 10%) in other investments and the plan will use a combination of active and passive investment strategies and different investment styles for its investment portfolios within each asset class. The plan’s equity investments are diversified across U.S. and non-U.S. stocks of small, medium and large capitalization. The plan’s fixed income investments are diversified principally across U.S. and non-U.S. government and corporate bonds which are expected to help reduce plan exposure to interest rate variation and to better align assets with obligations. The plan also invests in other fixed income investments such debts rated below investment grade, emerging market debt, and convertible securities. The plan’s other investment, which is made through a private real estate debt fund, is expected to provide additional diversification benefits and absolute return enhancement to the plan assets.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
Fair value of the assets in the Company’s funded pension plan by asset category at December 31, 2016 and 2015 are as follows:
(a) Investments are measured using the net asset value per share (or its equivalent) practical expedient and have not been categorized in the fair value hierarchy. The fair value amounts presented in the table are intended to permit a reconciliation of the fair value hierarchy to the value of the total plan assets.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
Cash and cash equivalents are primarily comprised of investment in money market mutual funds. In determining fair value, Level 1 investments are valued based on quoted market prices in active markets. Investments in common/collective trust funds are valued using the net asset value (NAV) per unit in each fund. The NAV is based on the value of the underlying investments owned by each trust, minus its liabilities, and then divided by the number of shares outstanding. Common/collective trust funds are categorized in Level 2 to the extent that they are considered to have a readily determinable fair value. Investments for which fair value is estimated by using the NAV per share (or its equivalent) as a practical expedient are not categorized in the fair value hierarchy.
Except for the Company’s U.S. funded pension plan, all of Moody’s Retirement Plans are unfunded and therefore have no plan assets.
Cash Flows
The Company contributed $22.4 million and $21.6 million to its U.S. funded pension plan during the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The Company made payments of $4.0 million and $2.7 million related to its U.S. unfunded pension plan obligations during the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The Company made payments of $0.5 million and $0.4 million to its Other Retirement Plans during the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The Company presently anticipates making contributions of $10.4 million to its funded pension plan, and anticipates making payments of $5.1 million related to its unfunded U.S. pension plans and $1.0 million related to its Other Retirement Plans during the year ended December 31, 2017.
Estimated Future Benefits Payable
Estimated future benefits payments for the Retirement Plans are as follows as of year ended December 31, 2016:
Defined Contribution Plans
Moody’s has a Profit Participation Plan covering substantially all U.S. employees. The Profit Participation Plan provides for an employee salary deferral and the Company matches employee contributions, equal to 50% of employee contribution up to a maximum of 3% of the employee’s pay. Moody’s also makes additional contributions to the Profit Participation Plan based on year-to-year growth in the Company’s EPS. Effective January 1, 2008, all new hires are automatically enrolled in the Profit Participation Plan when they meet eligibility requirements unless they decline participation. As the Company’s U.S. DBPPs are closed to new entrants effective January 1, 2008, all eligible new hires will instead receive a retirement contribution into the Profit Participation Plan in value similar to the pension benefits. Additionally, effective January 1, 2008, the Company implemented a deferred compensation plan in the U.S., which is unfunded and provides for employee deferral of compensation and Company matching contributions related to compensation in excess of the IRS limitations on benefits and contributions under qualified retirement plans. Total expenses associated with U.S. defined contribution plans were $28.3 million, $21.1 million and $26.8 million in 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively.
Effective January 1, 2008, Moody’s has designated the Moody’s Stock Fund, an investment option under the Profit Participation Plan, as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan and, as a result, participants in the Moody’s Stock Fund may receive dividends in cash or may reinvest such dividends into the Moody’s Stock Fund. Moody’s paid approximately $0.7 million, $0.7 million and $0.6 million in dividends during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively, for the Company’s common shares held by the Moody’s Stock Fund. The Company records the dividends as a reduction of retained earnings in the Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity (Deficit). The Moody’s Stock Fund held approximately 471,000 and 488,000 shares of Moody’s common stock at December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively.
International Plans
Certain of the Company’s international operations provide pension benefits to their employees. The non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans are immaterial. For defined contribution plans, company contributions are primarily determined as a percentage of employees’ eligible compensation. Moody’s also makes contributions to non-U.S. employees under a profit sharing plan which is based on year-to-year growth in the Company’s diluted EPS. Expenses related to these defined contribution plans for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 were $24.5 million, $26.7 million and $30.6 million, respectively.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
NOTE 14 STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION PLANS
Under the 1998 Plan, 33.0 million shares of the Company’s common stock have been reserved for issuance. The 2001 Plan, which is shareholder approved, permits the granting of up to 50.6 million shares, of which not more than 14.0 million shares are available for grants of awards other than stock options. The Stock Plans also provide for the granting of restricted stock. The Stock Plans provide that options are exercisable not later than ten years from the grant date. The vesting period for awards under the Stock Plans is generally determined by the Board at the date of the grant and has been four years except for employees who are at or near retirement eligibility, as defined, for which vesting is between one and four years. Additionally, the vesting period is three years for certain performance-based restricted stock that contain a condition whereby the number of shares that ultimately vest are based on the achievement of certain non-market based performance metrics of the Company. Options may not be granted at less than the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the date of grant.
The Company maintains the Directors’ Plan for its Board, which permits the granting of awards in the form of non-qualified stock options, restricted stock or performance shares. The Directors’ Plan provides that options are exercisable not later than ten years from the grant date. The vesting period is determined by the Board at the date of the grant and is generally one year for both options and restricted stock. Under the Directors’ Plan, 1.7 million shares of common stock were reserved for issuance. Any director of the Company who is not an employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries as of the date that an award is granted is eligible to participate in the Directors’ Plan.
Presented below is a summary of the stock-based compensation expense and associated tax benefit in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations:
The fair value of each employee stock option award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model that uses the assumptions noted below. The expected dividend yield is derived from the annual dividend rate on the date of grant. The expected stock volatility is based on an assessment of historical weekly stock prices of the Company as well as implied volatility from Moody’s traded options. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. government zero coupon bonds with maturities similar to the expected holding period. The expected holding period was determined by examining historical and projected post-vesting exercise behavior activity.
The following weighted average assumptions were used for options granted:
A summary of option activity as of December 31, 2016 and changes during the year then ended is presented below:
MOODY’S 2016 10K
The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pre-tax intrinsic value (the difference between Moody’s closing stock price on the last trading day of the year ended December 31, 2016 and the exercise prices, multiplied by the number of in-the-money options) that would have been received by the option holders had all option holders exercised their options as of December 31, 2016. This amount varies based on the fair value of Moody’s stock. As of December 31, 2016 there was $7.5 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to options. The expense is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.5 years.
The following table summarizes information relating to stock option exercises:
A summary of the status of the Company’s nonvested restricted stock as of December 31, 2016 and changes during the year then ended is presented below:
As of December 31, 2016, there was $109.7 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested restricted stock. The expense is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.6 years.
The following table summarizes information relating to the vesting of restricted stock awards:
A summary of the status of the Company’s performance-based restricted stock as of December 31, 2016 and changes during the year then ended is presented below:
The following table summarizes information relating to the vesting of the Company’s performance-based restricted stock awards:
As of December 31, 2016, there was $13.7 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to this plan. The expense is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 0.9 years.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
The Company has a policy of issuing treasury stock to satisfy shares issued under stock-based compensation plans.
In addition, the Company also sponsors the ESPP. Under the ESPP, 6.0 million shares of common stock were reserved for issuance. The ESPP allows eligible employees to purchase common stock of the Company on a monthly basis at a discount to the average of the high and the low trading prices on the New York Stock Exchange on the last trading day of each month. This discount was 5% in 2016, 2015 and 2014 resulting in the ESPP qualifying for non-compensatory status under Topic 718 of the ASC. Accordingly, no compensation expense was recognized for the ESPP in 2016, 2015, and 2014. The employee purchases are funded through after-tax payroll deductions, which plan participants can elect from one percent to ten percent of compensation, subject to the annual federal limit.
NOTE 15 INCOME TAXES
Components of the Company’s provision for income taxes are as follows:
A reconciliation of the U.S. federal statutory tax rate to the Company’s effective tax rate on income before provision for income taxes is as follows:
The source of income before provision for income taxes is as follows:
MOODY’S 2016 10K
The components of deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows:
(1) Amounts are primarily set to expire beginning in 2018, if unused.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
On November 20, 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2015-17, “Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes”, which required that all deferred tax assets and liabilities be classified as non-current on the balance sheet. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15th, 2016. Early adoption is permitted. The Company has adopted this guidance as of January 1st, 2016 on a prospective basis. Prior periods were not retrospectively adjusted.
As of December 31, 2016, the Company had $2,902.5 million of undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries that it intends to indefinitely reinvest in foreign operations. The Company has not provided deferred income taxes on these indefinitely reinvested earnings. It is not practicable to determine the amount of deferred taxes that might be required to be provided if such earnings were distributed in the future, due to complexities in the tax laws and in the hypothetical calculations that would have to be made.
The Company had valuation allowances of $3.2 million and $4.3 million at December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively, related to foreign net operating losses for which realization is uncertain.
As of December 31, 2016 the Company had $199.8 million of UTBs of which $157.4 million represents the amount that, if recognized, would impact the effective tax rate in future periods.
A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of UTBs is as follows:
The Company classifies interest related to UTBs in interest expense in its consolidated statements of operations. Penalties, if incurred, would be recognized in other non-operating expenses. During the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, the Company incurred a net interest expense of $6.2 million and $7.2 million respectively, related to UTBs. As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, the amount of accrued interest recorded in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet related to UTB’s was $34.1 million and $27.9 million, respectively.
Moody’s Corporation and subsidiaries are subject to U.S. federal income tax as well as income tax in various state, local and foreign jurisdictions. The Company settled U.S. tax audit years 2008 through 2010 in the fourth quarter of 2015. The Company’s U.S. federal income tax returns for the years 2011 and 2012 are under examination and its 2013, 2014 and 2015 returns remain open to examination. The Company’s New York State income tax returns for 2011 to 2014 are under examination. The Company’s New York City tax returns for 2014 and 2015 remain open to examination. The Company’s U.K. tax return for 2012 is under examination. Tax filings in the U.K. remain open to examination for 2013 through 2015.
For current ongoing audits related to open tax years, the Company estimates that it is possible that the balance of UTPs could decrease in the next twelve months as a result of the effective settlement of these audits, which might involve the payment of additional taxes, the adjustment of certain deferred taxes and/or the recognition of tax benefits. It is also possible that new issues might be raised by tax authorities which might necessitate increases to the balance of UTPs. As the Company is unable to predict the timing of conclusion of these audits, the Company is unable to estimate the amount of changes to the balance of UTPs at this time.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
NOTE 16 INDEBTEDNESS
The following table summarizes total indebtedness:
(1) The Company has entered into interest rate swaps on the 2010 Senior Notes, the 2012 Senior Notes and the 2014 Senior Notes (5-Year) which are more fully discussed in Note 5 above.
(2) Pursuant to ASU No. 2015-03, unamortized debt issuance costs are presented as a reduction to the carrying value of the notes payable. See Note 1 for additional discussion.
Credit Facility
On May 11, 2015, the Company entered into a five-year senior, unsecured revolving credit facility with the capacity to borrow up to $1 billion. This replaces the $1 billion five-year 2012 Facility that was scheduled to expire in April 2017. Interest on borrowings under the facility is payable at rates that are based on the LIBOR plus a premium that can range from 79.5 basis points to 120 basis points per annum depending on the Company’s ratio of total debt to EBITDA. The Company also pays quarterly facility fees, regardless of borrowing activity under the 2015 Facility. The quarterly fees for the 2015 Facility can range from 8 basis points of the facility amount to 17.5 basis points, depending on the Company’s Debt/ EBITDA ratio. The 2015 Facility contains covenants that, among other things, restrict the ability of the Company and its subsidiaries, without the approval of lenders, to engage in mergers, consolidations, asset sales, transactions with affiliates, sale and leaseback transactions or to incur liens, as set forth in the facility agreement. The 2015 Facility also contains a financial covenant that requires the Company to maintain a Debt/EBITDA ratio of not more than 4 to 1 at the end of any fiscal quarter. Upon the occurrence of certain financial or economic events, significant corporate events or certain other events of default constituting a default under the 2015 Facility, all loans outstanding under the 2015 Facility (including accrued interest and fees payable thereunder) may be declared immediately due and payable and all lending commitments under the 2015 Facility may be terminated. In addition, certain other events of default under the 2015 Facility would automatically result in amounts outstanding becoming immediately due and payable and the termination of all lending commitments.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
Commercial Paper
On August 3, 2016, the Company entered into a private placement commercial paper program under which the Company may issue CP notes up to a maximum amount of $1.0 billion. Borrowings under the CP Program are backstopped by the 2015 Facility. Amounts under the CP Program may be re-borrowed. The maturity of the CP Notes will vary, but may not exceed 397 days from the date of issue. The CP Notes are sold at a discount from par, or alternatively, sold at par and bear interest at rates that will vary based upon market conditions. The rates of interest will depend on whether the CP Notes will be a fixed or floating rate. The interest on a floating rate may be based on the following: (a) certificate of deposit rate; (b) commercial paper rate; (c) the federal funds rate; (d) the LIBOR; (e) prime rate; (f) Treasury rate; or (g) such other base rate as may be specified in a supplement to the private placement agreement. The CP Program contains certain events of default including, among other things: non-payment of principal, interest or fees; entrance into any form of moratorium; and bankruptcy and insolvency events, subject in certain instances to cure periods. The Company has not borrowed under this program through December 31, 2016. Through February 22, 2017, the Company has CP borrowings outstanding of $566.0 million with a weighted average maturity and interest rate of 63 days and 1.18%, respectively.
Notes Payable
On September 7, 2007, the Company issued and sold through a private placement transaction, $300.0 million aggregate principal amount of its 6.06% Series 2007-1 Senior Unsecured Notes due 2017 pursuant to the 2007 Agreement. The Series 2007-1 Notes have a ten-year term and bear interest at an annual rate of 6.06%, payable semi-annually on March 7 and September 7. The Company may prepay the Series 2007-1 Notes, in whole or in part, at any time at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount being prepaid, plus accrued and unpaid interest and a Make Whole Amount. The 2007 Agreement contains covenants that limit the ability of the Company, and certain of its subsidiaries to, among other things: enter into transactions with affiliates, dispose of assets, incur or create liens, enter into any sale-leaseback transactions, or merge with any other corporation or convey, transfer or lease substantially all of its assets. The Company must also not permit its Debt/EBITDA ratio to exceed 4.0 to 1.0 at the end of any fiscal quarter.
On August 19, 2010, the Company issued $500 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes in a public offering. The 2010 Senior Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 5.50% and mature on September 1, 2020. Interest on the 2010 Senior Notes will be due semi-annually on September 1 and March 1 of each year, commencing March 1, 2011. The Company may prepay the 2010 Senior Notes, in whole or in part, at any time at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount being prepaid, plus accrued and unpaid interest and a Make-Whole Amount. Additionally, at the option of the holders of the notes, the Company may be required to purchase all or a portion of the notes upon occurrence of a “Change of Control Triggering Event,” as defined in the 2010 Indenture, at a price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of purchase. The 2010 Indenture contains covenants that limit the ability of the Company and certain of its subsidiaries to, among other things, incur or create liens and enter into sale and leaseback transactions. In addition, the 2010 Indenture contains a covenant that limits the ability of the Company to consolidate or merge with another entity or to sell all or substantially all of its assets to another entity. The 2010 Indenture contains customary default provisions. In addition, an event of default will occur if the Company or certain of its subsidiaries fail to pay the principal of any indebtedness (as defined in the 2010 Indenture) when due at maturity in an aggregate amount of $50 million or more, or a default occurs that results in the acceleration of the maturity of the Company’s or certain of its subsidiaries’ indebtedness in an aggregate amount of $50 million or more. Upon the occurrence and during the continuation of an event of default under the 2010 Indenture, the notes may become immediately due and payable either automatically or by the vote of the holders of more than 25% of the aggregate principal amount of all of the notes then outstanding.
On November 4, 2011, in connection with the acquisition of Copal, a subsidiary of the Company issued a $14.2 million non-interest bearing note to the sellers which represented a portion of the consideration transferred to acquire the Copal entities. If a seller subsequently transfers to the Company all of its shares, the Company must repay the seller its proportion of the principal on the later of (i) the fourth anniversary date of the note or (ii) within a time frame set forth in the acquisition agreement relating to the resolution of certain income tax uncertainties pertaining to the transaction. The Company has the right to offset payment of the note against certain indemnification assets associated with UTPs related to the acquisition. Accordingly, the Company has offset the liability for this note against the indemnification asset, thus no balance for this note is carried on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2016 and 2015. In the event that the Company would not be required to settle amounts related to the UTPs, the Company would be required to pay the sellers the principal in accordance with the note agreement. The Company may prepay the note in accordance with certain terms set forth in the acquisition agreement.
On August 20, 2012, the Company issued $500 million aggregate principal amount of unsecured notes in a public offering. The 2012 Senior Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 4.50% and mature on September 1, 2022. The 2012 Senior Notes also bear interest at a fixed rate of 4.5% and mature on September 1, 2022. Interest on the 2012 Senior Notes will be due semi-annually on September 1 and March 1 of each year, commencing March 1, 2013. The Company may prepay the 2012 Senior Notes, in whole or in part, at any time at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount being prepaid, plus accrued and unpaid interest and a Make-Whole Amount. Additionally, at the option of the holders of the notes, the Company may be required to purchase all or a portion of the notes upon occurrence of a “Change of Control Triggering Event,” as defined in the 2012 Indenture, at a price equal to 101% of the principal
MOODY’S 2016 10K
amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of purchase. The 2012 Indenture contains covenants that limit the ability of the Company and certain of its subsidiaries to, among other things, incur or create liens and enter into sale and leaseback transactions. In addition, the 2012 Indenture contains a covenant that limits the ability of the Company to consolidate or merge with another entity or to sell all or substantially all of its assets to another entity. The 2012 Indenture contains customary default provisions. In addition, an event of default will occur if the Company or certain of its subsidiaries fail to pay the principal of any indebtedness (as defined in the 2012 Indenture) when due at maturity in an aggregate amount of $50 million or more, or a default occurs that results in the acceleration of the maturity of the Company’s or certain of its subsidiaries’ indebtedness in an aggregate amount of $50 million or more. Upon the occurrence and during the continuation of an event of default under the 2012 Indenture, the 2012 Senior notes may become immediately due and payable either automatically or by the vote of the holders of more than 25% of the aggregate principal amount of all of the notes then outstanding.
On August 12, 2013, the Company issued $500 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes in a public offering. The 2013 Senior Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 4.875% and mature on February 15, 2024. Interest on the 2013 Senior Notes will be due semi-annually on February 15 and August 15 of each year, commencing February 15, 2014. The Company may prepay the 2013 Senior Notes, in whole or in part, at any time at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount being prepaid, plus accrued and unpaid interest and a Make-Whole Amount. Notwithstanding the immediately preceding sentence, the Company may redeem the 2013 Senior Notes, in whole or in part, at any time or from time to time on or after November 15, 2023 (three months prior to their maturity), at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding the redemption date. Additionally, at the option of the holders of the notes, the Company may be required to purchase all or a portion of the notes upon occurrence of a “Change of Control Triggering Event,” as defined in the 2013 Indenture, at a price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of purchase. The 2013 Indenture contains covenants that limit the ability of the Company and certain of its subsidiaries to, among other things, incur or create liens and enter into sale and leaseback transactions. In addition, the 2013 Indenture contains a covenant that limits the ability of the Company to consolidate or merge with another entity or to sell all or substantially all of its assets to another entity. The 2013 Indenture contains customary default provisions. In addition, an event of default will occur if the Company or certain of its subsidiaries fail to pay the principal of any indebtedness (as defined in the 2013 Indenture) when due at maturity in an aggregate amount of $50 million or more, or a default occurs that results in the acceleration of the maturity of the Company’s or certain of its subsidiaries’ indebtedness in an aggregate amount of $50 million or more. Upon the occurrence and during the continuation of an event of default under the 2013 Indenture, the 2013 Senior Notes may become immediately due and payable either automatically or by the vote of the holders of more than 25% of the aggregate principal amount of all of the notes then outstanding.
On July 16, 2014, the Company issued $300 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes in a public offering. The 2014 Senior Notes (30-year) bear interest at a fixed rate of 5.25% and mature on July 15, 2044. Interest on the 2014 Senior Notes (30-year) will be due semi-annually on January 15 and July 15 of each year, commencing January 15, 2015. The Company may prepay the 2014 Senior Notes (30-year), in whole or in part, at any time at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount being prepaid, plus accrued and unpaid interest and a Make-Whole Amount. Additionally, at the option of the holders of the notes, the Company may be required to purchase all or a portion of the notes upon occurrence of a “Change of Control Triggering Event,” as defined in the 2014 Indenture, at a price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of purchase. The 2014 Indenture contains covenants that limit the ability of the Company and certain of its subsidiaries to, among other things, incur or create liens and enter into sale and leaseback transactions. In addition, the 2014 Indenture contains a covenant that limits the ability of the Company to consolidate or merge with another entity or to sell all or substantially all of its assets to another entity. The 2014 Indenture contains customary default provisions. In addition, an event of default will occur if the Company or certain of its subsidiaries fail to pay the principal of any indebtedness (as defined in the 2014 Indenture) when due at maturity in an aggregate amount of $50 million or more, or a default occurs that results in the acceleration of the maturity of the Company’s or certain of its subsidiaries’ indebtedness in an aggregate amount of $50 million or more. Upon the occurrence and during the continuation of an event of default under the 2014 Indenture, the 2014 Senior Notes (30-year) may become immediately due and payable either automatically or by the vote of the holders of more than 25% of the aggregate principal amount of all of the notes then outstanding. On November 13, 2015, the Company issued an additional $300 million aggregate principal amount of the 2014 Senior Notes (30-year) in a public offering. This issuance constitutes an additional issuance of, and a single series with, the $300 million 2014 Senior Notes (30-year) issued on July 16, 2014 and have the same terms as the 2014 Senior Notes (30-year).
On July 16, 2014, the Company issued $450 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes in a public offering. The 2014 Senior Notes (5-year) bear interest at a fixed rate of 2.75% and mature July 15, 2019. Interest on the 2014 Senior Notes (5-year) will be due semi-annually on January 15 and July 15 of each year, commencing January 15, 2015. The Company may prepay the 2014 Senior Notes (5-year), in whole or in part, at any time at a price prior to June 15, 2019, equal to 100% of the principal amount being prepaid, plus accrued and unpaid interest and a Make-Whole Amount. Notwithstanding the immediately preceding sentence, the Company may redeem the 2014 Senior Notes (5-year), in whole or in part, at any time or from time to time on or after June 15, 2019
MOODY’S 2016 10K
(one month prior to their maturity), at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding the redemption date. Additionally, at the option of the holders of the notes, the Company may be required to purchase all or a portion of the notes upon occurrence of a “Change of Control Triggering Event,” as defined in the 2014 Indenture, at a price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of purchase. The 2014 Indenture contains covenants that limit the ability of the Company and certain of its subsidiaries to, among other things, incur or create liens and enter into sale and leaseback transactions. In addition, the 2014 Indenture contains a covenant that limits the ability of the Company to consolidate or merge with another entity or to sell all or substantially all of its assets to another entity. The 2014 Indenture contains customary default provisions. In addition, an event of default will occur if the Company or certain of its subsidiaries fail to pay the principal of any indebtedness (as defined in the 2014 Indenture) when due at maturity in an aggregate amount of $50 million or more, or a default occurs that results in the acceleration of the maturity of the Company’s or certain of its subsidiaries’ indebtedness in an aggregate amount of $50 million or more. Upon the occurrence and during the continuation of an event of default under the 2014 Indenture, the 2014 Senior Notes (5-year) may become immediately due and payable either automatically or by the vote of the holders of more than 25% of the aggregate principal amount of all of the notes then outstanding.
On March 9, 2015, the Company issued 500 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes in a public offering. The 2015 Senior Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 1.75% and mature on March 9, 2027. Interest on the 2015 Senior Notes is due annually on March 9 of each year, commencing March 9, 2016. The Company may prepay the 2015 Senior Notes, in whole or in part, at any time at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount being prepaid, plus accrued and unpaid interest and a Make-Whole Amount. Additionally, at the option of the holders of the notes, the Company may be required to purchase all or a portion of the notes upon occurrence of a “Change of Control Triggering Event,” as defined in the 2015 Indenture, at a price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of purchase. The 2015 Indenture contains covenants that limit the ability of the Company and certain of its subsidiaries to, among other things, incur or create liens and enter into sale and leaseback transactions. In addition, the 2015 Indenture contains a covenant that limits the ability of the Company to consolidate or merge with another entity or to sell all or substantially all of its assets to another entity. The 2015 Indenture contains customary default provisions. In addition, an event of default will occur if the Company or certain of its subsidiaries fail to pay the principal of any indebtedness (as defined in the 2015 Indenture) when due at maturity in an aggregate amount of $50 million or more, or a default occurs that results in the acceleration of the maturity of the Company’s or certain of its subsidiaries’ indebtedness in an aggregate amount of $50 million or more. Upon the occurrence and during the continuation of an event of default under the 2015 Indenture, the 2015 Senior Notes may become immediately due and payable either automatically or by the vote of the holders of more than 25% of the aggregate principal amount of all of the notes then outstanding. The Company has designated 400 million of the 2015 Senior Notes as a net investment hedge as more fully discussed in Note 5.
The principal payments due on the Company’s long-term borrowings outstanding at December 31, 2016 for each of the next five years are presented in the table below:
(1) As more fully described in Note 25, the Company notified holders of these notes that it intends to prepay the notes on March 20, 2017.
The Company entered into interest rate swaps on the 2010 Senior Notes, 2012 Senior Notes and the 2014 Senior Notes (5-year), which are more fully discussed in Note 5.
At December 31, 2016, the Company was in compliance with all covenants contained within all of the debt agreements. In addition to the covenants described above, the 2015 Facility, 2015 Senior Notes, 2014 Senior Notes (5-year), 2014 Senior Notes (30-year), the Series 2007-1 Notes, the 2010 Senior Notes, the 2012 Senior Notes and the 2013 Senior Notes contain cross default provisions. These provisions state that default under one of the aforementioned debt instruments could in turn permit lenders under other debt instruments to declare borrowings outstanding under those instruments to be immediately due and payable. As of December 31, 2016, there are no such cross defaults.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
INTEREST EXPENSE, NET
The following table summarizes the components of interest as presented in the consolidated statements of operations:
(a) Includes approximately $11 million in 2014 in net costs related to the prepayment of the Series 2005-1 Notes.
(b) The 2015 amount includes approximately $2 million in interest income on a tax refund and a $4 million interest reversal relating to the favorable resolution of a tax audit and an international tax audit. The 2014 amount includes a $2.0 million relating to a reversal of an interest accrual relating to the favorable resolution of an international tax matter.
(c) Represents a reduction of accrued interest related to the favorable resolution of Legacy Tax Matters.
(d) Interest paid includes net settlements on interest rate swaps more fully discussed in Note 5.
The Company’s long-term debt is recorded at its carrying amount, which represents the issuance amount plus or minus any issuance premium or discount, except for the 2010 Senior Notes, the 2014 Senior Notes (5-Year) and the 2012 Senior Notes which are recorded at the carrying amount adjusted for the fair value of an interest rate swap used to hedge the fair value of the note. The fair value and carrying value of the Company’s long-term debt as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 are as follows:
The fair value of the Company’s debt is estimated based on quoted market prices for similar instruments. Accordingly, the inputs used to estimate the fair value of the Company’s long-term debt are classified as Level 2 inputs within the fair value hierarchy.
NOTE 17 CAPITAL STOCK
Authorized Capital Stock
The total number of shares of all classes of stock that the Company has authority to issue under its Restated Certificate of Incorporation is 1.02 billion shares with a par value of $0.01, of which 1.0 billion are shares of common stock, 10.0 million are shares of preferred stock and 10.0 million are shares of series common stock. The preferred stock and series common stock can be issued with varying terms, as determined by the Board.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
Share Repurchase Program
The Company implemented a systematic share repurchase program in the third quarter of 2005 through an SEC Rule 10b5-1 program. Moody’s may also purchase opportunistically when conditions warrant. As a result, Moody’s share repurchase activity will continue to vary from quarter to quarter. The table below summarizes the Company’s remaining authority under its share repurchase program as of December 31, 2016:
During 2016, Moody’s repurchased 7.7 million shares of its common stock under its share repurchase program and issued 2.8 million shares under employee stock-based compensation plans.
Dividends
The Company’s cash dividends were:
On December 20, 2016, the Board approved the declaration of a quarterly dividend of $0.38 per share of Moody’s common stock, payable on March 10, 2017 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 20, 2017. The continued payment of dividends at the rate noted above, or at all, is subject to the discretion of the Board.
NOTE 18 LEASE COMMITMENTS
Moody’s operates its business from various leased facilities, which are under operating leases that expire over the next 11 years. Moody’s also leases certain computer and other equipment under operating leases that expire over the next four years. Rent expense, including lease incentives, is amortized on a straight-line basis over the related lease term. Rent expense under operating leases for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 was $95.4 million, $87.6 million and $83.9 million, respectively.
The 21-year operating lease for the Company’s headquarters at 7WTC which commenced on October 20, 2006 contains a total of 20 years of renewal options. These renewal options apply to both the original lease as well as additional floors leased by the Company beginning in 2014. Additionally, the 17.5 year operating lease for the Company’s London, England office which commenced on February 6, 2008 contains a total of 15 years of renewal options.
The minimum rent for operating leases at December 31, 2016 is as follows:
MOODY’S 2016 10K
NOTE 19 CONTINGENCIES
Moody’s is involved in legal and tax proceedings, governmental investigations and inquiries, claims and litigation that are incidental to the Company’s business, including claims based on ratings assigned by MIS. Moody’s is also subject to ongoing tax audits in the normal course of business. Management periodically assesses the Company’s liabilities and contingencies in connection with these matters based upon the latest information available. Moody’s discloses material pending legal proceedings pursuant to SEC rules and other pending matters as it may determine to be appropriate.
Following the global credit crisis of 2008, MIS and other credit rating agencies have been the subject of intense scrutiny, increased regulation, ongoing inquiry and governmental investigations, and civil litigation. Legislative, regulatory and enforcement entities around the world are considering additional legislation, regulation and enforcement actions, including with respect to MIS’s compliance with regulatory standards. Moody’s periodically receives and is continuing to address subpoenas and inquiries from various governmental authorities and is responding to such investigations and inquiries.
In a letter dated September 29, 2016, the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) stated that it was preparing a civil complaint to be filed against Moody’s and MIS in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey alleging certain violations of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act in connection with the ratings MIS assigned to residential mortgage-backed securities and collateralized debt obligations in the period leading up to the 2008 financial crisis. On January 13, 2017, the Company, along with its subsidiaries MIS and MA, announced that it had entered into a settlement agreement with the United States, acting through the DOJ and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, along with the States of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Washington, and the District of Columbia (collectively, the “States”), acting through their respective Attorneys General or state securities regulator, as applicable, to resolve pending and potential civil claims related to credit ratings that MIS assigned to certain structured finance instruments in the financial crisis era. The agreement also related to certain statements made in connection with Moody’s structured finance rating methodologies and procedures during the same period. Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement, the Company agreed to pay $437.5 million to the United States as a civil monetary penalty and $426.3 million in aggregate to the States. The Company also agreed to maintain a number of existing compliance measures and to implement and maintain certain additional compliance measures over the next five years. The Settlement Agreement contained no findings of violations of law by Moody’s, MIS or MA nor any admission of liability, and is final and not conditioned on court approval. The complete terms of the settlement are reflected in the settlement agreement attached as Exhibit 10.1 to the Form 8-K filed by the Company on January 17, 2017.
In addition, the Company is facing litigation from market participants relating to the performance of MIS-rated securities. Although Moody’s in the normal course experiences such litigation, the volume and cost of defending such litigation has significantly increased following the events in the U.S. subprime residential mortgage sector and global credit markets more broadly over the last decade.
For claims, litigation and proceedings and governmental investigations and inquiries not related to income taxes, where it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated, the Company records liabilities in the consolidated financial statements and periodically adjusts these as appropriate. When the reasonable estimate of the loss is within a range of amounts, the minimum amount of the range is accrued unless some higher amount within the range is a better estimate than another amount within the range. In other instances, where a loss is reasonably possible, management does not record a liability because of uncertainties related to the probable outcome and/or the amount or range of loss, but discloses the contingency if significant. As additional information becomes available, the Company adjusts its assessments and estimates of such matters accordingly. In view of the inherent difficulty of predicting the outcome of litigation, regulatory, governmental investigations and inquiries, enforcement and similar matters and contingencies, particularly where the claimants seek large or indeterminate damages or where the parties assert novel legal theories or the matters involve a large number of parties, the Company cannot predict what the eventual outcome of the pending matters will be or the timing of any resolution of such matters. The Company also cannot predict the impact (if any) that any such matters may have on how its business is conducted, on its competitive position or on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows. As the process to resolve any pending matters progresses, management will continue to review the latest information available and assess its ability to predict the outcome of such matters and the effects, if any, on its operations and financial condition. However, in light of the large or indeterminate damages sought in some such matters, the absence of similar court rulings on the theories of law asserted and uncertainties regarding apportionment of any potential damages, an estimate of the range of possible losses cannot be made at this time.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
NOTE 20 SEGMENT INFORMATION
The Company is organized into three operating segments: (i) MIS, (ii) MA and (iii) Moody’s Analytics Knowledge Services. The MAKS operating segment has been aggregated with the MA operating segment based on the fact that it has similar economic characteristics to MA. Accordingly, the Company reports in two reportable segments: MIS and MA.
In January 2014, the Company revised its operating segments to create the new Copal Amba operating segment. The new operating segment consists of all operations from Copal and the operations of Amba which was acquired in December 2013. In December 2016, the Copal Amba operating segment was rebranded as MAKS. The MAKS operating segment provides research and analytic services to the global financial and corporate sectors. The Company has determined that the MAKS and MA operating segments have similar economic characteristics as set forth in ASC 280. As such, MAKS has been combined with MA to form the MA reportable segment and revenue from MAKS is reported in the PS LOB.
The MIS segment consists of five LOBs. The CFG, SFG, FIG and PPIF LOBs generate revenue principally from fees for the assignment and ongoing monitoring of credit ratings on debt obligations and the entities that issue such obligations in markets worldwide. The MIS Other LOB primarily consists of the distribution of research and financial instruments pricing services in the Asia-Pacific region as well as ICRA non-ratings revenue.
The MA segment develops a wide range of products and services that support the risk management activities of institutional participants in global financial markets. The MA segment consists of three LOBs - RD&A, ERS and PS.
Revenue for MIS and expenses for MA include an intersegment royalty charged to MA for the rights to use and distribute content, data and products developed by MIS. The royalty rate charged by MIS approximates the fair value of the aforementioned content, data and products and is generally based on comparable market transactions. Also, revenue for MA and expenses for MIS include an intersegment fee charged to MIS from MA for certain MA products and services utilized in MIS’s ratings process. These fees charged by MA are generally equal to the costs incurred by MA to produce these products and services. Additionally, overhead costs and corporate expenses of the Company that exclusively benefit only one segment are fully charged to that segment. Overhead costs and corporate expenses of the Company that benefit both segments are allocated to each segment based on a revenue-split methodology. Accordingly, a reportable segment’s share of these costs will increase as its proportion of revenue relative to Moody’s total revenue increases. Overhead expenses include costs such as rent and occupancy, information technology and support staff such as finance, human resources and information technology. “Eliminations” in the table below represent intersegment revenue/expense. Moody’s does not report the Company’s assets by reportable segment, as this metric is not used by the chief operating decision maker to allocate resources to the segments. Consequently, it is not practical to show assets by reportable segment.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION BY SEGMENT:
The table below shows revenue, Adjusted Operating Income and operating income by reportable segment. Adjusted Operating Income is a financial metric utilized by the Company’s chief operating decision maker to assess the profitability of each reportable segment.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
The cumulative restructuring charges relating to actions taken in 2016 as more fully discussed in Note 9 for the MIS and MA reportable segments are $10.2 million and $1.8 million, respectively. The charge in MA reflects cost management initiatives in certain corporate overhead functions of which a portion is allocated to MA based on a revenue-split methodology.
MIS AND MA REVENUE BY LINE OF BUSINESS
The tables below present revenue by LOB:
MOODY’S 2016 10K
CONSOLIDATED REVENUE AND LONG-LIVED ASSETS INFORMATION BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA
NOTE 21 VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS
Accounts receivable allowances primarily represent adjustments to customer billings that are estimated when the related revenue is recognized and also represents an estimate for uncollectible accounts. Below is a summary of activity:
(1) Reflects uncollectible amounts written off.
NOTE 22 OTHER NON-OPERATING INCOME, NET
The following table summarizes the components of other non-operating income (expense), net as presented in the consolidated statements of operations:
(a) The FX gain in 2016 includes an approximate $35 million net gain relating to the substantial liquidation/sale of certain non-U.S. subsidiaries. Pursuant to ASC 830, cumulative translation gains relating to these subsidiaries were reclassified to other non-operating income, net in the consolidated statement of operations.
(b) The 2016, 2015 and 2014 amount relate to the expiration of a statute of limitations for Legacy Tax Matters.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
NOTE 23 RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Moody’s Corporation made grants of $4 million to The Moody’s Foundation during each of the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2014. The Company did not make a grant to the Foundation in 2015. The Foundation carries out philanthropic activities primarily in the areas of education and health and human services. Certain members of Moody’s senior management are on the board of the Foundation.
NOTE 24 QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA (UNAUDITED)
Basic and diluted EPS are computed for each of the periods presented. The number of weighted average shares outstanding changes as common shares are issued pursuant to employee stock-based compensation plans and for other purposes or as shares are repurchased. Therefore, the sum of basic and diluted EPS for each of the four quarters may not equal the full year basic and diluted EPS.
Both the operating loss and the net loss attributable to Moody’s in the three months ended December 31, 2016 primarily reflect the Settlement Charge of $863.8 million ($700.7 million, net-of-tax) as more fully discussed in Note 19. There were benefits of $1.6 million and $6.4 million to net income related to the resolution of Legacy Tax Matters for year ended December 31, 2016 and 2015. Additionally, the net loss attributable to Moody’s for the three months ended December 31, 2016 includes an approximate $35 million FX gain related to the liquidation of a subsidiary.
NOTE 25 SUBSEQUENT EVENT
On February 16, 2017, the Company notified the holders of the Series 2007-1 Notes that it intends to prepay the notes on March 20, 2017 in accordance with provisions set forth in the 2007 Agreement. Accordingly, the Company will make cash payments to the holders of the Series 2007-1 Notes totaling approximately $316 million in the first quarter of 2017 (payment consists of $300 million of principal, approximately $8 million in accrued interest, and approximately $8 million in pre-payment penalties).
MOODY’S 2016 10K
ITEM 9.
CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
Not applicable
ITEM 9A.
CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The Company carried out an evaluation, as required by Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act, under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act, as of the end of the period covered by this report (the “Evaluation Date”). Based on such evaluation, such officers have concluded that, as of the Evaluation Date, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the times periods specified in the communication to the Company’s management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes In Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Information in response to this Item is set forth under the caption “Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting”, in Part II, Item 8 of this annual report on Form 10-K.
In addition, the Company’s management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has determined that there were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, these internal controls over financial reporting during the period covered by this report.
ITEM 9B.
OTHER INFORMATION
Not applicable.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
PART III
Except for the information relating to the executive officers of the Company set forth in Part I of this annual report on Form 10-K, the information called for by Items 10-14 is contained in the Company’s definitive proxy statement for use in connection with its annual meeting of stockholders scheduled to be held on April 25, 2017, and is incorporated herein by reference.
ITEM 10.
DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 11.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 12.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
ITEM 13.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
ITEM 14.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
MOODY’S 2016 10K
PART IV
ITEM 15.
EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
LIST OF DOCUMENTS FILED AS PART OF THIS REPORT.
(1) Financial Statements.
See Index to Financial Statements on page 57, in Part II. Item 8 of this Form 10-K.
(2) Financial Statement Schedules.
None.
(3) Exhibits.
See Index to Exhibits on pages 116-119 of this Form 10-K.
MOODY’S 2016 10K
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
MOODY’S CORPORATION
(Registrant)
By: /s/ RAYMOND W. MCDANIEL, JR.
Raymond W. McDaniel, Jr.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Date: February 23, 2017
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the date indicated.
/s/ RAYMOND W. MCDANIEL, JR.
Raymond W. McDaniel, Jr.,
President and Chief Executive Officer
(principal executive officer)
/s/ LINDA S. HUBER
Linda S. Huber,
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(principal financial officer)
/s/ MICHAEL S. CRIMMINS
Michael S. Crimmins,
Senior Vice President and Corporate
Controller (principal accounting officer)
/s/ BASIL L. ANDERSON
Basil L. Anderson,
Director
/s/ JORGE A. BERMUDEZ
Jorge A. Bermudez,
Director
/s/ DARRELL DUFFIE
Darrell Duffie,
Director
/s/ KATHRYN M. HILL
Kathryn M. Hill,
Director
/s/ EWALD KIST
Ewald Kist,
Director
/s/ HENRY A. MCKINNELL, JR.
Henry A. McKinnell, Jr. Ph.D.,
Chairman
/s/ LESLIE F. SEIDMAN
Leslie F. Seidman,
Director
/s/ BRUCE VAN SAUN
Bruce Van Saun,
Director
Date: February 23, 2017
MOODY’S 2016 10K
INDEX TO EXHIBITS
S-K EXHIBIT NUMBER
Articles Of Incorporation And By-laws
.1
Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant, effective April 17, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed April 22, 2013).
.2
Amended and Restated By-laws of Moody’s Corporation, effective April 17, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed April 22, 2013).
Instruments Defining The Rights Of Security Holders, Including Indentures
.1
Specimen Common Stock certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed October 4, 2000)
.2
Note Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 7, 2007, by and among Moody’s Corporation and the note purchasers party thereto, including the form of the 6.06% Series 2007-1 Senior Unsecured Note due 2017 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed September 13, 2007)
.3
Five-Year Credit Agreement dated as of May 11, 2015, among Moody’s Corporation, the Borrowing Subsidiaries Party Thereto, the Lenders Party Thereto, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent, Bank of America, N.A. and Citibank, N.A. as Co-Syndication Agents, and TD Bank, N.A., The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. and Barclays Bank as Co-Documentation Agents (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed May 14, 2015)
.4
Indenture, dated as of August 19, 2010, between Moody’s Corporation and Wells Fargo, National Association, as trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed August 19, 2010)
.5
Supplemental Indenture, dated as of August 19, 2010, between Moody’s Corporation and Wells Fargo, National Association, as trustee, including the form of the 5.50% Senior Notes due 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed August 19, 2010)
.6
Second Supplemental Indenture, dated as of August 20, 2012, between Moody’s Corporation and Wells Fargo, National Association, as trustee, including the form of the 4.50% Senior Notes due 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed August 20, 2012)
.7
Third Supplemental Indenture, dated as of August 12, 2013, between Moody’s Corporation and Wells Fargo, National Association, as trustee, including the form of the 4.875% Senior Notes due 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed August 20, 2013)
.8
Fourth Supplemental Indenture, dated July 16, 2014, between the Company and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed July 16, 2014).
.9
Fifth Supplemental Indenture, dated March 9, 2015, between the Company, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee and Elavon Financial Services Limited, UK Branch as paying agent and transfer agent and Elavon Financial Services Limited as registrar (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed March 9, 2015).
Material Contracts
.1
Distribution Agreement, dated as of September 30, 2000, between the Registrant and The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation (f.k.a. The New D&B Corporation) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed October 4, 2000)
.2
Tax Allocation Agreement, dated as of September 30, 2000, between the Registrant and The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation (f.k.a. The New D&B Corporation) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed October 4, 2000)
MOODY’S 2016 10K
S-K EXHIBIT NUMBER
.3
The Moody’s Corporation Nonfunded Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors (as amended and restated October 20, 2015) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, file number 1-14037, filed February 24, 2016)
.4
1998 Moody’s Corporation Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Incentive Plan (Adopted September 8, 2000; Amended and Restated as of December 11, 2012, October 20, 2015 and December 14, 2015) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, file number 1-14037, filed February 24, 2016)
.5
1998 Moody’s Corporation Key Employees’ Stock Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, file number 1-14037, filed November 14, 2000)
.6
Distribution Agreement, dated as of June 30, 1998, between R.H. Donnelley Corporation (f.k.a. The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation) and the Registrant (f.k.a. The New Dun & Bradstreet Corporation) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, file number 1-14037, filed August 14, 1998)
.7
Moody’s Corporation Deferred Compensation Plan, effective as of January 1, 2008 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed October 26, 2007)
.8
Form of Separation Agreement and General Release used by the Registrant with its Career Transition Plan. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed November 20, 2007)
.9
Amended and Restated 2001 Moody’s Corporation Key Employees’ Stock Incentive Plan (as amended, December 11, 2012) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed April 22, 2013)
.10
Tax Allocation Agreement, dated as of June 30, 1998, between R.H. Donnelley Corporation (f.k.a. The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation) and the Registrant (f.k.a. The New Dun & Bradstreet Corporation) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, file number 1-14037, filed August 14, 1998)
.11
Distribution Agreement, dated as of October 28, 1996, among R.H. Donnelley Corporation (f.k.a. The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation), Cognizant Corporation and ACNielsen Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10(x) to R.H. Donnelley Corporation’s (f.k.a. The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation) Annual Report on Form 10-K, file number 1-7155, filed March 27, 1997)
.12
Tax Allocation Agreement, dated as of October 28, 1996, among R.H. Donnelley Corporation (f.k.a. The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation), Cognizant Corporation and ACNielsen Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10(y) to R.H. Donnelley Corporation’s (f.k.a. The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation) Annual Report on Form 10-K, file number 1-7155, filed March 27, 1997)
.13
Form of Employee Non-Qualified Stock Option and Restricted Stock Grant Agreement (for awards granted prior to 2017) for the Amended and Restated 2001 Moody’s Corporation Key Employees’ Stock Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, file number 1-14037, filed November 3, 2004)
.14
Form of Non-Employee Director Restricted Stock Grant Agreement for the 1998 Moody’s Corporation Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Incentive Plan (as amended on April 23, 2001) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, file number 1-14037, filed November 3, 2004)
.15
Form of Performance Share Award Letter (for awards granted prior to 2017) for the Amended and Restated 2001 Moody’s Corporation Key Employees’ Stock Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.48 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, file number 1-14037, filed February 28, 2011)
.16*
Form of Employee Non-Qualified Stock Option Grant Agreement for the Amended and Restated 2001 Moody’s Corporation Key Employees’ Stock Incentive Plan.
.17*
Form of Performance Share Award Letter for the Amended and Restated 2001 Moody’s Corporation Key Employees’ Stock Incentive Plan.
.18*
Form of Restricted Stock Unit Grant Agreement for the Amended and Restated 2001 Moody’s Corporation Key Employees’ Stock Incentive Plan.
.19
2004 Moody’s Corporation Covered Employee Cash Incentive Plan (as amended on February 10, 2015) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, file number 1-14037, filed February 26, 2015)
MOODY’S 2016 10K
S-K EXHIBIT NUMBER
.20
Description of Bonus Terms under the 2004 Moody’s Corporation Covered Employee Cash Incentive Plan (as amended, December 15, 2009) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, file number 1-14037, filed November 3, 2004)
.21
Agreement of Lease, dated September 7, 2006, between Moody’s Corporation and 7 World Trade Center, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, file number 1-14037, filed November 2, 2006)
.22
Agreement for Lease, dated February 6, 2008, among CWCB Properties (DS7) Limited, CWCB Properties (DS7) Limited and CW Leasing DS7F Limited, Canary Wharf Holdings Limited, Moody’s Investors Service Limited, and Moody’s Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed February 12, 2008)
.23
Agreement for Lease, dated February 6, 2008, among Canary Wharf (Car Parks) Limited, Canary Wharf Holdings Limited, Canary Wharf Management Limited, Moody’s Investors Service Limited, and Moody’s Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed February 12, 2008)
.24
Storage Agreement for Lease dated February 6, 2008 among Canary Wharf (Car Parks) Limited, Canary Wharf Holdings Limited, Canary Wharf Management Limited, Moody’s Investors Service Limited, and Moody’s Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant file number 1-14037, filed February 12, 2008)
.25
Moody’s Corporation 1999 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (as amended and restated December 15, 2008) (formerly, The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation 1999 Employee Stock Purchase Plan) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.38 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, file number 1-14037, filed February 27, 2009)
.26
Supplemental Executive Benefit Plan of Moody’s Corporation, amended and restated as of January 1, 2008 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.38 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, file number 1-14037, filed February, 29, 2008)
.27
Pension Benefit Equalization Plan of Moody’s Corporation, amended and restated as of January 1, 2008 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.39 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, file number 1-14037, filed February, 29, 2008)
.28
Moody’s Corporation Retirement Account, amended and restated as of December 18,2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.25 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, file number 1-14037, filed February 27, 2014)
.29
First Amendment to the Moody’s Corporation Retirement Account, amended and restated as of December 18, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, file number 1-14037, filed July 30, 2015)
.30
Profit Participation Plan of Moody’s Corporation (amended and restated as of January 1, 2014) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.26 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, file number 1-14037, filed February 26, 2015)
.31
First Amendment to the Profit Participation Plan of Moody’s Corporation (amended and restated as of January 1, 2014) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on form 10-Q, file number 1-14037, filed May 4, 2015)
.32
Second Amendment to the Profit Participation Plan of Moody’s Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, file number 1-14037, filed May 3, 2016)
.33*
Amended and Restated Moody’s Corporation Career Transition Plan.
.34
Moody’s Corporation Cafeteria Plan, effective January 1, 2008 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.46 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, file number 1-14037, filed February 27, 2009)
.35
First Amendment to the Moody’s Corporation Cafeteria Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on form 10-Q, file number 1-14037, filed July 31, 2014)
.36
Second Amendment to the Moody’s Corporation Cafeteria Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.33 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, file number 1-14037, filed February 26, 2015)
.37
Separation Agreement and general release between the Company and Brian M. Clarkson, dated May 7, 2008 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, file number 1-14037, filed August 4, 2008)
MOODY’S 2016 10K
S-K EXHIBIT NUMBER
38
Moody’s Corporation Change in Control Severance Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed December 20, 2010)
39
Form Commercial Paper Dealer Agreement between Moody’s Corporation, as Issuer, and the Dealer party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrants Quarterly Report on From 10-Q, file number 1-14037, filed August 3, 2016)
Settlement Agreement dated January 13, 2017 between (1) Moody’s Corporation, Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics, Inc., and (2) the United States, acting through the United States Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, along with various States and the District of Columbia, acting through their respective Attorneys General (incorporated by reference to the Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant, file number 1-14037, filed January 17, 2017)
12*
Statement of Computation of Ratios of Earnings to Fixed Charges
21*
SUBSIDIARIES OF THE REGISTRANT List of Active Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2016
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
.1*
Consent of KPMG LLP
CERTIFICATIONS 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
.1*
Chief Executive Officer Certification Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
.2*
Chief Financial Officer Certification Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
CERTIFICATIONS PURSUANT TO SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
.1*
Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. (The Company has furnished this certification and does not intend for it to be considered filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or incorporated by reference into future filings under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934)
.2*
Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. (The Company has furnished this certification and does not intend for it to be considered filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or incorporated by reference into future filings under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934)
.DEF*
XBRL Definitions Linkbase Document
.INS*
XBRL Instance Document
.SCH*
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
.CAL*
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
.LAB*
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document
.PRE*
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
* Filed herewith
 Management contract of compensatory plan or arrangement
MOODY’S 2016 10K