CoStar Group Inc.: 10-K Risk Factor Changes

We have a significant amount of indebtedness, which could decrease our flexibility and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. As of December 31, 2024, we had $1.0 billion of Senior Notes outstanding and an additional approximately $1.1 billion available to be drawn under the 2024 Credit Agreement. Borrowings under the 2024 Credit Agreement bear interest at varying rates and expose us to interest rate risk. There can be no assurance that our future cash flows will be sufficient to make payments of interest or principal on the Senior Notes or any amounts due and payable under the 2024 Credit Agreement. If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, 28 28 28 we could face substantial liquidity problems and could be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures or to dispose of material assets or operations, seek additional debt or equity capital, or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. We may not be able to effect any such alternative measures on commercially reasonable terms or at all, and, even if successful, those alternative actions may not allow us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. Furthermore, we may incur substantial additional indebtedness, including secured indebtedness, and if we incur additional indebtedness or other liabilities, the related risks that we face could intensify. The 2024 Credit Agreement contains customary restrictive covenants imposing operating and financial restrictions on us, including restrictions that may limit our ability to engage in acts that we believe may be in our long-term best interests. These covenants restrict our ability and the ability of our domestic subsidiaries to, among other things, (i) incur additional indebtedness, (ii) incur liens, (iii) pay dividends or make certain other restricted payments, investments or acquisitions, (iv) merge or consolidate with another person, and (v) sell, assign, lease, or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets. In addition, the 2024 Credit Agreement requires us to comply with a maintenance covenant that we will not exceed a total net leverage ratio, calculated as total consolidated debt, net of up to $1.0 billion of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents, to consolidated EBITDA, of 4.50 to 1.00. The operating restrictions and financial covenants in the 2024 Credit Agreement may limit our ability to finance future operations or capital needs, to engage in other business activities, or to respond to changes in market conditions. Our ability to comply with any financial covenants could be affected materially by events beyond our control, and we may be unable to satisfy any such requirements. If we fail to comply with these covenants, we may need to seek waivers or amendments of such covenants, seek alternative or additional sources of financing, or reduce our expenditures. We may be unable to obtain such waivers, amendments, or alternative or additional financing on a timely basis or at all, or on favorable terms. A breach of the covenants under the 2024 Credit Agreement or the indenture that governs the Senior Notes could result in an event of default under the applicable indebtedness. Such a default may allow the creditors to accelerate the related debt and may result in the acceleration of any other debt to which a cross-acceleration provision applies. In the event the holders of the Senior Notes or our other debt accelerate the repayment of our borrowings, we and our subsidiaries may not have sufficient assets to repay that indebtedness. In May 2024, we entered into the 2024 Credit Agreement which replaces the Company's 2020 Credit Agreement. Borrowings under the 2024 Credit Agreement bear interest at a floating rate, which can be, at the Company’s option, either (a) an alternate base rate plus an applicable rate ranging from 0.125% to 0.750% or (b) a Term SOFR, SONIA rate, or EURIBOR for the specified interest period plus an applicable rate ranging from 1.125% to 1.750%, in each case depending on the Company’s Debt Rating (as defined in the 2024 Credit Agreement). It is unclear, however, whether Term SOFR, SONIA or EURIBOR will retain market acceptance as a LIBOR replacement tool, and we may need to renegotiate the 2024 Credit Agreement if other LIBOR alternatives are established and become more widely adopted. Each of Term SOFR, SONIA and EURIBOR differ from LIBOR, both in the actual rate and how it is calculated. It is not possible to predict what effect the change to Term SOFR, SONIA, and EURIBOR may have on our interest rates. Our indebtedness increases our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions; requires us to dedicate a portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on indebtedness, reducing the availability of cash flow to fund capital expenditures, marketing, and other general corporate activities; limits our ability to borrow additional funds; and may limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industries in which we operate. A lowering or withdrawal of the ratings assigned to our debt securities by rating agencies may increase our future borrowing costs, reduce our access to capital, or result in the loss of certain covenant suspensions. Our debt rating could be lowered or withdrawn entirely by a rating agency if, in that rating agency’s judgment, future circumstances relating to the basis of the rating, such as adverse changes, warrant. Any future lowering of our ratings likely would make it more difficult or more expensive for us to obtain additional debt financing. In addition, during a Covenant Suspension Period, certain customary negative and affirmative covenants contained in the 2024 Credit Agreement are suspended, including the covenants restricting affiliate transactions, incurrence of indebtedness, investments, asset sales, and restricted payments. A lowering of one or both of our investment grade ratings would result in increased compliance costs and would impose certain operating restrictions, either of which could be materially adverse to our operations and financial results.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness, which could decrease our flexibility and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. As of December 31, 2023, we had $1 billion of Senior Notes outstanding and an additional approximately $750 million available to be drawn under the 2020 Credit Agreement. Borrowings under the 2020 Credit Agreement bear interest at varying rates and expose us to interest rate risk. There can be no assurance that our future cash flows will be sufficient to make payments of interest or principal on the Senior Notes or any amounts due and payable under the 2020 Credit Agreement. If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we could face substantial liquidity problems and could be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures or to dispose of material assets or operations, seek additional debt or equity capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. We may not be able to effect any such alternative measures on commercially reasonable terms or at all, and, even if successful, those alternative actions may not allow us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. Furthermore, we may incur substantial additional indebtedness, including secured indebtedness, and if we incur additional indebtedness or other liabilities, the related risks that we face could intensify. The 2020 Credit Agreement contains customary restrictive covenants imposing operating and financial restrictions on us, including restrictions that may limit our ability to engage in acts that we believe may be in our long-term best interests. These covenants restrict our ability and the ability of our domestic subsidiaries to, among other things, (i) incur additional indebtedness, (ii) incur liens, (iii) pay dividends or make certain other restricted payments, investments or acquisitions, (iv) 30 30 30 merge or consolidate with another person, and (v) sell, assign, lease or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets. In addition, the 2020 Credit Agreement requires us to comply with a maintenance covenant that we will not exceed a total net leverage ratio, calculated as total consolidated debt, net of up to $1.0 billion of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents, to consolidated EBITDA, of 4.50 to 1.00. The operating restrictions and financial covenants in the 2020 Credit Agreement may limit our ability to finance future operations or capital needs, to engage in other business activities or to respond to changes in market conditions. Our ability to comply with any financial covenants could be affected materially by events beyond our control, and we may be unable to satisfy any such requirements. If we fail to comply with these covenants, we may need to seek waivers or amendments of such covenants, seek alternative or additional sources of financing or reduce our expenditures. We may be unable to obtain such waivers, amendments or alternative or additional financing on a timely basis or at all, or on favorable terms. A breach of the covenants under the 2020 Credit Agreement or the indenture that governs the Senior Notes could result in an event of default under the applicable indebtedness. Such a default may allow the creditors to accelerate the related debt and may result in the acceleration of any other debt to which a cross-acceleration provision applies. In the event the holders of the Senior Notes or our other debt accelerate the repayment of our borrowings, we and our subsidiaries may not have sufficient assets to repay that indebtedness. In May 2023, we amended the 2020 Credit Agreement to replace LIBOR as the reference rate with Term SOFR for U.S. dollar-denominated borrowings, SONIA rates for Sterling-denominated borrowings and EURIBOR for Euro-denominated borrowings. It is unclear, however, whether SOFR, SONIA or EURIBOR will retain market acceptance as a LIBOR replacement tool, and we may need to renegotiate our 2020 Credit Agreement if other LIBOR alternatives are established and become more widely adopted. Each of SOFR, SONIA and EURIBOR differ from LIBOR, both in the actual rate and how it is calculated. It is not possible to predict what effect the change to SOFR, SONIA and EURIBOR may have on our interest rates. Our indebtedness increases our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions; requires us to dedicate a portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on indebtedness, reducing the availability of cash flow to fund capital expenditures, marketing and other general corporate activities; limits our ability to borrow additional funds; and may limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industries in which we operate. A lowering or withdrawal of the ratings assigned to our debt securities by rating agencies may increase our future borrowing costs, reduce our access to capital or result in the loss of certain covenant suspensions. Our debt rating could be lowered or withdrawn entirely by a rating agency if, in that rating agency’s judgment, future circumstances relating to the basis of the rating, such as adverse changes, warrant. Any future lowering of our ratings likely would make it more difficult or more expensive for us to obtain additional debt financing. In addition, during a Covenant Suspension Period, certain customary negative and affirmative covenants contained in the 2020 Credit Agreement are suspended, including the covenants restricting affiliate transactions, incurrence of indebtedness, investments, asset sales and restricted payments. A lowering of one or both of our investment grade ratings would result in increased compliance costs and would impose certain operating restrictions, either of which could be materially adverse to our operations and financial results.