Summary
S&P Global Inc. (SPGI) filed an 8-K on February 4, 2021, to report a procedural step in their proposed merger with IHS Markit. The company voluntarily withdrew its Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act filing to allow the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division additional time for review. This withdrawal and subsequent refiling is a standard practice to accommodate regulatory review. SPGI plans to resubmit the HSR filing around February 8, 2021, which will initiate a new 30-day waiting period. Despite this procedural delay, S&P Global and IHS Markit continue to cooperate with the Antitrust Division and maintain their expectation to close the merger in the second half of 2021, pending shareholder approvals and other customary closing conditions. Investors should note that while this is a normal regulatory process, it introduces a slight procedural pause in the antitrust review timeline.
Key Highlights
- 1S&P Global voluntarily withdrew its HSR Act filing for the IHS Markit merger.
- 2The withdrawal is to provide the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division with more time for review.
- 3A refiling is planned for approximately February 8, 2021, triggering a new 30-day HSR waiting period.
- 4This action is described as a standard procedure for facilitating antitrust review.
- 5The company continues to expect the merger to close in the second half of 2021.
- 6Shareholder approval and other closing conditions remain necessary for the transaction.
- 7The filing includes extensive forward-looking statements and risk factors related to the merger.