As previously disclosed, on November 29, 2020, IHS Markit Ltd. (the “Company”) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto, dated as of January 20, 2021, the “Merger Agreement”) by and among the Company, S&P Global Inc., a New York corporation (“S&P Global”) and Sapphire Subsidiary, Ltd., a Bermuda exempted company limited by shares and a wholly owned subsidiary of S&P Global (“Merger Sub”), pursuant to which, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein, Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company, with the Company surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of S&P Global (the “Merger”).
The Merger is conditioned on the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (the “HSR Act”). Pursuant to the HSR Act, on March 10, 2021, the Company and S&P Global each received a request for additional information and documentary material, often referred to as a “Second Request,” from the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (the “Antitrust Division”). Issuance of a Second Request is a common feature of the regulatory review process for transactions of this type and extends the waiting period under the HSR Act until 30 days after the Company and S&P Global have each substantially complied with the Second Request, unless the period for review is extended voluntarily by the parties or is earlier terminated by the Antitrust Division.
The Company and S&P Global continue to work constructively with the Antitrust Division staff in their review of the Merger and continue to expect to consummate the Merger in the second half of 2021, subject to the approval of the Company’s and S&P Global’s shareholders and the satisfaction or waiver of other specified closing conditions.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about future business and operating results, the industry and markets in which S&P Global Inc. (“S&P Global”) and IHS Markit Ltd. (“IHS Markit”) operate and beliefs of and assumptions made by S&P Global management and IHS Markit management, involve uncertainties that could significantly affect the financial or operating results of S&P Global, IHS Markit or the combined company. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “will, ” “should,” “may,” “projects,” “could,” “would,” “target,” “estimates” or variations of such words and other similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, which generally are not historical in nature, but not all forward-looking statements include such identifying words. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, projections of earnings, statements of plans for future operations or expected revenues, statements about the benefits of the transaction involving S&P Global and IHS Markit, including future financial and operating results and cost and revenue synergies, the combined company’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. All statements that address operating performance, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future — including statements relating to creating value for shareholders, benefits of the proposed transaction to shareholders, employees, customers and other constituents of the combined company, the outcome of contingencies, future actions by regulators, changes in business strategies and methods of generating revenue, the development and performance of each company’s services and products, integrating our companies, cost savings, the expected timetable for completing the proposed transaction, general conditions in the geographic areas where we operate and our respective effective tax rates, cost structure, dividend policy, cash flows or liquidity — are forward-looking statements.
These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. We can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained and therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. For example, these forward-looking statements could be affected by factors including, without limitation, risks associated with: (i) the satisfaction of the conditions precedent to consummation of the proposed transaction, including the ability to secure regulatory approvals on the terms expected, at all or in a timely manner; (ii) the ability of S&P Global and IHS Markit to obtain shareholder approval for the proposed transaction; (iii) uncertainty relating to the impact of the proposed transaction on the businesses of S&P Global and IHS Markit, including potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships resulting from the announcement or completion of the proposed transaction and changes to existing business relationships during the pendency of the acquisition that could affect S&P Global’s