Financial Performance - Morningstar's revenue increased from $227.1 million in 2005 to $2,275.1 million in 2024[42] - The company's revenue grew by 11.6% in 2024, reaching $2,275.1 million[142] - Adjusted operating income increased by 51.2% to $493.8 million in 2024[142] - Free cash flow increased by 127.5% to $448.9 million in 2024[142] - In Q1 2025, revenue increased by 7.2% to $581.9 million[145] - Adjusted operating income in Q1 2025 increased by 22.2% to $135.4 million[145] Segment Performance - Morningstar Direct Platform's revenue increased by 5.5% in 2024[113] - PitchBook's revenue increased by 12.0% in 2024[116] - Morningstar Credit's revenue increased by 35.1% in 2024[121] - Morningstar Wealth's revenue increased by 8.0% in 2024[124] - Morningstar Retirement's revenue increased by 15.0% in 2024[128] - Corporate and All Other (including Morningstar Indexes and Sustainalytics) saw revenue increase by 29.3%[131] and decrease by -0.8%[131] respectively in 2024 Market Opportunity - The global spend on financial data/analysis is a $44.3 billion market with a 6.4% year-over-year growth[52, 53] - The managed account market size is $13.8 trillion with a 20.0% year-over-year growth[55] - The global indexes industry revenue is $6.4 billion with a 12.8% year-over-year growth[55]

Core Insights - The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices reported a 3.9% annual gain in U.S. home prices for February 2025, a slight decrease from 4.1% in January 2025 [1][2][3] - The 10-City Composite Index saw a 5.2% annual increase, down from 5.4%, while the 20-City Composite posted a 4.5% increase, down from 4.7% [2][3] - New York led the 20 cities with a 7.7% annual increase, followed by Chicago at 7.0% and Cleveland at 6.6%, while Tampa experienced the lowest return with a decline of 1.5% [2][4] Year-over-Year Trends - The U.S. National Home Price NSA Index recorded a 3.9% annual return for February, reflecting a cooling trend in home price growth [2][3] - The 10-City Composite Index increased by 5.2% year-over-year, and the 20-City Composite Index rose by 4.5% [2][3] Month-over-Month Trends - Month-over-month, the U.S. National Composite Index increased by 0.4%, the 10-City Composite by 0.8%, and the 20-City Composite by 0.7% [3][5] - Seventeen out of twenty metro areas reported positive monthly price gains, reversing recent seasonal weakness [5] Regional Performance - New York, Chicago, and Cleveland showed the highest annual gains, while Tampa continued to struggle with a year-over-year decline [4][5] - Markets in the Sun Belt that previously saw rapid appreciation are adjusting due to higher financing costs and affordability constraints [4][6] Affordability and Supply Issues - Mortgage rates remain in the mid-6% range, contributing to affordability challenges, yet limited housing supply is supporting a gradual upward trend in home prices [6] - Existing homeowners are reluctant to sell due to low pandemic-era mortgage rates, exacerbating supply shortages [6]

Core Viewpoint - The European Commission has proposed a comprehensive reform plan for its sustainable finance agenda, aiming to simplify EU requirements and enhance competitiveness, which includes reducing the number of companies subject to disclosure rules and simplifying technical requirements related to those disclosures [1][3]. Summary by Sections Background of the Comprehensive Proposal - The EU's sustainable finance strategy has introduced several initiatives to direct capital towards environmental goals, including the EU Taxonomy, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) [2]. Proposal Highlights - The comprehensive proposal includes three main suggestions: 1. Amendments to the CSRD and CSDDD to reduce the number of companies required to disclose under CSRD by approximately 80% and exempt many small companies from CSDDD compliance [4]. 2. Delaying the reporting timeline for companies originally set to report in 2026 and 2027 by two years and extending the transposition deadline for CSDDD to 2028 [5]. 3. Revising the EU Taxonomy reporting requirements to reduce reporting templates by 70% and introducing a materiality assessment mechanism, making disclosures voluntary for companies with qualifying activities below 10% [6]. Impact on Investors - Investors have a strong demand for data to integrate sustainability considerations into their investment strategies, with over 80% of asset owners already implementing such practices [8]. - Despite the simplification of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), the EU's sustainable finance framework will still generate detailed reports on corporate sustainability issues, aiding investors in understanding sustainability factors and managing risks [8]. - The proposal maintains consistency between CSRD and other elements of the sustainable finance framework, ensuring that investors can meet reporting requirements for key performance indicators [8]. Data Coverage and Concerns - Some investors express concerns that the proposal may reduce the comprehensiveness of sustainability data available to them, potentially leading to investments in companies that continue to report [10]. - The demand for sustainability data has outpaced what companies can provide, leading data providers to use proxy and estimated data, which may increase costs and risks for investors [11]. LSEG's Solutions - LSEG is adapting its sustainable finance data and analytics solutions to align with the proposed changes, ensuring the quality of its datasets meets evolving regulatory requirements [11]. - The company is committed to helping clients interpret and apply sustainability data effectively, integrating necessary updates into their workflows [11]. Global Regulatory Framework - The EU regulatory framework is designed to be interoperable with emerging global frameworks, particularly those set by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), providing guidance for industry-specific reporting [12]. Conclusion - The proposal will be reviewed by the European Parliament and the EU Council, and adjustments may occur during negotiations. LSEG is closely monitoring these developments to assist clients in navigating changes in the EU sustainability information disclosure landscape [14].

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Q2 2025, organic ASV grew by 4.1% year-over-year, with an adjusted operating margin of 37.3% and adjusted diluted EPS of $4.28 [9][10][43] - GAAP revenues increased by 4.5% year-over-year to $571 million, while organic revenues grew by 4% to $568 million [35][36] - Free cash flow was $150 million in Q2, up 23% over the same period last year [44] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Wealth management saw double-digit growth, with significant wins including a contract with UBS [15][16] - The banking segment faced challenges, but renewal activity increased, with over a dozen large banking renewals signed [18][20] - PEVC experienced accelerated double-digit growth, while asset management faced headwinds due to cost rationalization [21][22] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - In the Americas, organic ASV grew by 4%, while EMEA saw 3% growth and Asia-Pacific maintained 7% growth [12][13][14] - The wealth segment is gaining market share, particularly in the Americas, with expansion opportunities in Europe and Asia [16][17][118] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on driving top-line growth, with a strong sales pipeline and product-led innovation [25][26] - Recent acquisitions, including LiquidityBook, are expected to enhance service offerings and cross-sell opportunities [23][27][111] - The strategy includes expanding into new regions and adding services to existing clients, particularly in wealth management [119] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management acknowledges a challenging market environment but expresses confidence in the sales pipeline and product innovation [10][11] - There is optimism about growth acceleration in the second half of the fiscal year, with reaffirmed guidance for organic ASV growth [47][50] - The company is well-positioned to capitalize on Gen AI products and improve client engagement [31][50] Other Important Information - The company repurchased nearly 137,000 shares for approximately $64 million during the quarter [45] - The effective tax rate for Q2 was 15.9%, a decrease from the previous year [42] - The company is committed to returning capital to shareholders while maintaining investment-grade ratings [46][47] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you provide more details on the traction with Gen AI products? - Management reported strong momentum with PitchCreator and other Gen AI products, with positive client reception and active trials [56][62] Question: Is the environment improving or is the company performing better in a challenging market? - Management believes they have de-risked major challenges and are seeing strength across all markets, with a positive outlook for the second half [68][71] Question: How does banking factor into the guidance range? - Management indicated that they are not relying on banking for their numbers, with conservative estimates baked into the guidance [76][80] Question: Is the UBS Vault deal included in ASV this quarter? - Yes, the UBS deal was signed in the quarter, but the ASV impact will be realized in the following quarters [84][87] Question: What is the pricing outlook given the lower CPI? - Management expects international pricing to align with the lower CPI, impacting annual price increases [90][92] Question: How are technology costs impacting margins? - Management is actively managing technology and people costs, with expectations of a ramp-up in expenses for strategic investments in the second half [96][100]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In the second quarter, organic ASV grew by 4.1% year over year, with adjusted operating margin at 37.3% and adjusted diluted EPS at $4.28 [9][24] - GAAP revenues increased by 4.5% year over year to $571 million, while organic revenues grew by 4% to $568 million [25] - GAAP operating margin decreased by approximately 80 basis points to 32.5% compared to the previous year, while adjusted operating margin decreased by 100 basis points to 37.3% [25][26] - Free cash flow was $150 million in the second quarter, up 23% over the same period last year [29] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Wealth management saw double-digit growth, with significant market share gains, particularly with UBS selecting FactSet for their advisor desktops [12][13] - The banking segment faced challenges, but renewal activity increased notably, with over a dozen large banking renewals signed [14][15] - Private equity and venture capital (PEVC) experienced accelerated double-digit growth, while corporates also contributed to growth due to the Erwin acquisition [15][16] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - In the Americas, organic ASV grew by 4%, with mixed results in asset management and banking [11] - EMEA saw organic ASV growth of 3%, with momentum in hedge funds and PEVC firms offset by headwinds in asset management [11] - Asia Pacific maintained 7% organic ASV growth, driven by strong sales of data solutions among wealth, corporates, hedge funds, and PEVC firms [11] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to drive top-line growth, focusing on wealth management as a key growth engine and expanding its product offerings [18][19] - Recent acquisitions, including Erwin and Liquidity Book, are expected to enhance cross-selling opportunities and accelerate growth [19][32] - The company is prioritizing investments in technology and generative AI to support growth and improve operational efficiency [34] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in reaching an inflection point in ASV growth, despite a challenging market environment [9][10] - There is optimism regarding the strength of the sales pipeline and product-led innovation, with expectations for growth acceleration in the second half of the year [10][20] - Management acknowledged ongoing market uncertainties but highlighted positive client dialogues and a robust pipeline [10][20] Other Important Information - The company repurchased nearly 137,000 shares for approximately $64 million and paid a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share [31] - The gross leverage ratio was 1.7 times, consistent with maintaining investment-grade ratings [32] - The guidance for organic ASV growth was narrowed to a range of approximately 4.4% to 5.8% [33] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you provide more details on the traction with clients regarding Pitch Creator and other Gen AI products? - Management noted strong momentum with Pitch Creator and other products, with positive reception from banks and ongoing trials with large clients [36][37] Question: Is the environment improving, or is the company performing better in a challenging environment? - Management indicated that while the environment remains tough, they have de-risked major challenges and are seeing strength across all markets [44][46] Question: How does the company view the impact of banking on guidance? - Management stated that they are not relying on banking for their numbers, with conservative estimates baked into guidance [52][54] Question: Is the UBS Vault deal included in ASV this quarter? - Management confirmed that the UBS deal was signed in the quarter, but the ASV impact will be realized in future quarters as implementation occurs [57][62] Question: What is the outlook for pricing in the context of lower CPI? - Management explained that lower CPI impacts annual price increases, but they are capturing additional ASV through higher pricing and increased volume in new business [64][68]