UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 20, 2016
(Commission File Number) 001-32511
IHS INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 13-3769440 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(IRS Employer Identification Number) |
| 15 Inverness Way East Englewood, CO 80112 |
| (Address of principal executive offices) |
(303) 790-0600
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:
Former name or former address, if changed since last report: Not Applicable.
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| x | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ¨ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
| Item 8.01 | Other Events |
On March 21, 2016, IHS Inc., a Delaware corporation (“IHS”), Markit Ltd., a Bermuda company (“Markit”), and Marvel Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and an indirect and wholly-owned subsidiary of Markit (“Merger Sub”), announced that they entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of March 20, 2016 (the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into IHS, with IHS surviving such merger as an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Markit (the “Merger”), and IHS and Markit jointly issued a press release regarding the Merger. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 hereto and is incorporated by reference herein.
On March 21, 2016, IHS made available an investor presentation regarding the Merger. A copy of the investor presentation is furnished as Exhibit 99.2 hereto and is incorporated herein by reference.
The information furnished in Item 8.01 is not deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is not subject to the liabilities of that section, and is not deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
| Exhibit |
Description of Exhibit | |
| 99.1 | Press Release, dated March 21, 2016, jointly issued by IHS Inc. and Markit Ltd. | |
| 99.2 | Investor Presentation, dated March 21, 2016 | |
Important Information About the Transaction and Where to Find It
In connection with the proposed transaction, Markit will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) a registration statement on Form F-4 that will include a joint proxy statement of IHS and Markit. IHS and Markit may also file other documents with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction. This document is not a substitute for the joint proxy statement/prospectus or registration statement or any other document which IHS or Markit may file with the SEC. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF IHS AND MARKIT ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT, THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT ARE FILED OR WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the registration statement and the joint proxy statement/prospectus (when available) and other documents filed with the SEC by IHS and Markit through the web site maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov or by contacting the investor relations department of IHS or Markit at the following:
| IHS |
Markit | |
| 15 Inverness Way East |
4th Floor, Ropemaker Place, | |
| Englewood, CO 80112 |
25 Ropemaker St., London England EC2 9LY | |
| Attention: Investor Relations |
Attention: Investor Relations: | |
| +1 989-636-1463 |
+44 20 7260 2000 |
Participants in the Solicitation
IHS, Markit, and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed transaction. Information regarding IHS’s directors and executive officers, and their direct or indirect interests in the transaction, by security holdings or otherwise, is contained in IHS’s Form 10-K for the year ended November 30, 2015 and its proxy statement filed on February 24, 2016, which are filed with the SEC. Information regarding the directors and executive officers of Markit, and their direct or indirect interests in the transaction, by security holdings or otherwise, is contained in Markit’s 20-F for the year
ended December 31, 2015, and Markit’s proxy statement filed on Form 6-K on March 27, 2015, which are filed with the SEC. A more complete description will be available in the registration statement on Form F-4 and the joint proxy statement/prospectus.
No Offer or Solicitation
This communication is not intended to and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote of approval, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Forward-looking statements
This communication contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance and financial condition, and often contain words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “see,” “will,” “would,” “target,” similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain, such as statements about the consummation of the proposed transaction and the anticipated benefits thereof. These and other forward-looking statements, including the failure to consummate the proposed transaction or to make or take any filing or other action required to consummate such transaction on a timely matter or at all, are not guarantees of future results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Important risk factors that may cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, (i) the completion of the proposed transaction on anticipated terms and timing, including obtaining shareholder or stockholder (as applicable) and regulatory approvals, anticipated tax treatment, unforeseen liabilities, future capital expenditures, revenues, expenses, earnings, synergies, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition, losses, future prospects, business and management strategies for the management, expansion and growth of the combined company’s operations and other conditions to the completion of the merger, (ii) the ability of IHS and Markit to integrate the business successfully and to achieve anticipated synergies, risks and costs, (iii) potential litigation relating to the proposed transaction that could be instituted against IHS, Markit or their respective directors, (iv) the risk that disruptions from the proposed transaction will harm IHS’s and Markit’s business, including current plans and operations, (v) the ability of IHS or Markit to retain and hire key personnel, (vi) potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships resulting from the announcement or completion of the merger, (vii) continued availability of capital and financing and rating agency actions, (viii) legislative, regulatory and economic developments, (ix) potential business uncertainty, including changes to existing business relationships, during the pendency of the merger that could affect IHS’s and/or Markit’s financial performance, (x) certain restrictions during the pendency of the merger that may impact IHS’s or Markit’s ability to pursue certain business opportunities or strategic transactions and (xi) unpredictability and severity of catastrophic events, including, but not limited to, acts of terrorism or outbreak of war or hostilities, as well as management’s response to any of the aforementioned factors. These risks, as well as other risks associated with the proposed merger, will be more fully discussed in the joint proxy statement/prospectus that will be included in the registration statement on Form F-4 that will be filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed merger. While the list of factors presented here is, and the list of factors to be presented in the registration statement on Form F-4 are, considered representative, no such list should be considered to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. Unlisted factors may present significant additional obstacles to the realization of forward-looking statements. Consequences of material differences in results as compared with those anticipated in the forward-looking statements could include, among other things, business disruption, operational problems, financial loss, legal liability to third parties and similar risks, any of which could have a material adverse effect on IHS’s or Markit’s consolidated financial condition, results of operations, credit rating or liquidity. Neither IHS nor Markit assumes any obligation to publicly provide revisions or updates to any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by securities and other applicable laws.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirement of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| Date: March 21, 2016 | IHS INC. | |||||
| By: | /s/ Stephen Green | |||||
| Name: | Stephen Green | |||||
| Title: | Executive Vice President, Legal and Corporate Secretary | |||||
IHS INC.
Exhibit Index
| Exhibit |
Description of Exhibit | |
| 99.1 | Press Release, dated March 21, 2016, jointly issued by IHS Inc. and Markit Ltd. | |
| 99.2 | Investor Presentation, dated March 21, 2016 | |