COSTAR GROUP, INC.CSGP
COSTAR GROUP, INC. Goodwill & Intangibles Disclosure
Long-Lived Assets, Intangible Assets and Goodwill
Long-lived assets, such as property and equipment, and purchased intangibles subject to amortization, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. The Company capitalizes interest on borrowings during the active construction period of major capital projects. Capitalized interest is added to the cost of the underlying asset and amortized over the estimated useful life of the asset. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset or asset group. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized in the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset.
During 2022, the Company ceased using leased properties in California and Maryland as part of efforts to centralize its workforce, which resulted in an impairment charge of $9 million for lease ROU assets and property and equipment related to abandoned leases. The impairment was recorded in the general and administrative expense line of the consolidated statements of operations. The leases related to the North America segment.
Acquired technology and data, customer base assets, trade names and other intangible assets are related to the Company’s acquisitions. Acquired technology and data is amortized on a straight-line basis over periods ranging from 2 years to 7 years. Acquired intangible assets characterized as customer base assets consist of acquired customer contracts and the related customer relationships and are amortized over periods ranging from 3 years to 13 years. Acquired customer bases are amortized on an accelerated or straight-line basis depending on the expected economic benefit of the intangible asset. Acquired trade names and other intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over periods ranging from 3 years to 15 years. The Company removes fully amortized intangible assets from the cost and accumulated amortization amounts disclosed.
Goodwill represents the future economic benefits arising from a business combination and is calculated as the excess of the purchase consideration paid in a business combination over the fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized, but instead is assigned to each of the Company's reporting units and tested for impairment at least annually, on October 1, or more frequently if an event or other circumstance indicates that the fair value of a reporting unit may be below its carrying amount. The Company may first assess qualitative factors to evaluate whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, or elect to bypass the qualitative assessment. If it is determined that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, or the Company elects to bypass the qualitative assessment, the Company then performs a quantitative assessment by determining the fair value of each reporting unit. The estimate of the fair value of each reporting unit is based on a projected discounted cash flow model that includes significant assumptions and estimates including the discount rate, growth rate and future financial performance. Assumptions about the discount rate are based on a weighted average cost of capital for comparable companies. Assumptions about the growth rate and future financial performance of a reporting unit are based on the Company's forecasts, business plans, economic projections and anticipated future cash flows. The fair value of each reporting unit is compared to the carrying amount of the reporting unit. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds the fair value, then an impairment loss is recognized for the difference.
See Notes 5, 9 and 10 for further discussion of acquisitions, goodwill and intangible assets, respectively.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Feb 22, 2024 | Showing above |
| 2022 | Feb 22, 2023 | |
| 2021 | Feb 23, 2022 | |
| 2020 | Feb 24, 2021 | |
| 2019 | Feb 26, 2020 | |
| 2018 | Feb 28, 2019 | |
| 2017 | Feb 23, 2018 | |
| 2016 | Feb 24, 2017 | |
| 2015 | Feb 26, 2016 | |
About Goodwill & Intangibles Disclosures
Goodwill and intangible asset disclosures reveal the premium paid in acquisitions and how management assesses whether that premium retains its value. Since goodwill is no longer amortized under US GAAP, the annual impairment test is the only mechanism that adjusts carrying values downward — making the assumptions behind that test critically important for investors.
Key signals: a history of goodwill impairments suggests management consistently overpays for acquisitions. Watch the gap between reporting unit fair value and carrying amount — when fair value exceeds carrying amount by less than 10-20%, a small decline in business performance could trigger a write-down. For finite-lived intangibles, examine useful life assumptions across customer relationships, technology, and trade names; aggressive estimates inflate near-term earnings. Compare total intangibles-to-total-assets ratios against peers to assess acquisition dependency. Rising goodwill as a percentage of equity can signal balance sheet fragility.