DEBT

2016 Credit Agreement

The Company entered into a term loan and revolving credit facility on June 17, 2016 (the "2016 Credit Agreement"). As discussed below, the 2016 Credit Agreement was amended three times during 2017 in conjunction with the acquisition of CEB. The 2016 Credit Agreement, as amended, provided for a $1.5 billion Term loan A facility, a $500.0 million Term loan B facility and a $1.2 billion revolving credit facility. The 2016 Credit Agreement contains certain customary restrictive loan covenants, including, among others, financial covenants that apply a maximum leverage ratio and a minimum interest expense coverage ratio, and covenants limiting Gartner’s ability to incur indebtedness, grant liens, make acquisitions, merge, dispose of assets, pay dividends, repurchase stock, make investments and enter into certain transactions with affiliates. The Company was in full compliance with the covenants as of December 31, 2018.

In 2017 the Company borrowed a total of approximately $2.8 billion for the CEB acquisition. The Company borrowed $1.675 billion under the 2016 Credit Agreement, which consisted of $900.0 million under an increased Term loan A facility, $500.0 million under a new Term loan B facility and $275.0 million on an existing revolving credit facility. The $1.675 billion drawn under the 2016 Credit Agreement, along with the funds raised through the issuance of $800.0 million Senior Notes and a $300.0 million 364-day Bridge Credit Facility, were used to fund the CEB acquisition and related costs. The funds borrowed under the 364-day Bridge Credit Facility were completely repaid during 2017 and the borrowings under the Term loan B facility were completely repaid during 2018.

On January 20, 2017, the Company entered into a first amendment to the 2016 Credit Agreement, which was entered into to permit the acquisition of CEB and the incurrence of additional debt to finance, in part, the acquisition and repay certain debt of CEB, and to modify certain covenants. On March 20, 2017, the Company entered into a second amendment to the 2016 Credit Agreement. The second amendment was also entered into in connection with the acquisition of CEB and was executed primarily to extend the maturity date of the Term loan A facility and the revolving credit facility through March 20, 2022 and to revise the interest rate and amortization schedule. On April 5, 2017, in conjunction with the closing of the CEB acquisition, the Company entered into a third amendment to the 2016 Credit Agreement, which increased the aggregate principal amount of the existing Term loan A facility by $900.0 million and added the Term loan B facility in an aggregate principal amount of $500.0 million.

The Term loan A facility is being repaid in 16 consecutive quarterly installments that commenced on June 30, 2017, plus a final payment to be made on March 20, 2022. The additional amount drawn under the Term loan A facility during 2017 has the same maturity date and is subject to the same interest, repayment terms, amortization schedules, representations and warranties, affirmative and negative covenants and events of default as the amounts outstanding under such facility prior to entry by the Company into the third amendment. The revolving credit facility may be borrowed, repaid, and re-borrowed through March 20, 2022, at which time all amounts must be repaid. Amounts borrowed under the Term loan A facility and the revolving credit facility bear interest at a rate equal to, at the Company's option, either:

(i) the greatest of: (x) the Administrative Agent’s prime rate; (y) the rate calculated by the New York Federal Reserve Bank for federal funds transactions plus 1/2 of 1%; and (z) the eurodollar rate (adjusted for statutory reserves) plus 1%, in each case plus a margin equal to between 0.125% and 1.50%, depending on Gartner’s consolidated leverage ratio as of the end of the four consecutive fiscal quarters most recently ended; or

(ii) the eurodollar rate (adjusted for statutory reserves) plus a margin equal to between 1.125% and 2.50%, depending on Gartner’s leverage ratio as of the end of the four consecutive fiscal quarters most recently ended.

During 2018 the Company repaid the entire $496.3 million outstanding under the Term loan B facility. The Term loan B facility was scheduled to mature on April 5, 2024 and the amounts outstanding thereunder bore interest at a rate per annum equal to, at the option of Gartner, (i) adjusted LIBOR plus 2.00% or (ii) an alternate base rate plus 1.00%.

364-day Bridge Credit Facility

On April 5, 2017, the Company entered into a senior unsecured 364-day Bridge Credit Facility in an aggregate principal amount of $300.0 million, which was immediately drawn down to fund a portion of the purchase price associated with the CEB acquisition. The Company repaid the entire $300.0 million of the 364-day Bridge Credit Facility during 2017.

Senior Notes

On March 30, 2017, the Company issued $800.0 million aggregate principal amount of 5.125% Senior Notes due 2025 (the “Senior Notes”). The proceeds of the Senior Notes were used to fund a portion of the purchase price associated with the CEB acquisition.

The Senior Notes were issued at an issue price of 100.0% and bear interest at a fixed rate of 5.125% per annum. Interest on the Senior Notes is payable on April 1 and October 1 of each year. The Senior Notes mature on April 1, 2025. The Company may redeem some or all of the Senior Notes at any time on or after April 1, 2020 for cash at the redemption prices set forth in the Note Indenture, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the redemption date. Prior to April 1, 2020, the Company may redeem up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes with the proceeds of certain equity offerings at a redemption price of 105.125% plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the redemption date. In addition, the Company may redeem some or all of the Senior Notes prior to April 1, 2020 at a redemption price of 100% of the principal amount of the Senior Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the redemption date, plus a “make-whole” premium. If the Company experiences certain kinds of changes of control, it will be required to offer to purchase the Senior Notes at a price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest.

The Senior Notes are the Company’s general unsecured senior obligations, and are effectively subordinated to all of the Company’s existing and future secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such indebtedness, structurally subordinated to all existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities of the Company’s non-guarantor subsidiaries, equal in right of payment to all of the Company’s and Company’s guarantor subsidiaries’ existing and future senior indebtedness and senior in right of payment to all of the Company’s future subordinated indebtedness, if any.

Outstanding Borrowings

The following table summarizes the Company’s total outstanding borrowings (in thousands):



	December 31,
Description:	2018			2017
2016 Credit Agreement - Term loan A facility (1)	$	1,355,062		$	1,429,312
2016 Credit Agreement - Term loan B facility (2)	—			496,250
2016 Credit Agreement - Revolving credit facility (1), (3)	155,000			595,000
Senior notes (4)	800,000			800,000
Other (5)	2,030			2,500
Principal amount outstanding (6), (7)	2,312,092			3,323,062
Less: deferred financing fees (8)	(30,405		)	(44,217		)
Net balance sheet carrying amount	$	2,281,687		$	3,278,845


(1)	The contractual annualized interest rate as of December 31, 2018 on the Term loan A facility and the revolving credit facility was 4.02%, which consisted of a floating eurodollar base rate of 2.52% plus a margin of 1.50%. However, the Company has interest rate swap contracts that effectively convert the floating eurodollar base rates on amounts outstanding to a fixed base rate.


(2)	The Term loan B facility was completely repaid in 2018.


(3)	The Company had $1.0 billion of available borrowing capacity on the revolver (not including the expansion feature) as of December 31, 2018.


(4)	Consists of $800.0 million principal amount of Senior Notes outstanding. The Senior Notes pay a fixed rate of 5.125% and mature on April 1, 2025.


(5)	Consists of a State of Connecticut economic development loan with a 3.00% fixed rate of interest. The loan was originated in 2012 and has a 10 year maturity. The loan may be repaid at any time by the Company without penalty.


(6)	The weighted average annual effective rate on the Company's total debt outstanding for 2018, including the effects of its interest rate swaps discussed below, was 4.17%.


(7)	The contractual due dates of principal amounts by year on the debt outstanding as of December 31, 2018 were as follows: $102.6 million in 2019; $139.7 million in 2020; $37.6 million in 2021; $1.23 billion in 2022; and $800.0 million in 2025.

(8)

Deferred financing fees are being amortized to Interest expense over the term of the related debt obligation. The Company wrote off approximately $6.9 million of deferred financing fees in 2018 related to the repayment of the Term loan B facility. During 2017, the Company paid $51.2 million in additional deferred financing fees and recorded a charge of approximately $6.1 million for the write-off of deferred financing fees related to the prior financing arrangement.

Interest Rate Swaps

The Company has five active fixed-for-floating interest rate swap contracts with a total notional value of $1.4 billion that mature through 2022. The Company designates the swaps as accounting hedges of the forecasted interest payments on $1.4 billion of the Company’s variable-rate borrowings. The Company pays base fixed rates on these swaps ranging from 1.53% to 2.13% and in return receives a floating eurodollar base rate on 30-day notional borrowings. The Company has also entered into two additional forward-starting, fixed-for-floating interest rate swap contracts with a combined notional value of $700.0 million that will hedge a portion of the Company's variable-rate borrowings upon the maturity of three of the currently active swap contracts in late 2019.

The Company accounts for the interest rate swap contracts as cash flow hedges in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 815. Since the swaps hedge forecasted interest payments, changes in the fair value of the swaps are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a component of equity, as long as the swaps continue to be highly effective hedges of the designated interest rate risk. Any ineffective portion of a change in the fair value of the hedges is recorded in earnings. All of the Company's swaps were considered highly effective hedges of the forecasted interest payments as of both December 31, 2018 and 2017. The interest rate swaps had a net negative fair value (liability) of $10.7 million as of December 31, 2018 and a net positive fair value (asset) of $3.4 million as of December 31, 2017. Such amounts were deferred and recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax effect.