DEF 14A
SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )
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Filed by the
Registranto
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Filed by a Party other than the
Registranto
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Check the appropriate box:
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o Preliminary
Proxy Statement
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o Confidential,
for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by
Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
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þ Definitive
Proxy Statement
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o Definitive
Additional Materials
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o Soliciting
Material Pursuant to Rule 14a-11(c) or Rule 14a-12
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COSTAR GROUP
(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement if other than the
Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
þ No fee required.
o Fee computed on table
below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
(1) Title of each class of securities to which transaction
applies:
(2) Aggregate number of securities to which transaction
applies:
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(3) |
Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed
pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (Set forth the amount on
which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was
determined): |
(4) Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
(5) Total fee paid:
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
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Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by
Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for
which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the
previous filing by registration statement number, or the form or
schedule and the date of its filing. |
(1) Amount previously paid:
(2) Form, schedule or registration statement no.:
(3) Filing party:
(4) Date filed:
April 29, 2005
Dear Stockholder:
You are cordially invited to attend the 2005 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders of CoStar Group, Inc., to be held at
11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 17, 2005 at 2 Bethesda
Metro Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.
At the Annual Meeting, you will be asked to elect seven
directors and to ratify the appointment of Ernst &
Young LLP as the Companys independent auditors for 2005.
The accompanying Notice of 2005 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
and Proxy Statement describe these matters.
The Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote in
favor of each of these proposals.
Whether or not you plan to attend the meeting in person, please
return your executed proxy card in the enclosed postage prepaid
and addressed envelope and your shares will be voted in
accordance with the instructions you have given in your proxy
card.
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Sincerely, |
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Andrew C. Florance
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Chief Executive Officer and President |
COSTAR GROUP, INC.
April 29, 2005
NOTICE OF 2005 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2005
The 2005 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the Annual
Meeting) of CoStar Group, Inc. (we or the
Company) will be held at 2 Bethesda Metro
Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, at 11:00 a.m. on Friday,
June 17, 2005, for the following purposes:
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1. |
To elect seven directors to hold office until the next Annual
Meeting of Stockholders, or until their respective successors
are elected and qualified; |
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2. |
To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the
Companys independent auditors for 2005; and |
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3. |
To transact any other business properly presented before the
Annual Meeting. |
The Board of Directors has fixed Wednesday, April 20, 2005
as the record date for determining stockholders entitled to
receive notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting (or any
adjournment or postponement of it). Only stockholders of record
at the close of business on that date are entitled to notice of
and to vote at the Annual Meeting.
WE INVITE YOU TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING IN PERSON, BUT
WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO ATTEND, PLEASE MARK, SIGN, DATE AND
RETURN THE ENCLOSED PROXY CARD IN THE POSTAGE-PREPAID ENVELOPE
PROVIDED AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE.
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By Order of the Board of Directors |
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Carla J. Garrett
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Secretary |
COSTAR GROUP, INC.
PROXY STATEMENT
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2005
The Board of Directors of CoStar Group, Inc. (we or
the Company) solicits your proxy for use at the
Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the Annual Meeting)
to be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 17, 2005, at
2 Bethesda Metro Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, and at any
adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting.
Our headquarters are located at 2 Bethesda Metro Center,
Tenth Floor, Bethesda, Maryland 20814. We are mailing this Proxy
Statement and the accompanying proxy card to our stockholders
eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting on or about
April 29, 2005.
OUTSTANDING SECURITIES, VOTING RIGHTS AND QUORUM
At the close of business on the record date, Wednesday
April 20, 2005, there were 18,355,540 shares of common
stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.
Each outstanding share of common stock is entitled to one vote
on each proposal.
The presence at the Annual Meeting, in person or by proxy, of a
majority of the outstanding shares as of the record date
constitutes a quorum (the minimum number of shares required to
take action) for the meeting. Both abstentions and broker
non-votes will be counted as shares present for purposes of
obtaining a quorum, but will be disregarded in calculating the
total number of votes on each of the proposals.
The required vote and the calculation method for each of the
matters scheduled for consideration at the Annual Meeting are as
follows:
Item 1 Election of Directors. Each
outstanding share of common stock is entitled to cast one vote
for up to seven nominees. The seven nominees who receive the
most votes will be elected as directors.
Item 2 Ratification of the Appointment of
Independent Auditors. For stockholders to approve this
proposal, the number of votes cast in favor must exceed the
number of votes cast against.
PROXY VOTING AND REVOCATION
You may vote by signing your proxy card, or if your shares are
held in street name, by signing the voting instruction card
included by your broker or nominee, and mailing it in the
enclosed, postage prepaid and addressed envelope. If you
properly complete and execute your proxy card and return it
before the Annual Meeting:
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Your shares will be voted in accordance with your instructions. |
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For any items for which you do not provide instructions, your
shares will be voted FOR the item, as recommended by
the Board of Directors. |
You may revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted by:
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delivering to the Corporate Secretary written notice that you
are revoking your proxy; |
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submitting a properly-executed proxy bearing a later date; or |
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attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person. (If you are
not the owner of record, but rather hold your shares through a
broker or bank, you should take appropriate steps to obtain a
legal proxy from the owner of record if you wish to attend and
vote at the Annual Meeting.) |
Simply attending the Annual Meeting will not revoke your proxy.
If you instructed a broker to vote your shares, you must follow
your brokers directions for changing those instructions.
ATTENDING THE MEETING
Only stockholders as of the record date, their proxy holders,
and our invited guests may attend the meeting. If you intend to
attend the Annual Meeting, please mark your proxy card
accordingly. Beneficial owners whose ownership is registered
under another partys name and who plan to attend the
meeting in person should obtain an admission ticket in advance
by sending written requests, along with proof of beneficial
ownership, such as a bank or brokerage firm account statement,
to: Mark A. Klionsky, Senior Vice President of Marketing and
Corporate Communications, CoStar Group, Inc., 2 Bethesda Metro
Center, Tenth Floor, Bethesda, Maryland 20814. Beneficial owners
who do not present valid admission tickets at the registration
counter at the Annual Meeting will be admitted in CoStars
sole discretion and may be required to verify share ownership,
which may be established by providing a bank or brokerage firm
account statement and photo identification, at the registration
counter at the meeting. Stockholders as of the record date or
their proxy holders who plan to attend the Annual Meeting may
also be asked to present photo identification at the
registration counter at the Annual Meeting to gain admittance to
the meeting.
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ITEM 1
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The Board has fixed the number of directors constituting the
Board at seven. The Board has nominated each of the current
directors for re-election. The persons named as proxy holders on
the proxy card will vote your shares FOR each of the seven
nominees unless you instruct otherwise on your proxy card.
All of our directors will serve until the next Annual Meeting of
Stockholders or until their successors are elected and
qualified. If any of the nominees should become unable to serve
prior to the Annual Meeting, proxies that do not withhold
authority to vote for directors may be voted for any other
nominee or nominees selected by the Board unless the Board votes
to reduce the size of the Board to match the actual number of
nominees. In no event may proxies be voted for a greater number
of persons than the number of nominees named. Information about
each of the nominees appears below.
Nominees for the Board of Directors
The following table lists our current directors:
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Years as a | |
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Name |
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Employment |
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Director | |
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Committee Membership |
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Michael R. Klein
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Chairman, CoStar Group, Inc.; Partner, Wilmer Cutler Pickering
Hale & Dorr LLP |
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18 |
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Compensation; Nominating & Corporate Governance |
Andrew C. Florance*
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CEO & President, CoStar Group, Inc. |
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18 |
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None |
David Bonderman
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Principal, Texas Pacific Group |
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10 |
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Compensation |
Warren H. Haber
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Chairman of the Board & CEO, Founders Equity, Inc. |
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10 |
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Audit; Compensation |
Josiah O. Low, III
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Venture Partner, Catterton Partners IV L.P. |
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6 |
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Audit; Nominating & Corporate Governance |
Christopher J. Nassetta
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CEO & President, Host Marriott Corporation |
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3 |
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Compensation; Nominating & Corporate Governance |
Catherine B. Reynolds
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Chairman, CEO & President, EduCap, Inc.; Chairman & CEO,
The Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation |
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1 |
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Audit |
Information about each of our nominees for the Board of
Directors appears below.
Michael R. Klein has been the Chairman of our Board of
Directors since he and Mr. Florance founded the Company in
1987. He has been a partner of the law firm Wilmer Cutler
Pickering Hale & Dorr, LLP since 1974. Mr. Klein serves
as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Perini Corporation
and as a director of SRA International, Inc. Mr. Klein is
63 years old.
Andrew C. Florance is one of our founders and has served
as our President and as a director since 1987 and as our Chief
Executive Officer since 1995. Prior to founding the Company,
Mr. Florance held primary responsibility for developing the
first generation of software products for Federal Filings, an
SEC Form 13-D tracking service, which was later acquired by
Dow Jones. Mr. Florance was a co-founder of a commercial
real estate information trade association (REI-NEX) and served
on its board of directors from 1993 to 1996. Mr. Florance
also serves on the Board of Trustees of The St. Andrews School.
He received a B.A. in economics from Princeton University.
Mr. Florance is 41 years old.
David Bonderman is a founding partner of Texas Pacific
Group, a private equity firm that includes TPG Partners, L.P.,
TPG Partners II, L.P., TPG Partners III, L.P, and TPG Partners
IV, L.P. He is an officer,
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director and shareholder of the investment managers and general
partners of such funds. Mr. Bonderman currently serves on
the board of directors of the following public companies: Ducati
Motor Holding S.p.A.; Ryanair Holdings, plc, of which he is
Chairman; and Gemplus International S.A. Mr. Bonderman is
62 years old.
Warren H. Haber has been, for more than thirty years,
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Founders
Equity, Inc. and its affiliates, private investment concerns.
Mr. Haber is also Managing General Partner of FEF
Management Services, LLC, which manages Founders Equity SBIC I,
L.P. Mr. Haber currently serves on the board of directors
of Warnex Ltd. Mr. Haber is 64 years old.
Josiah O. Low, III has been a Venture Partner of
Catterton Partners IV L.P. since August 2001. Prior to that,
Mr. Low worked for 16 years at the investment banking
firm of Credit Suisse First Boston (formerly Donaldson, Lufkin
& Jenrette), where he most recently served as Managing
Director/ Senior Advisor. Prior to joining Credit Suisse First
Boston in 1985, Mr. Low worked at Merrill Lynch, Pierce,
Fenner & Smith and was a founding Managing Director of the
Merrill Lynch Capital Market Group in 1977. Mr. Low is
65 years old.
Christopher J. Nassetta has been the President and Chief
Executive Officer of Host Marriott Corporation since May 2000.
Mr. Nassetta joined Host Marriott in 1995 as Executive Vice
President and was elected the Chief Operating Officer in 1997.
Prior to joining Host Marriott, Mr. Nassetta served as
President of Bailey Realty Corporation from 1991 until 1995, and
he had previously served as Chief Development Officer and in
various other positions with The Oliver Carr Company from 1984
through 1991. Mr. Nassetta serves on the boards of
directors of Host Marriott, the Real Estate Round Table and
National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT).
He also serves on the board of trustees and the compensation
committee of Prime Group Realty Trust and as a member of the
McIntire School of Commerce Advisory Board for the University of
Virginia. Mr. Nassetta is 42 years old.
Catherine B. Reynolds has been the Chairman, Chief
Executive Officer and President of EduCap, Inc. a not-for-profit
corporation that provides education financing, since 1989. In
addition, she has been the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of The Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation since 2000. Prior to
that, from 1993 to 2000, she was the Chairman and the founder of
Servus Financial Corporation. Ms. Reynolds currently serves
on the board of directors of Zenith Insurance Company, and is a
trustee for both Vanderbilt University and the Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts. Ms. Reynolds is 47 years old.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR EACH OF THESE
NOMINEES.
ITEM 2
RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
The Audit Committee has recommended, and the Board has approved,
the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as independent auditors
for the Company for 2005. The Board would like stockholders to
ratify this appointment, even though ratification is not legally
necessary. If stockholders do not ratify this appointment, the
Board may reconsider such appointment.
Ernst & Young LLP has served as the independent
auditors for the Company, its subsidiaries, and its predecessors
since 1994. A representative from Ernst & Young LLP is
expected to attend the Annual Meeting and will have the
opportunity to make a statement and to respond to appropriate
questions.
4
During the years ended December 31, 2003 and 2004,
Ernst & Young LLP billed CoStar the fees set forth
below, including expenses, in connection with services rendered
by that firm to CoStar:
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Year Ended December 31, 2003 | |
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Year Ended December 31, 2004 | |
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Audit Fees
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368,000 |
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$ |
666,000 |
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Audit Related Fees
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0 |
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$ |
2,500 |
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Tax Fees
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$ |
108,090 |
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$ |
26,000 |
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All Other Fees
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$ |
2,500 |
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$ |
2,500 |
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Total
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$ |
478,590 |
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$ |
697,000 |
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Ernst & Young LLP did not provide any financial
information systems design and implementation services to the
Company for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2003 and
2004.
Audit Fees include fees for services performed for the audit of
CoStars annual financial statements and review of
financial statements included in CoStars periodic filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
SEC) and statutory audits required internationally.
The reported audit fees for 2004 also include $390,000 for
Ernst & Young LLPs audit of CoStars
internal control over financial reporting. This category also
includes fees for consents and assistance with and review of
documents filed with the SEC. The reported audit fees for 2003
include approximately $128,000 for professional services
performed by Ernst & Young LLP in connection with the
Companys follow-on public offering, which closed in
November 2003.
Audit-Related Fees include fees associated with assurance and
related services that are reasonably related to the performance
of the audit or review of CoStars financial statements.
This category includes fees related to assistance in financial
due diligence related to mergers and acquisitions. The reported
audit related fees for 2004 represent professional services
performed by Ernst & Young LLP in connection with the
Companys acquisition of Peer Market Research, Inc.
Tax Fees primarily include fees associated with tax return
preparation, tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning. This
category also includes fees associated with the tax planning on
mergers and acquisitions and restructurings.
All Other Fees include fees for products and services provided
by the independent auditor other than the services reported in
the categories listed above. The reported all other fees paid to
Ernst & Young LLP in 2003 and 2004 represent fees paid for a
subscription to Ernst & Youngs online auditing
and accounting news service.
Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policy
The Audit Committees policy is that all audit and
non-audit services provided by CoStars independent
auditor, Ernst & Young LLP, shall either be approved
before the independent auditor is engaged for the particular
services or shall be rendered pursuant to pre-approval
procedures established by the Audit Committee. These services
may include audit services and permissible audit-related
services, tax services and other services. Pre-approval spending
limits for audit services are established on an annual basis,
detailed as to a particular service or category of services to
be performed and implemented by CoStars financial
officers. Pre-approval spending limits for permissible non-audit
services are established on a periodic basis, detailed as to a
particular service or category of services to be performed and
implemented by CoStars financial officers. Any audit or
non-audit service fees that may be incurred by CoStar during a
period that fall outside the limits pre-approved by the Audit
Committee for a particular service or category of services must
be reviewed and approved by the Chairperson of the Audit
Committee prior to the performance of services. CoStars
Chief Financial Officer reports to the Audit Committee on a
quarterly basis on all services rendered by the independent
auditor for which pre-approval has been granted and all fees
paid to the independent auditor for such services during the
current fiscal year and the previous quarter. The Audit
Committee may revise its pre-approval spending limits and
policies at any time.
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All fees paid to the independent auditors in 2004 were
pre-approved by the Audit Committee, and therefore no services
were approved after the services were rendered pursuant to the
de minimus exception established by the
SEC for the provision of non-audit services.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR RATIFYING
THE APPOINTMENT OF ERNST & YOUNG LLP AS INDEPENDENT
AUDITORS.
OTHER MATTERS
We do not know of any other matter that will be presented for
consideration at the Annual Meeting. If any other matter does
properly come before the Annual Meeting, the proxy holders will,
unless otherwise specified in the proxy, vote on it as they
think best.
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS AND NOMINATIONS
FOR DIRECTORS FOR THE 2006 ANNUAL MEETING
A stockholder who intends to introduce a proposal for
consideration at our 2006 Annual Meeting of Stockholders may
seek to have that proposal and a statement in support of the
proposal included in our proxy statement if the proposal relates
to a subject that is permitted under Rule 14a-8 under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Additionally, in order to be
eligible for inclusion in our proxy statement, the stockholder
must submit the proposal and supporting statement to our
Corporate Secretary in writing not later than January 1,
2006 and must satisfy the other requirements of Rule 14a-8.
Stockholders interested in submitting such a proposal are
advised to contact knowledgeable counsel with regard to the
detailed requirements of applicable securities laws. The
submission of a stockholder proposal does not guarantee that it
will be included in our proxy statement.
A stockholder may otherwise propose business for consideration
or nominate persons for election to the Board, in compliance
with federal proxy rules, applicable state law and other legal
requirements and without seeking to have the proposal included
in our proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8. Our bylaws
provide that any such proposals or nominations must be submitted
to us no less than 60 nor more than 90 days before the
first anniversary date of the preceding years annual
meeting. Accordingly, stockholders who wish to nominate persons
for election as directors or bring other proposals outside of
Rule 14a-8 at the 2006 Annual Meeting must give notice of
their intention to do so in writing to our Corporate Secretary
on or before April 18, 2006, but no sooner than
March 19, 2006, to be considered timely within
the meaning of Rule 14a-4. The stockholders
submission must include certain specified information concerning
the proposal or nominee, as the case may be, and information as
to the stockholders ownership of common stock. Proposals
or nominations not meeting these requirements will not be
entertained at the 2006 Annual Meeting.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Board of Directors Meetings and Committees
In accordance with applicable Delaware law and the
Companys Bylaws, the business and affairs of the Company
are managed under the direction of its Board of Directors. The
Board, which is elected by the Companys stockholders, is
the ultimate decision-making body of the Company except with
respect to those matters reserved to the stockholders. The Board
selects, advises and monitors the performance of the
Companys senior management team, which is charged with the
conduct of the Companys business. The Board has
established certain standing committees to assist it in
fulfilling its responsibilities as described below.
During 2004, the Board of Directors held five meetings and acted
on two occasions by unanimous consent. The Board has Audit,
Compensation and Nominating & Corporate Governance
committees. All directors attended at least 75% of the meetings
of the Board and the committees of which they were members,
except that David Bonderman participated in 64% of the meetings
of the Board and the committees of which he was a member.
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Board Committees
The following table sets forth the current composition of each
of our Board committees.
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Audit Committee |
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Compensation Committee |
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Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee |
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Warren H. Haber (Chairman)
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Christopher J. Nassetta (Chairman) |
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Josiah O. Low, III (Chairman) |
Josiah O. Low, III
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Warren H. Haber |
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Christopher J. Nassetta |
Catherine B. Reynolds
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David Bonderman |
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Michael R. Klein |
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Michael R. Klein |
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Audit Committee. The Audit Committee is composed of
Warren H. Haber (Chairman), Josiah O. Low, III and
Catherine B. Reynolds. Ms. Reynolds became a member of
the Committee in September 2004, replacing Mr. Bonderman.
CoStars Board has determined that each of the members of
our Audit Committee is independent as defined under
Rule 4200(a)(15) of the National Association of Securities
Dealers (NASD) Listing Standards for
NASDAQ-listed companies and the regulations promulgated by the
SEC. In addition, the Board has determined that Committee
members Haber, Low and Reynolds are each audit committee
financial experts, as defined by regulations promulgated
by the SEC. The Audit Committees responsibility is to
assist the Board of Directors in fulfilling its oversight
responsibilities as to accounting policies, internal controls,
audit activities and reporting practices of the Company. During
2004, the Audit Committee met six times. The Audit Committee
operates under a written charter adopted by the Board of
Directors and reviewed annually by the Audit Committee. The
Audit Committee Charter is attached to this Proxy Statement as
Appendix A.
Compensation Committee. The members of the Compensation
Committee are Christopher J. Nassetta (Chairman), David
Bonderman, Warren H. Haber and Michael R. Klein.
Mr. Nassetta replaced Mr. Haber as Chairman of the
Committee in April 2005. CoStars Board has determined that
each of the members of our Compensation Committee is independent
as defined under Rule 4200(a)(15) of the NASDs
Listing Standards for NASDAQ-listed companies. The purpose of
the Compensation Committee is to discharge the responsibilities
of the Board relating to compensation of the Companys
executive officers and directors, as well as to produce the
Compensation Committee report on executive compensation for
inclusion in the Companys proxy statement. In addition,
the Board of Directors has designated the Compensation Committee
as the Administrator of the Companys 1998 Stock Incentive
Plan. The Committee met two times in 2004 and acted on one
occasion by unanimous written consent. The Compensation
Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board
of Directors and reviewed annually by the Compensation Committee.
Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee. The
members of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee
are Josiah O. Low, III (Chairman), Christopher J.
Nassetta and Michael R. Klein. CoStars Board has
determined that each of the members of our Nominating &
Corporate Governance Committee is independent as defined under
Rule 4200(a)(15) of the NASDs Listing Standards for
NASDAQ-listed companies. The purpose of the
Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee is to
identify individuals qualified to become Board members,
recommend to the Board director candidates to be nominated at
the annual meeting of stockholders and perform a leadership role
in shaping the Companys corporate governance. The
Committee met two times in 2004. The Nominating & Corporate
Governance Committee operates under a written charter adopted by
the Board of Directors and reviewed annually by the
Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee.
All of the charters for the Companys Board Committees are
available on the Companys website, www.costar.com. You
will find the charters by clicking on Corporate
Info, then Investors, then Corporate
Governance.
Corporate Governance Matters
Identifying and Evaluating Nominees
The Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee identifies
nominees for director on its own as well as by considering
recommendations from other members of the Board of Directors,
officers and employees of
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CoStar, and other sources that the committee deems appropriate.
The Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee will also
consider Board nominees suggested by stockholders subject to
such recommendations being made in accordance with CoStars
Bylaws and applicable laws. Specifically, any stockholder
recommendation for a nominee for director to be voted upon at
the 2006 Annual Meeting of Stockholders should be submitted in
writing to our Corporate Secretary no less than 60 nor more than
90 days before the first anniversary date of the preceding
years annual meeting. Accordingly, stockholders who wish
to nominate persons for election as directors at the 2006 Annual
Meeting must give notice of their intention to do so in writing
to our Corporate Secretary on or before April 18, 2006, but no
sooner than March 19, 2006. The stockholders
submission must include as to each person whom the stockholder
proposes to nominate for election, all information relating to
such person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of
proxies for election of directors, or is otherwise required, in
each case pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange
Act, and as to the stockholder giving the notice and the
beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is
made, (1) the name and address of such stockholder, as they
appear on the Companys books, and of such beneficial
owner, and (2) the class and number of shares of stock of
the Company which are beneficially owned and of record by such
stockholder and such beneficial owner. These requirements are
separate from and in addition to the requirements that
stockholders must meet to include proposals in the proxy
materials for the 2006 Annual Meeting, discussed earlier in this
Proxy Statement.
When evaluating nominees for director, the Nominating &
Corporate Governance Committee considers, among other things, an
individuals business experience and skills, independence,
judgment, integrity and ability to commit sufficient time and
attention to the activities of the Board, as well as the absence
of any potential conflicts with the Companys interests.
When considering a director standing for re-election as a
nominee, in addition to the attributes described above, the
Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee also
considers that individuals past contribution and future
commitment to CoStar. The Nominating & Corporate
Governance Committee evaluates the totality of the merits of
each prospective nominee that it considers and does not restrict
itself by establishing minimum qualifications or attributes.
There is no difference in the manner by which the
Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee evaluates
prospective nominees for director based on the source from which
the individual was first identified.
Stockholder Communications with the Board of
Directors
Stockholders may communicate with our Board of Directors by
sending written correspondence to CoStar Group, Inc., Attention:
Corporate Secretary, 2 Bethesda Metro Center, Bethesda
MD 20814. Such communications will be opened by the
Corporate Secretary. A copy of the contents will be made and
retained by the Corporate Secretary and the contents will be
promptly forwarded to the Chairman of the Nominating &
Corporate Governance Committee. The Corporate Secretary together
with the Chairman of the Nominating & Corporate
Governance Committee and his duly authorized agents are
responsible for collecting and organizing stockholder
communications. Absent a conflict of interest, the Chairman of
the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee is
responsible for evaluating the materiality of each stockholder
communication and determining which stockholder communications
are to be presented to the full Board of Directors or other
appropriate body.
Current Independent Directors and Executive Sessions
CoStars Board of Directors has determined that
Messrs. Klein, Bonderman, Haber, Low and Nassetta and
Ms. Reynolds are each independent as defined under
Rule 4200(a)(15) of the NASDs Listing Standards for
NASDAQ-listed companies. The independent directors of the Board
of Directors meet in regularly-scheduled executive sessions.
Policy Regarding Attendance at Annual Meetings
CoStar encourages, but does not require, directors to attend the
annual meetings of stockholders. In 2004, Mr. Florance
attended the annual meeting of stockholders.
8
Codes of Conduct
CoStar has adopted a Code of Conduct for its directors. In
addition, CoStar has also adopted a separate Code of Conduct for
its officers and employees, including its principal executive
officer and principal financial officer. Copies of each of these
codes may be found on the Companys website,
www.costar.com. You will find the codes by clicking on
Corporate Info, then Investors and then
Corporate Governance.
Report of the Audit Committee
The Audit Committee reviews the Companys financial
reporting process on behalf of the Board of Directors.
Management has the primary responsibility for the financial
statements and the reporting process. The Companys
independent auditors are responsible for expressing an opinion
on the conformity of the Companys audited consolidated
financial statements to generally accepted accounting principles.
In this context, the Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed
with management and the independent auditors the audited
consolidated financial statements for 2004. The Audit Committee
has discussed with the independent auditors the matters required
to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61
(Communication with Audit Committees). In addition, the Audit
Committee has received from the independent auditors the written
disclosures and the letter required by Independence Standards
Board Standard No. 1 (Independence Discussions with Audit
Committees) and discussed with them their independence from the
Company and its management. The Audit Committee has also
considered whether the independent auditors provision of
non-audit services to the Company is compatible with the
auditors independence.
In reliance on the reviews and discussions referred to above,
the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that
the audited consolidated financial statements be included in the
Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2004, for filing with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
|
|
|
By the Audit Committee |
|
of the Board of Directors |
|
April 18, 2005 |
|
|
Warren H. Haber, Chairman |
|
Josiah O. Low, III |
|
Catherine B. Reynolds |
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider
Participation
Messrs. Haber, Bonderman, Nassetta and Klein, the current
members of the Compensation Committee, are each non-employee
directors. Mr. Klein serves as the Chairman of the Board of
the Company. During fiscal year 2004, none of the members of the
Compensation Committee were officers or employees of the Company
or any of its subsidiaries. During fiscal year 2004, none of the
Companys executive officers served as a director or
compensation committee member of any entity with an executive
officer or director who served as a director or compensation
committee member of the Company.
Director Compensation
Board Fees. Each director, other than the Chairman of the
Board and any employee director, receives $15,000 annually as
compensation for serving on the Companys Board of
Directors.
Attendance Fees. Each director, other than the Chairman
of the Board and any employee director, receives $2,000 for each
meeting of the Board of Directors attended in person or by
telephone.
Chairman. The Chairman of the Board of Directors receives
$120,000 annually as compensation for additional services that
he is required to perform in his role as chairman of the Company.
9
Option Grants. Pursuant to the Companys 1998 Stock
Incentive Plan, annually on the date of the first Board meeting
following the annual meeting of stockholders, (a) each
non-employee Board member automatically receives an option to
purchase 5,000 shares of the common stock of the Company and
(b) each Chairperson of each Board committee of the Company
automatically receives an option to purchase 1,000 shares of the
common stock of the Company. These options have an exercise
price equal to the fair market value of the Companys
common stock on the date of grant and vest over four years, as
long as the director is still serving on our Board of Directors
on such vesting date.
During 2004, each non-employee director received a grant of
options to purchase 5,000 shares of common stock of the Company
at an exercise price of $44.86 per share, the fair market value
of the Companys stock on the date of grant. One-fourth of
these options will vest on each anniversary of the date of
grant, as long as such director is still serving on our Board of
Directors on such vesting date.
During 2004, Warren H. Haber, as the then current Chairman of
each of the Audit and Compensation Committees, received a grant
of options to purchase 2,000 shares of common stock of the
Company at an exercise price of $44.86 per share, the fair
market value of the Companys stock on the date of grant.
One-fourth of these options will vest on each anniversary of the
date of grant, as long as Mr. Haber is still serving on our
Board of Directors on such vesting date.
During 2004, Josiah O. Low, III, as the Chairman of the
Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee, received a
grant of options to purchase 1,000 shares of common stock of the
Company at an exercise price of $44.86 per share, the fair
market value of the Companys stock on the date of grant.
One-fourth of these options will vest on each anniversary of the
date of grant, as long as Mr. Low is still serving on our
Board of Directors on such vesting date.
Expenses. Each director is entitled to reimbursement of
his expenses for serving as a member of our Board, including
expenses in connection with attending each meeting of the Board
of Directors and each meeting of any committee.
Executive Officers and Key Employees
The following table lists our executive officers and key
employees:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
|
Age | |
|
Years of Service | |
|
Position |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Andrew C. Florance*
|
|
|
41 |
|
|
|
18 |
|
|
Chief Executive Officer, President and Director
|
Frank A. Carchedi*
|
|
|
47 |
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
|
David M. Schaffel*
|
|
|
44 |
|
|
|
16 |
|
|
Chief Information Officer
|
Craig S. Farrington*
|
|
|
47 |
|
|
|
22 |
** |
|
Vice President, Research
|
Christopher R. Tully*
|
|
|
48 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
Sr. Vice President of Sales and Customer Service
|
Jonathan Bray
|
|
|
48 |
|
|
|
9 |
** |
|
Managing Director, Focus Information Limited
|
Carla J. Garrett
|
|
|
37 |
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
General Counsel and Secretary
|
Mark A. Klionsky
|
|
|
45 |
|
|
|
5 |
|
|
Sr. VP, Marketing & Corporate Communications
|
Dean Violagis
|
|
|
38 |
|
|
|
16 |
|
|
Vice President, Research
|
|
|
** |
Includes years of service with acquired companies. |
Information about Mr. Florance appears above under
Item 1 Election of Directors.
Information about each of the other individuals appears below.
Frank A. Carchedi, our Chief Financial Officer and
Treasurer, joined us in May 1997 from ITC Learning Corporation,
a publicly-held publisher and distributor of multi-media
training products, where he had been
10
Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer since
1995. Prior to that, Mr. Carchedi was with Ernst &
Young, LLP for ten years, most recently as a consultant in their
New York Merger and Acquisitions Group and its
Entrepreneurial Services Group in Washington, D.C. He received a
B.S. in accounting from Wake Forest University.
David M. Schaffel, our Chief Information Officer, has
been with us since 1989. Mr. Schaffel is responsible for
the design, development, and maintenance of our software
services, products and any new services, as well as internal
corporate software systems and IT infrastructure. From 1987
until joining us, Mr. Schaffel was president of Biscayne
Technical Services, Inc., where he developed a logistics
tracking application for the United States Air Force.
Mr. Schaffel received a M.S. in operations
research/statistics from the University of Miami and a B.S. in
business from the University of Florida.
Craig S. Farrington, our Vice President of Research,
joined the Company as a result of the merger of COMPS.COM and
CoStar Group, Inc. in February 2000. Mr. Farrington is
responsible for all of our West Coast research operations and
has product management responsibility for CoStar COMPS®.
Mr. Farrington joined COMPS.COM in 1983 where he served in
various senior management roles throughout the company,
including Vice President of Marketing and Product Development.
Mr. Farrington received a B.A. in business and economics
from Westmont College.
Christopher R. Tully, our Senior Vice President of Sales
and Customer Service, joined us in December 2004. From July 2002
until December 2004, Mr. Tully was Group Vice President of
Sales for GTSI, Corp., a provider of information technology
solutions to Federal, state and local governments worldwide.
Before joining GTSI, from May 2001 to June 2002, Mr. Tully
was Director of Sales for the Preferred Accounts Division at
Dell Computer Corporation. Prior to that, from June 1998 to
April 2001, Mr. Tully served as Director of Sales in
Dells Business Systems Division. Prior to his employment
with Dell, Mr. Tully served as Vice President
Worldwide Digital Office Marketing at Xerox Corp., where he
worked for sixteen years in sales and marketing. Mr. Tully
received a B.A. in English from Georgetown University.
Jonathan Bray, the Managing Director of our U.K.
subsidiary, Focus Information Limited, is in charge of our
CoStar FOCUS product and our U.K. operations. Mr. Bray
joined us upon the acquisition of Property Intelligence plc in
January 2003. Mr. Bray joined Property Intelligence in
1996, where he most recently served as Managing Director of
FOCUS Information Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Property
Intelligence plc. Prior to joining Property Intelligence plc,
Mr. Bray served in the British Army for 18 years and
was invested as a Member of the British Empire in 1990 for
service in Northern Ireland and at Lockerbie. Mr. Bray
received his M.B.A. in 1997 from the Open University in Milton
Keynes, England.
Carla J. Garrett, our General Counsel and Secretary,
joined us in June 1999. Prior to joining CoStar,
Ms. Garrett was at Sullivan & Cromwell, a New York
based law firm, where she had been a corporate and securities
attorney since 1996. Prior to joining Sullivan & Cromwell,
she was an associate with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich &
Rosati, a Palo Alto based law firm, where she practiced
corporate law and advised technology companies. Ms. Garrett
received a B.A. in mathematics from Vanderbilt University and
her J.D. from Stanford University.
Mark A. Klionsky, our Senior Vice President of Marketing
and Corporate Communications, joined us in May 2000.
Mr. Klionsky is responsible for CoStars marketing
strategy and oversees CoStars corporate communications.
Prior to joining CoStar, from 1981 until 2000, Mr. Klionsky
was with Miller Freeman, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of United
News & Media plc, where he held a variety of corporate
positions, most recently Senior Vice President. Additionally, in
1987 Mr. Klionsky helped launch Commercial Property News,
which was published by Miller Freeman, and from 1994 until 2000
served as Group Publisher of Commercial Property News. He
received a B.A. in communications from Rowan University.
Dean L. Violagis, our Vice President of Research, joined
us in 1989. Mr. Violagis is responsible for all of our East
Coast research operations. Prior to becoming Vice President of
Research, Mr. Violagis had been a research manager since
1989. Mr. Violagis received a B.A. in real estate finance
from American University.
There are no family relationships among any of our directors and
executive officers.
11
Stock Ownership Information
The following table provides certain information regarding the
beneficial ownership of our common stock as of April 1,
2005 by:
|
|
|
|
|
our Chief Executive Officer and President, and each of our four
most highly compensated executive officers who were serving as
executive officers on December 31, 2004, and one additional
individual whose employment terminated during 2004 (whom we
refer to collectively in this proxy statement as the named
executive officers); |
|
|
|
each of our directors; |
|
|
|
each person we know to be the beneficial owner of more than 5%
of the outstanding common stock; and |
|
|
|
all of our named executive officers and directors as a group. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares | |
|
Percentage of | |
Name and Address(1) |
|
Beneficially Owned(1) | |
|
Outstanding Shares(1) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Michael R. Klein(2)
|
|
|
1,021,996 |
|
|
|
5.57 |
% |
Andrew C. Florance(3)
|
|
|
488,507 |
|
|
|
2.62 |
|
Frank A. Carchedi(4)
|
|
|
89,760 |
|
|
|
* |
|
David M. Schaffel(5)
|
|
|
90,510 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Craig S. Farrington(6)
|
|
|
58,903 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Christopher R. Tully(7)
|
|
|
13,172 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Michael D. Arabe(8)
|
|
|
1,500 |
|
|
|
* |
|
David Bonderman(9)
|
|
|
269,242 |
|
|
|
1.47 |
|
Warren H. Haber(10)
|
|
|
94,560 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Josiah O. Low, III(11)
|
|
|
15,500 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Christopher J. Nassetta(12)
|
|
|
3,750 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Catherine B. Reynolds
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
All twelve directors and named executive officers as a group(13)
|
|
|
2,147,400 |
|
|
|
11.36 |
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Unless otherwise noted, each listed persons address is c/o
CoStar Group, Inc., 2 Bethesda Metro Center, Tenth Floor,
Bethesda, Maryland 20814. Beneficial ownership, as determined in
accordance with Rule 13d-3 under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, includes sole or shared power to vote or direct the
voting of, or to dispose or direct the disposition of shares, as
well as the right to acquire beneficial ownership within
60 days of April 1, 2005, through the exercise of an
option or otherwise. Except as indicated in the footnotes to the
table, we believe that the persons named in the table have sole
voting and investment power with respect to the indicated shares
of common stock. The use of * indicates ownership of less than
1%. As of April 1, 2005, the Company had
18,355,165 shares of common stock outstanding. |
|
|
(2) |
Includes 7,248 shares held by Mr. Klein as trustee for
his son and 7,248 shares held by another as trustee for
Mr. Kleins other son, for which Mr. Klein may be
deemed to share voting and dispositive power. Mr. Klein
disclaims beneficial ownership of these shares. Also includes
6,500 shares issuable upon options exercisable within
60 days of April 1, 2005, as well as 250 shares
of restricted stock that are subject to vesting restrictions. |
|
|
(3) |
Includes 306,667 shares issuable upon options exercisable
within 60 days of April 1, 2005, as well as
15,920 shares of restricted stock that are subject to
vesting restrictions. |
|
|
(4) |
Includes 75,000 shares issuable upon options exercisable
within 60 days of April 1, 2005, as well as
4,342 shares of restricted stock that are subject to
vesting restrictions. |
|
|
(5) |
Includes 61,875 shares issuable upon options exercisable
within 60 days of April 1, 2005, as well as
3,308 shares of restricted stock that are subject to
vesting restrictions. |
12
|
|
|
|
(6) |
Includes 51,875 shares issuable upon options exercisable
within 60 days of April 1, 2005, as well as
2,068 shares of restricted stock that are subject to
vesting restrictions. |
|
|
(7) |
Includes 13,000 shares issuable upon options exercisable
within 60 days of April 1, 2005, as well as
172 shares of restricted stock that are subject to vesting
restrictions. |
|
|
(8) |
Mr. Arabe resigned from the Company effective May 19,
2004. Includes 1,000 shares held by Mr. Arabes
wife and two sons, for which Mr. Arabe may be deemed to
share voting and dispositive power. |
|
|
(9) |
Includes 8,250 shares issuable upon options exercisable
within 60 days of April 1, 2005, as well as
250 shares of restricted stock that are subject to vesting
restrictions. |
|
|
(10) |
Includes 6,000 shares held by Mr. Habers spouse and
excludes 20,000 shares held by Mr. Habers adult
son for which Mr. Haber disclaims beneficial ownership.
Also includes 11,250 shares issuable upon options
exercisable within 60 days of April 1, 2005, as well
as 250 shares of restricted stock that are subject to
vesting restrictions. |
|
(11) |
Includes 1,000 shares held by Mr. Lows spouse for
which Mr. Low disclaims beneficial ownership. Also includes
8,500 shares issuable upon options exercisable within
60 days of April 1, 2005, as well as 250 shares
of restricted stock that are subject to vesting restrictions. |
|
(12) |
Represents 3,750 shares issuable upon options exercisable within
60 days of April 1, 2005. |
|
(13) |
Includes 546,667 shares issuable for options exercisable within
60 days of April 1, 2005, as well as
26,810 shares of restricted stock that are subject to
vesting restrictions. |
Plan Shares Outstanding
The following table sets forth information with respect to the
Companys equity compensation plans approved by security
holders. The Company does not have any equity compensation plans
not approved by security holders. The information in this table
is as of December 31, 2004.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of securities | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
remaining available for future | |
|
|
Number of securities to be | |
|
|
|
issuance under equity | |
|
|
issued upon exercise of | |
|
Weighted-average exercise | |
|
compensation plans | |
|
|
outstanding options, | |
|
price of outstanding options, | |
|
(excluding securities reflected | |
Plan Category |
|
warrants, and rights | |
|
warrants, and rights | |
|
in the first column) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders |
|
|
1,850,334 |
|
|
$ |
29.19 |
|
|
|
412,558 |
|
13
Executive Compensation
The following table provides the annual salary, bonuses, and all
other compensation awards and payouts to our named executive
officers for 2002 through 2004.
SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-Term | |
|
|
|
|
Annual Compensation | |
|
Compensation Awards | |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Name and Principal |
|
Fiscal | |
|
|
|
Securities Underlying | |
|
All Other | |
Position |
|
Year | |
|
Salary | |
|
Bonus | |
|
Options | |
|
Compensation | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Andrew C. Florance
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
$ |
365,547 |
|
|
$ |
302,310(1) |
|
|
|
50,000 |
|
|
$ |
12,696(2) |
|
|
Chief Executive Officer
|
|
|
2003 |
|
|
$ |
357,431 |
|
|
$ |
320,845(3) |
|
|
|
50,000 |
|
|
$ |
12,226(4) |
|
|
and President
|
|
|
2002 |
|
|
$ |
350,000 |
|
|
$ |
306,250(5) |
|
|
|
50,000 |
|
|
$ |
11,304(6) |
|
|
Frank A. Carchedi
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
$ |
204,211 |
|
|
$ |
142,150(1) |
|
|
|
15,000 |
|
|
$ |
12,331(7) |
|
|
Chief Financial
|
|
|
2003 |
|
|
$ |
199,675 |
|
|
$ |
144,998(3) |
|
|
|
15,000 |
|
|
$ |
11,981(7) |
|
|
Officer and Treasurer
|
|
|
2002 |
|
|
$ |
193,351 |
|
|
$ |
136,668(5) |
|
|
|
15,000 |
|
|
$ |
10,200(7) |
|
|
David M. Schaffel
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
$ |
174,875 |
|
|
$ |
89,714(1) |
|
|
|
15,000 |
|
|
$ |
10,163(7) |
|
|
Chief Information Officer
|
|
|
2003 |
|
|
$ |
170,992 |
|
|
$ |
72,435(3) |
|
|
|
12,500 |
|
|
$ |
6,840(7) |
|
|
|
|
2002 |
|
|
$ |
165,583 |
|
|
$ |
70,502(5) |
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
$ |
6,623(7) |
|
|
Craig S. Farrington
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
$ |
160,470 |
|
|
$ |
93,724(1) |
|
|
|
15,000 |
|
|
$ |
9,984(7) |
|
|
Vice President, Research
|
|
|
2003 |
|
|
$ |
148,693 |
|
|
$ |
125,973(3) |
|
|
|
12,500 |
|
|
$ |
8,058(7) |
|
|
|
|
|
2002 |
|
|
$ |
143,985 |
|
|
$ |
131,040(5) |
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
$ |
7,550(7) |
|
|
Christopher R. Tully
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
$ |
15,577 |
(8) |
|
$ |
23,580(9) |
|
|
|
65,000 |
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
Sr. Vice President,
|
|
|
2003 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sales & Customer Service
|
|
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Michael D. Arabe (10)
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
$ |
70,516 |
|
|
$ |
11,430(11) |
|
|
|
12,500 |
|
|
$ |
3,664(7) |
|
|
Sr. Vice President,
|
|
|
2003 |
|
|
$ |
138,034 |
|
|
$ |
97,641(12) |
|
|
|
27,500 |
|
|
$ |
8,914(7) |
|
|
Sales & Customer Service
|
|
|
2002 |
|
|
$ |
122,915 |
|
|
$ |
87,869(5) |
|
|
|
7,500 |
|
|
$ |
7,442(7) |
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Represents bonus paid in 2005 for performance in 2004. |
|
|
(2) |
Includes 401(k) contributions made by the Company in the amount
of $11,584, plus life insurance premiums paid by the Company for
the benefit of Mr. Florance in the amount of $1,112. |
|
|
(3) |
Represents bonus paid in 2004 for performance in 2003. |
|
|
(4) |
Represents 401(k) contributions made by the Company in the
amount of $11,114, plus life insurance premiums paid by the
Company for the benefit of Mr. Florance in the amount of
$1,112. |
|
|
(5) |
Represents bonus paid in 2003 for performance in 2002. |
|
|
(6) |
Represents 401(k) contributions made by the Company in the
amount of $10,192, plus life insurance premiums paid by the
Company for the benefit of Mr. Florance in the amount of
$1,112. |
|
|
(7) |
Represents 401(k) contributions made by the Company. |
|
|
(8) |
Mr. Tully joined us in December 2004. On an annualized
basis, his salary was $225,000 per year in 2004. |
|
|
(9) |
Includes bonus of $6,563 and commissions of $17,017 paid in 2005
for performance in 2004. |
|
|
(10) |
Mr. Arabe resigned from the Company effective May 19,
2004. |
|
(11) |
Represents commissions earned and paid in 2004. |
|
(12) |
Represents bonus and commissions paid in 2003 and 2004 for
performance in 2003. |
Employment Agreements
We have employment agreements with Messrs. Florance,
Carchedi, Schaffel and Tully, and have employment terms with
Mr. Farrington. Our employment agreements with
Messrs. Florance, Carchedi and Schaffel became effective as
of January 1, 1998. Mr. Tullys employment
agreement became effective
14
December 1, 2004. Mr. Farringtons employment
terms became effective as of February 18, 2000. Each
employment agreement entitles the executive to a specified base
salary, a bonus award up to a specified percentage of base
compensation based upon achievement of performance objectives,
and an award of stock vesting over time. The agreements also
generally provide that the executive may participate in any
insurance, medical, disability or pension plan generally made
available to our senior executive officers.
The employment agreements for Messrs. Carchedi and Schaffel
are for initial terms of two years, the employment agreement for
Mr. Florance is for an initial term of three years, and the
employment agreement for Mr. Tully is for an initial term
of one year, and all are automatically renewable for successive
one-year terms unless the executive or we terminate the
agreement. Mr. Farrington has at-will employment terms. The
employment agreements for Messrs. Florance, Carchedi,
Schaffel and Tully contain covenants not to compete with us for
the two years immediately following termination.
The employment agreements for Messrs. Florance, Carchedi,
Schaffel and Tully generally provide that, if we terminate the
executives employment without cause (which includes
changes of control of the Company under certain
circumstances), the executive is entitled to certain severance
benefits as follows. If we terminate Mr. Florance without
cause or if he terminates his agreement for good cause, he is
entitled to receive his base salary for the greater of one year
or whatever period remains under the agreement, his bonus for
the year in which the termination occurred, the immediate
vesting of all of his stock options and a gross-up payment to
cover any taxes assessed under Section 4999 of the Internal
Revenue Code. If we terminate Messrs. Carchedi or Schaffel
without cause, each is entitled to receive his base salary for
the greater of six months or whatever period remains under the
agreement, to a prorated share of his bonus for the year in
which termination occurred and to the immediate vesting of all
of his stock options due to vest within the following twelve
months. If we terminate Mr. Tully without cause, he is
entitled to receive his base salary for the greater of nine
months or whatever period remains under the agreement.
Mr. Farrington is not entitled to any severance benefits if
he is terminated without cause.
The following table gives specific economic terms of our
arrangements with our executive officers as of December 31,
2004.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bonus Range as | |
|
|
|
|
a Percentage of | |
Name |
|
Base Salary | |
|
Base Compensation | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Andrew C. Florance
|
|
$ |
367,710 |
|
|
|
0 - 100 |
% |
Frank A. Carchedi
|
|
$ |
205,414 |
|
|
|
50 - 80 |
% |
David M. Schaffel
|
|
$ |
175,912 |
|
|
|
0 - 75 |
% |
Craig S. Farrington
|
|
$ |
164,965 |
|
|
|
0 - 75 |
% |
Christopher R. Tully(1)
|
|
$ |
225,000 |
|
|
|
0 - 35 |
% |
|
|
(1) |
In addition, Mr. Tully has the ability to earn monthly
commissions based on the Companys monthly net new revenue
amounts. |
15
Option Grants
The following table provides certain information about grants of
stock options to our named executive officers during 2004.
OPTION GRANTS IN LAST FISCAL YEAR
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Individual Grants | |
|
|
| |
|
|
Number of | |
|
Percent of Total | |
|
|
|
|
Securities | |
|
Options Granted | |
|
|
|
|
Underlying Option | |
|
to Employees in | |
|
Exercise or Base | |
|
|
|
Grant Date | |
Name |
|
Granted | |
|
Fiscal Year | |
|
Price ($/Share) | |
|
Expiration Date | |
|
Present Value(3) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Andrew C. Florance
|
|
|
50,000 |
(1) |
|
|
11.01% |
|
|
$ |
39.00 |
|
|
|
2/28/14 |
|
|
$ |
1,334,612.50 |
|
Frank A. Carchedi
|
|
|
15,000 |
(1) |
|
|
3.30% |
|
|
$ |
39.00 |
|
|
|
2/28/14 |
|
|
$ |
400,383.76 |
|
David M. Schaffel
|
|
|
15,000 |
(1) |
|
|
3.30% |
|
|
$ |
39.00 |
|
|
|
2/28/14 |
|
|
$ |
400,383.76 |
|
Craig S. Farrington
|
|
|
15,000 |
(1) |
|
|
3.30% |
|
|
$ |
39.00 |
|
|
|
2/28/14 |
|
|
$ |
400,383.76 |
|
Christopher R. Tully
|
|
|
65,000 |
(2) |
|
|
14.32% |
|
|
$ |
45.18 |
|
|
|
11/30/14 |
|
|
$ |
1,939,298.40 |
|
Michael D. Arabe
|
|
|
12,500 |
(1) |
|
|
2.75% |
|
|
$ |
39.00 |
|
|
|
2/28/14 |
|
|
$ |
333,653.13 |
|
|
|
(1) |
The options were granted on March 1, 2004 and have an
exercise price equal to the fair market value of the
Companys common stock on the grant date. The options vest
and become exercisable in four equal installments on each of
March 1, 2005, March 1, 2006, March 1, 2007 and
March 1, 2008. |
|
(2) |
The options were granted on December 1, 2004 and have an
exercise price equal to the fair market value of the
Companys common stock on the grant date. The options vest
and become exercisable in five equal installments on each of
December 1, 2004, June 1, 2005, December 1, 2006,
December 1, 2007 and December 1, 2008. |
|
(3) |
The grant date present value is computed using the Black-Scholes
option-pricing model with the following assumptions: expected
volatility of 67%, dividend yield of 0%, risk-free interest rate
of 3.6% and expected life of 5 years. These assumptions are
not a forecast of future stock price performance or volatility
or of future dividend policy. There is no assurance that the
value received by an executive will be at or near the value
estimated by the Black-Scholes model. The actual value of
options will depend on the market value of the Companys
common stock on the dates upon which the options are exercised. |
16
Option Exercises and Fiscal Year-End Values
The following table provides certain information regarding stock
option exercises in fiscal year 2004, and unexercised options
held as of December 31, 2004, by the named executive
officers.
AGGREGATED OPTION EXERCISES IN LAST FISCAL YEAR
AND YEAR-END 2004 OPTION VALUES
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of Securities | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Underlying Unexercised | |
|
Value of Unexercised in the | |
|
|
Shares | |
|
|
|
Options Held at | |
|
Money Options at Fiscal | |
|
|
Acquired | |
|
|
|
December 31, 2004 | |
|
Year-End(1) | |
|
|
on | |
|
Value | |
|
| |
|
| |
Name |
|
Exercise | |
|
Realized | |
|
Exercisable | |
|
Unexercisable | |
|
Exercisable | |
|
Unexercisable | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Andrew C. Florance
|
|
|
158,937 |
(2) |
|
$ |
4,214,014 |
|
|
|
281,667 |
|
|
|
125,000 |
|
|
$ |
6,063,879 |
|
|
$ |
2,033,625 |
|
Frank A. Carchedi
|
|
|
20,000 |
(3) |
|
$ |
526,560 |
|
|
|
63,750 |
|
|
|
41,250 |
|
|
$ |
1,362,913 |
|
|
$ |
715,538 |
|
David M. Schaffel
|
|
|
39,000 |
(4) |
|
$ |
1,170,000 |
|
|
|
53,125 |
|
|
|
34,375 |
|
|
$ |
1,144,194 |
|
|
$ |
546,731 |
|
Craig S. Farrington
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
43,125 |
|
|
|
34,375 |
|
|
$ |
916,144 |
|
|
$ |
546,731 |
|
Christopher R. Tully
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13,000 |
|
|
|
52,000 |
|
|
$ |
13,000 |
|
|
$ |
52,000 |
|
Michael D. Arabe(5)
|
|
|
33,125 |
(6) |
|
$ |
559,996 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Calculated based on the amount by which the fair market value of
the underlying security (assumed to be equal to its year-end
closing price of $46.18 per share) exceeds the option exercise
price. |
|
|
(2) |
On February 23, 2004, Mr. Florance exercised options
to acquire 33,333 shares of common stock at an exercise price of
$9.00 per share. Mr. Florance did not sell these shares. On
February 23, 2004, Mr. Florance also exercised options
to acquire 50,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of
$3.45 per share and sold all of these shares the same day at
$37.00 per share. On February 24, 2004, Mr. Florance
exercised options to acquire 75,604 shares of common stock at an
exercise price of $3.45 and sold all of these shares the same
day at $37.00 per share. |
|
|
(3) |
On February 24, 2004, Mr. Carchedi exercised options
to acquire 2,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of
$9.00 per share and sold all of these shares the same day at
$38.06 per share. On February 25, 2004, Mr. Carchedi
exercised options to acquire 8,000 shares of common stock at an
exercise price of $9.00 per share and sold all of these shares
the same day at $37.63 per share. On August 18, 2004,
Mr. Carchedi exercised options to acquire 10,000 shares of
common stock at an exercise price of $18.06 per share and sold
all of these shares the same day at $42.00 per share. |
|
|
(4) |
On February 27, 2004, Mr. Schaffel exercised options
to acquire 39,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of
$9.00 per share and sold all of these shares the same day at
$39.00 per share. |
|
|
(5) |
Mr. Arabe resigned from the Company effective May 19,
2004. |
|
|
(6) |
On May 27, 2004, Mr. Arabe exercised options to
acquire 7,182 shares of common stock at an exercise price of
$18.06 per share and sold all of these shares the same day at
$41.94 per share. On May 28, 2004, Mr. Arabe exercised
options to acquire: (i) 10,000 shares of common stock at an
exercise price of $30.75 per share, (ii) 7,500 shares of
common stock at an exercise price of $29.31 per share, and
(iii) 318 shares of common stock at an exercise price of
$18.06 per share, and sold all of these shares the same day at
$41.28 per share. On June 1, 2004, Mr. Arabe exercised
options to acquire: (i) 1,875 shares of common stock at an
exercise price of $20.30 per share, and (ii) 6,250 shares
of common stock at an exercise price of $17.77 per share, and
sold all of these shares the same day at $41.25 per share. |
Compensation Committee Report On Executive Compensation
Compensation Philosophy and Review
The compensation philosophy of the Company is to provide a
competitive total compensation package so that the Company can
attract, retain, and motivate talented employees and executives.
The Company also strives to maximize shareholder value by
linking compensation to individual and team achievement of agreed
17
upon goals relating to overall corporate performance. The
Companys Compensation Committee therefore believes that
compensation for the Companys executives should encourage
and reward superior performance.
The Committee has commissioned third-party consultants to
perform compensation studies comparing the compensation packages
offered to executives of the Company with similarly situated
executives within peer groups of companies. The Committee uses
the results of such studies, together with corporate and
individual performance, to evaluate the compensation parameters
of the Companys executives.
Elements of Executive Compensation
The Companys executive compensation consists primarily of
base salary, annual cash bonuses, commission payments, the award
of stock options or restricted stock, a Company 401(k) match,
health insurance and similar benefits. The Company has an
employment arrangement with each of its executives that entitles
the executive to a specified base salary, a bonus award up to a
specified percentage of base compensation based upon achievement
of individual and team goals, and a competitive award of stock
vesting over time. The compensation package of each executive is
reviewed by the Committee on an annual basis.
Base Salaries
Base salary levels of the Companys executives are reviewed
annually, and may be adjusted to reflect an executives
individual responsibilities and performance, as well as the
overall performance of the Company. The Compensation Committee
also considers salaries paid to executives of the peer groups
identified in the studies in determining base salary levels. The
Compensation Committee believes that base salaries should be
generally competitive with companies in the peer group.
Annual Cash Bonus Program
The Compensation Committee administers an annual cash bonus plan
for its executives, under which these executives may receive a
cash bonus based on individual and corporate performance. The
bonuses generally have a potentially attainable range from 0% to
100% of base salary, based on the executives employment
agreement with the Company. In setting these ranges, the
Compensation Committee considered the potential annual cash
bonuses offered by members of the peer groups and the specific
area of responsibility of the executive and set competitive
annual cash bonus levels for superior performance. Each
executive officer is entitled to receive a percentage of his
bonus potential based on the Companys achievement of
corporate/financial goals and such officers achievement of
individual/team performance goals. The criteria that the
Committee uses to determine bonuses include, without limitation,
the level of achievement of goals based on the following
criteria: Company revenues, Company earnings, research, data
quality, new and enhanced products, software development,
management, customer service, accounts receivable, human
resources, investor relations, financial reporting and sales.
The criteria differ for each of the executive officers. The
executives may receive all, or a portion of, the bonus based on
attaining the objectives delineated at the start of a given year.
Long-Term Incentive Plan
The Company has in place a stock incentive plan, which allows
the Company to grant stock options and restricted stock to its
executive officers and other employees. Prior to 2005, the
Company had generally granted stock options to its executive
officers and other employees. However, beginning in 2005, the
Compensation Committee determined that it was in the
Companys best interest to grant restricted stock to its
executive officers. The Compensation Committee believes that
granting stock awards (whether stock options or restricted
stock) to executives is important to the Companys success
because these awards help to attract, retain and motivate
executives. The Committee believes that stock awards, when used
with appropriate holding periods, help encourage executive
retention because they vest over a period of years. In addition,
the executive benefits when the CoStar stock price rises for all
of CoStars stockholders.
Each executive is eligible to receive stock awards under the
CoStar Group, Inc. 1998 Stock Incentive Plan. The Compensation
Committee generally awards stock awards to each executive when
he or she joins the
18
Company. Thereafter, the Compensation Committee, in its
discretion, based on the recommendation of the Chief Executive
Officer may award additional stock awards to executives at the
time of their annual review. There is no established formula or
criteria for grants under the Plan, and stock awards may be
granted on a subjective basis at intervals determined by the
Compensation Committee. Options are typically granted with an
exercise price equal to the fair market value of the
Companys common stock on the date of grant, and typically
vest over a period of four years. Restricted Stock is typically
granted for a stock price equal to the par value of the
Companys common stock ($0.01 per share) and typically
vests over a period of four years. The Compensation Committee
considers long-term incentives offered by the peer group in
determining the amount of stock awards.
Chief Executive Officer Compensation
In establishing the salary and bonus for Mr. Florance, our
Chief Executive Officer and President, the Committee relied on
its strong belief that Mr. Florance significantly and
directly influences the Companys overall performance.
Accordingly, the Committee sought to achieve the following
objectives: (1) establish a base salary competitive with
that paid to other chief executive officers of peer companies;
(2) reward Mr. Florance for superior performance in
connection with his contribution to the Company; and
(3) reward Mr. Florance for the Companys
outstanding corporate and financial performance for the fiscal
year. Accordingly, pursuant to Mr. Florances
employment agreement, the range for Mr. Florances
annual bonus is between 0% and 100% of his base salary. In 2004,
the Committee determined that 75% of Mr. Florances
bonus would be based on the Company meeting certain financial
goals (including revenue and earnings goals) and that 25% of his
bonus would be based on Mr. Florance achieving certain
individual qualitative performance goals.
Based on these factors, in 2004 Mr. Florance was paid an
annual salary of $367,710. In addition, based on the level of
achievement of each of Mr. Florances goals, in 2005
Mr. Florance was paid a bonus of $302,310 (82% of his
annual base salary) for his performance in 2004. Finally, based
on the belief that Mr. Florance should be focused on the
long-term growth of the Company, in March 2004, the Committee
granted Mr. Florance an option to purchase 50,000 shares of
the Companys common stock at an exercise price of $39.00
per share, the fair market value of the Companys common
stock on the date of grant. These options vest over a period of
four years.
In addition, at a Compensation Committee meeting in 2005, the
Committee determined that Mr. Florances base salary
should be increased 4%, such that beginning in April 2005,
Mr. Florance would receive a base salary of $382,418. The
Committee also determined that for 2005,
Mr. Florances bonus range would be between 0% and
100% of Mr. Florances base salary, and that 75% of
his bonus would be based on the Company meeting certain
corporate/financial goals (including revenue and earnings goals)
and 25% would be based on Mr. Florance achieving certain
individual qualitative performance goals. Finally, in March
2005, the Committee also granted Mr. Florance 15,920 shares
of restricted stock of the Company, which vest annually over a
period of four years, with a purchase price per share equal to
the par value of the Companys common stock.
Employment Agreements
Our employment agreements with Messrs. Florance, Carchedi
and Schaffel became effective as of January 1, 1998 and the
employment agreement with Mr. Tully became effective as of
December 1, 2004. The employment agreements for
Messrs. Carchedi and Schaffel are for initial terms of
two years, the employment agreement for Mr. Florance
is for an initial term of three years, and the employment
agreement for Mr. Tully is for an initial term of one year,
and all are automatically renewable for successive one-year
terms unless the executive or we terminate the agreement.
Mr. Farrington has at-will employment terms.
Policy on Deductibility of Compensation
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code disallows the
deduction of compensation by a company to its Chief Executive
Officer and any of its four most highly compensated executive
officers that is in excess of
19
$1 million. Compensation that is considered
performance-based is excluded from the
$1 million limit if, among other requirements, the
compensation is payable only upon attainment of pre-established,
objective performance goals under a plan approved by the
stockholders. The Compensation Committee will continue to
monitor total compensation and, should the 162(m) limitation
become an issue, take the measures that they deem appropriate.
|
|
|
By the Compensation Committee |
|
of the Board of Directors |
|
April 19, 2005 |
|
|
Christopher J. Nassetta, Chairman |
|
Warren H. Haber |
|
David Bonderman |
|
Michael R. Klein |
20
Stock Price Performance Graph
The stock performance graph below shows how an initial
investment of $100 in our common stock would have compared to:
|
|
|
|
|
An equal investment in the Standards & Poors Stock 500
Index (S&P 500). |
|
|
|
An equal investment in the S&P 500 Application Software
Index. |
The comparison covers the period beginning December 31,
1999, and ending on December 31, 2004, and assumes the
reinvestment of any dividends. You should note that this
performance is historical and is not necessarily indicative of
future price performance.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
Since January 1, 2004 none of our executive officers or
directors has engaged in or had a direct or indirect interest in
any transactions with us that are required to be disclosed in
this proxy statement. Although they are not related party
transactions, we note that (1) in 2003, Michael Klein
committed to invest $250,000 in a Founders Equity SBIC Fund, of
which Warren H. Haber is a managing member, and (2) since
2004, Christopher Nassetta has invested approximately $65,000
and is a limited partner in a Texas Pacific fund, in which David
Bonderman is a principal.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting
Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
requires that our directors and executive officers, and anyone
who owns more than 10% of our common stock, file with the
Securities and Exchange Commission reports of initial ownership
and reports of changes in ownership of our common stock, and to
furnish us with copies of those reports. Based solely on a
review of the reports furnished to us, we believe that during
2004, our directors, executive officers and 10% stockholders
complied with these requirements.
21
Availability of Annual Report on Form 10-K and Proxy
Statement; Householding
We have included a copy of our Annual Report for the year ended
December 31, 2004 with this Proxy Statement. The Annual
Report contains our annual report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2004. In addition, you may obtain a
copy of our annual report on Form 10-K, including the
financial statements and financial statement schedules, without
charge by sending a written request to Mark A. Klionsky,
Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications,
CoStar Group, Inc., 2 Bethesda Metro Center, Tenth Floor,
Bethesda, Maryland 20814 or by calling (301) 215-8300.
If you and others who share your mailing address own common
stock in street name, meaning through bank or brokerage
accounts, you may have received a notice that your household
will receive only one annual report and proxy statement from
each company whose stock is held in such accounts. This
practice, known as householding, is designed to
reduce the volume of duplicate information and reduce printing
and postage costs. Unless you responded that you did not want to
participate in householding, you were deemed to have consented
to it and a single copy of this Proxy Statement and the 2004
Annual Report have been sent to your address. Each shareholder
will continue to receive a separate voting instruction form. If
you would like to revoke your consent to householding and in the
future receive your own set of proxy materials or if your
household is currently receiving multiple copies of the proxy
materials and you would like in the future to receive only a
single set of proxy materials at your address, please contact
our transfer agent, American Stock Transfer and
Trust Company, at 59 Maiden Lane, Plaza Level, New
York, NY 10038, and indicate your name, the name of each of
your brokerage firms or banks where your shares are held, and
your account numbers. The revocation of a consent to
householding will be effective 30 days following its
receipt.
Other Information
This proxy is solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors. The
Company will bear all expenses in connection with the Annual
Meeting and this proxy solicitation. We have retained Innisfree
M&A Incorporated to assist in distribution of these proxy
materials and soliciting proxy voting instructions, at an
estimated cost not to exceed $6,000 plus reasonable
expenses. They may solicit proxies in person, by telephone, by
mail, telegram, facsimile, or other electronic or other means,
and will request that brokerage houses, banks, and other
custodians forward proxy material to beneficial owners of our
common stock. We will reimburse brokerage houses, banks, and
other custodians for their reasonable expenses for forwarding
these materials to beneficial owners. American Stock Transfer
and Trust Company will act as proxy tabulator.
22
APPENDIX A
COSTAR GROUP, INC.
AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
The Board of Directors (the Board) of CoStar Group,
Inc. (the Company) has established an Audit
Committee (the Audit Committee) with general
responsibility and specific duties as described below.
Composition:
The Audit Committee shall be comprised of not less than three
directors appointed by the Board upon the recommendation of the
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Board shall
designate one member as chairperson of the Audit Committee. The
Audit Committee shall consist solely of independent directors of
the Board. For purposes hereof, the term independent
shall mean a director who meets the independence requirements of
The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. (NASDAQ), as
determined by the Board. Each member of the Companys Audit
Committee must be financially literate and, at least one member
of the Audit Committee shall in the judgment of the Board have
accounting or related financial management expertise, both in
accordance with NASDAQ rules. In addition, at least one member
of the Audit Committee shall in the judgment of the Board be an
audit committee financial expert in accordance with
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules.
Meetings:
The Audit Committee shall meet as often as may be deemed
necessary or appropriate in its judgment, generally four times
each year, either in person or telephonically. The Audit
Committee shall meet in executive session with the outside
auditor at least annually. The Audit Committee may create
subcommittees that shall report to the Audit Committee. The
Audit Committee shall report regularly to the full Board with
respect to its activities. Minutes of each meeting shall be
prepared and sent to Audit Committee members and presented to
Company directors who are not members of the Audit Committee.
Attendance:
Members of the Audit Committee should endeavor to be present, in
person or by telephone, at all meetings; however, two Audit
Committee members shall constitute a quorum. As necessary, the
Chairperson may request members of management and
representatives of the independent accountant to be present at
meetings.
Outside Advisors:
The Audit Committee shall have the authority to retain such
outside counsel, accountants, experts and other advisors as it
determines appropriate to assist the Committee in the
performance of its functions.
Duties and Responsibilities:
The Audit Committees responsibility is to assist the Board
of Directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities as to
accounting policies, internal controls, audit activities and
reporting practices of the Company.
A-1
While the Audit Committee has the responsibilities and powers
set forth in this Charter, it is not the duty of the Audit
Committee to plan or conduct audits or to determine that the
Companys financial statements are complete and accurate
and are in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles. This is the responsibility of management and the
outside auditor.
Among its specific duties and responsibilities, the Audit
Committee shall:
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Be directly responsible, in its capacity as a committee of the
Board, for the appointment, compensation, retention and
oversight of the work of the outside auditor. In this regard,
the Audit Committee shall appoint and retain, subject to
ratification by the Companys stockholders, and terminate,
when appropriate, the outside auditor, which shall report
directly to the Audit Committee. |
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2. |
Consider, at least annually, the independence of the outside
auditor, including whether the outside auditors
performance of permissible non-audit services is compatible with
the auditors independence, and obtain and review a report
by the outside auditor describing any relationships between the
outside auditor and the Company or any other relationships that
may adversely affect the independence of the auditor. |
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3. |
Approve in advance the scope of the audit and all audit services
to be provided by the outside auditor. By approving the audit
engagement, an audit service within the scope of the engagement
shall be deemed to have been approved in advance. |
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4. |
Approve in advance all permissible audit-related, tax and other
non-audit services to be provided by the outside auditor and
establish policies and procedures for the engagement of the
outside auditor to provide permissible audit-related, tax and
other non-audit services. |
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5. |
Review and discuss with management and the outside auditor, upon
completion of their audit, financial results for the year prior
to their release to the public. Review and discuss with the
outside auditor the annual audit and any accompanying management
letter. Discuss with the independent accountant the matters
required to be discussed by the Statement on Auditing Standards
No. 61 relating to the conduct of the year-end audit. |
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6. |
Review and discuss with management and the outside auditor the
annual audited financial statements of the Company, including
(a) the independent accountants judgment as to the
quality of the Companys accounting principles, setting
forth significant financial reporting issues and judgments made
in connection with the preparation of the financial statements;
(b) the Companys disclosures under
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations, including accounting
policies that may be regarded as critical; and (c) major
issues regarding the Companys accounting principles and
financial statement presentations, including any significant
changes in the Companys selection or application of
accounting principles and financial statement presentations. |
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7. |
Recommend to the Board of Directors whether the audited
financial statements should be included in the Annual Report on
Form 10-K. |
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8. |
Review and discuss with management and the outside auditor
financial results for interim periods prior to their release to
the public. Review and discuss with the outside auditor any
reports of the outside auditor with respect to interim periods. |
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9. |
Review and discuss with management and the outside auditor, and
approve: (a) any material financial or non-financial
arrangements of the Company which do not appear on the financial
statements of the Company; and (b) any transactions or courses
of dealing with parties related to the Company. |
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10. |
Review and discuss the adequacy and effectiveness of the
Companys internal control over financial reporting,
including (i) any significant deficiencies and material
weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls,
(ii) any material changes in such controls reported to the
Audit Committee by the outside auditor or management, and
(iii) any fraud, whether or not material, that |
A-2
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involves management or other employees who have a significant
role in the Companys internal controls. |
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11. |
Approve the appointment, replacement, reassignment and dismissal
of the Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate. |
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12. |
Discuss with the outside auditor the quality of the
Companys financial accounting personnel, and any relevant
recommendations that the independent accountant may have. |
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13. |
Review material pending legal proceedings involving the Company
and other contingent liabilities. |
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14. |
Establish procedures for handling complaints regarding
accounting, internal accounting controls and auditing matters,
including procedures for confidential, anonymous submission of
concerns by employees regarding accounting and auditing matters,
all in compliance with SEC and NASDAQ requirements. |
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15. |
Prepare the report required by the rules of the SEC to be
included in the Companys annual proxy statement. |
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16. |
Review the Audit Committees Charter annually and recommend
changes to the Board as appropriate. |
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17. |
Perform such other functions as may be required by law, or the
Companys certificate of incorporation or by-laws. |
A-3
APPENDIX B
COSTAR GROUP, INC.
Annual Meeting of Stockholders June 17, 2005
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY
The undersigned stockholder of CoStar Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
Company), hereby acknowledges receipt of the Notice of 2005 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and
Proxy Statement, each dated April 29, 2005, and the 2004 Annual Report, hereby revokes any proxy or
proxies previously given and hereby appoints Michael R. Klein, Andrew C. Florance and Frank A.
Carchedi, or any of them, with full power to each of substitution on behalf and in the name of the
undersigned, as the proxies and attorneys-in-fact to vote and otherwise represent all of the shares
registered in the name of the undersigned at the 2005 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company
(the Annual Meeting) to be held at 2 Bethesda Metro Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, at 11:00
a.m. local time on Friday, June 17, 2005, and any adjournment or postponement thereof, with the
same effect as if the undersigned were present and voting such shares, on the matters and in the
manner set forth on the reverse side of this Proxy card.
THIS PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED AND TIMELY DELIVERED, WILL BE VOTED IN THE MANNER DIRECTED
HEREIN BY THE UNDERSIGNED STOCKHOLDER. UNLESS CONTRARY DIRECTIONS ARE GIVEN, THIS PROXY WILL BE
VOTED FOR THE ELECTION OF THE NOMINEES LISTED IN THE ACCOMPANYING PROXY STATEMENT, FOR
RATIFYING THE APPOINTMENT OF THE COMPANYS INDEPENDENT AUDITORS FOR 2005 AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE
DISCRETION OF THE PROXIES AS TO OTHER MATTERS.
(Continued and to be signed and dated on the reverse side.)
Please mark, sign, date and return this card promptly
using the enclosed return envelope.
Annual Meeting of Stockholders
COSTAR GROUP, INC.
June 17, 2005
â Please Detach and Mail in the Envelope Provided â
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/X/
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Please mark your
votes as in this example. |
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR
EACH OF THE PROPOSALS.
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(1) Proposal to elect the following persons as directors of the Company. |
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Nominees: |
Michael R. Klein |
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Andrew C. Florance |
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David Bonderman |
FOR ALL |
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WITHHOLD ALL
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Warren H. Haber |
/ / |
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/ / |
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Josiah O. Low, III |
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Christopher J. Nassetta |
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Catherine B. Reynolds |
FOR ALL (EXCEPT NOMINEE(S) WRITTEN BELOW)
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FOR
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AGAINST
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ABSTAIN |
(2)
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Proposal to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP
as the Companys independent auditors for 2005.
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/ /
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/ /
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/ / |
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(3) |
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To vote or otherwise represent the shares on any other business which may properly come before
the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, according to their discretion and in their
discretion. |
The shares represented by this proxy will be voted in accordance with the specification made. If
no specification is made, the shares represented by this proxy will be voted FOR each of the above
persons and proposals, and for or against such other matters as may properly come before the
meeting as the proxy holders in their discretion deem advisable.
I plan to attend the meeting: Yes No
PLEASE PROMPTLY COMPLETE, DATE, SIGN AND MAIL THIS PROXY IN THE ENCLOSED POSTAGE-PREPAID ENVELOPE.
IF YOU RECEIVE MORE THAN ONE PROXY CARD, PLEASE COMPLETE, SIGN, DATE AND RETURN EACH CARD.
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Signature(s) |
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Dated: |
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, 2005 |
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Title if appropriate |
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NOTE:
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Sign exactly as your name(s) appears on the stock certificate. A corporation should sign in its full
corporate name by a duly authorized officer, with the office held designated. Executors, administrators,
trustees and guardians should sign in their official capacity giving their full title as such. If stock is
registered in more than one name, each person should sign. If a partnership or limited liability company,
please sign in the partnership or limited liability companys name by an authorized person(s). |