# FORRESTER RESEARCH, INC. (FORR) FY 2021 MD&A

Verbatim Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis from FORRESTER RESEARCH, INC.'s 10-K for fiscal year 2021.

SEC filing source: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1023313/000095017022003377/forr-20211231.htm
Accession: 0000950170-22-003377
Filing date: 2022-03-10
Report date: 2021-12-31
Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary.
Confidence: high

Company profile: /company/FORR/
All MD&A years: /company/FORR/mda/
Next year: /company/FORR/mda/fy2022/ (FY 2022)

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Overview

We derive revenues from subscriptions to our Research products and services, licensing electronic “reprints” of our Research, performing consulting projects and advisory services, and hosting events. We offer contracts for our Research products that are typically renewable annually and payable in advance. Subscription products are recognized as revenue over the term of the contract. Accordingly, a substantial portion of our billings are initially recorded as deferred revenue. Reprints include an obligation to deliver a customer-selected research document and certain usage data provided through an on-line platform, which represents two performance obligations. We recognize revenue for the performance obligation for the data portion of the reprint ratably over the license term. We recognize revenue for the performance obligation for the research document at the time of providing access to the document. Billings for licensing of reprints are initially recorded as deferred revenue. Clients purchase consulting projects and advisory services independently and/or to supplement their access to our subscription-based products. Consulting project revenues, which are based upon fixed-fee agreements, are recognized as the services are provided. Advisory service revenues, such as speeches and advisory days, are recognized when the service is complete or the customer receives the agreed upon deliverable. Billings attributable to consulting projects and advisory services are initially recorded as deferred revenue. Events revenues consist of ticket and sponsorship sales for a Forrester-hosted event. Billings for events are also initially recorded as deferred revenue and are recognized as revenue upon completion of each event.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected us beginning in March 2020 primarily through lower contract bookings and a reduction in revenues from the conversion of our events from in-person events to virtual events. While the duration and severity of the pandemic is uncertain, we did experience a rebound in contract bookings in the fourth quarter of 2020 and continuing through all of 2021. Our Events business continues to be negatively affected by the pandemic. All events held in 2021 have been held as virtual events. We intend to hold our events during 2022 as hybrid events, consisting of both in-person and virtual experiences.

The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately impacts our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and liquidity may differ from our current estimates due to inherent uncertainties regarding the duration and further spread of the outbreak, its severity, actions taken to contain the virus or treat its impact, and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume.

Our primary operating expenses consist of cost of services and fulfillment, selling and marketing expenses, and general and administrative expenses. Cost of services and fulfillment represents the costs associated with the production and delivery of our products and services, including salaries, bonuses, employee benefits, and stock-based compensation expense for all personnel that produce and deliver our products and services, including all associated editorial, travel, and support services. Selling and marketing expenses include salaries, sales commissions, bonuses, employee benefits, stock-based compensation expense, travel expenses, promotional costs, and other costs incurred in marketing and selling our products and services. General and administrative expenses include the costs of the technology, operations, finance, and human resources groups and our other administrative functions, including salaries, bonuses, employee benefits, and stock-based compensation expense. Overhead costs such as facilities, net of sublease income, and annual fees for cloud-based information technology systems are allocated to these categories according to the number of employees in each group.

Effective from the first quarter of 2021, we modified our key metrics to focus on our contract value (“CV”) products (as described below) in comparison to our prior metrics which included measures of our broader product portfolio. For 2021, we have focused on increasing our CV product bookings and have modified our compensation programs and metrics accordingly. We are focusing on CV products as these products are our most profitable products and historically our contracts for CV products have renewed at high rates (as measured by our client retention and wallet retention metrics). Our CV products make up essentially all of our research revenues.

We have included the historical calculation of the metrics below on the investor relations section of our website.

Contract value, client retention, wallet retention, and number of clients are metrics that we believe are important to understanding our research business. We define these metrics as follows:

•
Contract value (CV) — is defined as the value attributable to all of our recurring research-related contracts. Contract value is calculated as the annualized value of all contracts in effect at a specific point in time, without regard to how much revenue has already been recognized. Contract value primarily consists of subscription-based products for which revenue is recognized on a ratable basis, except for the entitlements embedded in our subscription products, such as event tickets and advisory sessions, for which the revenue is recognized when the item is delivered. Contract value also includes our reprint products, as these products are used throughout the year by our clients and are typically renewed.

•
Client retention — represents the percentage of client companies (defined as all clients that buy a CV product) at the prior year measurement date that have active contracts at the current year measurement date.

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•
Wallet retention — represents a measure of the CV we have retained with clients over a twelve-month period. Wallet retention is calculated on a percentage basis by dividing the annualized contract value of our current clients, who were also clients a year ago, by the total annualized contract value from a year ago.

•
Clients — is calculated at the enterprise level as all clients that have an active CV contract.

Client retention and wallet retention are not necessarily indicative of the rate of future retention of our revenue base. A summary of our key metrics is as follows (dollars in millions):

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Contract value increased 15% at December 31, 2021 compared to the prior year period. Client retention and wallet retention increased 8% and 19%, respectively, at December 31, 2021 compared to the prior year period. These metrics were at their lows during the second and third quarters of 2020 as contract bookings declined during 2020 due to the pandemic. We have seen an improvement in these metrics from their lows in the middle of 2020 as contract bookings expanded during the second half of 2020 and through all of 2021.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including but not limited to, those related to our revenue recognition, goodwill, intangible and other long-lived assets, and income taxes. Management bases its estimates on historical experience, data available at the time the estimates are made, and various assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

We consider the following accounting estimates to be those that require the most subjective judgment or that involve uncertainty that could have a material impact on our financial statements. If actual results differ significantly from management’s estimates and projections, there could be a material effect on our financial statements.

•
Revenue Recognition. We generate revenues from subscriptions to our Research products and services, licensing electronic reprints of our Research, performing consulting projects and advisory services, and hosting events. We execute contracts that govern the terms and conditions of each arrangement. Revenues are recognized when an approved contract with a customer exists, the fees, payment terms, and rights regarding the products or services to be transferred can be identified, it is probable we will collect substantially all of the consideration for the products and services expected to be provided, and we have transferred control of the products and services to the customer. We continually evaluate customers’ ability and intention to pay by reviewing factors including the customer’s payment history, our ability to mitigate credit risk, and experience selling to similarly situated customers. Although write-offs of customer receivables have not been significant during the last three years ($0.3 million, $0.9 million, and $1.0 million during 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively), if our customers' financial condition were to deteriorate unexpected, we could experience a significant increase in our expense.

Our contracts may include either a single promise (referred to as a performance obligation) to transfer a product or service or a combination of multiple promises to transfer products or services. We evaluate the existence of multiple performance obligations within our products and services by using judgment to determine if: (1) the customer can benefit from each contractual promise on its own or together with other readily available resources; and (2) the transfer of each contractual promise is separately identifiable from other promises in a contract. When both criteria are met, each promise is accounted for as a separate performance obligation. Revenues from contracts that contain multiple products or services are allocated among the separate performance obligations on a relative basis according to their standalone selling prices. We obtain the standalone selling prices of our products and services based upon an analysis of standalone sales of these products and services. When there is an insufficient history of standalone sales, we use judgment to estimate the standalone selling price, taking into consideration available market conditions, factors used to set list prices, pricing of similar products, and

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internal pricing objectives. Standalone selling prices are typically analyzed and updated on an annual basis, or as business conditions change.

Consulting project revenues are recognized over time as the services are provided, based on an input method that calculates the total hours expended compared to the estimated hours required to satisfy the performance obligation. This method requires the use of judgement in determining the required number of hours to complete the project.

We are required to estimate the amount of prepaid performance obligations that will expire unused and recognize revenue for that estimate over the same period the related rights are exercised by our customers. This assessment requires judgment, including estimating the percentage of prepaid rights that will go unexercised and anticipating the impact that future changes to products, pricing, and customer engagement will have on actual expirations. We update the estimates used to recognize unexercised rights on a quarterly basis.

•
Goodwill, Intangible Assets, and Other Long-Lived Assets. As of December 31, 2021, we had $307.7 million of goodwill and intangible assets with finite lives recorded in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

When acquiring a business, as of the acquisition date, we determine the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, which may include a significant amount of intangible assets and goodwill. Goodwill is required to be assessed for impairment at least annually or whenever events or circumstances indicate that there may be an impairment. An impairment assessment requires evaluating the potential impairment at the reporting unit level using either a qualitative assessment, to determine if it is more likely than not that the fair value of any reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, or a quantitative analysis, to determine and compare the fair value of each reporting unit to its carrying value, or a combination of both. Judgement is required in determining the use of a qualitative or quantitative assessment, as well as in determining each reporting unit’s estimated fair value as it requires us to make estimates of market conditions and operational performance, including projected financial results, discount rates, control premium, and valuation multiples for key financial metrics.

Absent an event that indicates a specific impairment may exist, we have selected November 30th as the date to perform the annual goodwill impairment test. We completed the annual goodwill impairment testing as of November 30, 2021 utilizing a qualitative assessment to determine if it was more likely than not that the fair values of each of our reporting units was less than their respective carrying values and concluded that no impairments existed. Future events could cause us to conclude that impairment indicators exist and that goodwill is impaired. Any resulting impairment loss could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

Intangible assets with finite lives as of December 31, 2021 consist of acquired customer relationships, acquired technology, and acquired trademarks and were valued according to the future cash flows they were estimated to produce or the estimated costs to replace the assets. These assigned values are amortized on a basis which best matches the periods in which the economic benefits are expected to be realized. Tangible assets with finite lives consist of property and equipment, which are depreciated over their estimated useful lives. Other long-lived assets consist primarily of operating lease right-of-use assets as described in the Leases critical accounting policies and estimates above.

We continually evaluate whether events or circumstances have occurred that indicate the estimated remaining useful life of any of our intangible assets, tangible assets, or operating lease right-of-use assets may warrant revision, or that the carrying value of these assets may be impaired. To compute whether these assets have been impaired, we estimate the undiscounted future cash flows for the estimated remaining useful life of the assets and compare that to the carrying value. To the extent that the future cash flows are less than the carrying value, the assets are written down to their estimated fair value.

During 2020, we recorded $2.3 million of right-of-use asset impairments and $1.1 million of leasehold improvement impairments related to a facility lease we no longer used as a result of the integration of SiriusDecisions.

•
Income Taxes. We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates for the effect of temporary differences between book and tax bases of assets and liabilities, operating loss carryforwards (from acquisitions) and U.S. capital losses. Such amounts are adjusted as appropriate to reflect changes in the tax rates expected to be in effect when the temporary differences reverse. We record a valuation allowance to reduce our deferred taxes to an amount we believe is more likely than not to be realized. We consider all available evidence, both positive and negative, to determine whether, based on the weight of that evidence, a valuation allowance is needed for some portion or all of a net deferred income tax asset. Judgment is required in considering the relative impact of negative and positive evidence. In arriving at these judgments, the weight given to the potential effect of negative and positive evidence is commensurate with the extent to which it can be objectively verified. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, we maintained a valuation allowance of approximately $1.1 million and $1.2 million, respectively, primarily relating to U.S. capital losses from our investment in technology-related private equity funds, and from foreign net operating loss carryforwards from an acquisition. During 2020, we recognized an income tax benefit in the amount of $1.0 million from the utilization of a capital loss

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carryforward, and the reversal of the related valuation allowance, due to a sale of an investment within the private equity fund.

Results of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020

The following table sets forth our Consolidated Statements of Operations as a percentage of total revenues for the years noted.

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[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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2021 compared to 2020

Revenues

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Total revenues increased 10% during 2021 compared to 2020, with 1% of the increase due to changes in foreign currency. Revenues from customers outside of the U.S. increased 22% during 2021 compared to the prior year. The increase in revenues attributable to customers outside of the U.S. was primarily due to an increase in revenues in Europe, the United Kingdom, Asia Pacific region, and Canada. Approximately 4% of the increase was due to changes in foreign currency.

Research revenues are recognized as revenue primarily on a ratable basis over the term of the contracts, which are generally twelve-month periods. Research revenues increased 8% during 2021 compared to 2020, with 1% of the increase due to changes in foreign currency. The increase in revenues was primarily due to increased contract value, which was driven by strong demand for our products and an increase in our wallet retention rate.

Consulting revenues increased 14% during 2021 compared to 2020, with 1% of the increase due to changes in foreign currency. The increase in revenues was primarily due to continued strong demand for our content marketing and strategy consulting offerings.

Events revenues increased 27% during 2021 compared to 2020, with 1% of the increase due to changes in foreign currency. The increase in revenues was primarily due to higher sponsorship revenues.

Refer to the “Segment Results” section below for a discussion of revenue and expenses by segment.

Cost of Services and Fulfillment

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Cost of services and fulfillment expenses increased 12% in 2021 compared to 2020, with 1% of the increase due to changes in foreign currency. The increase was primarily due to (1) a $10.4 million increase in compensation and benefit costs due to reinstating incentive bonus programs and other benefits that were eliminated as part of the cost-reduction measures implemented in 2020 as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and merit increases, partially offset by a decrease in severance costs and headcount in the first half of the year compared to the prior year period, (2) a $9.5 million increase in professional services costs primarily due to increases in outsourced services related to revenue delivery, contractor costs, product enhancements and survey costs, and (3) a $2.1 million increase in facilities costs primarily as a result of a lease incentive for early termination of an office lease that reduced expense in 2020. These increases were partially offset by a $1.4 million decrease in travel and entertainment expenses due to reduced travel as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Selling and Marketing

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[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

Selling and marketing expenses increased 3% in 2021 compared to 2020, with 1% of the increase due to changes in foreign currency. The increase was primarily due to (1) a $2.6 million increase in compensation and benefit costs due to reinstating incentive bonus programs and other benefits that were eliminated as part of the cost-reduction measures implemented in 2020 as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, merit increases and an increase in commissions expense, partially offset by a decrease in headcount, (2) a $2.2 million increase in professional services costs primarily due to an increase in advertising and marketing expenses, and (3) a $1.1 million increase in facilities costs primarily as a result of a lease incentive for early termination of an office lease that reduced expense in 2020. These increases were partially offset by a $0.5 million decrease in bad debt expense.

General and Administrative

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General and administrative expenses increased 15% in 2021 compared to 2020, with 1% of the increase due to changes in foreign currency. The increase was primarily due to (1) a $5.1 million increase in compensation and benefit costs due to reinstating incentive bonus programs and other benefits that were eliminated as part of the cost-reduction measures implemented in 2020 as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and merit increases, (2) a $1.7 million increase in professional services costs, (3) a $0.7 million increase in facilities costs primarily as a result of a lease incentive for early termination of an office lease that reduced expense in 2020, and (4) a $0.5 million increase in recruiting expense. These increases were partially offset by a $0.7 million decrease in stock compensation expense.

Depreciation

Depreciation expense decreased by $0.5 million in 2021 compared to 2020 primarily due to software assets becoming fully depreciated.

Amortization of Intangible Assets

Amortization expense decreased by $4.6 million in 2021 compared to 2020 primarily due to a certain intangible asset becoming fully amortized in 2020. We expect amortization expense related to our intangible assets to be approximately $13.2 million for the year ending December 31, 2022.

Acquisition and Integration Costs

We did not have any acquisitions in 2021 and had one acquisition, SiriusDecisions, at the beginning of 2019. Acquisition and integration costs consist of direct and incremental costs to acquire and integrate acquired companies and primarily consist of certain fair value adjustments, consulting, severance, accounting and tax professional fees, and lease expense for unused leased facilities.

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Acquisition and integration costs decreased by $5.4 million in 2021 compared to 2020 due to the substantial completion of the integration of SiriusDecisions during 2020. Integration costs in 2021 relate to unused lease facilities from the SiriusDecisions acquisition.

Interest Expense

Interest expense consists of interest on our borrowings used to finance the acquisition of SiriusDecisions and realized gains (losses) on the related interest rate swap. Interest expense decreased by $1.1 million in 2021 compared to 2020 due to lower average outstanding borrowings and a lower effective interest rate. We expect to incur interest expense of approximately $2.5 million for the year ending December 31, 2022.

Other Expense, Net

Other expense, net primarily consists of gains (losses) on foreign currency, gains (losses) on foreign currency forward contracts, and interest income. Other expense, net increased by $0.9 million in 2021 compared to 2020 due to an increase in foreign currency losses.

Gains on Investments, Net

Gains on investments, net primarily represents our share of equity method investment gains and losses from our technology-related investment funds. Gains on investments, net decreased by $2.5 million in 2021 compared to 2020 primarily due to a decrease in investment gains generated by the underlying funds.

Income Tax Expense

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The increase in the effective tax rate during 2021 as compared to 2020 was primarily due to the utilization of a valuation allowance on capital assets during 2020 that did not recur in 2021, an increase in foreign subsidiary income subject to U.S. tax in 2021, and a change in tax legislation in 2021 which was less impactful than 2020. These increases were partially offset by increased tax deductions related to stock compensation in 2021 that did not occur in 2020.

Segment Results

We operate in three segments: Research, Consulting, and Events. These segments, which are also our reportable segments, are based on our management structure and how management uses financial information to evaluate performance and determine how to allocate resources. Our products and services are delivered through each segment as described below. Additionally, the tables below include the reclassification of revenues for the components of our CV subscription research products, as described further in Note 1: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Research segment includes the revenues from all of our research products as well as consulting revenues from advisory services (such as speeches and advisory days) delivered by our research organization. Research segment costs include the cost of the organizations responsible for developing and delivering these products in addition to the cost of the product management organization that is responsible for product pricing and packaging and the launch of new products.

The Consulting segment includes the revenues and the related costs of our project consulting organization. The project consulting organization delivers a majority of our project consulting revenue and certain advisory services.

The Events segment includes the revenues and the costs of the organization responsible for developing and hosting in-person and virtual events.

We evaluate reportable segment performance and allocate resources based on segment revenues and expenses. Segment expenses include the direct expenses of each segment organization and exclude selling and marketing expenses, general and administrative expenses, stock-based compensation expense, depreciation expense, adjustments to incentive bonus compensation from target amounts, amortization of intangible assets, interest and other expense, and gains on investments. The accounting policies used by the segments are the same as those used in the consolidated financial statements. We do not review or evaluate assets as part of segment performance. Accordingly, we do not identify or allocate assets by reportable segment.

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[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

Research segment revenues increased 6% during 2021 compared to 2020. Research product revenues within this segment increased 8% which primarily resulted from increased contract value during the period. Consulting product revenues within this segment decreased 6% primarily due to decreased delivery of consulting and advisory services by our research analysts as they shifted more of their efforts to developing and delivering our CV products.

Research segment expenses increased 7% during 2021 compared to 2020. The increase in expenses was primarily due to (1) a $4.3 million increase in professional services costs due to an increase in survey costs, new product development, and contractor costs, (2) a $3.5 million increase in compensation and benefit costs primarily due to reinstating incentive bonus programs and other benefits that were eliminated as part of the cost-reduction measures implemented in 2020 as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and merit increases, partially offset by a decrease in severance costs and headcount in the first half of the year compared to the prior year, and (3) a $0.6 million increase in hiring and training costs. These increases were partially offset by a $1.1 million decrease in travel and entertainment expenses due to reduced travel as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consulting segment revenues increased 25% during 2021 compared to 2020 due to continued strong demand for our content marketing and strategy consulting offerings.

Consulting segment expenses increased 29% during 2021 compared to 2020. The increase in expenses was primarily due to (1) a $6.2 million increase in professional services primarily due to an increase in outsourced services related to revenue delivery and contractor costs, and (2) a $5.5 million increase in compensation and benefit costs primarily due to reinstating incentive bonus programs and other benefits that were eliminated as part of the cost-reduction measures implemented in 2020 as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and merit increases, partially offset by a decrease in headcount in the first half of the year compared to prior year.

Event segment revenues increased 27% during 2021 compared to 2020. The increase in Events revenues was primarily due to higher sponsorship revenues.

Event segment expenses increased 3% during 2021 compared to 2020. The increase in expenses was primarily due to an increase in compensation and benefit costs primarily due to reinstating incentive bonus programs and other benefits that were eliminated as part of the cost-reduction measures implemented in 2020 as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and merit increases.

A detailed description and analysis of the fiscal year 2019 year-over-year changes can be found in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We have historically financed our operations primarily through funds generated from operations. Research revenues, which constituted approximately 66% of our revenues during 2021, are generally renewable annually and are typically payable in advance. We generated cash from operating activities of $107.1 million and $47.8 million during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020,

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respectively. The $59.3 million increase in cash provided from operations during 2021 was primarily due to a $32.8 million increase in cash generated from accounts receivable and deferred revenue due to an increase in contract bookings and strong collections activity and a $15.9 million reduction in cash used for working capital (excluding accounts receivable and deferred revenue). We expect cash generated from operating activities to decrease in 2022 as compared to 2021, primarily due to an increase in incentive compensation payments in 2022 and a reduction in cash generated from accounts receivable and deferred revenue.

During 2021, we used cash in investing activities of $29.3 million, which consisted of $18.6 million in net purchases of marketable investments and $10.7 million of purchases of property and equipment, primarily consisting of computer software, leasehold improvements and equipment. During 2020, we used cash in investing activities of $4.6 million, which consisted of $8.9 million of purchases of property and equipment primarily consisting of software and leasehold improvements, partially offset by a $4.3 million distribution received from an equity method investment.

During 2021, we used $49.1 million of cash from financing activities primarily due to $34.4 million of repayments of our debt, which consisted of $9.4 million of required payments on our term loan and $25.0 million of discretionary payments on our revolving credit facility, $20.1 million for purchases of our common stock, as well as $3.4 million in taxes paid related to net share settlements of restricted stock units, partially offset by $9.2 million of net proceeds from the issuance of common stock under our stock-based incentive plans. During 2020, we used $23.7 million of cash from financing activities primarily due to $23.4 million of repayments of debt which consisted of $14.0 million of discretionary payments on our revolving credit facility and $9.4 million of required repayments of our term loan. As of December 31, 2021, our remaining stock repurchase authorization was approximately $90.1 million.

On December 21, 2021, we and certain of our subsidiaries entered into an amendment of our existing credit facility, dated as of January 3, 2019, with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent (the “Administrative Agent”), and the lenders party thereto (the “Existing Credit Agreement” and the Existing Credit Agreement as amended by the Amendment, the “Amended Credit Agreement”). The Existing Credit Agreement was amended to, among other things, (a) increase the aggregate principal amount of revolving credit commitments (the "Revolving Credit Facility") from $75.0 million to $150.0 million and eliminate the existing term loan facility, (b) extend the scheduled maturity date of the revolving credit commitments to December of 2026, (c) reduce (i) the applicable margin with respect to revolving loans to, at Forrester’s option, (i) between 1.25% and 1.75% per annum for loans based on LIBOR and (ii) between 0.25% and 0.75% per annum for loans based on the applicable base rate, in each case, based on Forrester’s consolidated total leverage ratio, (d) reduce the commitment fee applicable to undrawn revolving credit commitments to between 0.30% and 0.20% per annum based on our consolidated total leverage ratio, (e) replace the minimum fixed charge coverage ratio financial covenant under the Existing Credit Agreement with a minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio of 3.50:1.00 and (f) include a covenant limiting the amount of capital expenditures in each fiscal year, subject to exceptions for (i) up to $25.0 million annually with respect to our headquarters property and (ii) an additional general basket of $20.0 million annually.

On December 21, 2021, we converted the $100.0 million of outstanding term loan amounts under the Existing Credit Agreement to $100.0 million outstanding on the Revolving Credit Facility. Additionally in December 2021, we made a $25.0 million discretionary repayment on the Revolving Credit Facility, leaving a balance of $75.0 million outstanding on the facility at December 31, 2021. The Amended Credit Agreement permits an increase in commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility in an aggregate principal amount up to $50.0 million, subject to approval by the Administrative Agent and certain customary terms and conditions. Additional information is provided in Note 5 – Debt in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. The Revolving Credit Facility matures on December 21, 2026.

The Amended Credit Agreement contains certain customary restrictive loan covenants, including among others, financial covenants that apply a maximum leverage ratio, minimum interest coverage ratio, and maximum annual capital expenditures. The negative covenants limit, subject to various exceptions, the Company’s ability to incur additional indebtedness, create liens on assets, merge, consolidate, liquidate or dissolve any part of the Company, sell assets, change fiscal year, or enter into certain transactions with affiliates and subsidiaries. We were in full compliance with the covenants as of December 31, 2021 and expect to continue to be in compliance through the next 12 months.

Additional future contractual cash obligations extending over the next 12 months and beyond primarily consist of operating lease payments. We lease office space under non-cancelable operating lease agreements (refer to Note 6 – Leases in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). The remaining duration of non-cancelable office space leases ranges from less than 1 year to 10 years. Remaining lease payments within one year, within two to three years, within four to five years, and after five years from December 31, 2021 are $16.6 million, $32.7 million, $26.3 million, and $14.9 million, respectively.

In addition to the contractual cash commitments included above, we have other payables and liabilities that may be legally enforceable but are not considered contractual commitments. See Note 14 – Certain Balance Sheet Accounts in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on our payables and liabilities.

As of December 31, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents of $115.8 million. This balance includes $69.1 million held outside of the U.S. If the cash outside of the U.S. is needed for operations in the U.S., we would be required to accrue and pay U.S. state taxes and may be required to pay withholding taxes to foreign jurisdictions to repatriate these funds. However, our intent is to permanently

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reinvest these funds outside of the U.S. and our current plans do not demonstrate a need to repatriate these funds for our U.S. operations. We believe that our current cash balance and cash flows from operations will satisfy working capital, financing activities, and capital expenditure requirements for the next twelve months and to meet our known long-term cash requirements.

As of December 31, 2021, we did not have any significant unrecognized tax benefits for uncertain tax positions.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 1 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a full description of recent accounting pronouncements, including the expected dates of adoption and effects on results of operations and financial condition.

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