3.1 Overview and General Requirements of Regulation G and Item 10(e)
Regulation G applies to all public releases or disclosure of
non-GAAP measures, even if such information is not part of a registrant’s SEC filing
(e.g., conference calls, investor presentations, and webcasts) and regardless of
whether the information is furnished to or filed with the SEC.
Regulation G states that:
-
Non-GAAP financial measures must not be misleading.
-
The most directly comparable GAAP measure must be presented.
-
A quantitative reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure to the most comparable GAAP measure must be presented for (1) a historical non-GAAP measure and (2) forward-looking information (to the extent available without unreasonable effort).
Item 10(e) applies to all SEC filings, such as registration
statements, proxy statements,1 and Forms 10-K and 10-Q. Item 10(e) expands on Regulation G to require the
following in addition to the three items above:
-
That the prominence of the most directly comparable GAAP measure presented be equal to or greater than that of the non-GAAP measure.
-
A statement indicating the reasons why the registrant believes that the non-GAAP measure provides useful information to investors about the registrant’s financial condition and results of operations.
-
To the extent material, a statement disclosing the additional purposes, if any, for which the registrant uses the non-GAAP measure.
The disclosure requirements for press releases furnished on Form 8-K
are the same as those in Item 10(e).
The non-GAAP disclosure requirements are discussed in greater detail
below. Factors for registrants to consider when assessing potentially misleading
non-GAAP measures are outlined in Section 4.3.
The table below summarizes the
disclosure requirements that apply to domestic2 registrants under the Rules.
Disclosure
Requirements
|
|
Press Releases Furnished
to the SEC (Item 2.02 of Form 8-K7)
| ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Presentation of the most directly comparable
GAAP financial measure
|
X
|
|
| |
Presentation, with equal
or greater prominence, of the most directly
comparable GAAP financial measure
|
|
X
|
X
| |
Quantitative reconciliation of the non-GAAP
financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP
financial measure
|
X
|
X
|
X
| |
Statement disclosing the reasons why
management believes the non-GAAP financial measure provides
useful information to investors
|
|
X
|
X
| |
To the extent material, a statement
disclosing the additional purposes, if any, for which
management uses the non-GAAP financial measure
|
|
X
|
X
|
Changing Lanes
In June 2022, the SEC issued a final
rule that (1) requires reporting companies to submit
their “glossy” annual reports electronically on EDGAR in PDF format when
they are provided to stockholders and (2) eliminates the option for a
company to provide paper copies or to only post such an annual report on its
Web site. The amended rule applies to both stand-alone “glossy” annual
reports and annual reports that use the “10-K wrap” approach, in which
several glossy pages are presented with a copy of the Form 10-K. This
electronic submission of a glossy annual report is considered furnished with
the SEC and would not be considered “filed” unless it is incorporated by
reference in a filed document (e.g., a registration statement). Because the
submission is deemed furnished, only Regulation G would apply to non-GAAP
measures included in the glossy annual report unless it is incorporated by
reference in a filed report, in which case the requirements and prohibitions
of Regulation S-K, Item 10(e), would also apply. Registrants are encouraged
to consult with their legal advisers if they have questions about situations
in which the glossy annual report may be considered filed.
The final rule is effective for submissions beginning on January 11,
2023.
3.1.1 Multiple Presentations of the Same Non-GAAP Measure
The SEC’s rules regarding conditions for use of non-GAAP measures do not address situations in which
a registrant presents the same non-GAAP measure in multiple sections of a filing (e.g., description
of business, selected financial data, and MD&A) or multiple times within the same section of a filing.
Although a registrant may repeat the disclosure each time the measure is used, repetitive disclosures
may not be beneficial to users. One alternative is to provide the Item 10(e) disclosures for all non-GAAP
measures in one section of the filing and a cross-reference to that section each time a non-GAAP
measure is presented.
Footnotes
1
See C&DI
Question 108.01, which discusses an exception for disclosures of
target levels that are non-GAAP measures in Compensation Discussion &
Analysis or other parts of the proxy statement.
2
For guidance on FPIs, see Regulation G; Regulation S-K, Item
10(e); Section 106 of
the C&DIs; and Section
8140 of the FRM.
3
Regulation G applies whenever a
registrant, or person acting on its behalf, publicly
discloses or releases material information that
includes a non-GAAP financial measure. Such
information may be furnished to or filed with the
SEC or publicly disclosed or released in another
manner.
4
In certain situations, Regulation G
and Item 10(e) do not apply. For example, they do
not apply to non-GAAP measures related to
projections or forecasts provided to a financial
adviser as a part of a proposed business
combination, or measures required to be disclosed by
a governmental authority. See Section 2.3 for a
discussion of measures that do not meet the
definition of a non-GAAP measure under the
Rules.
5
Item 10(e) applies to all SEC
filings that include non-GAAP financial
measures.
6
See footnote 4.
7
Form 8-K, Item 2.02, requires
registrants to furnish to the SEC all releases or
announcements disclosing material nonpublic
financial information about completed annual or
quarterly fiscal periods, regardless of whether the
release or announcement includes disclosure of a
non-GAAP financial measure. Item 2.02 also specifies
that the requirements in Item 10(e)(1)(i) apply to
such disclosures. If a registrant elects to file the
release or announcement with the SEC, all the
requirements in Item 10(e) apply.