v3.25.2
Basis of Financial Statements
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2025
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Basis of Financial Statements Basis of Financial Statements
The following describes the significant accounting policies of Cannae Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, "we," "us," "our," "Cannae," "CNNE," or the "Company"), which have been followed in preparing the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
Description of the Business
We primarily acquire interests in operating companies and are engaged in actively managing and operating a core group of those companies, which we are committed to supporting for the long term. From time to time, we also seek to take meaningful equity ownership stakes where we have the ability to control or significantly influence quality companies, and we bring the strength of our operational expertise to each of our subsidiaries. We are a long-term owner that secures control and governance rights of other companies primarily to engage in their lines of business and we have no preset time constraints dictating when we sell or dispose of our businesses. We believe that our long-term ownership and active involvement in the management and operations of companies helps maximize the value of those businesses for our shareholders. Our primary assets as of June 30, 2025 include our ownership interests in Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc. ("Dun & Bradstreet" or "D&B"); Alight, Inc. ("Alight"); Paysafe Limited ("Paysafe"); Black Knight Football Club US, LP ("Black Knight Football" or "BKFC", formerly known as Black Knight Football and Entertainment, LP); Computer Services, Inc. ("CSI"); Watkins Holdings, LLC ("Watkins Holdings"); JANA Partners Capital, LLC and JANA Partners Management, LP (together, "JANA" or "JANA Partners"); High Sierra Distillery, LP ("Minden Mill"); AmeriLife Group, LLC ("AmeriLife"); O'Charley's Holdings, LLC ("O'Charley's"); 99 Restaurants Holdings, LLC ("99 Restaurants"); and various other controlled subsidiary companies and minority equity ownership interests.
See Note E - Segment Information for further discussion of the businesses comprising our reportable segments.
We conduct our business through our wholly-owned subsidiary Cannae Holdings, LLC ("Cannae LLC"), a Delaware limited liability company. Our board of directors ("Board") oversees the management of the Company, Cannae LLC and its businesses, and the performance of our external manager, Trasimene Capital Management, LLC ("Trasimene" or our "Manager").
Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation
The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP") and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X and include the historical accounts as well as wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries of the Company. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. All adjustments made were of a normal, recurring nature. This report should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K (our "Annual Report") for the year ended December 31, 2024.
All intercompany profits, transactions and balances have been eliminated. Our ownership interests in non-majority-owned partnerships and affiliates are accounted for under the equity method of accounting or as equity securities. Earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests recorded on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations represents the portion of our majority-owned subsidiaries' net earnings or loss that is owned by noncontrolling shareholders of such subsidiaries. Noncontrolling interest recorded on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets represents the portion of equity owned by noncontrolling shareholders in our consolidated subsidiaries.
Management Estimates
The preparation of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates made by management include the fair value measurements (See Note B - Investments and Note C - Fair Value Measurements), and the valuation allowance recorded on our federal net operating loss ("NOL") carryforwards, state net operating loss carryforwards, and certain deferred taxes related to our investments (See Income Taxes in this Note A). Actual results could differ from estimates.
Recent Developments
Dun & Bradstreet
On March 24, 2025, Dun & Bradstreet entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. (the "D&B Sale"). Under the terms of the agreement, D&B shareholders will receive $9.15 in cash for each share of common stock they own upon closing of the D&B Sale. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory clearances and other customary closing conditions.
In conjunction with the D&B Sale, Cannae entered into a Voting and Support Agreement with Dun & Bradstreet pursuant to which Cannae agreed to vote the 69,048,691 shares of D&B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, for which the Company was then the beneficial owner (the "Owned Shares") in favor of the D&B Sale. Pursuant to the Voting and Support Agreement, the Company has also agreed not to take certain actions, including (i) tendering any Owned Shares into any tender or exchange offer, (ii) transferring any Owned Shares (subject to certain exceptions), (iii) granting any proxies or powers of attorney or (iv) taking any action that would make any representation or warranty by the Company contained in the Voting and Support Agreement untrue or incorrect in any material respect or have the effect of preventing or disabling the Company from performing its obligations under the Voting and Support Agreement in any material respect. Under the Voting and Support Agreement, the Company is permitted to sell up to 10.0 million of the Owned Shares prior to completion of the D&B Sale or termination of the merger agreement entered into by D&B related to the D&B Sale in accordance with its terms.
As a result of the D&B Sale, we present our investment in Dun & Bradstreet as a discontinued operation and assets held for sale in our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2025 and all prior periods have been recast to reflect our investment in D&B as a discontinued operation and held for sale. See Note J - Discontinued Operations for further discussion of our accounting for our ownership interest in D&B.
During the second quarter, we sold 10.0 million shares of common stock of D&B and Cannae received proceeds of $89.5 million. As of June 30, 2025, we owned 59.0 million shares of D&B, which represented approximately 13.2% of its outstanding common stock.
Black Knight Football
During the six months ended June 30, 2025, we invested $25.0 million in BKFC and as of June 30, 2025, we held a 42.5% ownership interest. We have committed to invest an additional $25.0 million in BKFC and expect to fund the investment in the third quarter 2025. See Note B - Investments for further discussion of our accounting for our ownership interest in BKFC and other equity method investments.
Other Developments
In January 2025, WineDirect, Inc. completed the spin-off of its fulfillment division as WineDirect Fulfillment, LLC ("Fulfillment") and sold its E-commerce division (the "WD Transaction"). As a result of the WD Transaction, we received $20.4 million in proceeds including $13.6 million of cash and a 21.6% ownership interest in Fulfillment valued at $6.8 million. We recorded a new investment in Fulfillment of $6.8 million in Investments in unconsolidated affiliates in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet and a $15.0 million gain which is included in Recognized gains, net on our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations for the six months ended June 30, 2025.
On August 3, 2022, our Board authorized a three-year stock repurchase program (the "2022 Repurchase Program"), under which the Company may repurchase up to 10.0 million shares of its common stock. Such repurchases may be made from time to time in the open market at prevailing prices or in privately negotiated transactions through August 3, 2025. The 2022 Repurchase Program does not obligate the Company to acquire any specific number of shares and may be suspended or terminated at any time. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, we repurchased a total of 2,295,463 shares of Cannae common stock for approximately $42.1 million in the aggregate, or an average of $18.33 per share under the 2022 Repurchase Program.
On October 29, 2023, our Board authorized a stock repurchase program (the "2023 Repurchase Program"), under which the Company may repurchase up to 10.0 million shares of its common stock. Such repurchases may be made from time to time in the open market at prevailing prices or in privately negotiated transactions. The 2023 Repurchase Program does not obligate us to acquire any specific number of shares and may be suspended or terminated at any time. The 2023 Repurchase Program does not supersede or impact the repurchase capacity under the 2022 Repurchase Program. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, we repurchased a total of 3,492,076 shares of Cannae common stock for approximately $69.4 million in the aggregate, or an average of $19.87 per share under the 2023 Repurchase Program. From July 1, 2025 through August 8, 2025, we repurchased an additional 1,780,319 shares of Cannae common stock for approximately $37.7 million in the aggregate, or an average of $21.18 per share, pursuant to the 2023 Repurchase Program.
On March 24, 2025, our Board authorized a new stock repurchase program (the "2025 Repurchase Program"), under which the Company may repurchase up to 10.0 million shares of its common stock. Such repurchases may be made from time to time in the open market at prevailing prices or in privately negotiated transactions. The 2025 Repurchase Program does not obligate us to acquire any specific number of shares and may be suspended or terminated at any time. The 2025 Repurchase Program does not supersede or impact the repurchase capacity under the 2022 Repurchase Program or the 2023 Repurchase Program.
On May 12, 2025, Cannae entered into an agreement to acquire an additional 30% ownership interest in JANA Partners in exchange for an upfront payment of $67.5 million and potential further payments aggregating to $26.0 million if JANA Partners achieves certain Assets Under Management thresholds (the "JANA Investment"). The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025 and will result in the Company having a 50% total ownership interest in JANA Partners.
On May 12, 2025, Cannae, Cannae LLC and the Manager (Cannae, Cannae LLC and the Manager collectively, the "Parties"), entered into that certain Management Services Agreement Termination Agreement (the "MSA Termination Agreement"). As previously disclosed, on February 26, 2024, the Parties entered into that certain Third Amended and Restated Management Services Agreement among the Parties (the "MSA"), which provided for a termination of the MSA by the Company effective June 30, 2027, unless terminated earlier by the Company. The MSA also, among other items, (i) reduced the management fee to a fixed amount of $7.6 million annually effective beginning July 2, 2024 and (ii) provided for payment of the $20.0 million termination fee due under the MSA to be paid by the Company to the Manager in installments of $6.7 million annually over the three-year period ending July 1, 2026. Mr. Foley holds a majority interest in the Manager and therefore has an indirect interest in the MSA. The MSA Termination Agreement terminated the MSA in its entirety as of May 12, 2025 without any further obligations or liabilities other than certain obligations relating to the continued indemnification and limitation on liability and the remaining obligations of the Company and/or Cannae LLC, as applicable, to pay the Manager: (i) an amount of $0.6 million in each month from May to December 2025, representing each of the unpaid monthly Management Fees (as defined in the MSA) that would have been due to the Manager through December 31, 2025; (ii) on January 1, 2026, $11.4 million, representing the aggregate remaining unpaid monthly Management Fees that would have been due to the Manager from January 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027; (iii) on July 1, 2025, $6.7 million, representing the second installment of the unpaid Termination Fees (as defined in the MSA) that would have been due to the Manager on such date; and (iv) on July 1, 2026, $6.6 million, representing the final installment of the unpaid Termination Fees (as defined in the MSA) that would have been due to the Manager on July 1, 2026.
On May 12, 2025, William P. Foley transitioned from his roles as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Investment Officer and Chairman of the Board of the Company and now serves as the Board's non-executive Vice Chairman pursuant to a director services agreement (the "DSA"). Doug Ammerman was appointed as Chairman of the Board and Ryan R. Caswell, the Company’s former President, now serves as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, also effective as of May 12, 2025. In connection with the change in Mr. Foley's employment and as described in Mr. Foley’s original employment agreement, Mr. Foley received a lump-sum payment of $17.2 million, and all of Mr. Foley’s outstanding but unvested equity awards were accelerated in the second quarter of 2025.
The following dividends were declared by our Board in 2025:
Declaration DateRecord DatePayment DateDividends Per Share
May 8, 2025June 16, 2025June 30, 2025$0.12
August 7, 2025September 16, 2025September 30, 2025$0.15
Related Party Transactions
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, we incurred management fee expenses with our Manager of $17.1 million and $19.0 million, respectively, and during the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, we incurred $8.3 million and $9.9 million of termination fees with our Manager. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2024, we incurred management fee expenses with our Manager of $9.1 million and $18.2 million, respectively, and during the three and six months ended June 30, 2024, we incurred $4.3 million and $6.6 million, respectively, of termination fees with our Manager. These expenses are recorded in Other operating expenses on our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations.
See information under the header Put Right below for discussion of the accounting for the potential repurchase of our common stock pursuant to a provision of the DSA.
Earnings Per Share
Basic earnings per share, as presented on the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations, is computed by dividing net earnings available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period.
In periods when earnings are positive, diluted earnings per share is calculated by dividing net earnings available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus the impact of assumed conversions of potentially dilutive securities. For periods when we recognize a net loss, diluted loss per share is equal to basic loss per share as the impact of assumed conversions of potentially dilutive securities is considered to be antidilutive. We have granted certain shares of restricted stock and restricted stock units that have been treated as common share equivalents for purposes of calculating diluted earnings per share for periods in which positive earnings have been reported.
Instruments that provide the ability to purchase shares of our common stock that are antidilutive are excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024, shares of restricted stock outstanding were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share as inclusion of restricted stock would be antidilutive due to net losses.

Put Right

On May 12, 2025, we entered into the DSA and pursuant to a provision therein, we agreed to repurchase half of the common stock beneficially owned by the director at the greater of $19.50 per share of common stock or 20% in excess of the trading price of our common stock at the time such shares are sold back to the Company (the "Put Right"). The Put Right can be exercised at the option of the director beginning January 1, 2026. As of June 30, 2025 there are 2,413,357 shares of the Company's common stock that are subject to the Put Right which represent 50% of the shares held by the director. Based on the price of the Company's common stock as of June 30, 2025, the gross amount that would be paid to settle the Put Right and repurchase the underlying common stock was $60.4 million.

The Company accounts for the Put Right as a liability at fair value in accordance with the guidance in ASC 480 and ASC 815. The liability for the Put Right is included in Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities, current on our condensed consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2025. The initial measurement and subsequent changes in fair value of the Put Right are recorded in Recognized losses, net in our condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2025. See Note C - Fair Value Measurements for further discussion of the fair value of the Put Right.
Income Taxes
Our effective tax rate was 1.3% and 21.1% in the three months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively, and (12.1)% and (10.0)% in the six months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024. The change in the effective tax rate in the six-month period ended June 30, 2025 compared to the corresponding prior year period was primarily attributable to recording a valuation allowance in the current period of $84.8 million partially offset by the impairment recorded to our investment in D&B and Alight and a valuation allowance of $58.8 million in the prior period on our federal net operating loss carryforwards and certain deferred taxes related to our consolidated partnerships and the varying impact of equity in losses of unconsolidated affiliates on income tax expense (benefit).
We have a Deferred tax asset of $55.0 million and $73.9 million as of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively. The $18.9 million change in deferred taxes in the six months ended June 30, 2025 is primarily attributable to recording of a valuation allowance of $84.8 million primarily related to our federal net operating loss carryforwards, state net operating loss carryforwards and certain deferred taxes related to our investments, partially offset by the tax impact of the impairment of D&B and Alight.
On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act ("OBBBA") was signed into law. The OBBBA includes various provisions, such as the permanent extension of certain expiring provisions for the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, modifications to the international tax framework and the restoration of favorable tax treatment for certain business provisions. The OBBBA has multiple effective dates, with certain provisions effective in 2025 and others implemented though 2027. We are currently assessing how OBBBA will impact our financial statements in future periods and do not expect it to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740), which requires consistent categories and greater disaggregation of information in the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. For public business entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. We will adopt this authoritative guidance prospectively during the current year and do not expect it to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.