CBRE GROUP, INC. - Quarter Report: 2014 March (Form 10-Q)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2014

or

For the Transition Period from                      to                     

Commission File Number 001 – 32205

CBRE GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  x    No  ¨.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ¨    No  x.

The number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding at April 30, 2014 was 332,032,401.

Table of Contents

FORM 10-Q

March 31, 2014

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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CBRE GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Dollars in thousands, except share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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CBRE GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands, except share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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CBRE GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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CBRE GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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CBRE GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF EQUITY

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

1. Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements of CBRE Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (which may be referred to in these financial statements as the “company”, “we”, “us” and “our”), have been prepared in accordance with the rules applicable to Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and include all information and footnotes required for interim financial statement presentation, but do not include all disclosures required under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) for annual financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments, except as otherwise noted) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions about future events. These estimates and the underlying assumptions affect the amounts of assets and liabilities reported, and reported amounts of revenue and expenses. Such estimates include the value of goodwill, intangibles and other long-lived assets, real estate assets, accounts receivable, investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries and assumptions used in the calculation of income taxes, retirement and other post-employment benefits, among others. These estimates and assumptions are based on management’s best judgment. Management evaluates its estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis using historical experience and other factors, including consideration of the current economic environment, and adjusts such estimates and assumptions when facts and circumstances dictate. As future events and their effects cannot be determined with precision, actual results could differ significantly from these estimates. Changes in these estimates resulting from continuing changes in the economic environment will be reflected in the financial statements in future periods.

The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2014. The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements and notes to consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, which contains the latest available audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, which are as of and for the year ended December 31, 2013.

2. New Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2013-05, “Foreign Currency Matters (Topic 830): Parent’s Accounting for the Cumulative Translation Adjustment upon Derecognition of Certain Subsidiaries or Groups of Assets within a Foreign Entity or of an Investment in a Foreign Entity.” This ASU states that when a reporting entity (parent) ceases to have a controlling financial interest in a subsidiary or group of assets that is a nonprofit activity or a business (other than a sale of in substance real estate or conveyance of oil and gas mineral rights) within a foreign entity, the parent is required to apply the guidance in Subtopic 830-30 to release any related cumulative translation adjustment into net income. Accordingly, the cumulative translation adjustment should be released into net income only if the sale or transfer results in the complete or substantially complete liquidation of the foreign entity in which the subsidiary or group of assets had resided. ASU 2013-05 is effective prospectively for fiscal years (and interim reporting periods within those years) beginning after December 15, 2013, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this update on January 1, 2014 did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.

In July 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-11, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists.” This ASU states that an unrecognized tax benefit, or a portion of an unrecognized tax benefit, should be presented in the financial statements as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward, except as follows: To the extent a net operating loss carryforward, a

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CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward is not available at the reporting date under the tax law of the applicable jurisdiction to settle any additional income taxes that would result from the disallowance of a tax position or the tax law of the applicable jurisdiction does not require the entity to use, and the entity does not intend to use, the deferred tax asset for such purpose, the unrecognized tax benefit should be presented in the financial statements as a liability and should not be combined with deferred tax assets. This ASU applies to all entities that have unrecognized tax benefits when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists at the reporting date. This ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2013, with early adoption permitted. This ASU should be applied prospectively to all unrecognized tax benefits that exist at the effective date, with retrospective application permitted. The adoption of this update on January 1, 2014 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial position.

In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-08, “Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360): Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity.” This ASU states that only disposals representing a strategic shift and having a major effect on an organization’s operations should be presented as discontinued operations. ASU 2014-08 is effective prospectively for all disposals or components of a business classified as held for sale during fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2014, with early adoption permitted. We elected to early adopt ASU 2014-08 on January 1, 2014. The adoption of this update did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or disclosure requirements for our consolidated financial statements.

3. Norland Acquisition

On December 23, 2013, we acquired 100% of the outstanding stock of London-based Norland Managed Services, Ltd. (Norland), which fortified our real estate outsourcing platform in Europe within our EMEA segment (Norland Acquisition). Norland is a premier provider of building technical engineering services that enables us to self-perform these services in Europe and adds to our expertise in the highly specialized critical environments market. The purchase price for the Norland Acquisition was approximately $475 million, with $433.9 million paid at closing and the remaining contingent consideration payable in 2014. The Norland Acquisition was financed with cash on hand and borrowings under our revolving credit facility. On December 23, 2013, we also issued an aggregate of 362,916 shares of non-vested Class A common stock to certain members of senior management of Norland in connection with this acquisition.

The acquisition agreement provides for a contingent payment of up to 50 million British pounds sterling if certain performance criteria are met post-acquisition. In measuring the fair value of the contingent consideration, we assigned probabilities to the performance criteria, based on the nature of the performance criteria and our due diligence performed at the time of the acquisition. The fair value of this contingent consideration was based on the weighted probability of achievement of a certain earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) level for the 12-months ending March 31, 2014, which ranged from 22.1 million to 35.0 million British pounds sterling. We valued this contingent payment at 25.5 million British pounds sterling (or $41.8 million) at acquisition date, which has been recorded within accounts payable and accrued expenses in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

The preliminary purchase accounting adjustments related to the Norland Acquisition have been recorded in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. The excess purchase price over the estimated fair value of net assets acquired has been recorded to goodwill. The goodwill arising from the Norland Acquisition consists largely of the synergies and economies of scale expected from combining the operations acquired from Norland with ours. No goodwill recorded in connection with the Norland Acquisition is deductible for tax purposes.

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CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

Given the complexity of the transaction, the calculation of the fair value of certain assets and liabilities acquired, primarily intangible assets and income tax items, is still preliminary. The purchase price allocation is expected to be completed as soon as practicable, but no later than one year from the acquisition date.

Unaudited pro forma results, assuming the Norland Acquisition had occurred as of January 1, 2013 for purposes of the 2013 pro forma disclosures, are presented below. They include certain adjustments for the three months ended March 31, 2013, including $11.0 million of increased amortization expense as a result of intangible assets acquired in the Norland Acquisition, $0.3 million of additional interest expense as a result of debt incurred to finance the Norland Acquisition, and the tax impact of the pro forma adjustments. These unaudited pro forma results have been prepared for comparative purposes only and do not purport to be indicative of what operating results would have been had the Norland Acquisition occurred on January 1, 2013 and may not be indicative of future operating results (dollars in thousands, except share data):

4. Variable Interest Entities (VIEs)

A consolidated subsidiary (the Venture) in our Global Investment Management segment has sponsored investments by third-party investors in certain commercial properties through the formation of tenant-in-common limited liability companies and Delaware Statutory Trusts (collectively referred to as the Entities) that are owned by the third-party investors. The Venture also has formed and is a member of a limited liability company for each property that serves as master tenant (Master Tenant). Each Master Tenant leases the property from the Entities through a master lease agreement. Pursuant to the master lease agreements, the Master Tenant has the power to direct the day-to-day asset management activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the Entities. As a result, the Entities were deemed to be VIEs since the third-party investors holding the equity investment at risk in the Entities do not direct the day-to-day activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the properties held by the Entities. The Venture has made and may continue to make voluntary contributions to each of these properties to support their operations beyond the cash flow generated by the properties themselves. As of the most recent reconsideration date, such financial support has been significant enough that the Venture was deemed to be the primary beneficiary of each Entity.

No financial support was provided by the Venture to the Entities during the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.

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CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

Operating results relating to the Entities for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 include the following (dollars in thousands):

Investments in real estate of $39.4 million and $39.9 million and nonrecourse mortgage notes payable of $41.8 million ($0.9 million of which is current) and $41.7 million ($0.9 million of which is current) are included in real estate assets held for sale or investment and notes payable on real estate, respectively, in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. In addition, non-controlling deficits of $2.3 million and $1.8 million in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, are attributable to the Entities.

We hold variable interests in certain VIEs in our Global Investment Management and Development Services segments which are not consolidated as it was determined that we are not the primary beneficiary. Our involvement with these entities is in the form of equity co-investments and fee arrangements.

As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, our maximum exposure to loss related to the VIEs which are not consolidated was as follows (dollars in thousands):

5. Fair Value Measurements

The “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” Topic of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (Topic 820) defines fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Topic 820 also establishes a three-level fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. This hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows:

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CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

There were no significant transfers in and out of Level 1 and Level 2 during the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.

The following tables present the fair value of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 (dollars in thousands):

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CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

Fair value measurements for our available for sale securities are obtained from independent pricing services which utilize observable market data that may include quoted market prices, dealer quotes, market spreads, cash flows, the U.S. treasury yield curve, trading levels, market consensus prepayment speeds, credit information and the instrument’s terms and conditions.

The trading securities are primarily in the U.S. and are generally valued at the last reported sales price on the day of valuation or, if no sales occurred on the valuation date, at the mean of the bid and asked prices on such date.

The fair values of the warehouse receivables are calculated based on already locked in security buy prices. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, all of the warehouse receivables included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets were either under commitment to be purchased by Freddie Mac or had confirmed forward trade commitments for the issuance and purchase of Fannie Mae or Ginnie Mae mortgage backed securities that will be secured by the underlying loans. These assets are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy as all inputs are readily observable.

The valuation of interest rate swaps and foreign currency exchange forward contracts is determined using widely accepted valuation techniques including discounted cash flow analysis on the expected cash flows of each derivative. This analysis reflects the contractual terms of the derivatives, including the period to maturity, and uses observable market-based inputs, including interest rate and foreign currency exchange forward curves. The fair values of interest rate swaps and foreign currency exchange forward contracts are determined using the market standard methodology of netting the discounted future estimated cash payments/receipts. The estimated cash flows are based on an expectation of future interest rates or foreign currency exchange rates using forward curves derived from observable market interest rate and foreign currency exchange forward curves. To comply

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CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

with the provisions of Topic 820, we incorporate credit valuation adjustments to appropriately reflect both our own nonperformance risk and the respective counterparty’s nonperformance risk in the fair value measurements. In adjusting the fair value of our derivative contracts for the effect of nonperformance risk, we have considered the impact of netting and any applicable credit enhancements, such as collateral postings, thresholds, mutual puts, and guarantees. In conjunction with our adoption of ASU 2011-04, “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs,” we made an accounting policy election to measure the credit risk of our derivative financial instruments that are subject to master netting agreements on a net basis by counterparty portfolio. Although we have determined that the majority of the inputs used to value our derivatives fall within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, the credit valuation adjustments associated with our derivatives utilize Level 3 inputs, such as estimates of current credit spreads to evaluate the likelihood of default by us and our counterparties. However, as of March 31, 2014, we have determined that the credit valuation adjustments are not significant to the overall valuation of our derivatives. As a result, our derivative valuations in their entirety are classified in Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.

There were no significant non-recurring fair value measurements recorded during the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.

FASB ASC Topic 825, “Financial Instruments” requires disclosure of fair value information about financial instruments, whether or not recognized in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Our financial instruments are as follows:

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash: These balances include cash and cash equivalents as well as restricted cash with maturities of less than three months. The carrying amount approximates fair value due to the short-term maturities of these instruments.

Receivables, less Allowance for Doubtful Accounts: Due to their short-term nature, fair value approximates carrying value.

Warehouse Receivables: These balances are carried at fair value based on market prices at the balance sheet date.

Trading and Available for Sale Securities: These investments are carried at their fair value.

Short-Term Borrowings: The majority of this balance represents our warehouse lines of credit and our revolving credit facility outstanding for CBRE Capital Markets, Inc. (CBRE Capital Markets). Due to the short-term nature and variable interest rates of these instruments, fair value approximates carrying value.

Senior Secured Term Loans: Based upon information from third-party banks (which falls within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy), the estimated fair value of our senior secured term loans was approximately $676.2 million and $687.6 million at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. Their actual carrying value totaled $675.4 million and $685.3 million at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively (see Note 11).

Interest Rate Swaps: These liabilities are carried at their fair value as calculated by using widely accepted valuation techniques including discounted cash flow analysis on the expected cash flows of each derivative (see Note 6).

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CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

5.00% Senior Notes: Based on dealers’ quotes (which falls within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy), the estimated fair value of our 5.00% senior notes was $807.1 million and $769.4 million at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. Their actual carrying value totaled $800.0 million at both March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

6.625% Senior Notes: Based on dealers’ quotes (which falls within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy), the estimated fair value of our 6.625% senior notes was $374.9 million and $372.8 million at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. Their actual carrying value totaled $350.0 million at both March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

Notes Payable on Real Estate: As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the carrying value of our notes payable on real estate was $131.9 million and $130.5 million, respectively (see Note 10). These borrowings generally have floating interest rates at spreads over a market rate index. It is likely that some portion of our notes payable on real estate have fair values lower than actual carrying values. Given our volume of notes payable and the cost involved in estimating their fair value, we determined it was not practicable to do so. Additionally, only $4.0 million of these notes payable were recourse to us as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

6. Derivative Financial Instruments

We are exposed to certain risks arising from both our business operations and economic conditions. We manage economic risks, including interest rate, liquidity, and credit risk primarily by managing the amount, sources, and duration of our debt funding and by using derivative financial instruments. Specifically, we enter into derivative financial instruments to manage exposures that arise from business activities that result in the payment of future known but uncertain cash amounts, the value of which are determined by interest rates. Our derivative financial instruments are used to manage differences in the amount, timing, and duration of our known or expected cash payments principally related to our borrowings. We do not net derivatives on our balance sheet. Our objectives in using interest rate derivatives are to add stability to interest expense and to manage our exposure to interest rate movements. To accomplish this objective, we primarily use interest rate swaps as part of our interest rate risk management strategy. Additionally, certain of our foreign operations expose us to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. These fluctuations may impact the value of our cash receipts and payments in terms of our functional currency. We enter into derivative financial instruments to protect the value or fix the amount of certain obligations in terms of our reporting currency, the U.S. dollar.

In March 2011, we entered into five interest rate swap agreements, all with effective dates in October 2011, and immediately designated them as cash flow hedges in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging.” The purpose of these interest rate swap agreements is to hedge potential changes to our cash flows due to the variable interest nature of our senior secured term loan facilities. The total notional amount of these interest rate swap agreements is $400.0 million, with $200.0 million expiring in October 2017 and $200.0 million expiring in September 2019. There was no significant hedge ineffectiveness for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013. During the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, we recorded net gains of $0.4 million and $2.3 million, respectively, to other comprehensive income in relation to such interest rate swap agreements. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the fair values of such interest rate swap agreements were reflected as a $28.6 million liability and a $29.0 million liability, respectively, and were included in other long-term liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

In March 2014, we began a foreign currency exchange hedging program by entering into 38 foreign currency exchange forward contracts. These forward contracts include agreements to buy U.S. dollars and sell

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CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, Japanese yen, Euros, and British pound sterling covering a notional amount of $209.7 million. The purpose of these forward contracts is to mitigate the risk of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that would adversely impact our foreign currency denominated EBITDA. Hedge accounting was not elected for any of these contracts. As such, changes in the fair values of these contracts are recorded directly in earnings through other income. The net impact on earnings resulting from gains and/or losses associated with these forward contracts has not been significant. As of March 31, 2014, the fair value of forward contracts with three counterparties aggregated to a $0.9 million asset position, which was included in other current assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. As of March 31, 2014, the fair value of forward contracts with two counterparties aggregated to a $0.8 million liability position, which was included in other current liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

7. Investments in Unconsolidated Subsidiaries

Investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries are accounted for under the equity method of accounting. Combined condensed financial information for these entities is as follows (dollars in thousands):