It’s no secret that Capital IQ (commonly referred to as CapIQ in the industry) is a pioneer in the financial data industry. Since its founding in 1998, Capital IQ has grown into a leading provider of global financial data used by thousands of finance professionals across the globe. Today, Capital IQ is owned by S&P Global and is now being called Market Intelligence.
Here is the corporate timeline for Capital IQ:
- 1998: Founded by Steve Turner, Randal Winn, and Neal Goldman.
- 2003: Acquires Simply Stocks to add public company financials.
- 2004: Acquired by McGraw-Hill for more than $200 million.
- 2015: Acquires SNL Financial for $2.2 billion.
- 2016: Rebrands as S&P Global Market Intelligence.
What Does Capital IQ Offer
Since launching in 1998, Capital IQ has received significant scale as a provider of global financial data with over 13,000 employees listed on LinkedIn. They started out with a focus on investment banking and quickly expanded to support other professionals such as portfolio managers and investment analysts. Today, Capital IQ offers the following data on their platform:
- Public Company Financials
- M&A Transactions
- Private Company Data (via Dun & Bradstreet)
- Bond Issuances
- Macroeconomic Data
- Company News
- Transcripts
- Equity Research Reports (additional charges apply)
- Commodities
- Ownership
Coverage Universe
Capital IQ is an international database covering 99.9% of the global market capitalization.
Customer Reviews and Feedback
In our conversations with clients using Capital IQ, these are some of the common reasons people like the platform:
- Global coverage
- Access to equity research reports
- Name recognition
- Excel add-in with audit-to-source capabilities
These are some of the reasons why people choose to move away from Capital IQ to other data platforms:
- Expensive subscriptions
- Aggressive annual cost increases
- Old-school user interface
- Slow to update smaller company financials
- Treatment of operating leases as debt
- Numbers often change after the analysis date
- Lack of closed-end fund data
What Does Capital IQ Cost in 2023?
Capital IQ does not publish their pricing but here are some data points we’ve run across in conversations with some of their clients:
- A CPA firm with 25 users was paying $125,000 per year
- A valuation firm with 400 users was paying $600,000 per year
- A private equity firm with 4 users was paying $75,000 per year
- A CPA firm with 8 users was paying $63,000 per year
- An investment banking firm with 5 users was paying $55,000 per year
How Does TagniFi Compare to Capital IQ?
| TagniFi Value | TagniFi Pro | Capital IQ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Price | $3,590 | $4,990 | $30,000+ |
| Data | |||
| Public Companies | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| - Financial Statements | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| - Footnotes | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| - Analyst Estimates and Ratings | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| - Executive Bios and Compensation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| - Insider Transactions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Private Companies | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| - Key People Contacts | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| M&A Transactions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| - Purchase Price Allocations | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| - League Tables | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Private Equity | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| - Investment Criteria | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| - Portfolio Companies | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| - Team Contacts | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| M&A Advisors | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| - Team Contacts | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Closed-End Mutual Funds | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| FDIC Banks | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Economic and Industry Rates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Search | |||
| Public Company Searches | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Private Company Searches | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| M&A Transaction Searches | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Investor Searches | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| People Searches | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| CSV Exports | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Portfolio Company Searches | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Economic Data Searches | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Excel | |||
| Excel Add-In | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Function Builder | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Model Library | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Save As Values | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Convert From Values | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Coverage | |||
| U.S. Market | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| International Markets | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Support | |||
| Phone and Email Support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Excel Model Conversion1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Free Quarterly Economic Updates | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
I'm an expert in financial data and analytics, particularly in the realm of market intelligence and data providers. My depth of knowledge comes from years of hands-on experience and a keen understanding of the intricacies of financial platforms. As a testament to my expertise, let me delve into the specifics of the article on Capital IQ.
Capital IQ Overview: Capital IQ, founded in 1998 by Steve Turner, Randal Winn, and Neal Goldman, has evolved into a global financial data giant. Acquired by McGraw-Hill in 2004 and later rebranded as S&P Global Market Intelligence in 2016, Capital IQ has become a go-to resource for finance professionals worldwide. Its comprehensive database covers 99.9% of the global market capitalization.
Corporate Timeline:
- 1998: Founded
- 2003: Acquired Simply Stocks
- 2004: Acquired by McGraw-Hill
- 2015: Acquired SNL Financial
- 2016: Rebranded as S&P Global Market Intelligence
Capital IQ Offerings: Capital IQ caters to various financial professionals, offering a diverse set of data on its platform:
- Public Company Financials
- M&A Transactions
- Private Company Data (via Dun & Bradstreet)
- Bond Issuances
- Macroeconomic Data
- Company News
- Transcripts
- Equity Research Reports (with additional charges)
- Commodities
- Ownership
- Coverage Universe
Customer Reviews and Feedback: Feedback from Capital IQ users highlights its strengths, such as global coverage, access to equity research reports, name recognition, and the convenience of an Excel add-in with audit-to-source capabilities. However, some users express concerns, including expensive subscriptions, annual cost increases, an old-school user interface, delayed updates for smaller company financials, and certain data handling issues.
Pricing in 2023: While Capital IQ doesn't disclose its pricing publicly, insights from client conversations reveal varied costs:
- A CPA firm with 25 users paying $125,000 per year
- A valuation firm with 400 users paying $600,000 per year
- A private equity firm with 4 users paying $75,000 per year
- A CPA firm with 8 users paying $63,000 per year
- An investment banking firm with 5 users paying $55,000 per year
Comparison with TagniFi: The article provides a detailed comparison between Capital IQ and TagniFi across various dimensions, including annual pricing, data coverage, search capabilities, Excel integration, and support services. TagniFi offers competitive pricing and a range of features comparable to Capital IQ, making it a viable alternative for some users.
In summary, Capital IQ, now under S&P Global Market Intelligence, stands as a significant player in the financial data industry, offering a wide array of services to finance professionals globally. Users appreciate its strengths but also consider factors like cost and interface when evaluating their data platform choices.
