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8-K - FORM 8-K - MARKETAXESS HOLDINGS INCd425144d8k.htm

Exhibit 99.1

 

LOGO

MARKETAXESS REPORTS SECOND QUARTER 2017 REVENUES

OF $97.3 MILLION, PRE-TAX INCOME OF $49.6 MILLION AND

DILUTED EPS OF $1.00

Second Quarter Financial Highlights*

 

  Revenues of $97.3 million, up 0.7%

 

  Pre-tax income of $49.6 million, down 1.9%

 

  Diluted EPS of $1.00, up 13.6% from $0.88

 

  Trading volume of $361.5 billion, up 6.9%

 

*  All comparisons versus second quarter 2016.

NEW YORK, July 26, 2017 – MarketAxess Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: MKTX), the operator of a leading electronic trading platform for fixed-income securities, and the provider of market data and post-trade services for the global fixed-income markets, today announced results for the quarter ended June 30, 2017.

“We posted our second best quarter ever for trading volume, revenue and diluted EPS in spite of the continued lackluster market environment,” said Richard M. McVey, Chairman and CEO of MarketAxess. “We continue to build upon the strong foundation of our global business which we expect will drive further positive momentum when market activity improves. Our geographic expansion has been a key driver of revenue and earnings growth, with significant gains in the number of active clients, and emerging market trading activity. Open TradingTM continues to see increased client adoption and, during the second quarter, reached a new record as a percentage of our total trading volume.”

Second Quarter Results

Total revenues for the second quarter of 2017 increased 0.7% to $97.3 million, compared to $96.6 million for the second quarter of 2016. Pre-tax income was $49.6 million, compared to $50.6 million for the second quarter of 2016, a decrease of 1.9%. Pre-tax margin was 50.9%, compared to 52.3% for the second quarter of 2016. Net income totaled $38.0 million, or $1.00 per share on a diluted basis, compared to $33.1 million, or $0.88 per share, for the second quarter of 2016.    

Commission revenue for the second quarter of 2017 increased 0.9% to $87.0 million, compared to $86.2 million for the second quarter of 2016. Variable transaction fees increased 0.4% to $70.6 million on total trading volume of $361.5 billion for the second quarter of 2017, compared to variable transaction fees of $70.3 million on total trading volume of $338.3 billion for the second quarter of 2016. U.S. high-grade trading volume as a percentage of FINRA’s high-grade TRACE trading volume increased to an estimated 17.0% for the second quarter of 2017, compared to an estimated 16.1% for the second quarter of 2016.

 

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All other revenue, which consists of information and post-trade services, technology products and services, investment income and other revenue, decreased to $10.3 million, compared to $10.4 million for the second quarter of 2016. The decrease in all other revenue was principally due to an unfavorable impact of $0.6 million caused by the stronger U.S. dollar offset by higher data revenue.

Total expenses for the second quarter of 2017 increased 3.6% to $47.7 million, compared to $46.1 million for the second quarter of 2016. The increase in total expenses was largely due to higher marketing and advertising costs of $1.0 million and an increase in general and administrative costs of $0.7 million.

The effective tax rate for the second quarter of 2017 was 23.3%, compared to 34.5% for the second quarter of 2016. The second quarter 2017 income tax provision includes excess tax benefits of approximately $5.3 million relating to a new standard for share-based compensation accounting adopted effective January 1, 2017.

Employee headcount was 405 as of June 30, 2017, compared to 383 as of December 31, 2016 and 367 as of June 30, 2016.

Dividend

The Company’s board of directors declared a cash dividend to $0.33 per share of common stock outstanding, to be paid on August 24, 2017 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on August 10, 2017.

Share Repurchases

A total of 65,028 shares were repurchased in the second quarter of 2017 at a cost of $12.4 million.

Balance Sheet Data

As of June 30, 2017, total assets were $547.0 million and included $365.5 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments. Total stockholders’ equity as of June 30, 2017 was $501.2 million.

Guidance for 2017

The Company reconfirms its full year 2017 guidance range for total expenses of $192.0 million to $208.0 million, capital spending of $25.0 million to $30.0 million and overall effective tax rate of 26% to 28%.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Other Items

To supplement the Company’s unaudited financial statements presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), the Company uses certain non-GAAP measures of financial performance, including earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) and free cash flow. The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures, when taken into consideration with the corresponding GAAP financial measures, are important in understanding the Company’s operating results. See the attached schedule for a reconciliation of GAAP net income to EBITDA and GAAP cash flow from operating activities to free cash flow.

Webcast and Conference Call Information

Richard M. McVey, chairman and chief executive officer, and Antonio L. DeLise, chief financial officer, will host a conference call to discuss the Company’s financial results and outlook on Wednesday, July 26, 2017, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time. To access the conference call, please dial 855-425-4206 (U.S.) or 484-756-4249 (international). The Company will also host a live audio Webcast of the conference call on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at http://investor.marketaxess.com. A replay of the call will be made available by dialing 855-859-2056 (U.S.) or 404-537-3406 (international) for one week after the announcement. The Webcast will also be archived on http://investor.marketaxess.com for 90 days following the announcement.

 

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About MarketAxess

MarketAxess operates a leading electronic trading platform that enables fixed-income market participants to efficiently trade corporate bonds and other types of fixed-income instruments using MarketAxess’ patented trading technology. Over 1,200 institutional investor and broker-dealer firms are active users of the MarketAxess trading platform, accessing global liquidity in U.S. high-grade corporate bonds, emerging markets and high-yield bonds, European bonds, U.S. agency bonds, municipal bonds, credit default swaps and other fixed-income securities. MarketAxess also offers a number of trading-related products and services, including: market data to assist clients with trading decisions; connectivity solutions that facilitate straight-through processing; technology services to optimize trading environments; and execution services for exchange-traded fund managers and other clients. Through its Trax® division, MarketAxess also offers a range of pre- and post-trade services, including trade matching, regulatory transaction reporting and market and reference data, across a range of fixed-income products. Trax is the trading name of Xtrakter Ltd., a MarketAxess group company.

MarketAxess maintains its headquarters in New York and has offices in London, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, São Paulo, Hong Kong and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.marketaxess.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements about the outlook and prospects for Company and industry growth, as well as statements about the Company’s future financial and operating performance. These and other statements that relate to future results and events are based on MarketAxess’ current expectations. The Company’s actual results in future periods may differ materially from those currently expected or desired because of a number of risks and uncertainties, including: the volatility of financial services markets generally; the level of trading volume transacted on the MarketAxess platform; the absolute level and direction of interest rates and the corresponding volatility in the corporate fixed-income market; the level and intensity of competition in the fixed-income electronic trading industry and the pricing pressures that may result; the variability of our growth rate; the rapidly evolving nature of the electronic financial services industry; our ability to introduce new fee plans and our clients’ response; our exposure to risks resulting from non-performance by counterparties to transactions executed between our clients in which we act as an intermediary in matched principal trades; our dependence on our broker-dealer clients; the loss of any of our significant institutional investor clients; our ability to develop new products and offerings and the market’s acceptance of those products; the effect of rapid market or technological changes on us and the users of our technology; our ability to successfully maintain the integrity of our trading platform and our response to system failures, capacity constraints and business interruptions; our vulnerability to cyber security risks; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights or technology and defend against intellectual property infringement or other claims; our ability to enter into strategic alliances and to acquire other businesses and successfully integrate them with our business; our ability to comply with new laws, rules and regulations both domestically and internationally; our ability to maintain effective compliance and risk management methods; the strain of growth initiatives on management and other resources; our future capital needs and our ability to obtain capital when needed; limitations on our operating flexibility contained in our credit agreement; and other factors. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. More information about these and other factors affecting MarketAxess’ business and prospects is contained in MarketAxess’ periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and can be accessed at www.marketaxess.com.

 

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Media and Investor Relations Contacts:

Tony DeLise

MarketAxess Holdings Inc.

+1-212-813-6017

 

Mary Sedarat

MarketAxess Holdings Inc.

+1-212-813-6226

  

William McBride

RF|Binder

+1-917-239-6726

 

 

 

 

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MarketAxess Holdings Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

 

 
     Three Months Ended
June 30,
     Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
     2017      2016      2017      2016  
     (In thousands, except per share data)  
     (unaudited)  

Revenues

           

Commissions

   $ 87,015      $ 86,239      $ 181,037      $ 165,332  

Information and post-trade services

     8,272        8,586        16,088        16,365  

Investment income

     840        517        1,587        935  

Other

     1,187        1,297        2,493        2,580  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total revenues

     97,314        96,639        201,205        185,212  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Expenses

           

Employee compensation and benefits

     25,421        25,815        52,822        50,342  

Depreciation and amortization

     4,790        4,540        9,483        9,221  

Technology and communications

     4,822        4,277        9,407        8,581  

Professional and consulting fees

     4,086        4,245        8,365        8,107  

Occupancy

     1,422        1,225        2,826        2,386  

Marketing and advertising

     2,782        1,824        4,668        3,602  

Clearing costs

     1,517        1,953        2,844        3,719  

General and administrative

     2,901        2,209        5,610        4,333  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total expenses

     47,741        46,088        96,025        90,291  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

     49,573        50,551        105,180        94,921  

Provision for income taxes

     11,550        17,425        24,694        32,832  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net income

   $ 38,023      $ 33,126      $ 80,486      $ 62,089  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Per Share Data:

           

Net income per common share

           

Basic

   $ 1.03      $ 0.90      $ 2.18      $ 1.69  

Diluted

   $ 1.00      $ 0.88      $ 2.11      $ 1.65  

Cash dividends declared per common share

   $ 0.33      $ 0.26      $ 0.66      $ 0.52  

Weighted-average common shares:

           

Basic

     36,853        36,876        36,852        36,826  

Diluted

     38,077        37,748        38,095        37,710  

 

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MarketAxess Holdings Inc.

Commission Revenue Details

 

 
     Three Months Ended
June 30,
     Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
     2017      2016      2017      2016  
     Total Commissions Revenue  
     (In thousands)  
     (unaudited)  

Transaction Fees

           

U.S. high-grade

   $ 32,868      $ 35,771      $ 68,391      $ 67,339  

Other credit1

     37,145        33,826        78,840        64,747  

Liquid products2

     570        678        1,200        1,298  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total transaction fees

     70,583        70,275        148,431        133,384  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Distribution Fees

           

U.S. high-grade

     15,930        14,297        31,680        28,521  

Other credit1

     384        1,471        664        2,971  

Liquid products2,3

     118        196        262        456  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total distribution fees

     16,432        15,964        32,606        31,948  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total commissions

   $ 87,015      $ 86,239      $ 181,037      $ 165,332  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     Average Variable Transaction Fee Per Million  
     (unaudited)  

U.S. high-grade - fixed-rate

   $ 165      $ 194      $ 166      $ 189  

U.S. high-grade - floating-rate

     63        36        59        36  

Total U.S. high-grade

     162        189        162        183  

Other credit

     257        258        259        261  

Liquid products

     43        38        42        39  

Total

     195        208        196        206  

 

1 Other credit includes high-yield, emerging markets, Eurobonds and municipal bonds.

2 Liquid products includes U.S. agencies and European government bonds.

3 Includes CDS SEF-related revenue.

 

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MarketAxess Holdings Inc.

Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheet Data

 

 
     As of  
     June 30, 2017      December 31, 2016  
     (In thousands)  
     (unaudited)  

Assets

     

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 128,143      $ 168,243  

Investments, at fair value

     237,361        194,404  

Accounts receivable, net

     55,215        50,668  

All other assets

     126,322        114,727  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 547,041      $ 528,042  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

     

Total liabilities

   $ 45,813      $ 60,029  

Total stockholders’ equity

     501,228        468,013  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 547,041      $ 528,042  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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MarketAxess Holdings Inc.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

 

 
     Three Months Ended
June 30,
    Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
     2017     2016     2017     2016  
     Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation
and Amortization
 
     (In thousands)  
     (unaudited)  

Net income

   $ 38,023     $ 33,126     $ 80,486     $ 62,089  

Add back:

        

Interest expense

     —         —         —         —    

Provision for income taxes

     11,550       17,425       24,694       32,832  

Depreciation and amortization

     4,790       4,540       9,483       9,221  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization

   $ 54,363     $ 55,091     $ 114,663     $ 104,142  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     Free Cash Flow  
     (In thousands)  
     (unaudited)  

Cash flow from operating activities

   $ 38,569     $ 28,714     $ 69,118     $ (28,669

Add back:

        

Net purchases of corporate debt trading investments

     (1,085     (839     111       72,396  

Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation previously recorded under financing activities

     —         3,933       —         8,573  

Less:

        

Purchases of furniture, equipment and leasehold improvements

     (1,628     (1,252     (5,777     (3,904

Capitalization of software development costs

     (3,495     (3,107     (6,667     (6,142
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Free cash flow

   $ 32,361     $ 27,449     $ 56,785     $ 42,254  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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MarketAxess Holdings Inc.

Volume Statistics*

 

 
     Three Months Ended
June 30,
     Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
     2017      2016      2017      2016  
     Total Trading Volume  
     (In millions)  
     (unaudited)  

U.S. high-grade - fixed-rate

   $ 195,717      $ 183,107      $ 407,691      $ 353,326  

U.S. high-grade - floating-rate

     7,870        6,220        15,290        13,727  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total U.S. high-grade

     203,587        189,327        422,981        367,053  

Other credit

     144,574        131,168        304,298        248,142  

Liquid products

     13,345        17,781        28,651        33,102  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 361,506      $ 338,276      $ 755,930      $ 648,297  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     Average Daily Volume  
     (In millions)  
     (unaudited)  

U.S. high-grade

   $ 3,232      $ 2,958      $ 3,384      $ 2,936  

Other credit

     2,311        2,058        2,434        1,985  

Liquid products

     212        278        299        265  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 5,755      $ 5,294      $ 6,047      $ 5,186  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Number of U.S. Trading Days1

     63        64        125        125  

Number of U.K. Trading Days2

     61        63        125        125  

 

1 The number of U.S. trading days is based on the SIFMA holiday recommendation calendar.

2 The number of U.K. trading days is based on the U.K. Bank holiday schedule.

*Consistent with FINRA TRACE reporting standards, both sides of trades are included in the Company’s reported volumes when the Company executes trades on a matched principal basis between two counterparties

 

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