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GAMCO Investors, Inc. Reports Second Quarter 2019 Earnings
[August 06, 2019]

GAMCO Investors, Inc. Reports Second Quarter 2019 Earnings


GAMCO Investors, Inc. ("GAMCO") (NYSE: GBL) today reported its operating results for the quarter ended June 30, 2019.





Financial Highlights (Unaudited)              
    Three Months Ended  
(In thousands, except per share data)  

June 30,
2019

 

March 31,
2019

 

June 30,
2018

 

               
U.S. GAAP Basis              
Revenues  

 $     76,407

 

 $     74,336

 

 $     87,193

 
Operating income  

        26,760

 

        28,613

 

        41,373

 
Net income  

        24,017

 

        19,892

 

        31,582

 
Diluted earnings per common share (a)  

 $         0.88

 

 $         0.70

 

 $         1.10

 
Weighted average diluted shares outstanding

        27,413

 

        28,539

 

        28,819

 
Shares outstanding  

        27,743

 

        28,853

 

        28,986

 
               
Assets Under Management              
AUM - average (in millions)  

 $     37,011

 

 $     36,837

 

 $     40,613

 
AUM - end of period (in millions)  

        36,924

 

        37,273

 

        40,671

 

 
(a) CEO waivers of compensation bolstered EPS by $0.00, $0.36, and $0.44, respectively.

Revenues

  • Total revenues for the second quarter of 2019 were $76.4 million compared with $87.2 million in the second quarter of 2018.
  • Investment advisory fees were $68.0 million in the second quarter of 2019 versus $77.3 million in the second quarter of 2018.
    • Open-end and closed-end fund revenues were $44.2 million compared to $49.1 million in the second quarter of 2018.
    • Institutional and Private Wealth Management revenues, which are generally billed on portfolio values at the beginning of the quarter, were $22.2 million in the second quarter of 2019 compared to $26.8 million in the second quarter of 2018.
    • SICAV revenues were $1.6 million in the second quarter of 2019 versus $1.5 million in the second quarter of 2018.
  • Distribution fees from our open-end equity funds and other income were $8.4 million for the second quarter of 2019 versus $9.9 million for the second quarter of 2018.

Operating Income

Operating income was $26.8 million in the second quarter of 2019 versus $41.4 million for the second quarter of 2018 which was bolstered by $17.2 million of waivers of CEO compensation. Amortization of deferred compensation, which includes the change in GBL share price, a non-cash charge, increased operating costs by $0.4 million and $11.2 million in the second quarters of 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Non-Operating Income

Mark to market investment gains were $6.0 million in the second quarter of 2019 versus $1.9 million in gains in the second quarter of 2018. Interest expense in the second quarter of 2019 was $0.7 million versus $0.9 million in the second quarter of 2018.

Income Taxes

The Company's effective tax rate for the quarter ended June 30, 2019 was 25.1% versus 25.5% for the quarter ended June 30, 2018.

Past and Future - Giving Back to Society

Generating returns for our stakeholders is not the sole gauge we use in measuring our success.  Since the inception of GAMCO's shareholder designated charitable contribution ("SDCC") program in 2013, shareholders have designated contributions of approximately $27 million to over 150 501(c)(3) initiatives.  Most recently, the SDCC approved by our board of directors in November 2018 provided $4.8 million to 90 shareholder designated 501(c)(3) organizations.  This program underscores our commitment to managing socially responsible portfolios since 1987.  More recently, the socially responsible mandates have evolved to include integrating ESG (environmental, social, and governance) factors into the analysis of companies and the structuring of portfolios.

Over $52 million has been donated to charities by GAMCO, including through our SDCC program, since our initial public offering ("IPO") in February 1999.  

On August 6, 2019, our Board of Directors authorized an additional $0.20 per share charitable contribution for registered holders as of November 15, 2019.

Business Highlights

  • In April, GAMCO repurchased 1.2 million shares of GBL class A stock in a private transaction, reducing the class A shares outstanding by 12.4% to 8.6 million and total shares outstanding from 28.8 million to 27.6 million.
  • GAMCO Asset Management hosted its 34th Annual Client Symposium at the Pierre Hotel with over 350 investors in attendance. 2019 Inductees to our Hall of Fame included Denise Ramos (ITT), Jay Hooley (State Street), Amin Khoury (KLX), and Cristina Stenbeck (Kinnevik AB). Bruce Greenwald was honored as the 15th recipient of the Graham and Dodd, Murray, Greenwald Prize for Value Investing.
  • On June 4, 2019, The Gabelli Dividend & Income Trust completed an offering of $50 million of 5.375% Series H Cumulative Preferred Shares. The preferred stock is perpetual, non-callable for five years, and was issued at $25 per share.
  • On July 11, 2019 GAMCO hosted a conference on Rule 852(b)(6), the Dynamics and Implications for the Fund Industry. Industry participants and members from the academic community covered a number of topics including "heartbeat trades" and innovations in the active ETF market.

Balance Sheet

We ended the quarter with cash and investments of $88.8 million, debt of $24.2 million, and $33.3 million of deferred compensation, net of tax.

Returns to Shareholders

We paid $0.6 million in dividends during the second quarter of 2019 and purchased 1,360,161 shares at an average price of $20.79 per share, or $28.3 million in total. Since our IPO in February 1999, we have returned $2.0 billion to shareholders consisting of $1.0 billion of spin-offs (valued at the time of the spin-offs), $494.5 million in the form of dividends, and $494.6 million through stock buybacks of approximately 12.3 million shares.

On August 6, 2019, GAMCO's board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.02 per share, which is payable on September 24, 2019 to class A and class B shareholders of record on September 10, 2019.

About GAMCO Investors, Inc.

GAMCO Investors, Inc., through its subsidiaries, manages open-end funds and closed-end funds (Gabelli Funds, LLC) and private advisory accounts (GAMCO Asset Management Inc.).

Table I: Assets Under Management (in millions)    
         
   

June 30,

 

March 31,

 

 

2019

 

2019

Equities:        
Open-end Funds  

 $

           11,016

 

 $

           11,452

Closed-end Funds  

 

               7,646

 

 

               7,550

Institutional & PWM (a)  

 

              15,332

 

 

              15,243

SICAV  

 

                  538

 

 

                  522

Total Equities  

 

              34,532

 

 

              34,767

Fixed Income:        
100% U.S. Treasury Fund  

 

               2,375

 

 

               2,487

Institutional & PWM  

 

                    17

 

 

                    19

Total Fixed Income  

 

               2,392

 

 

               2,506

Total Assets Under Management  

 $

           36,924

 

 $

           37,273

(a) Includes $252 and $251 of 100% U.S. Treasury Fund AUM at June 30, 2019 and March 31, 2019, respectively.

Table II: Fund Flows - 2nd Quarter 2019 (in millions)            
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fund

 

 

 

 

 

 

Market

 

 

 

distributions,

 

 

 

 

March 31,

 

appreciation/

 

Net cash

 

net of

 

June 30,

 

 

2019

 

(depreciation)

 

flows

 

reinvestments

 

2019

Equities:                    
Open-end Funds  

 $        11,452

 

 $            293

 

 $           (720)

 

 $              (9)

 

 $        11,016

Closed-end Funds  

            7,550

 

               165

 

                 61

 

             (130)

 

            7,646

Institutional & PWM  

           15,243

 

               387

 

             (298)

 

                 -  

 

           15,332

SICAV  

               522

 

                  4

 

                 12

 

                 -  

 

               538

Total Equities  

           34,767

 

               849

 

             (945)

 

             (139)

 

           34,532

Fixed Income:                    
100% U.S. Treasury Fund  

            2,487

 

                 14

 

             (126)

 

                 -  

 

            2,375

Institutional & PWM  

                 19

 

                 (2)

 

                 -  

 

                 -  

 

                 17

Total Fixed Income  

            2,506

 

                 12

 

             (126)

 

                 -  

 

            2,392

Total Assets Under Management  

 $        37,273

 

 $            861

 

 $        (1,071)

 

 $           (139)

 

 $        36,924

         
Table III                  
GAMCO INVESTORS, INC.
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(In thousands, except per share data)
                   
      Three Months Ended   Six Months Ended
      June 30,   June 30,
     

2019

 

2018

 

2019

 

2018

                   
Investment advisory and incentive fees    

 $        67,990

 

 $        77,334

 

 $       133,878

 

 $       154,682

Distribution fees and other income    

             8,417

 

             9,859

 

           16,865

 

           20,008

Total revenues    

           76,407

 

           87,193

 

         150,743

 

          174,690

                   
Compensation costs (a)    

           30,216

 

           28,952

 

           60,563

 

           54,902

Management fee expense (a)    

             4,709

 

             1,482

 

             6,158

 

             6,116

Distribution costs    

             8,605

 

             9,852

 

           17,275

 

           20,056

Other operating expenses    

             6,117

 

             5,534

 

           11,374

 

           10,987

Total expenses    

           49,647

 

           45,820

 

           95,370

 

           92,061

                   
Operating income    

           26,760

 

           41,373

 

           55,373

 

           82,629

                   
Investment income / (loss)    

             5,979

 

             1,935

 

             4,808

 

            (2,920)

Interest expense    

              (655)

 

              (922)

 

           (1,310)

 

            (2,122)

Non-operating income / (loss)    

             5,324

 

             1,013

 

             3,498

 

            (5,042)

                   
Income before income taxes    

           32,084

 

           42,386

 

           58,871

 

           77,587

Provision for income taxes    

             8,067

 

           10,804

 

           14,962

 

           18,744

Net income    

 $        24,017

 

 $        31,582

 

 $        43,909

 

 $         58,843

                   
Net income:                  
Basic    

 $            0.88

 

 $            1.10

 

 $            1.57

 

 $            2.04

Diluted     

 $            0.88

 

 $            1.10

 

 $            1.57

 

 $            2.04

                   
Weighted average shares outstanding:                  
Basic    

           27,357

 

           28,777

 

           27,929

 

           28,846

Diluted    

           27,413

 

           28,819

 

           27,973

 

           28,867

                   
Actual shares outstanding (b)    

           27,743

 

           28,986

 

           27,743

 

           28,986

                   
(a) CEO waiver reduced compensation costs by $0, $14,230, $12,178, and $19,113, respectively and
management fee expense by $0, $2,964, $1,689, and $4,641, respectively.
(b) Includes 668, 269, 668, and 269 of RSAs, respectively.
Table IV      
GAMCO INVESTORS, INC.
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
(In thousands, except per share data)
       
  June 30,   December 31,
 

2019

 

2018

       
ASSETS      
Cash and cash equivalents

 $

              52,008

 

 $

             41,202

Investments

 

                36,811

 

 

                33,789

Receivable from brokers

 

                  4,188

 

 

                  3,423

Other receivables

 

                28,176

 

 

                31,135

Deferred tax asset and income tax receivable

 

                18,250

 

 

                15,001

Other assets

 

                10,923

 

 

                10,062

       
  Total assets

 $

            150,356

 

 $

            134,612

       
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY      
Liabilities:      
Payable to brokers

 $

                    99

 

 $

                  112

Income taxes payable and deferred tax liabilities

 

                  1,935

 

 

                  2,388

Compensation payable (a)

 

                65,335

 

 

                60,408

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

 

                36,189

 

 

                37,926

Sub-total

 

               103,558

 

 

               100,834

       
5.875% Senior notes (due June 1, 2021)

 

                24,180

 

 

                24,168

Total debt

 

                24,180

 

 

                24,168

Total liabilities

 

               127,738

 

 

               125,002

       
Stockholders' equity

 

                22,618

 

 

                  9,610

       
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

 $

            150,356

 

 $

            134,612

       
(a) Excludes $5.5 million and $11.3 million of Deferred Cash Compensation Agreements ("DCCAs") expense
that is not yet recorded under GAAP as of June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively.

Non-GAAP information and reconciliation:

Management believes the use of non-GAAP measures provides relevant information to allow investors to view operating trends, perform analytical comparisons and benchmark performance between periods for its core operating results. Management uses non-GAAP measures in its financial, investing and operational decision-making process, for internal reporting and as part of its forecasting and budgeting processes. GAMCO's calculation of non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to other companies due to potential differences between companies in the method of calculation. Non-GAAP measures should not be considered a substitute for related U.S. GAAP measures.

The following tables reconcile the U.S. GAAP basis amounts, as reported, to the non-GAAP measures:

    Three Months Ended  
(Unaudited)
(In thousands, except per share data)
  June 30,
2019
  March 31,
2019
  June 30,
2018
 
               
Net income, U.S. GAAP basis  

 $        24,017

 

 $        19,892

 

 $        31,582

 
Impact of DCCAs on expenses and taxes (a):              
Compensation costs  

              (603)

 

           11,167

 

             9,751

 
Management fee expense  

             1,030

 

             1,449

 

             1,482

 
Provision for income taxes  

              (102)

 

           (3,027)

 

           (2,808)

 
Total impact of DCCAs on expenses and taxes

                325

 

             9,589

 

             8,425

 
Net income, as adjusted  

 $        24,342

 

 $        29,481

 

 $        40,007

 
               
Per fully diluted share:              
Net income, U.S. GAAP basis  

 $            0.88

 

 $            0.70

 

 $            1.10

 
Impact of DCCAs  

 $            0.01

 

 $            0.33

 

 $            0.29

 
Net income, as adjusted  

 $            0.89

 

 $            1.03

 

 $            1.39

 
               
(a) The non-GAAP adjustments relate to multiple DCCAs.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The financial results set forth in this press release are preliminary. Our disclosure and analysis in this press release, which do not present historical information, contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements convey our current expectations or forecasts of future events. You can identify these statements because they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They use words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," and other words and terms of similar meaning. They also appear in any discussion of future operating or financial performance. In particular, these include statements relating to future actions, future performance of our products, expenses, the outcome of any legal proceedings, and financial results. Although we believe that we are basing our expectations and beliefs on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of what we currently know about our business and operations, the economy, the effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and other conditions, there can be no assurance that our actual results will not differ materially from what we expect or believe. Therefore, you should proceed with caution in relying on any of these forward-looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future performance.

Forward-looking statements involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors, some of which are listed below, that are difficult to predict and could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from any future results or outcomes expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of the factors that could cause our actual results to differ from our expectations or beliefs include a decline in the securities markets that adversely affect our assets under management, negative performance of our products, the failure to perform as required under our investment management agreements, a general downturn in the economy that negatively impacts our operations, and the ongoing impacts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act with respect to tax rates and the non-deductibility of certain portions of named executive officer compensation. We also direct your attention to the more specific discussions of these and other risks, uncertainties and other important factors contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and other public filings. Other factors that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We do not undertake to update publicly any forward-looking statements if we subsequently learn that we are unlikely to achieve our expectations whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.


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