WisdomTree Announces Third Quarter 2018 Results

$22.0 million net income, or $14.7 million as adjusted

$0.13 diluted EPS for the quarter, or $0.09 as adjusted

Declares $0.03 quarterly dividend

NEW YORK, Oct. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (NASDAQ: WETF), an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) and exchange-traded product (“ETP”) sponsor and asset manager today reported net income of $22.0 million or $0.13 diluted EPS in the third quarter.  Adjusted net income (a non-GAAP measure1) was $14.7 million1 or $0.09 diluted EPS1.  This compares to net income of $8.0 million or $0.06 diluted EPS in the third quarter of last year and net income of $16.7 million or $0.10 diluted EPS (as adjusted, $14.3 million1 or $0.09 diluted EPS1) in the second quarter of 2018.  

WisdomTree CEO and President Jonathan Steinberg said, “The asset and wealth management industry continues to evolve with increasing pressure being exerted on legacy product structures and business models. WisdomTree has always operated with an eye towards the future and is well positioned to navigate this environment.  Our Modern Alpha™ approach combines the promise of active management with the benefits of the ETF structure to deliver a better investing experience while preserving attractive and sustainable economics for our shareholders. The marriage of our differentiated and strong performing product set, modern distribution approach and technology-driven, award winning solutions program positions WisdomTree for the next wave of growth.”

“One highlight stems from product innovations in 2013/2014 when WisdomTree launched a suite of fixed income ETFs in the U.S., designed for a rising interest rate environment. These products found the perfect market environment in 2018, performing exactly as designed and attracting significant inflows. This same fixed income product suite has since taken in nearly $700 million of flows through the first three quarters of the year and remains very well positioned for further growth.” Steinberg continued.

    Three Months Ended   Change From
    Sept. 30,   June 30,   Sept. 30,   June 30,   Sept. 30,
   2018     2018     2017    2018     2017 
Consolidated Operating Highlights ($, in billions):                    
AUM   $ 59.1     $ 60.0     $ 46.4       (1.4 %)     27.5 %
Assets acquired     n/a     $ 17.6       n/a       n/a       n/a   
Net inflows/(outflows)   $ (1.3 )   $ (1.3 )   $ (0.3 )     (0.3 %)     337.8 %
Average AUM   $ 59.5     $ 61.3     $ 45.2       (3.0 %)     31.5 %
Average advisory fee     0.48 %     0.48 %     0.50 %     —        (0.02
                     
Consolidated Financial Highlights ($, in millions, except per share amounts):                    
Operating revenues   $ 72.6     $ 74.8     $ 57.7       -2.9 %     25.7 %
Net income   $ 22.0     $ 16.7     $ 8.0       31.8 %     176.4 %
Diluted earnings per share   $ 0.13     $ 0.10     $ 0.06     $ 0.03     $ 0.07  
Operating income margin     29.9 %     19.4 %     26.4 %     10.5       3.5  
Non-GAAP1                    
Net income, as adjusted   $ 14.7     $ 14.3       n/a        2.5 %     n/a   
Diluted earnings per share, as adjusted   $ 0.09     $ 0.09       n/a      $ 0.00       n/a   
Operating income margin, as adjusted     30.5 %     30.0 %     n/a        0.5       n/a   
                     

Recent Business Developments

Company News

  • In August 2018, Ally Invest announced the addition of commission-free ETFs to its online trading platform, including WisdomTree’s full range of ETFs.
  • In September 2018, the Company announced that the WisdomTree Digital Portfolio Developer (DPD) won the 2018 WealthManagement.com Industry Award for “Thought Leadership Initiative” of the Year; and TCA by E*Trade announced the expansion of its ETF trading platform to include WisdomTree ETFs.
  • In October 2018, the Company announced it collaborated with PIMCO on three ETF Model Portfolios in which PIMCO’s fixed income ETFs will be added; and AdvisorEngine announced that the Company’s Digital Portfolio Developer is now available as a free add-on for Junxure, AdvisorEngine’s wholly-owned subsidiary.                 

U.S. Listed Product News

  • In August 2018, the Company announced the launch of the WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund (NTSX); and the Company announced the launch of two transparent actively managed multifactor funds – the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Multifactor Fund (EMMF) and the WisdomTree International Multifactor Fund (DWMF).
  • In October 2018, the Company announced the restructuring of the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Consumer Growth Fund (EMCG) and the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Quality Dividend Growth Fund (DGRE) from index-based to transparent active funds.

European Listed Product News

  • In August 2018, the Company announced the launch of three new currency hedged share classes for the WisdomTree AT1 CoCo Bond UCITS ETF. Investors can now access USD and GBP hedged options on the London Stock Exchange and EUR hedged options on the Borsa Italiana and the Deutsche Börse Xetra; and the Company announced the launch of two new currency hedged share classes of the WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity UCITS ETF, making EUR hedged options available on the Borsa Italiana and Deutsche Börse Xetra, and GBP hedged options available on the London Stock Exchange.
  • In October 2018, following the acquisition of ETF Securities in April, the Company successfully completed the migration of all content relating to legacy-ETFS products to the WisdomTree website.

Canadian Listed Product News

  • In August 2018, the Company announced the launch of the WisdomTree Japan Equity Index ETF – hedged (JAPN) and non-hedged (JAPN.B) – and the WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Index ETF – non-hedged (CHNA.B) – on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
  • In October 2018, the Company announced the launch of the ONE North American Core Plus Bond ETF (ONEB) on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Assets Under Management and Net Flows
U.S. listed ETF assets under management (“AUM”) was $41.6 billion at September 30, 2018, up 0.5% from June 30, 2018 due to market appreciation, largely offset by net outflows.  International listed ETPs’ AUM was $17.6 billion at September 30, 2018, down 5.6% from June 30, 2018 due to market depreciation and net outflows.

Third Quarter Financial Discussion

The primary reason for the increase in our revenues, expenses and net income this quarter as compared to the third quarter of 2017 is due to our acquisition of the European exchange-traded commodity, currency and short-and-leveraged business (“ETFS”) of ETFS Capital Limited, which was completed on April 11, 2018.  We refer to the acquisition throughout this press release as the ETFS Acquisition.

Previously disclosed results for the third quarter of 2017 within our Consolidated Statements of Operations have been reclassified to conform with our current presentation.  These reclassifications had no effect on previously reported net income.

Operating Revenues

Advisory Fees

Advisory fees of $71.7 million increased 25.1% from the third quarter of 2017 primarily due to the ETFS Acquisition, partly offset by lower average AUM of our U.S. Business segment.  Advisory fees decreased 2.8% from the second quarter of 2018 primarily due to lower average AUM of our U.S. Business segment, partly offset by the recognition of a full quarter of advisory fees from the ETFS Acquisition which was completed on April 11, 2018.

Our average global advisory fee was 0.48%, 0.48% and 0.50% during the third quarter of 2018, second quarter of 2018 and third quarter of 2017, respectively.  The change as compared to the third quarter of 2017 was due to the ETFS Acquisition and a change in product mix.

Other Income 

Other income of $0.9 million increased 111.6% from the third quarter of 2017 primarily due to creation/redemption fees earned from the ETFS exchange-traded products.  Other income was essentially unchanged from the second quarter of 2018. 

Margins

Gross margin for our U.S. Business segment was 82.3%1 in the third quarter of 2018 as compared to 83.3%1 2 in the third quarter of 2017 and 83.4%1 in the second quarter of 2018.  The decline as compared to the prior periods was primarily due to lower AUM levels, coupled with new regulatory expenses and costs associated with recent product launches.  Gross margin for our International Business segment was 71.3%1 in the third quarter of 2018 as compared to 40.0%1 in the third quarter of 2017 and 73.2%1 in the second quarter of 2018.  The change in gross margin for our International Business segment from the third quarter of 2017 was due to the ETFS Acquisition.  The decline from the second quarter of 2018 was primarily due to expenses associated with recent product launches.

Operating income margin on a consolidated basis was 29.9% in the third quarter of 2018 (as adjusted 30.5%1) as compared to 26.4% in the third quarter of 2017 and 19.4% in the second quarter of 2018 (as adjusted 30.0%1).

Pre-tax margin on a consolidated basis was 37.9% in the third quarter of 2018 as compared to 26.8% in the third quarter of 2017 and 29.7% in the second quarter of 2018. 

Operating Expenses

Total operating expenses were $50.9 million for the third quarter of 2018, up 19.7% from the third quarter of 2017 and down 15.6% from the second quarter of 2018.  Operating expenses increased from the third quarter of 2017 primarily due to the ETFS Acquisition.  The decline from the second quarter of 2018 was primarily due to lower acquisition-related costs which were $0.5 million in the third quarter of 2018 and $7.9 million in the second quarter of 2018, respectively. 

  • Compensation and benefits expense decreased 10.0% from the third quarter of 2017 to $17.5 million due to lower incentive compensation within our U.S. Business segment, partly offset by higher compensation of our International Business segment due to the ETFS Acquisition.  These expenses decreased 9.1% from the second quarter of 2018 primarily due to lower incentive compensation within our U.S. Business segment.  Headcount of our U.S. Business segment was 151, 155 and 165 and our International Business segment was 76, 76 and 43 at September 30, 2018, June 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively.

  • Fund management and administration expense increased 40.8% from the third quarter of 2017 to $15.3 million due to higher average AUM of our International Business segment primarily associated with the ETFS Acquisition.  These expenses increased 4.6% from the second quarter of 2018 primarily due to the recognition of a full quarter of expense from the ETFS Acquisition which was completed on April, 11, 2018.  We had 84 U.S. listed ETFs and 451 International listed ETPs at the end of the quarter.

  • Marketing and advertising expense was essentially unchanged from the third quarter of 2017.  These expenses decreased 14.3% from the second quarter of 2018 to $3.2 million due to lower levels of spending in our U.S. Business segment, as previously disclosed.

  • Sales and business development expense was essentially unchanged from the third quarter of 2017.  These expenses decreased 15.6% from the second quarter of 2018 to $3.8 million primarily due to lower spending on sales related activities in our U.S. Business segment, as previously disclosed.

  • Contractual gold payments expense was $2.9 million during the third quarter of 2018, which was associated with the payment of 2,375 ounces of gold at an average daily spot price of $1,213 per ounce.  For the period April 11 through June 30, 2018, we recognized $2.7 million of contractual gold payments expense associated with the payment of 2,085 ounces of gold at an average daily spot price of $1,302 per ounce.  

  • Professional and consulting fees increased 86.9% and 24.0% from the third quarter of 2017 and second quarter of 2018, respectively, to $1.9 million due to higher professional and corporate consulting-related expenses in our U.S. Business segment. 

  • Occupancy, communications and equipment expense increased 25.0% from the third quarter of 2017 to $1.7 million due to office space associated with the ETFS Acquisition, as well as higher real estate taxes.  These expenses increased 9.4% from the second quarter of 2018 due to higher real estate taxes. 

  • Third-party distribution fees increased 98.2% from the third quarter of 2017 to $1.4 million primarily due to a new distribution relationship announced in the fourth quarter of 2017.  These expenses decreased 15.5% from the second quarter of 2018 primarily due to lower fees paid to our third-party marketing agent in Latin America.

  • Acquisition-related costs decreased 94.2% from the second quarter of 2018 to $0.5 million and primarily included costs associated with the integration of ETFS.  Costs incurred in the prior quarter included professional advisor fees payable upon completion of the ETFS Acquisition, a write-off of our office lease and compensation and other integration costs. 

  • Other expenses increased 31.9% from the third quarter of 2017 to $2.3 million primarily due to higher International Business segment office expenses associated with an increase in headcount from the ETFS Acquisition.  These expenses were essentially unchanged from the second quarter of 2018.

Other Income/(Expenses)

  • Interest expense increased 16.6% from the second quarter of 2018 to $2.7 million primarily due to the recognition of a full quarter of expense as borrowing under our term loan commenced on April 11, 2018. 

  • We recognized a gain on revaluation of deferred consideration of $7.7 million during the third quarter of 2018 as compared to a gain of $9.9 million recognized in the second quarter of 2018.  The gain arose in the current quarter as the price of gold decreased when compared to the price on June 30, 2018, the date on which the deferred consideration was last measured.  The magnitude of any gain or loss recognized is highly correlated to the magnitude of the change in the price of gold.

  • Interest income was essentially unchanged from the third quarter of 2017.  This item increased 17.5% from the second quarter of 2018 to $0.7 million due to higher paid-in-kind (“PIK”) interest on a note receivable from AdvisorEngine Inc.

  • Other net gains of $0.1 million recognized in the third quarter of 2018 arose from the recognition of an insurance claim reimbursement, partly offset by miscellaneous foreign exchange losses.  We reported other net losses of $0.5 million in the third quarter of 2017 which were primarily associated with our short-term investment grade bond portfolio and miscellaneous foreign exchange losses.  Other net losses of $0.5 million reported in the second quarter of 2018 were primarily due to the sale of gold earned from management fees paid by physically-backed gold ETPs, as well as miscellaneous foreign exchange losses.

Income Taxes

Our estimated effective income tax rate for the quarter ended September 30, 2018 of 19.9% (as adjusted 27.6%1) resulted in income tax expense of $5.5 million.  Our tax rate differs from the federal statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due to the non-taxable gain on revaluation of deferred consideration and a lower tax rate on foreign earnings, partly offset by a valuation allowance on foreign net operating losses and state and local income taxes. 

Nine Month Results

Total operating revenues increased 23.3% to $206.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 primarily due to the ETFS Acquisition.  Total operating expenses increased 27.0% to $156.8 million primarily due to expenses associated with the ETFS acquired business.  In addition, operating expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 include acquisition-related costs of $10.4 million.

Other income/(expenses) for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 includes $5.1 million of interest expense, a gain on revaluation of deferred consideration of $17.6 million, interest income of $2.3 million and other net losses of $0.6 million.  Other net losses arose from our short-term investment grade bond portfolio, the sale of gold earned from advisory fees paid by physically-backed gold ETPs and miscellaneous foreign exchange losses.  These losses were partly offset by an insurance claim reimbursement.  In addition, the prior year period includes a settlement gain of $6.9 million.

Balance Sheet

As of September 30, 2018, we had total assets of $909.8 million which consisted primarily of intangible assets of $613.3 million, goodwill of $85.9 million, cash and cash equivalents of $77.1 million, investments, carried at cost of $35.2 million, note receivable of $28.1 million, accounts receivable of $25.5 million and securities held-to-maturity of $20.1 million.  There were approximately 153.1 million shares of our common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2018. Fully diluted weighted average shares outstanding were 166.6 million for the quarter.  

Quarterly Dividend

Our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.03 per share of our common stock. The dividend will be paid on November 21, 2018 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on November 7, 2018.

Conference Call

WisdomTree will discuss its results and operational highlights during a conference call on Friday, October 26, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. ET. The call-in number will be (877) 303-7209. Anyone outside the U.S. or Canada should call (970) 315-0420. The slides used during the presentation will be available at http://ir.wisdomtree.com. For those unable to join the conference call at the scheduled time, an audio replay will be available on http://ir.wisdomtree.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements relate to future events or our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could materially affect results. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, the risks described below. If one or more of these or other risks or uncertainties occur, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual events or results may vary significantly from those implied or projected by the forward-looking statements. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance. You should read this press release completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

In particular, forward-looking statements in this press release may include statements about:

  • anticipated trends, conditions and investor sentiment in the global markets and ETPs;

  • anticipated levels of inflows into and outflows out of our ETPs;

  • our ability to deliver favorable rates of return to investors;

  • our ability to develop new products and services;

  • our ability to maintain current vendors or find new vendors to provide services to us at favorable costs;

  • our ability to successfully expand our business into non-U.S. markets;

  • competition in our business; and

  • the effect of laws and regulations that apply to our business.

Our business is subject to many risks and uncertainties, including without limitation:

  • Net outflows in our two largest ETFs – the WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund and the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund – have had, and in the future could continue to have, a negative impact on our revenues.

  • Over the last few years, we have expanded our business globally. This expansion subjects us to increased operational, regulatory, financial and other risks.

  • The ETFS Acquisition was significant in size relative to our assets and operations and  has resulted in significant changes in our business. Our failure to integrate and manage ETFS successfully could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

  • Declining prices of securities, precious metals and other commodities can adversely affect our business by reducing the market value of the assets we manage or causing customers to sell their fund shares and trigger redemptions.

  • Fluctuations in the amount and mix of our AUM, whether caused by disruptions in the financial markets or otherwise, may negatively impact revenues and operating margins, and may impede our ability to refinance our debt upon maturity, increase the cost of borrowing or result in our debt being called prior to maturity.

  • We derive a substantial portion of our revenues from a limited number of products, and as a result, our operating results are particularly exposed to the performance of these products and our ability to maintain the AUM of these products, as well as investor sentiment toward investing in the funds’ strategies and market-specific and political and economic risk.

  • Much of our AUM is held in our U.S. listed ETFs that invest in foreign securities and we therefore have substantial exposure to foreign market conditions and are subject to foreign currency exchange rate risks.

  • Many of our ETPs and ETFs have a limited track record, and poor investment performance could cause our revenues to decline.

  • We depend on third parties to provide many critical services to operate our business and our ETPs and ETFs. The failure of key vendors to adequately provide such services could materially affect our operating business and harm our customers.

Other factors, such as general economic conditions, including currency exchange rate fluctuations, also may have an effect on the results of our operations. For a more complete description of the risks noted above and other risks that could cause our actual results to differ from our current expectations, please see the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018.

The forward-looking statements in this press release represent our views as of the date of this press release. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments may cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we have no current intention of doing so except to the extent required by applicable law. Therefore, these forward-looking statements do not represent our views as of any date other than the date of this press release.

About WisdomTree

WisdomTree Investments, Inc., through its subsidiaries in the U.S., Europe and Canada (collectively, “WisdomTree”), is an ETF and ETP sponsor and asset manager headquartered in New York. WisdomTree offers products covering equities, fixed income, currencies, commodities and alternative strategies. WisdomTree currently has approximately $56.3 billion in assets under management globally.

WisdomTree® is the marketing name for WisdomTree Investments, Inc. and its subsidiaries worldwide.

 _______________

See “Non-GAAP Financial Measurements.”

2  Gross margin is now calculated as total operating revenues, less fund management and administration expenses.  Gross margin percentage is calculated as gross margin divided by total operating revenues.  See “Non-GAAP Financial Measurements” below for additional information.  Amounts previously reported as gross margin for the U.S. Business segment have been restated to conform with our current presentation.     

Contact Information:

Investor Relations                                              
WisdomTree Investments, Inc.                         
Jason Weyeneth, CFA                                        
+1.917.267.3858                                                                 
jweyeneth@wisdomtree.com                            

Media Relations
WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
Jessica Zaloom
+1.917.267.3735
jzaloom@wisdomtree.com 

WISDOMTREE INVESTMENTS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)

           
  Three Months Ended
  % Change From
  Nine Months Ended
  Sept. 30,
2018

  June 30,
2018

  Sept. 30,
2017

  June 30,
2018

  Sept. 30,
2017

  Sept. 30,
2018

  Sept. 30,
2017

  %
Change
 
Operating Revenues:                                                        
Advisory fees  $ 71,679     $ 73,778     $ 57,293       -2.8 %     25.1 %   $ 203,913     $ 166,177       22.7 %
Other income    891       997       421       -10.6 %   111.6 %     2,336       1,145     104.0 %
Total revenues    72,570       74,775       57,714       -2.9 %     25.7 %     206,249       167,322       23.3 %
Operating Expenses:                                                        
Compensation and benefits   17,544       19,301       19,492       -9.1 %     -10.0 %     55,677       55,787       -0.2 %
Fund management and administration   15,292       14,621       10,862       4.6 %     40.8 %     40,825       30,574       33.5 %
Marketing and advertising   3,239       3,778       3,314       -14.3 %     -2.3 %     10,212       10,676       -4.3 %
Sales and business development    3,801       4,503       3,617       -15.6 %     5.1 %     12,117       9,968       21.6 %
Contractual gold payments   2,880       2,715             6.1 %      n/a       5,595              n/a  
Professional and consulting fees    1,934       1,560       1,035       24.0 %     86.9 %     5,130       3,814       34.5 %
Occupancy, communications and equipment    1,722       1,574       1,378       9.4 %     25.0 %     4,659       4,102       13.6 %
Depreciation and amortization   306       337       353       -9.2 %     -13.3 %     998       1,042       -4.2 %
Third-party distribution fees    1,407       1,666       710       -15.5 %     98.2 %     4,798       2,312     107.5 %
Acquisition-related costs    456       7,928             -94.2 %      n/a       10,446              n/a  
Other   2,281       2,261       1,729       0.9 %     31.9 %     6,332       5,195       21.9 %
Total expenses   50,862       60,244       42,490       -15.6 %     19.7 %     156,789       123,470       27.0 %
Operating income    21,708       14,531       15,224       49.4 %     42.6 %     49,460       43,852       12.8 %
Other Income/(Expenses):                                                        
Interest expense    (2,747 )     (2,356 )           16.6 %      n/a       (5,103 )            n/a  
Gain on revaluation of deferred consideration – gold payments    7,732       9,898             -21.9 %      n/a       17,630              n/a  
Interest income   719       612       772       17.5 %     -6.9 %     2,293       1,999       14.7 %
Settlement gain                      n/a        n/a             6,909        n/a  
Other gains and losses, net   118       (501 )     (500 )      n/a        n/a       (644 )     (217 )   196.8 %
Income before taxes   27,530       22,184       15,496       24.1 %     77.7 %     63,636       52,543       21.1 %
Income tax expense    5,481       5,460       7,520       0.4 %     -27.1 %     15,439       25,582       -39.6 %
Net income $ 22,049     $ 16,724     $ 7,976       31.8 %   176.4 %   $ 48,197     $ 26,961       78.8 %
Net income per share – basic  $ 0.13     $ 0.10     $ 0.06                 $ 0.31     $ 0.20        
Net income per share – diluted $ 0.13     $ 0.10     $ 0.06                 $ 0.31     $ 0.20        
Weighted average common shares – basic    150,892       149,056       134,709                   145,149       134,552        
Weighted average common shares – diluted    166,622       163,346       135,933                   155,584       135,768        
                                                         
                                                         

WISDOMTREE INVESTMENTS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
SEGMENT INFORMATION
(in thousands)
(Unaudited)

The following tables set forth the pre-tax operating results for the Company’s U.S. Business and International Business segments.    

U.S. Business Segment

           
  Three Months Ended
  % Change From
  Nine Months Ended
  Sept. 30,
2018

  June 30,
2018

  Sept. 30,
2017

  June 30,
2018

  Sept. 30,
2017

  Sept. 30,
2018

  Sept. 30,
2017

  %
Change
 
Operating Revenues:                                                        
Advisory fees $ 50,216     $ 52,931     $ 54,749       -5.1 %     -8.3 %   $ 158,665     $ 159,417       -0.5 %
Other income   173       162       140       6.8 %     23.6 %     482       371       29.9 %
Total revenues   50,389       53,093       54,889       -5.1 %     -8.2 %     159,147       159,788       -0.4 %
Operating Expenses:                                                        
Compensation and benefits   13,040       14,526       16,967       -10.2 %     -23.1 %     43,937       47,947       -8.4 %
Fund management and administration    8,915       8,802       9,168       1.3 %     -2.8 %     26,690       26,277       1.6 %
Marketing and advertising   2,469       2,987       2,795       -17.3 %     -11.7 %     8,299       9,117       -9.0 %
Sales and business development    2,778       3,446       3,218       -19.4 %     -13.7 %     9,679       8,652       11.9 %
Professional and consulting fees   1,544       1,134       796       36.2 %     94.0 %     4,003       3,131       27.9 %
Occupancy, communications and equipment    1,423       1,309       1,257       8.7 %     13.2 %     3,957       3,717       6.5 %
Depreciation and amortization   282       314       340       -10.2 %     -17.1 %     935       1,009       -7.3 %
Third-party distribution fees    1,398       1,621       705       -13.8 %     98.3 %     4,668       2,302       102.8 %
Acquisition-related costs   247       6,773             -96.4 %     n/a       8,217             n/a  
Other   1,678       1,726       1,600       -2.8 %     4.9 %     5,057       4,871       3.8 %
Total expenses   33,774       42,638       36,846       -20.8 %     -8.3 %     115,442       107,023       7.9 %
Operating income    16,615       10,455       18,043       58.9 %     -7.9 %     43,705       52,765       -17.2 %
Other Income/(Expenses):                                                        
Interest expense   (196 )     (173 )           13.3 %     n/a       (369 )           n/a  
Interest income    719       612       772       17.5 %     -6.9 %     2,293       1,999       14.7 %
Settlement gain                      n/a       n/a             6,909       n/a  
Other gains and losses, net   318       (66 )     (322 )     n/a       n/a       26       39       -33.3 %
Income before taxes  $ 17,456     $ 10,828     $ 18,493       61.2 %     -5.6 %   $ 45,655     $ 61,712       -26.0 %
Operating income margin   33.0 %     19.7 %     32.9 %                 27.5 %     33.0 %      
                                                         
                                                         

International Business Segment

           
  Three Months Ended  
  % Change From  
  Nine Months Ended  
  Sept. 30,
2018

  June 30,
2018

  Sept. 30,
2017

  June 30,
2018
 
  Sept. 30,
2017
 
  Sept. 30,
2018

  Sept. 30,
2017

  %
Change

Operating Revenues:                                                      
Advisory fees  $   21,463     $   20,847     $   2,544       3.0 %     743.7 %   $   45,248     $   6,760       569.3 %
Other income      718         835         281       -14.0%     155.5 %       1,854         774       139.5 %
Total revenues      22,181         21,682         2,825       2.3 %     685.2 %       47,102         7,534       525.2 %
Operating Expenses:                                                      
Compensation and benefits      4,504         4,775         2,525       -5.7%     78.4 %       11,740         7,840       49.7 %
Fund management and administration     6,377         5,819         1,694       9.6 %     276.4 %       14,135         4,297       229.0 %
Marketing and advertising      770         791         519       -2.7%     48.4 %       1,913         1,559       22.7 %
Sales and business development     1,023         1,057         399       -3.2%     156.4 %       2,438         1,316       85.3 %
Contractual gold payments     2,880         2,715         —       6.1 %     n/a         5,595         —       n/a  
Professional and consulting fees     390         426         239       -8.5%     63.2 %       1,127         683       65.0 %
Occupancy, communications and equipment      299         265         121      12.8 %     147.1 %       702         385       82.3 %
Depreciation and amortization     24         23         13       4.3 %     84.6 %       63         33       90.9 %
Third-party distribution fees      9         45         5       -80.0%     80.0 %       130         10       1200.0 %
Acquisition-related costs      209         1,155         —       -81.9%     n/a         2,229         —       n/a  
Other     603         535         129       12.7 %     367.4 %       1,275         324       293.5 %
Total expenses      17,088         17,606         5,644       -2.9%     202.8 %       41,347         16,447       151.4 %
Operating income/(loss)     5,093         4,076         (2,819 )     25.0 %     n/a         5,755         (8,913 )     n/a  
Other Income/(Expenses):                                                      
Interest expense      (2,551 )       (2,183 )       —       16.9 %     n/a         (4,734  )       —       n/a  
Gain on revaluation of deferred consideration – gold payments      7,732         9,898         —       -21.9%     n/a         17,630         —       n/a  
Other gains and losses, net      (200 )       (435 )       (178 )     -54.0%     12.4 %        (670 )       (256 )     161.7 %
Income/(loss) before taxes  $   10,074     $   11,356     $   (2,997 )     -11.3%     n/a     $   17,981     $   (9,169 )     n/a  
Operating income margin       23.0 %         18.8 %     n/a                     12.2 %     n/a        
                                                       
                                                       

WISDOMTREE INVESTMENTS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except per share amounts)

             
  Sept. 30,
2018
 
  December 31,
2017
 
  (Unaudited)
       
ASSETS            
Current assets:            
Cash and cash equivalents  $   77,125   $   54,193  
Securities owned, at fair value     4,426       66,294  
Securities held-to-maturity     —        1,000  
Accounts receivable     25,528       21,309  
Income taxes receivable     —        6,978  
Prepaid expenses      5,505       3,550  
Other current assets     303       1,007  
Total current assets      112,887       154,331  
Fixed assets, net      9,723       10,693  
Note receivable     28,121       18,748  
Securities held-to-maturity      20,199       20,299  
Deferred tax assets, net     2,213       1,050  
Investments, carried at cost     35,187       35,187  
Goodwill     85,856       1,799  
Intangible assets      613,274       12,085  
Other noncurrent assets     2,304       793  
Total assets $   909,764   $   254,985  
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY            
LIABILITIES            
Current liabilities:            
Fund management and administration payable $   24,383   $   20,099  
Compensation and benefits payable     13,728       28,053  
Deferred consideration – gold payments     11,788       —   
Income taxes payable     799       —   
Securities sold, but not yet purchased, at fair value     2,018       950  
Accounts payable and other liabilities     8,668       8,246  
Total current liabilities      61,384       57,348  
Long-term debt     193,999       —   
Deferred consideration – gold payments      144,267       —   
Deferred rent payable      4,462       4,686  
Total liabilities     404,112       62,034  
Preferred stock – Series A Non-Voting Convertible, par value $0.01; 14.750 shares authorized, issued and outstanding      132,569       —   
             
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY            
Common stock, par value $0.01; 250,000 shares authorized:            
Issued and outstanding: 153,083 and 136,996 at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively     1,531       1,370  
Additional paid-in capital     361,900       216,006  
Accumulated other comprehensive income      373       291  
Retained earnings/(Accumulated deficit)     9,279       (24,716 )
Total stockholders’ equity      373,083       192,951  
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $   909,764   $   254,985  
             
             

WISDOMTREE INVESTMENTS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
(Unaudited)  

     
  Nine Months Ended
  Sept. 30,
2018

  Sept. 30,
2017

Cash flows from operating activities:              
Net income $ 48,197     $ 26,961  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:              
Advisory fees paid in gold and other precious metals    (21,998 )      
Contractual gold payments   5,595        
Gain on revaluation of deferred consideration – gold payments    (17,630 )      
Stock-based compensation    10,078       10,558  
Deferred income taxes   (1,251 )     3,823  
Paid-in-kind interest income    (1,373 )      
Settlement gain         (6,909 )
Amortization of credit facility issuance costs   1,360        
Depreciation and amortization    998       1,042  
Other   810       524  
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of the effects of the ETFS Acquisition:              
Securities owned, at fair value    (2,735 )     1,146  
Accounts receivable    3,771       (1,969 )
Income taxes receivable/payable   7,654       (628 )
Prepaid expenses   (621 )     (361 )
Gold and other precious metals   18,472        
Other assets    954       (31 )
Acquisition payable          (3,545 )
Fund management and administration payable    1,998       561  
Compensation and benefits payable    (21,025 )     115  
Securities sold, but not yet purchased, at fair value   1,068       (1,249 )
Accounts payable and other liabilities    (4,122 )     1,041  
Net cash provided by operating activities   30,200       31,079  
Cash flows from investing activities:              
Purchase of fixed assets   (45 )     (253 )
Purchase of securities held-to-maturity          (3,009 )
Purchase of debt securities available-for-sale         (76,776 )
Purchase of investments         (5,000 )
Funding of AdvisorEngine note receivable    (8,000 )      
Proceeds from held-to-maturity securities maturing or called prior to maturity    1,096       2,162  
Proceeds from sales and maturities of debt securities available-for-sale   64,498       65,067  
Cash paid – ETFS Acquisition, net of cash acquired   (239,313 )      
Net cash used in investing activities   (181,764 )     (17,809 )
Cash flows from financing activities:              
Dividends paid    (14,202 )     (32,825 )
Shares repurchased    (1,430 )     (4,178 )
Credit facility issuance costs   (8,690 )      
Preferred stock issuance costs   (181 )      
Proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt   200,000        
Proceeds from exercise of stock options    157       53  
Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities   175,654       (36,950 )
(Decrease)/increase in cash flows due to changes in foreign exchange rate    (1,158 )     1,179  
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents   22,932       (22,501 )
Cash and cash equivalents – beginning of period    54,193       92,722  
Cash and cash equivalents – end of period  $ 77,125     $ 70,221  
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:              
Cash paid for taxes $ 8,759     $ 22,130  
Cash paid for interest $ 3,351     $  
               
               

WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
Key Operating Statistics (Unaudited)

 

  Three Months Ended  
  Sept. 30,
2018
 
  June 30,
2018
 
  Sept. 30,
2017
 
U.S. LISTED ETFs (in millions)                      
                       
Beginning of period assets  $   41,340     $   42,886     $   43,183  
Inflows/(outflows)      (878 )       (1,231 )          (619 )
Market appreciation/(depreciation)      1,094         (315 )         1,834  
End of period assets $   41,556     $   41,340     $   44,398  
Average assets during the period $   41,555     $   43,464     $   43,523  
Average ETF advisory fee during the period      0.48 %       0.49 %       0.50 %
Revenue days     92         91         92  
Number of ETFs – end of the period     84         81         87  
                       
INTERNATIONAL LISTED ETPs (in millions)                      
Beginning of period assets  $   18,629     $   2,075     $   1,547  
Assets acquired      —          17,641         —   
Inflows/(outflows)       (374 )       (25 )       333  
Market appreciation/(depreciation)       (668 )       (1,062 )       91  
End of period assets $   17,587     $   18,629     $   1,971  
Average assets during the period $   17,905     $   17,837     $   1,693  
Average ETP advisory fee during the period     0.48 %       0.47 %       0.60 %
Revenue days      92         91         92  
Number of ETPs – end of the period     451         445         96  
                       
PRODUCT CATEGORIES (in millions)                      
                       
International Developed Market Equity                      
Beginning of period assets $   20,331     $   22,432     $   24,647  
Inflows/(outflows)       (1,289 )       (1,502 )       (550 )
Market appreciation/(depreciation)       660         (599 )       1,177  
End of period assets $   19,702     $   20,331     $   25,274  
Average assets during the period $   19,907     $   22,455     $   24,704  
                       
Commodity & Currency                      
Beginning of period assets  $   16,167     $   416     $   464  
Assets acquired     —          16,778         —   
Inflows/(outflows)       (434 )       (99 )         (1 )
Market appreciation/(depreciation)      (682 )       (928 )       2  
End of period assets $   15,051     $   16,167     $   465  
Average assets during the period $   15,384     $   15,316     $   468  
                       
U.S. Equity                      
Beginning of period assets  $   14,301     $   13,359     $   12,888  
Inflows/(outflows)      347         114         (227 )
Market appreciation/(depreciation)     539         828         500  
End of period assets $   15,187     $   14,301     $   13,161  
Average assets during the period $   14,950     $   14,021     $   12,882  
                       
Emerging Market Equity                      
Beginning of period assets  $   5,643     $   6,289     $   4,828  
Inflows/(outflows)       (216 )       (120 )       241  
Market appreciation/(depreciation)      (81 )       (526 )       205  
End of period assets $   5,346     $   5,643     $   5,274  
Average assets during the period $   5,548     $   6,116     $   5,141  
                       
Leveraged & Inverse                      
Beginning of period assets  $   1,531     $   872     $   809  
Assets acquired     —          863         —   
Inflows/(outflows)       (61 )       (71 )       130  
Market appreciation/(depreciation)       (25 )       (133 )       37  
End of period assets $   1,445     $   1,531     $   976  
Average assets during the period $   1,489     $   1,592     $   867  
                       
Fixed Income                      
Beginning of period assets $   1,411     $   1,101     $   620  
Inflows/(outflows)      329         349         86  
Market appreciation/(depreciation)       (2 )       (39 )       16  
End of period assets $   1,738     $   1,411     $   722  
Average assets during the period $   1,554     $   1,230     $   659  
                       
Alternatives                      
Beginning of period assets $   578     $   492     $   404  
Inflows/(outflows)     72         66         40  
Market appreciation/(depreciation)      24         20         4  
End of period assets $   674     $   578     $   448  
Average assets during the period $   628     $   564     $   427  
                       
Closed ETPs                      
Beginning of period assets $   7     $   —      $   70  
Inflows/(outflows)      —          7         (5 )
Market appreciation/(depreciation)     (7 )       —          (16 )
End of period assets $   —     $   7     $   49  
Average assets during the period $   —     $   7     $   68  
                       
Headcount – U.S. Business segment       151          155          165  
Headcount – International Business segment     76         76         43  

Note: Previously issued statistics may be restated due to trade adjustments
Source: WisdomTree

Non-GAAP Financial Measurements

In an effort to provide additional information regarding our results as determined by GAAP, we also disclose certain non-GAAP information which we believe provides useful and meaningful information. Our management reviews these non-GAAP financial measurements when evaluating our financial performance and results of operations; therefore, we believe it is useful to provide information with respect to these non-GAAP measurements so as to share this perspective of management. Non-GAAP measurements do not have any standardized meaning, do not replace nor are superior to GAAP financial measurements and are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. These non-GAAP financial measurements should be considered in the context with our GAAP results. The non-GAAP financial measurements contained in this release include:

  • Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share.  We disclose adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share as non-GAAP financial measurements in order to report our results exclusive of items that are non-recurring or not core to our operating business.  These non-GAAP financial measures exclude the following:

    • Unrealized gains or losses on the revaluation of deferred consideration:  Deferred consideration is an obligation we assumed in connection with the ETFS Acquisition that is carried at fair value.  This item represents the present value of an obligation to pay fixed ounces of gold into perpetuity and is measured using forward-looking gold prices.  Changes in the price of gold may have a material impact on the carrying value of the deferred consideration and our reported net income.  We exclude this item when arriving at adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share as it is not core to our operating business.  The item is not adjusted for income taxes as the obligation was assumed by a wholly-owned subsidiary of ours that is based in Jersey, a jurisdiction where we are subject to a zero percent tax rate.

    • Non-recurring items:  Acquisition-related costs of $0.5 million (or $0.4 million after-tax) for the third quarter of 2018 and $7.9 million (or $7.5 million after-tax) for the second quarter of 2018 are excluded when arriving at adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share.

  • Adjusted effective income tax rate.  We disclose our adjusted effective income tax rate as a non-GAAP financial measurement in order to report our effective income tax rate exclusive of items that are non-recurring or not core to our operating business.  We believe reporting our adjusted effective income tax rate provides investors with a consistent way to analyze our income taxes.  Our adjusted effective income tax rate is calculated by dividing adjusted income tax expense by adjusted income before income taxes.  See “adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share” above for information regarding the items that are excluded.  

  • Gross margin and gross margin percentage.  We disclose our gross margin and gross margin percentage as non-GAAP financial measurements for our U.S. Business segment and International Business segment because we believe they provide investors with a consistent way to analyze the amount we retain after paying third-party service providers to operate our ETPs.  These ratios also assist us in analyzing the profitability of our products.  We define gross margin as total operating revenues less fund management and administration expenses.  Gross margin percentage is calculated as gross margin divided by total operating revenues.   

  • Adjusted operating income margin.  We disclose adjusted operating income margin as a non-GAAP financial measurement on a consolidated basis, as well as for our U.S. Business segment and International Business segment in order to report our operating income margin exclusive of items that are non-recurring or not core to our operating business.    


WISDOMTREE INVESTMENTS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
GAAP to NON-GAAP RECONCILIATION
(in thousands)
(Unaudited)
Consolidated

         
    Three Months Ended  
    Sept. 30,
  June 30,
  Sept. 30,
Adjusted Net Income and Diluted Earnings per Share:      2018      2018    2017  
Net income, as reported    $   22,049     $   16,724       n/a
Add back: Acquisition-related costs, net of income taxes        356         7,489       n/a
Less: Unrealized gain on revaluation of deferred consideration        (7,732 )        (9,898 )     n/a
Adjusted net income    $   14,673     $   14,315       n/a
Weighted average common shares - diluted       166,622         163,346       n/a
Adjusted net income per share - diluted   $   0.09     $   0.09       n/a
                     
    Three Months Ended  
    Sept. 30,
  June 30,
  Sept. 30,
Adjusted Operating Income Margin:     2018      2018     2017  
Operating revenues   $   72,570     $   74,775       n/a
Operating income   $   21,708     $   14,531       n/a
Add back: Acquisition-related costs, before income taxes       456         7,928       n/a
Adjusted operating income    $   22,164     $   22,459       n/a
Adjusted operating income margin       30.5 %       30.0 %     n/a
                     


    Three Months Ended  
    Sept. 30,
  June 30,
  Sept. 30,
Adjusted Effective Income Tax Rate:      2018      2018     2017  
Income before income taxes    $   27,530     $   22,184       n/a
Add back: Acquisition-related costs, before income taxes       456         7,928       n/a
Less: Unrealized gain on revaluation of deferred consideration        (7,732 )        (9,898 )     n/a
Adjusted income before income taxes   $   20,254     $   20,214       n/a
Income tax expense   $   5,481     $   5,460       n/a
Add back: Tax benefit arising from acquisition-related costs .       100         439       n/a
Less: Tax expense arising from revaluation of deferred consideration       —          —        n/a
Adjusted income tax expense   $   5,581     $   5,899       n/a
Adjusted effective income tax rate       27.6 %       29.2 %     n/a
                     


U.S. Business Segment        
    Three Months Ended
    Sept. 30,
  June 30,
  Sept. 30,
Gross Margin and Gross Margin Percentage:   2018   2018   2017
Operating revenues   $ 50,389     $ 53,093       $ 54,889  
Less: Fund management and administration     (8,915 )     (8,802 )       (9,168 )
Gross margin   $ 41,474     $ 44,291       $ 45,721  
Gross margin percentage     82.3 %     83.4 %       83.3 %
                           
    Three Months Ended  
    Sept. 30,
  June 30,
    Sept. 30,
Adjusted Operating Income Margin:      2018      2018        2017  
Operating revenues   $   50,389     $   53,093         n/a  
Operating income   $   16,615     $   10,455         n/a  
Add back: Acquisition-related costs, before income taxes       247         6,773         n/a  
Adjusted operating income    $   16,862     $   17,228         n/a  
Adjusted operating income margin       33.5 %       32.4 %       n/a  
                           

International Business Segment

         
    Three Months Ended
    Sept. 30,
  June 30,
  Sept. 30,
Gross Margin and Gross Margin Percentage:   2018   2018
  2017
Operating revenues   $ 22,181     $ 21,682     $ 2,825  
Less: Fund management and administration     (6,377 )     (5,819 )     (1,694 )
Gross margin   $ 15,804     $ 15,863     $ 1,131  
Gross margin percentage     71.3 %     73.2 %     40.0 %
                         
    Three Months Ended  
    Sept. 30,
  June 30,
  June 30,
Adjusted Operating Income Margin:   2018   2018   2017
Operating revenues   $ 22,181     $ 21,682     n/a  
Operating income   $ 5,093     $ 4,076     n/a  
Add back: Acquisition-related costs, before income taxes     209       1,155     n/a  
Adjusted operating income    $   5,302     $   5,231       n/a  
Adjusted operating income margin       23.9 %       24.1 %     n/a  
                         

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Source: WisdomTree Investments, Inc.