ITG Reports Second Quarter 2018 Results

8/8/18

NEW YORK, Aug. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ITG (NYSE: ITG), a leading independent agency broker and financial technology provider, today reported results for the quarter ended June 30, 2018.

Second Quarter 2018 Highlights

  • GAAP net loss of $3.0 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, and adjusted net income of $9.2 million, or $0.27 per diluted share. This compares to GAAP net income of $4.6 million, or $0.14 per diluted share for the second quarter of 2017.
  • GAAP results for the second quarter of 2018 include a charge for the establishment of an accrual for the potential settlement of an SEC investigation into U.S. POSIT operational features and data access (see discussion below, “Potential Settlement with SEC”). The settlement charge of $12.0 million, together with related legal expenses of $0.2 million in the quarter, reduced after-tax earnings by $0.36 per share. There were no non-GAAP adjustments to results for the second quarter of 2017.
  • Revenues of $128.5 million, compared to revenues of $121.6 million in the second quarter of 2017. Revenues for the second quarter of 2018 were reduced on a net basis by $0.7 million following an accounting rule change implemented in January 2018, which defers the recognition of certain commission revenues until later in the year and accelerates certain software license fee revenues (see discussion below, “Accounting Rule Change”).
  • GAAP expenses of $128.7 million and adjusted expenses of $116.5 million, compared to GAAP expenses of $116.5 million in the second quarter of 2017. Adjusted expenses for the second quarter of 2018 exclude the charge for the settlement accrual and related fees listed above.
  • GAAP pre-tax loss of $0.2 million and adjusted pre-tax income of $12.0 million, compared to GAAP pre-tax income of $5.1 million in the second quarter of 2017.
  • Average daily trading volume in the U.S. was 133 million shares versus 148 million shares in the second quarter of 2017. POSIT® average daily U.S. volume was 47 million shares compared to 61 million shares in the second quarter of 2017.
  • Total average daily U.S. volume traded through POSIT Alert® was 14 million shares in the second quarter of 2018 and 17 million shares in the second quarter of 2017.
  • In Europe, average daily value traded in POSIT was $0.9 billion compared to $1.1 billion in the second quarter of 2017, including the effects of currency translation. Total average daily value traded through POSIT Alert in Europe rose 42% compared to the second quarter of 2017.
  • Repurchases of approximately 103,000 shares of common stock at an average price of $21.09 per share, for approximately $2.2 million under ITG’s authorized share repurchase program. Repurchases since the first quarter of 2010 have totaled 17.8 million shares for $276 million, resulting in a decrease in shares outstanding, net of issuances, of approximately 25%.

Potential Settlement with SEC

ITG is in discussions with the SEC staff regarding the potential settlement of an investigation into operational features of the POSIT alternative trading system (“ATS”) in the U.S. and access to U.S. POSIT data. Many of the issues on which the settlement is focused originated in 2010 or earlier.

  • Regarding operational features, the potential resolution is focused on: Technology used for POSIT from 2010 through mid-2014 that affected the ability of mainly clients engaged in low-latency trading to interact with other POSIT order flow. It is also focused on a delay feature added to POSIT in 2014 as part of ITG’s Liquidity Guard anti-gaming technology, which is designed to prevent latency arbitrage.
  • Regarding access to POSIT data, the potential resolution is focused on the following discontinued access items: Overbroad internal access to U.S. POSIT data and the internal sharing of that data, the external distribution of certain reports on a delayed basis that included anonymized, aggregated U.S. POSIT data, and instances of sharing of anonymized U.S. POSIT execution information with clients.
  • ITG has taken meaningful remedial actions during the course of the SEC’s investigation, including imposing additional limitations on access to U.S. POSIT data as well as enhancing POSIT’s Form ATS and other disclosures.
  • The potential resolution of this investigation does not involve proprietary trading, unlike the separate settlement ITG reached with the SEC in 2015. It is focused on U.S. POSIT, not regional alternative trading systems or other ITG businesses.
  • Resolution of the matter is subject to further discussions with the SEC staff and requires approval by the Commission. See ITG’s Second Quarter 2018 Form 10-Q filing for additional details.

ITG President and Chief Executive Officer, Frank Troise, said, “As we move into the final quarters of our Strategic Operating Plan, we are seeing clear results, with adjusted net income in the second quarter of 2018 nearly double that of the second quarter of 2017. Our goal is to deliver client value as the best operator in our core business areas of execution, liquidity, analytics and workflow technology.”

Commenting on the settlement charges, Mr. Troise said, “Across the firm, we are deeply committed to operating with the highest level of integrity. We are working towards a potential SEC settlement of these issues so we can focus on our agenda of technology-driven innovation and world-class client service.”

Second Quarter Regional Segment Results

North American revenues were $65.8 million in the second quarter of 2018 as compared to $68.7 million in the second quarter of 2017.

ITG reported net income of $0.9 million in North America in the second quarter of 2018 compared to net income of $0.1 million in the second quarter of 2017.

U.S. revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $48.0 million, compared to $52.8 million in the second quarter of 2017. Canada revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $17.8 million, compared to $15.9 million in the second quarter of 2017.

Europe and Asia Pacific revenues were $62.3 million in the second quarter of 2018, up from $52.5 million in the second quarter of 2017.

ITG reported net income for its Europe and Asia Pacific operations of $12.7 million in the second quarter of 2018, up from $8.1 million in the second quarter of 2017.

European revenues were $42.9 million in the second quarter of 2018, up from $38.8 million in the second quarter of 2017.

Asia Pacific revenues were $19.4 million in the second quarter of 2018, up from $13.7 million in the second quarter of 2017.

Corporate activity reduced GAAP net income by $16.7 million in the second quarter of 2018, including the impact of the settlement charge and related fees. Corporate activity reduced GAAP net income by $3.6 million in the second quarter of 2017.

Corporate activity includes investment income and non-operating revenues and gains, as well as costs not associated with operating the businesses within ITG's regional segments including costs of being a public company, intangible amortization, interest expense, costs of maintaining a global transfer pricing structure, foreign exchange gains and losses and certain non-operating expenses.

Year-to-Date Results
For the first six months of 2018, revenues were $260.0 million, GAAP net income was $1.3 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, and adjusted net income was $18.9 million, or $0.55 per diluted share (see discussion below, “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”). For the first six months of 2017, revenues were $242.4 million and net income was $9.9 million, or $0.29 per diluted share. There were no non-GAAP adjustments to results for the first six months of 2017.

Accounting Rule Change
Beginning in January 2018, ITG implemented a new accounting rule and is recognizing global commission revenues attributed to analytics products under bundled arrangements over the course of the annual service period. This change resulted in the deferral of $3.8 million of commission revenues in the first quarter of 2018 and the deferral of $1.1 million in the second quarter of 2018. These deferrals are expected to be offset by increased recognition of bundled commission revenues in the second half of 2018. The new accounting rule also accelerated the recognition of software license fees, increasing revenues by $0.4 million in the first quarter of 2018 and $0.4 million in the second quarter of 2018.

About ITG

Investment Technology Group (NYSE: ITG) is a global financial technology company that helps leading brokers and asset managers improve returns for investors around the world. We empower traders to reduce the end-to-end cost of implementing investments via liquidity, execution, analytics and workflow technology solutions. ITG has offices in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America and offers execution services in more than 50 countries. Please visit www.itg.com for more information.