NASDAQ Announces First Quarter 2006 Results
NEW YORK, April 20, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. ("NASDAQ(R)"; Nasdaq: NDAQ), today reported first quarter 2006 net income of $18.0 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, an increase of 41.7% from $12.7 million or $0.13 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2005, and an increase of 5.3% from $17.1 million or $0.15 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2005. These favorable results are primarily driven by contributions from recent acquisitions, improvements in trading market share, and ongoing efforts to improve operational efficiency.
Gross margin, representing total revenues less cost of revenues, was $162.0 million in the first quarter of 2006, an increase of 28.3% from $126.3 million in the year-ago period, and an increase of 16.9% from $138.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2005.
NASDAQ's Chief Executive Officer, Robert Greifeld commented, "NASDAQ's strong first quarter performance demonstrates our ability to simultaneously execute our integration, cost reduction, and top-line growth initiatives. During the quarter we grew gross margin for the sixth consecutive quarter and witnessed market share gains in the trading of all U.S. listed equities. We also announced the creation of the Global Select Market, a listing tier with the world's highest standards, further broadening NASDAQ's value proposition to our issuers. As the premier equity marketplace, NASDAQ is extremely well positioned to compete aggressively and to capitalize on future growth opportunities. Our strong competitive position allows us to take the necessary strategic steps to enhance shareholder value in the rapidly evolving global capital markets."
Recent Highlights
* Created the Global Select Market, a new listing tier with highest
financial listing standards in the world.
* Acquired Shareholder.com, allowing NASDAQ to offer best-in-class
shareholder communications and intelligence services to issuers.
* Achieved a new record in trading NYSE-listed stocks, matching a single
day high of 10.03% on March 24, 2006, representing an approximate 43%
percent spike in NASDAQ's matched market share.
* Agreed with First Trust Advisors to launch two new exchange traded funds
(ETFs): NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Fund and NASDAQ-100 Technology Fund.
* Began offering options routing through the BRUT broker-dealer, providing
customers connectivity and routing to the major options exchanges.
* Completed an offering of 15,979,513 shares of common stock at $40.00 per
share; 8,042,142 shares were sold by NASDAQ with approximately $105
million in proceeds used to redeem our Series C cumulative preferred
stock, including accrued and unpaid dividends and a make-whole premium.
* Acquired a strategic stake in the London Stock Exchange.
Charges Associated with NASDAQ's Cost Reduction Program and INET Integration
Included in total expenses for the first quarter 2006 are pre-tax charges of $13.6 million relating to NASDAQ's continuing efforts to reduce operating expenses, improve the efficiency of its operations, and integrate the INET ECN. These charges include:
* Technology Review -- NASDAQ recorded depreciation and amortization
expenses of $11.9 million in the quarter associated with its technology
review, in which it changed the estimated useful life of some assets as
it migrates to lower cost operating platforms and processes.
* Workforce Reductions -- NASDAQ recorded charges of $1.7 million in the
quarter for severance and outplacement costs.
Follow-on Offering
To primarily pay down debt incurred to purchase the strategic stake in the London Stock Exchange, NASDAQ intends to proceed with a common stock offering. Information about the offering will be available in a prospectus supplement to be filed shortly with the SEC.
2006 Outlook
NASDAQ is raising guidance for the full-year 2006:
* Net income in the range of $63.0 million to $73.0 million for the year,
including the impact of charges associated with NASDAQ's cost reduction
program, INET integration, and loss on extinguishment of debt noted
below.
* Gross margin in the range of $625.0 million to $640.0 million.
* Total expenses in the range of $478.0 million to $488.0 million.
Included in 2006 total expense projections are approximately $65.0 million to $75.0 million of pre-tax charges associated with NASDAQ's continuing efforts to improve efficiencies and reduce operating expenses and to integrate the INET ECN. These charges include:
* Approximately $36.0 million to $40.0 million in depreciation and
amortization primarily related to NASDAQ's decision to migrate to less
expensive technology operating platforms.
* Approximately $5.0 million to $10.0 million in non-cash charges related
to NASDAQ's plans to exit certain real estate facilities.
* Approximately $6.0 million to $7.0 million in severance expenses
associated with NASDAQ's plans for workforce reductions.
* Approximately $18.0 million loss on extinguishment of debt related to
our credit facilities, $12.1 million of which is a non-cash charge.
NASDAQ's Chief Financial Officer, David Warren, commented: "NASDAQ's integration of INET is proceeding well, allowing us to move forward as planned with the execution of our core business strategy and our cost reduction plan. Our revised 2006 outlook calls for gross margin and net income growth of approximately 20% and 10%, respectively, from prior year and reflects our confidence in attaining our operating objectives. We are targeting 2006 expenses, excluding charges associated with our debt restructuring, to be in the range of $460.0 million to $470.0 million and remain on track to reduce expenses 20.0% to 25.0% in 2007. We remain focused on continued execution as we finalize exchange status and aggressively pursue our growth strategy."
Q1 Financial Review
Total Revenues and Gross Margin -- First quarter results include NASDAQ's first full quarter of INET operations. First quarter results also include the impact of NASDAQ's Limitation of Liability Rule, which became effective on April 1, 2005, and required NASDAQ to record all execution revenues from transactions executed through The NASDAQ Market Center on a gross basis in revenues and to record liquidity rebate payments from transactions executed through The NASDAQ Market Center as a cost of revenues. This change was made on a prospective basis beginning April 1, 2005.
Gross margin increased 28.3% in the first quarter to $162.0 million, up from $126.3 million in the year-ago quarter, and increased 16.9% from $138.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2005.
Market Services
During the quarter Market Services gross margin increased 44.5% to $102.9 million from prior year.
Three Months Ended % Variance from
Mar. 31, Mar. 31, Dec. 31, Prior Prior
2006 2005 2005 year quarter
(in millions)
NASDAQ Market Center
Execution and trade
reporting revenues $286.1 $112.7 $150.3 NM 90.4%
Access services
revenue 12.3 20.9 19.3 (41.1)% (36.3)%
Liquidity rebates - (35.5) - NM -
Tape fee revenue
sharing (5.3) (2.1) (3.5) NM 51.4%
NASDAQ General
Revenue Sharing
Program (0.1) (0.1) (0.1) 0.0% 0.0%
Total NASDAQ
Market Center
revenues 293.0 95.9 166.0 NM 76.5%
Cost of revenues
Liquidity rebates (167.2) (35.4) (86.1) NM 94.2%
Brokerage, clearing
and exchange fees (67.0) (18.5) (34.8) NM 92.5%
Total cost of
revenues (234.2) (53.9) (120.9) NM 93.7%
Gross margin from
NASDAQ Market
Center 58.8 42.0 45.1 40.0% 30.4%
NASDAQ Market Services
Subscriptions
Revenues 52.1 46.9 47.1 11.1% 10.6%
NASDAQ General
Revenue Sharing
Program (2.9) (2.0) (1.2) 45.0% NM
UTP Plan revenue
sharing (13.7) (20.1) (18.8) (31.8)% (27.1)%
Total NASDAQ Market
Services
Subscription
revenues 35.5 24.8 27.1 43.1% 31.0%
Other Market
Services
revenues 8.6 4.4 7.1 95.5% 21.1%
Gross Margin from
Market Services $102.9 $71.2 $79.3 44.5% 29.8%
NM - Not meaningful. Denotes variances equal to or greater than 100%
* NASDAQ Market Center gross margin increased primarily due to INET
results and increases in market share of trade executions for U.S.
listed equities. Access services revenue declined during the quarter
due to the retirement of legacy products.
* Market Services Subscriptions revenues increased as less trading revenue
was shared under the UTP Plan as INET trades are now reported directly
to The NASDAQ Market Center. Also contributing to the revenue increase
are sales of proprietary data products due to product improvements and
enhanced sales efforts.
* Other Market Services revenues increased from the prior year due
primarily to payments made under a contract between NASD and NASDAQ for
the operations of the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB), which
took effect on October 1, 2005.
Issuer Services
During the quarter Issuer Services revenues increased 7.3% to $58.9
million from prior year.
Three Months Ended % Variance from
Mar. 31, Mar. 31, Dec. 31, Prior Prior
2006 2005 2005 year quarter
(in millions)
Corporate Client Group
Annual renewal fees $25.8 $26.0 $27.8 (0.8)% (7.2)%
Listing of additional
shares fees 8.9 9.3 9.1 (4.3)% (2.2)%
Initial listing fees 6.4 7.8 6.8 (17.9)% (5.9)%
Insurance commissions
and other 6.3 1.1 4.9 NM 28.6 %
Other Corporate Client
Group revenues 1.3 1.0 1.4 30.0 % (7.1)%
Total Corporate
Client Group
revenues 48.7 45.2 50.0 7.7 % (2.6)%
NASDAQ Financial Products
Licensing revenues 9.0 8.9 8.2 1.1 % 9.8 %
Portal revenues 1.2 0.8 1.1 50.0 % 9.1 %
Total NASDAQ Financial
Products revenues 10.2 9.7 9.3 5.2 % 9.7 %
Total Issuer Services
revenues $58.9 $54.9 $59.3 7.3 % (0.7)%
NM - Not meaningful. Denotes variances equal to or greater than 100%
* Corporate Client Group revenue increased from prior year driven by
revenues generated from recent acquisitions including Carpenter Moore
and Shareholder.com. The decrease from the prior quarter is due to
cyclical revenues associated with the NASDAQ Insurance Agency, as well
as to reductions in issuer fee revenue.
* NASDAQ Financial Products revenue increased from the prior year due to
Portal revenue which was driven higher by elevated activity in the
private placement market.
Total Expenses -- Total expenses increased 16.1% to $120.2 million from $103.5 million in the year-ago quarter and increased 14.0% from $105.4 million in the prior quarter. Expenses increased as a result of the continuing INET integration and recent acquisitions. First quarter 2006 results include $13.6 million in net pre-tax charges noted above. First quarter 2005 included $7.5 million of similar charges.
Earnings Per Share
As stated above, first quarter earnings per diluted share were $0.16 versus $0.15 reported for the fourth quarter of 2005 and $0.13 per diluted share in the year-ago quarter. NASDAQ's weighted average shares outstanding used to calculate diluted earnings per share was 128.0 million in the quarter versus 92.6 million last year and 122.5 million last quarter. The increase from last year is due primarily to the dilutive impact of the convertible notes and related warrants issued in April 2005 as part of the acquisition of INET ECN, and to the shares issued in NASDAQ's February 2006 equity offering.
NASDAQ(R) is the largest electronic equity securities market in the United States. With approximately 3,200 companies, it lists more companies and, on average, trades more shares per day than any other U.S. market. It is home to category-defining companies that are leaders across all areas of business including technology, retail, communications, financial services, transportation, media and biotechnology industries. For more information about NASDAQ, visit the NASDAQ Web site at http://www.nasdaq.com or the NASDAQ Newsroom(SM) at http://www.nasdaqnews.com. NDAQF
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The matters described herein may contain forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The NASDAQ Stock market, Inc. cautions that these statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include projections which have not been reviewed by independent auditors of NASDAQ. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties or other factors beyond NASDAQ's control. These factors include, but are not limited to, NASDAQ's ability to implement its strategic initiatives, economic, political and market conditions and fluctuations, government and industry regulation, interest rate risk, U.S. and global competition, and other factors detailed in NASDAQ's annual report on Form 10-K, and periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, these statements are based on a number of assumptions that are subject to change. Accordingly, actual results may be materially higher or lower than those projected. The inclusion of such projections herein should not be regarded as a representation by NASDAQ that the projections will prove to be correct. We undertake no obligation to release any revisions to any forward-looking statements.
The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
(in millions, except per share amounts and other drivers)
Three Months Ended (unaudited)
March 31, December 31, March 31,
2006 2005 2005
Revenues
Market Services $337.1 $200.2 $125.1
Issuer Services 58.9 59.3 54.9
Other 0.2 - 0.2
Total revenues 396.2 259.5 180.2
Cost of revenues
Liquidity rebates (167.2) (86.1) (35.4)
Brokerage, clearance and exchange fees (67.0) (34.8) (18.5)
Total cost of revenues (234.2) (120.9) (53.9)
Gross margin 162.0 138.6 126.3
Expenses
Compensation and benefits 48.9 41.7 37.3
Marketing and advertising 5.0 4.2 1.3
Depreciation and amortization 24.5 20.2 18.2
Professional and contract services 8.9 7.7 7.0
Computer operations and data
communications 10.0 14.9 16.2
Provision for bad debts - 3.0 0.6
Occupancy 8.0 7.1 7.1
General and administrative 6.8 (3.9) 5.4
Total direct expenses 112.1 94.9 93.1
Support costs from related parties, net 8.1 10.5 10.4
Total expenses 120.2 105.4 103.5
Operating income 41.8 33.2 22.8
Interest income 4.5 4.2 1.4
Interest expense (16.4) (8.1) (2.9)
Minority interest 0.1 0.1 -
Pre-tax income 30.0 29.4 21.3
Income tax provision 12.0 12.3 8.6
Net income $18.0 $17.1 $12.7
Net income applicable to common
stockholders:
Net income $18.0 $17.1 $12.7
Preferred stock:
Dividends declared (0.4) (0.7) (1.0)
Accretion of preferred stock (0.3) (0.3) (0.9)
Net income applicable to common
stockholders $17.3 $16.1 $10.8
Basic and diluted earnings per share:
Basic $0.20 $0.20 $0.14
Diluted $0.16 $0.15 $0.13
Weighted average common shares
outstanding for earnings per share:
Basic 87.9 82.5 79.0
Diluted 128.0 122.5 92.6
Other Drivers
Average daily share volume in
NASDAQ-listed securities (in
millions) 2,122 1,768 2,004
Percentage of share volume of
NASDAQ-listed securities reported
to The NASDAQ Market Center 74.5% 61.5% 54.9%
Percentage of share volume of
NYSE-listed securities reported
to The NASDAQ Market Center 21.3% 19.3% 15.0%
Percentage of share volume of
AMEX-listed securities reported to
The NASDAQ Market Center 42.1% 32.8% 31.4%
Initial Public Offerings 34 35 20
Secondary Offerings 69 77 45
Number of listed companies 3,191 3,208 3,247
The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in millions)
March 31, December 31,
2006 2005
(unaudited)
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $374.9 $165.2
Available-for-sale investments, at
fair value 221.3 179.4
Receivables, net 241.0 207.6
Deferred tax assets 13.3 10.0
Other current assets 38.7 34.8
Total current assets 889.2 597.0
Property and equipment:
Land, buildings and improvements 61.0 60.9
Data processing equipment and software 178.7 180.0
Furniture, equipment and leasehold
improvements 115.3 115.6
355.0 356.5
Less accumulated depreciation
and amortization (247.2) (233.9)
Total property and equipment, net 107.8 122.6
Non-current deferred tax assets 127.8 133.3
Goodwill 988.5 961.9
Intangible assets, net 216.5 215.5
Other assets 16.7 16.5
Total assets $2,346.5 $2,046.8
Liabilities
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses $112.6 $118.9
Accrued personnel costs 32.2 55.3
Deferred revenue 140.6 53.6
Other accrued liabilities 56.7 61.8
Current portion of debt obligations 7.5 7.5
Payables to related parties 9.3 28.2
Total current liabilities 358.9 325.3
Debt obligations 1,183.1 1,184.9
Accrued pension costs 25.3 25.8
Non-current deferred tax liabilities 93.0 95.2
Non-current deferred revenue 93.5 92.0
Other liabilities 70.4 69.6
Total liabilities 1,824.2 1,792.8
Minority interest 0.9 1.0
Stockholders' equity
Common stock 1.3 1.3
Preferred stock, Series D - 95.0
Additional paid-in capital 607.1 383.7
Common stock in treasury, at cost (488.9) (613.4)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (1.2) (1.3)
Deferred stock compensation - (4.9)
Common stock issuable - 6.8
Retained earnings 403.1 385.8
Total stockholders' equity 521.4 253.0
Total liabilities, minority interest
and stockholders' equity $2,346.5 $2,046.8
SOURCE NASDAQ
Media: Bethany Sherman of NASDAQ, +1-212-401-8714; Investors: Vincent Palmiere of NASDAQ, +1-212-401-8742; Jody Burfening or Carolyn Capaccio of Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates, +1-212-838-3777, both for NASDAQ
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