COHN Cohen & Company Inc

Cohen & Company Inc. (NYSE American: COHN), a financial services firm specializing in fixed income markets, today reported financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2019. 

Summary Operating Results

					Three Months Ended								Nine Months Ended
($ in thousands)	9/30/19				6/30/19				9/30/18				9/30/19				9/30/18
Total revenues	$	11,267			$	11,169			$	12,237			$	33,576			$	33,765
Compensation and benefits		7,017				6,432				7,177				19,813				18,960
Non-compensation operating expenses		4,693				4,219				4,704				13,756				13,434
Operating income		(443	)			518				356				7				1,371
Interest expense, net		(1,536	)			(1,939	)			(2,185	)			(5,329	)			(6,205	)
Income (loss) from equity method affiliates		(109	)			(248	)			-				(365	)			-
Income (loss) before income tax expense (benefit)		(2,088	)			(1,669	)			(1,829	)			(5,687	)			(4,834	)
Income tax expense (benefit)		(170	)			(641	)			(595	)			(917	)			(1,259	)
Net income (loss)		(1,918	)			(1,028	)			(1,234	)			(4,770	)			(3,575	)
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to the noncontrolling interest		(702	)			(618	)			(583	)			(1,942	)			(1,530	)
Net income (loss) attributable to Cohen & Company Inc.	$	(1,216	)		$	(410	)		$	(651	)		$	(2,828	)		$	(2,045	)
Fully diluted net income (loss) per share	$	(1.06	)		$	(0.36	)		$	(0.57	)		$	(2.48	)		$	(1.76	)

• Revenues during the three months ended September 30, 2019 increased $98 thousand from the prior quarter and decreased $1.0 million from the prior year quarter.  
  • The decrease from the prior year quarter was comprised primarily of (i) a decrease of $2.1 million in principal transactions due to less revenue from the Company’s CLO and other equity investments and (ii) a decrease of $800 thousand in asset management revenue due primarily to one-time incentive fees received from our European accounts in the prior-year quarter; partially offset by (iii) an increase of $1.7 million in net trading from higher trading activity primarily in municipals, agencies, and mortgages and (iv) an increase of $250 thousand in new issue and advisory related to an origination fee in our US Insurance business. 
• Compensation and benefits expense as a percentage of revenue was 62% for the three months ended September 30, 2019, compared to 58% for the three months ended June 30, 2019, and 59% for the three months ended September 30, 2018. The number of Cohen & Company employees was 90 as of September 30, 2019, compared to 90 as of June 30, 2019, and 86 as of September 30, 2018. 
• Non-compensation operating expenses during the three months ended September 30, 2019 increased $474 thousand from the prior quarter and were comparable to the prior year quarter. The increase from the prior quarter was primarily due to higher professional fees and revenue-driven clearing and execution cost in the current quarter. 
• Interest expense during the three months ended September 30, 2019 decreased $403 thousand from the prior quarter and $649 thousand from the prior year quarter. The changes in both periods were due to interest on redeemable financial instruments, which is driven by certain groups’ revenue or profit. 
• Income (loss) from equity method investments relates to the Company-sponsored insurance SPAC, which completed its initial public offering in March 2019, and has eighteen months from its initial public offering to consummate a business combination. 
• As of September 30, 2019, total equity was $39.7 million, compared to $42.4 million as of December 31, 2018.

Lester Brafman, Chief Executive Officer of Cohen & Company, said, “Our third quarter performance was impacted by the shock to overnight repo funding rates in September and slower than anticipated growth from new issue revenue opportunities. While we are disappointed with our results from the quarter, we are pleased with the overall growth in our Mortgage business, as our TBA and Gestational Repo businesses have reached all-time highs in terms of volume and revenues. We continue to believe that the initiatives underway will generate long-term value for our shareholders, and we are focused on improving these results going forward.” 

Conference Call

Management will hold a conference call this morning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss these results. The conference call will also be available via webcast. Interested parties can access the webcast by clicking the webcast link on the Company’s website at www.cohenandcompany.com. Those wishing to listen to the conference call with operator assistance can dial (877) 686-9573 (domestic) or (706) 643-6983 (international), participant pass code 6295843, or request the Cohen & Company earnings call.  A replay of the call will be available for two weeks following the call by dialing (800) 585-8367 (domestic) or (404) 537-3406 (international), participant pass code 6295843.

About Cohen & Company

Cohen & Company is a financial services company specializing in fixed income markets. It was founded in 1999 as an investment firm focused on small-cap banking institutions but has grown to provide an expanding range of capital markets and asset management services. Cohen & Company’s operating segments are Capital Markets, Asset Management, and Principal Investing. The Capital Markets segment consists of fixed income sales, trading, and matched book repo financing as well as new issue placements in corporate and securitized products, and advisory services, operating primarily through Cohen & Company’s subsidiaries, J.V.B. Financial Group, LLC in the United States and Cohen & Company Financial Limited in Europe. The Asset Management segment manages assets through collateralized debt obligations, managed accounts, and investment funds. As of September 30, 2019, the Company managed approximately $2.7 billion in fixed income assets in a variety of asset classes including US and European trust preferred securities, subordinated debt, and corporate loans. As of September 30, 2019, 82.4% of the Company’s assets under management were in collateralized debt obligations that Cohen & Company manages, which were all securitized prior to 2008. The Principal Investing segment is comprised primarily of investments that we have made for the purpose of earning an investment return rather than investments made to support our trading, matched book repo, or other capital markets business activity. For more information, please visit www.cohenandcompany.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This communication contains certain statements, estimates, and forecasts with respect to future performance and events. These statements, estimates, and forecasts are “forward-looking statements.” In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,”  “ might,”  “will,”  “should,” “expect,” “plan,”  “anticipate,”  “believe,”  “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “seek,” or “continue” or the negatives thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this communication are forward-looking statements and are based on various underlying assumptions and expectations and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, and may include projections of our future financial performance based on our growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business. These statements are based on our current expectations and projections about future events. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition” in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which are available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and our website at www.cohenandcompany.com/investor-relations/sec-filings. Such risk factors include the following: (a) a decline in general economic conditions or the global financial markets, (b) losses caused by financial or other problems experienced by third parties, (c) losses due to unidentified or unanticipated risks, (d) a lack of liquidity, i.e., ready access to funds for use in our businesses, (e) the ability to attract and retain personnel, (f) litigation and regulatory issues, (g) competitive pressure, (h) an inability to generate incremental income from new or expanded businesses, (i) unanticipated market closures due to inclement weather or other disasters, (j) losses (whether realized or unrealized) on our principal investments, including on our CLO investments, (k) the possibility that payments to the Company of subordinated management fees from its European CLO will continue to be deferred or will be discontinued, and (l) the possibility that the stockholder rights plan may fail to preserve the value of the Company’s deferred tax assets, whether as a result of the acquisition by a person of 5% of the Company’s common stock or otherwise. As a result, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements included in this communication will prove to be accurate or correct. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, the future performance or events described in the forward-looking statements in this communication might not occur. Accordingly, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Cautionary Note Regarding Quarterly Financial Results

Due to the nature of our business, our revenue and operating results may fluctuate materially from quarter to quarter.  Accordingly, revenue and net income in any particular quarter may not be indicative of future results. Further, our employee compensation arrangements are in large part incentive-based and, therefore, will fluctuate with revenue. The amount of compensation expense recognized in any one quarter may not be indicative of such expense in future periods.  As a result, we suggest that annual results may be the most meaningful gauge for investors in evaluating our business performance.  

COHEN & COMPANY INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited)
(in thousands, except per share data)
						Three Months Ended								Nine Months Ended
		9/30/19				6/30/19				9/30/18				9/30/19				9/30/18
	Revenues
	Net trading	$	8,479			$	8,670			$	6,816			$	25,873			$	20,193
	Asset management		2,018				1,745				2,818				5,765				7,827
	New issue and advisory		250				-				-				250				873
	Principal transactions		310				585				2,400				1,245				4,292
	Other revenue		210				169				203				443				580
	Total revenues		11,267				11,169				12,237				33,576				33,765
	Operating expenses
	Compensation and benefits		7,017				6,432				7,177				19,813				18,960
	Business development, occupancy, equipment		770				895				725				2,476				2,236
	Subscriptions, clearing, and execution		2,403				2,056				2,433				6,732				6,418
	Professional services and other operating		1,440				1,190				1,483				4,309				4,604
	Depreciation and amortization		80				78				63				239				176
	Total operating expenses		11,710				10,651				11,881				33,569				32,394
	Operating income (loss)		(443	)			518				356				7				1,371
	Non-operating income (expense)
	Interest expense, net		(1,536	)			(1,939	)			(2,185	)			(5,329	)			(6,205	)
	Income (loss) from equity method affiliates		(109	)			(248	)			-				(365	)			-
	Income (loss) before income tax expense (benefit)		(2,088	)			(1,669	)			(1,829	)			(5,687	)			(4,834	)
	Income tax expense (benefit)		(170	)			(641	)			(595	)			(917	)			(1,259	)
	Net income (loss)		(1,918	)			(1,028	)			(1,234	)			(4,770	)			(3,575	)
	Less: Net income (loss) attributable to the noncontrolling interest		(702	)			(618	)			(583	)			(1,942	)			(1,530	)
	Net income (loss) attributable to Cohen & Company Inc.	$	(1,216	)		$	(410	)		$	(651	)		$	(2,828	)		$	(2,045	)
Earnings per share
	Basic
	Net income (loss) attributable to Cohen & Company Inc.	$	(1,216	)		$	(410	)		$	(651	)		$	(2,828	)		$	(2,045	)
	Basic shares outstanding		1,144				1,144				1,145				1,140				1,164
	Net income (loss) attributable to Cohen & Company Inc. per share	$	(1.06	)		$	(0.36	)		$	(0.57	)		$	(2.48	)		$	(1.76	)
	Fully Diluted
	Net income (loss) attributable to Cohen & Company Inc.	$	(1,216	)		$	(410	)		$	(651	)		$	(2,828	)		$	(2,045	)
	Net income (loss) attributable to the convertible noncontrolling interest		(645	)			(491	)			(583	)			(1,754	)			(1,530	)
	Income tax and conversion adjustment		79				298				283				430				596
	Enterprise net income (loss)	$	(1,782	)		$	(603	)		$	(951	)		$	(4,152	)		$	(2,979	)
	Basic shares outstanding		1,144				1,144				1,145				1,140				1,164
	Unrestricted Operating LLC membership units exchangeable into COHN shares		532				532				532				532				532
	Fully diluted shares outstanding		1,676				1,676				1,677				1,672				1,696
	Fully diluted net income (loss) per share	$	(1.06	)		$	(0.36	)		$	(0.57	)		$	(2.48	)		$	(1.76	)

COHEN & COMPANY INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands)
		September 30, 2019
		(unaudited)					December 31, 2018
	Assets
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	14,130			$	14,106
	Receivables from brokers, dealers, and clearing agencies		99,283				129,812
	Due from related parties		317				793
	Other receivables		5,949				12,072
	Investments - trading		243,928				301,235
	Other investments, at fair value		6,892				13,768
	Receivables under resale agreements		7,052,919				7,632,230
	Investment in equity method affiliate		3,410				-
	Goodwill		7,992				7,992
	Right-of-use asset - operating leases		7,460				-
	Other assets		5,142				3,621
	Total assets	$	7,447,422			$	8,115,629
	Liabilities
	Payables to brokers, dealer, and clearing agencies	$	130,004			$	201,598
	Accounts payable and other liabilities		10,682				11,452
	Accrued compensation		3,664				5,254
	Trading securities sold, not yet purchased		90,016				120,122
	Securities sold under agreements to repurchase		7,099,614				7,671,764
	Deferred income taxes		1,100				2,017
	Lease liability - operating leases		8,011				-
	Redeemable financial instruments		18,540				17,448
	Debt		46,091				43,536
	Total liabilities		7,407,722				8,073,191
	Equity
	Voting nonconvertible preferred stock		5				5
	Common stock		12				12
	Additional paid-in capital		68,949				68,591
	Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(1,009	)			(908	)
	Accumulated deficit		(35,293	)			(31,926	)
	Total stockholders' equity		32,664				35,774
	Noncontrolling interest		7,036				6,664
	Total equity		39,700				42,438
	Total liabilities and equity	$	7,447,422			$	8,115,629

 

Contact:
Investors -		Media -
Cohen & Company Inc.		Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
Joseph W. Pooler, Jr.		James Golden or Andrew Squire
Executive Vice President and		212-355-4449
Chief Financial Officer		jgolden@joelefrank.com or asquire@joelefrank.com
215-701-8952
investorrelations@cohenandcompany.com