Stifel Reports Record Fourth Quarter and Full-Year Results

24th consecutive year of record net revenues of $3.3 billion, an increase of 10.3% compared with 2018.Quarterly record net revenues of $944.3 million, an increase of 14.9% over our previous record quarter.Record quarterly net income available to common shareholders of $125.8 million, or $1.62 per diluted common share.Record non-GAAP net income available to common shareholders of $146.6 million, or $1.88 per diluted common share.Record client assets of $329.5 billion, increased 22.1% compared with the year-ago quarter.Quarterly GAAP return on tangible common equity of 26.3%.Quarterly non-GAAP return on tangible common equity of 30.6%.Increasing quarterly dividend by 13% to $0.17 per common share starting in first quarter of 2020.ST. LOUIS, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) today reported net income available to common shareholders of $125.8 million, or $1.62 per diluted common share on record net revenues of $944.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2019, compared with net income available to common shareholders of $111.7 million, or $1.38 per diluted common share, on net revenues of $793.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2018.For the three months ended December 31, 2019, the Company reported non-GAAP net income available to common shareholders of $146.6 million, or $1.88 per diluted common share. The Company’s reported GAAP net income for the three months ended December 31, 2019 was primarily impacted by merger-related expenses. Details discussed below and in the “Non-GAAP Financial Matters” section.Chairman’s Comments“2019 was a remarkable year for Stifel as we achieved our 24th consecutive year of record net revenues. We continued to execute on our long-term strategy of combining organic growth with accretive acquisitions. As evidenced by our record non-GAAP earnings per share of $6.10, non-GAAP return on tangible equity of nearly 25%, and the return of more than $300 million to common shareholders through repurchases and dividends, we have been able to grow our business and enhance shareholder value,” stated Ronald J. Kruszewski, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Stifel.Mr. Kruszewski continued, “As I look to 2020, I am optimistic about our success. The market environment remains strong and we enter the year with record client assets, robust recruiting and investment banking pipelines, and incremental revenue from the six acquisitions we closed in 2019. In short, Stifel remains well positioned to capitalize on current market trends as the diversity of our business model enables us to generate strong results in various operating environments.”Fourth Quarter ReviewQuarterly HighlightsRecord net revenues of $944.3 million, increased 19.0% with the year-ago quarter, and increased 14.9% sequentially.Record net revenues in Global Wealth Management and Institutional Group segments.Record net income available to common shareholders of $125.8 million, or $1.62 per diluted common share.Record non-GAAP net income available to common shareholders of $146.6 million, or $1.88 per diluted common share.Bank net interest margin of 3.19% increased 5 basis points sequentially.Repurchased approximately 0.6 million shares of the Company’s common stock at an average price of $54.15 per share.Completed the acquisitions of MainFirst and the Capital Markets business of GMP Capital Inc.Brokerage RevenuesBrokerage revenues, defined as commissions and principal transactions, were $289.6 million, a 16.5% increase compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and a 10.6% increase compared with the third quarter of 2019.Global Wealth Management brokerage revenues were $174.0 million, a 10.6% increase compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and an 8.7% increase compared with the third quarter of 2019.Institutional equity brokerage revenues were $46.0 million, a 5.6% decrease compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and a 12.1% increase compared with the third quarter of 2019.Institutional fixed income brokerage revenues were $69.6 million, a 63.8% increase compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and a 14.8% increase compared with the third quarter of 2019.Investment Banking RevenuesInvestment banking revenues were a record $277.2 million, a 37.7% increase compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and a 39.4% increase compared with the third quarter of 2019.Global Wealth Management capital raising revenues were $9.3 million, a 17.2% increase compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and a 5.9% decrease compared with the third quarter of 2019.Institutional equity capital raising revenues were $64.4 million, a 24.2% increase compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and a 21.5% increase compared with the third quarter of 2019.Institutional fixed income capital raising revenues were $48.2 million, a 58.5% increase compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and a 55.0% increase compared with the third quarter of 2019.Advisory fee revenues were $155.3 million, a 39.8% increase compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and a 48.2% increase compared with the third quarter of 2019.Asset Management and Service Fee RevenuesAsset management and service fee revenues were a record $224.0 million, a 6.6% increase compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and a 2.9% increase compared with the third quarter of 2019. The increase from the comparative period in 2018 is primarily attributable to the growth in fee-based accounts, as a result of market appreciation and new client assets. See Asset Management and Service Fee Break-down table.Net Interest IncomeNet interest income of $135.7 million, a 7.1% increase compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and a 0.7% increase compared with the third quarter of 2019. See Net Interest Income Analysis table.Interest income was $167.1 million, a 9.5% decrease compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and a 6.5% decrease compared with the third quarter of 2019.Interest expense was $31.4 million, a 45.7% decrease compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and a 28.8% decrease compared with the third quarter of 2019.Annual ReviewAnnual HighlightsRecord net revenues of $3.3 billion, increased 10.3% compared with 2018.Record net revenues and pre-tax operating income in Global Wealth Management.Record net revenues in Institutional Group.Record net income available to common shareholders of $431.1 million, or $5.49 per diluted common share.Record non-GAAP net income available to common shareholders of $479.6 million, or $6.10 per diluted common share.For year ended December 31, 2019, the Company reported net income available to common shareholders of $431.1 million, or $5.49 per diluted common share on record net revenues of $3.3 billion, compared with net income available to common shareholders of $384.6 million, or $4.73 per diluted common share, on net revenues of $3.0 billion for the comparable in 2018.For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company reported non-GAAP net income available to common shareholders of $479.6 million, or $6.10 per diluted common share. The Company’s reported GAAP net income for the year ended December 31, 2019 was primarily impacted by merger-related expenses. Details are discussed below and in the “Non-GAAP Financial Matters” section.Brokerage RevenuesBrokerage revenues were $1.1 billion, a 6.3% increase compared with 2018.Global Wealth Management brokerage revenues were $649.7 million, a 1.8% increase compared with 2018.Institutional equity brokerage revenues were $166.6 million, a 10.4% decrease compared with 2018.Institutional fixed income brokerage revenues were $256.0 million, a 38.4% increase compared with 2018.Investment Banking RevenuesInvestment banking revenues were $817.4 million, a 15.5% increase compared with 2018.Global Wealth Management capital raising revenues were $37.9 million, a 21.2% increase compared with 2018.Institutional equity capital raising revenues were $204.4 million, a 4.3% decrease compared with 2018.Institutional fixed income capital raising revenues were $127.1 million, a 39.3% increase compared with 2018.Advisory fee revenues were $448.0 million, a 20.6% increase compared with 2018.Asset Management and Service Fee RevenuesAsset management and service fee revenues were $848.0 million, a 5.2% increase compared with 2018. The increase is primarily attributable to the growth in fee-based accounts, as a result of market appreciation and new client assets.Net Interest IncomeNet interest income of $547.0 million, a 14.8% increase compared with 2018. The increase is primarily attributable to growth of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, as well as higher interest rates.Interest income was $724.9 million, a 12.1% increase compared with 2018.Interest expense was $177.9 million, a 4.6% increase compared with 2018.Fourth Quarter & Full Year 2019Compensation and Benefits ExpensesFor the quarter ended December 31, 2019, compensation and benefits expenses were $567.0 million, which included $16.3 million of merger-related and severance expenses (non-GAAP adjustments). This compares with $448.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 and $486.2 million in the third quarter of 2019. Excluding the non-GAAP adjustments, compensation and benefits as a percentage of net revenues were 58.3% in the fourth quarter of 2019 (non-GAAP measure).For the year ended December 31, 2019, compensation and benefits expenses were $2.0 billion, which included $32.4 million of merger-related and severance expenses (non-GAAP adjustments), compared to $1.8 billion in 2018. Excluding the non-GAAP adjustments, compensation and benefits as a percentage of net revenues were 58.3% in the year ended December 31, 2019 (non-GAAP measure).Non-Compensation Operating ExpensesFor the quarter ended December 31, 2019, non-compensation operating expenses were $214.7 million, which included $15.0 million of merger-related expenses (non-GAAP adjustments). This compares with $189.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 and $184.7 million in the third quarter of 2019. Excluding the non-GAAP adjustments, non-compensation operating expenses as a percentage of net revenues for the quarter ended December 31, 2019 were 21.2% (non-GAAP measure).For the year ended December 31, 2019, non-compensation operating expenses were $759.8 million, which included $32.2 million of merger-related expenses (non-GAAP adjustments), compared with $719.8 million in 2018. Excluding the non-GAAP adjustments, non-compensation operating expenses as a percentage of net revenues for the year ended December 31, 2019 were 21.8% (non-GAAP measure).Provision for Income TaxesThe GAAP effective income tax rate for the quarter ended December 31, 2019 was 19.6%. This compares with an effective income tax rate of 26.9% for the fourth quarter of 2018 and 27.1% for the third quarter of 2019. The adjusted non-GAAP effective income tax rate for the quarter ended December 31, 2019 was 22.0%.The GAAP effective income tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2019 was 25.0%, compared with 26.3% in 2018. The adjusted non-GAAP effective income tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2019 was 25.0%.Conference Call InformationStifel Financial Corp. will host its fourth quarter 2019 financial results conference call on Thursday, January 30, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time. The conference call may include forward-looking statements.All interested parties are invited to listen to Stifel’s Chairman and CEO, Ronald J. Kruszewski, by dialing (888) 676-3684 and referencing conference ID #8290063. A live audio webcast of the call, as well as a presentation highlighting the Company’s results, will be available through the Company’s web site, www.stifel.com. For those who cannot listen to the live broadcast, a replay of the broadcast will be available through the above-referenced web site beginning approximately one hour following the completion of the call.Company InformationStifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Stifel’s broker-dealer clients are served in the United States through Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated; Keefe Bruyette & Woods, Inc.; Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC; and Century Securities Associates, Inc., in the United Kingdom and Europe through Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited, and in Canada through Stifel Nicolaus Canada, Inc. The Company’s broker-dealer affiliates provide securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services to individual investors, professional money managers, businesses, and municipalities. Stifel Bank and Stifel Bank & Trust offer a full range of consumer and commercial lending solutions. Stifel Trust Company, N.A. and Stifel Trust Company Delaware, N.A. offer trust and related services. To learn more about Stifel, please visit the Company’s web site at www.stifel.com.Forward-Looking StatementsThis earnings release contains certain statements that may be deemed to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  All statements in this earnings release not dealing with historical results are forward-looking and are based on various assumptions.  The forward-looking statements in this earnings release are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the statements.  Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the following possibilities:  the ability to successfully integrate acquired companies or the branch offices and financial advisors; a material adverse change in financial condition; the risk of borrower, depositor, and other customer attrition; a change in general business and economic conditions; changes in the interest rate environment, deposit flows, loan demand, real estate values, and competition; changes in accounting principles, policies, or guidelines; changes in legislation and regulation; other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory, geopolitical, and technological factors affecting the companies’ operations, pricing, and services; and other risk factors referred to from time to time in filings made by Stifel Financial Corp. with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are made. Stifel Financial Corp. disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.









Non-GAAP Financial MeasuresThe Company utilized certain non-GAAP calculations as additional measures to aid in understanding and analyzing the Company’s financial results for the three months ended December 31, 2019, December 31, 2018, and September 30, 2019 and the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. Specifically, the Company believes that the non-GAAP measures provide useful information by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of the Company’s core operating results and business outlook. The Company believes that these non-GAAP measures will allow for a better evaluation of the operating performance of the business and facilitate a meaningful comparison of the Company’s results in the current period to those in prior and future periods. Reference to these non-GAAP measures should not be considered as a substitute for results that are presented in a manner consistent with GAAP. These non-GAAP measures are provided to enhance investors’ overall understanding of the Company’s current financial performance. The non-GAAP financial information should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for or as being superior to, operating income, cash flows, or other measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP measures primarily exclude expenses which management believes are, in some instances, non-recurring and not representative of on-going business.A limitation of utilizing these non-GAAP measures is that the GAAP accounting effects of these charges do, in fact, reflect the underlying financial results of the Company’s business and these effects should not be ignored in evaluating and analyzing its financial results. Therefore, the Company believes that GAAP measures and the same respective non-GAAP measures of the Company’s financial performance should be considered together.The following table provides details with respect to reconciling net income and earnings per diluted common share on a GAAP basis for the three months ended December 31, 2019, December 31, 2018, and September 30, 2019, and the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 to net income and earnings per diluted common share on a non-GAAP basis for the same period.Footnotes(1)  Reconciliations of the Company’s GAAP results to these non-GAAP measures are discussed within and under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
(2)  Non-GAAP pre-tax margin for the three months ended December 31, 2019 of 20.5% is calculated by adding non-GAAP adjustments of $31.4 million to our GAAP income before income taxes of $162.6 million and dividing it by non-GAAP net revenues for the quarter of $944.4 million. Reconciliations of the Company’s GAAP results to certain non-GAAP measures is discussed within and under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
(3)  Non-GAAP pre-tax margin for the year ended December 31, 2019 of 19.9% is calculated by adding non-GAAP adjustments of $64.7 million to our GAAP income before income taxes of $599.1 million and dividing it by non-GAAP net revenues of $3.3 billion. Reconciliations of the Company’s GAAP results to certain non-GAAP measures is discussed within and under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
(4)  Excludes revenue included in the Other segment.
(5)  See further discussion of non-GAAP adjustments under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
(6)  Book value per common share represents shareholders’ equity (excluding preferred stock and non-controlling interests) divided by period end common shares outstanding.
(7)  Computed by dividing annualized net income by average Stifel Financial common shareholders’ equity or, in the case of non-GAAP return on common equity, computed by dividing non-GAAP net income by average Stifel Financial common shareholders’ equity.
(8)  Computed by dividing annualized net income by average tangible shareholders’ equity or, in the case of non-GAAP return on tangible common equity, computed by dividing non-GAAP net income by average tangible shareholders’ equity. Tangible common shareholders’ equity equals total Stifel Financial common shareholders’ equity less goodwill and identifiable intangible assets.
(9)  Capital ratios are estimates at time of the Company’s earnings release.
(10)  Reflects change in the definition of producing brokers as of January 1, 2019. Prior period amounts have been restated to conform with current period presentation.
(11)  Includes client margin balances held by our broker-dealer subsidiaries and securities-based loans held at our bank subsidiaries.
(12)  Includes Private Client Group and Trust Business.
(13)  Includes fund networking fees, retirement fees, transaction/handling fees, and ACAT fees.
(14)  Asset management assets managed in Private Client Group or Trust accounts.
(15)  Return on assets (ROA) is calculated based on prior period-end balances for Private Client Group, period-end balances for Asset Management, and average quarterly balances for Individual Program Banks.
(16)  Includes Stifel Bank & Trust, Stifel Bank, and Stifel Trust Company, N.A.
(17)  Includes net interest, asset management and service fees, and other income.
(18)  Primarily related to charges attributable to integration-related activities, signing bonuses, amortization of restricted stock awards and promissory notes issued as retention, professional fees, and amortization of intangible assets acquired. These costs were directly related to acquisitions of certain businesses and are not representative of the costs of running the Company’s on-going business.
(19)  Primarily related to costs associated with Company’s legal matters.
(20)  See details of non-GAAP adjustments under “Provision for Income Taxes.”
Media Contact:  Neil Shapiro  (212) 271-3447
Investor Contact:  Joel Jeffrey  (212) 271-3610
www.stifel.com/investor-relations

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