NYMEX Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NMX), parent company of the New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (NYMEX), today reported that total operating revenues for the third quarter ended September 30, 2007 rose 25% to a record $173.2 million compared to $138.3 million for the third quarter 2006. Net income for the third quarter 2007 increased 54% to a record $62.6 million compared to $40.7 million for the third quarter 2006. Diluted earnings per share for the third quarter 2007 were $0.66, based on 94.8 million shares outstanding, compared to $0.47, based on 81.6 million shares outstanding, for the third quarter 2006.
The Board of Directors approved a special dividend of $100 million, as well as its regular quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share on the Company's common stock. Both dividends will apply to shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 3, 2007, and payable on December 28, 2007.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2007, NYMEX reported record total operating revenues of $501.0 million, a 35% increase from $372.5 million for the first nine months of 2006. Net income rose 43% to $160.5 million, versus $112.5 million in the first nine months of 2006. Diluted earnings per share for the first nine months of 2007 was $1.69 versus $1.35 in the 2006 period, based on 94.8 million and 79.4 million shares outstanding, respectively. Excluding the one-time charge related to Optionable, which occurred in the second quarter of 2007, diluted earnings per share for the nine months was $1.85.
NYMEX Chairman Richard Schaeffer said, "We are excited to deliver a record quarter of operating performance and profitability as we continue to deliver on our strategic goals as well as our expense reduction program. Our third quarter results are highlighted by the continued reduction of our expense base, as shown by our record 71% pre-tax margin for the quarter. As a demonstration of the continuing strength of our business, we are pleased to declare this special $100 million dividend to shareholders, in addition to our regular quarterly dividend."
NYMEX President and Chief Executive Officer James E. Newsome stated, "During our record third quarter, we set multiple single day electronic trading volume records on the CME Globex® electronic trading platform, as well as numerous volume and open interest records in our benchmark contracts. We are pleased that we have had several million-contract days on CME Globex since we launched our physically-settled contracts last year. In addition, we have now launched electronic options contracts on all of our core energy and metals contracts on CME Globex, as well as on our NYMEX ClearPort® electronic clearing and trading platform, which is part of our strategy to provide multiple venues for our users to trade and clear contracts. We are gratified by the early success in electronic trading of options, as evidenced by trading sessions when as much as 20% of natural gas options has traded electronically. In our Dubai strategic venture, the physically settled Dubai Mercantile Exchange Oman sour crude oil contract has continued to show consistent growth in volume and open interest, and now commands virtually 100% of all trading and open interest for Middle East-based exchange traded crude oil contracts."
Comprehensive Enterprise Efficiency Plan
NYMEX management has announced an enterprise efficiency plan that is designed to enhance revenues and reduce costs, while taking into account the evolving business model of the Exchange. NYMEX remains committed to enhancing and expanding our leadership in global trading and clearing of derivatives through expansion of volume growth and distribution as well as leadership in introducing innovative new products. This plan includes the following key initiatives:
-- NYMEX will implement revenue enhancements of approximately $50 million
based on a new fee schedule to each of the NYMEX and COMEX Divisions
applied to September 2007 average daily volume, and an increase in its
market data fees from $50 per unit to $55 per unit, effective
February 1, 2008, based on average market data units of 135,508 from
September 2007.
-- NYMEX will implement a substantial reduction in its current cost
structure. NYMEX expects the cost savings components of the plan to
reduce its current operating expense base by approximately $22 million
on an annual basis. NYMEX will reduce its current workforce by
approximately 120 positions over the next five quarters, or $10
million on an annual basis, beginning immediately with 55 positions,
and continuing through 2008. As a result of these cost reduction
initiatives, NYMEX expects to record a cumulative pre-tax charge of
approximately $4.0 million for severance and related expense,
beginning in the fourth quarter of 2007, and into 2008.
-- NYMEX will retain leading real estate broker Cushman & Wakefield to
evaluate a sale of its headquarters located at One North End Avenue in
Lower Manhattan. In the event the Company concludes a sale of its
headquarters, NYMEX expects to reduce operating expenses by
approximately $12 million on an annual basis, based on elimination of
expense related to the facility. NYMEX also will closely review its
options with regard to the location of its existing staff and
requirements for trading floor square footage. While the timing for
this process is difficult to predict, the Company expects to conclude
this process during the third and fourth quarters of 2008.
Mr. Schaeffer concluded, "This plan represents a disciplined approach to our process of capturing the benefits of our migration from open outcry trading to electronic trading and will continue to position NYMEX as one of the most profitable and efficient exchanges. We continue to be committed to achieving our strategic goals to increase our trading and clearing volume, to expand distribution globally, to continue to innovate and launch new products, and to enhance and expand our leadership in global trading and clearing of physical commodity-based derivatives. We are extremely excited about the strength of our position, and ability to achieve our strategic goals, as well as greater profitability, which benefit our customers, employees and shareholders."
Dr. Newsome stated, "NYMEX is committed to doing what is necessary to streamline its operations and improve its performance for its customers and shareholders. The plan we are implementing arises from the transformative year that we have had at NYMEX, and is the result of management's continuing drive to create shareholder value. We are creating a streamlined team with a focus on growing our core business of clearing and risk management for the energy and metals industries, as well as taking aggressive steps to expand into new sectors. We look forward to reporting on our progress each quarter as we implement this plan."
New Slate of Environmental Markets Contracts
NYMEX also announced that it will be partnering with leading market participants to launch a broad slate of new emissions-related products, including European carbon instruments, restructured U.S. emissions compliance products, and new products for the U.S. carbon markets. NYMEX has worked extensively with utilities, hedge funds, investment banks, environmental brokers and environmental groups since March 2007 to establish a set of contracts that market participants need to effectively manage risk and gain direct exposure to the emissions markets. NYMEX intends to list this new slate of contracts on the CME Globex electronic trading platform and the NYMEX ClearPort Clearing platform by the end of the first quarter of 2008.
Third Quarter Results
Clearing and transaction fees rose 22% for the third quarter 2007 to $145.3 million compared to $119.2 million for the year ago period. An additional fee increase which applied to NYMEX Division and COMEX Division rates became effective August 1, 2007 and was in effect for two months of the third quarter. Market data fees increased 56% for the third quarter 2007, to $24.9 million versus $15.9 million for the third quarter 2006.
Average daily volume was 1.491 million contracts during the third quarter 2007, a 13% increase over the third quarter of 2006. NYMEX electronic trading volume on CME Globex averaged 686,916 contracts per day and represented a 249% increase over third quarter 2006 electronic trading volume, which included two months on NYMEX ACCESS® and one month on CME Globex. NYMEX floor-traded energy futures and options averaged 228,504 contracts a day for the third quarter of 2007, versus 528,030 contracts per day for the same period of 2006. COMEX electronic trading volume on CME Globex averaged 113,892 contracts per day, an increase of 1,325% over third quarter 2006 electronic trading volume. COMEX metals open outcry average daily volume was 36,352 contracts for the third quarter of 2007, versus 88,482 contracts per day for the same period of 2006. Average daily volume on NYMEX ClearPort was 351,286 contracts in the third quarter of 2007, as compared to 436,243 contracts in the same period of 2006. The remaining average daily volume of 73,910 per day consisted of other transactions which includes position transfers and exchanges.
Total operating expenses, excluding direct transaction costs of $24.7 million, were $40.5 million for the third quarter of 2007. This represents a 15% decrease from $47.5 million for the same period in 2006, driven primarily by the Company's cost cutting initiatives.
Income before provision for income taxes was $110.4 million for the third quarter 2007, compared to $75.3 million for the third quarter 2006. Pre-tax margin, defined as income before provision for income taxes divided by operating revenues, investment income and interest income from securities lending (net of interest expense/fees from securities lending and direct transaction costs), was 71% in the third quarter 2007, compared to 60% in third quarter 2006.
Nine Month Results
Clearing and transaction fees rose 34% for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 to $420.8 million, compared to $315.0 million for the year ago period. Market data fees were $71.4 million for the nine month period, versus $47.2 million for the nine months of 2006, an increase of 51%.
Average daily volume for the first nine months of 2007 was 1.466 million contracts, a 24% increase over the first nine months of 2006. NYMEX electronic trading volume on CME Globex averaged 631,029 contracts per day and represented a 361% increase over the nine-month period of 2006 electronic trading volume. NYMEX floor-traded energy futures and options averaged 270,935 contracts a day for the first nine months of 2007. COMEX electronic trading volume on CME Globex averaged 102,041 contracts per day, an increase of 729% over the first nine months of 2006 electronic trading volume. COMEX metals open outcry average daily volume was 44,453 contracts a day for the first nine months of 2007. Average daily volume on NYMEX ClearPort increased 8% in the first nine months of 2007 to 344,114 contracts, from 317,919 contracts in the comparable period of 2006. The remaining average daily volume of 73,610 per day consisted of other transactions which includes position transfers and exchanges.
Total operating expenses for the first nine months of 2007, excluding direct transaction costs of $73.1 million, were $126.7 million. This represents a 7% decrease from $136.0 million for the same period in 2006, driven primarily by the Company's cost cutting initiatives.
Income before provision for income taxes was $284.1 million for the first nine months of 2007, compared to $206.4 million for the same period of 2006. Excluding the one-time charge from Optionable, income before provision for income taxes was $310.1 million. Pre-tax margin was 63% in the first nine months of 2007, compared to 59% in 2006. Excluding the one-time charge from Optionable, pre-tax margin was 69%.
Investor Conference Call / Webcast Details
NYMEX will hold a conference call to discuss 2007 third quarter results today, November 1, 2007 at 8:00 AM Eastern Time. Those wishing to participate in the conference call can dial (866) 314-4865 (U.S. and Canada) or (617) 213-8050 (International), using the confirmation code 88824777. A live audio webcast of the call will also be available on the Investor Relations section of the NYMEX website at http://investor.nymex.com/. An archived version of the conference call will also be available within approximately 90 minutes of the conclusion of the call.
About NYMEX Holdings, Inc.
NYMEX Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NMX) is the parent company of the New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (NYMEX), the world's largest physical commodity futures and options exchange. NYMEX offers futures and options trading in energy, metals and soft commodities contracts and clearing services for more than 320 off-exchange energy and metals contracts. Through a hybrid model of open outcry floor trading and electronic trading on CME Globex® and NYMEX ClearPort®, NYMEX offers crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas, coal, electricity, gold, silver, copper, aluminum, platinum group metals, and soft commodities contracts for trading and clearing virtually 24 hours a day. Further information about NYMEX Holdings, Inc. and the New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. is available on the NYMEX website at http://www.nymex.com/.
Forward Looking and Cautionary Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, with respect to our future performance, operating results, strategy, and other future events. Such statements generally include words such as could, can, anticipate, believe, expect, seek, pursue, and similar words and terms, in connection with any discussion of future results. Forward-looking statements involve a number of assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, any of which may cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated, estimated, or projected results referenced in forward-looking statements. In particular, the forward-looking statements of NYMEX Holdings, Inc., and its subsidiaries are subject to the following risks and uncertainties: the success and timing of new futures contracts and products; changes in political, economic, or industry conditions; the unfavorable resolution of material legal proceedings; the impact and timing of technological changes and the adequacy of intellectual property protection; the impact of legislative and regulatory actions, including without limitation, actions by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; and terrorist activities and international hostilities, which may affect the general economy as well as oil and other commodity markets. We assume no obligation to update or supplement our forward-looking statements.
NYMEX HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Unaudited)
(in thousands, except for share data)
Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
September 30, September 30,
Operating Revenues 2007 2006 2007 2006
Clearing and
transaction fees $145,259 $119,200 $420,826 $314,966
Market data fees 24,892 15,927 71,392 47,221
Other, net 3,049 3,167 8,805 10,292
Total operating
revenues 173,200 138,294 501,023 372,479
Operating Expenses
Direct transaction
costs 24,685 16,645 73,105 31,582
Salaries and employee
benefits 19,531 22,560 61,051 60,046
Occupancy and
equipment 5,306 8,429 16,853 22,467
Depreciation and
amortization, net of
deferred credit
amortization 3,272 3,322 10,417 11,570
General and
administrative 4,590 4,569 14,232 15,199
Professional services 5,159 3,278 13,267 10,811
Telecommunications 1,536 1,263 4,376 4,754
Marketing 839 1,681 4,398 4,420
Other expenses 220 2,366 2,063 6,716
Total operating
expenses 65,138 64,113 199,762 167,565
Operating income 108,062 74,181 301,261 204,914
Non-Operating Income and
Expenses
Investment income, net 4,873 2,936 17,713 5,750
Interest income from
securities lending 19,955 37,397 80,448 97,914
Interest expense/fees
from securities
lending (18,811) (36,536) (77,836) (95,435)
Interest expense (1,615) (1,666) (4,839) (5,000)
Losses from
unconsolidated
investments (2,020) (991) (32,607) (1,768)
Total non-operating
income and expenses 2,382 1,140 (17,121) 1,461
Income before
provision for income
taxes 110,444 75,321 284,140 206,375
Provision for income
taxes 47,870 34,597 123,601 93,885
Net income $62,574 $40,724 $160,539 $112,490
Proforma weighted
average common shares
outstanding and
earnings per share
retroactively
adjusted to reflect
the 90,000-for-1
recapitalization on
March 14, 2006:
Earnings per Share
Basic $0.66 $0.47 $1.70 $1.35
Diluted $0.66 $0.47 $1.69 $1.35
Weighted Average Number
of Common Shares
Outstanding
Basic 94,457,000 81,600,000 94,456,000 79,448,000
Diluted 94,836,000 81,600,000 94,827,000 79,448,000
NYMEX HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands)
(Unaudited)
September 30, December 31,
Assets 2007 2006
Cash and cash equivalents $3,596 $18,631
Collateral from securities
lending program 957,806 2,547,312
Marketable securities, at market
value 536,499 485,581
Clearing and transaction fees
receivable, net of allowance for
member credits 50,229 32,853
Prepaid expenses 7,578 7,009
Margin deposits and guaranty
funds 21,611 17,052
Other current assets 48,029 10,238
Total current assets 1,625,348 3,118,676
Property and equipment, net 177,332 183,193
Goodwill and indefinite-lived
intangible asset 307,125 307,125
Long-term investments 111,054 3,008
Other assets 7,150 11,929
Total assets $2,228,009 $3,623,931
Liabilities and Stockholders'
Equity
Accounts payable and accrued
liabilities $16,285 $14,854
Accrued salaries and related
liabilities 18,634 13,688
Payable under securities lending
program 957,806 2,547,312
Margin deposits and guaranty
funds 21,611 17,052
Income tax payable 11,151 4,984
Other current liabilities 36,354 35,019
Total current liabilities 1,061,841 2,632,909
Grant for building construction
deferred credit 104,557 106,166
Long-term debt 80,281 80,281
Retirement obligation 11,964 12,367
Other liabilities 28,425 17,286
Total liabilities 1,287,068 2,849,009
Total stockholders'
equity 940,941 774,922
Total liabilities and
stockholders' equity $2,228,009 $3,623,931
Non-GAAP Reconciliation
The Company evaluates its financial performance using various measures.
One measure is to exclude one-time gains and losses from its results to
arrive at a pro forma earnings per share amount. Pro forma earnings per
share is a non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles)
performance measure, however, the Company believes that it is useful to
assist investors in gaining an understanding of the trends and operating
results of the Company's business. Pro forma earnings per share should
be viewed in addition to, and not in lieu of, the Company's reported
results under U.S. GAAP.
During the second quarter of 2007, the Company recorded a one-time charge
related to its investment in Optionable, Inc. of approximately $26.0
million that was recorded in losses from unconsolidated investments under
the caption "Non-Operating Income and Expenses" on its consolidated
statements of income. The following is a reconciliation of U.S. GAAP
results to pro forma results for the periods presented:
(in thousands, except share amounts)
Three Months Nine Months
Ended Ended
September 30, 2007 September 30, 2007
Net income $62,574 $160,539
Add: Impairment loss on
investment in Optionable - 25,962
Less: Effective tax rate benefit
of impairment loss on
investment in
Optionable - 11,293
Pro forma net income $62,574 $175,208
Earnings per common share on net
income:
Basic $0.66 $1.70
Diluted $0.66 $1.69
Pro forma earnings per common share
on pro forma net income:
Pro forma basic $0.66 $1.85
Pro forma diluted $0.66 $1.85
Weighted average common shares
outstanding:
Basic 94,457,000 94,456,000
Diluted 94,836,000 94,827,000
Q3 2007 Q2 2007 Q1 2007 Q4 2006 Q3 2006
Trading Days 63 63 61 62 62
Average Daily Volume (round turns, in thousands, difference is due to
rounding)
Q3 2007 Q2 2007 Q1 2007 Q4 2006 Q3 2006
NYMEX Floor 229 257 330 362 528
NYMEX Electronic 687 608 597 368 197
COMEX Floor 36 42 56 76 88
COMEX Electronic 114 101 90 16 8
NYMEX ClearPort 351 309 373 302 436
Other 74 79 68 75 67
Total 1,491 1,396 1,513 1,199 1,324
Gross Clearing and Transaction Revenue (in thousands)
Q3 2007 Q2 2007 Q1 2007 Q4 2006 Q3 2006
NYMEX Floor $20,824 $19,966 $23,664 $24,497 $36,097
NYMEX Electronic 54,285 50,520 43,271 24,953 18,260
COMEX Floor 3,072 3,249 4,244 5,795 6,711
COMEX Electronic 10,786 9,791 8,253 2,000 1,736
NYMEX ClearPort 46,905 44,281 49,609 38,837 48,326
Other 9,387 9,583 9,136 8,683 8,069
Total $145,259 $137,390 $138,177 $104,765 $119,200
Rates Per Contract
Q3 2007 Q2 2007 Q1 2007 Q4 2006 Q3 2006
NYMEX Floor $1.45 $1.23 $1.18 $1.10 $1.10
NYMEX Electronic 0.97 1.02 0.89 0.70 1.07
COMEX Floor 1.34 1.24 1.25 1.23 1.22
COMEX Electronic 1.16 1.19 1.20 1.99 3.35
NYMEX ClearPort 1.67 1.72 1.66 1.58 1.36
Other 2.02 1.92 2.19 1.88 2.00
Total Net RPC 1.28 1.29 1.24 1.17 1.25
Direct Cost 0.27 0.28 0.26 0.24 0.20
Gross RPC $1.55 $1.56 $1.50 $1.41 $1.45
