Q4 2021 Cohen & Company Inc Earnings Call

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Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Cohen <unk> company's fourth quarter 2021 earnings call. My name is Ashley and I'll be your operator for today before we begin Cohen <unk> company would like to remind everyone that some of the statements. The company makes during this call may contain forward looking.

Statements under applicable security laws.

These statements may involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in such forward looking statements. The forward looking statements made during this call are made only as of the date of this call and the company undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstance.

Cohen <unk> company advises you to read the cautionary notes regarding forward looking statements in its earnings release and its most recent annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC.

I would now like to turn the call over to Mr. Lester Brafman, Chief Executive Officer of Cowen and company.

Thank you and thank you everyone for joining us on our fourth quarter 2021 earnings call with me on the call is Joe Pooler, our CFO .

2021 was a year of progress for Cowen and company. Both in terms of our financial results and more importantly in transitioning our business model away from a predominantly fixed income trading firms one with diverse high value added revenue streams, including investment banking commercial real estate origination and asset management.

By this progress and excited for the year ahead, as we continue to execute on our strategic goals in light of our strong 2021 operating results. We are pleased to announce a special one time dividend of 75 cents a share. In addition to our regular quarterly dividend of 25 cents per share underscoring our ongoing confidence in our business and focus on enhancing shareholder value.

It is important to reiterate that our involvement in the spec market as a sponsor asset manager Investor will result in an increased holdings of public equity positions and post business combination of companies as part of our principal investing portfolio. The value of these increased holdings will be subject to market conditions, especially given the current economic uncertainty and capital market disruption caused by recent geopolitical.

Instability, while there may be some increased volatility in the spec market that may impact our reported results, we continue to execute well against our strategic objectives and believe that the initiatives underway in investment banking CRE loan origination and asset management gestational repo and Interspec franchise in general will generate will generate long term value for our shareholders.

Now I will turn the call over to Joe to walk through this quarter's financials in more detail Joe.

Thank you Lester we will start with our statement of operations. Our net income attributable to Cowen <unk> Company, Inc. Shareholders was $3 6 million for the quarter were $2 13 per fully diluted share compared to net loss of $3 4 million for the prior quarter.

Or $3 46 per fully diluted share.

Net income of $14 8 million for the prior year quarter or $7 64 per fully diluted share. Our adjusted pretax income was $6 4 million for the quarter compared to adjusted pre tax loss of $14 9 million for the prior quarter and adjusted pre tax income of two.

$93 8 million for the prior year quarter.

Note that adjusted pretax income and loss is not a measure recognized under U S. GAAP CR disclosures calculations and reconciliations surrounding adjusted pretax income and loss in our earnings release.

Fourth quarter 2021 principal transactions and other revenue came in at a negative $10 5 million, which included negative revenue related to mark to market principal transaction losses of $2 4 million on Metro miles stock $6 3 million on shift technology stock.

$4 1 million on various pipe investments in spec business combinations.

Note that the $10 5 million or negative principal transactions revenue in the current quarter is offset by a $2 8 million credit recorded in the net income loss attributable to the non convertible non controlling interest line item.

New issue and advisory revenue was $17 2 million in the fourth quarter, an increase of $8 4 million from third quarter and $15 5 million from the year ago quarter. During the fourth quarter, our investment banking group generated $15 1 million in advisory revenue from eight.

<unk>, our commercial real estate opportunities group generated $1 $4 million of origination revenue and our European insurance team generated 700000 odd origination revenue.

Net trading revenue came in at $15 2 million in the fourth quarter down $1 4 million from the third quarter and down $2 9 million from the fourth quarter of 'twenty.

Our asset management revenue totaled $5 1 million in the quarter, which was up $3 3 million from the prior quarter and up $1 3 million from the year ago quarter. The increase from both prior quarters was primarily related to an incentive allocation earned by the manager of our spec fund.

Compensation and benefits expense for the fourth quarter of 'twenty, one was $23 6 million, which was up from both the prior quarters. The increases were primarily related to accrued compensation related to the new issue and advisory revenue in the current quarter as well as new hires in the investment banking and commercial.

Real estate groups.

The number of company employees was 118 as of year end compared to 115 as at the end of September and 87 as of the end of the prior year.

Net interest expense for the fourth quarter of 'twenty, one was $1 7 million, including 650000 on our two trust preferred debt instruments 526000 on our senior notes 292000 on our redeemable financial instruments and 238000 on our credit line.

Income from equity method affiliates during the quarter totaled $28 5 million, which was primarily driven by income from our equity method investments in the sponsors spoke to specs, which closed their business combinations during the fourth quarter of 'twenty one the.

The increased value of the founder shares held by the sponsors of those two specs of which we were entitled to an allocation of from those sponsors generated $30 4 million of income from equity and that equity method investments in the fourth quarter of 'twenty one on our books.

Of which $18 6 million was related to non convertible non controlling interests.

During the fourth quarter, Inc. Income tax benefit was $2 2 million compared to 248000 in the prior quarter and $8 million in the prior year quarter. We will continue to evaluate our operations on a quarterly basis and may make adjustments to our valuation allowances applied against our net operating loss.

And net capital loss tax assets going forward.

In terms of our balance sheet at the end of the year total equity was $149 5 million compared to 101 4 million at the end of the prior year the.

The non convertible non controlling interest component of total equity was $31 9 million at the end of the year compared to $27 8 million at the end of the prior year.

Thus our total equity excluding this non convertible non controlling interest component was $117 6 million at the end of the year, a $44 million increase from the $73 6 million at the end of the prior year.

Solidago corporate indebtedness was carried at $43 4 million and our redeemable financial instruments were carried at $8 million.

As Lester mentioned, we have declared a special dividend of <unk> 75 per share and a quarterly dividend of 25 per share both of which are payable on April 5th of 'twenty two to stockholders of record as of March 22nd half 'twenty to <unk>.

<unk> directors will continue to evaluate the dividend policy each quarter and future decisions regarding dividends may be impacted by quarterly operating results and the company's ongoing capital needs with that I will turn it back over to Lester for closing remarks.

Thanks, Joe.

Please direct any offline investor questions to Joe Pooler at 215, 701, 895, two or via E Mail to Investor Relations at Cowen and company Dot Com.

Contact information can also be found at the bottom of our earnings release.

Operator, you can now open the call lines for questions. Thank you all for joining us today.

And at this time, if he would like to ask a question. Please press star one on your touch telephone you may withdraw your question at any time by pressing the Pouchy. Once again that is star and one and we will pause a moment to allow any questions. Thank you.

Okay.

Once again Thats star one.

And there appears to be no questions. At this time I will turn the call back to the speakers for any closing remarks.

Okay. Thank you operator, and thank all of you for joining us on the call today.

Look forward to speak to you next quarter.

Thank you and this does conclude today's program. Thank you for your participation you may disconnect at any time.

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