Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. Reports First Quarter Results

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--()--Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. (NYSE: WDR) today reported first quarter net income of $45.6 million, or $0.53 per diluted share, compared to net income of $46.4 million, or $0.54 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2010 and net income of $35.9 million, or $0.42 per diluted share, during the first quarter of 2010.

Our operating income was $74.8 million, which represents an increase of 7% sequentially and 28% compared to the same period in 2010. Our operating margin was 25.2%, representing a sequential improvement of 40 basis points, the highest quarterly level since the fourth quarter of 2004.

Gross sales during the quarter totaled $6.6 billion, an increase of 16% sequentially and 7% compared to the first quarter of 2010. Inflows were $1.9 billion, compared to $1.2 billion during the previous quarter and $2.8 billion during the same period last year.

Business Discussion

Management commentary

“We continue to make solid progress in all areas of our business,” said Hank Herrmann, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. “Our Advisors channel saw further improvement in advisor productivity and near-record high sales volume. Sales in our Wholesale channel were also near historic highs and, importantly, sales continue to become less concentrated. The Institutional channel enjoyed solid flows. Our sales success, combined with solid investment performance, led to further expansion of our operating margin.”

Advisors channel

Gross sales of $1.1 billion during the quarter rose 14% sequentially and 20% compared to the first quarter of 2010. Inflows of $66 million compared favorably to $10 million in the previous quarter, but were lower than last year’s comparable quarter of $146 million. Gross productivity per advisor increased for the 6th consecutive quarter, marking a new record.

Wholesale channel

Sales in our Wholesale channel were $4.7 billion during the quarter, an increase of 31% sequentially and 7% compared to the first quarter of 2010. Inflows of $1.6 billion improved compared to the fourth quarter’s $1.2 billion, but were lower than the $2.4 billion experienced during the same period last year. The percentage of sales in products other than Asset Strategy increased to 50% this quarter, compared with 42% last quarter.

Institutional channel

Quarterly sales in this channel were $0.8 billion compared to $1.1 billion during the previous quarter and flat with the same period last year. Subadvisory sales continue to drive results and represented 87% of total sales volume during the quarter.

Management Fee Revenue Analysis

Average assets under management were $86.7 billion during the current quarter, rising 8% compared to the previous quarter, while associated revenues rose 6%. Revenue growth trailed asset growth due to the impact of two fewer days in the current quarter. The effective fee rate was relatively unchanged at 61.6 basis points, versus 61.1 basis points in the fourth quarter.

Compared to the same period in 2010, average assets under management rose 22% while revenues rose 20%. Revenue growth trailed asset growth due largely to fee waivers in the current quarter. The effective fee rate during the first quarter of 2010 was 62.6 basis points.

Underwriting and Distribution Revenue and Expense Analysis

Advisors channel

The increase in revenues compared to last year’s fourth quarter is due to a combination of higher asset allocation product fees, front-loaded sales commissions and higher Rule 12b-1 revenues. Direct expenses increased with revenues while higher sales convention and incentive accruals resulted in higher indirect expenses.

Approximately half of the increase in revenues, compared to the same period in 2010, is due to higher asset allocation product fees. Higher Rule 12b-1 fees, and to a lesser degree, front-loaded sales commissions also contributed to the rise in revenues. Direct expenses moved in correlation with revenues while indirect expenses remained unchanged.

Wholesale channel

Sequentially, revenues rose on higher asset-based Rule 12b-1 fees. Direct expenses rose on a combination of higher asset-based Rule 12b-1 fees and higher wholesaler commissions due to increased sales volume. Indirect expenses were unchanged.

Compared to the first quarter of 2010, revenues and direct expenses increased on higher Rule 12b-1 fees; indirect expenses rose slightly.

Compensation and Related Expense Analysis

The sequential increase in compensation costs is largely attributable to increases in base salary and related payroll tax and slightly offset by a decline in equity compensation costs. Compared to last year’s first quarter, costs increased due to higher incentive compensation, and to a lesser degree, base salary due to merit and headcount increases.

Investment and Other Income

The fourth quarter of 2010 included recognition of sizable gains on the sale of available for sale securities and the collection of notes receivable from a partnership that were written off in prior years.

Balance Sheet Information

As of March 31, 2011, cash, cash equivalents and investment securities were $424 million (excluding $79 million held for the benefit of customers segregated in compliance with federal and other regulations). Long-term debt was $190 million and there was no short-term debt outstanding.

Stockholders’ equity was $496 million and there were 85.7 million shares outstanding. During the quarter, we repurchased 175 thousand shares on the open market or privately at an aggregate cost of $6.7 million. An additional 509 thousand shares were repurchased during the first four weeks of April, at an aggregate cost of $20.9 million, of which 339 thousand shares were to cover employee minimum income tax withholdings in connection with the vesting of stock awards. Separately, on April 2, 2011, we granted 1.1 million shares of restricted stock in accordance with our annual program.

                                         
Unaudited Schedule of Operating Data                                                        
(Amounts in thousands, except for per share data)        

2010

        2011
1st Qtr.       2nd Qtr.       3rd Qtr.       4th Qtr.       1st Qtr.       2nd Qtr.       3rd Qtr.       4th Qtr.
Operating Revenues:
Investment management fees $ 109,663 $ 113,052 $ 111,159 $ 123,664 $ 131,644
Underwriting and distribution fees 113,136 114,545 114,071 126,305 132,763
Shareholder service fees           28,815           29,622           29,577           31,276           32,167                          
Total operating revenues           251,614           257,219           254,807           281,245           296,574                          
Operating Expenses:
Underwriting and distribution 133,866 133,506 132,857 143,375 152,004
Compensation and related costs 32,925 34,355 36,164 38,811 40,475
General and administrative 15,686 16,709 16,022 18,286 17,631
Subadvisory fees 7,072 6,888 6,481 7,382 8,080
Depreciation           3,445           3,486           3,526           3,573           3,604                          
Total operating expenses           192,994           194,944           195,050           211,427           221,794                          
Operating Income 58,620 62,275 59,757 69,818 74,780
Investment and other income/(loss) 891 (1,585 ) 3,933 5,498 1,003
Interest expense           (3,558 )         (3,111 )         (3,128 )         (2,926 )         (2,900 )                        
Income before taxes 55,953 57,579 60,562 72,390 72,883
Provision for taxes           20,044           23,427           20,029           26,025           27,250                          
Net Income $ 35,909 $ 34,152 $ 40,533 $ 46,365 $ 45,633
Net income per share           0.42           0.40           0.47           0.54           0.53                          
Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted           85,675           86,025           85,448           85,482           85,836                          
Operating margin           23.3 %         24.2 %         23.5 %         24.8 %         25.2 %                        
 
Underwriting and Distribution                                                          
(Amounts in thousands) 2010         2011
Advisors Channel 1st Qtr.       2nd Qtr.       3rd Qtr.       4th Qtr.       1st Qtr.       2nd Qtr.       3rd Qtr.       4th Qtr.
Revenues $ 60,537 $ 61,443 $ 60,862 $ 69,265 $ 72,555
Expenses
Direct 42,540 43,151 43,472 47,995 50,872
Indirect   22,845           21,746           21,142           21,998           22,791                          
Total expenses $ 65,385         $ 64,897         $ 64,614         $ 69,993         $ 73,663                          
Wholesale Channel
Revenues $ 52,599 $ 53,102 $ 53,209 $ 57,040 $ 60,208
Expenses
Direct 57,141 57,635 56,351 61,627 66,591
Indirect   11,340           10,974           11,892           11,755           11,750                          
Total expenses $ 68,481         $ 68,609         $ 68,243         $ 73,382         $ 78,341                          
Total
Revenues $ 113,136 $ 114,545 $ 114,071 $ 126,305 $ 132,763
Expenses
Direct 99,681 100,786 99,823 109,622 117,463
Indirect   34,185           32,720           33,034           33,753           34,541                          
Total expenses $ 133,866         $ 133,506         $ 132,857         $ 143,375         $ 152,004                          
Margin   -18.3 %         -16.6 %         -16.5 %         -13.5 %         -14.5 %                        
 
Changes in Assets Under Management                                                                  
(Amounts in millions) 2010         2011
    1st Qtr.       2nd Qtr.       3rd Qtr.       4th Qtr.       1st Qtr.       2nd Qtr.       3rd Qtr.       4th Qtr.
Advisors Channel                                          
Beginning assets $ 29,474 $ 30,501 $ 28,215 $ 30,783 $ 33,181
Sales (net of commissions) 886 954 839 935 1,064
Redemptions   (762 )         (902 )         (919 )         (943 )         (990 )                        
Net sales 124 52 (80 ) (8 ) 74
Net exchanges (35 ) (55 ) (138 ) (77 ) (62 )
Reinvested dividends & capital gains   57           103           81           95           54                          
Net flows 146 100 (137 ) 10 66
Market action   881           (2,386 )         2,705           2,388           1,675                          
Ending assets $ 30,501         $ 28,215         $ 30,783         $ 33,181         $ 34,922                          
 
Wholesale Channel
Beginning assets $ 32,818 $ 35,604 $ 32,523 $ 36,480 $ 40,883
Sales (net of commissions) 4,430 3,530 2,933 3,613 4,719
Redemptions   (2,106 )         (3,303 )         (2,566 )         (2,585 )         (3,162 )                        
Net sales 2,324 227 367 1,028 1,557
Net exchanges 34 54 27 74 62
Reinvested dividends & capital gains   (6 )         107           59           78           0                          
Net flows 2,352 388 453 1,180 1,619
Market action   434           (3,469 )         3,504           3,223           2,240                          
Ending assets $ 35,604         $ 32,523         $ 36,480         $ 40,883         $ 44,742                          
 
Institutional Channel
Beginning assets $ 7,491 $ 8,127 $ 7,541 $ 8,704 $ 9,609
Sales (net of commissions) 819 768 905 1,097 776
Redemptions   (517 )         (551 )         (704 )         (1,104 )         (530 )                        
Net sales 302 217 201 (7 ) 246
Net exchanges 0 0 115 2 0
Reinvested dividends & capital gains   23           26           26           40           16                          
Net flows 325 243 342 35 262
Market action   311           (829 )         821           870           536                          
Ending assets $ 8,127         $ 7,541         $ 8,704         $ 9,609         $ 10,407                          
 
Consolidated Total
Beginning assets $ 69,783 $ 74,232 $ 68,279 $ 75,967 $ 83,673
Sales (net of commissions) 6,135 5,252 4,677 5,645 6,559
Redemptions   (3,385 )         (4,756 )         (4,189 )         (4,632 )         (4,682 )                        
Net sales 2,750 496 488 1,013 1,877
Net exchanges (1 ) (1 ) 4 (1 ) 0
Reinvested dividends & capital gains   74           236           166           213           70                          
Net flows 2,823 731 658 1,225 1,947
Market action   1,626           (6,684 )         7,030           6,481           4,451                          
Ending assets $ 74,232         $ 68,279         $ 75,967         $ 83,673         $ 90,071                          
 
Supplemental Information         2010       2011
1st Qtr.       2nd Qtr.       3rd Qtr.       4th Qtr.       1st Qtr.       2nd Qtr.       3rd Qtr.       4th Qtr.
Redemption rates - long term assets                                          
Advisors 8.2% 9.5% 10.0% 9.6% 9.6%
Wholesale 24.6% 37.7% 29.2% 25.9% 29.7%
Institutional 27.4% 28.0% 34.4% 47.6% 21.3%
Total 18.2% 25.2% 22.1% 22.0% 21.0%
 
Average Gross Revenue per advisor (000s) 27.1 28.5 29.1 34.2 39.2
 
Number of advisors 2,057 2,013 1,950 1,847 1,732
 
Number of shareholder accounts (000s) 3,962 3,973 4,015 3,923 3,988
 
Number of shareholders (000s) 930       901       912       787       803                        
 
 
Fund Rankings
Lipper                                  
Equity funds 1 Year               3 Years               5 Years
Top quartile 45% 37% 60%
Top half 71% 57% 77%
 
Equity assets
Top quartile 62% 19% 75%
Top half 87% 64% 82%
 
Fixed income funds
Top quartile 59% 53% 40%
Top half 65% 67% 73%
 
Fixed income assets
Top quartile 54% 46% 42%
Top half 62% 67% 77%
 
All funds
Top quartile 49% 41% 55%
Top half 69% 59% 76%
 
All assets
Top quartile 61% 23% 71%
Top half 84% 64% 81%
 
MorningStar
% of funds with 4 or 5 stars
Equity funds 58% 40% 69%
All funds 53% 38% 63%
 
% of assets with 4 or 5 stars
Equity funds 74% 18% 77%
All funds 69% 20% 74%

Earnings Conference Call

Stockholders, members of the investment community and the general public are invited to listen to a live webcast of our earnings release conference call today, April 26th at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. During this call, Henry J. Herrmann, Chairman and CEO, will review our quarterly results. Live access to the teleconference will be available on the “Investor Relations” section of our website at www.waddell.com. A webcast replay will be made available shortly after the conclusion of the call and accessible for seven days.

Website Resources

We invite you to visit the “Investor Relations” section of our website at www.waddell.com under the caption “Data Tables” to review supplemental information schedules.

Contacts

Investor Contact:
Nicole McIntosh, AVP, Investor Relations, (913) 236-1880, nmcintosh@waddell.com

Mutual Fund Investor Contact:
Call (888) WADDELL, or visit www.waddell.com or www.ivyfunds.com.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Please invest carefully.

About the Company

Waddell & Reed, Inc., founded in 1937, is one of the oldest mutual fund complexes in the United States, having introduced the Waddell & Reed Advisors Group of Mutual Funds in 1940. Today, we distribute our investment products through the Waddell & Reed Advisors channel (our network of financial advisors), our Wholesale channel (encompassing broker/dealer, retirement, registered investment advisors as well as the activities of our Legend subsidiary), and our Institutional channel (including defined benefit plans, pension plans and endowments and our subadvisory partnership with Mackenzie in Canada).

Through its subsidiaries, Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. provides investment management and financial planning services to clients throughout the United States. Waddell & Reed Investment Management Company serves as investment advisor to the Waddell & Reed Advisors Group of Mutual Funds, Ivy Funds Variable Insurance Portfolios, Inc. and Waddell & Reed InvestEd Portfolios, Inc., while Ivy Investment Management Company serves as investment advisor to Ivy Funds. Waddell & Reed, Inc. serves as principal underwriter and distributor to the Waddell & Reed Advisors Group of Mutual Funds, Ivy Funds Variable Insurance Portfolios, Inc. and Waddell & Reed InvestEd Portfolios, Inc., while Ivy Funds Distributor, Inc. serves as principal underwriter and distributor to Ivy Funds.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which reflect the current views and assumptions of management with respect to future events regarding our business and industry in general. These forward-looking statements include all statements, other than statements of historical fact, regarding our financial position, business strategy and other plans and objectives for future operations, including statements with respect to revenues and earnings, the amount and composition of assets under management, distribution sources, expense levels, redemption rates and the financial markets and other conditions. These statements are generally identified by the use of such words as "may," "could," "should," "would," "believe," "anticipate," "forecast," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "outlook," "will," "potential" and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature. Readers are cautioned that any forward-looking information provided by or on behalf of the Company is not a guarantee of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not limited to those discussed below. If one or more events related to these or other risks, contingencies or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may differ materially from those forecasted or expected. Certain important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations are disclosed in the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, which include, without limitation:

  • The introduction of legislative or regulatory proposals or judicial rulings that change the independent contractor classification of our financial advisors at the federal or state level for employment tax or other employee benefit purposes;
  • The adverse ruling or resolution of any litigation, regulatory investigations and proceedings, or securities arbitrations by a federal or state court or regulatory body;
  • Non-compliance with applicable laws or regulations and changes in current legal, regulatory, accounting, tax or compliance requirements or governmental policies;
  • A decline in the securities markets or in the relative investment performance of our Funds and other investment portfolios and products as compared to competing funds;
  • The loss of existing distribution channels or inability to access new distribution channels;
  • A reduction in assets under our management on short notice, through increased redemptions in our distribution channels or our Funds, particularly those Funds with a high concentration of assets, or investors terminating their relationship with us or shifting their funds to other types of accounts with different rate structures;
  • A decrease in, or the elimination of, any future quarterly dividend paid to stockholders; and
  • Our inability to hire and retain senior executive management and other key personnel.

The foregoing factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read together with other cautionary statements included in this and other reports and filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the information in Item 1 "Business" and Item 1A "Risk Factors" of Part I and Item 7 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of Part II to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and as updated in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the year ending December 31, 2011. All forward-looking statements speak only as the date on which they are made and we undertake no duty to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts

Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc.
Investor Contact:
Nicole McIntosh, 913-236-1880
AVP, Investor Relations
nmcintosh@waddell.com
or
Mutual Fund Investor Contact:
888-WADDELL
www.waddell.com
www.ivyfunds.com

Release Summary

Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. Reports First Quarter Results

Contacts

Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc.
Investor Contact:
Nicole McIntosh, 913-236-1880
AVP, Investor Relations
nmcintosh@waddell.com
or
Mutual Fund Investor Contact:
888-WADDELL
www.waddell.com
www.ivyfunds.com