WISDOMTREE INVESTMENTS, INC.
Form 10-Q
For the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I:
ITEM 1.
ITEM 2.
ITEM 3.
ITEM 4.
PART II:
ITEM 1A.
ITEM 5.
ITEM 6.
Unless otherwise indicated, references to “the Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” and “WisdomTree” mean WisdomTree Investments, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
WisdomTree®, WisdomTree Prime™ and Modern Alpha® are trademarks of WisdomTree Investments, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and the other financial information included elsewhere in this Report. In addition to historical consolidated financial information, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include those discussed below. For a more complete description of the risks noted above and other risks that could cause our actual results to materially differ from our current expectations, please see Item 1A “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, as amended, and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022. We assume no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by law.
Executive Summary
Introduction
We are an asset management company in the business of offering transparent financial exposures to our clients and are a leading global ETP sponsor based on assets under management, or AUM, with AUM of $70.9 billion as of September 30, 2022. More recently, we have been positioning ourselves to expand beyond our existing ETP business by leveraging blockchain technology, digital assets and principles of decentralized finance, or DeFi, to deliver transparency, choice and inclusivity to customers and consumers around the world.
Our family of ETPs includes providing exposure to equities, commodities, fixed income, leveraged and inverse, currency, cryptocurrency and alternative strategies. We have launched many first-to-market products and pioneered alternative weighting we call “Modern Alpha,” which combines the outperformance potential of active management with the benefits of passive management to offer investors cost-effective funds that are built to perform. Most of our equity-based funds employ a fundamentally weighted investment methodology, which weights securities based on factors such as dividends, earnings or investment factors, whereas most other industry indexes use a capitalization weighted methodology. These products are distributed through all major channels in the asset management industry, including banks, brokerage firms, registered investment advisers, institutional investors, private wealth managers and online brokers primarily through our sales force.
We are at the forefront of innovation and have differentiated ourselves through continued investments in technology-enabled and research-driven solutions such as our Advisor Solutions program, which includes portfolio construction, asset allocation, practice management services and digital tools for financial advisors. We seek to usher in the next chapter of financial services by introducing new revenue streams and expanding our offerings to include a new financial services mobile application, branded WisdomTree Prime™, a digital wallet that is native to the blockchain and being developed for saving, spending and investing in both native crypto assets and tokenized versions of mainstream financial assets (e.g., blockchain enabled investment funds). We also are planning to launch asset- and fund-tokenization products beginning with a dollar token, gold token and digital short term treasury fund which will be available on multiple public and permissioned blockchains, leveraging federal and state regulated entities. As we pursue our digital assets strategy, we are embracing a concept we refer to as “responsible DeFi,” which we believe upholds the foundational principles of regulation in this innovative and quickly evolving space.
We were incorporated under the laws of the state of Delaware on September 19, 1985 as Financial Data Systems, Inc. and ultimately renamed WisdomTree Investments, Inc. on September 6, 2005.
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Assets Under Management
WisdomTree ETPs
We offer ETPs covering equity, commodity, fixed income, leveraged and inverse, currency, cryptocurrency and alternative strategies. The chart below sets forth the asset mix of our ETPs at September 30, 2021, June 30, 2022 and September 30, 2022:
Market Environment
The third quarter of 2022 saw a continuation of the significant market volatility that has dominated much of 2022. Investors remained worried about high inflation, slowing growth and the rising probability of recession and as a result, broad-based equity markets dropped into bear market territory. Gold prices decreased as the dollar and Treasury yields increased amid expectations for aggressive monetary policy tightening by major central banks.
The S&P 500, MSCI EAFE (local currency), MSCI Emerging Markets Index (U.S. dollar) and gold prices decreased by 4.9%, 3.5%, 11.4% and 8.0%, respectively, during the quarter. In addition, the European and Japanese equities markets both depreciated with the MSCI EMU Index and MSCI Japan Index decreasing 4.5% and 1.5%, respectively, in local currency terms for the quarter. Also, the U.S. dollar rose 7.2%, 10.1% and 5.6% versus the euro, British pound and the Japanese yen, respectively, the during the quarter.
U.S. Listed ETF Industry Flows
U.S. listed ETF industry net flows for the three months ended September 30, 2022 were $110.1 billion. Fixed income and U.S. Equity gathered the majority of those flows.
Source: Morningstar
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European Listed ETP Industry Flows
European listed ETP industry net flows were ($8.0) billion for the three months ended September 30, 2022. Equities and commodities contributed to most of the outflows, partially offset by inflows into fixed income.
Our Operating and Financial Results
We operate as an ETP sponsor and asset manager providing investment advisory services globally through our subsidiaries in the United States and Europe.
U.S. Listed ETFs
Our U.S. listed ETFs’ AUM increased from $47.3 billion at June 30, 2022 to $48.0 billion at September 30, 2022 due to net inflows, partly offset by market depreciation.
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European Listed ETPs
Our European listed ETPs’ AUM decreased from $27.0 billion at June 30, 2022 to $22.8 billion at September 30, 2022 due to market depreciation and net outflows.
Consolidated Operating Results
The following table sets forth our revenues and net income/(loss) for the most recent five quarters.
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Revenues – We recorded operating revenues of $72.4 million during the three months ended September 30, 2022, down 7.3% from the three months ended September 30, 2021 due to a lower average advisory fee.
Operating Expenses – Total operating expenses increased 6.7% from the three months ended September 30, 2021 to $57.5 million primarily due to higher incentive compensation and headcount, fund management and administration costs, professional fees incurred in connection with our digital assets initiative and other expenses, partly offset by lower sales and business development expenses, occupancy expenses, contractual gold payments and depreciation and amortization expenses.
Other Income/(Expenses) – Other income/(expenses) includes interest income and interest expense, gains on revaluation of deferred consideration—gold payments, impairments and other net losses. For the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, the gains on revaluation of deferred consideration—gold payments were $77.9 million and $1.7 million, respectively. In addition, during the three months ended September 30, 2022 we recognized losses on our securities owned and investments of $6.3 million.
Net income – We reported net income of $81.2 million during the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to net income of $5.8 million during the three months ended September 30, 2021. The change in net income was primarily due to the gain on revaluation of deferred consideration—gold payments.
Expense Guidance Update for the Year Ending December 31, 2022
Compensation Expense
Our compensation expense for the year ending December 31, 2022 is currently estimated to range from $96.0 million to $99.0 million (unchanged from the three months ended June 30, 2022).
Discretionary Spending
Discretionary spending includes marketing, sales, professional fees, occupancy and equipment, depreciation and amortization and other expenses. We currently estimate our discretionary spending for the year ending December 31, 2022 to range from $50.0 million to $51.0 million (previously $51.0 million to $53.0 million).
Not included in the guidance above are non-recurring expenses of $4.5 million incurred during the six months ended June 30, 2022 in response to an activist campaign. We do not anticipate any significant activist campaign expenses during the remainder of 2022.
Gross Margin
We define gross margin as total operating revenues less fund management and administration expenses. Gross margin percentage is calculated as gross margin divided by total operating revenues. At current AUM and flow levels, we estimate our gross margin percentage will be 78% to 79% for the year ending December 31, 2022 (previously 79%).
Contractual Gold Payments
We currently estimate our contractual gold payments expense for the year ending December 31, 2022 to be approximately $17.0 million (unchanged from the three months ended June 30, 2022) taking into consideration current gold prices.
Third-Party Distribution Expense
We currently estimate third-party distribution expense to be approximately $8.0 million (previously $8.5 million) as recent market volatility has suppressed AUM growth on our third-party platforms.
Income Tax Expense
We currently estimate that our consolidated normalized effective tax rate will be 22% for the year ending December 31, 2022 (previously 21% to 22%). This estimated rate may change and is dependent upon our actual taxable income earned in relation to our forecasts as well as any other items that may arise that are not currently forecasted. Such items may include, but are not limited to, any revaluation on deferred consideration—gold payments, reductions in unrecognized tax benefits and any stock-based compensation windfalls or shortfalls.
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Key Operating Statistics
The following table presents key operating statistics that serve as indicators for the performance of our business:
GLOBAL ETPs (in millions)
Beginning of period assets
Inflows/(outflows)
Market (depreciation)/appreciation
Fund closures
End of period assets
Average assets during the period
Average ETP advisory fee during the period
Revenue days
Number of ETPs—end of period
U.S. LISTED ETFs (in millions)
Number of ETFs—end of the period
EUROPEAN LISTED ETPs (in millions)
(Outflows)/inflows
PRODUCT CATEGORIES (in millions)
U.S. Equity
Commodity & Currency
Fixed Income
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International Developed Market Equity
Emerging Market Equity
Leveraged & Inverse
Alternatives
Cryptocurrency
Market appreciation/(depreciation)
Closed ETPs
Headcount:
Note: Previously issued statistics may be restated due to fund closures and trade adjustments
Source: WisdomTree
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Three Months Ended September 30, 2022 Compared to Three Months Ended September 30, 2021
Selected Operating and Financial Information
Average AUM
Operating Revenues (in thousands)
Advisory fees
Other income
Total revenues
Our average AUM was essentially unchanged from the three months ended September 30, 2021.
Operating Revenues
Advisory fee revenues decreased 7.6% from $76.4 million during the three months ended September 30, 2021 to $70.6 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to a lower average advisory fee. Our average advisory fee was 0.38% during the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 0.41% during the same period in 2021.
Other income increased 5.0% from $1.7 million during the three months ended September 30, 2021 to $1.8 million in the comparable period in 2022 primarily due to higher fees associated with our European listed products.
Operating Expenses
(in thousands)
Compensation and benefits
Fund management and administration
Marketing and advertising
Sales and business development
Contractual gold payments
Professional fees
Occupancy, communications and equipment
Depreciation and amortization
Third-party distribution fees
Other
Total operating expenses
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As a Percent of Revenues:
Compensation and benefits expense increased 7.7% from $22.0 million during the three months ended September 30, 2021 to $23.7 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to higher incentive compensation and headcount. Headcount was 235 and 274 at September 30, 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Fund management and administration expense increased 7.3% from $15.2 million during the three months ended September 30, 2021 to $16.3 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to higher AUM and transaction fees associated with our U.S. listed products, partly offset by lower European-listed AUM.
Marketing and advertising expense increased 7.5% from $2.9 million during the three months ended September 30, 2021 to $3.1 million in the comparable period in 2022 primarily due to higher spending on online and television marketing campaigns.
Sales and business development expense decreased 7.2% from $2.9 million during the three months ended September 30, 2021 to $2.7 million in the comparable period in 2022 primarily due to lower spending on sales tools.
Contractual gold payments expense decreased 3.4% from $4.3 million during the three months ended September 30, 2021 to $4.1 million in the comparable period in 2022. This expense was associated with the payment of 2,375 ounces of gold and was calculated using the average daily spot price of $1,789 and $1,728 per ounce during the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Professional fees increased 49.5% from $1.6 million during the three months ended September 30, 2021 to $2.4 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to spending related to our digital assets initiative.
Occupancy, communications and equipment expense decreased 15.2% from $1.2 million during the three months ended September 30, 2021 to $1.0 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to our reduced office footprint.
Depreciation and amortization expense decreased 68.6% from $0.2 million during the three months ended September 30, 2021 to $0.1 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to lower spending on fixed assets.
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Third-party distribution fees decreased 2.1% from $1.9 million during the three months ended September 30, 2021 to $1.8 million in the comparable period in 2022 primarily due to lower fees paid to our third-party marketing agent in Latin America, partly offset by new platform relationships in Europe.
Other expenses increased 30.1% from $1.8 million during the three months ended September 30, 2021 to $2.3 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to higher insurance costs and other miscellaneous items.
Other Income/(Expenses)
Interest expense
Gain on revaluation of deferred consideration—gold payments
Interest income
Impairments
Other losses, net
Total other income/(expenses), net
Interest expense was essentially unchanged from the three months ended September 30, 2021. Our effective interest rate was 4.6% during the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2022.
Gain on revaluation of deferred consideration
We recognized a non-cash gain on revaluation of deferred consideration of $1.7 million and $77.9 million during the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2022, respectively. The gain in the current quarter arose primarily from an increase in the discount rate (from 9.0% to 12.3%) used to compute the present value of the annual payment obligations as well as lower spot gold prices. The magnitude of any gain or loss is highly correlated to changes in the discount rate and the magnitude of the change in the forward-looking price of gold.
Interest income increased 17.7% from $0.7 million during the three months ended September 30, 2021 to $0.8 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to an increase in securities owned.
During the three months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized a loss of approximately $15.8 million upon exiting our New York office, which is included in impairments in our Consolidated Statements of Operations. There were no impairment charges during the three months ended September 30, 2022.
Other losses, net were ($0.7) million and ($5.3) million during the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2022, respectively. During the three months ended September 30, 2022, we recognized losses on our securities owned and investments of $6.3 million.
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Gains and losses also generally arise from the sale of gold earned from management fees paid by our physically-backed gold ETPs, foreign exchange fluctuations and other miscellaneous items.
Income taxes
Our effective income tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2022 of 3.9% resulted in an income tax expense of $3.3 million. Our tax rate differs from the federal statutory rate of 21% primarily due to a non-taxable gain on revaluation of deferred consideration. This was partly offset by an increase in the deferred tax asset valuation allowance on losses recognized on securities owned.
Our effective income tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2021 of 7.9% resulted in income tax expense of $0.5 million. Our effective income tax rate differs from the federal statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due to a lower tax rate on foreign earnings and a non-taxable gain on revaluation of deferred consideration, partly offset by higher non-deductible compensation.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 Compared to Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021
Global AUM (in millions)
Average global AUM
Revenues (in thousands)
Average Global AUM
Our average global AUM increased 5.8% from $72.6 billion at September 30, 2021 to $76.7 billion at September 30, 2022 due to net inflows, partly offset by market depreciation.
Advisory fee revenues were essentially unchanged from the nine months ended September 30, 2021. Our average global advisory fee was 0.41% and 0.39% during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and September 30, 2022, respectively.
Other income increased 17.3% from $4.5 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to $5.3 million in the comparable period in 2022 primarily due to higher fees associated with our European listed products.
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Compensation and benefits expense increased 12.4% from $65.0 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to $73.1 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to higher incentive compensation and headcount.
Fund management and administration expense increased 10.0% from $43.5 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to $47.9 million in the comparable period in 2022 primarily due to higher average global AUM.
Marketing and advertising expense increased 16.1% from $9.5 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to $11.1 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to higher spending on online and television marketing campaigns.
Sales and business development expense increased 16.9% from $7.2 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to $8.5 million in the comparable period in 2022 primarily due to higher spending on conferences and market data.
Contractual gold payments expense increased 1.3% from $12.8 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to $13.0 million in the comparable period in 2022. This expense was associated with the payment of 7,125 ounces of gold and was calculated using the average daily spot price of $1,801 and $1,825 per ounce during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Professional fees increased 101.8% from $5.5 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to $11.1 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to $4.5 million of expenses incurred in response to an activist campaign and spending related to our digital assets initiative.
Occupancy, communications and equipment expense decreased 28.6% from $3.9 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to $2.8 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to our reduced office footprint.
Occupancy, communications and equipment expense decreased 77.2% from $0.7 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to $0.2 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to lower spending on fixed assets.
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Third-party distribution fees increased 9.7% from $5.3 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to $5.9 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to new platform relationships in Europe, higher U.S. listed AUM on third-party platforms, partly offset by lower fees paid to our third-party marketing agent in Latin America.
Other expenses increased 22.9% from $5.1 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to $6.3 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to miscellaneous expenses incurred in response to an activist campaign, higher insurance costs and other miscellaneous matters.
Interest expense increased 30.3% from $8.6 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to $11.2 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to a higher level of debt outstanding and a higher effective interest rate. Our effective interest rate during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2022 was 5.0% and 4.6%, respectively.
We recognized a gain on revaluation of deferred consideration of $5.1 million and $63.2 million, respectively, during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2022. The gain in the current period arose primarily from an increase in the discount rate (from 9.0% to 12.3%) used to compute the present value of the annual payment obligations as well as lower spot gold prices. The magnitude of any gain or loss is highly correlated to changes in the discount rate and the magnitude of the change in the forward-looking price of gold.
Interest income increased 107.4% from $1.1 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to $2.4 million in the comparable period in 2022 due to an increase in our securities owned.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized a loss of approximately $16.2 million upon exiting our London and New York offices, which is included in impairments in our Consolidated Statements of Operations. There were no impairment charges during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.
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Other losses, net were ($6.6) million and ($34.5) million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2022, respectively. The nine months ended September 30, 2022 includes a non-cash charge of $19.9 million arising from the release of a tax-related indemnification asset due to the favorable resolution of certain tax audits as well as the expiration of the statute of limitations (an equal and offsetting benefit has been recognized in income tax expense). We also recognized $15.6 million of losses on our securities owned.
Our effective income tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 was negative 15.7%, resulting in an income tax benefit of $10.7 million. Our tax rate differs from the federal statutory rate of 21% primarily due to the reduction in unrecognized tax benefits associated with the release of the tax-related indemnification asset described above, a non-taxable gain on revaluation of deferred consideration and a lower tax rate on foreign earnings. These items were partly offset by an increase in the deferred tax asset valuation allowance on losses recognized on securities owned.
Our effective income tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 of 6.7% resulted in income tax expense of $2.8 million. Our effective income tax rate differs from the federal statutory rate of 21% primarily due to a $5.2 million reduction in unrecognized tax benefits, a lower tax rate on foreign earnings and a non-taxable gain on revaluation of deferred consideration. These items were partly offset by tax shortfalls associated with the vesting and exercise of stock-based compensation and non-deductible executive compensation.
Non-GAAP Financial Measurements
In an effort to provide additional information regarding our results as determined by GAAP, we also disclose certain non-GAAP information which we believe provides useful and meaningful information. Our management reviews these non-GAAP financial measurements when evaluating our financial performance and results of operations; therefore, we believe it is useful to provide information with respect to these non-GAAP measurements so as to share this perspective of management. Non-GAAP measurements do not have any standardized meaning, do not replace nor are superior to GAAP financial measurements and are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. These non-GAAP financial measurements should be considered in the context with our GAAP results. The non-GAAP financial measurements contained in this Report include:
Adjusted Net Income and Diluted Earnings per Share
We disclose adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share as non-GAAP financial measurements in order to report our results exclusive of items that are non-recurring or not core to our operating business. We believe presenting these non-GAAP financial measurements provides investors with a consistent way to analyze our performance. These non-GAAP financial measurements exclude the following:
Unrealized gains on the revaluation of deferred consideration: Deferred consideration is an obligation we assumed in connection with the ETFS Acquisition that is carried at fair value. This item represents the present value of an obligation to pay fixed ounces of gold into perpetuity and is measured using forward-looking gold prices. Changes in the forward-looking price of gold and changes in the discount rate used to compute the present value of the annual payment obligations may have a material impact on the carrying value of the deferred consideration and our reported financial results. We exclude this item when calculating our non-GAAP financial measurements as it is not core to our operating business. The item is not adjusted for income taxes as the obligation was assumed by a wholly-owned subsidiary of ours that is based in Jersey, a jurisdiction where we are subject to a zero percent tax rate.
Gains or losses on securities owned: We account for securities owned as trading securities which requires these instruments to be measured at fair value with gains and losses reported in net income. In the third quarter of 2021, we began excluding these items when calculating our non-GAAP financial measurements as these securities have become a more meaningful percentage of total assets and the gains and losses introduce volatility in earnings and are not core to our operating business.
Tax shortfalls and windfalls upon vesting and exercise of stock-based compensation awards: GAAP requires the recognition of tax windfalls and shortfalls within income tax expense. These items arise upon the vesting and exercise of stock-based compensation awards and the magnitude is directly correlated to the number of awards vesting/exercised as well as the difference between the price of our stock on the date the award was granted and the date the award vested or was exercised. We exclude these items when calculating our non-GAAP financial measurements as they introduce volatility in earnings and are not core to our operating business.
Other items: Unrealized gains and losses recognized on our investments, changes in the deferred tax asset valuation allowance on securities owned, expenses incurred in response to an activist campaign and impairment charges.
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Adjusted Net Income and Diluted Earnings per Share:
Net income, as reported
Deduct: Gain on revaluation of deferred consideration
Add back: Losses on securities owned, net of income taxes
Add back: Increase in deferred tax asset valuation allowance on securities owned
Deduct/add back: Unrealized gain recognized on our investments, net of income taxes
Add back/deduct: Tax shortfalls/(windfalls) upon vesting and exercise of stock-based compensation awards
Add back: Expenses incurred in response to an activist campaign, net of income taxes
Add back: Impairments, net of income taxes (where applicable)
Deduct: Gain recognized upon sale of Canadian ETF business
Adjusted net income
Deduct: Income distributed to participating securities
Deduct: Undistributed income allocable to participating securities
Adjusted net income available to common stockholders
Adjusted earnings per share—diluted
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The following table summarizes key data regarding our liquidity, capital resources and use of capital to fund our operations:
Balance Sheet Data (in thousands):
Cash and cash equivalents
Securities owned, at fair value
Accounts receivable
Securities held-to-maturity
Total: Liquid assets
Less: Total current liabilities(1)
Less: Regulatory capital requirement—certain international subsidiaries
Total: Available liquidity
Excludes convertible notes in the amount of $173,760 at September 30, 2022, net of premiums and unamortized issuance costs, scheduled to mature on June 15, 2023, as we are actively exploring refinancing and extension alternatives.
Cash Flow Data (in thousands):
Operating cash flows
Investing cash flows
Financing cash flows
Foreign exchange rate effect
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents
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Liquidity
We consider our available liquidity to be our liquid assets, less our current liabilities and regulatory capital requirements of certain international subsidiaries. Liquid assets consist of cash and cash equivalents, securities owned, at fair value, accounts receivable and securities held-to-maturity. Our securities owned, at fair value are highly liquid investments. Accounts receivable are current assets and primarily represent receivables from advisory fees we earn from our ETPs. Our current liabilities, excluding convertible notes in the amount of $173,760 scheduled to mature on June 15, 2023, consist primarily of payments owed to vendors and third parties in the normal course of business, deferred consideration and accrued incentive compensation for employees.
Cash and cash equivalents decreased $8.0 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2022 due to $41.2 million used to purchase securities owned, $11.9 million used to purchase investments, $14.5 million used to pay dividends on our common stock, $3.4 million used to repurchase our common stock, $7.6 million of foreign exchange rate losses and $0.2 million used in other activities. These decreases were partly offset by $27.7 million of proceeds from the sale of securities owned and $43.1 million of net cash provided by operating activities.
Cash and cash equivalents increased $54.5 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 due to $150.0 million of proceeds received from the issuance of the 2021 Notes, $50.1 million of net cash provided by operating activities, $11.0 million of proceeds from the sale of securities owned and $0.3 million provided by other activities. These increases were partly offset by $97.6 million used to purchase securities owned, $34.5 million used to repurchase our common stock, $14.7 million used to pay dividends on our common stock, $5.8 million used to purchase investments and $4.3 million used to pay the 2021 Note issuance costs.
Issuance of Convertible Notes
On June 14, 2021, we issued and sold $150.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 3.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 (the “2021 Notes”) pursuant to an indenture dated June 14, 2021, between us and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, in a private offering to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Rule 144A”).
On June 16, 2020, we issued and sold $150.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 4.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2023 (the “June 2020 Notes”) pursuant to an indenture dated June 16, 2020, between us and the trustee, in a private offering to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A. On August 13, 2020, we issued and sold $25.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 4.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2023 at a price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus interest deemed to have accrued since June 16, 2020, which constitute a further issuance of, and form a single series with, our June 2020 Notes (the “August 2020 Notes” and together with the June 2020 Notes, the “2020 Notes”).
After the issuance of the 2021 Notes (and together with the 2020 Notes, the “Convertible Notes”), we had $325.0 million aggregate principal amount of Convertible Notes outstanding.
Key terms of the Convertible Notes are as follows:
Maturity date (unless earlier converted, repurchased or redeemed)
Interest rate
Conversion price
Conversion rate
Redemption price
Interest rate: Payable semiannually in arrears on June 15 and December 15 of each year.
Conversion price: Convertible at an initial conversion rate (as disclosed in the table above) of shares of our common stock per $1,000 principal amount of notes (equivalent to an initial conversion price as disclosed in the table above).
Conversion: Holders may convert at their option at any time prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding March 15, 2026 and March 15, 2023 in respect of the 2021 Notes and 2020 Notes, respectively, only under the following circumstances: (i) if the last reported sale price of our common stock for at least 20 trading days during a period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter is greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price on each applicable trading day; (ii) during the five business day period after any ten consecutive trading day period (the “measurement period”) in which the trading price per $1,000 principal amount of the Convertible Notes for each trading day of the measurement period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sales price of our common stock and the conversion rate on each such trading day; (iii) upon a notice of redemption delivered by us in accordance with the terms of the indentures but only with respect to the Convertible Notes called (or deemed called) for redemption; or (iv) upon the occurrence of specified corporate events. On or after March 15, 2026 and March 15, 2023 in respect of the 2021 Notes and 2020 Notes, respectively, until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, holders may convert their Convertible Notes at any time, regardless of the foregoing circumstances.
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Cash settlement of principal amount: Upon conversion, we will pay cash up to the aggregate principal amount of the Convertible Notes to be converted. At our election, we will also settle our conversion obligation in excess of the aggregate principal amount of the Convertible Notes being converted in either cash, shares of our common stock or a combination of cash and shares of our common stock.
Redemption price: We may redeem for cash all or any portion of the notes, at our option, on or after June 20, 2023 and June 20, 2021 in respect of the 2021 Notes and 2020 Notes, respectively, and on or prior to the 55th scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, if the last reported sale price of our common stock has been at least 130% of the conversion price then in effect for at least 20 trading days, including the trading day immediately preceding the date on which we provide notice of redemption, during any 30 consecutive trading day period ending on, and including, the trading day immediately preceding the date on which we provide notice of redemption, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding the redemption date. No sinking fund is provided for the Convertible Notes.
Limited investor put rights: Holders of the Convertible Notes have the right to require us to repurchase for cash all or a portion of their notes at 100% of their principal amount, plus any accrued and unpaid interest, upon the occurrence of certain change of control transactions or liquidation, dissolution or common stock delisting events.
Conversion rate increase in certain customary circumstances: In certain circumstances, conversions in connection with a “make-whole fundamental change” (as defined in the indentures) or conversions of Convertible Notes called (or deemed called) for redemption may result in an increase to the conversion rate, provided that the conversion rate will not exceed 144.9275 shares and 270.2702 shares of our common stock per $1,000 principal amount of the 2021 Notes and 2020 Notes, respectively (the equivalent of 69,036,410 shares of our common stock), subject to adjustment.
Seniority and Security: The 2021 Notes and 2020 Notes rank equal in right of payment, and are our senior unsecured obligations, but are subordinated in right of payment to our obligations to make certain redemption payments (if and when due) in respect of our Series A Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock (See Note 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements).
The indentures contain customary terms and covenants, including that upon certain events of default occurring and continuing, either the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Convertible Notes outstanding may declare the entire principal amount of all the Convertible Notes to be repurchased, plus any accrued special interest, if any, to be immediately due and payable.
Capital Resources
Our principal source of financing is our operating cash flow. We believe that cash flows generated by our operating activities and existing cash balances should be sufficient for us to fund our operations for the foreseeable future.
Our ability to satisfy our contractual obligations as they arise are discussed in the section titled “Contractual Obligations” below.
Use of Capital
Our business does not require us to maintain a significant cash position. However, certain of our international subsidiaries are required to maintain a minimum level of regulatory capital, which at September 30, 2022 was approximately $23.1 million in the aggregate. Notwithstanding these regulatory capital requirements, we expect that our main uses of cash will be to fund the ongoing operations of our business. We also maintain a capital return program which includes a $0.03 per share quarterly cash dividend and authority to purchase our common stock through April 27, 2025, including purchases to offset future equity grants made under our equity plans.
During the three months ended September 30, 2022, we repurchased 4,567 shares of our common stock under the repurchase program for an aggregate cost of $0.02 million. As of September 30, 2022, $100 million remains under this program for future purchases.
Contractual Obligations
Convertible Notes
At September 30, 2022, we had $325.0 million aggregate principal amount of Convertible Notes outstanding, of which $175.0 million are scheduled to mature on June 15, 2023 and $150.0 million are scheduled to mature on June 15, 2026, unless earlier converted, repurchased or redeemed. Conditional conversions or a requirement to repurchase the Convertible Notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change may accelerate payment.
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The Convertible Notes require cash settlement of the principal amount, while settlement of the conversion obligation in excess of the aggregate principal amount may be satisfied in either cash, shares of our common stock or a combination of cash and shares of our common stock. We anticipate refinancing or extending these obligations when due and are currently actively exploring refinancing and extension alternatives with respect to the 2020 Notes.
See the section titled “Issuance of Convertible Notes” above for additional information.
Deferred Consideration—Gold Payments
Deferred consideration represents an obligation we assumed in April 2018 in connection with our acquisition of the European exchange-traded commodity, currency and leveraged and inverse business of ETFS Capital Limited. The obligation is for fixed payments to ETFS Capital Limited of physical gold bullion equating to 9,500 ounces of gold per year through March 31, 2058 and then subsequently reduced to 6,333 ounces of gold continuing into perpetuity (“Contractual Gold Payments”). The present value of the deferred consideration was $164.8 million at September 30, 2022.
The Contractual Gold Payments are paid from advisory fee income generated by any of our sponsored financial products backed by physical gold with no recourse back to us for any unpaid amounts that exceed advisory fees earned.
See Note 9 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Operating Leases
In keeping with our hybrid remote-first philosophy, employees primarily work remotely on a permanent basis. However, we maintain office space in New York and London, as well as other regional locations, to align with employees choosing to collaborate in person.
Total future minimum lease payments with respect to our office space was $1.8 million at September 30, 2022. Cash flows generated by our operating activities and existing cash balances should be sufficient to satisfy the future minimum lease payments. See Note 12 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have any off-balance sheet financing or other arrangements and have neither created nor are party to any special-purpose or off-balance sheet entities for the purpose of raising capital, incurring debt or operating our business.
Critical Accounting Policies
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Goodwill is the excess of the purchase price over the fair values of the identifiable net assets at the acquisition date. We test goodwill for impairment at least annually and at the time of a triggering event requiring re-evaluation, if one were to occur. Goodwill is considered impaired when the estimated fair value of the reporting unit that was allocated the goodwill is less than its carrying value. If the estimated fair value of such reporting unit is less than its carrying value, goodwill impairment is recognized based on that difference, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. A reporting unit is an operating segment or a component of an operating segment provided that the component constitutes a business for which discrete financial information is available and management regularly reviews the operating results of that component.
Goodwill is allocated to our U.S. business and European business components. For impairment testing purposes, these components are aggregated as a single reporting unit as they fall under the same operating segment and have similar economic characteristics.
Goodwill is assessed for impairment annually on November 30th. When performing our goodwill impairment test, we consider a qualitative assessment, when appropriate, the market approach and its market capitalization when determining the fair value of the reporting unit. The results of our analysis indicated no impairment based upon a quantitative assessment.
Indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested for impairment at least annually and are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Indefinite-lived intangible assets are impaired if their estimated fair value is less than their carrying value. We may rely on a qualitative assessment when performing our intangible asset impairment test. Otherwise, the impairment evaluation is performed at the lowest level of reasonably identifiable cash flows independent of other assets. The annual impairment testing date for our intangible assets is November 30th.
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Investments
We account for equity investments that do not have a readily determinable fair value under the measurement alternative prescribed in ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments – Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, to the extent such investments are not subject to consolidation or the equity method. Under the measurement alternative, these financial instruments are carried at cost, less any impairment (assessed quarterly), plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for an identical or similar investment of the same issuer. In addition, income is recognized when dividends are received only to the extent they are distributed from net accumulated earnings of the investee. Otherwise, such distributions are considered returns of investment and are recorded as a reduction of the cost of the investment.
Deferred consideration represents the present value of an obligation to pay gold to a third party into perpetuity and is measured using forward-looking gold prices observed on the CMX exchange, a selected discount rate and perpetual growth rate. The weighted average forward-looking gold price per ounce, discount rate and perpetual growth rate were $2,037, 12.3% and 1.5%, respectively, at September 30, 2022. Changes in the fair value of this obligation are reported as gain on revaluation of deferred consideration—gold payments in our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
During the three months ended September 30, 2022, we reported a gain on deferred consideration—gold payments of $77.9 million. A 1.0% increase in the weighted average forward-looking gold price per ounce would have reduced this reported gain by $1.1 million, a 1 percentage point increase in the discount rate would have increased this reported gain by $12.9 million and a 1 percentage point increase in the perpetual growth rate would have reduced this reported gain by $9.3 million. See Note 9 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Revenue Recognition
We earn substantially all of our revenue in the form of advisory fees from our ETPs and recognize this revenue over time, as the performance obligation is satisfied. Advisory fees are based on a percentage of the ETPs’ average daily net assets. Progress is measured using the practical expedient under the output method resulting in the recognition of revenue in the amount for which we have a right to invoice.
ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
The following information, together with information included in other parts of this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, describes key aspects of our market risk.
Market Risk
Market risk to us generally represents the risk of changes in the value of our ETPs that results from fluctuations in securities or commodity prices, foreign currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar, and interest rates. Nearly all our revenues are derived from advisory agreements for the WisdomTree ETPs. Under these agreements, the advisory fee we receive is based on the average market value of the assets in the WisdomTree ETP portfolios we manage.
Fluctuations in the value of the ETPs are common and are generated by numerous factors such as market volatility, the global economy, inflation, changes in investor strategies and sentiment, availability of alternative investment vehicles, domestic and foreign government regulations, emerging markets developments and others. Accordingly, changes in any one or a combination of these factors may reduce the value of investment securities and, in turn, the underlying AUM on which our revenues are earned. These declines may cause investors to withdraw funds from our ETPs in favor of investments that they perceive as offering greater opportunity or lower risk, thereby compounding the impact on our revenues. We believe challenging and volatile market conditions will continue to be present in the foreseeable future.
Interest Rate Risk
We invest our corporate cash in short-term interest earning assets, primarily in federal agency debt instruments, WisdomTree fixed income ETFs, U.S. treasuries, corporate bonds, money market instruments at a commercial bank and other securities which totaled $139.0 million and $125.7 million as of December 31, 2021 and September 30, 2022, respectively. During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, we recognized losses on these securities of $15.6 million and any losses recognized in the future may be material to our operating results. We do not anticipate that changes in interest rates will have a material impact on our financial condition or cash flows.
In addition, our Convertible Notes bear interest at fixed rates of 3.25% and 4.25% for the 2021 Notes and the 2020 Notes, respectively. Therefore, we have no direct financial statement risk associated with changes in interest rates. However, the fair value of the Convertible Notes changes primarily when the market price of our common stock fluctuates or interest rates change.
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Exchange Rate Risk
We are subject to currency translation exposure on the results of our non-U.S. operations, primarily in the United Kingdom and Europe. Foreign currency translation risk is the risk that exchange rate gains or losses arise from translating foreign entities’ statements of earnings and balance sheets from functional currency to our reporting currency (the U.S. dollar) for consolidation purposes. The advisory fees earned on our international listed ETPs are predominantly in U.S. dollars (and also paid in gold ounces, as described below); however, expenses for corporate overhead are generally incurred in British pounds. Currently, we do not enter into derivative financial instruments aimed at offsetting certain exposures in the statement of operations or the balance sheet but may seek to do so in the future.
Exchange rate risk associated with the euro is not considered to be significant.
Commodity and Cryptocurrency Price Risk
Fluctuations in the prices of commodities and cryptocurrencies that are linked to certain of our ETPs could have a material adverse effect on our AUM and revenues. In addition, a portion of the advisory fee revenues we receive on our ETPs backed by gold, other precious metals and cryptocurrencies are paid in the underlying metal or cryptocurrency. In addition, we pay gold ounces to satisfy our deferred consideration obligation (See Note 9 to our Consolidated Financial Statements). While we readily sell the gold, precious metals and cryptocurrencies that we earn under these advisory contracts, we still may maintain a position. We currently do not enter into arrangements to hedge against fluctuations in the price of these commodities and cryptocurrencies and any hedging we may undertake in the future may not be cost-effective or sufficient to hedge against this exposure.
ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As of September 30, 2022, our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) promulgated under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of September 30, 2022, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable assurance level in ensuring that material information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules, regulations and forms of the SEC, including ensuring that such material information is accumulated by and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
During the quarter ended September 30, 2022, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
PART II: OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We may be subject to reviews, inspections and investigations by the SEC, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), National Futures Association (NFA), state and foreign regulators, as well as legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. See Note 13 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding claims brought by investors in our WisdomTree WTI Crude Oil 3x Daily Leveraged ETP totaling approximately €15.8 million ($15.4 million).
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider the information set forth in Part 1, Item1A. “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, as amended, and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.
ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
Recent sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
Use of Proceeds
Not applicable.
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Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
The following table provides information with respect to purchases made by or on behalf of the Company or any “affiliated purchaser” of shares of our common stock.
Period
July 1, 2022 to July 31, 2022
August 1, 2022 to August 31, 2022
September 1, 2022 to September 30, 2022
Total
On February 22, 2022, our board of directors approved an increase of $85.7 million to our share repurchase program and extended the term for three years through April 27, 2025. During the three months ended September 30, 2022, we repurchased 4,567 shares of our common stock under this program for an aggregate cost of approximately $0.02 million. As of September 30, 2022, $100.0 million remained under this program for future repurchases.
ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION
None
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ITEM 6. EXHIBITS
Exhibit No.
Description
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(1) Filed herewith.
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SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Exchange Act, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized on this 4th day of November 2022.
By:
/s/ Jonathan Steinberg
Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
/s/ Bryan Edmiston
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)
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