GAMCO INVESTORS, INC. ET AL - Quarter Report: 2008 September (Form 10-Q)
SECURITIES
& EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
(Mark
One)
[X]
|
QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
|
For the
quarterly period ended September 30,
2008
or
[
]
|
TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
|
For the
transition period from ___ to ___
Commission
File No. 1-106
GAMCO
INVESTORS, INC.
|
||||||
(Exact
name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
|
||||||
New
York
|
13-4007862
|
|||||
(State
of other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
|
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
|
|||||
One
Corporate Center, Rye, NY
|
10580-1422
|
|||||
(Address
of principle executive offices)
|
(Zip
Code)
|
|||||
(914)
921-5100
|
||||||
Registrant’s
telephone number, including area
code
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required
to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for
the past 90 days.
Yes
|
x
|
No
|
o
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting
company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer",
"accelerated filer", and "smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the
Exchange Act. (Check one):
|
|||
Large
accelerated filer ¨
|
Accelerated
filer x
|
||
Non-accelerated
filer o
|
Smaller
reporting company o
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Exchange
Act Rule 12b-2).
Yes
|
o
|
No
|
x
|
Indicate
the number of shares outstanding of each of the Registrant’s classes of Common
Stock, as of the latest practical date.
Class
|
Outstanding
at October 31, 2008
|
||
Class
A Common Stock, .001 par value
|
7,334,683
|
||
Class
B Common Stock, .001 par value
|
20,550,006
|
1
INDEX
|
|||||
GAMCO
INVESTORS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
|
|||||
PART I.
|
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
|
||||
Item
1.
|
Unaudited
Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
|
||||
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Income:
|
|||||
- Three
months ended September 30, 2008 and 2007
|
|||||
- Nine
months ended September 30, 2008 and 2007
|
|||||
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition:
|
|||||
- September
30, 2008
|
|||||
- December
31, 2007 (audited)
|
|||||
- September
30, 2007
|
|||||
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity and Comprehensive
Income:
|
|||||
- Three months ended September 30, 2008 and 2007 | |||||
- Nine
months ended September 30, 2008 and 2007
|
|||||
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows:
|
|||||
- Nine
months ended September 30, 2008 and 2007
|
|||||
Notes
to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
|
|||||
Item
2.
|
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
|
||||
(Including
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market
Risk)
|
|||||
Item
3.
|
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
|
||||
Item
4.
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
||||
PART II.
|
OTHER INFORMATION
|
||||
Item
2.
|
Changes
in Securities, Use of Proceeds and Issuer Purchases of Equity
Securities
|
||||
Item
6.
|
Exhibits
|
||||
SIGNATURES
|
|||||
2
GAMCO
INVESTORS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
|
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
|
UNAUDITED
|
(In
thousands, except per share data)
|
Three
Months Ended
|
Nine
Months Ended
|
|||||||||||||||
September
30,
|
September
30,
|
|||||||||||||||
2008
|
2007
|
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||||||||
Revenues
|
||||||||||||||||
Investment
advisory and incentive fees
|
$
|
52,297
|
$
|
58,392
|
$
|
164,269
|
$
|
172,606
|
||||||||
Commission
revenue
|
4,098
|
3,494
|
11,018
|
11,550
|
||||||||||||
Distribution
fees and other income
|
6,585
|
6,583
|
19,665
|
19,196
|
||||||||||||
Total
revenues
|
62,980
|
68,469
|
194,952
|
203,352
|
||||||||||||
Expenses
|
||||||||||||||||
Compensation
|
26,148
|
29,064
|
82,758
|
87,343
|
||||||||||||
Management
fee
|
1,740
|
3,541
|
6,307
|
10,391
|
||||||||||||
Distribution
costs
|
6,743
|
6,099
|
19,946
|
22,146
|
||||||||||||
Other
operating expenses
|
7,076
|
2,665
|
20,204
|
18,693
|
||||||||||||
Total
expenses
|
41,707
|
41,369
|
129,215
|
138,573
|
||||||||||||
Operating
income
|
21,273
|
27,100
|
65,737
|
64,779
|
||||||||||||
Other
(expense) income
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
(loss) gain from investments
|
(4,786
|
) |
514
|
(13,165
|
)
|
17,277
|
||||||||||
Interest
and dividend income
|
1,340
|
6,810
|
10,310
|
20,978
|
||||||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(2,139
|
)
|
(2,828
|
)
|
(6,405
|
)
|
(9,537
|
)
|
||||||||
Total
other (expense) income, net
|
(5,585
|
) |
4,496
|
(9,260
|
)
|
28,718
|
||||||||||
Income
before income taxes and minority interest
|
15,688
|
31,596
|
56,477
|
93,497
|
||||||||||||
Income
tax provision
|
3,837
|
13,340
|
19,882
|
37,403
|
||||||||||||
Minority
interest
|
(134
|
) |
(81
|
) |
(335
|
)
|
596
|
|||||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
11,985
|
$
|
18,337
|
$
|
36,930
|
$
|
55,498
|
||||||||
Net
income per share:
|
||||||||||||||||
Basic
|
$
|
0.43
|
$
|
0.65
|
$
|
1.32
|
$
|
1.97
|
||||||||
Diluted
|
$
|
0.43
|
$
|
0.64
|
$
|
1.32
|
$
|
1.95
|
||||||||
Weighted
average shares outstanding:
|
||||||||||||||||
Basic
|
27,602
|
28,106
|
27,930
|
28,164
|
||||||||||||
Diluted
|
28,400
|
29,099
|
28,746
|
29,148
|
||||||||||||
Dividends
declared:
|
$
|
1.03
|
$
|
1.03
|
$
|
1.09
|
$
|
1.09
|
||||||||
See
accompanying notes.
|
3
GAMCO
INVESTORS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
|
||||||||||||
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
|
||||||||||||
(In
thousands)
|
||||||||||||
September
30,
|
December
31,
|
September
30,
|
||||||||||
2008
|
2007
|
2007
|
||||||||||
(unaudited)
|
(unaudited)
|
|||||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents, including restricted cash of $0, $0, and
$443
|
$
|
165,098
|
$
|
168,319
|
$
|
195,893
|
||||||
Investments
in securities, including restricted securities of $0, $0, and
$52,117
|
379,072
|
394,977
|
386,190
|
|||||||||
Investments
in partnerships and affiliates
|
73,234
|
100,031
|
97,988
|
|||||||||
Receivable
from brokers
|
37,929
|
40,145
|
36,677
|
|||||||||
Investment
advisory fees receivable
|
16,392
|
33,701
|
18,591
|
|||||||||
Other
assets
|
23,086
|
20,407
|
17,432
|
|||||||||
Total
assets
|
$
|
694,811
|
$
|
757,580
|
$
|
752,771
|
||||||
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
||||||||||||
Payable
to brokers
|
$
|
2,492
|
$
|
7,562
|
$
|
6,844
|
||||||
Income
taxes payable, net (A)
|
3,071
|
17,539
|
21,251
|
|||||||||
Accrued
compensation
|
28,253
|
25,362
|
43,613
|
|||||||||
Capital
lease obligation
|
5,300
|
2,525
|
2,593
|
|||||||||
Securities
sold, not yet purchased
|
6,620
|
2,229
|
10,914
|
|||||||||
Accrued
expenses and other liabilities
|
16,607
|
38,810
|
32,820
|
|||||||||
Total
operating liabilities
|
62,343
|
94,027
|
118,035
|
|||||||||
Long
term liabilities
|
||||||||||||
5.5%
Senior notes (due May 15, 2013)
|
100,000
|
100,000
|
100,000
|
|||||||||
6%
Convertible note (due August 14, 2011) (B)
|
39,746
|
49,608
|
49,584
|
|||||||||
Total
liabilities
|
202,089
|
243,635
|
267,619
|
|||||||||
Minority
interest
|
10,994
|
12,630
|
9,497
|
|||||||||
Stockholders’
equity
|
||||||||||||
Class
A Common Stock, $0.001 par value; 100,000,000
|
||||||||||||
shares
authorized; 12,850,162, 12,574,995, 12,173,423
|
||||||||||||
issued,
respectively; 7,395,483, 7,819,741, and 7,438,369
outstanding,
respectively
|
12
|
12
|
12
|
|||||||||
Class
B Common Stock, $0.001 par value; 100,000,000
|
||||||||||||
shares
authorized; 24,000,000 shares issued,
20,550,006,
20,626,644, 20,645,816 shares outstanding,
respectively
|
21
|
21
|
21
|
|||||||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
244,674
|
230,483
|
230,068
|
|||||||||
Retained
earnings
|
451,635
|
445,121
|
421,800
|
|||||||||
Accumulated
comprehensive income
|
14,515
|
20,815
|
17,799
|
|||||||||
Treasury
stock, at cost (5,454,679, 4,755,254, and 4,735,054 shares,
respectively)
|
(229,129
|
)
|
(195,137
|
)
|
(194,045
|
)
|
||||||
Total
stockholders' equity
|
481,728
|
501,315
|
475,655
|
|||||||||
Total
liabilities and stockholders' equity
|
$
|
694,811
|
$
|
757,580
|
$
|
752,771
|
||||||
See
accompanying notes.
|
||||||||||||
(A) At Spetember 30, 2008, Income taxes payable, net included income tax assets of $4,388. | ||||||||||||
(B)
$50 million face value outstanding on December 31, 2007 and September 30,
2007. $40 million outstanding on September 30,
2008.
|
||||||||||||
4
GAMCO
INVESTORS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
|
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY AND COMPREHENSIVE
INCOME
|
UNAUDITED
|
(In
thousands)
|
Three
Months Ended
|
Nine
Months Ended
|
||||||||||||||
September
30,
|
September
30,
|
||||||||||||||
2008
|
2007
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||||||
Stockholders’
equity – beginning of period
|
$
|
510,929
|
$
|
490,793
|
$
|
501,315
|
$
|
451,576
|
|||||||
Cumulative
effect of applying the provisions of FIN 48
at
January 1, 2007
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(822
|
)
|
||||||||||
Comprehensive
income:
|
|||||||||||||||
Net
income
|
11,985
|
18,337
|
36,930
|
55,498
|
|||||||||||
Foreign
currency translation adjustments
|
(53
|
)
|
14
|
(54
|
) |
27
|
|||||||||
Net
unrealized (loss)/gain on securities available for sale
|
(2,876
|
)
|
(2,108
|
)
|
(6,246
|
)
|
7,244
|
||||||||
Total
comprehensive income
|
9,056
|
16,243
|
30,630
|
62,769
|
|||||||||||
Dividends
declared
|
(28,716
|
)
|
(28,977
|
)
|
(30,416
|
)
|
(30,668
|
)
|
|||||||
Stock
based compensation expense
|
1,237
|
23
|
3,639
|
68
|
|||||||||||
Conversion
of 6% convertible note
|
(77
|
)
|
-
|
9,923
|
-
|
||||||||||
Exercise
of stock options including tax benefit
|
65
|
|
35
|
629
|
301
|
||||||||||
Purchase
of treasury stock
|
(10,766
|
)
|
(2,462
|
)
|
(33,992
|
)
|
(7,569
|
)
|
|||||||
Stockholders’
equity – end of period
|
$
|
481,728
|
$
|
475,655
|
$
|
481,728 |
$
|
475,655
|
|||||||
See
accompanying notes.
|
5
GAMCO
INVESTORS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
|
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
|
UNAUDITED
|
(In
thousands)
|
Nine
Months Ended
|
|||||||||
September
30,
|
|||||||||
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||
Operating
activities
|
|||||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
36,930
|
$
|
55,498
|
|||||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating
activities:
|
|
||||||||
Equity
in net losses (gains) from partnerships and
affiliates
|
6,164
|
(5,600
|
)
|
||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
747
|
739
|
|||||||
Stock
based compensation expense
|
3,639
|
68
|
|||||||
Deferred
income tax
|
(2,503
|
) |
5,858
|
||||||
Tax benefit
from exercise of stock options
|
2
|
|
62
|
||||||
Foreign
currency loss / (gain)
|
(54
|
) |
27
|
||||||
Other-than-temporary
loss on available for sale securities
|
713
|
3
|
|||||||
Impairment
of goodwill
|
-
|
56
|
|||||||
Acquisition of intangible asset
|
(3,370
|
)
|
-
|
||||||
Market
value of donated securities
|
507
|
273
|
|||||||
Minority
interest in net (loss) income of consolidated subsidiaries
|
(165
|
) |
610
|
||||||
Realized
gains on sales of available for sale securities
|
(4,041
|
)
|
(657
|
)
|
|||||
Realized
gains on sales of trading investments in securities, net
|
(3,273
|
)
|
(16,676
|
)
|
|||||
Change
in unrealized value of trading investments in securities and securities
sold, not yet purchased, net
|
13,823
|
4,453
|
|
||||||
Realized gains on covers of securities sold, not yet purchased,
net
|
(1,068
|
)
|
(409
|
)
|
|||||
Amortization
on discount on debt
|
138
|
80
|
|||||||
(Increase)
decrease in operating assets:
|
|||||||||
Purchases
of trading investments in securities
|
(445,246
|
)
|
(1,022,506
|
)
|
|||||
Proceeds
from sales of trading investments in securities
|
433,710
|
1,152,329
|
|||||||
Cost of covers on securities sold, not yet purchased
|
(24,530
|
)
|
(97,552
|
)
|
|||||
Proceeds from sales of securities sold, not yet purchased
|
29,927
|
112,031
|
|||||||
Investments
in partnerships and affiliates
|
(182
|
)
|
(17,998
|
)
|
|||||
Distributions
from partnerships and affiliates
|
20,932
|
15,719
|
|||||||
Receivable
from brokers
|
61
|
20,320
|
|||||||
Investment
advisory fees receivable
|
17,422
|
12,529
|
|||||||
Other
receivables from affiliates
|
3,303
|
5,193
|
|||||||
Other
assets
|
(436
|
)
|
1,594
|
|
|||||
Increase
(decrease) in operating liabilities:
|
|||||||||
Payable
to brokers
|
(4,980
|
)
|
(28,022
|
)
|
|||||
Income
taxes payable
|
(6,617
|
)
|
(2,907
|
)
|
|||||
Compensation
payable
|
4,232
|
12,192
|
|||||||
Accrued
expenses and other liabilities
|
(22,306
|
)
|
(7,892
|
)
|
|||||
Effects
of consolidation of investment partnerships and offshore funds
consolidated under FIN 46R and EITF 04-5:
|
|||||||||
Realized gains
on sales of investments in securities and securities sold, not yet
purchased, net
|
(10
|
)
|
(722
|
)
|
|||||
Change
in unrealized value of investments in securities and securities sold, not
yet purchased, net
|
946
|
547
|
|||||||
Equity
in net losses (gains) from partnerships and affiliates
|
1,206
|
(835
|
)
|
||||||
Purchases
of trading investments in securities
|
(13,290
|
)
|
(41,400
|
)
|
|||||
Proceeds
from sales of trading investments in securities
|
11,609
|
45,995
|
|||||||
Investments
in partnerships and affiliates
|
(242
|
) |
(2,000
|
)
|
|||||
Cost of covers on securities sold, not yet purchased | (11 | ) | (651 | ) | |||||
Proceeds from sales of securities sold, not yet purchased | 42 | 477 | |||||||
Distributions
from partnerships and affiliates
|
531
|
5,589
|
|||||||
Increase
in investment advisory fees receivable
|
(113
|
)
|
(26
|
)
|
|||||
Decrease (increase)
in receivable from brokers
|
2,155
|
(3,315
|
) | ||||||
Decrease
(increase) in other assets
|
39
|
(138
|
)
|
||||||
Decrease
in payable to brokers
|
(90
|
) |
(1,480
|
)
|
|||||
(Decrease)
increase in accrued expenses and other liabilities
|
(68
|
)
|
237
|
||||||
(Loss)
gain related to investment partnerships and offshore
funds consolidated under FIN 46R and EITF 04-5, net
|
(2,017
|
)
|
839
|
||||||
Total
adjustments
|
17,236
|
147,034
|
|||||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
54,166
|
202,532
|
6
GAMCO
INVESTORS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
|
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (continued)
|
UNAUDITED
|
(In
thousands)
|
Nine
Months Ended
|
||||||||
September
30,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||
Investing
activities
|
||||||||
Purchases
of available for sale securities
|
$
|
(1,022
|
)
|
$
|
(25,942
|
)
|
||
Proceeds
from sales of available for sale securities
|
8,451
|
2,642
|
||||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) investing activities
|
7,429
|
|
(23,300
|
)
|
||||
Financing
activities
|
||||||||
Retirement
of 5.22% senior notes
|
-
|
(82,308
|
)
|
|||||
Contributions
related to investment partnerships and offshore funds consolidated under
FIN 46R and EITF 04-5, net
|
(346
|
)
|
(645
|
) | ||||
Proceeds
from exercise of stock options
|
630
|
238
|
||||||
Dividends
paid
|
(30,417
|
)
|
(30,668
|
)
|
||||
Subsidiary
dividends to minority shareholders
|
(593
|
)
|
(531
|
)
|
||||
Purchase
of treasury stock
|
(33,992
|
)
|
(7,569
|
)
|
||||
Net
cash used in financing activities
|
(64,718
|
)
|
(121,483
|
)
|
||||
Net
increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
|
(3,123
|
) |
57,749
|
|
||||
Effect
of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents
|
(98
|
)
|
31
|
|||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of period
|
168,319
|
138,113
|
||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
|
$
|
165,098
|
$
|
195,893
|
||||
Non-cash
activity:
|
||||||||
- On January 22, 2008, Cascade Investment, L.L.C. elected to convert $10 million of its $50 million convertible note paying interest of 6% into 188,679 GAMCO Investors, Inc. Class A Common shares. | ||||||||
- On September 15, 2008, GAMCO Investors, Inc. modified and extended its lease with M4E, LLC, the Company’s landlord at 401 Theodore Fremd Ave, Rye, NY. The lease term was extended to December 31, 2023. This resulted in an increase to the capital lease obligation and corresponding asset of $3.0 million each. | ||||||||
See
accompanying notes.
7
GAMCO
INVESTORS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
September
30, 2008
(Unaudited)
A. Basis
of Presentation
Unless we
have indicated otherwise, or the context otherwise requires, references in this
report to “GAMCO Investors, Inc.,” “GAMCO,” “the Company,” “we,” “us” and “our”
or similar terms are to GAMCO Investors, Inc., its predecessors and its
subsidiaries.
The
unaudited interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of
GAMCO included herein have been prepared in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles in the United States for interim financial
information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation
S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes required
by generally accepted accounting principles in the United States for complete
financial statements. In the opinion of management, the unaudited
interim condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments,
which are of a normal recurring and non-recurring nature, necessary for a fair
presentation of financial position, results of operations and cash flows of
GAMCO for the interim periods presented and are not necessarily indicative of a
full year’s results.
The
condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of GAMCO and
its subsidiaries. All material intercompany accounts and transactions
are eliminated.
These
financial statements should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated
financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2007 from which the accompanying condensed consolidated
Financial Statements were derived.
Certain
items previously reported have been reclassified to conform to the current
period’s condensed consolidated financial statement presentation.
Use
of Estimates
The
preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity
with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make
estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the condensed
consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual
results could differ from those estimates.
Changes
in Accounting Policy
GAMCO has
adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Statement No. 157,
“Fair Value Measurements” (“Statement 157”). The statement provides guidance for
using fair value to measure assets and liabilities. The statement provides
guidance to companies about the extent of which to measure assets and
liabilities at fair value, the information used to measure fair value, and the
effect of fair value measurements on earnings. The statement applies whenever
other standards require (or permit) assets or liabilities to be measured at fair
value. The statement does not expand the use of fair value in any new
circumstances. The statement is effective for financial statements issued for
fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007 and for interim periods within
those fiscal years. The Company adopted this statement on January 1, 2008.
Although the impact of adopting Statement 157 is immaterial to the Company’s
financial statements, Statement 157 required additional disclosures within the
footnotes to the financial statements. Please refer to Note E for further
details.
B. Recent
Accounting Developments
In
December 2007, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 160, "Noncontrolling
Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements, an Amendment of ARB No. 51"
("Statement 160") to improve the relevance, comparability, and transparency of
the financial information that a reporting entity with minority interests
provides in its consolidated financial statements. Statement 160 changes the way
the consolidated income statement is presented. It requires consolidated net
income to be reported at amounts that include the amounts attributable to both
the parent and the noncontrolling interest. It also requires disclosure, on the
face of the consolidated statement of income, of the amounts of consolidated net
income attributable to the parent and to the noncontrolling interest. Statement
160 requires expanded disclosures in the consolidated financial statements that
clearly identify and distinguish between the interests of the parent’s owners
and the interests of the noncontrolling owners of a subsidiary. Statement 160
does not change the provisions of “Consolidated Financial Statements” ("ARB 51")
related to consolidation purpose or consolidation policy or the requirement
that a parent consolidate all entities in which it has a controlling financial
interest. Statement 160 does, however, amend certain of ARB 51’s consolidation
procedures to make them consistent with the requirements of FASB Statement
141(R) "Business Combinations". It also amends ARB 51 to provide definitions for
certain terms and to clarify some terminology. Statement 160 is effective
for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning on or
after December 15, 2008. Earlier adoption is prohibited. The Company plans to
adopt this statement on January 1, 2009. Statement 160 will impact the
Company's financial statements presentation and disclosure of minority
interest.
In March
2008, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 161, "Disclosures about
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities" ("Statement 161") to improve
financial reporting about derivative instruments and hedging activities by
requiring enhanced disclosures to enable investors to better understand their
effects on an entity's financial position, financial performance, and cash
flows. Statement 161 is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal
years and interim periods beginning after November 15, 2008, with early
application encouraged. The Company plans to adopt Statement 161 on January
1, 2009. Statement 161 will impact only the Company's disclosure
of derivative instruments.
In April
2008, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 142-3, "Determination of the
Useful Life of Intangible Assets" ("Statement 142-3") which amends the factors
that should be considered in developing renewal or extension assumptions used to
determine the useful life of a recognized intangible asset under SFAS No. 142 ,
"Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets". Statement 142-3
is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning
after December 15, 2008 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early
adoption is prohibited. The Company plans to adopt this statement on January 1,
2009. Statement 142-3 is applicable to the Company; however, the effect of its
adoption is not expected to be material.
C. Investment
in Securities
Management
determines the appropriate classification of debt and equity securities at the
time of purchase and reevaluates such designation as of each balance sheet
date. Investments in United States Treasury Bills and Notes with
maturities of greater than three months at the time of purchase are classified
as investments in securities and with those maturities of three months or less
at time of purchase are classified as cash and cash equivalents. A
substantial portion of investments in securities are held for resale in
anticipation of short-term market movements and therefore are classified as
trading securities. Trading securities are stated at fair value, with any
unrealized gains or losses, net of deferred taxes, reported in current period
earnings. Available for sale (“AFS”) investments are stated at fair value, with
any unrealized gains or losses, net of management fee and taxes, reported as a
component of stockholders’ equity except for losses deemed to be other than
temporary which are recorded as realized losses in the condensed consolidated
statements of income. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2008,
there was an impairment of $0.4 million and $0.7 million,
respectively, in AFS securities. For the three months and nine months
ended September 30, 2007, there was no impairment in AFS
securities.
8
The
Company accounts for derivative financial instruments in accordance with
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“FAS”) No. 133, "Accounting for
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, as amended" (“Statement No.
133”). Statement No. 133 requires that an entity recognize all derivatives, as
defined, as either assets or liabilities measured at fair value. The Company
uses swaps and treasury futures to manage its exposure to market and credit
risks from changes in certain equity prices, interest rates, and volatility and
does not hold or issue swaps and treasury futures for speculative or trading
purposes. These swaps and treasury futures are not designated as hedges, and
changes in fair values of these derivatives are included in net gain (loss) from
investments in the condensed consolidated statements of income. As of
September 30, 2008 and December 31, 2007, the notional value of swaps and
treasury futures was $0.3 million and $4.4 million, respectively. There
were no swaps or treasury futures included in investments in securities in the
condensed consolidated statements of financial condition at September 30, 2007.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2008, the effect of derivative
transactions was immaterial to the Company's condensed consolidated statements
of income.
At
September 30, 2008, December 31, 2007 and September 30, 2007, the market value
of investments available for sale was $116.9 million, $134.5 million and $137.2
million, respectively. Decreases in unrealized gains in market value,
net of management fee and taxes, for the three months ended September 30, 2008
and 2007 of $2.9 million and $2.1 million have been included in stockholders’
equity at September 30, 2008 and 2007, respectively. Changes in unrealized
(losses) gains in market value, net of management fee and taxes, for the nine
months ended September 30, 2008 and 2007 of ($6.2) million and $7.2 million,
have been included in stockholders’ equity at September 30, 2008 and 2007,
respectively. Proceeds from sales of investments available for sale were
approximately $7.8 million and $0.4 million for the three-month periods ended
September 30, 2008 and 2007, respectively. Proceeds from sales of
investments available for sale were approximately $8.5 million and $2.6 million
for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2008 and 2007, respectively. For
the three and nine months ended September 30, 2008, gross gains on the sale of
investments available for sale amounted to $3.6 and $4.0 million, respectively;
there were no gross losses on the sale of investments available for
sale. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2007, gross
gains on the sale of investments available for sale amounted to $0.2 and $0.7
million, respectively; there were no gross losses on the sale of investments
available for sale.
D.
Investments in Partnerships and Affiliates
The
provisions of FASB Interpretation No. ("FIN") 46R, "Consolidation of Variable
Interest Entities", and EITF 04-5, "Investor's Accounting for an Investment
in a Limited Partnership When the Investor is the Sole General Partner and the
Limited Partners Have Certain Rights", require consolidation of several of our
investment partnerships and offshore funds managed by our subsidiaries into our
condensed consolidated financial statements.
For the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2008, the consolidation of these
entities had no impact on net income but did result in (a) the elimination of
revenues and expenses which are now intercompany transactions; (b) the recording
of all the partnerships’ operating expenses of these entities including those
pertaining to third-party interests; (c) the recording of all other income of
these entities including those pertaining to third-party interests; (d)
recording of income tax expense of these entities including those pertaining to
third party interests; and (e) the recording of minority interest which offsets
the net amount of any of the partnerships’ revenues, operating expenses, other
income and income taxes recorded in these respective line items which pertain to
third-party interest in these entities. While this had no impact on
net income, the consolidation of these entities did affect the classification of
income between operating and other income. Cash and cash equivalents,
investments in securities and receivable from brokers held by investment
partnerships and offshore funds consolidated under FIN 46R and EITF 04-5 of $4.3
million, $5.2 million and $2.6 million as of September 30, 2008, December 31,
2007 and September 30, 2007, respectively, are also restricted from use for
general operating purposes.
E.
Fair Value
In
September 2006, the FASB issued Statement 157, which defines fair
value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosures
about fair value measurements. All of the instruments within investments in
securities and securities sold, not yet purchased are measured at fair
value.
The
Company’s assets and liabilities recorded at fair value have been categorized
based upon a fair value hierarchy in accordance with Statement 157. The
levels of the fair value hierarchy and their applicability to the Company are
described below:
-
|
Level
1 inputs utilize quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for
identical assets or liabilities.
|
-
|
Level
2 inputs utilize inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that
are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly.
Level 2 inputs include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in
active markets and inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for
the asset or liability, such as interest rates and yield curves that are
observable at commonly-quoted intervals.
|
-
|
Level
3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, and include
situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or
liability.
|
In
certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into
different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, per
Statement 157, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value
measurement in its entirety falls has been determined based on the lowest level
input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its
entirety. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular
input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment and
considers factors specific to the asset or liability.
The
availability of observable inputs can vary from product to product and is
affected by a wide variety of factors, including, for example, the type of
product, whether the product is new and not yet established in the marketplace,
and other characteristics particular to the transaction. To the extent that
valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable
in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment.
Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by the Company in determining fair
value is greatest for instruments categorized as Level 3.
Many of
our securities have bid and ask prices that can be observed in the marketplace.
Bid prices reflect the highest price that the Company and others are willing to
pay for an asset. Ask prices represent the lowest price that the Company and
others are willing to accept for an asset.
Cash and cash
equivalents - Cash and cash equivalents are valued using quoted market
prices. Valuation adjustments are not applied. Accordingly, cash and cash
equivalents are categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.
Investments in securities
and securities sold, not yet purchased - Investments in securities and
securities sold, not yet purchased are generally valued based on quoted prices
from the exchange. To the extent these securities are actively traded, valuation
adjustments are not applied, and they are categorized in Level 1 of the fair
value hierarchy. Listed derivatives that are actively traded and are valued
based on quoted prices from an exchange are also categorized in Level 1 of the
fair value hierarchy. Investments
in United States Treasury Bills and Notes, which are valued at amortized
cost, included in Level 1 were $70.3 million as of September 30, 2008.
Listed derivatives that are not actively traded are valued using
the same approaches as those applied to over the counter derivatives,
and they are generally categorized in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
Nonpublic and infrequently traded investments are included in Level 3 of the
fair value hierarchy because significant inputs to measure fair value are
unobservable.
The
following table presents information about the Company’s assets and
liabilities by major categories measured at fair value on a recurring basis as
of September 30, 2008 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation
techniques utilized by the Company to determine such fair value:
Assets
and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis as of September 30,
2008 (in thousands)
Assets
|
Quoted
Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)
|
Significant
Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
|
Significant
Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
|
Balance
as of September 30, 2008
|
||||||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$
|
165,098
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
165,098
|
||||||||
Investments
in securities:
|
||||||||||||||||
Available-for-sale
|
116,865
|
-
|
-
|
116,865
|
||||||||||||
Trading
|
260,607
|
18
|
1,582
|
262,207
|
||||||||||||
Total
investments in securities
|
377,472
|
18
|
1,582
|
379,072
|
||||||||||||
Total
financial instruments owned
|
$
|
542,570
|
$
|
18
|
$
|
1,582
|
$
|
544,170
|
||||||||
Liabilities
|
||||||||||||||||
Securities
sold, not yet purchased
|
$
|
6,620
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
6,620
|
9
The
following table presents additional information about assets and liabilities by
major categories measured at fair value on a recurring basis and for which the
Company has utilized Level 3 inputs to determine fair value.
Changes
in Level 3 Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis
for the three months ended September 30, 2008 (in thousands)
Total
Realized and Unrealized Gains or (Losses) in Income
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Asset
|
Beginning
Balance
|
Trading
|
Investments
|
Total
Unrealized Gains or (Losses) Included in Other Comprehensive
Income
|
Total
Realized and Unrealized Gains or (Losses)
|
Purchases
and Sales, net
|
Net
Transfers In and/or (Out) of Level 3
|
Ending
Balance
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Financial
instruments owned:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Investments
in securities - trading
|
$
|
2,012
|
$
|
(100
|
)
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
(100
|
)
|
$
|
(205
|
) |
$
|
(125
|
) |
$
|
1,582
|
||||||||||||
Total
|
$
|
2,012
|
$
|
(100
|
)
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
(100
|
)
|
$
|
(205
|
) |
$
|
(125
|
) |
$
|
1,582
|
Unrealized Level 3 losses included in the Condensed
Consolidated Statement of Income for the three months ended September 30, 2008
was approximately $0.1 million for those Level 3 securities held at September
30, 2008.
Changes
in Level 3 Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis
for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 (in thousands)
Total
Realized and Unrealized Gains or (Losses) in Income
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Asset
|
Beginning
Balance
|
Trading
|
Investments
|
Total
Unrealized Gains or (Losses) Included in Other Comprehensive
Income
|
Total
Realized and Unrealized Gains or (Losses)
|
Purchases
and Sales, net
|
Net
Transfers In and/or (Out) of Level 3
|
Ending
Balance
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Financial
instruments owned:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Investments
in securities - trading
|
$
|
1,423
|
$
|
(637
|
)
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
(637
|
)
|
$
|
530
|
$
|
266
|
$
|
1,582
|
||||||||||||||
Total
|
$
|
1,423
|
$
|
(637
|
)
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
(637
|
)
|
$
|
530
|
$
|
266
|
$
|
1,582
|
Unrealized Level 3 losses included in the Condensed
Consolidated Statement of Income for the nine months ended September 30, 2008
was approximately $0.6 million for those Level 3 securities held at September
30, 2008.
In
February 2007, the FASB issued FAS No. 159, "The Fair Value Option for
Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities" ("Statement 159"), which provides a
fair value option election that allows companies to irrevocably elect fair value
as the initial and subsequent measurement attribute for certain financial assets
and liabilities, with changes in fair value recognized in earnings as they
occur. Statement 159 permits the fair value option election on an instrument by
instrument basis at initial recognition of an asset or liability or upon an
event that gives rise to a new basis of accounting for that
instrument.
At this
time, the Company has not to date and does not intend to elect fair value
treatment for any other financial asset or financial liability.
F.
Debt
On
February 17, 2007, the $82.3 million of 5.22% Senior Notes matured. The Company
paid the principal plus accrued interest. This debt was originally issued in
connection with GAMCO's sale of mandatory convertible securities in February
2002 and was remarketed in November 2004.
On
January 18, 2008, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission") declared
effective a registration statement on Form S-3 for the registration
for resale by Cascade Investment, L.L.C. ("Cascade") of an aggregate of
943,396 shares of GAMCO's Class A Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the
2011 Note of the Company issued to Cascade on August 14, 2001. On January 22,
2008, Cascade elected to convert $10 million of the 6% Note into 188,679 GAMCO
shares. Cascade requested that the remaining $40 million face value of notes be
segregated into eight notes each with a face value of $5 million
each.
G.
Income Taxes
The
effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2008
was 24.5% and 35.2%, respectively, as compared to the prior year ’s
effective rates of 42.2% and 40.0%, respectively. The current period
decreases are due to a $2.0 million reduction in the Company's income
tax reserves.
10
H.
Earnings Per Share
The
computations of basic and diluted net income per share are as
follows:
(in thousands,
except per share amounts)
|
Three
Months Ended
September
30, 2008
|
Three
Months Ended
September
30, 2007
|
Nine
Months Ended
September
30, 2008
|
Nine
Months Ended
September
30, 2007
|
||||||||||||
Basic:
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
11,985
|
$
|
18,337
|
$
|
36,930
|
$
|
55,498
|
||||||||
Average
shares outstanding
|
27,602
|
28,106
|
27,930
|
28,164
|
||||||||||||
Basic
net income per share
|
$
|
0.43
|
$
|
0.65
|
$
|
1.32
|
$
|
1.97
|
||||||||
Diluted:
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
11,985
|
$
|
18,337
|
$
|
36,930
|
$
|
55,498
|
||||||||
Add
interest expense on convertible note, net of management fee and
taxes
|
343
|
429
|
1,052
|
1,286
|
||||||||||||
Total
|
$
|
12,328
|
$
|
18,766
|
$
|
37,982
|
$
|
56,784
|
||||||||
Average
shares outstanding
|
27,602
|
28,106
|
27,930
|
28,164
|
||||||||||||
Dilutive
stock options
|
43
|
50
|
43
|
41
|
||||||||||||
Assumed
conversion of convertible note
|
755
|
943
|
773
|
943
|
||||||||||||
Total
|
28,400
|
29,099
|
28,746
|
29,148
|
||||||||||||
Diluted
net income per share
|
$
|
0.43
|
$
|
0.64
|
$
|
1.32
|
$
|
1.95
|
I.
Stockholders’ Equity
Shares
outstanding on September 30, 2008 were 27.9 million, 28.2 million on June 30,
2008, and 28.1 million shares on September 30, 2007.
On August
5, 2008, our Board of Directors declared a special dividend of $1.00 per
share to all of its Class A and Class B shareholders, payable on September 16,
2008 to shareholders of record on September 2, 2008 and a quarterly dividend of
$0.03 per share to all of its Class A and Class B shareholders, payable on
September 30, 2008 to shareholders of record on September 16,
2008.
Voting
Rights
The
holders of Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock have identical rights
except that (i) holders of Class A Common Stock are entitled to one vote per
share, while holders of Class B Common Stock are entitled to ten votes per share
on all matters to be voted on by shareholders in general, and (ii) holders of
Class A Common Stock are not eligible to vote on matters relating
exclusively to Class B Common Stock and vice versa.
Stock
Award and Incentive Plan
Effective
January 1, 2003, we adopted the fair value recognition provisions of FAS No. 123
"Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation" ("Statement 123") in accordance with
the transition and disclosure provisions under the recently issued FAS No. 148,
“Accounting for Stock Based Compensation – Transition and Disclosure.”. We
adopted Statement 123(R) on January 1, 2005. In light of our modified
prospective adoption of the fair value recognition provisions of Statement 123
(R) for all grants of employee stock options, the adoption of Statement 123(R)
did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial
statements.
As of
September 30, 2008, there are 374,700 RSA shares outstanding that
were issued at an average grant price of $62.38. All grants of the RSAs
were recommended by the Company's Chairman, who did not receive an RSA award,
and approved by the Compensation Committee of the Company's Board of Directors.
This expense will be recognized over the vesting period for these awards which
is 30% over three years from the date of grant and 70% over five years from
the date of grant. During the vesting period, dividends to RSA holders are held
for them until the RSA vesting dates and are forfeited if the grantee is no
longer employed by the Company on the vesting dates. Dividends declared on these
RSAs are charged to retained earnings on the declaration date.
For the
three months ended September 30, 2008 and 2007, we recognized stock-based
compensation expense of $1,237,000 and $23,000, respectively. For the nine
months ended September 30, 2008 and 2007, we recognized stock-based compensation
expense of $3,639,000 and $68,000, respectively. Stock-based compensation
expense for RSAs outstanding at September 30, 2008, for the years ended
December 31, 2007 through December 31, 2013 is as follows ($ in
thousands):
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
2010
|
2011
|
2012
|
2013
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Q1
|
$
|
21
|
$
|
1,198
|
$
|
1,250
|
$
|
1,239
|
$
|
745
|
$
|
718
|
$ |
32
|
|||||||||||||||||
Q2
|
24
|
1,204
|
1,246
|
1,236
|
742
|
717
|
32
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Q3
|
24
|
1,237
|
1,244
|
1,235
|
725
|
717
|
10
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Q4
|
414
|
1,252
|
1,243
|
1,072
|
718
|
488
|
-
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Full
Year
|
$
|
483
|
$
|
4,891
|
$
|
4,983
|
$
|
4,782
|
$
|
2,930
|
$
|
2,640
|
$ |
74
|
The total compensation costs related to non-vested awards and options not yet recognized is approximately $16,661,000, of which $1,252,000 will be recognized in the fourth quarter of 2008. Proceeds from the exercise of 2,000 and 1,000 stock options were $58,000 and $29,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2008 and 2007, respectively, resulting in a tax benefit to GAMCO of $7,000 and $5,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2008 and 2007, respectively. Proceeds from the exercise of 17,550 and 9,150 stock options were $630,000 and $238,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 and 2007, respectively, resulting in a tax benefit to GAMCO of $2,000 and $62,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 and 2007, respectively. Additionally, during the nine months ended September 30, 2008, the Company reversed a previously recognized tax benefit of $50,000 relating to some expired stock options.
Stock
Repurchase Program
In March
1999, GAMCO's Board of Directors established the Stock Repurchase Program to
grant the authority to repurchase shares of our Class A Common
Stock. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2008, the
Company repurchased approximately 247,000 and 699,000 shares,
respectively, at an average investment of $43.60 and $48.58,
respectively. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2007,
the Company repurchased approximately 52,000 and 166,000 Class A common shares,
respectively, at an average investment of $47.31 and $45.53,
respectively. From the inception of the program through September 30, 2008,
approximately 5,555,000 shares have been repurchased at an average investment of
$40.84 per share. At September 30, 2008, the total shares available
under the program to be repurchased was approximately 1,062,000.
11
J.
Capital Lease
On
December 5, 1997, we entered into a fifteen-year lease, expiring on April 30,
2013, of office space from an entity controlled by members of
the Chairman's family. On September 15, 2008, the Company modified and
extended its lease with M4E, LLC, the Company’s landlord at 401 Theodore Fremd
Ave, Rye, NY. The lease term was extended to December 31, 2023, and the base
rental was established at $18 per square foot, or $1,080,000, for 2009, an
increase from $14.83 per square foot for 2008. From January 1, 2010
through December 31, 2023, the base rental will be determined by the change in
the consumer price index for the New York Metropolitan Area for November of the
immediate prior year with the base period as November 2008 for the New York
Metropolitan Area. As a result of the lease term's extension, the present value
of net obligations increased by approximately $3.0 million.
Future
minimum lease payments for this capitalized lease
at September 30, 2008 are as follows:
(In
thousands)
|
|||||
Remainder
of 2008
|
$ | 219 | |||
2009
|
1,080 | ||||
2010
|
1,080 | ||||
2011
|
1,080 | ||||
2012
|
1,080 | ||||
2013
|
1,080 | ||||
Thereafter
|
10,800 | ||||
Total
minimum obligations
|
16,419 | ||||
Interest
|
11,119 | ||||
Present
value of net obligations
|
$ | 5,300 |
Future minimum lease payments have not been reduced by related minimum future sublease rentals of approximately $1,775,000, which are due from an affiliated entity.
K. Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets
In
accordance with FAS 142 “Accounting for Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets,”
we assess the recoverability of goodwill and other intangible assets at least
annually, or more often should events warrant, using a present value cash flow
method. There was no impairment charge recorded for the three or nine
months ended September 30, 2008. There was an impairment charge of $56,000
recorded for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 as a result of the
voluntary deregistration of an inactive broker dealer subsidiary. At
September 30, 2008, $3.5 million of goodwill is reflected on our Condensed
Consolidated Statement of Financial Condition related to our 92%-owned
subsidiary, Gabelli Securities, Inc.
On March
10, 2008, the Enterprise Mergers and Acquisitions Fund's (the "Fund") Board of
Directors, subsequent to obtaining shareholder approval, approved the assignment
of the advisory contract to Gabelli Funds, LLC (the "Adviser") as the investment
adviser to the Fund. GAMCO Asset Management, Inc. had been the sub-adviser
to the Fund. On July 8, 2008, the Fund was renamed the Gabelli Enterprise Merger
and Acquisitions Fund. The liability of the Company for the assignment of the
advisory contract is calculated based upon assets under management ("AUM")
on the six-month anniversary date subject to certain minimums. As a result
of becoming the adviser to the rebranded Gabelli Enterprise Mergers and
Acquisitions Fund, the Company maintains an identifiable intangible asset
within other assets on the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Financial
Condition of approximately $3.3 million at September 30, 2008. The investment
advisory agreement is subject to annual renewal by the Fund's Board of
Directors, and the Company does not expect to incur additional expense as a
result, which is consistent with other investment advisory agreements
entered into by GAMCO. The Company does not anticipate canceling the
investment advisory agreement before the end of the current fiscal
year.
L. Other
Matters
We
indemnify the clearing brokers for our affiliated broker-dealer for losses they
may sustain from the customer accounts that trade on margin introduced by our
broker-dealer subsidiary. At September 30, 2008, the total amount of
customer balances subject to indemnification (i.e. unsecured margin debits) was
immaterial. The Company also has entered into arrangements with
various other third parties many of which provide for indemnification of the
third parties against losses, costs, claims and liabilities arising from the
performance of our obligations under the agreements. The Company has had no
claims or payments pursuant to these or prior agreements, and we believe the
likelihood of a claim being made is remote. Utilizing the methodology
in the FASB issued Interpretation No. 45, “Guarantor’s Accounting and Disclosure
Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of
Others”, our estimate of the value of such agreements is de minimis, and
therefore an accrual has not been made in the condensed consolidated financial
statements.
M.
Subsequent Events
From
October 1, 2008 through November 6, 2008, we repurchased 65,000 shares
of our Class A Common Stock, under the Stock Repurchase Program, at an average
investment of $30.04 per share.
On
October 2, 2008, the Company issued and sold $60,000,000 principal amount of a
convertible promissory note due 2018 (the "Note") to Cascade, pursuant to a Note
Purchase Agreement (the "Purchase Agreement"). The Note bears interest at a
rate of 6.5% per annum and is convertible into shares of the Company's Class A
Common Stock at an initial conversion price of $70 per share. The Company is
required to repurchase the Note at the request of the holder on specified dates
and after certain circumstances involving a Change of Control or Fundamental
Change and is subject to an escrow agreement (each as defined in the Note).
Cascade
is the holder of several convertible promissory notes due August 14, 2011 ("2011
Notes") which collectively have an aggregate principal amount of $40 million.
The Company granted Cascade certain demand registration rights and piggyback
registration rights with respect to the shares of Class A Common Stock issuable
upon conversion of the 2011 Notes, pursuant to a Registration Rights Agreement,
dated as of August 14, 2001, between the Company and Cascade. On October 2,
2008, in connection the issuance and sale of the Note, the Company entered into
a First Amendment to the Registration Rights Agreement (the "First Amendment to
Registration Rights Agreement"), granting Cascade similar rights with respect to
the shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Note.
The
proceeds from the sale of the Note are being held in an escrow account
established pursuant to an Escrow Agreement by and among the Company, Cascade
and JP Morgan Chase Bank, National Association, as Escrow Agent (the "Escrow
Agreement"). The Escrow Agreement provides for the release to the Company of a
pro rata portion of the escrowed funds upon conversion of the Note, based upon
the principal amount of the Note that is converted into Class A Common Stock.
Cascade has the right to claim the escrowed funds upon a payment default by the
Company under the Note.
On October 31, 2008, the Company filed an information
statement with the SEC for the spin-off of Teton Advisors, Inc. (“Teton”), an
investment advisory subsidiary. The Company anticipates completing
the spin-off late in the fourth quarter of 2008. The Company’s
shareholders are expected to receive approximately 14 shares for each 1,000 GBL
shares they hold.
On
November 7, 2008, our Board of Directors declared a special dividend of
$0.90 per share to all of its Class A and Class B shareholders, payable on
December 23, 2008 to shareholders of record on December 9, 2008 and a quarterly
dividend of $0.03 per share to all of its Class A and Class B shareholders,
payable on December 30, 2008 to shareholders of record on December 16,
2008.
12
ITEM
2: MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (INCLUDING QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT
MARKET RISK)
Overview
GAMCO
through the Gabelli brand, well known for its Private Market Value (PMV) with a
CatalystTM
investment approach, is a
widely-recognized provider of investment advisory services to mutual funds,
institutional and high net worth investors, and investment partnerships,
principally in the United States. Through Gabelli & Company,
Inc., we provide institutional research and brokerage services to institutional
clients and investment partnerships and mutual fund distribution. We
generally manage assets on a discretionary basis and invest in a variety of U.S.
and international securities through various investment styles. Our
revenues are based primarily on the firm’s levels of assets under management and
fees associated with our various investment products.
Since
1977, we have been identified with and have enhanced the “value” style approach
to investing. Our investment objective is to earn a superior risk-adjusted
return for our clients over the long-term through our proprietary fundamental
research. In addition to our value portfolios, we offer our clients a
broad array of investment strategies that include global, growth, international
and convertible products. We also offer a series of investment
partnership (performance fee-based) vehicles that provide a series of long-short
investment opportunities in market and sector specific opportunities, including
offerings of non-market correlated investments in merger arbitrage, as well as
fixed income strategies.
Our
revenues are highly correlated to the level of assets under management and fees
associated with our various investment products, rather than our own corporate
assets. Assets under management, which are directly influenced by the
level and changes of the overall equity markets, can also fluctuate through
acquisitions, the creation of new products, the addition of new accounts or the
loss of existing accounts. Since various equity products have
different fees, changes in our business mix may also affect
revenues. At times, the performance of our equity products may differ
markedly from popular market indices, and this can also impact our
revenues. General stock market trends will have the greatest impact
on our level of assets under management and hence, revenues.
At the
close of the third quarter, global equity markets reflected a general lack of
liquidity, concerns relating to the worldwide financial system, and a looming
recession. The further erosion of equity markets at the beginning of
the fourth quarter impacts the value of our client portfolios as well as
investment in our proprietary funds and will translate directly into our fourth
quarter results.
We conduct our investment advisory business principally through: GAMCO Asset Management Inc. (Separate Accounts), Gabelli Funds, LLC (Mutual Funds) and Gabelli Securities, Inc. (Investment Partnerships). We also act as an underwriter, are a distributor of our open-end mutual funds and provide institutional research through Gabelli & Company, Inc., our broker-dealer subsidiary.
Assets
Under Management (AUM) were $25.6 billion as of September 30, 2008, 9.7% lower
than June 30, 2008 AUM of $28.3 billion and 19.1% below September 30, 2007 AUM
of $31.6 billion. Equity AUM were $24.6 billion on September 30,
2008, 9.6% less than June 30, 2008 equity assets of $27.2 billion and 19.6%
below the $30.6 billion on September 30, 2007.
-
|
Our
open-end equity fund AUM were $8.4 billion on September 30, 2008, 11.2%
less than $9.5 million on June 30, 2008 and 14.6% below $9.9 million on
September 30, 2007. The reclassification of the Enterprise Mergers and
Acquisitions Fund from institutional sub-advisory to mutual fund advisory
in March 2008 partially softened the decline in mutual funds AUM from the
prior year level.
|
-
|
Our
closed-end equity funds had AUM of $4.9 billion on September 30, 2008,
down 14.6% from $5.7 billion on June 30, 2008 and 24.4% under the $6.4
billion on September 30, 2007.
|
-
|
Our
institutional and private wealth management business ended the quarter
with $10.9 billion in separately managed accounts, 5.8% below June 30,
2008 of $11.6 billion and 20.6% lower than the $13.8 billion on September
30, 2007. On a pro-forma basis, AUM were 16.1% lower than the adjusted
$13.0 million AUM on September 30,
2007.
|
-
|
Our
Investment Partnerships AUM were $340 million on September 30, 2008 versus
$354 million on June 30, 2008 and $491 million on September 30,
2007.
|
-
|
Fixed
income AUM declined 12.4% to $1.0 billion on September 30, 2008, versus
the $1.2 billion on June 30, 2008 and 3.8% below September 30, 2007
AUM.
|
-
|
We
receive incentive fees for certain institutional client assets, preferred
issues for our closed-end funds, common shares of the Gabelli Global Deal
Fund (NYSE: GDL) and investment partnership assets. As of September 30,
2008, incentive and fulcrum fee assets were $3.1 billion, down 2.3% from
the $3.2 billion on June 30, 2008 and 15.4% below the $3.7 billion on
September 30, 2007.
|
13
The
Company reported Assets Under Management as follows:
Table I:
|
||||||||||||
Mutual
Funds:
|
September
30, 2008
|
September
30, 2007
|
%
Inc.(Dec.)
|
Adj.
% Inc. (Dec.) (a)
|
||||||||
Open-end
|
$
|
8,421
|
$
|
9,866
|
(14.6
|
)
|
(20.6
|
)
|
||||
Closed-end
|
4,869
|
6,443
|
(24.4
|
)
|
(24.4
|
)
|
||||||
Fixed
Income
|
1,015
|
1,048
|
(3.1
|
)
|
(3.1
|
)
|
||||||
Total
Mutual Funds
|
14,305
|
17,357
|
(17.6
|
)
|
(20.9
|
)
|
||||||
Institutional
& PWM:
|
||||||||||||
Equities:
direct
|
8,964
|
11,266
|
(20.6
|
)
|
(20.6
|
)
|
||||||
Equities:
sub-advisory
|
1,964
|
2,494
|
(21.3
|
)
|
11.8
|
|||||||
Fixed
Income
|
19
|
27
|
(29.6
|
)
|
(29.6
|
)
|
||||||
Total
Institutional & PWM
|
10,947
|
13,787
|
(20.6
|
)
|
(16.1
|
)
|
||||||
Investment
Partnerships
|
340
|
491
|
(30.8
|
)
|
(30.8
|
)
|
||||||
Total
Assets Under Management
|
$
|
25,592
|
$
|
31,635
|
(19.1
|
)
|
(19.1
|
)
|
||||
Equities
|
$
|
24,558
|
$
|
30,560
|
(19.6
|
)
|
(19.6
|
)
|
||||
Fixed
Income
|
1,034
|
1,075
|
(3.8
|
)
|
(3.8
|
)
|
||||||
Total
Assets Under Management
|
$
|
25,592
|
$
|
31,635
|
(19.1
|
)
|
(19.1
|
)
|
Table
II:
|
Assets
Under Management By Quarter (millions)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
%
Increase/(decrease)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mutual
Funds:
|
9/08
|
6/08
|
3/08
|
12/07
|
9/07
|
12/07
|
(a)
|
6/08
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Open-end
|
$
|
8,421
|
$
|
9,486
|
$
|
9,459
|
$
|
9,774
|
$
|
9,866
|
(19.4
|
)
|
(11.2
|
)
|
|||||||||||||||||
Closed-end
|
4,869
|
5,704
|
5,762
|
6,341
|
6,443
|
(23.2
|
)
|
(14.6
|
)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Fixed
income
|
1,015
|
1,164
|
1,445
|
1,122
|
1,048
|
(9.5
|
)
|
(12.8
|
)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Total
Mutual Funds
|
14,305
|
16,354
|
16,666
|
17,237
|
17,357
|
(17.0
|
)
|
(12.5
|
)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Institutional
& PWM:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Equities:
direct
|
8,964
|
9,564
|
9,746
|
10,708
|
11,266
|
(16.3
|
)
|
(6.3
|
)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Equities:
sub-advisory
|
1,964
|
2,043
|
1,887
|
2,584
|
2,494
|
2.8
|
(3.9
|
)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Fixed
Income
|
19
|
17
|
2
|
24
|
27
|
(20.8
|
)
|
11.8
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Total
Institutional & PWM
|
10,947
|
11,624
|
11,635
|
13,316
|
13,787
|
(17.8
|
)
|
(5.8
|
)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Investment
Partnerships
|
340
|
354
|
396
|
460
|
491
|
(26.1
|
)
|
(4.0
|
)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Total
Assets Under Management
|
$
|
25,592
|
$
|
28,332
|
$
|
28,697
|
$
|
31,013
|
$
|
31,635
|
(17.5
|
)
|
(9.7
|
)
|
Table
III:
|
|||||||||||||||
June
30, 2008
|
Net
Cash Flows
|
Market
Appreciation / (Depreciation)
|
September
30, 2008
|
||||||||||||
Mutual
Funds:
|
|||||||||||||||
Equities
|
$
|
15,190
|
$
|
(141
|
)
|
$
|
(1,759
|
)
|
$
|
13,290
|
|||||
Fixed
Income
|
1,164
|
(154
|
)
|
5
|
1,015
|
||||||||||
Total
Mutual Funds
|
16,354
|
(295
|
)
|
(1,754
|
)
|
14,305
|
|||||||||
Institutional
& PWM:
|
|||||||||||||||
Equities:
direct
|
9,564
|
72
|
(672
|
)
|
8,964
|
||||||||||
Equities: sub-advisory
|
2,043
|
36
|
(115
|
)
|
1,964
|
||||||||||
Fixed
Income
|
17
|
3
|
(1
|
)
|
19
|
||||||||||
Total
Institutional & PWM
|
11,624
|
111
|
(788
|
)
|
10,947
|
||||||||||
Investment
Partnerships
|
354
|
(9
|
)
|
(5
|
)
|
340
|
|||||||||
Total
Assets Under Management
|
$
|
28,332
|
$
|
(193
|
)
|
$
|
(2,547
|
)
|
$
|
25,592
|
(a)
The percentage is calculated as if the Enterprise Mergers & Acquisitions
Fund were reclassified to open-end equity for the quarters ended September 30,
2007 and December 31, 2007 from institutional sub-advisory.
14
Regulatory
In
September 2008, Gabelli Funds, LLC ("Gabelli
Funds") signed an offer of settlement with the
Commission to resolve a previously disclosed matter
concerning compliance with Section 19(a) of the Investment Company Act of
1940 and Rule 19a-1 thereunder by two closed-end funds managed
by Gabelli Funds. These provisions require registered investment
companies to provide written statements to shareholders when a
distribution is made in the nature of a dividend from a source other than net
investment income. While the two funds sent annual statements and provided
other materials containing this information, the funds did not send the
notices required by Rule 19a-1 to shareholders with any
of the distributions that
were made for 2002 and 2003. Gabelli
Funds believes that the funds have been in compliance with Section
19(a) and Rule 19a-1 since the beginning of 2004. In
the offer of settlement, in which Gabelli Funds neither admits
nor denies the findings of the Commission, Gabelli Funds offered to
pay a civil monetary penalty of $450,000 and to cease
and desist from violations of Section 19(a) and Rule
19a-1. This offer of settlement is subject to approval by the
Commission.
The investment management industry is likely to continue facing a high level of regulatory scrutiny and become subject to additional rules designed to increase disclosure, tighten controls and reduce potential conflicts of interest. In addition, the Commission has substantially increased its use of focused inquiries in which it requests information from a number of fund complexes regarding particular practices or provisions of the securities laws. We participate in some of these inquiries in the normal course of our business. Changes in laws, regulations and administrative practices by regulatory authorities, and the associated compliance costs, have increased our cost structure and could in the future have a material impact.
15
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes thereto included in Item 1 to
this report.
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
Three
Months Ended September 30, 2008 Compared To Three Months Ended September 30,
2007
(Unaudited; in thousands,
except per share data)
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||
Revenues
|
||||||||
Investment
advisory and incentive fees
|
$
|
52,297
|
$
|
58,392
|
||||
Commission
revenue
|
4,098
|
3,494
|
||||||
Distribution
fees and other income
|
6,585
|
6,583
|
||||||
Total
revenues
|
62,980
|
68,469
|
||||||
Expenses
|
||||||||
Compensation
and related costs
|
26,148
|
29,064
|
||||||
Management
fee
|
1,740
|
3,541
|
||||||
Distribution
costs
|
6,743
|
6,099
|
||||||
Other
operating expenses
|
7,076
|
2,665
|
||||||
Total
expenses
|
41,707
|
41,369
|
||||||
Operating
income
|
21,273
|
27,100
|
||||||
Other
income
|
||||||||
Net
gain from investments
|
(4,786
|
) |
514
|
|||||
Interest
and dividend income
|
1,340
|
6,810
|
||||||
Interest
expense
|
(2,139
|
)
|
(2,828
|
)
|
||||
Total
other income, net
|
(5,585
|
) |
4,496
|
|||||
Income
before taxes and minority interest
|
15,688
|
31,596
|
||||||
Income
tax provision
|
3,837
|
13,340
|
||||||
Minority
interest
|
(134
|
) |
(81
|
) | ||||
Net
income
|
$
|
11,985
|
$
|
18,337
|
||||
Net
income per share:
|
||||||||
Basic
|
$
|
0.43
|
$
|
0.65
|
||||
Diluted
|
$
|
0.43
|
$
|
0.64
|
||||
Reconciliation
of Net income to Adjusted EBITDA:
|
||||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
11,985
|
$
|
18,337
|
||||
Interest
Expense
|
2,139
|
2,828
|
||||||
Income
tax provision and minority interest
|
3,703
|
13,259
|
||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
263
|
217
|
||||||
Adjusted
EBITDA (a)
|
$
|
18,090
|
$
|
34,641
|
||||
(a)
Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, taxes,
depreciation and amortization, and minority interest. Adjusted
EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure and should not be considered as an
alternative to any measure of performance as promulgated under accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States nor should it be
considered as an indicator of our overall financial
performance. We use Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental measure
of performance as we believe it gives investors a more complete
understanding of our operating results before the impact of financing
activities as a tool for determining the private market value of an
enterprise.
|
Total
revenues were $63.0 million in the third quarter of 2008, 8.0% below the $68.5
million reported in the third quarter of 2007. Operating income was
$21.3 million, an decrease of $5.8 million or 21.5% from the $27.1 million in
the third quarter of 2007. Total other income/expense, net of interest
expense, was an expense of $5.6 million for the third quarter 2008 versus income
of $4.5 million in the prior year’s quarter. In the short-run, our results
remain sensitive to changes in the equity market. Net income for the
quarter was $12.0 million or $0.43 per fully diluted share versus $18.3 million
or $0.64 per fully diluted share in the prior year’s quarter.
Investment
advisory fees for the third quarter 2008 were $52.3 million, 10.4% below the
2007 comparative figure of $58.4 million. Open-end
mutual fund revenues declined by 3.6% to $23.3 million from $24.1 million in
third quarter 2007 primarily due to lower average AUM. Our
closed-end fund revenues fell 17.4% to $10.5 million in the third quarter 2008
from $12.8 million in 2007 primarily due to decreased average AUM. Institutional
and high net worth separate accounts revenues, whose revenues are based upon
prior quarter-end AUM, decreased 15.2% to $17.8 million from $21.0 million in
third quarter 2007. The lower revenues were in part due to the reclassification
of the Gabelli Enterprise Mergers and Acquisitions Fund from institutional
subadvisory to open-end fund revenues. Investment
Partnership revenues were $0.7
million, an increase of $0.2 million or 30.2% from $0.5 million in
2007. This increase was primarily due to reversal of incentive fees
in the prior year's quarter.
Commission
revenues from our institutional research affiliate, Gabelli & Company, Inc., were $4.1
million in the third quarter 2008, up 17.3% from the prior
year.
Mutual
fund distribution fees and other income were $6.6 million for the third quarter
2008, remaining even with the prior year.
Compensation
costs, which are largely variable, were $26.1 million or 10.0% lower than
the $29.1 million recorded in the prior year period. This decrease
was driven by lower AUM in our Institutional and Private Wealth Management
business at June 30, 2008 and lower average AUM in our mutual fund business. The
third quarter of 2008 includes $1.2 million of compensation expense related to
the restricted stock awards ("RSAs") granted in late 2007.
Management
fee expense, which is completely variable and based on pretax income, declined
to $1.7 million in the third quarter of 2008 from $3.5 million in the 2007
period.
Distribution
costs were $6.7 million, an increase of 10.6% from $6.1 million in the prior
year’s period.
Other
operating expenses increased by $4.4 million to $7.1 million in the third
quarter of 2008 from the prior year third quarter of $2.7 million, which included
the receipt of a portion of insurance claims for legal fees and
expenses. The Company received $3.8 million during the September 2007 quarter
for claims submitted in prior quarters.
Total
expenses, excluding the management fee, were $40.0 million in the third quarter
of 2008, a 5.7% increase from total expenses of $37.8 million in the third
quarter of 2007.
Operating income for the third quarter of 2008 was lower than in the
third quarter of 2007 largely due to the amortization of RSAs in 2008 and the
insurance reimbursement of legal bills in the third quarter of 2007 both
described above.
Total
other income/expense (net of interest expense) was $5.6 million of expense for
the third quarter 2008 versus other income (net of interest expense) of $4.5
million in the prior year’s quarter. $5.3 million of this decline is from
the effect of mark to market decline in equity instruments. Interest income
was lower by $2.1 million and dividend income was lower by $3.4 million.
Interest expense fell to $2.1 million for third quarter 2008 from $2.8 million
for the prior year quarter.
The
effective tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2008 was
24.5% as compared to the prior year period’s effective rate of
42.2%. The current period decrease is primarily due to a reduction in
the income tax reserves.
16
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes thereto included in Item 1 to
this report.
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
Nine
Months Ended September 30, 2008 Compared To Nine Months Ended September 30,
2007
(Unaudited; in thousands,
except per share data)
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||
Revenues
|
||||||||
Investment
advisory and incentive fees
|
$
|
164,269
|
$
|
172,606
|
||||
Commission
revenue
|
11,018
|
11,550
|
||||||
Distribution
fees and other income
|
19,665
|
19,196
|
||||||
Total
revenues
|
194,952
|
203,352
|
||||||
Expenses
|
||||||||
Compensation
and related costs
|
82,758
|
87,343
|
||||||
Management
fee
|
6,307
|
10,391
|
||||||
Distribution
costs
|
19,946
|
22,146
|
||||||
Other
operating expenses
|
20,204
|
18,693
|
||||||
Total
expenses
|
129,215
|
138,573
|
||||||
Operating
income
|
65,737
|
64,779
|
||||||
Other
income (expense)
|
||||||||
Net
gain (loss) from investments
|
(13,165
|
)
|
17,277
|
|||||
Interest
and dividend income
|
10,310
|
20,978
|
||||||
Interest
expense
|
(6,405
|
)
|
(9,537
|
)
|
||||
Total
other income (expense), net
|
(9,260
|
)
|
28,718
|
|||||
Income
before taxes and minority interest
|
56,477
|
93,497
|
||||||
Income
tax provision
|
19,882
|
37,403
|
||||||
Minority
interest
|
(335
|
)
|
596
|
|||||
Net
income
|
$
|
36,930
|
$
|
55,498
|
||||
Net
income per share:
|
||||||||
Basic
|
$
|
1.32
|
$
|
1.97
|
||||
Diluted
|
$
|
1.32
|
$
|
1.95
|
||||
Reconciliation
of Net income to Adjusted EBITDA:
|
||||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
36,930
|
$
|
55,498
|
||||
Interest
Expense
|
6,405
|
9,537
|
||||||
Income
tax provision and minority interest
|
19,547
|
37,999
|
||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
747
|
739
|
||||||
Adjusted
EBITDA (a)
|
$
|
63,629
|
$
|
103,773
|
||||
(a)
Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, taxes,
depreciation and amortization, and minority interest. Adjusted
EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure and should not be considered as an
alternative to any measure of performance as promulgated under accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States nor should it be
considered as an indicator of our overall financial
performance. We use Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental measure
of performance as we believe it gives investors a more complete
understanding of our operating results before the impact of financing
activities as a tool for determining the private market value of an
enterprise.
|
Total
revenues were $195.0 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2008, down
$8.4 million or 4.1% from total revenues of $203.4 million in the prior year’s
period. Operating income was $65.7 million, an increase of $0.9 million or
1.5% from $64.8 million in 2007. Total other (loss) income, net of
interest expense, was ($9.3 million) compared to $28.7 million in 2007. Net
income for the period was $36.9 million or $1.32 per fully diluted share versus
$55.5 million or $1.95 per fully diluted share in the prior year’s
period.
For the
nine months ended September 30, 2008, investment advisory fees were $164.3
million, a decrease of $8.3 million or 4.8% compared to the revenues in 2007.
Open-end
mutual fund revenues increased 4.3% to $71.8 million from $68.8 million in 2007
as a result of higher average AUM. Our
closed-end fund revenues fell 9.4% to $33.9 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2008 from $37.4 million in 2007 due to declining average AUM.
Institutional
and high net worth separate account revenues declined 10.3% to $56.4 million
from $62.8 million reported in 2007 due to lower average AUM and reduced
performance-based fees. Investment
Partnership revenues were $2.2 million versus $3.5 million in 2007. This decline
was due to both decreased incentive fees and
AUM.
Commission
revenues from our institutional research business, Gabelli & Company, Inc., were $11.0
million for the nine months ended September 30, 2008, down 4.6% from $11.5
million in the prior year’s comparable period.
Mutual
fund distribution fees and other income were $19.7 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2008, an increase of $0.5 million, or 2.4%, from $19.2
million from the 2007 period.
Compensation
and related costs, which are largely variable, were $82.8 million or 5.2% lower
than the $87.3 million recorded in the prior year period. The $4.5
million decrease is primarily attributable to lower variable
compensation. Included in compensation expenses for the third quarter of 2008
was $3.6 million of amortization of RSAs granted in late 2007.
Management
fee expense, which is completely variable and based on pretax income, was $6.3
million versus $10.4 million in 2007.
Distribution
costs were $19.9 million, a decrease of 9.9% from $22.1 million in the prior
year’s period. Included in the prior year period's distribution costs were
$5.8 million in launch costs for the Gabelli Global Deal Fund (NYSE:
GDL).
Other
operating expenses increased by $1.5 million to $20.2 million for the nine
months ended September 30, 2008 from the prior year period of $18.7
million.
Total
expenses, excluding the management fee, were $122.9 million in the nine months
ended September 30, 2008, a $5.3 million or 4.1% decrease from total expenses of
$128.2 million in the 2007 period. Included within the nine months ended
September 30, 2007 are $5.8 million in launch costs for the Gabelli Global Deal
Fund (NYSE: GDL). In the
third quarter of 2007, GAMCO received $3.8 million of legal expense insurance
claims submitted in prior quarters.
Total
other income (expense), net of interest expense, was expense of ($9.3 million)
for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 versus income of $28.7 million in
the prior year’s comparable period. $30.4 million of this decline is from the
effect of mark to market decline in equity instruments, interest income was
lower by $6.3 million and dividend income was lower by $4.4 million. Interest
expense fell to $6.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 from
$9.5 million for the 2007 period.
The
effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 was 35.2% as
compared to the prior year period’s effective rate of 40.0%. The
current period decrease is primarily due to a reduction in the income
tax reserves.
Minority
interest income was $0.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2008,
versus expense of $0.6 million in the comparable 2007 period.
17
Our
principal assets consist of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments,
securities held for investment purposes and investments in mutual funds, and
investment partnerships and offshore funds, both proprietary and external. Cash
and cash equivalents are comprised primarily of United States treasury
securities with maturities of less than three months and money market funds
managed by GAMCO. Short-term investments are comprised primarily of United
States treasury securities with maturities between three months and one
year. Although the investment partnerships and offshore funds are for
the most part illiquid, the underlying investments of such partnerships or funds
are for the most part liquid, and the valuations of these products reflect that
underlying liquidity.
Summary
cash flow data is as follows:
Nine
Months Ended September 30,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||
Cash
flows (used in) provided by:
|
(in
thousands)
|
|||||||
Operating
activities
|
$
|
54,166
|
$
|
202,532
|
||||
Investing
activities
|
7,429
|
|
(23,300
|
)
|
||||
Financing
activities
|
(64,718
|
)
|
(121,483
|
)
|
||||
(Decrease) Increase
|
(3,123
|
) |
57,749
|
|
||||
Effect
of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents
|
(98
|
)
|
31
|
|||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of period
|
168,319
|
138,113
|
||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
|
$
|
165,098
|
$
|
195,893
|
Cash
requirements and liquidity needs have historically been met through cash
generated by operating activities and through our borrowing
capacity. We have received investment grade ratings from both Moody’s
Investors Services and Standard & Poor’s Rating Services. These
investment grade ratings expand our ability to attract both public and private
capital. Our shelf registrations provide us opportunistic
flexibility to sell any combination of senior and subordinate debt securities,
convertible debt securities, equity securities (including common and preferred
stock), and other securities up to a total amount of $520 million.
At
September 30, 2008, we had total cash and cash equivalents of $165.1
million, a decrease of $3.1 million from December 31, 2007. Cash and
cash equivalents and investments in securities held by investment partnerships
and offshore funds consolidated under FIN 46R and EITF 04-5 are also restricted
from use for general operating purposes. Total debt outstanding at September 30,
2008 was $140.0 million, consisting of the $40 million 6% convertible note and
$100 million of 5.5% non-callable senior notes due May 15, 2013. In
February 2007, the Company retired the $82.3 million in 5.22% Senior Notes due
February 17, 2007 plus accrued interest from its cash and cash equivalents and
investments. This debt was originally issued in connection with GAMCO's sale of
mandatory convertible securities in February 2002 and was remarketed in November
2004. On January 22, 2008, Cascade Investment, L.L.C. elected to convert $10
million of the convertible note into 188,697 GAMCO shares.
On
October 2, 2008, the Company issued and sold $60,000,000 principal amount of a
convertible promissory note due 2018 (the "Note") to Cascade, pursuant to a Note
Purchase Agreement (the "Purchase Agreement"). The Note bears interest at a
rate of 6.5% per annum and is convertible into shares of the Company's Class A
Common Stock at an initial conversion price of $70 per share. The Company is
required to repurchase the Note at the request of the holder on specified dates
and after certain circumstances involving a change of control or fundamental
change and is subject to an escrow agreement (each as defined in the Note). The
escrow arrangement may be converted to an irrevocable letter of credit when
economically feasible.
For the
nine months ended September 30, 2008, cash provided by operating activities was
$54.2 million principally resulting from $36.9 million in net income, proceeds
from sales of investments in securities of $433.7 million, a $29.9 million in
proceeds from sales of securities sold, not yet purchased, $20.9 million in
distributions from partnerships and affiliates, and a $17.4 million decrease in
investment advisory fee receivable. This was partially offset by $445.2 million
in purchases of investments in securities, cost of covers on securities
sold, not yet purchased of $24.5 million, $19.0 million decrease in accrued
expenses and other liabilities and a $9.1 million decrease in current and
deferred income taxes payable.
Cash
provided by investing activities, related to purchases and proceeds from sales
of available for sale securities, was $7.4 million in the first nine months of
2008.
Cash used
in financing activities in the first nine months of 2008 was $64.7
million. The decrease in cash was primarily due to the $34.0 million
repurchase of our class A common stock under the Stock Repurchase Program and
the $30.4 million in dividends paid.
For the
nine months ended September 30, 2007, cash provided by operating activities was
$202.5 million principally resulting from $55.5 million in net income, proceeds
from sales of investments in securities of $1.2 billion, proceeds from sales of
securities sold, not yet purchased of $112.0 million, a $20.3 million decrease
in receivable from brokers, $15.7 million in distributions from partnerships and
affiliates, a $12.5 million decrease in investment advisory fee receivable, and
a $3.8 million increase in current and deferred income taxes payable. This was
partially offset by $1.0 billion in purchases of investments in securities, cost
of covers on securities sold, not yet purchased of $97.6 million, a $28.0
million decrease in payable to brokers, and $18.0 million in purchases of
investments in partnerships and affiliates.
Cash used
in investing activities, related to purchases and proceeds from sales of
available for sale securities, was $23.3 million in the first nine months of
2007.
Cash used
in financing activities in the first nine months of 2007 was $121.5
million. The decrease in cash was primarily due to the $82.3 million
retirement of senior notes and $38.2 million in dividends paid and the
repurchase of our class A common stock under the Stock Repurchase
Program.
Based
upon our current level of operations and anticipated growth, we expect that our
current cash balances plus cash flows from operating activities and our
borrowing capacity will be sufficient to finance our working capital needs for
the foreseeable future. We have no material commitments for capital
expenditures.
As a
registered broker-dealer, Gabelli & Company, Inc. is subject to certain net
capital requirements in accordance with Commission rules. Gabelli &
Company's net capital has historically exceeded these minimum net capital
requirements. Gabelli & Company computes its net capital under the
alternative method permitted by the Commission, which requires minimum net
capital of the greater of $250,000 or 2% of the aggregate debt items in the
reserve formula for those broker-dealers subject to Rule 15c3-3 promulgated
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The requirement was
$250,000 at September 30, 2008. At September 30, 2008, Gabelli &
Company had net capital, as defined, of approximately $18.5 million, exceeding
the regulatory requirement by approximately $18.2 million. Gabelli
& Company’s net capital, as defined, may be reduced when Gabelli &
Company is involved in firm commitment underwriting activities. This
did not occur as of or for the three months ended September 30,
2008.
Market
Risk
Our
primary market risk exposure is to changes in equity prices and interest
rates. Since over 95% of our AUM are equities, our financial results
are subject to equity-market risk as revenues from our money management services
are sensitive to stock market dynamics. In addition, returns from our
proprietary investment portfolio are exposed to interest rate and equity market
risk.
The
Company earns substantially all of its revenue as advisory fees from our Mutual
Fund, Institutional and Private Wealth Management, and Investment Partnership
assets. Such fees represent a percentage of assets under management and the
majority of these assets are in equity investments. Accordingly, since revenues
are proportionate to the value of those investments, a substantial increase or
decrease in equity markets overall will have a corresponding effect on the
Company's revenues.
With
respect to our proprietary investment activities, included in investments in
securities of $379.1 million at September 30, 2008 were investments in United
States Treasury Bills and Notes of $70.3 million, mutual funds, largely invested
in equity products, of $125.0 million, a selection of common and preferred
stocks totaling $183.0 million, and other investments of approximately $0.8
million. Investments in mutual funds generally lower market risk
through the diversification of financial instruments within their
portfolio. In addition, we may alter our investment holdings from
time to time in response to changes in market risks and other factors considered
appropriate by management. Of the approximately $183.0 million
invested in common and preferred stocks at September 30, 2008, $50.4 million was
related to our investment in Westwood Holdings Group Inc., and $70.1 million was
invested in risk arbitrage opportunities in connection with mergers,
consolidations, acquisitions, tender offers or other similar transactions.
Securities sold, not yet purchased are financial instruments purchased under
agreements to resell and financial instruments sold under agreement to
repurchase. These financial instruments are stated at fair value and
are subject to market risks resulting from changes in price and volatility. At
September 30, 2008 and 2007, the market value of securities sold, not yet
purchased was $6.6 million and $10.9 million, respectively. Investments in
partnerships and affiliates totaled $73.2 million at September 30, 2008, the
majority of which consisted of investment partnerships and offshore funds which
invest in risk arbitrage opportunities. These transactions generally
involve announced deals with agreed upon terms and conditions, including
pricing, which typically involve less market risk than common stocks held in a
trading portfolio. The principal risk associated with risk arbitrage
transactions is the inability of the companies involved to complete the
transaction.
GAMCO’s
exposure to interest rate risk results, principally, from its investment of
excess cash in U.S. Government securities. These investments are
primarily short term in nature, and the carrying value of these investments
generally approximates market value.
18
Critical
Accounting Policies and Estimates
In
September 2006, the FASB issued Statement 157, which defines fair
value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosures
about fair value measurements. All of the instruments within investments in
securities and securities sold, not yet purchased are measured at fair
value.
The
Company’s assets and liabilities recorded at fair value have been categorized
based upon a fair value hierarchy in accordance with Statement 157. The
levels of the fair value hierarchy and their applicability to the Company are
described below:
-
|
Level
1 inputs utilize quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for
identical assets or liabilities.
|
-
|
Level
2 inputs utilize inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that
are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly.
Level 2 inputs include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in
active markets and inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for
the asset or liability, such as interest rates and yield curves that are
observable at commonly-quoted intervals.
|
-
|
Level
3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, and include
situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or
liability.
|
In
certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into
different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, per
Statement 157, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value
measurement in its entirety falls has been determined based on the lowest level
input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its
entirety. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular
input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment and
considers factors specific to the asset or liability.
Recent
Accounting Developments
In
December 2007, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 160, "Noncontrolling
Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements, an Amendment of ARB No. 51"
("Statement 160") to improve the relevance, comparability, and transparency of
the financial information that a reporting entity with minority interests
provides in its consolidated financial statements. Statement 160 changes the way
the consolidated income statement is presented. It requires consolidated net
income to be reported at amounts that include the amounts attributable to both
the parent and the noncontrolling interest. It also requires disclosure, on the
face of the consolidated statement of income, of the amounts of consolidated net
income attributable to the parent and to the noncontrolling interest. Statement
160 requires expanded disclosures in the consolidated financial statements that
clearly identify and distinguish between the interests of the parent’s owners
and the interests of the noncontrolling owners of a subsidiary. Statement 160
does not change the provisions of “Consolidated Financial Statements” ("ARB 51")
related to consolidation purpose or consolidation policy or the requirement
that a parent consolidate all entities in which it has a controlling financial
interest. Statement 160 does, however, amend certain of ARB 51’s consolidation
procedures to make them consistent with the requirements of FASB Statement
141(R) "Business Combinations". It also amends ARB 51 to provide definitions for
certain terms and to clarify some terminology. Statement 160 is effective
for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning on or
after December 15, 2008. Earlier adoption is prohibited. The Company plans to
adopt this statement on January 1, 2009. Statement 160 will impact the
Company's financial statements presentation and disclosure of minority
interest.
In March
2008, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 161, "Disclosures about
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities" ("Statement 161") to improve
financial reporting about derivative instruments and hedging activities by
requiring enhanced disclosures to enable investors to better understand their
effects on an entity's financial position, financial performance, and cash
flows. Statement 161 is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal
years and interim periods beginning after November 15, 2008, with early
application encouraged. The Company plans to adopt Statement 161 on January
1, 2009. Statement 161 will only impact the Company's disclosure
of derivative instruments.
In April
2008, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 142-3, "Determination of the
Useful Life of Intangible Assets" ("Statement 142-3") which amends the factors
that should be considered in developing renewal or extension assumptions used to
determine the useful life of a recognized intangible asset under SFAS No. 142 , "Goodwill
and Other Intangible Assets". Statement 142-3
is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning
after December 15, 2008, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early
adoption is prohibited. The Company plans to adopt this statement on January 1,
2009. Statement 142-3 is applicable to the Company however, the effect of its
adoption is not expected to be material.
Item 3.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
In the
normal course of its business, GAMCO is exposed to risk of loss due to
fluctuations in the securities market and general economy. Management is
responsible for identifying, assessing and managing market and other
risks.
At
September 30, 2008, GAMCO was exposed to interest-rate risk as a result of
holding investments in money market funds ($163.0 million) and United Stated
Treasury Bills ($70.3 million). Management considered a hypothetical one percent
fluctuation in interest rates and determined that the impact of such a
fluctuation on these investments would have a $2.3 million effect on GAMCO’s
condensed consolidated statement of operations.
Our
exposure to pricing risk in equity securities is directly related to our role as
financial intermediary and advisor for AUM in our Mutual Funds, Separate
Accounts, and Investment Partnerships as well as our proprietary investment and
trading activities. At September 30, 2008, we had equity investments,
including mutual funds largely invested in equity products, of $308.0
million. Investments in mutual funds, $125.0 million, usually
generate lower market risk through the diversification of financial instruments
within their portfolios. In addition, we may alter our investment
holdings from time to time in response to changes in market risks and other
factors considered appropriate by management. We also hold
investments in partnerships and affiliates which invest primarily in equity
securities and which are subject to changes in equity
prices. Investments in partnerships and affiliates totaled $73.2
million, of which $13.6 million were invested in partnerships and affiliates
which invest in event-driven merger arbitrage strategies. These
strategies are primarily dependent upon deal closure rather than the overall
market environment.
The
following table provides a sensitivity analysis for our investments in equity
securities and partnerships and affiliates which invest primarily in equity
securities, excluding arbitrage products for which the principal exposure is to
deal closure and not overall market conditions, as of September 30,
2008. The sensitivity analysis assumes a 10% increase or decrease in
the value of these investments (in millions):
Fair
Value
|
Fair
Value assuming 10% decrease in equity prices
|
Fair
Value assuming 10% increase in equity prices
|
||||||||||
At
September 30, 2008:
|
||||||||||||
Equity
price sensitive investments, at fair value
|
$
|
349.0
|
$
|
314.1
|
$
|
383.9
|
The
$349.0 million fair value sensitivity would, in turn, yield an increase or
decrease to equity of $34.9 million, net of management fee and tax, split
between net income and comprehensive income. Specifically, this would
impact net income for the proportion of our investments exposed to market risk
which are classified as trading investments (approximately 66.5% at September
30, 2008) and would impact comprehensive income, within stockholders'
equity, for the proportion of these which are classified as securities available
for sale (approximately 33.5% at September 30, 2008).
19
Item
4. Controls and Procedures
We
evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of
September 30, 2008. Disclosure controls and procedures as defined under the
Securities Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e), are designed to ensure that the
information we are required to disclose in the reports that we file or submit
under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within
the time period specified in the SEC’s rule and forms. Disclosure controls and
procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures accumulated and
communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”),
Chief Financial Officer ("CFO"), and Co-Principal Accounting Officers
(“PAOs”), to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our CEO,
CFO, and PAOs participated in this evaluation and concluded that, as of the
date of their evaluation, our disclosure controls and procedures were
effective.
There
have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting as defined
by Rule 13a-15(f) that occurred during our most recently completed fiscal
quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially
affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Forward-Looking
Information
Our
disclosure and analysis in this report contain some forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements give our current expectations
or forecasts of future events. You can identify these statements because they do
not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They use words such as
“anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” and
other words and terms of similar meaning. They also appear in any discussion of
future operating or financial performance. In particular, these include
statements relating to future actions, future performance of our products,
expenses, the outcome of any legal proceedings, and financial
results. Although we believe that we are basing our expectations and
beliefs on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of what we currently know
about our business and operations, there can be no assurance that our actual
results will not differ materially from what we expect or believe. Some of the
factors that could cause our actual results to differ from our expectations or
beliefs include, without limitation: the adverse effect from a decline in the
securities markets; a decline in the performance of our products; a general
downturn in the economy; changes in government policy or regulation; changes in
our ability to attract or retain key employees; and unforeseen costs and other
effects related to legal proceedings or investigations of governmental and
self-regulatory organizations. We also direct your attention to any more
specific discussions of risk contained in our Form 10-Q and other public
filings. We are providing these statements as permitted by the
Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We do not undertake to update publicly
any forward-looking statements if we subsequently learn that we are unlikely to
achieve our expectations or if we receive any additional information relating to
the subject matters of our forward-looking statements.
20
Part
II: Other Information
Item 2.
|
Changes in Securities, Use of
Proceeds and Issuer Purchases of Equity
Securities
|
The
following table provides information with respect to the repurchase of
Class A Common Stock of GAMCO during the three months ended September 30,
2008:
|
Period
|
(a)
Total Number of Shares Repurchased
|
(b)
Average Price Paid Per Share, net of Commissions
|
(c)
Total Number of Shares Repurchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or
Programs
|
(d)
Maximum Number of Shares That May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or
Programs
|
|||||||
7/01/08
– 7/31/08
|
227,100
|
$43.30
|
227,100
|
681,636
|
|||||||
8/01/08
– 8/31/08
|
17,200
|
$47.04
|
17,200
|
1,064,436
|
|||||||
9/01/08
– 9/30/08
|
2,500
|
$47.14
|
2,500
|
1,061,936
|
|||||||
Totals
|
246,800
|
246,800
|
|||||||||
In August 2008, the board of
directors approved an increase of 400,000 shares of GBL available to be
repurchased under our stock repurchase program. Our stock repurchase
programs are not subject to expiration dates.
|
Item
6.
|
(a) Exhibits
|
31.1
|
--
|
Certification
of CEO pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a).
|
31.2
|
--
|
Certification
of CFO pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a).
|
32.1
|
--
|
Certification
of CEO pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section
906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
|
32.2
|
--
|
Certification
of CFO pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section
906 of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act of
2002.
|
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto
duly authorized.
GAMCO INVESTORS,
INC.
(Registrant)
By:/s/ Kieran Caterina
|
By:/s/ Diane M.
LaPointe
|
Name: Kieran Caterina |
Name: Diane
M. LaPointe
|
Title:
Co-Principal Accounting Officer
|
Title:
Co-Principal Accounting Officer
|
|
|
Date:
November 7, 2008
|
Date:
November 7, 2008
|
21