Marcus & Millichap, Inc. - Annual Report: 2020 (Form 10-K)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

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  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule of the Exchange Act.

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.    ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule of the Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting stock held by at June 30, 2020 was approximately $670.5 million, based on the closing price per share of common stock on June 30, 2020 of $28.86 as reported on the New York Stock Exchange. Shares of common stock known by the registrant to be beneficially owned by directors and executive officers of the registrant and 10% stockholders are not included in the computation. The registrant, however, has made no determination that such persons are “affiliates” within the meaning of under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

As of February 16, 2021, there were 39,401,976 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.

 

Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement to be delivered to stockholders in connection with the annual meeting of stockholders to be held on May 4, 2021 are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form Such Proxy Statement will be filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) within 120 days of the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2020.

 

 

 

 

Unless otherwise indicated, information contained in this Annual Report on Form concerning the commercial real estate industry and the markets in which we operate, including our general expectations and market position, market opportunity and market size, is based on (i) information gathered from various sources, (ii) certain assumptions that we have made, and (iii) on our knowledge of the commercial real estate market. While we believe that the market position, market opportunity and market size information that is included in this Annual Report on Form is generally reliable, such information is inherently imprecise. Unless indicated otherwise, the industry data included herein is generally based on information available through the nine months ended September 30, 2020 since full year 2020 information may not yet have been published. We use market data from Costar Group, Inc. and Real Capital Analytics that consists of list side information of sales transactions of multifamily, retail, office and industrial buildings, with a value of $1 million or more.

 

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This Annual Report on Form includes forward-looking statements, including the Company’s business outlook for 2021, the potential continuing impact of the pandemic, and expectations for changes (or fluctuations) in market share growth. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends affecting the financial condition of our business. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results may be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time those statements are made and/or management’s good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition, in this Annual Report, the words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “predict,” “potential,” “should” and similar expressions, as they relate to our company, our business and our management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this Annual Report on Form may not occur and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable laws. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

 

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Marcus & Millichap, Inc. (“MMI”) is a leading national real estate services firm specializing in commercial real estate investment sales, financing, research and advisory services. We are the leading national investment brokerage company in the private client market segment. This is the largest and most active market segment and comprised approximately 87% of total U.S. commercial property transactions greater than $1 million in the marketplace in 2020. As of December 31, 2020, we had 2,097 investment sales and financing professionals that are primarily exclusive commission-based independent contractors who provide real estate investment brokerage and financing services to sellers and buyers of commercial real estate in 84 offices in the United States and Canada. In 2020, we closed 8,954 sales, financing and other transactions with total sales volume of approximately $43.4 billion.

We service clients by underwriting, marketing, selling and financing commercial real estate properties in a manner that maximizes value for sellers, provides buyers with the largest and most diverse inventory of commercial properties and secures the most competitive financing from lenders for borrowers. Our business model is based on several key attributes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were formed as a sole proprietorship in 1971, incorporated in California on August 26, 1976 as G. M. Marcus & Company, and we were renamed as Marcus & Millichap, Inc. in August 1978, Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Brokerage Company in September 1985, and Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment

 

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Services, Inc., (“MMREIS”), in February 2007. Prior to the completion of our initial public offering (“IPO”), MMREIS was majority-owned by Marcus & Millichap Company (“MMC”) and all of MMREIS’ preferred and common stock outstanding was held by MMC and its affiliates or officers and employees of MMREIS. In June 2013, in preparation for the of its real estate investment services business, MMC formed a Delaware holding company called Marcus & Millichap, Inc., or MMI. Prior to the completion of our IPO, the shareholders of MMREIS contributed the shares of MMREIS to MMI in exchange for common stock of MMI, and MMREIS became a wholly-owned subsidiary of MMI. On November 5, 2013, MMI completed its IPO.

We generate revenues by collecting real estate brokerage commissions upon the sale, and fees upon the financing, of commercial properties, and by providing equity advisory services, loan sales and consulting and advisory services. Real estate brokerage commissions are typically based upon the value of the property and financing fees are typically based upon the size of the loan. In 2020, approximately 88% of our revenues were generated from real estate brokerage commissions, 10% from financing fees and 2% from other revenues, including consulting and advisory services.

We divide commercial real estate into four major market segments, characterized by price in order to understand trends in our revenue from period to period:

 

 

 

 

We serve clients with one property, multiple properties and large investment portfolios. The largest group of investors we serve typically transacts in the private client market segment. The investment brokerage and financing businesses serving private clients within the private client market segment represent the largest part of our business, which differentiates us from our competitors. In 2020, approximately 67% of our brokerage commissions came from this market segment. Properties in this market segment are characterized by higher asset turnover rates due to the type of investor as compared to other market segments. Private clients are often motivated to buy, sell and/or refinance properties not only for business reasons but also due to personal circumstances, such as death, divorce, taxes, changes in partnership structures and other personal or financial circumstances. Therefore, private client investors are influenced less by the macroeconomic trends than other large-scale investors, making the private client market segment less volatile over the long-term than other market segments. Accordingly, our business model distinguishes us from our national competitors, who may focus primarily on the more volatile larger transaction and middle market segments, or on other business activities such as leasing or property management, and from our local and regional competitors, who lack a broad national platform.

We were founded in 1971 in the western United States, and we continue to increase our presence throughout North America through execution of our growth strategies by targeting markets based on population, employment, level of commercial real estate sales, inventory and competitive landscape opportunities where we believe the markets will benefit from our business model. We have grown to have offices in 34 states across the United States and in 4 provinces in Canada. In 2020, we completed acquisitions that expanded our financing and real estate brokerage presence in the Northeast, Southwest and Southeast.

Below is a map reflecting the geographic location of our 84 offices as of December 31, 2020.

 

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Our primary business and source of revenue is the representation of commercial property owners as their exclusive investment broker in the sale of their properties. Our investment sales professionals also represent buyers in fulfilling their investment real estate acquisition needs. Commissions from real estate investment brokerage sales accounted for approximately 88% of our revenues in 2020. Sales are generated by maintaining relationships with property owners, providing market information and trends to them during their investment or “hold” period and being selected as their representative when they decide to sell, buy additional property or exchange their property for another property. We collect commissions upon the sale of each property based on a percentage of sales price. These commission percentages are typically inversely correlated with sales price and thus are generally higher for smaller transactions.

We underwrite, value and market properties to reach the largest and most qualified pool of buyers. We offer our clients the industry’s largest team of investment sales professionals, who operate with a culture and policy of information sharing powered by our proprietary system, MNet, which enables real-time buyer-seller matching. We use a proactive marketing campaign that leverages the investor relationships of our entire sales force, direct marketing and a suite of proprietary tools that connects each asset with the right buyer pool. We strive to maximize value for the seller by generating high demand for each property. Our approach also provides a diverse, consistently underwritten inventory of investment real estate for buyers. When a client engages one of our investment sales professionals, they are engaging an entire system, structure and organization committed to maximizing value for them.

 

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In 2020, we closed 6,288 real estate brokerage transactions in a broad range of commercial property types, with a total sales volume of approximately $32.1 billion. For more than 15 years, we have closed more transactions than any other firm. We have significantly diversified our business beyond our historical focus on multifamily properties.

We are building on our track record of strength in multifamily, retail, office and industrial properties by expanding our coverage of additional property types. These include hospitality, self-storage, seniors housing, land and manufactured housing properties, where we are already a leading broker but have significant room for additional growth due to market size, fragmentation and specific geographic market opportunities. We are also expanding our specialty group management and support infrastructure, specialized branding and business development customized for each property type. In addition, we are continuously focusing on our recruitment efforts for new and experienced investment sales and financing professionals. We expect that these efforts will expand our presence and result in increased business in these property types.

We service clients in all market segments by underwriting, marketing, selling and financing commercial real estate properties in a manner that maximizes value for sellers and provides buyers with the largest and most diverse inventory of commercial properties. In addition, we achieved growth by leveraging the strength of our relationships in the private client market segment to increase our share of the middle and larger transaction market segments. Because commission rates earned on commercial properties are typically inversely correlated with sales price, our expansion into the middle and larger transaction market segments, has led to our average commission rates fluctuating from as a result of changes in the relative mix of transactions closed in the middle and larger transaction market segments as compared to the private client market segment.

The following table sets forth the number of investment sales transactions, sales volume and revenue by commercial real estate market segment for real estate brokerage in 2020 compared to 2019:

 

Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation (“MMCC”) is a financial intermediary that provides commercial real estate capital markets solutions, including senior debt, mezzanine debt, joint venture and preferred equity, as well as loan sales and consultative/due diligence services to commercial real estate owners, developers, investors and capital providers. Our advisors assist clients to secure capital for both acquisitions and the refinancing of single assets and portfolios. MMCC generates revenue from advisory fees collected from capital placement with an assortment of capital providers including national and regional banks, credit unions, private equity funds, insurance companies, government agencies, conduit lenders, debt funds and hard money lenders. MMCC additionally receives servicing fees from certain lenders and other incentive-based fees based on achieving certain production thresholds. MMCC’s financing fees vary by loan amount, transactional complexity and loan type. In 2020, MMCC completed 1,943 financing transactions representing total financing volume of approximately $7.7 billion, which yielded $70.5 million in financing fees, accounting for approximately 10% of MMI’s total revenue. The combination of MMCC’s size, market reach and financing volume enables us to establish long-term relationships with various capital sources. This, in turn, improves MMCC’s value proposition

 

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to borrowers who are seeking competitive rates and terms. MMCC seeks to secure the most competitive financing solutions for each client’s specific needs and requirements. During 2020, approximately 39% of MMCC’s revenues came from placing acquisition financing, 49% from refinancing activities and 12% from other financing activities.

MMCC is fully integrated with the investment sales force in our brokerage offices. MMCC financing professionals are supervised by our MMCC management team and regional managers, who promote cross-selling, information sharing, business referrals and high-quality customer service within the offices. The MMCC national network of financing professionals is also supported by a dedicated, nationally focused management team coordinating access to a broad range of national and regional capital sources including banks, life insurance companies, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, debt funds, hard money lenders and structured debt facilitators (preferred equity and mezzanine providers). By combining these resources with the latest property and capital markets data and information, we can differentiate ourselves in the marketplace and deliver tailored financial solutions that meet our clients’ financial objectives.

Our research, advisory and consulting services are designed to assist clients in forming their investment strategy and making transaction decisions. Our advisory and consulting services are coordinated with both our investment sales and financing professionals and are designed to provide market and property focused market research, publications and customized analysis that increase customer loyalty and long-term relationships.

We provide a wide range of advisory and consulting services to developers, lenders, owners, real estate investment trusts, high net worth individuals, pension fund advisors and other institutions. Our advisory services include opinions of value, operating and financial performance benchmarking analysis, specific asset strategies, market and submarket analysis and ranking, portfolio strategies by property type, market strategy, development and redevelopment feasibility studies and other services.

We believe the following strengths provide us with a competitive advantage and opportunities for success:

We have built a leading national platform serving our clients’ needs of investment brokerage and financing services. We continue to be focused on investment brokerage, financing and other services complementary to our business. Our commitment to specialization is reflected in how we generally organize our investment sales and financing professionals by market area and property type, which enhances our investment sales and financing professionals’ skills, relationships and market knowledge required for achieving the best results for our clients. As a result of these founding principles, we offer an efficient system of matching every property with the largest pool of qualified buyers and therefore maximizing value in the process.

Since our founding, we have focused on being the leading service provider to the private client market segment. This segment is the largest by ownership and transaction count and consistently accounts for over 80% of total U.S. commercial property transactions and over 60% of the commission pool. It is comprised of individuals, partnerships and small private fund managers with both passive, long-term investments, as well as those with opportunistic and short-term investment horizons. Private clients are often motivated to buy, sell and/or refinance properties not only for business reasons but also due to personal and financial circumstances. The vast size and personal transaction drivers of private clients make this market segment the most active in terms of sales velocity. In addition, this market segment is highly fragmented with the top 10 brokerage firms accounting for approximately 22% of transactions in 2020. We are the leading broker in

 

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the private client market segment based on transaction count in 2020. With our established market leadership and brand name, we have significant room for market share expansion by further consolidating our leadership position in this market segment.

In addition, the private client market segment is characterized by high barriers to entry. These barriers include the need for a large specialized sales force prospecting private clients, the difficulties in identifying, establishing, and maintaining relationships with such investors, capabilities of exposing properties to a large pool of potential buyers and the challenge of serving their needs locally, regionally and nationally. We believe this private client market segment is the least covered market segment by other national firms and is significantly underserved by local and regional firms that lack a national platform.

We have built our business to maximize value for real estate investors through an integrated set of services geared toward our clients’ needs. We are committed to an investment brokerage specialization and providing one of the largest sales force in the industry, promoting a culture and policy of information sharing on each property we represent, and equipping our investment sales professionals with exclusive real estate inventory and marketing technologies that enhance the marketability of the properties we represent. Our system generates real-time buyer-seller matching and maximizes value one property at a time. Our investment sales organization can therefore underwrite and market investment real estate to the largest pool of qualified buyers. We coordinate proactive marketing campaigns across investor relationships and resources of the entire firm, far beyond the capabilities of an individual listing agent. These efforts produce wide exposure to investors whom we identify as high-probability bidders for each property. To grow with our clients, we established the IPA division to serve the needs of our private client investors that are now seeking higher valued properties as well as larger institutional investors. Our ability to bridge private capital with larger, institutional assets creates value for private and larger transaction clients while offering growth opportunities and strengthening the retention of our investment sales and financing professionals.

We have one of the largest teams of financing professionals in the investment brokerage industry through MMCC. MMCC provides financing expertise and access to debt and capital sources by identifying and securing competitive loan pricing and terms for our clients across a broad range of potential lenders and financing alternatives. We are a leading mortgage broker in the industry based on the number of financing transactions closed in 2019. Finally, our dedicated market research teams analyze the latest local and national economic and real estate trends and produce proprietary analyses for our clients enabling them to make informed investment and financing decisions. Integrating all these services into one national platform increases opportunities to maximize value for our clients across multiple property types, market segments and geographies.

Our local management team members, as executives of the Company, are dedicated to recruiting, training, developing and supporting our investment sales and financing professionals. The majority of our local management team are former senior investment sales professionals of our Company who now focus on management, do not compete with our sales forceand have an average of 12 years of real estate investment brokerage experience with our Company. Our training, development and mentoring programs rely greatly on the regional managers’ personal involvement. Their past experience as senior investment sales professionals plays a key role in developing new and experienced investment sales and financing professionals. They help our junior professionals to establish technical and client service skills as well as set up, develop and grow relationships with clients. We believe this management structure has helped differentiate the firm from our competitors and ultimately achieves better results for our clients.

 

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We have demonstrated the ability, over the long-term, to manage through the cyclical market and continue to be a leader in the private client market segment. The following graph shows the number of transactions and sales volume of investment sales, financing and other transactions from 2011 to 2020:

 

We have a long track record of growing our business model driven by opening new offices, recruiting, training and developing new investment sales and financing professionals as well as deploying our client-focused business model to increase coverage of specialty property types and the middle and larger transaction market segments. Our long-term growth plan has focused on investing in our current business model through organic and acquisitive growth by providing our unique business model to a wider client base. Since 2011, our revenue has more than doubled, and we have grown from slightly over 1,000 investment sales and financing professionals to over 2,000 investment sales and financing professionals in the United States and Canada. Our future growth will depend on continually expanding our national footprint and optimizing the size, product segmentation and specialization of our team of investment sales and financing professionals. The key strategies of our growth plan include:

Our leading position in the private client market segment and inherent fragmentation continues to provide significant opportunity for us to expand and bring our client service offerings to a larger portion of this expansive market segment. We can continue to leverage our existing platform, relationships and brand recognition among private clients to grow through expanded marketing and coverage.

Since we currently have offices in most major-market and metropolitan cities, our growth is expected to come from focused office expansion of existing offices and new offices from acquisitions, targeted hiring and increased coverage of specialty property types. We have targeted markets based on population, employment, level of commercial real estate sales, inventory and competitive landscape. Our optimal office plans are used to capitalize on these factors by tailoring sales force size, coverage and composition by office and business activity to direct efforts to offices with the most opportunity where we believe we can leverage our national footprint and proprietary real estate marketing technologies. These initiatives do not require significant increases in the number of offices or in the size of our offices, which allows us to leverage our current office locations without significant incremental investment.

 

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A key to growing our business is hiring, training and developing investment sales professionals. We are always focused on hiring experienced investment sales professionals through our recruiting department, specialty directors and regional managers in support of our optimal office plans.Our new investment sales professionals are trained in all aspects of real estate fundamentals, client service and proprietary marketing technologies through formal training, apprenticeship programs and mentorship by our dedicated regional, district and division managers, as well as our senior investment sales and financing professionals. As these investment sales professionals mature, we continue to provide them with identified best practices and training in specialty property types. We believe this model creates a high level of teamwork, as well as operational and client service consistency. Please see “Human Capital Management” for more information.

Acquisitions have become a strategy to supplement the growth of our salesforce and services we provide to our clients. We continually explore acquisition opportunities to augment our brokerage and financing businesses. We primarily look for acquisitions of size brokerage and financing businesses or teams of professionals with consistent revenue and earnings trends, which will expand our geographic and property type coverage. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we completed four acquisitions expanding our geographic footprint, property coverage and service offerings. None of the acquisitions were individually material to the financial statements.

Leveraging our current business model into specialty property types and to the middle and larger transaction market segments opens up significant opportunities for growth.

We believe that specialty property types, including hospitality, self-storage, seniors housing, land and manufactured housing offer significant opportunities for our clients. By deploying our unique business model to increase coverage of these property types, we can create growth for us as well as enhance value for our clients through diversification. To create these opportunities, we are increasing our property type expertise by continuing to strategically add specialty directors who can bring added management capacity, business development and investment sales professional support. These executives will work with our sales management team to increase investment sales professional hiring, training, development and redeployment and to execute various branding and marketing campaigns to expand our presence in these targeted property types. We expect the number and volume of transactions in the primary property types of multifamily, retail, office and industrial to continue to grow with upside opportunity, particularly in the office and industrial properties. At the same time, we intend to continue to grow our presence in specialty property types.

Our extensive relationships with private client investors who typically invest in the private client market segment have enabled us to capture a greater portion of commercial real estate transactions in excess of $10 million and bridge the private client market investor to the middle market and larger transaction market segments in recent years. As property values increase and investors grow and expand, they require larger properties. We are organized to provide our unique brokerage and financing services to investors in those market segments. Our ability to connect private client capital with middle and larger transaction market segment properties allows us to continue to serve our clients as they grow and plays a major role in differentiating our services. We have a group dedicated to serving major investors, branded as IPA, specifically to service larger investors. This strategy has had market acceptance and provides a vehicle for growth by delivering our unique service platform within the middle and larger transaction multifamily, retail and office property types. The

 

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growth of our investors and introduction of IPA has driven incremental growth for us. During 2020, we continued to take steps to achieving our growth plan by hiring multiple investment sales teams into our IPA division. The middle and larger transaction market segments experienced challenges during 2020 due to uncertain and changing economic and market conditions in connection with and in response to the pandemic. The higher price points remain more volatile in contrast to private client market segment assets.

Our growth plan for MMCC continues to focus on expanding our capital markets services in markets currently served by our investment sales brokerage offices. This includes increasing the capacity of the existing professionals in offices we currently serve and integrating financing professionals and related services in offices that do not have an MMCC presence. We will also continue to expand our service platform by increasing access to a broad array of new capital resources and pursuing selective acquisitions. In 2020, we expanded MMCC’s capital markets advisory services and added complementary services in loan sales, consultative/due diligence, and debt and equity advising through acquisitions, as well as expanded service offerings.

We have established alliances with national capital sources that provide access to an assortment of highly competitive products including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and HUD. These alliances serve to expand the distribution network for each of our capital partners, while affording our financing professionals and clients with more favorable pricing and terms. We will continue to seek out and hire experienced financing professionals and companies to further grow our MMCC business, support the growth of our service platform and establish relationships with various capital sources. Further, our internally developed training programs are directed at enhancing the skill sets for our professionals, promoting the MMCC value proposition and increasing our internal capture rate with our investment sales brokerage clients and increasing activity with clients. As of December 31, 2020, we had 39 offices with financing professionals. We continue to capitalize on the synergies our financing professionals provide to our client-focused service platform with approximately 6.4% year-over-year growth in financing fees ($70.5 million in financing fees in 2020 from $66.3 million in 2019). We believe the strength of MMCC increased with the successful closings of our recent acquisitions in 2020, which expanded our presence in the financing market in the Northeast, Southwest and Southeast. MMCC remains a key component of our growth plan.

There is seasonality in our real estate brokerage commissions and financing fees, which has generally caused our revenues, operating income, net income and cash flows from operating activities to be lower in the first half of the year and higher in the second half of the year, particularly in the fourth quarter. This historical trend could be disrupted either positively or negatively by major economic events, political events, natural disasters or pandemics such as the pandemic, which may impact, among other things, investor sentiment for a particular property type or location, volatility in financial markets, current and future projections of interest rates, attractiveness of other asset classes, market liquidity and the extent of limitations or availability of capital allocations for larger property buyers. For a more detailed description of our seasonality, refer to Item 1A – “Risk Factors – External Business Risks – and Item 7 – “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Overview – of this Annual Report on Form

We compete in real estate brokerage and financing within the commercial real estate industry on a national, regional and local basis. Competition is based on a number of critical factors, including the quality and expertise of our investment sales and financing professionals, our execution skills, sales support, brand recognition and our

 

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business reputation. We primarily compete with other brokerage and financing firms that seek investment brokerage and financing business from real estate owners and investors. To a lesser extent, we compete with real estate departments, owners who may transact without using a brokerage firm, direct lenders, consulting firms and investment managers. Our relative competitive position also varies across geographies, property types and services. In investment sales, our competitors on a national level include CBRE Group Inc., Cushman & Wakefield plc, Colliers International Group, Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated or JLL, Newmark Group Inc. and NAI Global. Our financing competitors include institutional firms such as CBRE Group Inc., JLL, Cushman & Wakefield plc, Walker & Dunlop, NorthMarq Capital and a large group of local and regional mortgage banking firms. These investment sales firms mainly focus on larger sales and institutional investors and are not heavily concentrated in our largest market segment, which is the private client market segment. However, there is crossover and competition between us and these firms. As a result of the fragmentation in the market, there are also numerous local and regional competitors in our markets, as well as competitors specializing in certain property types. Despite recent consolidation, the commercial real estate services industry remains highly fragmented and competitive.

Competition to attract and retain qualified professionals is also intense in each of our geographic regions and across all property types. We offer what we believe to be competitive compensation and support programs to our professionals. Our ability to continue to compete effectively will depend on retaining, motivating and appropriately compensating our professionals.

We have a long-standing tradition of technological orientation, innovation and advancement. Our efforts include the development of proprietary applications designed to make the process of matching buyer and sellers faster and more efficient as well as communication technology, infrastructure, internet presence and electronic marketing.

We have a proprietary internal marketing system, MNet, which allows our sales force to share listing information with investors across United States and Canada. MNet is an integrated tool that contains our entire property inventory, which allows our sales force to find listings with targeted criteria, such as searching by demographic data surrounding a target property, and to search for properties based on investors’ acquisition criteria. This system is an essential part of connecting buyers and sellers through our platform. Our policies require information sharing among our sales force, and the MNet system automates the process of matching each property we represent to the largest pool of qualified buyers tracked by our sales force. A part of MNet, called Buyer Needs, enables our sales force to register the investment needs of various buyers, which are then matched to our available inventory on a real-time basis.

A related application, MNet-Offering, is a system for automating the production of property marketing materials and launching marketing campaigns. MNet-Offering allows our investment sales professionals to create a listing proposal or marketing package, which automatically imports property information, data on comparable properties and other information, and then dynamically populates our print and internet media. This system allows our sales force to rapidly create professionally branded and designed materials for marketing properties on behalf of our clients in an efficient and timely manner. This application improves sales force efficiency by tightly integrating MNet data for transaction history, sales and rent comparables, and market insights that differentiate our sales force in the marketplace. The proposals and marketing packages produced by MNet-Offering also deliver updated content and expanded demographic and financial analysis to better market those properties for our clients.

In 2020, we relaunched the Marcus & Millichap external website, bringing vastly improved search capabilities and enhanced features for our investment sales professionals as well as our clients, via integrated deal room functionality. The website is designed not only to bring in new clients for our investment sales and financing professionals, but also to make our inventory of properties available for maximum exposure for our

 

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sellers, and to provide buyers an opportunity to engage with our investment sales and financing professionals. We actively qualify leads generated from the contact forms and pass those leads to our agents via our customer relationship management platform. Our websites in total average approximately 91,000 new visitors per month and 733,000 page views per month and also serves as a portal for delivery of online marketing materials and for deal collaboration.

We were founded 50 years ago on the idea that when investment sales and financing professionals collaborate, we can optimize outcomes for our clients. Today, we are known for providing investment brokerage and financing services through our proprietary marketing system, for our policies and culture of information sharing and for our investment brokerage training. All of this is executed under the supervision of a dedicated local, regional and national management team focused on client service and growing the firm.

In recent years we have also garnered recognition among institutions and larger private investors due to our integrated platform and ability to link private and institutional capital. We continue to strengthen and broaden our name recognition and credibility by executing a variety of marketing and branding strategies. Locally, our offices and investment sales and financing professionals engage in numerous events, direct mail campaigns and investor symposiums as well as participate in real estate conferences and organizations for various market segments and property types. Our regional managers and investment sales and financing professionals develop long-term client relationships and promote our brand through these activities.

Our research division produces nearly 1,300 publications and client presentations per year and is a leading source of information for the industry as well as the general business media. We provide research on 10 commercial property types covering: multifamily, retail, office, industrial, single-tenant net lease, seniors housing, self-storage, hospitality, medical office and manufactured housing, as well as capital markets/financing. This research includes analysis and forecasting of the economy, capital markets, real estate fundamentals, investment, pricing and yield trends. It is designed to assist investors in their strategy formation and decisions relating to specific assets and to help our investment sales professionals develop and maintain relationships with clients.

Our transactional and market research expertise result in significant print, radio, television and online media coverage including major national real estate publications such as Real Estate Forum, Multi-Housing News, Commercial Property Executive, Connect Media, Wealth Management Real Estate (formerly NREI) as well as local market business journals and major national news outlets such as CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Fox Business, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes and numerous newspapers and trade publications in major metropolitan cities. Our CEO is frequently interviewed on national business channels, such as CNBC, Yahoo! Finance, Fox Business, and Bloomberg, to discuss the commercial real estate market. We frequently have featured speaking roles in key regional and national industry events, we are regularly quoted in regional and national publications and media, and we deliver content directly to the real estate investment community through print, electronic publications and video. Nationally, our specialty groups and capital markets executives actively participate in various trade organizations, many of which focus on specific property types and provide an effective vehicle for branding and client relationship development.

We believe all of these activities create significant exposure and name recognition for our firm, which helps to build and foster strong, long-term client relationships.

We hold various trademarks and trade names, which include the “Marcus & Millichap” name. Although we believe our intellectual property plays a role in maintaining our competitive position in a number of the markets that we serve, we do not believe we would be materially, adversely affected by the expiration or termination of

 

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our trademarks or trade names or the loss of any of our other intellectual property rights other than the Marcus & Millichap name. With respect to the Marcus & Millichap name, we maintain trademark registrations for these service marks.

In addition to trade names, we have developed proprietary technologies for the provision of real estate investment services, such as MNet and MNet-Offering. We also offer proprietary research to clients through our research division. While we seek to secure our rights under applicable intellectual property protection laws in these and any other proprietary assets that we use in our business, we do not believe any of these other items of intellectual property are material to our business in the aggregate.

We are subject to various real estate regulations, and we maintain real estate and other broker licenses in 46 states in the United States and four provinces in Canada. We are a licensed broker in each state in which we have an office, as well as those states where we frequently do business. We are also subject to numerous other federal, state and local laws and regulations that contain general standards for, and prohibitions on, the conduct of real estate brokers and sales associates, including agency duties, collection of commissions, telemarketing, advertising and consumer disclosures. One of our wholly owned subsidiaries, which we recently acquired, is subject to certain human resource, data security, information technology and other compliance requirements due to its loan sale and consulting contracts with certain U.S. government agencies.

Most of our investment sales professionals are classified as independent contractors under state and IRS guidelines. As such, we generally do not pay for the professionals’ expenses or benefits or withhold payroll taxes; rather they are paid from the commissions earned by us upon the closing of a transaction, and these individuals do not earn a salary from which taxes are withheld. Our investment sales and financing professionals hold applicable real estate sales licenses for their function and execute a “Salespersons Agreement” setting out the relationship between the professional and us. Each professional is obligated to provide brokerage services exclusively to us, and is provided access to our information technology, research and other support and business forms. Each professional generally reports on their activities to either the local regional manager, or in some cases, to product specialty managers.

We consider our relationship with our employees and independent contractors to be good and we endeavor to create a workplace that is welcoming, diverse, inclusive, equitable, safe, engaged and respectful of all people. We take attracting talent, development and training and the retention of talent very seriously. Our local management team members, as executives of the Company, are dedicated to recruiting, training, developing and supporting our investment sales and financing professionals. The majority of our local management team are former senior investment sales professionals of our Company, who now focus on management, do not compete with our sales force and have an average of 12 years of real estate investment brokerage experience with our Company.

We attract talent by offering training to our employees and independent contractors, as well as competitive salaries and benefit programs for our employees and competitive commissions and business support for our independent contractors, and through our reputation as the top broker within the private client market segment.

On the development and training front, our regional managers provide extensive training/development to our salesforce, including classroom training, coaching, mentoring, workshops and working with and supporting our professionals. We strive to do so through a series of trainings managed by our learning management system

 

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and other professional development opportunities. Our training, development and mentoring programs rely greatly on the regional managers’ personal involvement. Their past experience as senior investment sales professionals plays a key role in developing new and experienced investment sales and financing professionals. They help our junior professionals to establish technical and client service skills as well as set up, develop and grow relationships with clients. We believe this management structure has helped differentiate the firm from our competitors and ultimately achieves better results for our clients.

We address retention by offering a sales awards program to recognize, retain and motivate our top investment sales and financing professionals; through our affiliation with International Council of Shopping Centers, National Association for Industrial and Office Parks and National Multifamily Housing Council; providing business support from our various functional groups; providing the opportunity to earn additional commissions after meeting certain annual financial thresholds for more senior investment sales and financing professionals; and providing competitive base salaries and bonus opportunities for employees.

We also monitor and measure employee satisfaction and engagement through embedded management, human resource and legal departments. In addition, we offer employees several methods to advise the Company of any workplace or compliance issues, including a confidential reporting hotline monitored by the Company’s Compliance Officer.

We are committed to protecting the health and safety of our employees, investment sales and financing professionals, clients and their families, while at the same time focusing on our clients’ success. In connection with the pandemic, we have implemented measures such as increased sanitizing, physical distancing and remote work arrangements, with the goal of protecting our employees, sales and financing professionals and clients. We continue to follow the local guidelines in cities where our offices are located and all but a few of our offices have Those that have not been able to due to state and local restrictions are available to our employees and sales and financing professionals on an basis.

Since the start of the pandemic, we have taken multiple measures to support our investment sales and financing professionals’ ability to generate and execute business remotely. Such measures include multiple technological solutions, intensified internal training and education, as well as a significant increase in client outreach and investor education webcasts.

As of December 31, 2020, we had 2,097 investment sales and financing professionals of which 2,009 are exclusive independent contractors and the remainder are our employees. We had 764 employees as of December 31, 2020, consisting of 88 employees who serve as financing professionals, 28 employees in communications and marketing, 12 employees in research and 636 employees in management, support and general and administrative functions. As we noted above in “Growth Strategy,” a key factor to growing our business is hiring, training and developing investment sales and financing professionals. During 2020, we reached an high in the number of investment sales professionals, ending the year with 2,006, an increase of 81 or 4.2% year-over-year growth. During 2020, we also had 91 financing professionals, a decrease of 5 or 5.2% year-over-year decline. The decline in financing professionals headcount is attributable to a reduction of unproductive financing professionals during the onset of the pandemic and a shift toward more experienced financing professionals due to the challenging market environment brought on by the pandemic.

Our website address is. Information on our website does not constitute part of this report and inclusions of our internet address in this Annual Report on Form are inactive textual references only. We are required to file current, annual and quarterly reports, proxy statements and other information required by the Exchange Act, with the SEC. We make available free of charge through a link provided on our website, our annual reports on Form quarterly reports on Form current reports on Form proxy statements, Forms 3, 4 and 5 filed by or on behalf of directors, executive officers and certain

 

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large stockholders, and any amendments to those documents filed or furnished pursuant to the Exchange Act. Such reports are available as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with the SEC.

The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about us that we file electronically with the SEC at .

We also make available on our website and will provide print copies to stockholders upon request, (i) our corporate governance guidelines, (ii) our code of ethics, and (iii) charters of the audit, compensation, nominating and corporate governance and executive committees of our board of directors.

From time to time, we may announce key information in compliance with Regulation FD by disclosing that information on our website.

We are impacted by and manage many risk factors detailed below affecting our business including External Business Risks, Human Resource and Personnel Risks, Internal Business Risks, Technology and Cybersecurity Risks, Investment Risks, Risks Related to Our Founder and General Risks as well as the risks discussed in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Position and Results of Operations” and “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.” Many of these factors described below in External Business Risks are outside of our control. In addition, we are a personnel and relationship intensive business rather than a capital-intensive business. While all the risk factors discussed below have the potential to negatively impact our business, the most significant risks facing us are the risks associated with general economic conditions and commercial real estate market conditions and our ability to attract and retain qualified and experienced managers and investment sales and financing professionals.

The pandemic has been and continues to be a prolonged widespread global health crisis that has adversely affected and could continue to adversely affect the broader economies, the capital markets, how we operate our business and the overall demand for our services.

Government imposed restrictions, including the state, county and local level quarantines, restrictions on travel, orders and restrictions on certain types of businesses that may not allow them to operate normally, intended to slow the community spread of have, and will likely continue to affect our clients or potential clients’ ability or willingness to purchase properties with limited or no ability to view properties; delay the closing of real estate sales and financing transactions; increase the borrowing cost and reduce the availability of debt financing; impact our ability to provide or deliver services to our clients or potential clients; and/or temporarily delay our expansion efforts. In addition, the current pandemic,

 

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new variants of the virus, the reoccurrence of the pandemic or a future pandemic, and the resumption of or any new state or local orders, could materially affect our future sales, operating results, liquidity and overall financial performance due to, among other factors:

 

 

 

 

The long-term potential economic impact of a pandemic may be difficult to assess or predict. A long-term recession or long-term market correction could have a long-term impact on the flow of capital to the commercial real estate market and/or the willingness of investors to invest in or sell commercial real estate. This may adversely impact the demand for our services as well as the value of our common stock and our access to capital.

Please see Part II, Item 7 – “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for a more detailed discussion of the potential impact of the pandemic and associated economic disruptions.

We may be negatively impacted by periods of economic downturns, recessions and disruptions in the capital markets; credit and liquidity issues in the capital markets, including international, national, regional and local markets; tax and regulatory changes and corresponding declines in the demand for commercial real estate investment and related services. Historically, commercial real estate markets and, in particular, the U.S. commercial real estate market, have tended to be cyclical and related to the flow of capital to the sector, the condition of the economy as a whole and to the perceptions and confidence of market participants to the economic outlook. Cycles in the real estate markets may lead to similar cycles in our earnings and significant volatility in our stock price. Further real estate markets may “lag” behind the broader economy such that even when underlying economic fundamentals improve in a given market, additional time may be required for these improvements to translate into strength in the real estate markets. The “lag” may be exacerbated when banks delay their resolution of commercial real estate assets whose values are less than their associated loans.

Negative economic conditions, changes in interest rates, credit and the availability of capital, both debt and/or equity, disruptions in capital markets, uncertainty of the tax and regulatory environment and/or declines in the demand for commercial real estate investment and related services in international and domestic markets or in significant markets in which we do business, have had and could have in the future a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and/or financial condition. In particular, the commercial real estate market is directly impacted by (i) the lack of debt and/or equity financing for commercial real estate transactions, (ii) increased interest rates and changes in monetary policies by the U.S. Federal Reserve, (iii) changes in the perception that commercial real estate is an accepted asset class for portfolio diversification, (iv) changes in tax

 

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policy affecting the attractiveness of real estate as an investment choice, (v) changes in regulatory policy impacting real estate development opportunities and capital markets, (vi) slowdowns in economic activity that could cause residential and commercial tenant demand to decline, and (vii) declines in the regional or local demand for commercial real estate, or significant disruptions in other segments of the real estate markets could adversely affect our results of operations. Any of the foregoing would adversely affect the operation and income of commercial real estate properties.

These and other types of events could lead to a decline in transaction activity as well as a decrease in property values which, in turn, would likely lead to a reduction in brokerage commissions and financing fees relating to such transactions. These effects would likely cause us to realize lower revenues from our transaction service fees, including brokerage commissions, which fees usually are tied to the transaction value and are payable upon the successful completion of a particular transaction. Such declines in transaction activity and value would likely also significantly reduce our financing activities and revenues.

Fiscal uncertainty, significant changes and volatility in the financial markets and business environment, and similar significant changes in the global, political, security and competitive landscape, make it increasingly difficult for us to predict our revenue and earnings into the future. As a result, any revenue or earnings projections or economic outlook which we may give, may be affected by such events or may otherwise turn out to be inaccurate.

Restrictions on the availability of capital, both debt and/or equity, can create significant reductions in the liquidity and flow of capital to the commercial real estate markets. Severe restrictions in debt or equity liquidity as well as the lack of the availability of credit in the markets we service can significantly reduce the volume and pace of commercial real estate transactions. These restrictions can also have a general negative effect upon commercial real estate prices themselves. Our business is particularly sensitive to the volume of activity and pricing in the commercial real estate market. This has had, and may have in the future, a significant adverse effect on our business.

We cannot predict with any degree of certainty the magnitude or duration of developments in the credit markets and commercial real estate markets as it is inherently difficult to make accurate predictions with respect to such macroeconomic movements that are beyond our control. This uncertainty limits our ability to plan for future developments. In addition, uncertainty regarding market conditions may limit the ability of other participants in the credit markets or commercial real estate markets to plan for the future. As a result, market participants may act more conservatively than they might in a stabilized market, which may perpetuate and amplify the adverse developments in the markets we service. While business opportunities may emerge from assisting clients with transactions relating to distressed commercial real estate assets, there can be no assurance that the volume of such transactions will be sufficient to meaningfully offset the declines in transaction volumes within the overall commercial real estate market.

We compete in investment sales and financing within the commercial real estate industry. Our investment sales focus is on the private client market segment, which is highly fragmented. The fragmentation of our market makes it challenging to effectively gain market share. While we may have a competitive advantage over other national firms in the private client market segment, we also face competition from local and regional service providers who have existing relationships with potential clients. Furthermore, transactions in the private client market segment are smaller than many other commercial real estate transactions. Although the brokerage

 

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commissions in this segment are generally a higher percentage of the sales price, the smaller size of the transactions requires us to close many more transactions to sustain revenues. If the commission structure or the velocity of transactions were to change, we could be disproportionately affected by changes compared to other companies that focus on larger transactions, institutional clients and other segments of the commercial real estate market.

There is no assurance that we will be able to continue to compete effectively, maintain our current fee arrangements with our private clients, maintain current margin levels or counteract increased competition. The services we provide to our clients are highly competitive on a national, regional and local level. Depending on the geography, property type or service, we face competition from, including, but not limited to, commercial real estate service providers, real estate departments, private owners and developers, commercial mortgage servicers, institutional lenders, research and consulting firms, and investment managers, some of whom are clients and many of whom may have greater financial resources than we do. In addition, future changes in laws and regulations could lead to the entry of other competitors. Many of our competitors are local, regional or national firms. Although most are substantially smaller than we are, some of these competitors are larger on a local, regional or national basis, and we believe more national firms are exploring entry into or expansion in the private client market segment. We may face increased competition from even stronger competitors in the future due to a trend toward acquisitions and consolidation. We are also subject to competition from other large national and multi-national firms as well as regional and local firms that have similar service competencies to ours. Our existing and future competitors may choose to undercut our fees, increase the levels of compensation they are willing to pay to their employees and investment sales and financing professionals. This could result in these competitors recruiting our employees and investment sales and financing professionals, cause us to increase our level of compensation or commission necessary to retain employees or investment sales and financing professionals, and/or require us to recruit new employees or investment sales and financing professionals. These occurrences could cause our revenue to decrease, and/or expenses to increase, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our real estate brokerage offices are located in and around large metropolitan areas as well as regions throughout the United States and Canada. Local and regional economic conditions in these locations could differ materially from prevailing conditions in other parts of the country. We realize more of our revenues in California than any other state. In 2020, we earned approximately 31% of our revenues from offices in California. In particular, as a result of this concentration, we are subject to risks related to the California economy and real estate markets more than in other geographic markets. In addition to economic conditions, this geographic concentration means that California-specific legislation, related restrictions, taxes and regional disasters, such as earthquakes and wildfires as well as the impact of climate change, could disproportionately affect us. A downturn in investment real estate demand or economic conditions in California and other regions could result in a further decline in our total gross commission income which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our revenue and profits have historically tended to be significantly higher in the second half of each year than in the first half of the year. This is a result of a general focus in the real estate industry on completing or documenting transactions by calendar year end and because certain of our expenses are relatively constant throughout the year. This historical trend can be disrupted both positively and negatively by major economic, regulatory or political events impacting investor sentiment for a particular property type or location, current and future projections of interest rates and tax rates, attractiveness of other asset classes, market liquidity and the extent of limitations or availability of capital allocations for larger institutional buyers, to name a few. As a

 

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result, our historical pattern of seasonality may or may not continue to the same degree experienced in the prior years and may make it difficult to determine, during the course of the year, whether planned results will be achieved, and thus to adjust to changes in expectations.

Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), provides for exchanges of real property for other real property. Legislation has been proposed on several occasions that would repeal or restrict the application of Section 1031. If exchanges under Section 1031 were to be limited or unavailable, our clients or prospective clients may decide not to purchase or sell property that they would have otherwise purchased or sold due to the tax consequences of the transaction, thus reducing the commissions we would have otherwise received. Any repeal or significant change in the tax rules pertaining to like-kind exchanges could have a substantial adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and the value of our stock.

Changes in tax laws can impact investors’ perceived value of real estate, timing of transactions and perception of real estate as favorable investment. As a result, such changes may increase or decrease investors’ desire to engage in real estate transactions, which could have an unfavorable impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and the value of our stock. Changes in tax laws in the various jurisdictions in which we operate may also impact the taxes we are required to pay, our ability to transact business in such jurisdictions, and may make operating in these jurisdictions unprofitable and unfavorably impact our results of operations and ability to execute our growth plans.

The dynamic nature of the Internet, which has substantially increased the availability and transparency of information relating to commercial real estate listings and transactions, could change the way commercial real estate transactions are done. This has occurred to some extent in the residential real estate market as online brokerage and/or auction companies have eroded part of the market for traditional residential real estate brokerage firms. The proliferation of large amounts of data on the Internet could also devalue the information that we gather and disseminate as part of our business model and may harm certain aspects of our investment brokerage business in the event that principals of transactions prefer to transact directly with each other. Further, the rapid dissemination and increasing transparency of information, particularly for public companies, increases the risks to our business that could result from negative media or announcements about ethics lapses, improper behavior or other operational problems, which could lead clients to terminate or reduce their relationships with us.

We are subject to numerous federal, state, local and foreign regulations specific to the services we perform in our business, as well as laws of broader applicability, such as securities, financial services and employment laws. In general, the brokerage of real estate transactions requires us to maintain applicable licenses where we perform these services. If we fail to maintain our licenses or conduct these activities without a license, or violate any of the regulations covering our licenses, we may be required to pay fines (including treble damages in certain states) or return commissions received or have our licenses suspended or revoked. We could also be subject to disciplinary or other actions in the future due to claimed noncompliance with these regulations, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations and profitability.

 

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Our business is also governed by various laws and regulations, limiting the manner in which prospective clients may be contacted, including federal and state “Do Not Call” and “Do Not Fax” regulations. We may be subject to legal claims and governmental action if we are perceived to be acting in violation of these laws and regulations. We may also be subject to claims to the extent individual employees or investment sales and financing professionals breach or fail to adhere to company policies and practices designed to maintain compliance with these laws and regulations. The penalties for violating these laws and regulations, can be material, and could result in changes in which we are able to contact prospective clients.

As the size and scope of commercial real estate transactions have increased significantly during the past several years, both the difficulty of ensuring compliance with numerous licensing regimes and the possible loss resulting from have increased. New or revised legislation or regulations applicable to our business, both within and outside of the United States, as well as changes in administrations or enforcement priorities may have an adverse effect on our business. Such new or revised legislation or regulations applicable to our business may impact transaction volumes and values, increase the costs of compliance or prevent us from providing certain types of services in certain jurisdictions or in connection with certain transactions or clients. For example, legislation which limits or prohibits dual agency, could have an adverse impact on our revenues. We are unable to predict how any of these new laws, rules, regulations and proposals will be implemented or in what form, or whether any additional or similar changes to laws or regulations, including the interpretation or implementation thereof, will occur in the future. Risks of legislative changes, including as a result of interpretive guidance or other directives from the current administration, and new laws, regulations and interpretations may also come into effect. The impact of any new or revised legislation or regulations under the current administration is unknown. Any such action could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our most important asset is people, and our continued success is highly dependent upon the efforts of our managers and investment sales and financing professionals. If these managers or investment sales and financing professionals depart, we will lose the substantial time and resources we have invested in training and developing those individuals and our business, financial condition and results of operations may suffer. Additionally, such departures may have a disproportionate adverse effect on our operations if our most experienced investment sales and financing professionals do not remain with us or if departures occur in geographic areas where substantial amounts of our real estate brokerage commissions and financing fee revenues are generated.

Our competitors frequently attempt to recruit our investment sales and financing professionals or change commission structures in the marketplace. For a variety of reasons, the exclusive independent contractor arrangements we have entered into or may enter into with investment sales professionals may not prevent these investment sales professionals from departing and competing against us. We currently do not have employment agreements with most key employees, and there is no assurance that we will be able to retain their services.

An increasing component of our growth has also occurred through the recruiting, training and retention of key experienced investment sales and financing professionals. Any future growth through attracting these types of professionals will be partially dependent upon the continued availability of qualified candidates fitting the culture of our firm at reasonable terms and conditions. However, individuals whom we would like to recruit or retain may not agree to terms and conditions acceptable to us. In addition, the recruiting of new personnel involves risks that the persons acquired will not perform in accordance with expectations and that business judgments concerning the value, strengths and weaknesses of persons recruited will prove incorrect.

 

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Our success depends in a large part upon the continued service of our senior management team, who are important to our vision, strategic direction and culture. Our current long-term business strategy was developed in large part by our senior-level management team, some of whom have recently retired or will be transitioning to new positions, and depends in part on their skills and knowledge to implement. Our focus on new growth and investment initiatives may require additional management expertise to successfully execute our strategy. We may not be able to offset the impact on our business of the loss of the services of our senior-level management team or other key officers or employees or be able to recruit additional or replacement talent, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our policy of information-sharing, matching properties with large pools of investors and the emphasis that we place on our clients, our people and our culture define our business philosophy and differentiates our services. Various factors could adversely affect this culture. If we do not continue to develop and implement the right processes and tools to manage our changing enterprise and maintain this culture, our ability to compete successfully and achieve our business objectives could be impaired, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our most successful investment sales and financing professionals are responsible for a significant percentage of our revenues. They also serve as mentors and role models, and provide invaluable training for younger professionals, which is an integral part of our culture. This concentration among our top investment sales and financing professionals of real estate brokerage commissions and financing fees revenues can lead to greater and more concentrated risk of loss if we are unable to retain them, and could have a material adverse impact on our business and financial condition. Furthermore, many of our investment sales and financing professionals work in teams. If a team leader or manager leaves our Company, his or her team members may leave with the team leader.

Most of our investment sales professionals are retained as independent contractors, and we are subject to the Internal Revenue Service regulations and applicable state law guidelines regarding independent contractor classification. These regulations and guidelines are subject to judicial and agency interpretation, and it could be determined that the independent contractor classification is inapplicable to some or all of our investment sales professionals. Further, if legal standards for classification of these investment sales professionals as independent contractors change or appear to be changing, it may be necessary to modify our compensation or commission structure for these investment sales professionals in some or all of our markets, including paying additional compensation or reimbursing expenses. If we are forced to classify these investment sales professionals as employees, we would also become subject to laws regarding employee classification and compensation, and to claims regarding overtime, minimum wage, and meal and rest periods. We could also incur substantial costs, penalties and damages due to future challenges by current or former investment sales professionals to our classification or compensation practices. Any of these outcomes could result in substantial costs to us, could significantly impair our financial condition and our ability to conduct our business as we choose, and could damage our reputation and impair our ability to attract clients and investment sales and financing professionals.

 

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If our employees or investment sales and financing professionals engage in misconduct, our business could be adversely affected. It is not always possible to deter misconduct, and the precautions we take to deter and prevent this activity may not be effective in all cases. If our employees or investment sales and financing professionals were to engage in unethical business practices, improperly use, disseminate, fail to disseminate or disclose information provided by our clients, we could be subject to regulatory sanctions, suffer serious harm to our reputation, financial position and current client relationships and significantly impair our ability to attract future clients. These events could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. To the extent any fraud or theft of funds or misconduct result in losses that exceeds our insurance coverage, our business could be materially adversely affected.

The value of our brand and reputation is one of our most important assets. An inherent risk in maintaining our brand is we may fail to successfully differentiate the scope and quality of our service and product offerings from those of our competitors, or we may fail to sufficiently innovate or develop improved products or services that will be attractive to our clients. Additionally, given the rigors of the competitive marketplace in which we operate, there is the risk we may not be able to continue to find ways to operate more productively and more cost-effectively, including by achieving economies of scale, or we will be limited in our ability to further reduce the costs required to operate on a nationally coordinated platform.

We intend to expand our specialty groups, particularly multi-tenant retail, office, industrial and hospitality, as well as various niche segments, including multifamily tax credit, affordable housing, student housing, manufactured housing, seniors housing and self-storage. We also plan to grow our financing services and commercial mortgage servicing provided through our subsidiary, Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation. We expect to incur expenses relating to acquisitions, recruitment, training, and expanding our markets and services. The planned expansion of services and platforms requires significant resources, and there can be no assurance we will compete effectively, attract or train a sufficient number of professionals to support the expansion, or operate these businesses profitably. We may incur significant expenses for these plans without corresponding returns, which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we experience significant growth in the future, such growth could place additional demands on our resources and increase our expenses, as we will have to commit additional management, operational and financial resources to maintain appropriate operational and financial systems to adequately support expansion. There can be no assurance we will be able to manage our expanding operations effectively or we will be able to maintain or accelerate our growth, and any failure to do so could adversely affect our ability to generate revenue and control our expenses, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any failure to manage our growth could adversely affect our ability to generate revenue and control our expenses, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, we may have to delay, alter or eliminate the implementation of certain aspects of our growth strategy due to events beyond our control, including, but not limited to, changes in general economic conditions and commercial real estate market conditions. Such delays or changes to our growth strategy may adversely affect our business.

 

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Our ability to grow by acquiring companies or assets and by making investments to complement our existing businesses will depend upon the availability of suitable acquisition candidates. If we are unable to find suitable acquisition candidates, if we are unable to attract the interest of such candidates, or if we are unable to successfully negotiate and complete such acquisitions, that could limit our ability to grow.

From time to time, we pursue strategic acquisitions to add and enhance our real estate brokerage and financing service offerings. The companies we have acquired have generally been regional or specialty firms that expand our network of investing and financing professionals and/or provide further diversification to our brokerage and financing services. Our acquisition structures may include deferred and/or contingent consideration payments in future periods that are subject to the passage of time or achievement of certain financial performance metrics and other conditions. Acquisitions also frequently involve significant costs related to integrating culture, information technology, accounting, reporting and management services and rationalizing personnel levels. If we are unable to fully integrate the culture, accounting, reporting and other systems of the businesses we acquire, we may not be able to effectively manage them, and our financial results may be materially adversely affected.

In addition, the acquisitions of businesses involve risks that the businesses acquired will not perform in accordance with expectations, that the expected synergies associated with acquisitions will not be achieved, that we will experience attrition from professionals licensed or associated with the acquired companies and that business judgments concerning the value, strengths and weaknesses of the businesses acquired will prove incorrect, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We historically have earned principally all of our revenue from real estate brokerage transactions and financing fees. We expect that we will continue to rely heavily on revenue from these sources for substantially all of our revenue for the foreseeable future. A decline in number of transactions completed or in the value of the commercial real estate we sell could significantly decrease our revenues which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are substantially dependent on long-term client relationships and on revenue received for services provided for them. Our listing agreements generally expire within six months and depend on the cooperation of the client during the pendency of the agreement, as is typical in the industry. In this competitive market, if we are unable to maintain these relationships or are otherwise unable to retain existing clients and develop new clients, our business, results of operations and/or financial condition may be materially adversely affected. Historically, a global economic downturn and weaknesses in the markets in which our clients and potential clients compete have led to a lower volume of transactions and fewer real estate clients generally, which makes it more difficult to maintain existing and establish new client relationships. These effects could increase again in the wake of the continuing political and economic uncertainties in the United States and in other countries.

 

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As a licensed real estate broker, we and our licensed professionals and brokers are subject to regulatory due diligence, disclosure and obligations. The actual or perceived failure to fulfill these obligations could subject us or our professionals and brokers to litigation from parties who attempted to or in fact financed, purchased or sold properties that we or they brokered, managed or had some other involvement. We could become subject to claims by those who either wished to participate or did participate in real estate transactions alleging that we did not fulfill our regulatory, contractual or other legal obligations. We also face potential conflicts of interest claims when we represent both the buyer and the seller in a transaction.

We depend on our business relationships and our reputation for integrity and high-caliber professional services to attract and retain clients. As a result, allegations by private litigants or regulators, whether the ultimate outcome is favorable or unfavorable to us, as well as negative publicity and press speculation about us or our investment activities, whether or not valid, may harm our reputation and damage our business prospects. In addition, if any lawsuits were brought against us and resulted in a finding of substantial legal liability, it could materially, adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations or cause significant reputational harm to us, which could materially impact our business.

Some of these litigation risks may be mitigated by the commercial insurance we maintain in amounts we believe are appropriate. However, in the event of a substantial loss, our commercial insurance coverage and/or self-insurance reserve levels might not be sufficient to pay the full damages, or the scope of available coverage may not cover certain types of claims. Further, the value of otherwise valid claims we hold under insurance policies could become uncollectible in the event of the covering insurance company’s insolvency, although we seek to limit this risk by placing our commercial insurance only with highly-rated companies. Any of these events could negatively impact our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Outside of our employees and investment sales and financing professionals, our reputation is one of our most important assets. As we have expanded the scope of our services, we increasingly have to address potential, actual or perceived conflicts of interest relating to the services we provide to our existing and potential clients. For example, conflicts may arise between our position as an advisor to both the buyer and seller in commercial real estate sales transactions or in instances when a potential buyer requests that we represent them in securing the necessary capital to acquire an asset we are selling for another client or when a capital source takes an adverse action against an owner client that we are advising in another matter. From time to time, we also advise or represent entities and parties affiliated with us in commercial real estate transactions which also involve clients unaffiliated with us. In this context, we may be subject to complaints or claims of a conflict of interest. While we believe we have attempted to adopt various policies, controls and procedures to address or limit actual or perceived conflicts, these policies and procedures may not be adequate, require excessive expenditures and may not be adhered to by our employees. Appropriately dealing with conflicts of interest is complex and difficult and our reputation could be damaged and cause us to lose existing clients or fail to gain new clients if we fail, or appear to fail, to deal appropriately with conflicts of interest, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

To remain competitive, we must continue to enhance and improve the functionality, features and security of our technology infrastructure. Infrastructure upgrades may require significant capital investment outside of the normal course of business. In the future, we will likely need to improve and upgrade our technology, database systems and network infrastructure in order to allow our business to grow in both size and scope. Without such

 

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improvements, our operations might suffer from unanticipated system disruptions, slow performance or unreliable service levels, any of which could negatively affect our ability to provide rapid customer service. We may face significant delays in introducing new services, investment sales professional tools and enhancements. Moreover, if we do not keep pace with the rapid innovations and changes taking place in information technology in our industry, we could be at a competitive disadvantage. If competitors introduce new products and services using new technologies, our proprietary technology and systems may become less competitive, and our business may be harmed. In addition, the expansion and improvement of our systems and infrastructure may require us to commit substantial financial, operational and technical resources, with no assurance that our business will improve.

Our business requires the continued operation of information technology and communication systems and network infrastructure. Our ability to conduct our national business may be adversely impacted by disruptions or breaches to these systems or infrastructure. Our information technology and communications systems are vulnerable to damage or disruption from fire, power loss, telecommunications failure, system malfunctions, computer viruses, third-party misconduct or penetration and criminal acts, natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires and floods, acts of war or terrorism, or other events which are beyond our control. In addition, the operation and maintenance of these systems and networks is, in some cases, dependent on third-party technologies, systems and service providers for which there is no certainty of uninterrupted availability. Any of these events could cause system interruption, delays, and loss of critical data or intellectual property (such as our client lists and information, business methods and research) and may also disrupt our ability to provide services to or interact with our clients, and we may not be able to successfully implement contingency plans that depend on communication or travel. We have business continuity plans and backup systems to reduce the potentially adverse effect of such events, but our business continuity planning may not be sufficient and cannot account for all eventualities. A catastrophic event that results in the destruction or disruption of any of our data centers or our critical business or information technology systems could severely affect our ability to conduct normal business operations and, as a result, our future operating results could be adversely affected. Our business relies significantly on the use of commercial real estate data. We produce much of this data internally, but a significant portion is purchased from third-party providers for which there is no certainty of uninterrupted availability. A disruption of our ability to provide data to our professionals and/or clients could damage our reputation, and our operating results could be adversely affected.

Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our information and expose us to liability, which could cause our business and reputation to suffer. In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including our proprietary business information and intellectual property and that of our clients and personally identifiable information of our employees and contractors, in our data centers and on our networks. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations. Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to various cyber-attacks, such as hacking, spoofing and phishing attacks, or our systems may be breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. A significant actual or potential theft, loss, fraudulent use or misuse of client, employee or other personally identifiable data, whether by third parties or as a result of employee malfeasance or otherwise, with our contractual or other legal obligations regarding such data or a violation of our privacy and security policies with respect to such data could result in significant costs, fines, litigation or regulatory actions against us. Such an event could additionally disrupt our operations and the services we provide to clients, damage our reputation, and cause a loss of confidence in our services, which could adversely affect our business, revenues and competitive position. Additionally, we increasingly rely on third-party data storage

 

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providers, including cloud storage solution providers, resulting in less direct control over our data. Such third parties may also be vulnerable to security breaches and compromised security systems, which could adversely affect our reputation.

We rely on the collection and use of personally identifiable information from clients to conduct our business. We disclose our information collection and dissemination practices in a published privacy statement on our websites, which we may modify from time to time. We may be subject to legal claims, government action, including under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and damage to our reputation if we act or are perceived to be acting inconsistently with the terms of our privacy statement, client expectations or the law. In the event we or the vendors with which we contract to provide services on behalf of our clients were to suffer a breach of personally identifiable information, our customers could terminate their business with us. Further, we may be subject to claims to the extent individual employees or investment sales and financing professionals breach or fail to adhere to company policies and practices and such actions jeopardize any personally identifiable information. In addition, concern among potential buyers or sellers about our privacy practices could keep them from using our services or require us to incur significant expense to alter our business practices or educate them about how we use personally identifiable information.

We invest a portion of our available cash and cash equivalent balances in money market funds, some of which have floating net asset values or by purchasing marketable debt securities with maturities in excess of three months in a managed portfolio in a variety of fixed or variable rate debt securities, including U.S. government and federal agency securities and corporate debt securities. The primary objective of our investment activity is to maintain the safety of principal, provide for future liquidity requirements while maximizing yields without significantly increasing risk. Should any of our investments or marketable debt securities lose value or have their liquidity impaired, it could affect our overall financial condition. Additionally, should we choose or are required to sell these securities in the future at a loss, our consolidated operating results or cash flows may be affected.

We may be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 if, among other things, we own “investment securities” with a value exceeding 40% of the value of our total assets, unless we qualify under a particular exemption or safe harbor. We invest part of our available cash and cash equivalents in variety of short-term, investment grade securities, some of which may qualify as “investment securities” under the Investment Company Act. Investment companies are subject to registration under the Investment Company Act and compliance with a variety of restrictions and requirements. If we were to be deemed an investment company we would become subject to these restrictions and requirements, and the consequences of having been an investment company without registering under the Investment Company Act could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as restrict our ability to sell and issue securities, borrow funds, engage in various transactions or other activities and make certain investment decisions. In addition, we may incur significant costs or limitation on business opportunities to avoid investment company status if an exemption from the Investment Company Act were to be considered unavailable to us at a time when the value of our “investment securities” exceeds 40% of the value of our total assets. We believe that we satisfy the conditions to be exempt from the Investment Company Act because, among other things, we are engaged directly and primarily in a business other than that of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities. However, absent an exemptive order from the SEC, our status of being exempt cannot be assured.

 

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George M. Marcus, our Chair and founder beneficially owns approximately 15.7 million shares, or approximately 40% of our outstanding common stock as of December 31, 2020. Because of Mr. Marcus’s substantial ownership of our outstanding common stock, he may be able to significantly influence the outcome of corporate actions requiring stockholder approval, including the election and removal of directors, so long as he controls a significant portion of our common stock. Mr. Marcus’ shares may also be sold in a public or private sale which could adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the future sales of equity securities.

George M. Marcus serves as the Chair of our board of directors and is Chair of the board of directors of MMC. In addition, Mr. Marcus beneficially owns substantially all of the outstanding stock of MMC. His position at MMC and the ownership of any MMC equity or equity awards creates or may create the appearance of conflicts of interest if and when he is faced with decisions that could have different implications for MMC and for us.

Under current accounting guidelines, we evaluate our goodwill and other intangible assets for potential impairment annually or more frequently if circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. We perform the required annual goodwill impairment evaluation in the fourth quarter of each year. Any impairment of goodwill or other intangible assets would result in a charge against earnings, and such charge could materially adversely affect our reported results of operations and the market price of our common stock in future periods.

We make assumptions, judgments and estimates that affect amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements. These assumptions, judgments and estimates are drawn from historical experience and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances as of the date of the consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ materially from our estimates, and such differences could significantly impact our financial results.

We prepare our consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP. These principles are subject to interpretation by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), the SEC and various bodies formed to interpret and create appropriate accounting principles and guidance. The FASB periodically issues new accounting standards on a variety of topics. For information regarding new accounting standards, please refer to Note 2 – “Accounting Policies and Recent Accounting Pronouncements” of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. These and other such standards generally result in different accounting principles, which may significantly impact our reported results or could result in variability of our financial results.

 

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Effective internal controls are necessary to provide reliable financial reports and to assist in the effective prevention of fraud. Any inability to provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud could harm our business.

We must annually evaluate our internal control procedures to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which requires our management and auditors to assess the effectiveness of internal controls. If we fail to remedy or maintain the adequacy of our internal controls when such standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny, civil or criminal penalties or shareholder litigation.

In addition, failure to maintain adequate internal controls could result in financial statements that do not accurately reflect our financial condition. There can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to complete the work necessary to fully comply with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or that our management and external auditors will continue to conclude that our internal controls are effective.

Volatility in the market price of our common stock may prevent shareholders from being able to sell shares of our common stock at or above the price shareholders paid for them. The market price for our common stock could fluctuate significantly for various reasons, including quarterly and annual variations in our results and those of our competitors; changes to the competitive landscape; estimates and projections by the investment community; the arrival or departure of key personnel, especially the retirement or departure of key senior investment sales and financing professionals and management; the introduction of new services by us or our competitors; acquisitions, strategic alliances or joint ventures involving us or our competitors; and general global and domestic economic, credit and liquidity issues, market or political conditions. For example, during the period ended December 31, 2020, the price of our shares has ranged from a high of $43.50 per share to a low of $21.90 per share.

As a result of these factors, investors in our common stock may not be able to resell their shares at or above the price paid to acquire the stock or may not be able to resell them at all. These broad market and industry factors may materially reduce the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In addition, price volatility may be greater if the public float and trading volume of our common stock is low.

The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our business. These research reports about our business may contain information about us, including, but not limited to estimates of our future results of operations and stock price. We do not control these analysts, nor can we assure that any analysts will continue to follow us, issue research reports or publish information that accurately predicts our actual results or stock price. Furthermore, if we do not meet the expectations of industry or financial analysts or one or more of the analysts who do cover us downgrades our Company or our industry, or the stock of any of our competitors, the price of our common stock could decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our Company, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause the price of our common stock to decline.

 

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We have experienced and may continue to experience fluctuations in revenues and net income as a result of many factors, including, but not limited to, economic conditions, capital market disruptions, the timing of transactions, revenue mix and the timing of additional selling, general and administrative expenses to support growth initiatives. We provide many of our services pursuant to contracts that typically expire within six months and that are dependent on the client’s cooperation. Consequently, many of our clients can terminate or significantly reduce their relationships with us on very short notice for any reason.

We plan our capital and operating expenditures based on our expectations of future revenues and, if revenues are below expectations in any given quarter or year, we may be unable to adjust capital or operating expenditures in a timely manner to compensate for any unexpected revenue shortfall, which could have an immediate material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

Future sales, issuances of shares under our Amended and Restated 2013 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan and 2013 Employee Stock Purchase Plan or the availability of a substantial amount of our common stock in the public market could adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the future sales of equity securities.

We may issue shares of our common stock or other securities from time to time as consideration for future acquisitions and investments. If any such acquisition or investment is significant, the number of shares of our common stock, or the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of other securities that we may issue may in turn be substantial. We may also grant registration rights covering those shares of our common stock or other securities in connection with any such acquisitions and investments.

We cannot predict the size of future issuances or sales of our common stock or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of our common stock will have on the market price of our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock (including shares of our common stock issued in connection with an acquisition), or the perception that such sales could occur, may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common stock.

Not applicable.

Our principal executive offices are located at 23975 Park Sorrento, Suite 400, Calabasas, California 91302 where our telephone number is (818) We lease all of our brokerage offices (typically less than 12,000 square feet) and other support facilities in United States and Canada. We believe that our current facilities are adequate to meet our needs through the end of 2021; however, as we continue to expand in various midmarket locations and grow our market share in existing metropolitan areas, we may need to lease additional space.

We are involved in claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of our business, some of which involve claims for damages that are substantial in amount. Most of these litigation matters are covered by our

 

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insurance policies, which contain deductibles, exclusions, claim limits and aggregate policy limits. Such litigation and other proceedings may include, but are not limited to, actions relating to commercial relationships, standard brokerage disputes like the alleged failure to disclose physical or environmental defects or property expenses or contracts, the alleged inadequate disclosure of matters relating to the transaction like the relationships among the parties to the transaction, potential claims or losses pertaining to the asset, vicarious liability based upon conduct of individuals or entities outside of our control, general fraud claims, conflicts of interest claims, employment law claims, including claims challenging the classification of our sales professionals as independent contractors, claims alleging violations of state consumer fraud statutes and intellectual property. While the ultimate liability for these legal proceeding cannot be determined, we review the need for an accrual for loss contingencies quarterly and record an accrual for litigation related losses where the likelihood of loss is both probable and estimable. We do not believe, based on information currently available to us, that the final outcome of these proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

For information on our legal proceedings, see Note 16 – “Commitments and Contingencies” of our accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 – “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form

Not applicable.

 

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Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “MMI”.

As of February 16, 2021, there were 13 stockholders of record, and the closing price of our common stock was $38.44 per share as reported on the NYSE.

The following graph shows a comparison from December 31, 2015 through December 31, 2020 of the cumulative total return for our common stock, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index (“S&P 500 Index”) and an industry peer group for this period.

The graph assumes that $100 was invested at the market close on December 31, 2015 in the common stock of Marcus & Millichap Inc., the S&P 500 Index and the peer group, and assumes reinvestments of dividends. The stock price performance of the following graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance. The industry peer group is comprised of the following publicly-traded real estate services companies: CBRE Group, Inc., Colliers International Group, Inc., Cushman & Wakefield plc (from August 2018 when it began trading), JLL and Newmark Group, Inc. (from December 2017 when it began trading) (collectively “Peer Group”). In 2020, we elected to remove HFF, Inc. from our Peer Group since they were acquired by JLL and added Colliers International Group, Inc., Cushman & Wakefield plc and Newmark Group, Inc. We selected our Peer Group based on companies that represent our primary competitors with certain business lines reasonably comparable to ours and based on how long they have been publicly-traded.

 

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None.

None.

The following selected consolidated financial and other data should be read in conjunction with Part II, Item 7 – “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in Part II, Item 8 – “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form

The following table presents the consolidated statement of income data for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, and the consolidated balance sheet data at December 31, 2020 and 2019. Such financial data are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on The table also presents the consolidated statement of income data for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 and the consolidated balance sheet data at December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, which are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements that are not included in this Annual Report on Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of our results in any future period.

 

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The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere herein. The following discussion contains, in addition to historical information, forward-looking statements that include risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those factors set forth under Item 1A – “Risk Factors”

 

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and Item 7 — “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Overview – ” of this Annual Report on

We are a leading national brokerage firm specializing in commercial real estate investment sales, financing, research and advisory services. We have been the top commercial real estate investment broker in the United States based on the number of investment transactions for more than 15 years. As of December 31, 2020, we had 2,097 investment sales and financing professionals that are primarily exclusive independent contractors operating in 84 offices, who provide real estate brokerage and financing services to sellers and buyers of commercial real estate. We also offer market research, consulting and advisory services to our clients. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we closed 8,954 investment sales, financing and other transactions with total sales volume of approximately $43.4 billion. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we closed 9,726 sales, financing and other transactions with total sales volume of approximately $49.7 billion.

We generate revenues by collecting real estate brokerage commissions upon the sale, and fees upon the financing of commercial properties and by providing consulting, advisory and other real estate services. Real estate brokerage commissions are typically based upon the value of the property, and financing fees are typically based upon the size of the loan. During the year ended December 31, 2020, approximately 88% of our revenues were generated from real estate brokerage commissions, 10% from financing fees and 2% from other real estate related services.

We continue to increase our market presence through the execution of our growth strategies by targeting markets based on population, employment, level of commercial real estate sales, inventory and competitive opportunities where we believe the markets will benefit from our commercial real estate investment sales, financing, research and advisory services. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we completed four acquisitions that expanded our financing and real estate brokerage markets presence in the Northeast, Southwest and Southeast. None of the acquisitions were individually material to the financial statements.

Since March 2020, the pandemic has been and continues to be a prolonged widespread global health crisis that has affected and will continue to affect how we operate our business. The duration and extent to which it will continue to impact our business is unknown. Many states, counties and cities where we conduct our business activities, have instituted quarantines, restrictions on travel, “shelter in place” rules, and restrictions on the types of business that may continue to operate, which has and may continue to limit the activity of our sales and financing professionals in engaging with our clients. These factors are also impacting the financial performance of real estate to varying degrees by property type, which in turn has and continues to create challenges in valuations and trading volumes. First and foremost, we have been and remain committed to protecting the health and safety of our employees, investment sales and financing professionals, clients and their families, while at the same time focusing on our clients’ success. We have implemented measures such as increased sanitizing, physical distancing and remote work arrangements, with the goal of protecting our employees, sales and financing professionals and clients. We continue to follow the local guidelines in cities where our offices are located, and all but a few of our offices have and those that have not been able to due to state and local restrictions are available to our employees and sales and financing professionals on an basis.

We are closely monitoring the impact of pandemic on all aspects of our business and in the regions we operate. Since the start of the pandemic, we have taken multiple measures to support our investment

 

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sales and financing professionals’ ability to generate and execute business remotely. Such measures include multiple technological solutions, intensified internal training and education, as well as a significant increase in client outreach and investor education webcasts. Our business was impacted during most of 2020, with the total number of transactions and total revenues declining 7.9% and 11.1% in the year ended December 31, 2020, respectively, compared to the same period in 2019. The pandemic caused a major market disruption starting in the second quarter of 2020 as we saw a significant slowing of our real estate brokerage and financing transaction activity, difficulty in pricing assets and, in certain cases, restrictions on the ability of borrowers to access the capital markets and other sources of financing. During the second half of 2020, we started to see recovery in transaction activity, in part, attributable to historically low interest rates, improved investor confidence due to the progress of vaccines and resurrected deals and cancelled listings continuing to come back. While our financial results continue to be well-below prior levels, returning to prior year levels remains a major priority for us. We are extending the uses of technology and resource sharing measures adopted over the past nine months as ways to achieve more efficiency on a long-term basis.

The long-term impact of the disruption in financial markets, consumer spending, unemployment as well as other unanticipated consequences remain unknown. Although the negative impact to our business has moderated, we anticipate that total revenues will be negatively impacted for at least the first half of 2021 and until more stable business conditions begin to resume in 2021. Due to a high degree of uncertainty and fluidity of this situation, we are unable to predict the extent of the negative impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. These uncertainties include the scope, severity and duration of the pandemic; variants in the virus and the effects thereof; expectation gaps among buyers and sellers on pricing and property operation, vulnerability to further economic weakness and/or slow recovery; a more difficult market environment for new investment sales and financing professionals who are experiencing extended time to reach production goals; the actions taken by state and local governments to contain the pandemic or mitigate its impact, including vaccination programs; the direct and indirect economic effects of the pandemic and containment measures and actions taken; and the impact of these and other factors on our employees, independent contractors, clients and potential clients.

We continue to monitor the expected trends and related demand for our services and will continue to adjust our operations accordingly. In response to this ongoing period of business disruption, we assessed our cost structure and instituted various expense reduction initiatives, including, but not limited to, compensation reductions, reductions in events and travel, suspension of company matching contributions in our 401(k) plan and layoffs to preserve our balance sheet and financial position. We have recalled some of our furloughed employees and have restored compensation levels for all employees, who received a compensation reduction other than our Chief Executive Officer, who requested that his reduction be extended. Our priority is to support our team’s efforts to increase client contact, provide expanded content and advisory services to investors and clients, and preserve our financial position through expense reductions. Given our significant liquidity, we expect our company to be well positioned to benefit from and contribute to the real estate transaction recovery when it emerges, including making accretive and synergistic acquisitions, which will help expand service offerings and market coverage.

Our business and our operating results, financial condition and liquidity are significantly affected by the number and size of commercial real estate investment sales and financing transactions that we close in any period. The number and size of these transactions are affected by our ability to recruit and retain investment sales and financing professionals, identify and contract properties for sale and identify those that need financing and refinancing. We principally monitor the commercial real estate market through four factors, which generally drive our business. The factors are the economy, commercial real estate supply and demand, capital markets and investor sentiment and investment activity.

 

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Our business is dependent on economic conditions within the markets in which we operate. Changes in the economy on a global, national, regional or local basis can have a positive or a negative impact on our business. Economic indicators and projections related to job growth, unemployment, interest rates, retail spending and confidence trends can have a positive or a negative impact on our business. Overall market conditions, including global trade, interest rate changes and job creation, can affect investor sentiment and, ultimately, the demand for our services from investors in real estate.

The U.S. economy continues to face significant headwinds, and though government stimulus has partially offset the economic impact, we believe a full revival is dependent on broadly distributed vaccines. In recent months, the economy was slowed by the combination of a winter surge and the waning support of the CARES Act stimulus. Job creation slipped into negative territory and retail sales gave back some of its earlier gains, but the late December passage of a $900 billion second stimulus package should deliver modest renewed economic traction. Another major round of stimulus measures, still in congressional negotiation, could potentially help bridge the macro-level economy until widespread vaccinations begin to revive metros and business sectors. We believe that vaccinations covering the majority of citizens could spark accelerated economic growth as uncertainty and fear abate and demand is released. We believe this could begin to support space demand for all commercial real estate property types, particularly, metros and sectors like hotels, shopping malls and vacation destinations. A revival of investor activity appears to be emerging ahead of the broader recovery, but it could still face setbacks if events lead to renewed investor uncertainty.

Our business is dependent on the willingness of investors to invest in or sell commercial real estate, which is affected by many factors beyond our control. These factors include the supply of commercial real estate coupled with user demand for these properties and the performance of real estate assets when compared with other investment alternatives, such as stocks and bonds.

Apartment and single-tenant property types, which are a significant part of our business, have performed comparatively well as demand has been more stable than other property types. The hotel sector and parts of the retail sector continue to face headwinds, although we believe segments of each of the sectors appear to have built some momentum. While large destination tourist hotels and those catering to conferences continue to face the severe impact of the pandemic, it appears smaller drivable vacation hotels have performed comparatively well. In the retail sector, older enclosed shopping malls, experiential retail, gyms, movie theaters and dining restaurants have faced extensive difficulties while restaurants with drive-thru facilities, necessity and discount retailers as well as pharmacies have in many cases maintained healthy performance. We believe suburban office and apartment properties have generally outperformed their urban counterparts as home offices and the need for more space outweighed the many closed amenities offered in the urban core. Elevated new apartment deliveries, particularly in the urban core, is expected to weigh on Class A apartment performance. Industrial property fundamentals, meanwhile, have generally remained stable, bolstered by strong eCommerce as a primary consumption channel. Rent collections for apartment, office and industrial properties remain above 90 percent, and the new round of stimulus measures, which includes expanded unemployment benefits, $25 billion for rental assistance and a renewed Paycheck Protection Program should help support tenants. Asset performance could continue to vary significantly by locality as cities across the country face wide-ranging economic and health-related fallout.

Credit and liquidity issues in the financial markets have a direct impact on the flow of capital to the commercial real estate market. Real estate purchases are often financed with debt and, as a result, credit and

 

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liquidity impact transaction activity and prices. Changes in interest rates, as well as steady and protracted movements of interest rates in one direction, whether increases or decreases, could adversely or positively affect the operations and income potential of commercial real estate properties, as well as lender and equity underwriting for real estate investments. These changes influence the demand of investors for commercial real estate investments.

Lenders remain active and debt is available for most property types. Led by local and regional banks, financing availability and terms have been sustained for most property types while interest rates remain near record lows. Hotels and some retail centers, which are the property types grappling with the greatest levels of distress, still face limited access to debt capital. Other property types, particularly those that have maintained strong rent collections, have financing options. Speculative investment, including construction and assets, face closer lender scrutiny, but private capital sources continue to offer a bridge for well-qualified borrowers. The increased debt liquidity and particularly low interest rates supported rising investor activity in the fourth quarter, but sales remained well below levels. Although the Federal Reserve’s commitment to low interest rates could support the low interest rate climate for an extended period, the prospect of accelerated economic growth in the second half of the year could put some upward pressure on rates. We believe market liquidity should remain strong, barring a significant medical or financial market setback.

We rely on investors to buy and sell properties in order to generate commissions. Investors’ desires to engage in real estate transactions are dependent on many factors that are beyond our control. The economy, supply and demand for properly positioned properties, available credit and market events impact investor sentiment and, therefore, transaction velocity. In addition, our private clients are often motivated to buy, sell and/or refinance properties due to personal circumstances such as death, divorce, partnership breakups and estate planning.

Investor activity continued to accelerate in the fourth quarter as it appears investors began to focus more on upside opportunities and less on downside risk. Based on informal surveys, many were motivated to transact ahead of the administration change and speculation about possible tax law changes. Questions remain for substantially all facets of the near-term real estate sector outlook, but many investors are focusing more on the post-vaccine recovery. The most stable assets in stronger markets have demonstrated fully recovered pricing, while assets with considerable uncertainty continue to navigate the price discovery process. However, we believe low interest rates and generally broad capital availability have been positive forces supporting activity. We believe the many investors still on the sidelines have ample capital to spur transaction activity once uncertainties abate, particularly after vaccinations reach a critical mass. Looking forward, tax policy could become a larger concern for investors, with potential proposals for changes to capital gains, estate taxes and 1031 tax deferred exchanges. Any changes to the tax code could influence activity either to the upside or downside. Nonetheless, we believe a medical solution to the health crisis and the eventual release of demand among consumers and real estate investors remain significant factors in determining investor decisions.

Our real estate brokerage commissions and financing fees have tended to be seasonal and, combined with other factors, can affect an investor’s ability to compare our financial condition and results of operations on a basis. Historically, this seasonality has generally caused our revenue, operating income, net income and cash flows from operating activities to be lower in the first half of the year and higher in the second half of the year, particularly in the fourth quarter. The concentration of earnings and cash flows in the last six months of the year, particularly in the fourth quarter, is due to an industry-wide focus of clients to complete transactions towards the end of the calendar year. This historical trend can be disrupted both positively and negatively by major economic events, political events, natural disasters or pandemics such as the pandemic, which may impact, among other things, investor sentiment for a particular property type or location,

 

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volatility in financial markets, current and future projections of interest rates, attractiveness of other asset classes, market liquidity and the extent of limitations or availability of capital allocations for larger property buyers, among others. Private client investors may accelerate or delay transactions due to personal or business-related reasons unrelated to economic events. In addition, our operating margins are typically lower during the second half of each year due to our commission structure for some of our senior investment sales and financing professionals. These senior investment sales and financing professionals are on a graduated commission schedule that resets annually, pursuant to which higher commissions are paid for higher sales volumes. Our historical pattern of seasonality may or may not continue to the same degree experienced in prior years.

We follow the guidance for segment reporting, which requires reporting information on operating segments in interim and annual financial statements. Substantially all of our operations involve the delivery of commercial real estate services to our customers including real estate investment sales, financing and consulting and advisory services. Management makes operating decisions, assesses performance and allocates resources based on an ongoing review of these integrated operations, which constitute only one operating segment for financial reporting purposes.

Our revenues are primarily generated from our real estate investment sales business. In addition to real estate brokerage commissions, we generate revenues from financing fees and from other revenues, which are primarily comprised of consulting and advisory fees.

Because our business is transaction oriented, we rely on investment sales and financing professionals to continually develop leads, identify properties to sell and finance, market those properties and close the sale timely to generate a consistent flow of revenue. While our sales volume is impacted by seasonality factors, the timing of closings is also dependent on many market and personal factors unique to a particular client or transaction, particularly clients transacting in the private client market segment. These factors can cause transactions to be accelerated or delayed beyond our control. Further, commission rates earned are generally inversely related to the value of the property sold. As a result of our expansion into the middle and larger transaction market segments, we have seen our overall commission rates fluctuate from as a result of changes in the relative mix of the number and volume of investment sales transactions closed in the middle and larger transaction market segments as compared to the private client market segment. These factors may result in variations in our revenues that differ from historical patterns.

A small percentage of our transactions include retainer fees and/or breakage fees. Retainer fees are credited against a success-based fee paid upon the closing of a transaction or a breakage fee. Transactions that are terminated before completion will sometimes generate breakage fees, which are usually calculated as a set amount or a percentage of the fee we would have received had the transaction closed.

We earn real estate brokerage commissions by acting as a broker for commercial real estate owners seeking to sell or investors seeking to buy properties. Revenues from real estate brokerage commissions are typically recognized at the close of escrow.

We earn financing fees by securing financing on purchase transactions or by securing refinancing of our clients’ existing mortgage debt. We recognize financing fee revenues at the time the loan closes, and we have no remaining significant obligations for performance in connection with the transaction.

 

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To a lesser extent, we also earn mortgage servicing revenue, mortgage servicing fees, equity advisory services, loan sales and ancillary fees associated with financing activities. We recognize mortgage servicing revenues upon the acquisition of a servicing obligation. We generate mortgage servicing fees through the provision of collection, remittance, recordkeeping, reporting and other related mortgage servicing functions, activities and services.

Other revenues include fees generated from consulting, advisory and other real estate services performed by our investment sales professionals, as well as referral fees from other real estate brokers. Revenues from these services are recognized as they are performed and completed.

Our operating expenses consist of cost of services, selling, general and administrative expenses and depreciation and amortization. The significant components of our expenses are further described below.

The majority of our cost of services expense is variable commissions paid to our investment sales professionals and compensation-related costs related to our financing activities. Commission expenses are directly attributable to providing services to our clients for investment sales and financing services. Most of our investment sales and financing professionals are independent contractors and are paid commissions; however, because there are some who are initially paid a salary and certain of our financing professionals are employees, costs of services also include employee-related compensation, employer taxes and benefits for those employees. The commission rates we pay to our investment sales and financing professionals vary based on individual contracts negotiated and are generally higher for the more experienced professionals. Some of our most senior investment sales and financing professionals also have the ability to earn additional commissions after meeting certain annual financial thresholds. These additional commissions are recognized as cost of services in the period in which they are earned. Payment of a portion of these additional commissions are generally deferred for a period of one to three years, at our election, and paid at the beginning of the second and fourth calendar year. Cost of services also includes referral fees paid to other real estate brokers where we are the principal service provider. Cost of services, therefore, can vary based on the commission structure of the independent contractors that closed transactions in any particular period.

The largest expense component within selling, general and administrative expenses is personnel expenses for our management team and sales and support staff. In addition, these costs include facilities costs (excluding depreciation and amortization), staff related expenses, sales, marketing, legal, telecommunication, network, data sources, transaction costs related to acquisitions, changes in fair value for contingent and deferred consideration and other administrative expenses. Also included in selling, general and administrative are expenses for stock-based compensation to directors, employees and independent contractors (i.e. investment sales and financing professionals) under the Amended and Restated 2013 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (“2013 Plan”) and the 2013 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”).

Depreciation expense consists of depreciation recorded on our computer software and hardware and furniture, fixture and equipment. Depreciation is provided over estimated useful lives ranging from three to seven years for assets. Amortization expense consists of (i) amortization recorded on our mortgage servicing rights (“MSRs”) using the interest method over the period that servicing income is expected to be received and (ii) amortization recorded on intangible assets amortized on a straight-line basis using a useful life between one and seven years.

 

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Other income (expense), net primarily consists of interest income, net gains or losses on our deferred compensation plan assets, realized gains and losses on our marketable debt securities, foreign currency gains and losses and other income and expenses.

Interest expense primarily consists of interest expense associated with the stock appreciation rights (“SARs”) liability, notes payable to former stockholders (through the second quarter of 2020 when fully repaid) and our credit agreement.

We are subject to U.S. and Canadian federal taxes and individual state and local taxes based on the income generated in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Our effective tax rate fluctuates as a result of the change in the mix of our activities in the jurisdictions we operate due to differing tax rates in those jurisdictions and the impact of permanent items, including principally compensation charges, qualified transportation fringe benefits, uncertain tax positions, meals and entertainment and deferred compensation plan assets. Our provision for income taxes includes the windfall tax benefits and shortfall expenses, net, from shares issued in connection with our 2013 Plan and ESPP.

We record deferred taxes, net based on the tax rate expected to be in effect at the time those items are expected to be recognized for tax purposes.

Following is a discussion of our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018. The tables included in the period comparisons below provide summaries of our results of operations. The comparisons of financial results are not necessarily indicative of future results.

 

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We regularly review a number of key metrics to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, formulate financial projections and make strategic decisions. We also believe these metrics are relevant to investors’ and others’ assessment of our financial condition and results of operations. During the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, we closed more than 8,900, 9,700 and 9,400 investment sales, financing and other transactions, respectively, with total sales volume of approximately $43.4 billion, $49.7 billion and $46.4 billion, respectively. Such key metrics for real estate brokerage and financing activities (excluding other transactions) are as follows:

 

 

 

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Below are key operating results for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the results for the year ended December 31, 2019 (dollars in thousands):

 

 

Our total revenues were $716.9 million in 2020 compared to $806.4 million in 2019, a decrease of $89.5 million, or 11.1%. Total revenues decreased as a result of decreased real estate brokerage commissions, partially offset by increases in financing fees and other revenues, as described below.

Revenues from real estate brokerage commissions decreased to $633.2 million in 2020 from $729.4 million in 2019, a decrease of $96.2 million, or 13.2%. The decrease was driven by a 13.0% reduction in sales volume. Sales volume was impacted by a 10.7% decrease in the number of transactions and a 2.6% decrease in the average transaction size, primarily as a result of the economic uncertainty and other transactional impediments related to the pandemic. The average commission rates remained comparable.

 

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Revenues from financing fees increased to $70.5 million in 2020 from $66.3 million in 2019, an increase of $4.2 million, or 6.4%. The increase was, in part, spurred by growth from acquisitions and was primarily driven by a 6.9% increase in financing volume, partially offset by a 3 basis points reduction in average fee rates. Financing volume was impacted by a 6.9% increase in the average transaction size as the number of transactions remained relatively comparable.

Other revenues increased to $13.2 million in 2020 from $10.8 million in 2019, an increase of $2.4 million, or 22.5%. The increase was primarily driven by increases in consulting and advisory services during 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.

Our total operating expenses were $663.3 million in 2020 compared to $710.0 million in 2019, a decrease of $46.7 million, or 6.6%. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in cost of services, which are variable commissions paid to our investment sales professionals and compensation related costs in connection with our financing activities, partially offset by increases in selling, general and administrative costs and depreciation and amortization expense, as described below.

 Cost of services in 2020 decreased to $447.9 million from $498.9 million in 2019, a decrease of $51.0 million, or 10.2%. The decrease was primarily due to decreased commission expenses driven by the related decreased revenues due to the pandemic noted above. Cost of services as a percent of total revenues increased to 62.5% for 2020 compared to 61.9% for 2019, primarily due to a higher proportion of transactions closed by our more senior investment sales and financing professionals.

Selling, general and administrative expense in 2020 increased $1.4 million, or 0.7%, to $204.5 million from $203.1 million in 2019. The increase was primarily due to increases in (i) business development, marketing and other support related to the long-term retention of our sales and financing professionals, as well as recent additions of experienced professionals; (ii) facilities expenses due to the expansion of existing offices and our acquisition activities; (iii) acquisition-related costs; (iv) stock-based compensation; and (v) certain software licensing fees. These increases were partially offset by reductions in (i) compensation related costs, primarily driven by decreases in variable employee incentive compensation and salaries and related benefits due to (ii) sales events, travel and other related expenses due to and (iii) legal costs.

Depreciation and amortization expense increased to $10.9 million in 2020 from $8.0 million in 2019, an increase of $2.9 million, or 35.9%. The increase was primarily driven by the increase in amortization of intangible assets resulting from the increase in intangible assets due to acquisitions.

Other income (expense), net decreased to $6.7 million in 2020 from $12.5 million in 2019. The decrease was primarily driven by (i) a $5.1 million reduction in interest income on our investments in marketable debt securities, due to overall decrease in interest rates and (ii) a $0.8 million reduction in net other categories, including a decrease in the returns on the assets of our deferred compensation plan that are held in a rabbi trust and foreign currency gain (losses) related to our Canadian operations.

Interest expense decreased to $0.9 million in 2020 from $1.4 million in 2019. The decrease was primarily due to a reduction in interest expense related to stock appreciations rights liability and notes payable to former stockholders, which were fully repaid during 2020.

 

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The provision for income taxes was $16.5 million for 2020 compared to $30.6 million in 2019, a decrease of $14.1 million, or 46.0%. The effective tax rate for 2020 was 27.8%, compared with 28.4% in 2019. The decrease in the effective tax rate was primarily due to the decrease in state taxes, the partial reversal of a reserve of uncertain tax positions and a relative change in valuation allowance related to our Canadian losses, partially offset by a net shortfall tax expense in 2020 versus a net windfall tax benefit in 2019 related to stock-based compensation.

A discussion regarding our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to the results for the year ended December 31, 2018 can be found under Item 7 – “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 2, 2020, which is available on the SEC’s website at

In this Annual Report on Form we include a financial measure, adjusted earnings before interest income/expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation and other items, or Adjusted EBITDA. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income before (i) interest income and other, including net realized gains (losses) on marketable debt securities, and cash and cash equivalents, (ii) interest expense, (iii) provision for income taxes, (iv) depreciation and amortization, (v) stock-based compensation, and MSR activity. We use Adjusted EBITDA in our business operations to evaluate the performance of our business, develop budgets and measure our performance against those budgets, among other things. We also believe that analysts and investors use Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental measure to evaluate our overall operating performance. However, Adjusted EBITDA has material limitations as an analytical tool and should not be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under U.S. GAAP. We find Adjusted EBITDA to be a useful tool to assist in evaluating performance, because Adjusted EBITDA eliminates items related to capital structure, taxes and items. In light of the foregoing limitations, we do not rely solely on Adjusted EBITDA as a performance measure and also consider our U.S. GAAP results. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measurement of our financial performance under U.S. GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income, operating income or any other measures calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Because Adjusted EBITDA is not calculated in the same manner by all companies, it may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies. A reconciliation of the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measure, net income, to Adjusted EBITDA is as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

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Our primary sources of liquidity are cash and cash equivalents, cash flows from operations, marketable debt securities, and, if necessary, borrowings under our credit agreement. In order to enhance yield to us, we have invested a portion of our cash in money market funds and fixed and variable income debt securities, in accordance with our investment policy approved by the board of directors. Certain of our investments in money market funds may not maintain a stable net asset value and may impose fees on redemptions and/or gating fees. To date, the Company has not experienced any restrictions or gating fees on its ability to redeem funds from money market funds. Although we have historically funded our operations through operating cash flows, there can be no assurance that we can continue to meet our cash requirements entirely through our operations, cash and cash equivalents, proceeds from the sale of marketable debt securities, or availability under our credit agreement.

Our total cash and cash equivalents balance increased by $10.5 million to $243.2 million at December 31, 2020, compared to $232.7 million at December 31, 2019. The following table sets forth our summary cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands):