CBOE Holdings Reports Strong Second-Quarter Results

CHICAGO, July 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — CBOE Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBOE) today reported net income allocated to common stockholders of $50.7 million, or $0.62 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2016, compared with $44.6 million, or $0.54 per diluted share, up 14 percent and 15 percent, respectively, over the second quarter of 2015.   Adjusted net income allocated to common stockholders was $48.7 million, or $0.60 per share, up 9 percent and 11 percent, respectively, over the second quarter of 2015.  Operating revenue for the quarter was $163.3 million, up 10 percent compared with $148.7 million in the second quarter of 2015.

Financial results presented on an adjusted basis for the second quarter of 2016 exclude certain items that management believes are not indicative of the company’s core operating performance, which are detailed in the reconciliation of non-GAAP results.

“Our strong financial results were largely fueled by robust trading in options on the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and futures and options on the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX).  The VIX Index and SPX are widely viewed as proxies for worldwide volatility and the global stock market, respectively.  Investors worldwide turned to CBOE’s marketplace in the face of increased market uncertainty leading up to and in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum.  We look forward to further advancing our strategic growth initiatives as our team continues to execute on our four-point strategy: to develop unique products, expand our customer base, form strategic alliances that leverage our core business, and define and lead the options and volatility space globally,” said Edward T. Tilly, CBOE Holdings’ Chief Executive Officer.

“We are pleased to report another strong quarter,” said Alan J. Dean, CBOE Holdings’ Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.  “Our financial strength and capital position have allowed us to continue to invest in our business while returning capital to shareholders, which includes growing our quarterly dividend rate.  Yesterday, we announced that our Board increased our quarterly cash dividend for the sixth consecutive year, raising the third-quarter dividend to$0.25 per share from $0.23 per share, a 9 percent increase.  This action reflects our commitment to consistently deliver value to our shareholders.”

⁽¹⁾ A full reconciliation of our non-GAAP results to our GAAP results for the 2016 and 2015 reporting periods is included in the attached tables. See “Non-GAAP Information” in the accompanying financial tables.

Key Statistics and Financial Highlights

The table below highlights CBOE Holdings’ operating results on a GAAP basis and an adjusted basis for the three- and six-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015.  Financial results presented on an adjusted basis provide supplemental information to facilitate period-over-period comparisons by adjusting for certain items that management believes are not indicative of the company’s core operating performance.

Operating Revenue

The company reported operating revenue of $163.3 million in the second quarter of 2016, an increase of  $14.6 million, or 10 percent, from $148.7 million in the second quarter of 2015, primarily driven by increases of $16.3 million in transaction fees and $1.6 million in exchange services and other fees, offset somewhat by a $4.2 million decrease in other revenue.

Transaction fees rose 16 percent in the quarter, the result of a 10 percent increase in average revenue per contract (RPC) and a 6 percent increase in total trading volume versus the second quarter of 2015.  Total trading volume in the second quarter was 291.2 million contracts, or 4.55 million contracts per day, compared with volume of 275.9 million contracts, or 4.38 million contracts per day, in last year’s second quarter. Trading volume in the company’s higher-margin index options and futures contracts rose 22 percent in the quarter while lower-margin, multiply-listed options declined 4 percent versus the second quarter of 2015.  The RPC in the second quarter of 2016 was $0.405 compared with $0.368 in the second quarter of 2015.

The higher RPC primarily reflects a favorable shift in the mix of products traded, with a higher proportion of volume coming from index options and futures contracts, which generate the highest RPC.  These product categories accounted for 42.9 percent of trading volume in the second quarter of 2016, compared with 37.2 percent in the second quarter of 2015.

The average RPC represents total transaction fee revenue divided by total reported trading volume for Chicago Board Options Exchange^® (CBOE^®), C2 Options Exchange^SM (C2^SM) and CBOE Futures Exchange^SM (CFE^®).

Operating Expenses

Total operating expenses were $85.3 million for the second quarter of 2016, up $10.0 million or 13 percent, compared with $75.3 million for the same period in 2015, primarily due to increases in compensation and benefits, royalty fees, professional fees and outside services and depreciation and amortization.  Total adjusted operating expenses, which exclude accelerated stock-based compensation, acquisition-related expenses and other unusual items were $83.8 million, up $8.5 million or 11 percent, compared with $75.3 million for the second quarter of 2015.

The company’s core operating expenses, which include total operating expenses less volume-based expenses, depreciation and amortization, accelerated stock-based compensation expense and unusual or one-time expenses, were $52.7 million for the second quarter of 2016, up $6.0 million or 13 percent, compared with last year’s second quarter.  The increase in core operating expenses primarily reflects increases of $3.5 million in compensation and benefits and $1.8 million in professional fees and outside services.  The increase in compensation and benefits was largely driven by higher expenses for salaries and incentive compensation, which is aligned with the company’s financial performance. The increase in professional fees and outside services primarily reflects higher legal and contract services.

Volume-based expenses, which include royalty fees and order routing fees, were $19.2 million in the second quarter of 2016, an increase of $1.8 million or 11 percent, compared with the same period last year.  This increase was driven by higher royalty fees of $2.5 million and a favorable variance of $0.7 million in order routing fees.  The increase in royalty fees resulted from higher trading volume in licensed index and futures products, which rose 22 percent over last year’s second quarter.

Operating Margin

The company’s operating margin was 47.7 percent for the second quarter of 2016, down 160 basis points compared with 49.3 percent in last year’s second quarter.  The adjusted operating margin was 48.7 percent for the quarter, down 60 basis points compared with 49.3 percent for the second quarter of 2015.

Effective Tax Rate

The company reported an effective tax rate of 39.2 percent for the second quarter of 2016 compared with 39.1 percent in last year’s second quarter.  Year to date, the company’s effective tax rate is 39.1 percent, in line with its guidance range for the full-year 2016 of 38.5 percent to 39.5 percent.

Operational Highlights and Recent Developments

• On July 11, CBOE announced that it plans to list SPX Monday-expiring Weeklys^SM options, beginning August 15, 2016, pending regulatory approval. With the expected introduction of SPX “Monday Weeklys,” CBOE will now offer SPX options with Monday, Wednesday and Friday weekly expirations.
• On July 6, CBOE announced that it has created a series of 13 “Enhanced Growth Indexes,” the second in a family of options-based strategy performance benchmarks designed to target the outcomes of specific investment strategies. The CBOE S&P 500^® Enhanced Growth Indexes measure the performance of a hypothetical portfolio of SPX FLexible EXchange^® (FLEX^®) options designed to provide targeted annual returns. CBOE began disseminating daily values for the new benchmarks on June 24, 2016.
• On July 1, the company opened its first international business development office in London, enabling CBOE to increase its presence in the region and allow its business development team to more directly engage with European-based clients and potential new customers, as well as the exchange’s strategic partners.
• On June 24, record volume was set in VIX^® futures traded at CFE in non-U.S. trading hours with 235,141 contracts changing hands, surpassing the previous single-day record of 140,811 contracts set during the overnight session on August 24, 2015. For the month of June, VIX futures volume in non-U.S. trading hours set a new high with ADV of 41,468 contracts, topping the previous record of 34,234 contracts from January 2016.
• On June 14, CBOE announced that it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Social Market Analytics (SMA) to develop a series of sentiment-based strategy benchmark indexes based on SMA’s social media metrics.
• On May 23, CBOE Holdings announced that it made a minority equity investment in Eris Exchange Holdings, LLC, a U.S.-based futures exchange group offering swap futures as a capital-efficient alternative to over-the-counter swaps.
• On April 28, CBOE announced that it launched a new website, CBOE Livevol Data Shop, which offers clients a full suite of uniquely customizable market data sets.
• On April 15, CBOE started overnight dissemination of the VIX Index.  Values for the VIX Index are published approximately every 15 seconds starting at 2:15 a.m. during CBOE’s extended trading hours session for VIX and SPX options, which runs from 2:00 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. CT.

2016 Fiscal Year Financial Guidance

The company reaffirmed its financial guidance for the 2016 fiscal year as follows:

• Core operating expenses for the 2016 fiscal year are expected to be in the range of $211.0 million to $215.0 million.⁽²⁾
• Continuing stock-based compensation expense included in core expenses is expected to be approximately $13.5 million for the full year.
• The company expects to recognize accelerated stock-based compensation expense, on a quarterly basis, totaling approximately $1.0 million for the full year.  This expense is reported in compensation and benefits and included in the company’s non-GAAP reconciliation as an adjusted financial measure.
• Capital expenditures are expected to be in the range of $47.0 million to $49.0 million.
• Depreciation and amortization expense is expected to be in the range of $46.0 million to $48.0 million.
• The effective tax rate for full-year 2016 is expected to be in the range of 38.5 percent to 39.5 percent.  Significant changes in trading volume, expenses, state and local tax rates and other items, including ongoing state and federal tax audits and unusual items, could materially impact this expectation.

⁽²⁾ Specific quantifications of the amounts that would be required to reconcile the company’s core operating expenses guidance are not available. The company believes that there is a degree of volatility with respect to certain of its GAAP measures, primarily related to volume-based expenses, which include royalty fees and order routing fees, the items that would be required to reconcile to GAAP operating expenses, which preclude the company from providing accurate guidance on certain forward-looking GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliations.  The company believes that providing estimates of the amounts that would be required to reconcile the range of the company’s core operating expenses would imply a degree of precision that would be confusing or misleading to investors for the reasons identified above.

Return of Capital to Stockholders

As announced on July 28, 2016, CBOE Holdings’ Board of Directors declared a dividend for the third quarter of 2016, increasing the dividend payment by 9 percent to $0.25 per share from $0.23 per share in the prior quarter.  The dividend is payable September 16, 2016, to stockholders of record as of September 2, 2016.

During the second quarter of 2016, the company repurchased 280,900 shares of its common stock under its share repurchase program at an average price of$64.39 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $18.1 million.  Year to date, the company has repurchased 947,786 shares at an average price of $63.83per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $60.5 million.

Since the inception of its share repurchase program in 2011 through June 30, 2016, the company has repurchased 10,947,401 shares of its common stock at an average price of $45.95 per share, for a total of $503.0 million.

As of June 30, 2016, the company had approximately $97.0 million of availability remaining under its existing share repurchase authorizations.

Earnings Conference Call

Executives of CBOE Holdings will host a conference call to review its second-quarter financial results today, July 29, 2016, at 8:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. CT.  The conference call and any accompanying slides will be publicly available via live webcast from the Investor Relations section of the company’s website atwww.cboe.com under Events & Presentations.  Participants may also listen via telephone by dialing (877) 255-4313 from the United States, (866) 450-4696 from Canada or (412) 317-5466 for international callers.  Telephone participants should place calls 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. The webcast will be archived on the company’s website for replay.  A telephone replay of the earnings call also will be available from approximately 11:00 a.m. CT, July 29, 2016, through 11:00 p.m. CT, August 5, 2016, by calling (877) 344-7529 from the U.S., (855) 669-9658 from Canada or (412) 317-0088 for international callers, using replay code 10088000.

About CBOE Holdings

CBOE Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBOE) is the holding company for Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), CBOE Futures Exchange (CFE) and other subsidiaries.  CBOE, the largest U.S. options exchange and creator of listed options, continues to set the bar for options and volatility trading through product innovation, trading technology and investor education. CBOE Holdings offers equity, index and ETP options, including proprietary products, such as options and futures on the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX Index) and S&P 500 options (SPX), the most active U.S. index option. Other products engineered by CBOE include equity options, security index options, Weeklys options, FLEX options, and benchmark products such as the CBOE S&P 500 BuyWrite Index (BXM). CBOE Holdings is home to the world-renowned Options Institute, Livevol options analytics and data tools, and www.cboe.com, the go-to place for options and volatility trading resources.