WisdomTree Announces First Quarter 2023 Results - Record Quarter-End AUM of $90.7 Billion; $6.3 Billion Net Inflows (3rd Best Quarter in Company History)

Diluted earnings per share of $0.10; Earnings per share of $0.07, as adjusted
Ten consecutive quarters of net inflows
Annualized inflow rate of 31% across all products

WisdomTree, Inc. (NYSE: WT), a global financial innovator,today reported financial results for the first quarter of 2023.

$16.2 million net income ($11.2(1) million net income, as adjusted);including a non-cash gain of $20.6 million associated with the revaluation of deferred consideration-gold payments; a loss of $9.7 million recognized upon the extinguishment of $115.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our 4.25% convertible senior notes issued in 2020 and due in June 2023 (the “2020 Notes”); and other items.

$90.7 billion of ending AUM, an increase of 10.7% arising from net inflows and market appreciation.

$6.3 billion of net inflows, primarily driven by inflows into our fixed income, commodity, emerging markets and international equity products.

0.36% average advisory fee, unchanged from last quarter.

$82.0 million of operating revenues, an increase of 11.9% from the previous quarter due to higher average AUM, and higher other income from large flows into some of our European products.

79.1% gross margin(1), a 2.2 point increase from the previous quarter due to higher revenues.

20.2% operating income margin (21.4%(1) as adjusted), a 4.2 point increase (5.4 point increase, as adjusted(1)) compared to our operating margin of 16.0% in the prior quarter due to higher revenues, partly offset by higher expenses.

$130.0 million issuance of convertible senior notes due 2028, bearing an interest at a rate of 5.75% and issued with a conversion price of $9.54 per share. Concurrent with the issuance, we repurchased $115.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our 2020 Notes.

$0.03 quarterly dividenddeclared, payable on May 24, 2023 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 10, 2023.

Update from Jonathan Steinberg, WisdomTree CEO

Update from Jarrett Lilien, WisdomTree COO and President

OPERATING AND FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

RECENT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTS

QUARTERLY HIGHLIGHTS

Operating Revenues

• Operating revenues increased 11.9% and 4.7% from the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2022, respectively, due to higher average AUM and higher other income from large flows into some of our European products.
• Our average advisory fee was 0.36%, 0.36% and 0.40% during the first quarter of 2023, the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2022, respectively.

Operating Expenses

• Operating expenses increased 6.3% from the fourth quarter of 2022 primarily due to higher compensation arising from payroll taxes, benefits and other items in connection with the payment of year-end bonuses, as well as higher professional fees and third-party distribution fees.
• Operating expenses increased 7.9% from the first quarter of 2022 primarily due to higher compensation from increased headcount and stock-based compensation expense, fund management and administration costs and other expenses. These increases were partly offset by lower professional fees.

Other Income/(Expenses)

• Interest expense increased 7.1% and 7.2% from the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2022, respectively, due to a higher level of debt outstanding and a higher effective interest rate.
• We recognized a non-cash gain on revaluation of deferred consideration of $20.6 million during the first quarter of 2023. The gain arose primarily from an increase in the discount rate used to compute the present value of the annual payment obligations, partly offset by higher gold prices. The magnitude of any gain or loss recognized is highly correlated to changes in the discount rate and the magnitude of the change in the forward-looking price of gold.
• Interest income increased 14.6% and 36.4% from the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2022, respectively, due to rising interest rates.
• During the first quarter of 2023, we recognized a non-cash impairment charge of $4.9 million on our Series A convertible preferred stock investment in Securrency, Inc.
• During the first quarter of 2023, we recognized a loss on extinguishment of convertible notes of $9.7 million arising from the repurchase of $115.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our 2020 Notes.
• Other losses, net were $2.0 million for the first quarter of 2023. This quarter includes a non-cash charge of $1.4 million arising from a release of a tax-related indemnification asset upon the expiration of the statute of limitations (an equal and offsetting benefit has been recognized in income tax expense). This quarter also includes losses on our investments of $3.9 million. These items were partly offset by gains on our financial instruments owned of $2.0 million and a gain of $1.5 million related to the remeasurement of contingent consideration payable to us from the sale of our former Canadian ETF business. Gains and losses also generally arise from the sale of gold earned from management fees paid by our physically-backed gold exchange-traded products (“ETPs”), foreign exchange fluctuations and other miscellaneous items.

Income Taxes

• Our effective income tax rate for the first quarter of 2023 was 7.9%, resulting in income tax expense of $1.4 million. The effective tax rate differs from the federal statutory rate of 21% primarily due to a non-taxable gain on revaluation of deferred consideration and a reduction a in unrecognized tax benefits upon the expiration of the statute of limitations. These items were partly offset by a non-deductible loss on extinguishment of our 2020 Notes and an increase in the deferred tax asset valuation allowance on losses recognized on our investments.
• Our adjusted effective income tax rate was 22.7%(1).

CONFERENCE CALL DIAL-IN AND WEBCAST DETAILS

WisdomTree will discuss its results and operational highlights during a live webcast on Friday, April 28, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. ET, which can be accessed using the following link: https://event.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=qp07AaN2.

Participants also can dial in using the following numbers: (877) 407-9210 or (201) 689-8049. Click here to access the Participant international toll-free access numbers. To avoid delays, we encourage participants to log in or dial into the conference call 10 minutes ahead of the scheduled start time. All earnings materials and the webcast can be accessed through WisdomTree’s investor relations website at https://ir.wisdomtree.com. A replay of the webcast will also be available shortly after the call.

ABOUT WISDOMTREE

WisdomTree is a global financial innovator, offering a well-diversified suite of exchange-traded products (ETPs), models and solutions. We empower investors to shape their future and support financial professionals to better serve their clients and grow their businesses. WisdomTree is leveraging the latest financial infrastructure to create products that provide access, transparency and an enhanced user experience. Building on our heritage of innovation, we are also developing next-generation digital products and structures, including digital funds and tokenized assets, as well as our blockchain-native digital wallet, WisdomTree Prime™.

WisdomTree currently has approximately $90.5 billion in assets under management globally.

For more information about WisdomTree and WisdomTree Prime™, visit: https://www.wisdomtree.com.

Please visit us on Twitter at @WisdomTreeNews.

WisdomTree® is the marketing name for WisdomTree, Inc. and its subsidiaries worldwide.

Non-GAAP Financial Measurements

In an effort to provide additional information regarding our results as determined by GAAP, we also disclose certain non-GAAP information which we believe provides useful and meaningful information. Our management reviews these non-GAAP financial measurements when evaluating our financial performance and results of operations; therefore, we believe it is useful to provide information with respect to these non-GAAP measurements so as to share this perspective of management. Non-GAAP measurements do not have any standardized meaning, do not replace nor are superior to GAAP financial measurements and are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. These non-GAAP financial measurements should be considered in the context with our GAAP results. The non-GAAP financial measurements contained in this press release include:

Adjusted Operating Income, Operating Expenses, Income Before Income Taxes, Income Tax Expense, Net Income and Diluted Earnings per Share

We disclose adjusted operating income, operating expenses, income before income taxes, income tax expense, net income and diluted earnings per share as non-GAAP financial measurements in order to report our results exclusive of items that are non-recurring or not core to our operating business. We believe presenting these non-GAAP financial measurements provides investors with a consistent way to analyze our performance. These non-GAAP financial measurements exclude the following:

Unrealized gains or losses on the revaluation of deferred consideration: Deferred consideration is an obligation we assumed in connection with the ETFS acquisition that is carried at fair value. This item represents the present value of an obligation to pay fixed ounces of gold into perpetuity and is measured using forward-looking gold prices. Changes in the forward-looking price of gold and changes in the discount rate used to compute the present value of the annual payment obligations may have a material impact on the carrying value of the deferred consideration and our reported financial results. We exclude this item when calculating our non-GAAP financial measurements as it is not core to our operating business. The item is not adjusted for income taxes as the obligation was assumed by a wholly-owned subsidiary of ours that is based in Jersey, a jurisdiction where we are subject to a zero percent tax rate.

Gains or losses on financial instruments owned: We account for our financial instruments owned as trading securities, which requires these instruments to be measured at fair value with gains and losses reported in net income. We exclude these items when calculating our non-GAAP financial measurements as the gains and losses introduce volatility in earnings and are not core to our operating business.

Tax windfalls and shortfalls upon vesting and exercise of stock-based compensation awards: GAAP requires the recognition of tax windfalls and shortfalls within income tax expense. These items arise upon the vesting and exercise of stock-based compensation awards and the magnitude is directly correlated to the number of awards vesting/exercised as well as the difference between the price of our stock on the date the award was granted and the date the award vested or was exercised. We exclude these items when calculating our non-GAAP financial measurements as they introduce volatility in earnings and are not core to our operating business.

Other items: Loss on extinguishment of our convertible notes, impairments, remeasurement of contingent consideration payable to us from the sale of our former Canadian ETF business, unrealized gains and losses recognized on our investments, changes in deferred tax asset valuation allowance and expenses incurred in response to an activist campaign are excluded when calculating our non-GAAP financial measurements.

Adjusted Effective Income Tax Rate

We disclose our adjusted effective income tax rate as a non-GAAP financial measurement in order to report our effective income tax rate exclusive of items that are non-recurring or not core to our operating business. We believe reporting our adjusted effective income tax rate provides investors with a consistent way to analyze our income taxes. Our adjusted effective income tax rate is calculated by dividing adjusted income tax expense by adjusted income before income taxes. See above for information regarding the items that are excluded.

Gross Margin and Gross Margin Percentage

We disclose our gross margin and gross margin percentage as non-GAAP financial measurements because we believe they provide investors with a consistent way to analyze the amount we retain after paying third-party service providers to operate our ETPs. These measures also assist us in analyzing the profitability of our products. We define gross margin as total operating revenues less fund management and administration expenses. Gross margin percentage is calculated as gross margin divided by total operating revenues.