A-Mark Precious Metals Reports Fiscal Second Quarter 2021 Results

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Feb. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRK), a leading full-service provider of products and services to the global precious metals market, reported results for the fiscal second quarter ended December 31, 2020.

Fiscal Second Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights

  • Revenues for the three months ended December 31, 2020 increased 44% to $1.52 billion from $1.06 billion for the three months ended December 31, 2019 and decreased 19% from $1.87 billion for the three months ended September 30, 2020

  • Gross profit for the three months ended December 31, 2020 increased 131% to $18.8 million (1.24% of revenue) from $8.1 million (0.77% of revenue) for the three months ended December 31, 2019 and decreased 48% from $36.1 million (1.94% of revenue) for the three months ended September 30, 2020

  • Net income attributable to the Company for the three months ended December 31, 2020 totaled $8.9 million or $1.16 per diluted share, as compared to net income of $1.2 million or $0.17 per diluted share for the three months ended December 31, 2019 and net income of $23.1 million or $3.09 per diluted share for the three months ended September 30, 2020

  • Gold ounces sold in the three months ended December 31, 2020 increased 12% to 479,000 ounces from 428,000 ounces for the three months ended December 31, 2019 and decreased 34% from 721,000 ounces for the three months ended September 30, 2020

  • Silver ounces sold in the three months ended December 31, 2020 increased 51% to 21.2 million ounces from 14.1 million ounces for the three months ended December 31, 2019 and decreased 12% from 24.2 million ounces for the three months ended September 30, 2020

  • As of December 31, 2020, the number of secured loans decreased 65% to 1,324 from 3,725 as of December 31, 2019 and increased 18% from 1,125 as of September 30, 2020

Fiscal Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results
Revenues increased 44% to $1.52 billion from $1.06 billion in the same year-ago quarter. The increase in revenues was primarily attributable to an increase in the total amount of gold and silver ounces sold and higher average selling prices of gold and silver.

Gross profit increased 131% to $18.8 million (1.24% of revenue) from $8.1 million (0.77% of revenue) in the same year-ago quarter. The increase in gross profit was due to higher gross profits from the company’s Wholesale Sales & Ancillary Services and Direct Sales segments.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 15% to $9.0 million from $7.9 million in the same year-ago quarter. The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses was primarily due to increases in insurance costs of $0.5 million, financial and tax consulting costs of $0.4 million, compensation expense (including performance-based accruals) of $0.3 million and $0.1 million of advertising expense, which were partially offset by decreases in operating expenses of $0.1 million associated with the company’s Direct Sales segment and depreciation and amortization expenses of $0.1 million.

Interest income decreased 27% to $4.5 million from $6.2 million in the same year-ago quarter. The aggregate decrease in interest income was primarily due to lower interest income earned by the company’s Secured Lending segment, partially offset by higher other finance product income.

Interest expense decreased 1% to $5.0 million from $5.1 million in the same year-ago quarter. The decrease in interest expense was primarily due to a reduction in loan servicing fees, partially offset by an increase interest expense related to product financing arrangements. As compared to the same year-ago period, interest expense related to loan servicing fees decreased by $0.5 million, which was offset by an increase of $0.4 million related to product financing arrangements.

Net income attributable to the Company totaled $8.9 million or $1.16 per diluted share, a significant improvement compared to net income of $1.2 million or $0.17 per diluted share in the same year-ago quarter.

Fiscal Six Months 2020 Highlights

  • Revenues for the six months ended December 31, 2020 increased 33% to $3.38 billion from $2.54 billion for the six months ended December 31, 2019

  • Gross profit for the six months ended December 31, 2020 increased 233% to $54.9 million (1.6% of revenue) from $16.5 million (0.6% of revenue) for the six months ended December 31, 2019

  • Net income attributable to the Company for the six months ended December 31, 2020 totaled $32.0 million or $4.21 per diluted share, as compared to net income of $1.4 million or $0.19 per diluted share for the six months ended December 31, 2019

  • Gold ounces sold in the six months ended December 31, 2020 increased 20% to 1.2 million ounces from 1.0 million for the six months ended December 31, 2019

  • Silver ounces sold in the six months ended December 31, 2020 increased 30% to 45.5 million ounces from 35.0 million for the six months ended December 31, 2019

Fiscal Six Months 2020 Financial Results
Revenues increased 33% to $3.38 billion from $2.54 billion in the same year-ago period. The increase in revenues was primarily attributable to an increase in the total amount of gold and silver ounces sold and higher average selling prices of gold and silver.

Gross profit increased 233% to $54.9 million (1.6% of revenue) from $16.5 million (0.6% of revenue) in the same year-ago period. The increase in gross profit was primarily due to higher gross profits earned by the company’s Wholesale Sales & Ancillary Services and Direct Sales segments.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 18% to $19.0 million from $16.1 million in the same year-ago period. The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses was primarily due to increases in compensation expense (including performance-based accruals) of $2.2 million, insurance costs of $0.4 million, financial and tax consulting costs of $0.4 million, computer software costs of $0.2 million and advertising costs of $0.2 million, which were partially offset by decreases in operating expenses of $0.3 million associated with the company’s Direct Sales segment and depreciation and amortization expense of $0.2 million.

Interest income decreased 29% to $8.5 million from $12.0 million in the same year-ago period. The decrease in Interest income was primarily due to interest income earned by the company’s Secured Lending segment, partially offset by higher other finance product income.

Interest expense decreased 9% to $9.3 million from $10.2 million in the same year-ago period. The decrease in interest expense was primarily due to reductions in interest expense related to the company’s Trading Credit Facility and loan servicing fees, partially offset by increases in interest expense related to product financing arrangements and liability on borrowed metals.

Net income attributable to the Company totaled $32.0 million or $4.21 per diluted share, an improvement from $1.4 million or $0.19 per diluted share in the same year-ago period.

Management Commentary  
“The second quarter was another solid period for A-Mark,” said CEO Greg Roberts. “Following the unprecedented volatility in the precious metals market during Q1 that produced outsized profitability for A-Mark, Q2 was characterized by above average product demand, volumes and premium spreads. These market dynamics allowed us to realize another quarter of strong financial performance, highlighted by the $8.9 million we generated in net income, which contributed to the most profitable first half of any fiscal year in our history. Our financial results continue to demonstrate the strength of our unique business model, which is designed to generate consistent and diverse revenue streams in normal market conditions and outsized profitability during volatile market periods.

“We continue to benefit from the scalability of our fully-integrated platform and highly complementary business segments, which have enabled us to capture significant value across the precious metals market especially during periods of supply constrained and volatile market conditions. The strategic investments we have made to expand A-Mark’s direct sales are yielding encouraging results and have positioned A-Mark to take advantage of the current market conditions and to drive growth in the years ahead.

“Our business continues to benefit from the sustained rally in the precious metals market and we remain confident that our favorable competitive position, industry-leading platform, and proven business model will help us capitalize on the near-term opportunities and realize continued growth and profitability over the long term.”

Conference Call
A-Mark will hold a conference call today (February 9, 2020) to discuss these financial results. The company's CEO Greg Roberts, President Thor Gjerdrum, and CFO Kathleen Simpson-Taylor will host the call at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (2:00 p.m. Pacific time). A question-and-answer session will follow management's presentation.

To participate, please dial the appropriate number at least five minutes prior to the start time and ask for the A-Mark Precious Metals conference call.

U.S. dial-in number: 1-877-407-0789
International number: 1-201-689-8562
Conference ID: 13716127

The conference call will be broadcast simultaneously and available for replay via the Investor Relations section of A-Mark’s website at www.amark.com. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call or webcast, please contact A-Mark’s investor relations team at 1-949-574-3860.

A replay of the call will be available after 7:30 p.m. Eastern time through February 23, 2021.

Toll-free replay number: 1-844-512-2921
International replay number: 1-412-317-6671
Conference ID: 13716127

About A-Mark Precious Metals
Founded in 1965, A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRK) is a leading full-service precious metals company and wholesaler of gold, silver, platinum and palladium bullion and related products. The company’s global customer base includes sovereign and private mints, manufacturers and fabricators, refiners, dealers, financial institutions, industrial users, investors, collectors, and e-commerce and other retail customers. The company conducts its operations through three complementary segments: Wholesale Sales & Ancillary Services, Secured Lending, and Direct Sales.

A-Mark operates several business units in its Wholesale Sales & Ancillary Services segment, including Industrial, Coin and Bar, Trading and Finance, Storage, Logistics, and the Mint (as more fully described below). Its Industrial unit services manufacturers and fabricators of products utilizing precious metals, while its Coin and Bar unit deals in over 200 different products for distribution to dealers and other qualified purchasers. As a U.S. Mint-authorized purchaser of gold, silver and platinum coins, A-Mark purchases bullion products directly from the U.S. Mint for sale to customers. A-Mark also has distributorships with other sovereign mints, including Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Through its Transcontinental Depository Services subsidiary, A-Mark provides customers with a variety of managed storage options for precious metals worldwide. Through its A-M Global Logistics subsidiary, A-Mark provides customers an array of complementary services, including receiving, handling, inventorying, processing, packaging and shipping of precious metals and custom coins on a secure basis. A-Mark also holds a majority stake in a joint venture that owns the minting operations known as SilverTowne Mint (Mint), which designs and produces minted silver products which provide greater product selection to customers, price stability within the supply chain as well as more secured access to silver during volatile market environments.

The company operates its Secured Lending segment through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Collateral Finance Corporation (CFC) and AM Capital Funding, LLC (AMCF). Founded in 2005, CFC is a licensed finance lender that originates and acquires loans secured by bullion and numismatic coins. Its customers include coin and precious metal dealers, investors, and collectors.  AMCF was formed in 2018 for the purpose of securitizing eligible secured loans of CFC. 

A-Mark operates its Direct Sales segment primarily through its wholly-owned subsidiary Goldline Inc. (Goldline), a direct retailer of precious metals for the investor community. Goldline markets A-Mark’s precious metal products through various channels, including radio, television, and the Internet.

A-Mark is headquartered in El Segundo, California, with offices and facilities in Los Angeles, California, Vienna, Austria, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Winchester, Indiana. For more information, visit www.amark.com.

Important Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that relate to future plans, objectives, expectations, performance, events and the like are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Future events, risks and uncertainties, individually or in the aggregate, could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include the following: the failure to execute our growth strategy as planned; greater than anticipated costs incurred to execute this strategy; changes in the current international political climate which has favorably contributed to demand and volatility in the precious metals markets; increased competition for our higher margin services, which could depress pricing; the failure of our business model to respond to changes in the market environment as anticipated; general risks of doing business in the commodity markets; the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the eventual return to normalized business and economic conditions; and the strategic, business, economic, financial, political and governmental risks described in in the company’s public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The words "should," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "foresee," "plan" and similar expressions and variations thereof identify certain of such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates on which they were made. Additionally, any statements related to future improved performance and estimates of revenues and earnings per share are forward-looking statements. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Company Contact:
Thor Gjerdrum, President
A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc.
1-310-587-1414
thor@amark.com

Investor Relations Contact:
Matt Glover
Gateway Investor Relations
1-949-574-3860
AMRK@gatewayIR.com        


        A-MARK PRECIOUS METALS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(amounts in thousands, except for share data) (unaudited)

    December 31,
2020
    June 30,
2020
 
ASSETS                
Current assets:                
Cash   $ 14,922     $ 52,325  
Receivables, net     101,864       49,142  
Derivative assets     57,849       46,325  
Secured loans receivable     95,817       63,710  
Precious metals held under financing arrangements     160,255       178,577  
Inventories:                
Inventories     245,151       246,603  
Restricted inventories     272,531       74,678  
      517,682       321,281  
Prepaid expenses and other assets     3,131       2,659  
Total current assets     951,520       714,019  
Operating lease right of use assets     3,642       4,223  
Property, plant, and equipment, net     5,913       5,675  
Goodwill     8,881       8,881  
Intangibles, net     4,657       4,974  
Long-term investments     30,013       16,763  
Other long-term assets     2,500       3,500  
Total assets   $ 1,007,126     $ 758,035  
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY                
Current liabilities:                
Lines of credit   $ 175,000     $ 135,000  
Liabilities on borrowed metals     141,796       168,206  
Product financing arrangements     272,531       74,678  
Accounts payable and other current liabilities     142,372       140,930  
Derivative liabilities     50,809       25,414  
Accrued liabilities     9,431       10,397  
Income tax payable     715       2,135  
Total current liabilities     792,654       556,760  
Notes payable     92,874       92,517  
Deferred tax liabilities     62       62  
Other liabilities     3,108       3,802  
Total liabilities     888,698       653,141  
Commitments and contingencies                
Stockholders’ equity:                
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, authorized 10,000,000 shares; issued
and outstanding: none as of December 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020
           
Common stock, par value $0.01; 40,000,000 shares authorized; 7,131,462
and 7,031,500 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2020
and June 30, 2020, respectively
    72       71  
Additional paid-in capital     29,093       27,289  
Retained earnings     84,461       73,644  
Total A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc. stockholders’ equity     113,626       101,004  
Non-controlling interests     4,802       3,890  
Total stockholders’ equity     118,428       104,894  
Total liabilities, non-controlling interests and stockholders’ equity   $ 1,007,126     $ 758,035  
                 

A-MARK PRECIOUS METALS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(in thousands, except for share and per share data) (unaudited)

    Three Months Ended       Six Months Ended  
    December 31,
2020
      December 31,
2019
      December 31,
2020
      December 31,
2019
 
Revenues   $ 1,518,744       $ 1,055,590       $ 3,384,860       $ 2,536,604  
Cost of sales     1,499,993         1,047,459         3,329,964         2,520,133  
Gross profit     18,751         8,131         54,896         16,471  
Selling, general, and administrative expenses     (9,033 )       (7,870 )       (19,039 )       (16,140 )
Interest income     4,533         6,232         8,516         12,000  
Interest expense     (5,037 )       (5,081 )       (9,330 )       (10,223 )
Other income (expense), net     2,567         150         7,052         (16 )
Unrealized gains (losses) on foreign exchange     19         125         (78 )       3  
Net income before provision for income taxes     11,800         1,687         42,017         2,095  
Income tax expense     (2,586 )       (432 )       (9,097 )       (537 )
Net income     9,214         1,255         32,920         1,558  
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests     289         21         912         196  
Net income attributable to the Company   $ 8,925       $ 1,234       $ 32,008       $ 1,362  
Basic and diluted net income per share attributable
to A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc.:
                                     
Basic   $ 1.26       $ 0.17       $ 4.53       $ 0.19  
Diluted   $ 1.16       $ 0.17       $ 4.21       $ 0.19  
                                       
Weighted average shares outstanding:                                      
Basic     7,063,000         7,031,400         7,064,800         7,031,400  
Diluted     7,713,300         7,056,300         7,610,400         7,074,800  
                                       

A-MARK PRECIOUS METALS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(amounts in thousands) (unaudited)

Six Months Ended December 31,   2020     2019  
Cash flows from operating activities:                
Net income   $ 32,920     $ 1,558  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:                
Depreciation and amortization     1,006       1,334  
Amortization of loan cost     968       730  
Deferred income taxes           474  
Interest added to principal of secured loans     (4 )     (10 )
Share-based compensation     388       410  
Earnings from equity method investments     (6,488 )     (114 )
Changes in assets and liabilities:                
Receivables     (52,722 )     2,297  
Secured loans receivable     (309 )     2,131  
Secured loans made to affiliates     8,662       5,108  
Derivative assets     (11,524 )     (2,931 )
Income tax receivable           7  
Precious metals held under financing arrangements     18,322       11,820  
Inventories     (196,401 )     29,930  
Prepaid expenses and other assets     (532 )     359  
Accounts payable and other current liabilities     1,442       174  
Derivative liabilities     25,395       (923 )
Liabilities on borrowed metals     (26,410 )     (8,255 )
Accrued liabilities     (1,068 )     (743 )
Income tax payable     (1,420 )      
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities     (207,775 )     43,356  
Cash flows from investing activities:                
Capital expenditures for property, plant, and equipment     (937 )     (455 )
Purchase of long-term investments     (6,763 )      
Purchase of intangible assets           (150 )
Secured loans receivable, net     (40,456 )     (34,274 )
Other secured loans, net     1,000       (3,500 )
Net cash used in investing activities     (47,156 )     (38,379 )
Cash flows from financing activities:                
Product financing arrangements, net     197,853       (14,739 )
Dividends paid     (21,191 )      
Borrowings and repayments under lines of credit, net     40,000       13,000  
Debt funding issuance costs     (551 )      
Net settlement on issuance of common shares on exercise of options     1,417        
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities     217,528       (1,739 )
Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash     (37,403 )     3,238  
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, beginning of period     52,325       8,320  
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, end of period   $ 14,922     $ 11,558  
                 

Overview of Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019

Condensed Consolidated Results of Operations

The operating results of our business for the three months ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 are as follows:

in thousands, except per share data                                                
Three Months Ended December 31,   2020     2019     $     %  
    $     % of
revenue
    $     % of
revenue
    Increase/
(decrease)
    Increase/
(decrease)
 
Revenues   $ 1,518,744       100.000 %   $ 1,055,590       100.000 %   $ 463,154       43.9 %
Gross profit     18,751       1.235 %     8,131       0.770 %   $ 10,620       130.6 %
Selling, general, and administrative expenses     (9,033 )     (0.595 )%     (7,870 )     (0.746 )%   $ 1,163       14.8 %
Interest income     4,533       0.298 %     6,232       0.590 %   $ (1,699 )     (27.3 %)
Interest expense     (5,037 )     (0.332 )%     (5,081 )     (0.481 )%   $ (44 )     (0.9 %)
Other income, net     2,567       0.169 %     150       0.014 %   $ 2,417       1,611.3 %
Unrealized gains on foreign exchange     19       0.001 %     125       0.012 %   $ (106 )     (84.8 %)
Net income before provision for income taxes     11,800       0.777 %     1,687       0.160 %   $ 10,113       599.5 %
Income tax expense     (2,586 )     (0.170 )%     (432 )     (0.041 )%   $ 2,154       498.6 %
Net income     9,214       0.607 %     1,255       0.119 %   $ 7,959       634.2 %
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests     289       0.019 %     21       0.002 %   $ 268       1,276.2 %
Net income attributable to the Company   $ 8,925       0.588 %   $ 1,234       0.117 %   $ 7,691       623.3 %
Basic and diluted net income per share attributable to A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc.:                                                
Per Share Data:                                                
Basic   $ 1.26             $ 0.17             $ 1.09       641.2 %
Diluted   $ 1.16             $ 0.17             $ 0.99       582.4 %
                                                 

Overview of Results of Operations for the Six Months Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019

Condensed Consolidated Results of Operations

The operating results of our business for the six months ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 are as follows:

in thousands, except per share data                                                
Six Months Ended December 31,   2020     2019     $     %  
    $     % of
revenue
    $     % of
revenue
    Increase/
(decrease)
    Increase/
(decrease)
 
Revenues   $ 3,384,860       100.000 %   $ 2,536,604       100.000 %   $ 848,256       33.4 %
Gross profit     54,896       1.622 %     16,471       0.649 %   $ 38,425       233.3 %
Selling, general, and administrative expenses     (19,039 )     (0.562 )%     (16,140 )     (0.636 )%   $ 2,899       18.0 %
Interest income     8,516       0.252 %     12,000       0.473 %   $ (3,484 )     (29.0 %)
Interest expense     (9,330 )     (0.276 )%     (10,223 )     (0.403 )%   $ (893 )     (8.7 %)
Other income (expense), net     7,052       0.208 %     (16 )     (0.001 )%   $ 7,068       44,175.0 %
Unrealized (losses) gains on foreign exchange     (78 )     (0.002 )%     3       0.000 %   $ 81       2,700.0 %
Net income before provision for income taxes     42,017       1.241 %     2,095       0.083 %   $ 39,922       1,905.6 %
Income tax expense     (9,097 )     (0.269 )%     (537 )     (0.021 )%   $ 8,560       1,594.0 %
Net income     32,920       0.973 %     1,558       0.061 %   $ 31,362       2,013.0 %
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests     912       0.027 %     196       0.008 %   $ 716       365.3 %
Net income attributable to the Company   $ 32,008       0.946 %   $ 1,362       0.054 %   $ 30,646       2,250.1 %
Basic and diluted net income per share attributable to A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc.:                                                
Per Share Data:                                                
Basic   $ 4.53             $ 0.19             $ 4.34       2,284.2 %
Diluted   $ 4.21             $ 0.19             $ 4.02       2,115.8 %


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Source: A-Mark Precious Metals