PLANTATION, Fla., July 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TradeStation
Group, Inc. (NASDAQ GS: TRAD) today reported record net revenues of
$35.8 million and record daily average revenue trades (DARTs) of
over 71,000 for the 2007 second quarter. TradeStation Group's 2007
second quarter net income of $8.1 million, or 18 cents per share
(diluted), was a 6.4% increase from 2006 second quarter net income
of $7.6 million, or 17 cents per share (diluted). The company's
2007 second quarter net revenues of $35.8 million were a 10.3%
increase from 2006 second quarter net revenues of $32.5 million.
"We are pleased to report that our DARTs have grown both year over
year and sequentially in the second quarter, even though our larger
competitors saw their DARTs flatten or decrease over the same
periods," said Salomon Sredni, CEO of TradeStation Group. "We
attribute our impressive growth in DARTs in these market conditions
to the diversity of our service offering, account growth, and the
robustness of our high-end client base." TradeStation Reports
Record DARTs and Total Accounts For the 2007 second quarter,
TradeStation experienced the following year- over-year growth in
DARTs with respect to equities, futures and forex accounts: Q2 07
Q2 06 % Increase -------------------------------- Daily Average
Revenue Trades 71,117 62,461 14% The company also published today,
in a separate announcement, its DARTs and Total Client Assets for
the month of June 2007. TradeStation's 78,514 DARTs in June, a
monthly record, was a 33% increase over June 2006 DARTs of 58,979.
TradeStation had 34,088 brokerage accounts at June 30, 2007, a 19%
increase from June 30, 2006. TradeStation's Average Client Trades
Over 530 Times per Year and Has an Average Account Balance of
$76,000 for Equities and $20,000 for Futures TradeStation's
brokerage client account metrics are among the very best in the
industry. TradeStation brokerage clients generated the following
client account metrics in the 2007 second quarter: Client Trading
Activity ----------------------- Annualized average revenue per
account $3,985 Annualized trades per account 534 Client Account
Assets --------------------- Average assets per account (Equities)
$76,000 Average assets per account (Futures) $20,000 While, on an
annualized basis during the 2007 second quarter, the average
TradeStation account traded 534 times per year, or 45 times per
month, the average TD Ameritrade and E-Trade account traded about
11 times per year, or less than one time per month. Also,
TradeStation's average assets per equities account were
substantially higher than the average assets per account of TD
Ameritrade and E-Trade. Company Purchases 305,470 Shares under
Stock Buy Back Plan In the 2007 second quarter, the company
purchased 305,470 shares of its common stock pursuant to its stock
buy back plan for a total purchase price of $3.7 million. Since
buying under the plan began November 13, 2006, through June 30,
2007, the company has purchased 738,625 shares for a total purchase
price of $9.5 million. Under the stock buy back plan, the company
is authorized to purchase up to $60 million of its common stock
using available and unrestricted cash, over a 4-year period, in the
open market or through privately-negotiated transactions pursuant
to one or more Rule 10b5-1 plans or programs. Pursuant to the plan,
$1,250,000 of company cash per month during each month of the
4-year period (i.e., $15 million per 12-month period and $60
million for the 4-year period) has been authorized to be used to
purchase company shares at prevailing prices, subject to compliance
with applicable securities laws, rules and regulations, including
Rules 10b5-1 and 10b-18. The buy back plan does not obligate the
company to acquire any specific number of shares in any period, and
may be modified, suspended, extended or discontinued at any time
without prior notice. Company Provides 2007 Third Quarter Business
Outlook TradeStation today also published its 2007 Third Quarter
Business Outlook. The company's 2007 third quarter Business Outlook
estimated ranges are as follows: 2007 THIRD QUARTER BUSINESS
OUTLOOK (In Millions, Except Per Share Data) Third Quarter 2007
------------------ REVENUES $37.0 to $39.0 EARNINGS PER SHARE
(Diluted) $0.18 to $0.19 The company's Business Outlook estimated
range of earnings per share (diluted) for the 2007 fiscal year is
now $0.74 to $0.77. The company's 2007 third quarter and full-year
Business Outlook estimated ranges are based on numerous
assumptions, including: basing the midpoints of the ranges, in
part, on monthly client trading volume over the six-month period
ended June 30, 2007 (the period used and the formula and criteria
applied often vary with each quarterly Business Outlook based upon
management's judgment each quarter concerning the best assumptions
to use); the rate of growth and impact of new forex accounts and
trading activity following the recent launch of the company's new
forex offering; anticipated growth and trading activity of active
trader equities and futures accounts; interest rates (and the
extent to which they will or will not increase or decrease); the
timing of expenses relating to company growth initiatives as
compared to the timing of anticipated benefits from those
initiatives; and numerous other assumptions concerning the
company's business and industry, market conditions, and various
decisions, acts or failures to act both within and outside of the
company's control. All assumptions, expectations and beliefs
relating to the Business Outlook are forward-looking in nature and
actual results may differ materially from those estimated,
including, but not limited to, as a result of, or as indicated by,
the issues, uncertainties and risk factors set forth and referenced
above and below. Conference Call/Webcast At 11:00, a.m., Eastern
Time, today, the senior management of TradeStation Group will
conduct an analyst conference call to discuss the company's 2007
second quarter results and its 2007 third quarter Business Outlook.
All company shareholders and the public are invited to listen. The
telephone conference will be broadcast live via the Internet at
http://www.tradestation.com/. The live webcast will be accompanied
by slides of graphs and charts. A rebroadcast of the call will be
accessible for approximately 90 days. About TradeStation Group,
Inc. TradeStation Group, Inc. (NASDAQ GS: TRAD), through its
principal operating subsidiary, TradeStation Securities, Inc.,
offers the TradeStation platform to the active trader and certain
institutional trader markets. TradeStation is an electronic trading
platform that offers state-of-the-art "direct market access" (DMA)
or "direct-access" order execution and enables clients to design,
test, optimize, monitor and automate their own custom Equities,
Options, Futures and Forex trading strategies. In 2007,
TradeStation was named, for the third year in a row, Best Futures
Brokerage and, for the fifth year in a row, Best Direct-Access
Stock Broker, Best Professional Platform and Best Institutional
Platform, in "Technical Analysis of Stocks and Commodities"
magazine. TradeStation Securities, Inc. (Member NASD, NYSE, SIPC,
NSCC, DTC, OCC & NFA) is a licensed securities broker-dealer
and a registered futures commission merchant, and also a member of
the American Stock Exchange, Boston Options Exchange, Chicago Board
Options Exchange, Chicago Stock Exchange, International Securities
Exchange, NYSE ARCA and Philadelphia Stock Exchange. The company's
technology subsidiary, TradeStation Technologies, Inc., develops
and offers strategy trading software tools and subscription
services. Its London-based subsidiary, TradeStation Europe Limited,
an FSA-authorized brokerage firm, introduces UK and other European
accounts to TradeStation Securities. Forward-Looking Statements -
Issues, Uncertainties and Risk Factors This press release,
including the 2007 third quarter and full-year Business Outlook
estimated ranges contained in this press release, and today's
earnings conference call, contain statements and estimates that are
forward- looking and are made pursuant to the safe harbor
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
When used in this press release, or the conference call, the words
"anticipate(s)," "anticipated," "anticipation," "assume(s),"
"assumption(s)," "become(s)," "belief(s)," "believe(s),"
"believed," "could," "designed," "estimate," "estimates,"
"estimated," "expect(s)," "expected," "expectation(s)," "going
forward," "future," "hopeful," "hope(s)," "intend(s)," "intended,"
"look forward," "may," "might," "opportunity," "opportunities,"
"outlook(s)," "pending," "plan(s)," "planned," "potential,"
"scheduled," "shall," "should," "think(s)," "to be," "upcoming,"
"well-positioned," "will," "wish," "would," and similar
expressions, if and to the extent used, are intended to identify
forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are
based largely on current expectations and beliefs concerning future
events that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties.
Actual results may differ materially from the results herein
suggested or suggested in the conference call. Factors that may
cause or contribute to the various potential differences include,
but are not limited to, the following: -- changes in the condition
of the securities and futures markets, including, but not limited
to, changes in the combined average volume of the major U.S.
equities and futures exchanges and in market volatility, which tend
to significantly affect customer trading volume at TradeStation; --
the level of success of the company's recently-launched upgrade of
its forex trading offering (when a similar upgrade was made to the
company's futures trading offering in 2003, futures account and
trading volume growth occurred rapidly, but no assurance can be
made that similar positive results will occur with the company's
forex trading offering); -- the company's ability (or lack
thereof), based upon market conditions, the level of success of its
marketing and product development and enhancement efforts, product
and service quality and reliability, competition (including both
price and quality-of-offering competition, which are intense) and
other factors, to achieve significant, or any, net increases in
DARTs, brokerage accounts and brokerage revenues sequentially or
year over year (for example, TradeStation's DARTs decreased
sequentially from second to third quarter in 2004 and in 2006, and
net revenues decreased sequentially from second to third quarter
2006, and these items may decrease sequentially or year over year
in subsequent periods); -- with respect to net new customer
accounts, the company's ability (or lack thereof) to maintain or
increase the rate of quarterly gross account additions and to
reduce the rate of quarterly account attrition (which has risen in
recent quarters), which may not be successful despite the company's
recent and planned efforts to improve sales, marketing and customer
service and retention methods and practices; -- unanticipated
infrastructure, capital or other large expenses, and unforeseen or
unexpected liabilities and claims, the company may face as it seeks
to grow its U.S. active trader market share in equities, futures
and forex business, and its institutional and non-U.S. trader
market businesses (the company has no significant prior experience
with forex, institutional and non-U.S. trader marketing, sales or
product development operations), including potential acquisition or
business combination risks, costs and expenses (such as
professional fees and, in the case of an acquisition, amortization
expense) incurred in the event the company acquires or combines
with other businesses; -- the effect of unanticipated increased
infrastructure costs that may be incurred as the company grows its
brokerage firm operations, adds accounts and introduces and expands
existing and new product and service offerings, or acquires other
businesses; -- change or lack of change in the federal funds rate
of interest that is different than what the company anticipates; --
unauthorized intrusion and criminal activity in customer accounts
by persons who unlawfully access customer accounts and then place
orders or other transactions in those accounts (the company has
recently experienced three of these occurrences, affecting seven or
eight customer accounts, and is in the process of taking measures
to limit or prevent future occurrences, but no assurance can be
made that any such measures taken by the company will be successful
or that future occurrences will not result in substantial account
losses that will ultimately be borne by the company); -- technical
difficulties, errors or failures in the company's electronic and
software products, services and systems relating to market data,
order execution and trade processing and reporting, and other
software or system errors and failures (also, the company does not
maintain a seamless, redundant back-up system to its order
execution systems, which could materially intensify the negative
consequences of any such difficulties, errors or failures); -- the
timing, implementation and costs associated with planned hardware
and software upgrades for back-office and internal systems, and
other capital expenditures planned for 2007; -- adverse results in
pending or future litigation against the company, including one
pending lawsuit seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages
filed by a co-founder of onlinetrading.com, a brokerage acquired by
the company in 2000 (which is scheduled for trial in January 2008),
that are significantly different than is currently estimated or
expected (currently zero dollars are reserved for the claims in
this pending lawsuit and the company's D&O insurance carriers
have denied coverage of such claims); -- pending NASD matters
concerning OATS reporting violations from 1999 to 2004 and failure
to transmit short sale position reports for several months after
the conversion to self-clearing operations in 2004, which could
result in fines, sanctions and/or other negative consequences
beyond accrued or anticipated amounts; -- the amount of unexpected
legal, consultation and professional fees (including those expenses
as they relate to the onlinetrading.com co-founder lawsuit against
the company, pending and future regulatory matters, other lawsuits
or proceedings against the company, or potential business
combinations or strategic relationships); -- the frequency and size
of, and ability to collect, unsecured client account debits as a
result of volatile market movements in concentrated positions held
in client accounts or as a result of other high-risk positions or
circumstances; -- the company's estimated earnings per share
(diluted) being based on assumptions of a certain number of
outstanding shares and an average stock price for particular time
periods that turn out to be inaccurate (if the number of
outstanding shares and/or the average stock price is actually
higher than what has been assumed, there will be more dilution and
the actual earnings per share would be lower); -- the general
variability and unpredictability of operating results forecast on a
quarterly basis; and -- other items, events and unpredictable costs
or revenue impact items or events that may occur, and other issues,
risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in the
company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including, but not limited to, the company's Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, and other company
SEC filings and company press releases. Contact -- David H.
Fleischman Chief Financial Officer TradeStation Group, Inc.
954-652-7000 TRADESTATION GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Unaudited) Three Months Ended
Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, ------------------
---------------- 2007 2006 2007 2006 ---- ---- ---- ---- REVENUES:
Brokerage commissions and fees $22,718,953 $20,007,857 $45,006,658
$38,640,290 Interest income 12,151,328 11,162,025 24,117,055
20,665,866 Brokerage interest expense 1,223,225 1,119,148 2,417,011
2,217,958 Net interest income 10,928,103 10,042,877 21,700,044
18,447,908 Subscription fees and other 2,146,640 2,400,085
4,417,617 4,747,300 Net revenues 35,793,696 32,450,819 71,124,319
61,835,498 EXPENSES: Employee compensation and benefits 8,771,032
7,230,492 17,222,049 14,197,263 Clearing and execution 7,534,991
6,856,437 14,657,905 12,684,120 Data centers and communications
1,479,811 1,618,377 3,153,810 3,149,180 Advertising 1,569,333
1,101,775 2,654,902 2,058,392 Professional services 204,170 678,148
1,362,997 1,436,708 Occupancy and equipment 689,070 633,532
1,385,697 1,255,694 Depreciation and amortization 1,007,647 564,982
2,006,576 1,047,593 Other 1,570,254 1,165,620 2,514,767 1,945,990
Total expenses 22,826,308 19,849,363 44,958,703 37,774,940 Income
before income taxes 12,967,388 12,601,456 26,165,616 24,060,558
INCOME TAX PROVISION 4,834,533 4,957,880 9,837,404 9,465,111 Net
income $8,132,855 $7,643,576 $16,328,212 $14,595,447 EARNINGS PER
SHARE: Basic $0.18 $0.17 $0.37 $0.33 Diluted $0.18 $0.17 $0.36
$0.32 WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING: Basic 44,382,844
44,570,353 44,486,460 44,444,782 Diluted 45,424,242 45,916,057
45,566,403 45,919,485 TRADESTATION GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS June 30, December 31, 2007
2006 ----------- ----------- (Unaudited) ASSETS: ------ Cash and
cash equivalents, including restricted cash of $1,433,569 at June
30, 2007 and December 31, 2006* $79,786,435 $74,539,256 Cash
segregated in compliance with federal regulations 413,431,229
417,501,417 Marketable securities 9,322,297 9,322,297 Receivables
from brokers, dealers, clearing organizations and clearing agents
29,800,993 34,866,825 Receivables from brokerage customers
95,442,056 77,021,893 Property and equipment, net 8,069,773
8,734,890 Deferred income taxes, net 2,144,847 1,970,047 Deposits
with clearing organizations 20,302,976 20,180,361 Other assets
7,353,368 4,950,427 Total assets $665,653,974 $649,087,413
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY:
------------------------------------ LIABILITIES: Payables to
brokers, dealers and clearing organizations $1,743,986 $4,444,956
Payables to brokerage customers 525,183,041 516,355,890 Accounts
payable 2,280,422 2,846,669 Accrued expenses 6,809,001 7,235,023
Total liabilities 536,016,450 530,882,538 COMMITMENTS AND
CONTINGENCIES SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 129,637,524 118,204,875 Total
liabilities and shareholders' equity $665,653,974 $649,087,413 *
June 30, 2007 Cash and cash equivalents excludes $3.2 million that
was transferred on July 2, 2007 from Cash segregated in compliance
with federal regulations. December 31, 2006 Cash and cash
equivalents excludes $7.6 million that was transferred on January
3, 2007 from Cash segregated in compliance with federal
regulations. DATASOURCE: TradeStation Group, Inc. CONTACT: David H.
Fleischman, Chief Financial Officer of TradeStation Group, Inc.,
+1-954-652-7000 Web site: http://www.tradestation.com/
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