LOS ANGELES, Aug. 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- B. Riley Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:RILY), a diversified provider of financial and business advisory services, reported results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2017.

Second Quarter 2017 Financial Highlights

• Total revenues of $66.7 million; net income of $3.3 million or $0.15 per diluted share
• Adjusted EBITDA of $17.6 million; adjusted net income of $8.8 million or $0.40 per diluted share
• Completed acquisition of FBR & Co. on June 1, 2017
• Declares special dividend of $0.05 per share in addition to regular dividend of $0.08 per share

Second Quarter 2017 Financial Results
Total revenues for the second quarter of 2017 were $66.7 million compared to $20.3 million in the same year-ago period. The significant increase was primarily due to higher revenues from the company’s Auction and Liquidation and Capital Markets segments as well as the addition of the Principal Investments - United Online segment, which acquired United Online Inc. on July 1, 2016.

• Auction and Liquidation Segment: Revenue was $21.8 million compared to $5.4 million in the same year-ago period. The significant increase in revenue was primarily due to a $16.4 million increase in services and fees primarily related to retail liquidations. Segment income increased to $7.3 million from $1.7 million in the same year-ago period.      
   
• Capital Markets Segment: Revenues were $23.9 million, a significant improvement from $7.2 million in the same year-ago period. The $16.7 million increase in revenue was primarily due to the addition of FBR & Co. in June 2017 as well as higher investment banking fees, trading income, and commissions earned. Segment loss totaled $4.8 million compared to a loss of $0.5 million in the same year-ago period primarily due to restructuring charges taken related to the FBR acquisition.          
   
• Valuation and Appraisal Segment: Revenue was $8.0 million compared to $7.7 million in the same year-ago period. The revenue increase was primarily due to an increase in revenues related to appraisal engagements. Segment income totaled $2.3 million compared to $2.1 million in the same year-ago period.      
   
• Principal Investments – United Online Segment: Revenues from services and fees, as well as the sale of products totaled $13.0 million primarily from services and fees for internet access and related subscription services. Segment income totaled $5.1 million.

Net income for the second quarter of 2017 totaled $3.3 million or $0.15 per diluted share, compared to a loss of $0.1 million or $(0.01) per diluted share in the same year-ago period.

Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest expense, interest income, provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization, share-based payments, fair value adjustments, insurance settlement recovery, transactions-related costs, and restructuring costs) for the second quarter of 2017 totaled $17.6 million, compared to $1.8 million in the same year-ago period. (see note regarding "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures," below for further discussion of this non-GAAP term).   

Adjusted net income (excluding the impact of share-based payments, fair value adjustments, amortization of acquired intangible assets, restructuring costs, insurance settlement recovery and transaction-related costs, net of related tax impact thereof) for the second quarter of 2017 totaled $8.8 million or $0.40 per diluted share, compared to $0.8 million or $0.05 per diluted share in the same year-ago period (see note regarding "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures," below for further discussion of this non-GAAP term). 

On June 30, 2017, the company had $104.7 million of unrestricted cash and $74.7 million of net securities and other investments. Total B. Riley Financial, Inc. stockholders’ equity at June 30, 2017 was $239.0 million.

Declaration of Dividend
On August 7, 2017, the company's board of directors approved a regular quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share and a one-time special dividend of $0.05 per share, which will be paid on or about August 29, 2017 to stockholders of record as of August 21, 2017.

Management Commentary
“The second quarter was a continuation of the same strong growth, diversification and operational momentum we have achieved over the last several quarters,” said B. Riley Financial Chairman and CEO, Bryant Riley. “Our solid financial performance in the quarter was driven collectively by our diverse lines of business, demonstrating the attractiveness of our unique business model. We experienced another strong period especially in our liquidations segment, completing several large liquidation projects, including Gordmans and HHGregg. Additionally, we had another active quarter in our capital markets segment, driven mainly by several banking transactions and improving trading commissions. These successes were augmented by the continued meaningful cash flow contribution from United Online as well as our valuation business.

“In tandem with our continued organic growth and operational momentum, we are pleased to have completed the acquisitions of FBR and Wunderlich. FBR further strengthens our capital markets business through their market-leading equity offering practice and sector coverage and also expands our geographic distribution with operations throughout the East and West coasts. Wunderlich
bolsters our wealth management business by adding over 200 financial advisors and approximately $10 billion in assets under administration. Altogether, our combined organization of more than 800 professionals and strong balance sheet not only gives us a national footprint in equities and fixed income, but it also provides the necessary scale and resources to strategically expand our leading position in business services, financial advisory and investment banking. We have already made significant strides integrating the businesses and look forward to benefiting from the substantial financial and operational synergies in the quarters and years ahead.”

Conference Call
B. Riley Financial will host a conference call today (August 7, 2017) at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time (1:30 p.m. Pacific time). The company’s Chairman and CEO, Bryant Riley, President Tom Kelleher, and CFO and COO, Phillip Ahn, will host the conference call, followed by a question and answer period.

Please call the conference telephone number 10 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact Liolios Group at 949-574-3860.

Toll-Free Number: 877-425-9470
International Number: 201-389-0878

About B. Riley Financial
B. Riley Financial, Inc. is a publicly traded, diversified financial services company which takes a collaborative approach to the capital raising and financial advisory needs of public and private companies and high net worth individuals. The Company operates through several wholly-owned subsidiaries, including B. Riley & Co., LLC, FBR Capital Markets & Co., Wunderlich Securities, Inc., Great American Group, LLC, B. Riley Capital Management, LLC (which includes B. Riley Asset Management, B. Riley Wealth Management, and Great American Capital Partners, LLC) and B. Riley Principal Investments, a group that makes proprietary investments in other businesses, such as the acquisition of United Online, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements by B. Riley Financial, Inc. that are not based on historical fact, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," “projects,” "believes," "seeks," "estimates," and similar expressions and statements. Such forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, express or implied statements regarding future financial performance and future dividends, the effects of our business model, the effects of our balance sheet on our ability to pursue business opportunities, the effects and anticipated benefits of our acquisitions of United Online, Inc., FBR & Co., and Wunderlich Securities, Inc. and related actions, expectations regarding future transactions and the financial impact, size and consistency of returns and timing thereof, as well as statements regarding the effect of investments in our business segments. Because these forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause actual results, events or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Such factors include risks associated with large engagements in our Auction and Liquidation segment; our ability to achieve expected cost savings or other benefits with respect to the acquisition of United Online, Inc., rights to manage certain hedge funds managed by Dialectic Capital Management, FBR & Co., and Wunderlich Securities, Inc., in each case within expected time frames or at all; our ability to consummate anticipated transactions and the expected financial impact thereof, in each case within the expected timeframes or at all; our ability to successfully integrate acquisitions; loss of key personnel; our ability to manage growth; the potential loss of financial institution clients; the timing of completion of significant engagements; and those risks described from time to time in B. Riley Financial, Inc.'s filings with the SEC, including, without limitation, the risks described in B. Riley Financial, Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations." Additional information will also be set forth in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2017. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. All information is current as of the date this press release is issued, and B. Riley Financial, Inc. undertakes no duty to update this information.

Note Regarding Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Certain of the information set forth herein, including adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income, may be considered non-GAAP financial measures. B. Riley Financial, Inc. believes this information is useful to investors because it provides a basis for measuring the company’s available capital resources, the operating performance of its business and its cash flow, excluding interest expense, interest income, provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization, stock-based payments, fair value adjustments, insurance settlement recovery, transaction-related expenses, and restructuring costs that would normally be included in the most directly comparable measures calculated and presented in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"). In addition, the company’s management uses these non-GAAP financial measures along with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures in evaluating the company’s operating performance, capital resources and cash flow. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information presented in compliance with GAAP, and non-financial measures as reported by the company may not be comparable to similarly titled amounts reported by other companies. The non-GAAP measures are described above and are reconciled to the corresponding GAAP measure in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements portion of this release under the headings “Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation" and “Adjusted Net Income Reconciliation.”

Investor Contact: 
Scott Liolios or Matt Glover
Liolios Group, Inc.
949-574-3860
RILY@liolios.com