Press Release

Interactive Brokers Group Announces 2012 Results



Reports Comprehensive Earnings per Share of $0.92, Income Before Taxes of $527 Million on $1,131 Million in Net Revenues, and Earnings per Share on Net Income of $0.89. Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.10 per Share.



GREENWICH, CONN, January 15, 2013 - Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (NASDAQ GS: IBKR) an automated global electronic broker and market maker, today reported diluted earnings per share on a comprehensive basis of $0.92 for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to diluted earnings per share on a comprehensive basis of $1.31 for 2011.

Reported results on a comprehensive basis reflect the GAAP convention adopted in 2011 that requires the reporting of currency translation results contained in Other Comprehensive Income as part of reportable earnings.

On a non-comprehensive basis, which excludes the effect of changes in the U.S. dollar value of the Company's non-U.S. subsidiaries, the Company reported diluted earnings per share on net income of $0.89 for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to diluted earnings per share on net income of $1.37 for 2011.

Net revenues were $1,131 million and income before income taxes was $527 million for the year, compared to net revenues of $1,358 million and income before income taxes of $741 million for 2011.

The Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.10 per share. This dividend is payable on March 14, 2013 to shareholders of record as of March 1, 2013.


Business Highlights

  • 47% pretax profit margin for 2012.
  • 51% Electronic Brokerage pretax profit margin for 2012.
  • 41% Market Making pretax profit margin for 2012.
  • Customer equity grew 31% from 2011 to $32.9 billion and customer accounts increased 11%.
  • Cleared DARTs decreased 6% from 2011 to 384,000.

Segment Overview

Electronic Brokerage
Electronic Brokerage segment income before income taxes decreased 8%, to $342 million, in 2012. Customer accounts grew 11% from the prior year and customer equity increased 31% during 2012. Commissions and execution fees decreased 10%, consistent with the subdued trading environment. Net interest income grew 9% from the prior year. Pretax profit margin was 51% in 2012, down from 54% in 2011. Total DARTs(1) for cleared and execution-only customers decreased 7% to 413,000 in 2012, compared to 444,000 during 2011. Cleared DARTs were 384,000 in 2012, 6% lower than in 2011.


Market Making
Market Making segment income before income taxes decreased 54%, to $189 million, in 2012. This decrease was driven by lower exchange volumes, lower actual-to-implied volatility and a swing in currency translation gains. In 2012, our currency diversification strategy negatively impacted the income statement by $39 million, compared to an $11 million gain in 2011. Including balance sheet effects, our currency strategy resulted in a slightly smaller loss than last year. Currency translation effects are reported as part of Trading Gains in the Market Making segment. Pretax profit margin decreased to 41% in 2012 from 59% in 2011. Market Making options contract volume decreased 9% in 2012.


Effects of Foreign Currency Diversification
As a global broker and market maker trading on exchanges around the world and transacting in multiple currencies, we are exposed to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. We actively manage this exposure by maintaining our net worth in GLOBALs, a basket of 16 currencies in which we hold our equity. In 2012, this currency strategy decreased our profits, as measured in U.S. dollars, as the U.S. dollar value of the GLOBAL decreased by approximately 0.4%. The effects of our currency strategy are reported as components of (1) Market Making Trading Gains and (2) Other Comprehensive Income, described below.


Comprehensive Income
Reported results on a comprehensive basis reflect the Company's adoption of U.S. GAAP guidance(2) issued in June 2011 that requires the presentation of a Statement of Comprehensive Income, replacing the former Statement of Income. The Statement of Comprehensive Income reports currency translation results that are a component of Other Comprehensive Income ("OCI") directly in this statement. Previously, OCI was reported as a component of changes in Total Equity in the Statement of Financial Condition.


(1) Daily average revenue trades (DARTs) are based on customer orders.
(2) Accounting Standards Update 2011-05, Comprehensive Income.


Conference Call Information:

Interactive Brokers Group will hold a conference call with investors today, January 15, 2013, at 4:30 p.m. ET to discuss its quarterly results. Investors who would like to listen to the conference call live should dial 877-324-1965 (U.S. domestic) and 631-291-4512 (international). The number should be dialed approximately ten minutes prior to the start of the conference call. Ask for the "Interactive Brokers Conference Call."

The conference call will also be accessible simultaneously, and through replays, as an audio webcast through the Investor Relations section of the Interactive Brokers web site, www.interactivebrokers.com/ir.


About Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.:

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, is an automated global electronic broker that specializes in catering to financial professionals by offering state-of-the-art trading technology, superior execution capabilities, worldwide electronic access, and sophisticated risk management tools at exceptionally low costs. The brokerage trading platform utilizes the same innovative technology as the Company's market making business, which specializes in routing orders and executing and processing trades in securities, futures, foreign exchange instruments, bonds and funds on more than 100 electronic exchanges and trading venues around the world. As a market maker, we provide liquidity at these marketplaces and, as a broker, we provide professional traders and investors with electronic access to stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and mutual funds from a single IB Universal AccountSM. Employing proprietary software on a global communications network, Interactive Brokers is continuously integrating its software with a growing number of exchanges and trading venues into one automatically functioning, computerized platform that requires minimal human intervention.


Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

The foregoing information contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the company's current views with respect to certain current and future events and financial performance. These forward-looking statements are and will be, as the case may be, subject to many risks, uncertainties and factors relating to the company's operations and business environment which may cause the company's actual results to be materially different from any future results, expressed or implied, in these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to the company on the date of this release. The company does not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that any statements expressed or implied therein will not be realized. Additional information on risk factors that could potentially affect the company's financial results may be found in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. Media: Caitlin Duffy, 203-913-1369 or Investors: Deborah Liston, 203-618-4070.


Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries Operating Data




Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries Segment Financial Information (Unaudited)




Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. And Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements Of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited)




Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet (Unaudited)




Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries Earnings per Share on Comprehensive Income (Unaudited)