UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
 
 
 
 
 
 
FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
 
 
 
February 26, 2016
 
 
Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event)
 
 
 
 
 
Sotheby's
 
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
 
 
Delaware
1-9750
38-2478409
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)
(Commission File Number)
(IRS Employer Identification No.)
 
 
 
1334 York Avenue
 
 
New York, NY
 
10021
(Address of principal executive offices)
 
(Zip Code)
 
(212) 606-7000
 
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
 
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
¨
 
Written communications pursuant to ule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
¨
 
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
¨
 
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
¨
 
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
 
 
 
 
 





Item 2.02 Results of Operations and Financial Condition
On February 26, 2016, Sotheby's (the "Company") issued a press release discussing its results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2015. This press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Form 8-K.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits
(c)    Exhibits
99.1    Sotheby's earnings press release for the year ended December 31, 2015.



 





1



SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Company has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 
 
 
 
 
 
SOTHEBY'S
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:
/s/ Kevin M. Delaney
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kevin M. Delaney
 
 
 
Senior Vice President,
 
 
 
Controller and Chief Accounting Officer
 
 
 
 
 
 
Date:
February 26, 2016


2



Exhibit Index

Exhibit No.    Description

99.1        Sotheby's earnings press release for the year ended December 31, 2015.

3


Exhibit 99.1


New York | Lauren Gioia | Jennifer Park | Lauren.Gioia@Sothebys.com | Jennifer.Park@Sothebys.com | +1 212 606 7176

SOTHEBY’S REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2015 FINANCIAL RESULTS   

NEW YORK, 26 February 2016 - Sotheby’s (NYSE: BID) today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended 31 December 2015.

President and Chief Executive Officer Tad Smith said, “We are pleased with the progress we’ve made on our strategic objectives which includes significant headway on priorities relating to developing a compelling growth strategy, leveraging the use of technology, allocating capital wisely and optimizing talent and processes within the organization. We look forward to translating this hard work into tangible results and long-term value creation for shareholders.”

Mr. Smith continued, “We are incredibly excited about our prospects. After a year of transition, we have a strong team with a clear mandate to build a more valuable business for shareholders and a more responsive one for new and existing clients. We will likely have one or more difficult quarters as we ride through the current cycle, but we are being careful on guarantees and capital commitments, watching our liquidity carefully, continuing to invest in the people and capabilities that will drive our future success, and taking the opportunity with our excess cash to repurchase shares. We are confident in our future and managing the business to create value for shareholders and clients,” concluded Mr. Smith.

For the year ended 31 December 2015, Sotheby’s reported Adjusted Net Income* of $143.1 million, which is comparable to 2014, and Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share* of $2.07, which exceeds the $2.03 per diluted share earned in 2014 due to share repurchases made during the year. These results are slightly better than the high end of the estimated range of results that were pre-announced on 22 January 2016.

1

Exhibit 99.1


For the year ended 31 December 2015, Sotheby’s reported GAAP net income of $43.7 million, or $0.63 per diluted share, representing a decrease of ($74.1) million (63%) when compared to net income of $117.8 million, or $1.68 per diluted share, in 2014. The lower level of net income is due to a number of charges recorded in 2015, including a $65.7 million non-cash income tax charge related to the planned repatriation of foreign earnings and an after-tax charge of $23.6 million related to voluntary separation incentive programs implemented late in 2015, both recognized in the fourth quarter of 2015. Also, Consolidated Sales** is $6.72 billion for 2015 which is virtually identical to 2014.

For the fourth quarter of 2015, Adjusted Net Income* is $80.6 million or $1.19 per diluted share*, representing increases of 3% and 6%, respectively, when compared to the prior year period. On a GAAP basis, Sotheby’s reported a fourth quarter 2015 net loss of ($11.2) million or ($0.17) per share due to the aforementioned income tax charge related to the repatriation of foreign earnings recorded in the period.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
*Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share are non-GAAP financial measures. See Appendix B for a description of these non-GAAP financial measures and reconciliation to the most comparable GAAP amount.
**Consolidated Sales represents the sum of Aggregate Auction Sales (the total hammer (sale) price of property sold at auction plus buyer's premium), Private Sales, and Inventory Sales. For the purposes of this calculation, when applicable, amounts that are associated with the sale of Sotheby's inventory at auction and included in Aggregate Auction Sales are eliminated.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains certain “forward-looking statements” (as such term is defined in Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) relating to future events and the financial performance of Sotheby’s. Such statements are only predictions and involve risks and uncertainties, resulting in the possibility that the actual events or performances will differ materially from such predictions. Major factors, which Sotheby’s believes could cause the actual results to differ materially from the predicted results in the “forward-looking statements” include, but are not limited to, the overall strength of the global economy and financial markets, political conditions in various countries, competition with other auctioneers and art dealers, the amount and quality property available for consignment and the marketability at auction of such property. Please refer to our most recently filed Form 10-Q (and/or 10-K) for a complete list of Risk Factors.

Investor Relations Information
All Sotheby’s Press Releases and SEC filings are available on our web site at www.sothebys.com. An outline of the conference call as well as an accompanying slide presentation will be available at http://investor.shareholder.com/bid/events.cfm.
Sotheby’s will host a conference call at 9:00 AM EST on 26 February 2016, to discuss its fourth quarter 2015 financial results. Please dial 888-371-8897 and for callers outside the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada, please dial 1-970-315-0479, approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the call. The call reservation number is 51884046.

2

Exhibit 99.1

The conference call will also be accessible via webcast on the Investor Relations section of the Sotheby’s web site at http://investor.shareholder.com/bid/events.cfm.

About Sotheby’s
Sotheby’s has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby’s became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973), India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby’s presents auctions in nine different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby’s BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids in real-time from anywhere in the world. Sotheby’s offers collectors the resources of Sotheby’s Financial Services, the world’s only full-service art financing company, as well as private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art department, and two retail businesses, Sotheby’s Diamonds and Sotheby’s Wine. Sotheby’s has a global network of 90 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).

for more News from Sotheby’s
Visit: www.sothebys.com/en/news-video.html
Follow: www.twitter.com/sothebys
Join: www.facebook.com/sothebys & www.weibo.com/sothebyshongkong
Watch: www.youtube.com/sothebys


Images are available upon request
All catalogues are available online at www.sothebys.com or through Sotheby’s Catalogue iPad App.
 



3

Appendix A

SOTHEBY’S
CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS
(Thousands of dollars, except per share data)

 
 
UNAUDITED
 
AUDITED
 
 
Three Months Ended
 
Year Ended
 
 
December 31, 2015
 
December 31, 2014
 
December 31, 2015
 
December 31, 2014
Revenues:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Agency commissions and fees
 
$
284,439

 
$
309,582

 
$
791,920

 
$
825,126

Inventory sales
 
35,485

 
28,951

 
108,699

 
69,958

Finance
 
12,899

 
10,274

 
50,489

 
33,013

License fees
 
2,839

 
1,949

 
9,820

 
8,484

Other
 
159

 
468

 
566

 
1,472

Total revenues
 
335,821

 
351,224

 
961,494

 
938,053

Expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

Agency direct costs
 
39,194

 
38,468

 
91,919

 
86,524

Cost of inventory sales
 
38,710

 
28,018

 
111,090

 
68,037

Cost of Finance revenues
 
4,236

 
3,372

 
15,780

 
8,740

Marketing
 
6,757

 
5,793

 
19,332

 
16,566

Salaries and related
 
74,816

 
88,457

 
302,825

 
310,934

General and administrative
 
41,564

 
45,456

 
159,148

 
158,796

Depreciation and amortization
 
5,037

 
5,205

 
19,481

 
20,575

Voluntary separation programs
 
36,938

 

 
36,938

 

CEO separation and transition costs
 

 
7,591

 
4,232

 
7,591

Restructuring charges (net)
 
3

 
(47
)
 
(972
)
 
14,238

Special charges (net)
 

 
(80
)
 

 
20,008

Total expenses
 
247,255

 
222,233

 
759,773

 
712,009

Operating income
 
88,566

 
128,991

 
201,721

 
226,044

Interest income
 
538

 
444

 
1,776

 
1,883

Interest expense
 
(7,572
)
 
(8,881
)
 
(32,745
)
 
(35,189
)
Other income (expense)
 
2,377

 
(407
)
 
(1,453
)
 
283

Income before taxes
 
83,909

 
120,147

 
169,299

 
193,021

Equity in (losses) earnings of investees
 
(626
)
 
52

 
5,327

 
732

Income tax expense
 
94,510

 
46,259

 
131,145

 
75,761

Net (loss) income
 
(11,227
)
 
73,940

 
43,481

 
117,992

Less: Net (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interest
 
(74
)
 
(63
)
 
(246
)
 
197

Net (loss) income attributable to Sotheby's
 
$
(11,153
)
 
$
74,003

 
$
43,727

 
$
117,795

Basic (loss) earnings per share - Sotheby's common shareholders
 
$
(0.17
)
 
$
1.07

 
$
0.64

 
$
1.69

Diluted (loss) earnings per share - Sotheby's common shareholders
 
$
(0.17
)
 
$
1.06

 
$
0.63

 
$
1.68

Cash dividends declared per common share
 
$
0.10

 
$
0.10

 
$
0.40

 
$
4.74




4

Appendix B

USE OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

GAAP refers to generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America. Included in this earnings release are financial measures presented in accordance with GAAP and also on a non-GAAP basis. The non-GAAP financial measures presented in this earnings release are: (i) Adjusted Net Income and (ii) Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share. Sotheby's definition of these non-GAAP financial measures is provided in the following paragraphs.
Adjusted Net Income is defined as Net Income Attributable to Sotheby's, excluding the after-tax impact of leadership transition severance costs (recorded within Salaries and Related Costs), charges related to Sotheby's voluntary separation incentive programs, CEO Separation and Transition Costs, Restructuring Charges (net), and Special Charges (net), as well as the income tax charge associated with the repatriation of pre-2014 foreign earnings. Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share is defined as Diluted Earnings Per Share excluding the per share impact of leadership transition severance costs (recorded within Salaries and Related Costs), charges related to Sotheby's voluntary separation incentive programs, CEO Separation and Transition Costs, Restructuring Charges (net), Special Charges (net), as well as the income tax charge associated with the repatriation of pre-2014 foreign earnings.
Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share are important supplemental measures used by the Board of Directors and management in their financial and operational decision making processes, for internal reporting, and as part of Sotheby’s forecasting and budgeting processes, as they provide helpful measures of Sotheby’s core operations. These measures allow the Board of Directors and management to view operating trends, perform analytical comparisons, and benchmark performance between periods. Management also believes that these measures may be used by securities analysts, investors, financial institutions, and other interested parties in their evaluation of Sotheby's.
Management cautions users of Sotheby's financial statements that amounts presented in accordance with its definitions of these non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by other companies because not all companies and analysts calculate such measures in the same manner.
A reconciliation of each of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP amount is presented in the following tables (in thousands of dollars, except per share data):

 
 
Three Months Ended
 
Year Ended
 
 
December 31, 2015
 
December 31, 2014
 
December 31, 2015
 
December 31, 2014
Net (loss) income attributable to Sotheby's
 
$
(11,153
)
 
$
74,003

 
$
43,727

 
$
117,795

Add: Leadership transition severance costs, net of tax
 
2,326

 

 
8,084

 

Add: Voluntary separation incentive program charges, net of tax
 
23,640

 

 
23,640

 

Add: CEO separation and transition costs, net of tax
 
17

 
4,453

 
2,581

 
4,453

Add: Restructuring charges (net), net of tax
 
28

 
(411
)
 
(633
)
 
9,017

Add: Special charges (net), net of tax
 

 
85

 

 
11,133

Add: Income tax expense related to repatriation of pre-2014 foreign earnings
 
65,732

 

 
65,732

 

Adjusted Net Income
 
$
80,590

 
$
78,130

 
$
143,131

 
$
142,398

Variance versus prior period - $
 
$
2,460

 
 
 
$
733

 
 
Variance versus prior period - %
 
3
%
 
 
 
1
%
 
 

5

Appendix B

 
 
Three Months Ended
 
Year Ended
 
 
December 31, 2015
 
December 31, 2014
 
December 31, 2015
 
December 31, 2014
Diluted (loss) earnings per share
 
$
(0.17
)
 
$
1.06

 
$
0.63

 
$
1.68

Add: Leadership transition severance costs, per share
 
0.03

 

 
0.11

 

Add: Voluntary separation incentive program charges, per share
 
0.35

 

 
0.34

 

Add: CEO separation and transition costs, per share
 

 
0.06

 
0.04

 
0.06

Add: Restructuring charges (net), per share
 

 

 
(0.01
)
 
0.13

Add: Special charges (net), per share
 

 

 

 
0.16

Add: Income tax expense related to repatriation of pre-2014 foreign earnings, per share
 
0.98

 

 
0.96

 

Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share
 
$
1.19

 
$
1.12

 
$
2.07

 
$
2.03

Variance versus prior period - $
 
$
0.07

 
 
 
$
0.04

 
 
Variance versus prior period - %
 
6
%
 
 
 
2
%
 
 


6
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