NEW YORK -- (Business Wire)

Jefferies Group LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE: JEF), today announced financial results for its fiscal second quarter 2018.

Highlights for the three months ended May 31, 2018:

• Total Net Revenues of $823 million, up 20% versus the same quarter last year, excluding last year's gain on the sale of KCG¹
• Investment Banking Net Revenues of $506 million, up 42% compared to last year's second quarter
• Total Equities and Fixed Income Net Revenues of $295 million
• Earnings Before Income Taxes of $122 million
• Net Earnings of $98 million, or 10.7% return on tangible equity²

Highlights for the six months ended May 31, 2018:

• Total Net Revenues of $1,644 million, up 11% versus the first half of last year, excluding last year's gain on the sale of KCG¹
• Investment Banking Net Revenues of $940 million, up 23% compared to the first half of last year
• Total Equities and Fixed Income Net Revenues of $664 million
• Earnings Before Income Taxes of $245 million
• Net Earnings of $37 million after Provisional Tax Cuts and Jobs Act-related charge of $160 million, $108 million of which is non-cash; without this charge, we would have reported Adjusted Net Earnings of $198 million, or 10.6% return on tangible equity³

Rich Handler, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Brian Friedman, Chairman of the Executive Committee, commented: "Total net revenues for the second quarter were $823 million, up 20% compared to a year ago, excluding the $96 million mark-to-market gain in last year's quarter on the sale of our investment in KCG Holdings Inc.¹ Our second quarter results reflect continued strong performance in Investment Banking, with net revenues of $506 million, up 42% compared to last year's second quarter and 17% compared to the first quarter of 2018. Our Investment Banking results reflect solid execution for our clients across the board in both financing and merger and acquisition advisory.

"Our Investment Banking revenues of nearly $2 billion for the twelve months ended May 31, 2018 represents our best twelve month Investment Banking period ever and reflects the impact of our continuing effort to both broaden and deepen our client coverage and product capabilities. During the last year, we expanded our existing teams and built a presence in new sectors and products, including Business Services, Tech-Enabled Services, Insurance Services, Sporting and Outdoor Products, SPACs and Rule 144a Equity Offerings. We opened new Investment Banking offices in the Netherlands and Australia. We are also expanding our sponsor coverage effort to more private equity firms managing funds below $2 billion in equity commitments. Many of these newer activities and services have yet to fully come on line and therefore represent further growth opportunities for us. We believe this is an excellent environment to pursue continued expansion of our Investment Banking business.

"Equities revenues for the quarter were $175 million, consistent with last year’s second quarter’s revenues. We are pleased with these results given the rapid swings in volatility in the first half and the uncertainties presented with the regulatory environment concerning MiFID. We believe we are well positioned in equities for continued market share gains. Fixed Income revenues were $120 million versus $156 million for the same period last year. Fixed Income volumes during March were particularly light, but picked up in April and May. We are pleased with the firm’s performance this quarter, but believe we have the ability and the determination to do even better across every business line at Jefferies."

As mentioned last quarter, we expect that our effective tax rate generally will be about 27%, excluding discrete items and assuming a similar geographical mix of pre-tax profits. This quarter’s effective tax rate of 20% includes the benefit from both the restructuring of certain international entities and the refinement of the calculation of last quarter’s estimated toll charge. This refinement was enabled by the issuance of clarifying guidance under The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

The attached financial tables should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended November 30, 2017. Amounts herein pertaining to May 31, 2018 represent a preliminary estimate as of the date of this earnings release and may be revised in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended May 31, 2018.

This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements include statements about our future results and performance, including our future market share and expected financial results. It is possible that the actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results indicated in these forward-looking statements. Please refer to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements.

Jefferies Group LLC, the world's only independent full-service global investment banking firm focused on serving clients for over 50 years, is a leader in providing insight, expertise and execution to investors, companies and governments. Our firm provides a full range of investment banking, advisory, sales and trading, research and wealth management services across all products in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Jefferies Group LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE: JEF), a diversified financial services company.

This presentation of Adjusted financial information is an unaudited non-GAAP financial measure. Adjusted financial information begins with information prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and then those results are adjusted to exclude the provisional tax charge of $160 million related to the enactment of the Tax Act in the first six months of 2018. Adjusted financial information also begins with information prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and then those results are adjusted to exclude the $96 million and $91 million mark-to-market gains on the announcement of the sale of our equity investment in KCG Holdings Inc. in the three and six months ended May 31, 2017, respectively. The Company believes that the disclosed Adjusted measures and any adjustments thereto, when presented in conjunction with comparable U.S. GAAP measures, are useful to investors as they enable investors to evaluate the Company's results excluding the impact of the provisional tax charge as a result of the enactment of the Tax Act and the mark-to-market gain on the announcement of the sale of our equity investment in KCG Holdings Inc. These measures should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

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Contacts:

Jefferies Group LLC
Peregrine C. Broadbent, 212-284-2338
Chief Financial Officer

Source: Jefferies Group LLC