Cohen & Co. reports Q1 adjusted EPS $1.37 vs. ($1.74) last year

Reports Q1 revenue $18.6M vs. $8.8M last year. Lester Brafman, CEO said, “We are very pleased to report our second consecutive quarter of strong earnings. 2024 is off to a great start with adjusted pre-tax income of $7.7 million and earnings per share of $1.28 in the first quarter. Over the last six months, we have generated over $23 million of adjusted pre-tax income and $4.25 of earnings per share. “Despite the on-going challenging market environment, we continue to invest in our full-service boutique investment banking operation, Cohen & Company Capital Markets, which has grown to 23 professionals. During the past two years, we repositioned the business with a focus on CCM and we are beginning to see our robust pipeline deliver through the P&L. We are particularly proud of the fact that CCM has become a leading advisor for De-SPAC transactions. Our net trading operations are also off to a strong start. In the first quarter, net trading revenue increased 26% from the prior quarter. In January, we announced the hiring of George Holstead as the head of our new Middle Markets Group, and we have since hired four traders and two salespeople into that group. Although we continue to experience unfavorable volatility in negative mark-to-market adjustments on our principal investing portfolio, we are well positioned for continued growth. We are excited about the momentum we have built as we look to capitalize on the tremendous opportunity to grow our topline revenue and profitability. We will continue to invest prudently in revenue generating talent and additional diversification of our offerings. Moving forward, we remain focused on enhancing stockholder value, including through continued payment of our quarterly dividend.”