Summary
Blackstone Inc. (BX) reported its second quarter 2020 results, showing a significant increase in total revenues to $2.5 billion, primarily driven by a substantial rebound in unrealized investment income, which more than offset the impact of COVID-19 on certain segments. Despite a challenging economic environment, Management and Advisory Fees saw a healthy increase of 15% year-over-year, demonstrating the resilience of Blackstone's fee-generating business model. However, total expenses also rose due to higher compensation related to performance allocations, reflecting the improved investment performance in the quarter. For the six-month period, revenues were negatively impacted by significant unrealized investment losses, leading to a net loss attributable to The Blackstone Group Inc. of $(498.2) million. This was largely due to widespread unrealized depreciation across the portfolio stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Management's discussion highlights the ongoing impact of the pandemic on various sectors, particularly real estate, and acknowledges the uncertainty surrounding the pace of economic recovery. The company maintained a strong liquidity position with $2.0 billion in cash and cash equivalents and $2.2 billion in corporate treasury investments as of June 30, 2020.
Financial Highlights
37 data points| Revenue | $2.52B |
| Operating Expenses | $1.17B |
| Interest Expense | $39.28M |
| Net Income | $568.27M |
| EPS (Basic) | $0.81 |
| EPS (Diluted) | $0.81 |
| Shares Outstanding (Basic) | 698.53M |
| Shares Outstanding (Diluted) | 1.20B |
Key Highlights
- 1Total revenues for Q2 2020 surged to $2.5 billion, a 69% increase year-over-year, driven by a significant rebound in unrealized investment income.
- 2Management and Advisory Fees increased by 15% year-over-year to $970 million for Q2 2020 and by 15% for the six-month period to $1.9 billion, indicating the stability of recurring fee streams.
- 3Net Income Attributable to The Blackstone Group Inc. for Q2 2020 was $568.3 million, a significant increase from $305.8 million in Q2 2019. However, for the six-month period, there was a net loss of $(498.2) million compared to a net income of $787.1 million in the prior year period.
- 4Total Expenses increased by 36% year-over-year to $1.2 billion in Q2 2020, primarily due to a 51% increase in Compensation and Benefits, driven by performance allocation compensation reflecting improved investment income.
- 5Assets Under Management (AUM) increased to $564.3 billion as of June 30, 2020, up from $538.0 billion at the end of 2019, with Fee-Earning Assets Under Management reaching $435.8 billion.
- 6Blackstone ended the period with a strong liquidity position, holding $2.0 billion in cash and cash equivalents and $2.2 billion in corporate treasury investments.
- 7The company repurchased approximately 2.0 million shares of Class A common stock during Q2 2020 for $114.9 million, with $412.8 million remaining under its share repurchase program as of June 30, 2020.