Cushman & Wakefield Reports Financial Results for First Quarter 2022

Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022:

Financial Results

• Revenue of $2.3 billion and service line fee revenue of $1.7 billion for the first quarter of 2022 increased 21% and 27%, respectively, from the first quarter of 2021.
  • Strong performance across all segments, led by the Americas.
  • Leasing and Capital markets grew 56% and 74%, respectively.
  • Property, facilities and project management and Valuation and other grew 9% and 8%, respectively.
• Net income and earnings per share for the first quarter of 2022 of $45.5 million and $0.20, respectively, improved compared to the first quarter of 2021 net loss of $17.2 million and loss per share of $0.08.
  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.48 was significantly ahead of the first quarter of 2021 of $0.11.
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $214.4 million increased 115% with Adjusted EBITDA margin of 12.6% expanding 512 basis points from the first quarter of 2021.
• Liquidity at the end of the first quarter of 2022 was $1.6 billion, consisting of availability on the Company's undrawn revolving credit facility of $1.0 billion and cash and cash equivalents of $0.6 billion.
• Amended revolving credit facility on April 28, 2022, increased availability to $1.1 billion, extended the maturity date to 2027 and added incentives linked to sustainability features based on our greenhouse gas emission targets.

"We are off to a strong start to 2022 generating record first quarter results. Performance was pleasing across the board of our highly diversified portfolio, in particular brokerage, which continues to perform exceptionally well as investors seek attractive returns and return to office momentum drives leasing activity. Equally encouraging was the strength of our non-brokerage businesses which generated upper single digit revenue growth year-over-year as we continue to capture market share in our occupier services business. We are well positioned with a strong balance sheet and ample liquidity to continue to drive our growth strategy and to deliver material value to our shareholders," said John Forrester, Cushman & Wakefield Chief Executive Officer.

First Quarter Results (unaudited)

Revenue

Revenue of $2.3 billion, an increase of $407.2 million or 21% compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021, reflects strong revenue growth across all segments. Americas, EMEA and APAC revenue growth was 25%, 6%, and 12%, respectively, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021. Service line fee revenue growth was led by brokerage, which was up 62% versus the first quarter of 2021. Leasing revenue of $454.7 million increased 56% principally driven by the strength of the industrial sector and improving momentum stemming from return-to-office activity. Capital markets revenue grew $122.5 million or 74% as investment fundamentals in commercial real estate assets continue to be favorable. Property, facilities and project management grew 9% driven by growth in our facilities management and project management businesses. Valuation and other and Gross contract reimbursables also grew 8% and 7%, respectively. Geographically, Americas, EMEA and APAC contributed 89%, 3%, and 8%, respectively, of the consolidated revenue growth.

Costs of services

Costs of services of $1.9 billion increased $271.0 million or 17% compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021. Cost of services provided to clients increased 23% principally due to higher variable costs including commissions, as a result of higher brokerage revenue. Cost of gross contract reimbursables increased 7% driven by the continued growth in our Property, facilities and project management service line. These increases were partially offset by tight cost management and savings generated from operating efficiency initiatives. Total costs of services as a percentage of total revenue were 80% for the first quarter of 2022 as compared to 83% for the first quarter of 2021.

Operating, administrative and other

Operating, administrative and other expenses of $293.4 million increased by $12.6 million or 4% compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021, as higher compensation costs were partially offset by savings generated from operating efficiency initiatives. Operating, administrative and other costs as a percentage of total revenue were 13% for the first quarter of 2022 as compared to 15% for the first quarter of 2021.

Restructuring, impairment and related charges

Restructuring, impairment and related charges were $1.2 million, a decrease of $16.4 million compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021. This decrease principally reflects the reduction of severance-related costs and impairment charges in connection with the Company's previously announced strategic realignment of the business, that was substantially complete at the end of last year.

Earnings from equity method investments

Earnings from equity method investments of $16.9 million increased by $14.5 million compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021, primarily due to the earnings recognized from our equity method investment with Greystone in the Americas, which was finalized in December 2021.

Other (expense) income, net

Other expense, net during the three months ended March 31, 2022 reflects net unrealized losses on fair value investments of $21.5 million, primarily related to our investment in WeWork, which closed in the fourth quarter of 2021, partially offset by royalty income. In addition, the Company recorded a loss of $13.8 million in the three months ended March 31, 2022 related to the disposal of operations in Russia.

Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

Provision for income taxes for the first quarter of 2022 was $30.6 million on earnings before income taxes of $76.1 million. For the first quarter of 2021, the benefit from income taxes was $28.0 million on a loss before income taxes of $45.2 million. The increase in tax expense from the prior period was primarily driven by higher pre-tax earnings, partially offset by a lower effective tax rate.

Net income and Adjusted EBITDA

Net income of $45.5 million principally reflects the strong performance of brokerage activity as Leasing and Capital markets fee revenue increased 56% and 74%, respectively. Revenue in Property, facilities and project management and Valuation and other also increased 9% and 8%, respectively.

Adjusted EBITDA of $214.4 million increased by $114.7 million or 115%, primarily due to the impact of revenue growth in all segments and service lines. As a result, Adjusted EBITDA margin, measured against service line fee revenue, of 12.6% for the three months ended March 31, 2022, increased 512 basis points as compared to 7.5% in the three months ended March 31, 2021.

Balance Sheet

Liquidity at the end of the first quarter was $1.6 billion, including availability on the Company's undrawn revolving credit facility of $1.0 billion and cash and cash equivalents of $0.6 billion.

Net debt as of March 31, 2022 was $2.6 billion including the Company's outstanding 2018 First Lien debt of $2.6 billion and the 2020 Notes of $0.6 billion, net of cash and cash equivalents of $0.6 billion.

Conference Call

The Company’s First Quarter 2022 Earnings Conference Call will be held today, May 5, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A webcast, along with an associated slide presentation, will be accessible through the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at http://ir.cushmanwakefield.com.

The direct dial-in number for the conference call is 1-877-407-9208 for U.S. callers and 1-201-493-6784 for international callers. The Conference ID is 13728186. A replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after the conference call by accessing http://ir.cushmanwakefield.com. A transcript of the call will be available on the Company’s Investor Relations website at http://ir.cushmanwakefield.com.

About Cushman & Wakefield

Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global real estate services firm that delivers exceptional value for real estate occupiers and owners. Cushman & Wakefield is among the largest real estate services firms with approximately 50,000 employees in over 400 offices and approximately 60 countries. In 2021, the firm had revenue of $9.4 billion across core services of property, facilities and project management, leasing, capital markets, and valuation and other services. To learn more, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com or follow @CushWake on Twitter.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this release other than historical facts are forward-looking statements, which rely on a number of estimates, projections and assumptions concerning future events. Such statements are also subject to a number of uncertainties and factors outside Cushman & Wakefield’s control. Such factors include, but are not limited to, uncertainty regarding and changes in global economic or market conditions and changes in government policies, laws, regulations and practices. Should any Cushman & Wakefield estimates, projections and assumptions or these other uncertainties and factors materialize in ways that Cushman & Wakefield did not expect, there is no guarantee of future performance and the actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including the possibility that recipients may lose a material portion of the amounts invested. While Cushman & Wakefield believes the assumptions underlying these forward-looking statements are reasonable under current circumstances, recipients should bear in mind that such assumptions are inherently uncertain and subjective and that past or projected performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this press release, and nothing shall be relied upon as a promise or representation as to the performance of any investment. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements or other information in this press release and should rely on your own assessment of an investment or a transaction. Any estimates or projections as to events that may occur in the future are based upon the best and current judgment of Cushman & Wakefield as actual results may vary from the projections and such variations may be material. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws, Cushman & Wakefield expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any of them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional information concerning factors that may influence the Company’s results is discussed under “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Segment Results

The following tables summarize our results of operations for our operating segments for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021.

Cushman & Wakefield plc

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We have used the following measures, which are considered "non-GAAP financial measures" under SEC guidelines:

1. Segment operating expenses and Fee-based operating expenses;
2. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") and Adjusted EBITDA margin;
3. Adjusted net income and Adjusted earnings per share;
4. Local currency; and
5. Net debt.

Our management principally uses these non-GAAP financial measures to evaluate operating performance, develop budgets and forecasts, improve comparability of results and assist our investors in analyzing the underlying performance of our business. These measures are not recognized measurements under GAAP. When analyzing our operating results, investors should use them in addition to, but not as an alternative for, the most directly comparable financial results calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Because the Company’s calculation of these non-GAAP financial measures may differ from other companies, our presentation of these measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

The Company believes that these measures provide a more complete understanding of ongoing operations, enhance comparability of current results to prior periods, and may be useful for investors to analyze our financial performance. The measures eliminate the impact of certain items that may obscure trends in the underlying performance of our business. The Company believes that they are useful to investors for the additional purposes described below.

Segment operating expenses and Fee-based operating expenses: Consistent with GAAP, reimbursed costs for certain customer contracts are presented on a gross basis in both revenue and operating expenses for which the Company recognizes substantially no margin. Total costs and expenses include segment operating expenses as well as other expenses such as depreciation and amortization, integration and other costs related to merger, pre-IPO stock-based compensation, and acquisition related costs and efficiency initiatives. Segment operating expenses includes Fee-based operating expenses and Cost of gross contract reimbursables.

We believe Fee-based operating expenses more accurately reflects the costs we incur during the course of delivering services to our clients and is more consistent with how we manage our expense base and operating margins.

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin: We have determined Adjusted EBITDA to be our primary measure of segment profitability. We believe that investors find this measure useful in comparing our operating performance to that of other companies in our industry because these calculations generally eliminate integration and other costs related to merger, pre-IPO stock-based compensation, unrealized (gains) / losses on investments, acquisition related costs and efficiency initiatives and other items. Adjusted EBITDA also excludes the effects of financings, income tax and the non-cash accounting effects of depreciation and intangible asset amortization. Adjusted EBITDA margin, a non-GAAP measure of profitability as a percent of revenue, is measured against service line fee revenue.

Adjusted net income and Adjusted earnings per share: Management also assesses the profitability of the business using Adjusted net income. We believe that investors find this measure useful in comparing our profitability to that of other companies in our industry because this calculation generally eliminates integration and other costs related to merger, pre-IPO stock-based compensation, unrealized (gains) / losses on investments, acquisition related costs and efficiency initiatives, depreciation and amortization related to merger and acquisition activity and other items. Income tax, as adjusted, reflects management’s expectation about our long-term effective rate as a public company. The Company also uses Adjusted earnings per share ("EPS") as a significant component when measuring operating performance. Management defines Adjusted EPS as Adjusted net income, divided by total basic and diluted weighted average outstanding shares.

Local currency: In discussing our results, we refer to percentage changes in local currency. These metrics are calculated by holding foreign currency exchange rates constant in year-over-year comparisons. Management believes that this methodology provides investors with greater visibility into the performance of our business excluding the effect of foreign currency rate fluctuations.

Net debt: Net debt is used as a measure of our liquidity and is calculated as total debt minus cash and cash equivalents.

The interim financial information for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 is unaudited. All adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, except as otherwise noted, considered necessary for a fair presentation of the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial information for these periods have been included. Users of all of the aforementioned unaudited interim financial information should refer to the audited Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2021 in the Company's 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Please see the following tables for reconciliations of our non-GAAP financial measures to the most closely comparable GAAP measures.

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Cushman & Wakefield Reports Financial Results for First Quarter 2022