NewStar reported 2016 net income of $28.2 million was up from $16.9 million a year earlier aided by $29.2 million in gains on the sale of a divested business and assets. NewStar said total revenue for the full year increased by $44.5 million, or 44.9%, to $143.6 million compared to $99.1 million in 2015 due primarily to gains recognized on the sales of the asset-based lending and equipment finance businesses, as well as a significant increase in asset management fee revenue and favorable mark-to-market adjustments.
The following highlights were excerpted from the news release:
Tim Conway, NewStar’s chairman and chief executive officer, commented on the company’s performance: “We made significant progress on our key priorities in 2016 as we took important steps to streamline operations, reduce costs and reposition NewStar as a credit-oriented asset manager, while also returning a meaningful amount of capital to our shareholders. We sold two non-core businesses at substantial premiums, increasing our liquidity and financial flexibility. We reduced baseline expenses by 33% on a run-rate basis as of the fourth quarter, improving profitability. And, we continued to expand our asset management activities with the launch of two new credit funds and a separate account with target investment portfolios of approximately $1 billion. More than 53% of our credit investments are now held in managed funds and we doubled our management fee income in 2016.”
“Our financial results reflected the progress we are making as pre-tax returns on equity exceeded 11% in the quarter. Revenue was up nearly 12% over last quarter and 46% from the same quarter last year. Credit costs remained within expected ranges. Loan demand from M&A activity rebounded and our investment pace returned to expected levels. Importantly, we returned $43 million, or 6.5% of our average equity capital, to investors in 2016 and recently declared our first quarterly dividend. The board’s decision to adopt a quarterly dividend policy was intended to provide more balance to our capital management strategy, reflecting our commitment to improve the investment value of our stock.”
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