Core Insights - MarketAxess Holdings Inc. reported first-quarter 2025 earnings per share of $1.87, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.8%, but down 2.6% year over year from $1.92 [1] - Total revenues decreased by 0.8% year over year to $208.6 million, missing the consensus mark by 1% [1] Financial Performance - Commission revenues were $181.3 million, down 2% year over year, and fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $185.4 million [3] - Information services revenues increased by 9% year over year to $12.9 million, but missed the consensus mark of $13 million [4] - Post-trade services revenues rose 3% year over year to $11.1 million, also falling short of the consensus mark by 0.4% [4] - Total expenses increased by 2% year over year to $120.2 million, driven by higher employee compensation and benefits, technology, and marketing expenses, but were lower than the estimate of $128.1 million [5] - Operating income declined 4% year over year to $88.4 million, but exceeded the estimate of $87 million [5] - EBITDA fell 1.7% year over year to $107.4 million, with the EBITDA margin deteriorating by 40 basis points to 51.5% [5] Trading Volumes - High-grade trading volume was $461.3 billion, up 1% year over year, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $460.7 billion [6] - High-yield trading volume increased by 5% year over year to $90 billion [6] - Other credit trading volume rose 39% year over year to $36.5 billion [7] - Total credit trading volume grew 6% year over year to $976 billion, with total credit average daily volume (ADV) rising 6% to $15.9 billion [8] Balance Sheet and Cash Flow - As of March 31, 2025, cash and cash equivalents were $486.2 million, down from $544.5 million at the end of 2024 [10] - Total assets increased to $1.9 billion from $1.8 billion at the end of 2024 [10] - MarketAxess generated $29.6 million of net cash from operations, improving from a net cash used in operations of $5 million in the prior year [11] - Free cash flow advanced 52.2% year over year to $47.1 million [11] Capital Deployment - The company repurchased shares worth $38.1 million in the quarter, with a total of $51.7 million repurchased by April 2025 [12] - A remaining capacity of $173.4 million is available under the authorized repurchase program as of April 30, 2025 [12] - A quarterly cash dividend of 76 cents per share was declared, payable on June 4, 2025 [12] 2025 Outlook - Services revenues are expected to see mid-single-digit growth [13] - Total expenses are estimated to be between $505 million and $525 million for 2025 [13] - Capital expenditure is projected to be between $65 million and $70 million, with an effective tax rate expected between 26% and 27% [13]