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3decades

 

MIRA INFORM REPORT

 

 

Report No. :

509672

Report Date :

16.05.2018

 

 

 

IDENTIFICATION DETAILS

 

Name :

SOTHEBY'S

 

 

Registered Office :

Corporation Trust Center 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, New Castle, De, 19801

 

 

Country :

United States

 

 

Financials (as on) :

31.12.2017

 

 

Year of Establishment :

1937

 

 

Legal Form :

Corporation

 

 

Line of Business :

·         Subject provides auction services.

·         The Company conducts auctions and private sales of modern art, decorative art, antiques, jewelry, collectibles and historical objects. The company also brokers art and collectible purchases and sales.

·         Business Services, NEC

·         All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

 

 

No. of Employees :

1,662

 

 

RATING & COMMENTS

(Mira Inform has adopted New Rating mechanism w.e.f. 23rd January 2017)

 

MIRA’s Rating :

A+

 

Credit Rating

Explanation

 

Rating Comments

A+

Low Risk

Business dealings permissible with low risk of default

 

 

Status :

Good

 

 

Payment Behaviour :

Regular

 

 

Litigation :

Exist

 

 

NOTES:

Any query related to this report can be made on e-mail: infodept@mirainform.com while quoting report number, name and date.

 

 

ECGC Country Risk Classification List

 

Country Name

Previous Rating

(30.09.2017)

Current Rating

(31.12.2017)

United States

A1

A1

 

Risk Category

ECGC

Classification

Insignificant

 

A1

Low Risk

 

A2

Moderately Low Risk

 

B1

Moderate Risk

 

B2

Moderately High Risk

 

C1

High Risk

 

C2

Very High Risk

 

D

 

 


 

UNITED STATES - ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

 

The US has the most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $59,500. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers, pharmaceuticals, and medical, aerospace, and military equipment; however, their advantage has narrowed since the end of World War II. Based on a comparison of GDP measured at purchasing power parity conversion rates, the US economy in 2014, having stood as the largest in the world for more than a century, slipped into second place behind China, which has more than tripled the US growth rate for each year of the past four decades.

In the US, private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and the federal and state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. US business firms enjoy greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, to lay off surplus workers, and to develop new products. At the same time, businesses face higher barriers to enter their rivals' home markets than foreign firms face entering US markets.

Long-term problems for the US include stagnation of wages for lower-income families, inadequate investment in deteriorating infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, energy shortages, and sizable current account and budget deficits.

The onrush of technology has been a driving factor in the gradual development of a "two-tier" labor market in which those at the bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of those at the top and, more and more, fail to get comparable pay raises, health insurance coverage, and other benefits. But the globalization of trade, and especially the rise of low-wage producers such as China, has put additional downward pressure on wages and upward pressure on the return to capital. Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households. Since 1996, dividends and capital gains have grown faster than wages or any other category of after-tax income.

Imported oil accounts for more than 50% of US consumption and oil has a major impact on the overall health of the economy. Crude oil prices doubled between 2001 and 2006, the year home prices peaked; higher gasoline prices ate into consumers' budgets and many individuals fell behind in their mortgage payments. Oil prices climbed another 50% between 2006 and 2008, and bank foreclosures more than doubled in the same period. Besides dampening the housing market, soaring oil prices caused a drop in the value of the dollar and a deterioration in the US merchandise trade deficit, which peaked at $840 billion in 2008. Because the US economy is energy-intensive, falling oil prices since 2013 have alleviated many of the problems the earlier increases had created.

The sub-prime mortgage crisis, falling home prices, investment bank failures, tight credit, and the global economic downturn pushed the US into a recession by mid-2008. GDP contracted until the third quarter of 2009, the deepest and longest downturn since the Great Depression. To help stabilize financial markets, the US Congress established a $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in October 2008. The government used some of these funds to purchase equity in US banks and industrial corporations, much of which had been returned to the government by early 2011. In January 2009, Congress passed and former President Barack OBAMA signed a bill providing an additional $787 billion fiscal stimulus to be used over 10 years - two-thirds on additional spending and one-third on tax cuts - to create jobs and to help the economy recover. In 2010 and 2011, the federal budget deficit reached nearly 9% of GDP. In 2012, the Federal Government reduced the growth of spending and the deficit shrank to 7.6% of GDP. US revenues from taxes and other sources are lower, as a percentage of GDP, than those of most other countries.

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan required major shifts in national resources from civilian to military purposes and contributed to the growth of the budget deficit and public debt. Through FY 2018, the direct costs of the wars will have totaled more than $1.9 trillion, according to US Government figures.

In March 2010, former President OBAMA signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), a health insurance reform that was designed to extend coverage to an additional 32 million Americans by 2016, through private health insurance for the general population and Medicaid for the impoverished. Total spending on healthcare - public plus private - rose from 9.0% of GDP in 1980 to 17.9% in 2010.

In July 2010, the former president signed the DODD-FRANK Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a law designed to promote financial stability by protecting consumers from financial abuses, ending taxpayer bailouts of financial firms, dealing with troubled banks that are "too big to fail," and improving accountability and transparency in the financial system - in particular, by requiring certain financial derivatives to be traded in markets that are subject to government regulation and oversight.

In December 2012, the Federal Reserve Board (Fed) announced plans to purchase $85 billion per month of mortgage-backed and Treasury securities in an effort to hold down long-term interest rates, and to keep short-term rates near zero until unemployment dropped below 6.5% or inflation rose above 2.5%. The Fed ended its purchases during the summer of 2014, after the unemployment rate dropped to 6.2%, inflation stood at 1.7%, and public debt fell below 74% of GDP. In December 2015, the Fed raised its target for the benchmark federal funds rate by 0.25%, the first increase since the recession began. With continued low growth, the Fed opted to raise rates several times since then, and in December 2017, the target rate stood at 1.5%.

In December 2017, Congress passed and President Donald TRUMP signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which, among its various provisions, reduces the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%; lowers the individual tax rate for those with the highest incomes from 39.6% to 37%, and by lesser percentages for those at lower income levels; changes many deductions and credits used to calculate taxable income; and eliminates in 2019 the penalty imposed on taxpayers who do not obtain the minimum amount of health insurance required under the ACA. The new taxes took effect on 1 January 2018; the tax cut for corporations are permanent, but those for individuals are scheduled to expire after 2025. The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) under the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the new law will reduce tax revenues and increase the federal deficit by about $1.45 trillion over the 2018-2027 period. This amount would decline if economic growth were to exceed the JCT’s estimate.

 

Source : CIA

 

 


 

STATUTORY INFORMATION

 

Legal Name:

SOTHEBY'S

TradeName:

SOTHEBY'S

ID:

4134614

Date Created:

1937

Date Incorporated:

3/30/2006

Legal Address:

CORPORATION TRUST CENTER 1209 ORANGE ST, WILMINGTON, NEW CASTLE, DE, 19801, USA

Operative Address:

1334 York Avenue

New York, NY 10021

United States

Telephone:

+1 212-606-7000

Fax:

+1 212-894-1141

Legal Form:

CORPORATION

Email:

enquiries@sothebys.com.

Registered in:

DELAWARE

Website:

www.sothebys.com

Contact:

Mr. Thomas S. Smith Jr.            - President, CEO & Director     

Staff:

1,662

Activity:

SIC Code 7389, Business Services, NEC

NAICS Code 541990, All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

 

BANKS

 

Under certain circumstances, they provide loans to certain art dealers to finance the purchase of works of art. In these situations, they acquire a partial ownership interest or a security interest in the purchased property in addition to providing the loan. Upon the eventual sale of the property acquired, the loan is repaid. As of December 31, 2016, such loans totaled $3.8 million . In the fourth quarter of 2017, they determined one of these loans to be impaired as a result of the bankruptcy of the art dealer and recorded a credit loss of $1.5 million in the period. They have commenced legal proceedings against one of the individuals who personally guaranteed this loan. As of December 31, 2017 , they had one loan outstanding of this type with a balance of $2.1 million . They are are no longer accruing interest on this loan, but they believe that the recorded balance of the loan is collectible.

 

Loan Agreement, dated as of July 1, 2015, among 1334 York, LLC, as Borrower, HSBC Bank USA, National Association, as Agent, HSBC Bank USA, National Association and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Limited, New York Branch, as Lenders and collectively, as Lead Arranger, and the other Lenders from time to time a party thereto, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's current report on Form 8-K filed on July 6, 2015.

 

 

History

 

Sotheby's was founded in 1937 and is based in New York, New York. 

 

 

Key Developments:

Sotheby's Spring 2018 Hong Kong Sales Total $466.5 Mln

Tuesday, 3 Apr 2018 09:08am EDT

April 3 (Reuters) - Sotheby's ::SOTHEBY'S SPRING 2018 HONG KONG SALES TOTAL $466.5 MILLION.

 

Sotheby's Extends Share Ownership To Employees Around The World

Tuesday, 27 Mar 2018 09:30am EDT

March 27 (Reuters) - Sotheby's ::SOTHEBY'S EXTENDS SHARE OWNERSHIP TO EMPLOYEES AROUND THE WORLD.SOTHEBY'S - ‍AS A RESULT OF NEW COMPENSATION PROGRAM, 98% OF GLOBAL EMPLOYEES WILL EITHER OWN SHARES IN SOTHEBY'S, OR WILL RECEIVE CASH UNITS​.SOTHEBY'S - ‍ALL ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES AROUND WORLD HAVE BEEN GRANTED RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS, REPRESENTING SHARES OF SOTHEBY'S COMMON STOCK, THIS MONTH​. 

 

Sotheby’S Reports Q4 Earnings Per Share $1.43

Thursday, 1 Mar 2018 07:00am EST

March 1 (Reuters) - Sotheby's ::SOTHEBY’S REPORTS 2017 FULL YEAR AND FOURTH QUARTER FINANCIAL RESULTS.Q4 ADJUSTED EARNINGS PER SHARE $1.47.Q4 EARNINGS PER SHARE $1.43.BOARD APPROVES $100 MILLION INCREASE TO SHARE REPURCHASE AUTHORIZATION.QTRLY TOTAL REVENUES $315.6 MILLION VERSUS $308.7 MILLION.Q4 EARNINGS PER SHARE VIEW $1.34, REVENUE VIEW $311.3 MILLION -- THOMSON REUTERS I/B/E/S. 

 

 

 

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITY

Sotheby's provides auction services.

Products/Services description:

The Company conducts auctions and private sales of modern art, decorative art, antiques, jewelry, collectibles and historical objects. The company also brokers art and collectible purchases and sales.

Brands:

Sotheby's

Sales are:

Wholesale

Clients:

Andrews Charles Lawrie

Sotheby S Mexico S De Rl De Cv

Fernandez/Diaque/Raul

Fundacion Carlos Slim A.C.

United Parcel Service de Mexico S.A. de C.V.

Suppliers:

Znalecký institut s.r.o.

Zabalaga Leku

Darryl Mark Flint

Tpe Ltd.

Operations area:

National and International

The company imports from

CZECH REPUBLIC

SPAIN

CHINA

JAPAN

The company exports to

COLOMBIA

MEXICO

The subject employs

1,662 employees

Payments:

Regular

 

 

 

LOCATION

 

Headquarters :

1334 York Avenue

New York, NY 10021

United States

Branches:

No other branches were found.

Subsidiaries:

1334 York, LLC - Delaware

Fine Art Insurance Ltd. - Bermuda

Oatshare Ltd. - United Kingdom

Sotheby's - United Kingdom

Sotheby's A.G. - Switzerland

Sotheby's Amsterdam BV - Netherlands

Sotheby's Financial Services, Inc. - Nevada

Sotheby's Fine Art Holdings, Inc. - Delaware

Sotheby's France S.A.S. - France

Sotheby's Global Trading, GmbH - Switzerland

Sotheby's Hong Kong, Ltd. - Hong Kong

Sotheby's Italia S.r.L. - Italy

Sotheby's Nederland B.V. - Netherlands

Sotheby's, Inc. - New York

SPTC Delaware LLC - Delaware

SPTC, Inc. - Nevada

York UK Holdco International Ltd. - United Kingdom

York Luxembourg Holdings International S.a.r.l. - Luxembourg

York Holdings International, Inc. - Delaware

 

 

 

GROUP STRUCTURE AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES

 

Listed at the stock exchange:

YES: Sotheby's (BID)

Market Capital:

2.928B

Outstanding Shares:

52,461,996

Shareholders:

 

Top Institutional Holders

 

Holder

Shares

Third Point, LLC

6,661,604

Blackrock Inc.

3,921,869

Vanguard Group, Inc. (The)

3,878,885

AllianceBernstein, L.P.

3,730,808

Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd

1,600,000

Victory Capital Management Inc.

1,446,850

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

1,384,392

Van Berkom & Associates Inc.

1,312,120

State Street Corporation

1,308,618

Conestoga Capital Advisors, LLC

1,273,438

Top Mutual Fund Holders

 

Holder

Shares

Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund

1,037,677

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund

1,027,670

iShares Core S&P Midcap ETF

936,609

iShares Russell 2000 ETF

748,839

Victory Portfolios-Sycamore Small Company Opportunity Fund

728,653

AB Discovery Value Fund

714,500

Undiscovered Managers Behavioral Value Fund

649,022

DFA U.S. Small Cap Series

641,353

Oppenheimer Global Opportunities Fund

600,000

Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund

580,618

 

 

Management:

Mr. Thomas S. Smith Jr.            - President, CEO & Director     

Mr. Michael Fenton Goss - Exec. VP & CFO      

Mr. Adam David Chinn - Exec. VP & COO

Mr. David Goodman - Exec. VP of Digital Devel. & Marketing

Mr. Valentino D. Carlotti - Exec. VP & Global Head of Bus. Devel.

 

 

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

 

We attach company’s last financial statements.

 

March 1, 2018 - Sotheby’s (NYSE: BID) reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and twelve months ended December 31, 2017.

 

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, Sotheby’s reported net income of $118.8 million, or $2.20 per diluted share. These results represent improvements of 60% from $74.1 million and 73% from $1.27 in the prior year. Excluding certain charges in both periods, Adjusted Net Income* improved 22% from $99.6 million to $121.7 million and Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share* improved 32% from $1.71 to $2.25 per diluted share.

 

• Consolidated Sales increased 12% to $5.5 billion and Aggregate Auction Sales rose 8% to $4.6 billion in 2017 versus the prior year.

 

• Aggregate Auction Sales of Contemporary Art and Impressionist and Modern Art improved 29% and 33%, respectively, from 2016 to 2017.

 

• Asian clients contributed $1.6 billion of 2017 Aggregate Auction Sales.

 

• Private sales grew 28% in 2017 to $744.6 million, a four-year high.

 

• 23% of all lots sold in 2017 were purchased by online buyers, for a total of $180 million, a 16% increase compared to the prior year.

 

• Total revenues in 2017 increased 23% to $989.4 million, in large part due to a strengthening art market and increased efforts to reduce our legacy inventory balance.

 

LEGAL FILINGS

 

CASES

Sotheby's, Inc. v. Losa

Plaintiff: Sotheby's, Inc.

Defendant: Eugenio Paolo Losa

Case Number: 1:2017cv09965

Filed: December 21, 2017

Court: New York Southern District Court

Office: Foley Square Office

Presiding Judge: Valerie E. Caproni

Nature of Suit: Other Contract

Cause of Action: 28:1332

Jury Demanded By: Plaintiff

 

Pardel Enterprises Limited v. Sotheby's, Inc.

Plaintiff: Pardel Enterprises Limited

Defendant: Sotheby's, Inc.

Case Number: 1:2017cv08351

Filed: October 30, 2017

Court: New York Southern District Court

Office: Foley Square Office

Presiding Judge: Edgardo Ramos

Nature of Suit: Other Contract

Cause of Action: 28:1332

Jury Demanded By: Plaintiff

 

Hancock et al v. Sotheby's Inc. et al

Plaintiff: Jemal Lavan Hancock and Lavan Galleries LLC

Defendant: Sotheby's Inc., Sotheby's Holdings, Inc. and Benjamin Doller

Case Number: 1:2017cv07446

Filed: October 15, 2017

Court: Illinois Northern District Court

Office: Chicago Office

County: Cook

Presiding Judge: Andrea R. Wood

Nature of Suit: Other Fraud

Cause of Action: 28:1332

Jury Demanded By: Plaintiff

 

 

TRADEMARKS

SOTHEBY'S RESTORATION

Appraisal of Fine and Decorative Works of Art, Jewelry, Stamps, Coins, Books, Antiques, and Other Valuable Personal Property…

Owned by: SOTHEBY'S INC.

Serial Number: 73288114

 

SOTHEBY'S YORK TRANSPORT COMPANY

TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, NAMELY, THE TRANSPORTATION OF ART AND ANTIQUES OF OTHERS BY MEANS OF TRUCK, AIRPLANE OR TRAIN

Owned by: SOTHEBY'S INC.

Serial Number: 73788111

 

 

UCC:

Debtor Names:  SOTHEBY'S INC          

1334 YORK AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10021-0000, USA

Secured Party Names:   MCS BUSINESS SOLUTIONS   

P.O. BOX 728, PARK RIDGE, NJ 07656-0000, USA

File no. File Date           Lapse Date       Filing Type       

024075  02/04/1999        02/04/2004        Financing Statement

1200308115254198        08/11/2003        02/04/2009 Continuation

Debtor Names:  SOTHEBY'S INC

1334 YORK AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10021-0000, USA

Secured Party Names:   MCS BUSINESS SOLUTIONS   

P.O.BOX 728, PARK RIDGE, NJ 07656-0000, USA

File no. File Date           Lapse Date       Filing Type       

078981  04/21/1999        04/21/2004        Financing Statement     

200404205311686          04/20/2004        04/21/2009 Continuation

Debtor Names:  SOTHEBY'S, INC.        

1334 YORK AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10021-0000, USA

Secured Party Names:   THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, AS COLLATERAL AGENT  

200 JERICHO QUADRANGLE, JERICHO, NY 11753-0000, USA

File no. File Date           Lapse Date       Filing Type       

146010  08/06/2001        08/06/2006        Financing Statement

201492  10/19/2001        08/06/2006        Financing Statement Amendment     

200306051115751          06/05/2003        08/06/2006            Financing Statement Amendment          

200403090247777          03/09/2004        08/06/2006 Termination 

200403110252583          03/11/2004        08/06/2006 Termination 

Debtor Names:  SOTHEBY'S, INC.        

1334 YORK AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10021-0000, USA

Secured Party Names:   CADMUS PARTNERSHIP, LTD.

681 ANDERSEN DRIVE, PITTSBURGH, PA 15220-0000, USA

File no. File Date           Lapse Date       Filing Type       

078736  04/05/2002        04/05/2007        Financing Statement     

 

Debtor Names:  SOTHEBY'S INC          

1334 YORK AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10021-0000, USA

Secured Party Names:   RAYMOND LEASING CORPORATION   

20 SOUTH CANAL ST., GREENE, NY 13778-0000, USA

File no. File Date           Lapse Date       Filing Type       

194762  08/22/2002        08/22/2007        Financing Statement     

 

SUMMARY

 

Sotheby's provides auction services.

The Company conducts auctions and private sales of modern art, decorative art, antiques, jewelry, collectibles and historical objects. The company also brokers art and collectible purchases and sales.

The company has 1,662 regular employees. It operates nationally and internationally, mainly exporting to Colombia and Mexico.

The company shows positive profitability in its last financial figures.

 

 

RISK INFORMATION

 

DEBTS

-

PAYMENTS

Regular

CASH FLOW

Normal

STATUS

Active

 

 

INTERVIEW

 

NAME

Amanda

POSITION

Operator

COMMENTS

She confirmed the name of the company, the address of the headquarters and location, the date of creation of the company, the number of employees and the name of the President.

 


 

FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATES

 

Currency

Unit

Indian Rupees

US Dollar

1

INR 67.53

UK Pound

1

INR 91.49

Euro

1

INR 80.53

USD

1

INR 67.89

Note: Above are approximate rates obtained from sources believed to be correct

 

 

INFORMATION DETAILS

 

Analysis Done by :

VIV

 

 

Report Prepared by :

NIT

 

 


 

RATING EXPLANATIONS

 

Credit Rating

 

Explanation

Rating Comments

A++

Minimum Risk

Business dealings permissible with minimum risk of default

A+

Low Risk

Business dealings permissible with low risk of default

A

Acceptable Risk

Business dealings permissible with moderate risk of default

B

Medium Risk

Business dealings permissible on a regular monitoring basis

C

Medium High Risk

Business dealings permissible preferably on secured basis

D

High Risk

Business dealing not recommended or on secured terms only

NB

New Business

No recommendation can be done due to business in infancy stage

NT

No Trace

No recommendation can be done as the business is not traceable

 

NB is stated where there is insufficient information to facilitate rating. However, it is not to be considered as unfavourable.

 

This score serves as a reference to assess SC’s credit risk and to set the amount of credit to be extended. It is calculated from a composite of weighted scores obtained from each of the major sections of this report. The assessed factors are as follows:

 

·         Financial condition covering various ratios

·         Company background and operations size

·         Promoters / Management background

·         Payment record

·         Litigation against the subject

·         Industry scenario / competitor analysis

·         Supplier / Customer / Banker review (wherever available)

 

 

PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL : This information is provided to you at your request, you having employed MIPL for such purpose. You will use the information as aid only in determining the propriety of giving credit and generally as an aid to your business and for no other purpose. You will hold the information in strict confidence, and shall not reveal it or make it known to the subject persons, firms or corporations or to any other. MIPL does not warrant the correctness of the information as you hold it free of any liability whatsoever. You will be liable to and indemnify MIPL for any loss, damage or expense, occasioned by your breach or non observance of any one, or more of these conditions

This report is issued at your request without any risk and responsibility on the part of MIRA INFORM PRIVATE LIMITED (MIPL) or its officials.