Second Quarter 2026
Filed Jul 30, 2026Piper Sandler Companies Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results; Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.20 Per Share
Net revenues increased 25% year-over-year, pre-tax margin expanded to 20.3%, and net income attributable to Piper Sandler Companies increased 61% year-over-year. Advisory services, municipal financing, and equity brokerage provided notable strength, while fixed income services and corporate financing declined sequentially.
Key metrics
as reported| Metric | Value | q/q | y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenuesGAAP | $496,254 | 4 % | 25 % |
| Net revenuesGAAP | $495,515 | 4 % | 25 % |
| Adjusted net revenuesnon-GAAP | $491 | 5 % | 21 % |
| Total investment banking revenuesGAAP | $361,527 | 4 % | 29 % |
| Total institutional brokerage revenuesGAAP | $111,532 | 1 % | -3 % |
| Interest incomeGAAP | $9,104 | -22 % | 15 % |
| Investment income/(loss)GAAP | $14,091 | 216 % | N/M |
| Interest expenseGAAP | $739 | — % | -59 % |
| Compensation and benefitsGAAP | $308,709 | 4 % | 20 % |
| Non-compensation expensesGAAP | $86,371 | -4 % | -4 % |
| Total non-interest expensesGAAP | $395,080 | 2 % | 14 % |
| Income before income tax expenseGAAP | $100,435 | 14 % | 105 % |
| Income tax expenseGAAP | $30,338 | 55 % | 77 % |
| Net incomeGAAP | $70,097 | 3 % | 121 % |
| Net income attributable to Piper Sandler CompaniesGAAP | $67,845 | 4 % | 61 % |
| Adjusted net income attributable to Piper Sandler Companiesnon-GAAP | $74 | 4 % | 41 % |
| Earnings per diluted common shareGAAP | $0.95 | 3 % | 61 % |
| Adjusted earnings per diluted common sharenon-GAAP | $1.04 | 4 % | 41 % |
| Compensation ratioGAAP | 62.3% | – | – |
| Non-compensation ratioGAAP | 17.4% | – | – |
| Pre-tax marginGAAP | 20.3% | 1.8pp | 8.0pp |
| Adjusted pre-tax marginnon-GAAP | 21.8 % | 1.8pp | 3.7pp |
| Effective tax rateGAAP | 30.2% | – | – |
| First-half total revenuesGAAP | $971,399 | – | 28 % |
| First-half net revenuesGAAP | $969,924 | – | 29 % |
| First-half adjusted net revenuesnon-GAAP | $961 million | – | 22% |
| First-half net income attributable to Piper Sandler CompaniesGAAP | $133,087 | – | 24 % |
| First-half earnings per diluted common shareGAAP | $1.87 | – | 24 % |
| Completed M&A and restructuring transactionsother | 67 | -3 % | 37 % |
| Completed capital advisory transactionsother | 16 | -36 % | -27 % |
| Total completed advisory transactionsother | 83 | -12 % | 17 % |
| Total equity transactions pricedother | 21 | -19 % | 31 % |
| Book run equity transactions pricedother | 17 | -35 % | 42 % |
| Total debt and preferred transactions pricedother | 7 | -30 % | -30 % |
| Book run debt and preferred transactions pricedother | 2 | -71 % | -75 % |
| Aggregate par value of municipal negotiated issues priced (in billions)other | $ 5.1 | 55 % | -11 % |
| Total municipal issues pricedother | 141 | 44 % | -20 % |
| Number of equity brokerage shares traded (in billions)other | 3.4 | 10 % | 17 % |
Segments
| Segment | Revenue | q/q | y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advisory servicesIncreased M&A activity and a strong performance from the private capital advisory group. Higher average fee more than offset the impact of fewer completed transactions sequentially. | $274,211 | 9 % | 34 % |
| Corporate financingMore completed equity underwriting transactions drove year-over-year growth. Fewer completed financings reduced revenue from the strong first quarter of 2026. | $37,805 | -48 % | 10 % |
| Municipal financingRobust activity from both specialty sector and governmental businesses sequentially. Strong specialty-sector performance more than offset a decline in issuances among governmental clients year-over-year. | $49,511 | 107 % | 18 % |
| Equity brokerageIncreased client activity. | $62,907 | 4 % | 8 % |
| Fixed income servicesInterest rate volatility continued to impact regular-way client activity. The second quarter of 2025 benefited from the execution of several balance sheet restructuring trades. | $48,625 | -3 % | -14 % |
Capital returns
- Declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share of the company's common stock on July 30, 2026 to be paid on September 11, 2026 to shareholders of record as of August 28, 2026.
- Returned an aggregate of $215 million to shareholders during the first half of 2026 through dividends paid and repurchases of 1.3 million shares of the company's common stock at an average price of $79.12 per share.
What drove it
- Net revenues of $495.5 million increased 4% compared to the first quarter of 2026 and 25% compared to the second quarter of 2025.
- Advisory services was led by the financial services group, with solid contributions from healthcare and services & industrials teams.
- Municipal financing was led by special district and hospitality groups.
- Investment income/(loss) was income of $14.1 million, compared to income of $4.5 million for the first quarter of 2026 and a loss of $4.8 million for the second quarter of 2025.
- The compensation ratio improved due to higher net revenues, while non-compensation expenses declined compared with both comparison periods.
Concerns
- Corporate financing revenues decreased 48% compared to the first quarter of 2026 due to fewer completed financings.
- Fixed income services revenues decreased 3% sequentially as interest rate volatility continued to impact regular-way client activity and decreased 14% year-over-year.
- Total institutional brokerage revenues decreased 3% compared to the second quarter of 2025.
- The effective tax rate was 30.2%, compared with 22.3% in the first quarter of 2026, which included $7.0 million of tax benefits related to the vesting of restricted stock awards.
What to watch
- Advisory services transaction volumes and average fees, following 83 total completed advisory transactions in the second quarter of 2026.
- Corporate financing activity after total equity transactions priced declined to 21 and total debt and preferred transactions priced declined to 7 from the first quarter of 2026.
- Fixed income services activity amid continuing interest rate volatility.
- Sustainability of municipal financing activity after revenues increased 107% compared to the first quarter of 2026.
- Capital returns following $215 million returned to shareholders during the first half of 2026.
Analysis
Piper Sandler reported a strong second quarter of 2026, with GAAP net revenues of $495,515, up 25 % from the second quarter of 2025 and 4 % from the first quarter of 2026. GAAP net income attributable to Piper Sandler Companies was $67,845, up 61 % year-over-year, while earnings per diluted common share were $0.95, also up 61 %. Adjusted net revenues were $491 and adjusted earnings per diluted common share were $1.04.
Investment banking was the principal growth engine. Total investment banking revenues were $361,527, up 29 % year-over-year. Advisory services revenues reached $274,211, increasing 34 % year-over-year and 9 % sequentially. Management attributed the year-over-year result to more completed M&A transactions and a higher average fee, while municipal financing revenues rose 107 % sequentially to $49,511. Corporate financing remained positive year-over-year but declined 48 % sequentially following a strong first quarter of 2026.
Margins improved meaningfully as revenue growth exceeded expense growth. Total non-interest expenses increased 14 % year-over-year, compared with the 25 % increase in net revenues. The compensation ratio was 62.3%, versus 65.1% a year earlier, and non-compensation expenses declined 4 % from both comparison periods. GAAP pre-tax margin increased to 20.3% from 12.3% in the second quarter of 2025 and 18.5% in the first quarter of 2026. The effective tax rate was 30.2%, following a first-quarter rate affected by $7.0 million of tax benefits related to restricted-stock vesting.
Brokerage results were mixed. Equity brokerage revenue increased 8 % year-over-year to $62,907 on increased client activity, but fixed income services revenue declined 14 % year-over-year to $48,625. Management cited interest rate volatility affecting regular-way client activity, while noting that the year-earlier period benefited from several balance sheet restructuring trades. Investment income/(loss) was income of $14,091, compared with a loss of $(4,829) in the second quarter of 2025.
Capital allocation included a declared quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share and aggregate first-half shareholder returns of $215 million through dividends and repurchases of 1.3 million shares at an average price of $79.12 per share. The supplied filing text contains no forward guidance. The principal reported areas to monitor are the durability of advisory momentum, the recovery in corporate financing activity, fixed income services amid interest-rate volatility, and the continuation of municipal financing strength.
Management, verbatim
Broad-based performance across our platform drove another quarter of year-over-year growth, fueling our best first-half revenues on record.
Chad Abraham, chairman and chief executive officer
Our results reflect the durability of our diversified model and the trust clients place in us in complex market environments. We enter the second half of the year with continued momentum and a clear focus on best-in-class returns for our shareholders.
Chad Abraham, chairman and chief executive officer
Not in the filing
stated, not guessed- Forward guidance, including revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, tax rate, and other guidance metrics, was not provided in the supplied filing text.
- Previous-quarter outlook was not provided.
- GAAP operating income was not reported in the supplied filing text.
- Gross margin was not reported in the supplied filing text.
- Cash balance, debt balance, operating cash flow, free cash flow, and other balance-sheet or cash-flow metrics were not provided in the supplied filing text.
- Adjusted prior-year and prior-quarter dollar amounts for adjusted net revenues, adjusted net income attributable to Piper Sandler Companies, adjusted earnings per diluted common share, and adjusted pre-tax margin were not reported in the supplied filing text.
- The supplied filing text ends mid-sentence in the net income and earnings per share discussion and does not include the remaining release or the non-GAAP reconciliation.
AlphaAI analysis generated from the company’s SEC earnings filing (Form 8-K Item 2.02, or Form 6-K for a foreign private issuer). Every figure was cross-checked against the filing text; consensus estimates, price targets and share-price reactions are not shown because they are not in the filing. AI-generated research, not investment advice.