TSX Group Inc., operator of the Toronto Stock Exchange, reported stronger fourth-quarter profit and revenue yesterday, as it issued its first earnings as a publicly traded company. The company also declared a dividend of 15¢ per share.


For the three months ended Dec. 31, net income was $13 million, or 38¢ a share, compared with net income of $5 million, or 15¢, in the fourth quarter last year.

In November, TSX became the first North American exchange to trade publicly. It said net income benefited from higher listing revenues and the successful integration of the small-cap TSX Venture Exchange, which it acquired in 2001.

Revenue was $52.1 million, up from $49.7 million.

Listing fees, which increased up in the first quarter of 2002, were $19.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2002, up 22% from $15.8 million a year earlier.

Trading fees, meanwhile, were virtually flat from the fourth quarter of last year, as an increase in the number of transactions was countered by a decline in the total value of securities traded.

“We are proud of our many accomplishments in 2002, including the introduction of a number of new products, completing the successful integration of the TSX Venture Exchange (formerly CDNX), purchasing a 40% interest in CanDeal.ca Inc. and becoming the first publicly traded exchange in North America,” said Barbara Stymiest, CEO of TSX Group Inc, in a news release.