Reporting the second quarter figures for the auction house last week, Smith said profits had reduced 14% to $76.9m due to a rise in operating expenses at the firm and a decline in its financial services arm.
But revenues for the second quarter of 2017 rose 5% to $314.9m as it reported an increase in high-value lots.
Smith said its performance was good considering “the substantially larger number of lower-margin, higher-priced fine art pieces sold in the major evening sales in New York and London” in the period.
The number of lots above $1m was up 5% and total average hammer price for these lots rose 17%.
