Investment performance drives 6% H1 AUM growth

AUM was up by £2.2bn or 6% over H1-24, reaching £39.6bn on 31 Mar 24 (30 Sep 23: £37.4bn). This is slightly above the trajectory required to meet our FY24 AUM forecast of £41.1bn (+10% annual growth), but taking a cautious approach our FY24 forecasts remain unchanged. A very strong investment performance was the growth driver in H1, contributing +£4.9bn (+13%) while net outflows were £2.7bn. We maintain our strong conviction that medium-to-long term structural factors favour Impax, but also fla

AUM up 4.6% in Q1 and fixed income acquisition

Impax recorded a solid Q1 of FY24, with AUM growing by £1.7bn (+4.6%) to £39.1bn on 31 Dec 23 (30 Sep 23: £37.4bn). This is above the trajectory required to meet our FY24 AUM forecast of £41.1bn (+10% annual AUM growth), but as it is very early in the financial year and markets remain volatile, we have taken a conservative approach and not yet adjusted our forecasts. It has also announced an acquisition in the fixed income segment. While not huge in the context of the group (£351m or just under

A tough year, but clear fundamental value

AUM closed FY23 (30 Sep 23) on £37.4bn, 5% up y-o-y. Net flows were slightly negative (-£92m or -0.3% of opening AUM), with investment performance adding £1.8bn. It’s been a tough year for asset managers, but in a London-listed peer group, Impax recorded the second-strongest net flow rate (median -7%, see note). Some experienced heavy (double-digit) net outflows. A profit fall was due to adjusted operating costs increasing faster than revenue, by 11% from £108.0m to £120.3m. Part of this increas

Sector-leading growth, but 3rd quartile valuation

AUM closed FY23 (30 Sep 23) on £37.4bn, 5% up y-o-y. Net flows were slightly negative at -£92m, while investment performance added £1.8bn. Q4 however saw £893m of net outflows as retail investors in particular withdrew capital from markets. Impax has stressed that institutional client flows are more stable with these clients tending to delay investments, as opposed to withdraw funds. Q4 investment performance also pegged back AUM by £1.4bn (-3.6% compared to the FTSE Environmental Opportunities

Slow Q3, dividend yield now over 5%

On 30 Jun 23 (end-Q3 FY23), AUM totalled £39.7bn, 1% (£0.4bn) down over the quarter (31 Mar 23: £40.1bn) but 11% up over the first 9 months of FY23 (30 Sep 22: £35.7bn). Encouragingly, AUM increased 2.2% over the last month of the quarter (31 May 23: £38.9bn). Net flows dipped into negative territory at -£315m. However, this is only the second net quarterly outflow since 2015. The other (small) outflow was in the calender-Q2-22 quarter, a period of sharp market falls and extreme investor uncert

Poised to thrive in ‘sustainable investing 2.0’

Impax’s recent AUM progress during another period of market turmoil looks more impressive than we previously thought. Over H1-23 (Oct 22 – Mar 23), 12% AUM growth (+£4.4bn to £40.1bn) was the highest among a London-listed peer group. £1.1bn of net inflows translated to a 6-month inflow rate of +3.1% which was also the highest by some distance (peer group median: -2.3%). Investment performance contributed £3.3bn to AUM, one of the highest returns among peers. H1-23 revenue of £88.0m was up 1.4%

Positive net flows continue, AUM +12% over H1’23

Ongoing net inflows Impax maintained its impressive record of attracting and retaining client assets, with net flows in Q2-FY23 (to 31 Mar 23) of +£326m, achieved in a quarter characterised by further market turmoil and, no doubt, investor nerves. A strong investment performance of +£1.9bn was recorded. AUM reached £40.1bn, up 6% over Q2 and 12% over H1 (AUM end-FY22: £35.7bn). In the context of the wider sustainable investing market, we highlight that flows into sustainable funds were indeed f

Hardman & Co Insight - Asset managers had a poor 2022

Asset managers had a poor 2022: the S&P Composite 1500 Asset Management Index was down 22% and, according to the Investment Company Institute (ICI), worldwide mutual funds fell by 20%, from $76tr to $60tr. When bond and equity markets fall, the results are unlikely to be pretty: with revenues trending down and multiples contracting, there is a double whammy to contend with. So how do valuations shape up now, after a bullish start to the new year? The first chart is my favourite chart of asset m

AUM up 6% in Q1 of FY23, in line with forecasts

Impax has recorded a strong Q1 of FY23, with AUM growing by £2.3bn (+6.4%), from £35.7bn on 30 Sep 22 to £37.9bn on 31 Dec 22. Market movements, FX and investment performance was responsible for £1.5bn of the increase, while the group continued its impressive record of attracting and retaining client assets, recording £797m of net inflows, up from £606m in the prior quarter. While market conditions remain uncertain, Impax’s recent net inflow trend does look like an encouraging shift back to a

Revenue, profit, cash & dividends up materially

Given the sharp pullback in financial markets, which saw growth stocks and ‘sustainable’ stocks in particular suffer heavy falls, and also given widespread fund outflows, Impax’s financial FY results are highly impressive. While end-of-FY22 AUM (£35.7bn) closed 4.1% down y-o-y (30 Sep 21: £37.2bn), average AUM, the primary driver of revenue, increased around 28% from £29.6bn to £37.9bn. In turn, revenue increased 23% from £143m to £175m, adjusted operating profit* 20% (£56m to £67m), and cash r

LIBERUM: Plus500: Strategic progress pays dividends

Tatton Asset Management (TAM LN) - Record net inflows

Tatton, the leading on-platform discretionary fund manager (DFM) and IFA support services Group has released a trading update ahead of its results to 31 March 2024, due on 18 June 2024.

Hardman & Co Insight: 2023 was an annus horribilis for Quoted UK Infrastructure and Renewable Energy

The focus of Hardman & Co Research is on the nine quoted Infrastructure Investment Companies (IICs) and on the 22 Renewable Energy Infrastructure Funds (REIFs): the stocks analysed are all members of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC). We are updating our publication of January 2023, assessing both the lacklustre share price performances during 2023 and the key issues, including interest rates, inflation and power prices. As a 31-strong group, its combined market capitalisation is no

Ondo InsurTech FY24 Trading Update

Ondo InsurTech has released a brief post-YE update revealing its good progress continued through 2H24 and consequently FY24 will be in line with market expectations.

BlackRock World Mining

BRWM’s managers: we see all the classic signs of high commodity prices...

Foxtons Group (FOXT LN) - 1Q24 IMS shows real momentum

Foxtons Group plc first quarter revenue rose 9% to £35.7m (1Q23: £32.9m) with growth delivered across all business segments. Trading is in line with management's expectations.

Morning Note – 18 April 2024

NextEnergy Solar Fund - Attractive Refinancing

The refinancing of a £135m revolving credit facility and the extension of a similar £70m facility gives NESF firepower as development opportunities for new solar are especially attractive thanks to lower module prices in Europe. They give the fund key financial flexibility at a critical time as it pursues its capital recycling programme.

Foxtons Group - FY24 underpinned by market share gains

Foxtons Group’s Q1 revenue grew by 9%, supported by growth in all three divisions as the strategic initiatives continue to gain significant momentum, driven by investment in staff, best-in-class bespoke IT and data platforms. This implies that Foxtons’ medium-term targets are now coming into focus. Market share is being gained in all divisions, which puts Foxtons in a good position as the sales market stabilises. We maintain our valuation of 132p/share and believe that if interest rates stabilis

NextEnergy Solar Fund – High- and growing-income opportunity?

NextEnergy Solar Fund (NESF) is almost 10 years old. Since launch, it has built a £1.2bn, 933MW portfolio of 100 operating solar assets, powering the equivalent of over 330,000 homes, declared dividends totalling £333m, and avoided the emission of about 2.2 Mt CO2e. NESF is on track to pay 8.35p in dividends, with forecast dividend cover of about 1.3x. Share price weakness that has afflicted the whole sector means that dividend translates to a yield of 11.1%, one of the highest in its sector, a

The Hardman & Co Monthly: April 2024

Feature article: Steady as she goes, but could be better: A review of investment company liquidity since 2016 Liquidity is the lifeblood of equity markets. The measurement of liquid asset availability to a market or company is a way of gauging a market’s health. This article builds on our previous work, which analysed the liquidity data for non-financial trading companies, by applying the same analytical techniques to the investment companies (IC) space. We analyse liquidity for ICs as a whol

Initial Equity Trading Comments - 19 February 2024

M Winkworth+ (WINK, House Stock at 163p) - Solid FY23A results, well placed to grow

Hybridan Research: Sector Review: Artificial intelligence in UK cybersecurity: the human uplift 17/04/2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a double-edged sword in cybersecurity. Whilst new AI models, architectures, and innovations are emerging to protect the security posture of organisations, attackers are also benefiting from deepfakes, sophisticated phishing, and automation of malicious codes. To ensure the impact of AI on cybersecurity to be a net-positive, we need to pit good AI against bad AI. Point solutions enhanced with machine learning: Global cybersecurity has been built with point soluti

Resilient FY24, confident long-term outlook

Vp’s full year update highlights sector-leading results, once again benefiting from the diversity of its end markets and the quality of its specialist businesses. With results expected to be broadly in line with expectations, we trim our FY24 PBT forecast by c.5% to £39.0m, a shade below the FY23 outturn (£40.2m). We consider this an impressively resilient performance set against a mixed market backdrop. Under new leadership, a strategic refresh is underway and management is confident in long