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AJ Bell PLC

AJ Bell PLC - Q1 Trading Update

RNS Number : 4978A
AJ Bell PLC
22 January 2020
 

22 January 2020

AJ Bell plc

Q1 trading update

 

AJ Bell plc ("AJ Bell" or the "Company"), one of the UK's largest investment platforms, issues a trading update in respect of the three months ended 31 December 2019, ahead of its Annual General Meeting later today.

 

Performance overview

Total customer numbers increased by 4% in the quarter to 241,152, with total assets under administration up 5% to £54.7 billion.

 

AJ Bell's growth during the quarter was driven by the platform business:

·      Platform customer numbers increased by 9,033 to 227,202, up 4% in the quarter

·      Platform AUA increased by 5% over the quarter to £47.2 billion

Advised Platform AUA up 4% to £35.2 billion

D2C Platform AUA up 8% to £12.0 billion

·      Underlying platform inflows, representing organic growth in the quarter, increased to £1.3 billion (2018: £1.2 billion)

 

Andy Bell, Chief Executive Officer at AJ Bell, commented:

"Our investment platform continues to attract new customers and assets as we maintain our focus on being the easiest platform to use in order to help our customers to invest. 

 

"December saw the unlocking of the parliamentary deadlock, which boosted markets towards the end of the period. Combined with positive net inflows onto the platform, this helped our platform assets under administration increase to a new high of £47.2 billion, up 27% compared to a year ago.

 

"Whilst Brexit is by no means resolved, a majority Government does at least provide some clearer direction which many investors will appreciate as they consider making the most of their ISA and pension allowances before the end of the tax year."

 

 

 

Three months ended

31 December 2019

Advised Platform

£billion

D2C Platform

£billion

Total Platform £billion

Non-platform

£billion

 

Total £billion

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opening AUA

33.8

11.1

44.9

7.4

52.3

 

 

 

 

 

 

Underlying inflows(1)

0.8

0.5

1.3

-

1.3

Outflows(2)

(0.4)

(0.2)

(0.6)

(0.1)

(0.7)

Underlying net inflows/(outflows)

0.4

0.3

0.7

(0.1)

0.6

 

 

 

 

 

 

DB inflows(3)

0.2

-

0.2

-

0.2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total net inflows/(outflows)

0.6

0.3

0.9

(0.1)

0.8

 

 

 

 

 

 

Market and other movements(4)

0.8

0.6

1.4

0.2

1.6

Closing AUA

35.2

12.0

47.2

7.5

54.7

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customers

100,170

127,032

227,202

13,950

241,152

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended

31 December 2018

Advised Platform

£billion

D2C Platform

£billion

Total Platform £billion

Non-platform

£billion

 

Total £billion

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opening AUA

29.9

8.7

38.6

7.5

46.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Underlying inflows(1)

0.8

0.4

1.2

-

1.2

Outflows(2)

(0.4)

(0.2)

(0.6)

(0.3)

(0.9)

Underlying net inflows/(outflows)

0.4

0.2

0.6

(0.3)

0.3

 

 

 

 

 

 

DB inflows(3)

0.3

-

0.3

-

0.3

Migration inflows(5)

-

0.2

0.2

-

0.2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total net inflows/(outflows)

0.7

0.4

1.1

(0.3)

0.8

 

 

 

 

 

 

Market and other movements(4)

(2.0)

(0.4)

(2.4)

(0.3)

(2.7)

Closing AUA

28.6

8.7

37.3

6.9

44.2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customers

90,865

99,633

190,498

13,985

204,483

 

(1) Includes transfers-in, subscriptions, contributions and tax relief, excluding inflows from DB pension transfers and bulk migrations

(2) Includes transfers-out, cash withdrawals, benefits and tax payments

(3) Inflows from defined benefit pension transfers

(4) Includes charges, taxes deducted, investment returns and revaluations

(5) AJ Bell plc shares held by employees and former employees of the Company, which were migrated onto the D2C Platform ahead of IPO

 

Contacts:

 

AJ Bell                                    

 

·      Shaun Yates, Head of Investor Relations                                    +44 (0) 7522 235 898

·      Charlie Musson, Head of PR                                                       +44 (0) 7834 499 554 

 

Historical AUA and customer numbers by quarter

Advised Platform

 

AUA (£billion)

Qtr to 31 December

2018

Qtr to 31 March

2019

Qtr to 30

June

2019

Qtr to 30

September

2019

Qtr to 31

December

2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opening AUA

29.9

28.6

30.9

32.8

33.8

 

 

 

 

 

 

Underlying inflows(1)

0.8

0.8

0.9

0.9

0.8

Outflows(2)

(0.4)

(0.4)

(0.4)

(0.4)

(0.4)

Underlying net inflows

0.4

0.4

0.5

0.5

0.4

 

 

 

 

 

 

DB inflows(3)

0.3

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total net inflows

0.7

0.6

0.7

0.7

0.6

 

 

 

 

 

 

Market and other movements(4)

 

(2.0)

 

1.7

 

1.2

 

0.3

 

0.8

Closing AUA

28.6

30.9

32.8

33.8

35.2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customers

90,865

93,496

96,083

98,056

100,170

 

D2C Platform

 

AUA (£billion)

Qtr to 31 December

2018

Qtr to 31 March

2019

Qtr to 30

June

2019

Qtr to 30

September

2019

Qtr to 31

December

2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opening AUA

8.7

8.7

9.7

10.6

11.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Underlying inflows(1)

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.5

0.5

Outflows(2)

(0.2)

(0.1)

(0.1)

(0.2)

(0.2)

Underlying net inflows

0.2

0.4

0.5

0.3

0.3

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bulk migration inflows(5)

0.2

-

-

-

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total net inflows

0.4

0.4

0.5

0.3

0.3

 

 

 

 

 

 

Market and other movements(4)

 

(0.4)

 

0.6

 

0.4

 

0.2

 

0.6

Closing AUA

8.7

9.7

10.6

11.1

12.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customers

99,633

107,426

114,682

120,113

127,032

 

Non-platform

 

AUA (£billion)

Qtr to 31 December

2018

Qtr to 31 March

2019

Qtr to 30

June

2019

Qtr to 30

September

2019

Qtr to 31

December

2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opening AUA

7.5

6.9

7.1

7.3

7.4

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inflows(1)

-

0.1

-

-

-

Outflows(2)

(0.3)

(0.1)

-

(0.1)

(0.1)

Net outflows

(0.3)

-

-

(0.1)

(0.1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Market and other movements(4)

 

(0.3)

 

0.2

 

0.2

 

0.2

 

0.2

Closing AUA

6.9

7.1

7.3

7.4

7.5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customers

13,985

13,931

13,879

13,897

13,950

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total closing AUA

44.2

47.7

50.7

52.3

54.7

 

(1) Includes transfers-in, subscriptions, contributions and tax relief, excluding inflows from DB pension transfers and bulk migrations

(2) Includes transfers-out, cash withdrawals, benefits and tax payments

(3) Inflows from defined benefit pension transfers

(4) Includes charges, taxes deducted, investment returns and revaluations

(5) AJ Bell plc shares held by employees and former employees of the Company, which were migrated onto the D2C Platform ahead of IPO

 

About AJ Bell:

Established in 1995, AJ Bell is one of the largest investment platforms in the UK.

We operate in both the advised and direct-to-consumer segments of the platform market and our flagship platform propositions are AJ Bell Investcentre (advised) and AJ Bell Youinvest (direct-to-consumer).

We offer SIPPs, ISAs and General Investment / Dealing Accounts. We aim to make it easy for our customers to invest by providing them with additional support in the form of various investment solutions and information. We offer a broad investment range including shares and other instruments traded on the major stock exchanges around the world, as well as all mainstream collective investments available in the UK and our own range of AJ Bell funds.

AJ Bell is headquartered in Manchester, UK.

 

Forward-looking statements

 

This announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties, and actual results and developments may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. These forward-looking statements are statements regarding AJ Bell's intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, its results of operations, financial condition, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which it operates. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties

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