St James's Place lifts shareholder return aims amid financial progress
St James’s Place PLC on Wednesday said it will increase shareholder returns after reporting better-than-expected 2025 results.
The London-based asset manager reported a post-tax underlying cash result of £462.3 million in 2025, up 3.4% from £447.2 million the year prior, and ahead of £445.5 million company-compiled consensus. Pretax profit increased 28% to £1.34 billion from £1.05 billion.
Post-tax underlying cash basic earnings per share of 87.0 pence, increased 6.1% from 82.0p, ahead of 84.2p consensus.
Fee and commission income grew 19% to £3.77 billion from £3.16 billion.
Gross inflows totalled £21.9 billion in 2025, up from £18.4 billion in 2024, with total funds under management growing 16% to a record £220.0 billion from £190.2 billion.
‘We delivered growth in new business, growth in funds under management, and growth in the underlying cash result, while at the same time delivering strong returns for our growing number of clients,’ commented Chief Executive Mark FitzPatrick.
‘The combination of another strong financial outcome together with good operational and strategic progress, has enabled the board to update our shareholder returns guidance a year earlier than originally planned. Going forward, we intend to increase total annual shareholder distributions to 70% of the underlying cash result through a combination of dividends and share buy-backs,’ he added.
The move to 70%, up from 50% previously, will comprise ordinary dividends, which the firm expects will make up at least 40% of total shareholder returns, and share buy-backs.
The revised approach ‘reflects combination of continued strong financial, operational and strategic progress, together with confidence in our prospects,’ the firm added.
The company declared an unchanged final dividend of 12p per share making leaving the full-year payout at 18p, the same as in 2024.
The firm said the ongoing service provision review is due to complete this year, with a further release of £18.7 million of the provision.
Shares in St James’s Place rose 5.0% to 1,322.50p each in London on Wednesday.
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