TORONTO, April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
- Reported quarterly adjusted diluted earnings per share of $0.48
- Total assets under management and fee-earning assets of $53.8 billion
- Increased quarterly dividend per share to 12.5 cents
AGF Management Limited (AGF or the Company) (TSX: AGF.B) today announced financial results for the first quarter ended February 28, 2025.
AGF reported total assets under management and fee-earning assets1 of $53.8 billion compared to $53.6 billion as at November 30, 2024 and $45.0 billion as at February 29, 2024.
"In a challenging market environment shaped by political change, we have excelled and continued to deliver on our strategy," said Kevin McCreadie, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, AGF. "Our long-term approach aims to deliver on our strategic imperatives; while also ensuring we can thrive through changing market cycles and uncertainty."
AGF's mutual fund gross sales were $1,568 million for the quarter compared to $993 million in the previous quarter and $914 million in the prior year quarter. Mutual fund net sales were $258 million compared to $5 million in the previous quarter and net redemptions of $125 million in the prior year quarter.
"Recent market volatility has reinforced the importance of providing investors with access to diverse capabilities and offerings," said Judy Goldring, President and Head of Global Distribution, AGF. "With alternatives playing an increasingly important role in portfolios, this quarter we have focused on further building out our strategies with the launch of products across our lines of business."
1 Fee-earning assets represents assets in which AGF has carried interest ownership and earns recurring fees but does not have ownership interest in the managers.
Key Business Highlights:
- In January, AGF Capital Partners, AGF Management Limited's multi-boutique alternatives business announced the launch of the AGF NHC Tactical Alpha Fund (https://www.agf.com/ca/en/products/alternatives/absolute-return-strategy/apc202.jsp), an absolute return-oriented strategy that aims to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns across market regimes while maintaining low beta to traditional asset classes.
- In February, AGF Investments Inc. announced the launch of AGF Enhanced U.S. Income Plus Fund (https://www.agf.com/ca/en/products/alternatives/739.jsp), an alternative mutual fund that seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation and generate a high level of consistent income by investing in U.S. equity securities and employing dynamic options strategies such as put writing and covered call writing.
- AGF Investments Inc. was recognized with FundGrade A+® Awards for AGF American Growth Fund, AGF Fixed Income Plus Fund and AGF Global Select Fund.
- Taking another important step forward in our ongoing commitment to gender equity, AGF Management Limited announced a new partnership with VersaFi, (formerly Women in Capital Markets). This renowned organization is focused on addressing barriers to women's advancement, sharing best practices and strategies for progress, and developing actionable policies and industry-leading programs to advance gender diversity in the workplace.
Financial Highlights:
- Adjusted EBITDA2 for the three months ended February 28, 2025 was $47.9 million, compared to $39.6 million for the three months ended November 30, 2024 and $49.5 million for the comparative prior year period.
- Net management, advisory and administration fees2 for the three months ended February 28, 2025 was $85.2 million, compared to $83.6 million for the three months ended November 30, 2024 and $74.9 million for the comparative prior year period.
- Adjusted revenue from AGF Capital Partners for the three months ended February 28, 2025 was $23.6 million, compared to $18.2 million for the three months ended November 30, 2024 and $24.4 million for the comparative prior year period. The decrease year over year was driven by change in fair value adjustments, offset by the consolidation of KCPL financial results. Revenue from AGF Capital Partners can be variable quarter to quarter and can be impacted by fair value adjustments, timing of monetizations and cash distributions as well as performance fees and carried interest.
- Adjusted selling, general and administrative costs2 for the three months ended February 28, 2025 was $63.6 million, compared to $66.2 million for the three months ended November 30, 2024 and $53.5 million for the comparative prior year period. The increase in adjusted SG&A from prior year reflects the consolidation of KCPL as well as increases driven by higher performance-based compensation and the market environment.
- Adjusted net income attributable to equity owners2 for the three months ended February 28, 2025 was $32.1 million ($0.48 adjusted diluted EPS), compared to $29.8 million ($0.45 adjusted diluted EPS) and $33.7 million ($0.51 adjusted diluted EPS) for the comparative prior year period.
| Three months ended | ||||||||||||
| February 28, | November 30, | February 29, | ||||||||||
| (in millions of Canadian dollars, except per share data) | 2025 | 2024 | 2024 | |||||||||
| Revenues | ||||||||||||
| Management, advisory and administration fees | $ | 122.8 | $ | 120.2 | $ | 108.6 | ||||||
| Trailing commissions and investment advisory fees | (37.6 | ) | (36.6 | ) | (33.7 | ) | ||||||
| Net management, advisory and administration fees2 | $ | 85.2 | $ | 83.6 | $ | 74.9 | ||||||
| Deferred sales charges | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.0 | |||||||||
| Adjusted revenue from AGF Capital Partners2 | 23.6 | 18.2 | 24.4 | |||||||||
| Other revenue2 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 1.7 | |||||||||
| Total adjusted net revenue2 | 111.5 | 105.8 | 103.0 | |||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 67.8 | 70.2 | 57.9 | |||||||||
| Adjusted selling, general and administrative2 | 63.6 | 66.2 | 53.5 | |||||||||
| EBITDA2 | 44.2 | 36.9 | 45.1 | |||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA2 | 47.9 | 39.6 | 49.5 | |||||||||
| Net income - equity owners of the Company | 30.9 | 28.7 | 30.5 | |||||||||
| Adjusted net income - equity owners of the Company2 | 32.1 | 29.8 | 33.7 | |||||||||
| Diluted earnings per share | 0.46 | 0.43 | 0.46 | |||||||||
| Adjusted diluted earnings per share2 | 0.48 | 0.45 | 0.51 | |||||||||
| Free cash flow2 | 31.6 | 21.4 | 21.2 | |||||||||
| Dividends per share | 0.115 | 0.115 | 0.110 | |||||||||
| (end of period) | Three months ended | |||||||||
| February 28, | November 30, | February 29, | ||||||||
| (in millions of Canadian dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | 2024 | |||||||
| Mutual fund assets under management (AUM)3 | $ | 31,167 | $ | 30,662 | $ | 26,186 | ||||
| ETFs and SMA AUM | 2,913 | 2,537 | 1,676 | |||||||
| Segregated accounts and sub-advisory AUM | 6,529 | 6,977 | 7,162 | |||||||
| Total AGF Investments AUM | 40,609 | 40,176 | 35,024 | |||||||
| AGF Private Wealth AUM | 8,623 | 8,567 | 7,836 | |||||||
| AGF Capital Partners AUM | 2,468 | 2,752 | 48 | |||||||
| Total AUM | $ | 51,700 | $ | 51,495 | $ | 42,908 | ||||
| AGF Capital Partners fee-earning assets4 | 2,142 | 2,111 | 2,104 | |||||||
| Total AUM and fee-earning assets4 | $ | 53,842 | $ | 53,606 | $ | 45,012 | ||||
| Net mutual fund sales (redemptions)3 | 258 | 5 | (125 | ) | ||||||
| Average daily mutual fund AUM3 | 30,853 | 29,173 | 25,197 | |||||||
2 Net management, advisory and administration fees, adjusted revenue from AGF Capital Partners, total net revenue, adjusted selling, general and administrative, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share and free cash flow are not standardized measures prescribed by IFRS. The Company utilizes non-IFRS measures to assess our overall performance and facilitate a comparison of quarterly and full-year results from period to period. They allow us to assess our investment management business without the impact of non-operational items. These non-IFRS measures may not be comparable with similar measures presented by other companies. These non-IFRS measures and reconciliations to IFRS, where necessary, are included in the Management's Discussion and Analysis available at www.agf.com.
3 Mutual fund AUM includes retail AUM and institutional client AUM invested in customized series offered within mutual funds.
4 Fee-earning assets represents assets in which AGF has carried interest ownership and earns recurring fees but does not have ownership interest in the managers.
For further information and detailed financial statements for the first quarter ended February 28, 2025, including Management's Discussion and Analysis, which contains discussions of non-IFRS measures, please refer to AGF's website at www.agf.comunder 'About AGF' and 'Investor Relations' and at www.sedarplus.com.
Conference Call
AGF will host a conference call to review its earnings results today at 11 a.m. ET.
The live audio webcast with supporting materials will be available in the Investor Relations section of AGF's website at www.agf.comor at https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/4ch7jtxw. Alternatively, the call can be accessed over the phone by registering hereor in the Investor Relations section of AGF's website at www.agf.com, to receive the dial-in numbers and unique PIN.
A complete archive of this discussion along with supporting materials will be available at the same webcast address within 24 hours of the end of the conference call.
About AGF Management Limited
Founded in 1957, AGF Management Limited (AGF) is an independent and globally diverse asset management firm. Our companies deliver excellence in investing in the public and private markets through three business lines: AGF Investments, AGF Capital Partners and AGF Private Wealth.
AGF brings a disciplined approach, focused on incorporating sound, responsible and sustainable corporate practices. The firm's collective investment expertise, driven by its fundamental, quantitative and private investing capabilities, extends globally to a wide range of clients, from financial advisors and their clients to high-net worth and institutional investors including pension plans, corporate plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations.
Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, AGF has investment operations and client servicing teams on the ground in North America and Europe. With over $52 billion in total assets under management and fee-earning assets, AGF serves more than 815,000 investors. AGF trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol AGF.B.
About AGF Investments
AGF Investments is a group of wholly owned subsidiaries of AGF Management Limited, a Canadian reporting issuer. The subsidiaries included in AGF Investments are AGF Investments Inc. (AGFI), AGF Investments America Inc. (AGFA), AGF Investments LLC (AGFUS) and AGF International Advisors Company Limited (AGFIA). The term AGF Investments may refer to one or more of these subsidiaries or to all of them jointly. This term is used for convenience and does not precisely describe any of the separate companies, each of which manages its own affairs. AGF Investments entities only provide investment advisory services or offers investment funds in the jurisdiction where such firm and/or product is registered or authorized to provide such services.
About AGF Capital Partners
AGF Capital Partners is AGF's multi-boutique alternatives business with diverse capabilities across both private assets and alternative strategies. Clients benefit from the specialized investment expertise of Affiliate Managers1 combined with the organizational support and breadth of resources of AGF Management Limited (AGF). With over 18 years average experience, AGF Capital Partners Affiliate Managers including, Kensington Capital Partners Limited, New Holland Capital, LLC and AGF SAF Private Credit, manage approximately C$13.8 billion* in alternative AUM and fee earning assets on behalf of institutional and retail clients. Affiliate Manager AUM may not be consolidated into AGF Management Limited's reported AUM.
*US AUM converted FX rate at February 28, 2025 (1.44)
The term 'Affiliate Manager' refers to any partner regardless of relationship structures or revenue sharing agreements. The form of AGF's structured partnership interests in Affiliate Managers differs from Affiliate Manager to Affiliate Manager. The structure of the relationship with a particular Affiliate Manager, or the revenue that AGF agrees to share in, may change. Affiliate Managers only provide investment advisory services or offer products in the jurisdiction where such firm, individuals and/or product is registered or authorized to provide such services.
Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investment fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Investment funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently, and past performance may not be repeated.
AGF Management Limited shareholders, analysts and media, please contact:
Nick Smerek
VP, Financial Planning & Analysis
416-865-4337, InvestorRelations@agf.com
Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements about the Company, including its business operations, strategy and expected financial performance and condition. Forward-looking statements include statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or include words such as 'expects,' 'estimates,' 'anticipates,' 'intends,' 'plans,' 'believes' or negative versions thereof and similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as 'may,' 'will,' 'should,' 'would' and 'could.' In addition, any statement that may be made concerning future financial performance (including income, revenues, earnings or growth rates), ongoing business strategies or prospects, fund performance, and possible future action on our part, is also a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are based on certain factors and assumptions, including expected growth, results of operations, business prospects, business performance and opportunities. While we consider these factors and assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and projections about future events and are inherently subject to, among other things, risks, uncertainties and assumptions about our operations, economic factors and the financial services industry generally. They are not guarantees of future performance, and actual events and results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements made by us due to, but not limited to, important risk factors such as level of assets under our management, volume of sales and redemptions of our investment products, performance of our investment funds and of our investment managers and advisors, client-driven asset allocation decisions, pipeline, competitive fee levels for investment management products and administration, and competitive dealer compensation levels and cost efficiency in our investment management operations, as well as general economic, political and market factors in North America and internationally, interest and foreign exchange rates, global equity and capital markets, business competition, taxation, changes in government regulations, unexpected judicial or regulatory proceedings, technological changes, cybersecurity, the possible effects of war or terrorist activities, outbreaks of disease or illness that affect local, national or international economies, natural disasters and disruptions to public infrastructure, such as transportation, communications, power or water supply or other catastrophic events, and our ability to complete strategic transactions and integrate acquisitions, and attract and retain key personnel. We caution that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. The reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors carefully and not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Other than specifically required by applicable laws, we are under no obligation (and expressly disclaim any such obligation) to update or alter the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For a more complete discussion of the risk factors that may impact actual results, please refer to the 'Risk Factors and Management of Risk' section of the 2024 Annual MD&A.
FundGrade A+® Awards:
FundGrade A+® is used with permission from Fundata Canada Inc., all rights reserved. The annual FundGrade A+® Awards are presented by Fundata Canada Inc. to recognize the "best of the best" among Canadian investment funds. The FundGrade A+® calculation is supplemental to the monthly FundGrade ratings and is calculated at the end of each calendar year. The FundGrade rating system evaluates funds based on their risk-adjusted performance, measured by Sharpe Ratio, Sortino Ratio, and Information Ratio. The score for each ratio is calculated individually, covering all time periods from 2 to 10 years. The scores are then weighted equally in calculating a monthly FundGrade. The top 10% of funds earn an A Grade; the next 20% of funds earn a B Grade; the next 40% of funds earn a C Grade; the next 20% of funds receive a D Grade; and the lowest 10% of funds receive an E Grade. To be eligible, a fund must have received a FundGrade rating every month in the previous year. The FundGrade A+® uses a GPA-style calculation, where each monthly FundGrade from "A" to "E" receives a score from 4 to 0, respectively. A fund's average score for the year determines its GPA. Any fund with a GPA of 3.5 or greater is awarded a FundGrade A+® Award. For more information, see www.FundGradeAwards.com. Although Fundata makes every effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained herein, the accuracy is not guaranteed by Fundata.
AGF American Growth Fund won in the U.S. Equity CIFSC Category, out of 237 funds. The FundGrade A+ start date was 12/31/2014 and the FundGrade A+ end date was 12/31/2024.
AGF Global Select Fund won in the Global Equity CIFSC Category, out of 306 funds. The FundGrade A+ start date was 12/31/2014 and the FundGrade A+ end date was 12/31/2024.
AGF Fixed Income Plus Fund won in the Canadian Fixed Income CIFSC Category, out of 137 funds. The FundGrade A+ start date was 12/31/2014 and the FundGrade A+ end date was 12/31/2024.
