It is no secret that active asset managers have faced a tough market since pandemic-induced enthusiasm for investing peaked in the second half of 2021. Assets under management (AUM), which are like a bucket with a hole that constantly needs to be refilled, have proved difficult to grow, as investors have opted to stay with cash, plough more into passive products, or plump for annuities that finally offer a decent yield.
IC TIP:
Buy
at
135p
Tip style
Growth
Risk rating
Medium
Timescale
Medium Term
Bull points
- Still attracting net inflows
- Secure adviser and wealth platform
- Completed the hard yards on restructuring
- Potential takeover target
Bear points
- Ongoing investigation in fees
- Still perceived as a complex business
However, while this clique has again struggled in 2024, wealth management specialists with platforms have had a quietly successful year. Such companies have seen average share price gains of 25 per cent, according to Investec.