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Ameriprise Financial Inc.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 29 January 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Adjusted EPS rose 16 percent: Adjusted operating EPS rose 16 percent to $10.83 from $9.36 a year earlier. GAAP EPS was $10.47, against $10.58 a year earlier. Source
  • Adjusted revenue rose 10 percent: Adjusted operating net revenues rose 10 percent to $4.9 billion, driven mainly by asset growth and client engagement. Source
  • Segment pretax earnings rose 13 percent: Pretax adjusted operating earnings were $926 million, up 13 percent, with a pretax margin of 29.3 percent, against 29.0 percent a year earlier. Source
  • Client net flows of $13.3 billion: Total client net flows were $13.3 billion, a 4.7 percent annualized rate. Wrap net inflows were $12.1 billion, a 7.4 percent annualized rate. Source
  • Segment pretax earnings rose 17 percent: Pretax adjusted operating earnings were $293 million, up 17 percent. Net pretax adjusted operating margin rose 140 basis points to 40 percent. Source
  • Segment pretax earnings fell on timing: Pretax adjusted operating earnings were $200 million, against $213 million a year earlier, reflecting G&A timing and higher life claim expenses. Source
  • Asset Management G&A rose 13 percent: Asset Management G&A rose 13 percent, driven by higher performance fee compensation and the impact of foreign exchange translation. Source
  • Quarterly capital return 101 percent: Return of capital to shareholders was $1.1 billion in the quarter, 101 percent of adjusted operating earnings. Source

“Ameriprise delivered a record fourth quarter with robust client activity, resulting in one of our best quarters for client inflows”

Jim Cracchiolo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Results and growth drivers

  • Adjusted EPS rose 16 percent: Adjusted operating EPS rose 16 percent to $10.83 from $9.36 a year earlier. GAAP EPS was $10.47, against $10.58 a year earlier. Source
  • Full-year adjusted EPS rose 14 percent: Full-year adjusted operating EPS was $39.29, up from $34.35. Full-year GAAP EPS was $36.28, up from $33.05 in 2024. Source
  • Adjusted revenue rose 10 percent: Adjusted operating net revenues rose 10 percent to $4.9 billion, driven mainly by asset growth and client engagement. Source
  • Adjusted return on equity at 53 percent: Management described adjusted operating return on equity, excluding AOCI, at 53 percent on a trailing 12-month basis, against 51.6 percent a year earlier. Source

Advice and Wealth Management

  • Segment pretax earnings rose 13 percent: Pretax adjusted operating earnings were $926 million, up 13 percent, with a pretax margin of 29.3 percent, against 29.0 percent a year earlier. Source
  • Core earnings rose, spread modestly: Core earnings rose in the mid-20 percent range on higher client assets and well-controlled expenses. Spread earnings rose very modestly. Source
  • Fee and transactional revenue grew: Advisory fees rose 18 percent to $1,785 million. Transactional activity rose 5 percent, with annuity sales and brokerage transactions higher. Source
  • Client net flows of $13.3 billion: Total client net flows were $13.3 billion, a 4.7 percent annualized rate. Wrap net inflows were $12.1 billion, a 7.4 percent annualized rate. Source

“we increased our return to shareholders in the fourth quarter to more than 100% of adjusted operating earnings”

Jim Cracchiolo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Asset Management

  • Segment pretax earnings rose 17 percent: Pretax adjusted operating earnings were $293 million, up 17 percent. Net pretax adjusted operating margin rose 140 basis points to 40 percent. Source
  • Performance fees and related pay: Performance fees were $120 million, against $51 million a year earlier. Net performance fees were $43 million after related G&A of $77 million. Source
  • Retail and model delivery inflows: Retail and model delivery net inflows were $4.2 billion. Global retail net AUM flows excluding legacy partners were $3.1 billion. Source
  • Institutional outflows narrowed: Institutional net outflows improved to $0.9 billion from $3.9 billion, reflecting higher gross sales globally and lower North American redemptions. Source
  • Most retail funds above peer median: More than 80 percent of retail funds were above median versus peers on an asset-weighted basis for 3- and 10-year periods. Source

Retirement and Protection Solutions

  • Segment pretax earnings fell on timing: Pretax adjusted operating earnings were $200 million, against $213 million a year earlier, reflecting G&A timing and higher life claim expenses. Source
  • Segment sales rose 6 percent: Segment sales rose 6 percent to $1.5 billion, with client demand for structured variable annuities, variable annuities without living benefit riders and variable universal life. Source
  • Revenue up 3 percent, expenses up 6: Adjusted operating net revenues were $991 million, up 3 percent. Adjusted operating expenses were $791 million, up 6 percent. Source
  • Variable annuity balances rose: Variable annuity contract accumulation values rose to $91.3 billion. Net outflows were $1.3 billion, and investment performance and interest credited added $1.6 billion. Source

“We generated all-time highs for revenue, earnings and EPS for both the quarter and the full year, and our return on equity continued to be best in class.”

Jim Cracchiolo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Corporate and Other

  • Corporate loss narrowed: Corporate & Other, excluding Closed Blocks, had a pretax adjusted operating loss of $80 million, against $106 million a year earlier. Source
  • Long Term Care earnings fell: Long Term Care earned $3 million in the quarter, against $21 million a year earlier. Full-year earnings excluding unlocking were $28 million. Source
  • Fixed Annuities loss unchanged: Fixed Annuities had a pretax adjusted operating loss of $7 million, the same as a year earlier. Source

Costs, margins and taxes

  • Asset Management G&A rose 13 percent: Asset Management G&A rose 13 percent, driven by higher performance fee compensation and the impact of foreign exchange translation. Source
  • Advice and Wealth Management expenses rose: Advice and Wealth Management adjusted operating expenses rose 11 percent to $2.2 billion, mainly from advisor productivity growth. Source
  • Pretax adjusted operating margin 27.2 percent: Pretax adjusted operating margin was 27.2 percent, against 26.8 percent a year earlier, per the non-GAAP reconciliation. Source
  • GAAP market risk benefit expense: GAAP change in fair value of market risk benefits was a $215 million expense, against a $30 million benefit a year earlier. Source
  • Operating tax rate for the year: Operating effective tax rate was 21.9 percent for the quarter and 20.9 percent for the full year. Source

Capital, cash and shareholder returns

  • Quarterly capital return 101 percent: Return of capital to shareholders was $1.1 billion in the quarter, 101 percent of adjusted operating earnings. Source
  • Full-year capital return 88 percent: Full-year return of capital was $3.4 billion, 88 percent of adjusted operating earnings, which management tied to free cash flow generation. Source
  • Buybacks and dividends in quarter: Share repurchases were $897 million, up 45 percent from $619 million a year earlier. Dividends paid were $153 million. Source
  • Shares outstanding declined: Total common shares outstanding fell to 91.3 million from 96.2 million a year earlier, after 1.8 million shares were repurchased in the quarter. Source
  • Long-term debt to capital 32.0 percent: Long-term debt to total capital was 32.0 percent, against 35.2 percent a year earlier. Senior notes totaled $3.1 billion. Source
  • Excess capital and liquidity described: Management said the balance sheet has significant excess capital and holding company available liquidity. Source

Recognition and advisor recruiting

  • TIME ranking of most iconic firms: The company ranked in the top 50 on TIME's 2026 list of America's Most Iconic Companies and was the highest ranked diversified financial services firm. Source
  • Wall Street Journal best-managed ranking: The company was recognized as a Top 250 firm on the Wall Street Journal Best-Managed Companies of 2025 ranking. Source
  • Experienced advisor moves in quarter: 91 experienced advisors moved their practices to Ameriprise in the quarter, against 90 in the prior quarter. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Assets under management, administration and advisement Source$1.7 trillion
Total client assets Source$1.2 trillion
Wrap assets Source$670 billion
Cash sweep balances Source$29.9 billion
Adjusted operating net revenue per advisor, trailing 12 months Source$1.1 million
Asset Management assets under management and advisement Source$721 billion
Morningstar 4- or 5-star rated retail funds Source103 funds

Risks management discussed

  • External: Management referred to a forecasted lower rate environment for bank net investment income. Source
  • Financial: Unfavorable market impacts on derivatives and market risk benefits reduced fourth quarter GAAP results, while the prior-year quarter had favorable impacts. Source
  • Demand: Legacy insurance partner outflows were $1.4 billion in the quarter, up from $950 million a year earlier. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Full-year G&A rose 5 percent, which management said was in line with its prior guidance. Source
  • Met: Advice and Wealth Management G&A rose 6 percent to $464 million, which management said was in line with expectations. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.