greeksoup/ stock research

SEI Investments Co.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 28 January 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Diluted EPS up 16%: Diluted EPS was $1.38, up 16% from the prior year. Full-year diluted EPS was $5.63, up 28%. Source
  • Investment Managers profit rose 25%: Investment Managers revenue rose 15% to $220.8 million and operating profit rose 25% to $91.3 million, supported by recent client wins and modest market appreciation. Source
  • Net sales events reached $43.6 million: Fourth quarter net sales events were $43.6 million. Full-year net sales events were $149.9 million, a record as the release describes it. Source
  • Institutional sales events turned negative: Institutional Investors net sales events were negative $5.0 million, driven by client losses in the United Kingdom. Source
  • Severance and M&A lifted overhead: Corporate overhead was $62.1 million, up 61%, including severance expense and third-party M&A fees related to Stratos. Source
  • Items reduced EPS by about $0.08: Several comparability items together reduced diluted EPS by approximately $0.08. Source
  • Stratos paid from balance sheet cash: The first close of Stratos cost $440.8 million and was funded entirely from balance sheet cash. Source

“What’s most encouraging is that these results were not reliant on any single business or one‑time event, but rather a result of disciplined execution against our strategy and the strength of our integrated enterprise model,”

CEO Ryan Hicke

What changed from last quarter

  • New: The Stratos acquisition, described as planned in the third-quarter release, reached its first close in the fourth quarter.

Results and growth drivers

  • Diluted EPS up 16%: Diluted EPS was $1.38, up 16% from the prior year. Full-year diluted EPS was $5.63, up 28%. Source
  • Quarterly revenue and operating income grew: Revenue rose 9% and operating income rose 11% from the fourth quarter 2024. Operating margin rose to 27%. Source
  • Full-year operating income up 14%: Full-year operating income was $627.3 million, up 14% from $551.7 million in 2024. Source

Segments and regions

  • Investment Managers profit rose 25%: Investment Managers revenue rose 15% to $220.8 million and operating profit rose 25% to $91.3 million, supported by recent client wins and modest market appreciation. Source
  • Private Banks margin rose to 19%: Private Banks revenue rose 7% to $149.8 million and operating profit rose 47% to $29.1 million. Margin was 19%, up from 16% in the third quarter. Source
  • Advisors operating profit rose 15%: Investment Advisors operating profit rose 15% from the fourth quarter 2024 and 5% from the third quarter 2025. Source
  • Integrated cash program held steady: The integrated cash program contributed $20.7 million, in line with the third quarter 2025 and fourth quarter 2024. Source
  • Institutional profit edged up: Institutional Investors revenue rose 3% to $72.8 million and operating profit rose 6% to $34.5 million. Market appreciation largely offset client losses. Source
  • New Businesses loss narrowed: Investments in New Businesses revenue fell 47% to $8.3 million. The operating loss was $3.1 million, compared with $3.6 million a year earlier. Source

“We’re benefiting from increased demand for outsourcing, the convergence of public and private markets, and the continued need for high-quality advice.”

CEO Ryan Hicke

Products and customers

  • Alternative managers drove Investment Managers sales: Investment Managers net sales events were $20.5 million. More than two-thirds came from U.S.-based alternative asset managers. Source
  • Private Banks sales span SWP and services: Private Banks net sales events were $27.5 million, reflecting demand for SWP software-as-a-service, implementation services and enterprise-wide professional services. Source

Demand and sales events

  • Net sales events reached $43.6 million: Fourth quarter net sales events were $43.6 million. Full-year net sales events were $149.9 million, a record as the release describes it. Source
  • Institutional sales events turned negative: Institutional Investors net sales events were negative $5.0 million, driven by client losses in the United Kingdom. Source
  • Assets grew on client wins: Ending AUA rose 3% and ending AUM rose 2% from the third quarter. AUA growth came mainly from client win momentum, with market appreciation a lesser factor. Source

“With clear priorities and the right team in place, we’re entering 2026 with confidence.”

CEO Ryan Hicke

Costs and comparability items

  • Severance and M&A lifted overhead: Corporate overhead was $62.1 million, up 61%, including severance expense and third-party M&A fees related to Stratos. Source
  • Items reduced EPS by about $0.08: Several comparability items together reduced diluted EPS by approximately $0.08. Source
  • Energy credits gave tax benefit: A $3.0 million tax benefit came from purchased energy credits. Source
  • Revenue accrual true-up added $3.3M: A $3.3 million revenue accrual true-up added to Investment Managers revenue. Source

Margins and profit trends

  • Consolidated margin at 26.6%: Consolidated operating margin was 26.6%, improved over the prior year despite severance and M&A expenses. Source
  • Management cites profit gains in all segments: Management said revenue and operating profit increased across all business segments versus both the fourth quarter 2024 and the third quarter 2025. Source

Capital, cash and shareholder returns

  • Buybacks of $101.0 million in quarter: Repurchased 1.2 million shares for $101.0 million at an average of $82.61 a share. Full-year repurchases totaled 7.5 million shares. Source
  • Stratos paid from balance sheet cash: The first close of Stratos cost $440.8 million and was funded entirely from balance sheet cash. Source
  • Quarterly dividend rose to $0.52: Dividends declared per common share were $0.52 in the quarter and $1.01 for the year. Source
  • Cash balance lower after Stratos: Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash were $399.8 million at December 31, 2025, against $840.2 million a year earlier. Source

Strategy and Stratos expansion

  • Stratos advances Advice expansion: Management said the Stratos deal advances SEI's expansion into Advice, deepens client insight and broadens RIA and broker-dealer distribution. Source
  • Stratos adds $38.4 billion client assets: Stratos Wealth Holdings provides financial services to $38.4 billion in client assets, as of November 30, 2025. Source

Coming up, as management said on 28 January 2026

  • Stratos capabilities to be integrated: Management said the Stratos acquisition creates new paths to integrate SEI's technology and investment capabilities into the advisory platform. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Total assets under management Source$554,611 million
Client assets under administration Source$1,248,721 million
Total assets managed, advised or administered Sourceapproximately $1.9 trillion

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Continued outflows in traditional mutual fund products, partly offset by inflows into SEI-managed ETFs. Source
  • Demand: Modest AUM outflows, mainly in Institutional, were offset by market appreciation. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management said the timing of certain planned investments is shifting into 2026. 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.