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StepStone Group Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 5 February 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Net loss narrowed year on year: The company reported a net loss of $162.4 million, or $1.55 per diluted share, against a net loss of $287.2 million, or $2.61 per diluted share, in the prior-year quarter. Source
  • Adjusted net income up 52 percent: Adjusted net income was $79.9 million, against $52.7 million a year earlier. ANI per share was $0.65, against $0.44. Nine-month ANI was $195.1 million. Source
  • Incentive fees drove performance fee growth: Total performance fees were $346.6 million, against $148.2 million. Incentive fees were $208.0 million, against $22.4 million a year earlier. Source
  • Gross realized performance fees up 387 percent: Gross realized performance fees were $253.4 million, against $52.1 million. Performance fee-related earnings were $131.2 million, against $26.6 million a year earlier. Source
  • AUM reached $219.8 billion: AUM was $219.8 billion, up 23% from a year earlier. Separately managed accounts were $130.1 billion, focused commingled funds $73.4 billion and advisory AUM $16.3 billion. Source
  • Contributions fell from prior-year quarter: Total contributions were $5.9 billion, against $11.6 billion in the third quarter of fiscal 2025. Nine-month contributions were $17.0 billion, against $23.1 billion. Source
  • Total stockholders’ equity declined: Total stockholders’ equity was $339.7 million, against $1,390.1 million at March 31, 2025. Accumulated deficit was $866.3 million, against $242.5 million. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Total revenues rose 73 percent: Total revenues were $586.5 million for the quarter, against $339.0 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2025. Management and advisory fees, net were $239.9 million, up 26%. Source
  • Net loss narrowed year on year: The company reported a net loss of $162.4 million, or $1.55 per diluted share, against a net loss of $287.2 million, or $2.61 per diluted share, in the prior-year quarter. Source
  • Adjusted net income up 52 percent: Adjusted net income was $79.9 million, against $52.7 million a year earlier. ANI per share was $0.65, against $0.44. Nine-month ANI was $195.1 million. Source
  • Fee-related earnings rose 20 percent: Fee-related earnings were $89.2 million, against $74.1 million a year earlier. The nine-month figure was $249.1 million. Source

Performance fees and carried interest

  • Incentive fees drove performance fee growth: Total performance fees were $346.6 million, against $148.2 million. Incentive fees were $208.0 million, against $22.4 million a year earlier. Source
  • Realized carried interest rose year on year: Realized carried interest allocations were $46.7 million, against $24.3 million. Unrealized allocations were $102.0 million, against $93.3 million. Source
  • Gross realized performance fees up 387 percent: Gross realized performance fees were $253.4 million, against $52.1 million. Performance fee-related earnings were $131.2 million, against $26.6 million a year earlier. Source
  • Legacy Greenspring carried interest turned negative: Legacy Greenspring carried interest allocations were negative $10.1 million in the quarter, against $8.2 million a year earlier. The nine-month figure was $56.7 million. Source

Fee revenues and fee-earning AUM

  • Focused commingled fund fees grew most: Focused commingled fund fees were $144.3 million, against $105.7 million a year earlier. Separately managed account fees were $75.2 million, against $66.2 million. Source
  • Fee revenues reached $241.1 million: Fee revenues were $241.1 million, against $191.8 million a year earlier. Advisory and other services fees were $18.4 million, against $17.5 million. Source
  • Fee-earning AUM rose 21 percent: Fee-earning AUM was $138.6 billion, against $114.2 billion a year earlier. Separately managed accounts were $80.3 billion and focused commingled funds were $58.2 billion. Source

Asset classes and client assets

  • AUM reached $219.8 billion: AUM was $219.8 billion, up 23% from a year earlier. Separately managed accounts were $130.1 billion, focused commingled funds $73.4 billion and advisory AUM $16.3 billion. Source
  • AUA rose to $591.3 billion: Assets under advisement were $591.3 billion, up 14% from a year earlier. Private equity AUA was $301.4 billion and real estate AUA was $178.8 billion. Source
  • Private debt and real estate FEAUM grew fastest: Fee-earning AUM by asset class: private equity $73.2 billion, up 17%; infrastructure $27.9 billion, up 19%; private debt $23.9 billion, up 34%; real estate $13.6 billion, up 35%. Source
  • Total capital responsibility reached $811.1 billion: Total capital responsibility, equal to AUM plus AUA, was $811.1 billion, up 16% from a year earlier. Source

Costs, compensation and margins

  • Performance fee compensation rose to $191.3 million: Total performance fee-related compensation was $191.3 million, against $75.1 million a year earlier. Nine-month performance fee-related compensation was $367.0 million. Source
  • Equity-based compensation remained large: Equity-based compensation was $468.8 million, against $486.4 million a year earlier. Nine-month equity-based compensation was $1,542.0 million. Source
  • Cash-based compensation rose year on year: Cash-based compensation was $107.1 million, against $85.2 million a year earlier. Nine-month cash-based compensation was $303.4 million. Source
  • FRE margin was 37 percent: FRE margin was 37% in the quarter, against 39% in the third quarter of fiscal 2025 and 36% in the second quarter of fiscal 2026. The nine-month margin was 37%. Source
  • Total expenses rose to $807.8 million: Total expenses were $807.8 million, against $698.1 million a year earlier. General, administrative and other expenses were $50.6 million, against $43.1 million. Source

Fundraising, contributions and distributions

  • Contributions fell from prior-year quarter: Total contributions were $5.9 billion, against $11.6 billion in the third quarter of fiscal 2025. Nine-month contributions were $17.0 billion, against $23.1 billion. Source
  • Distributions held near $1.7 billion: Distributions were $1.7 billion, against $1.7 billion a year earlier. Nine-month distributions were $4.4 billion. Source
  • Undeployed fee-earning capital rose 51 percent: Undeployed fee-earning capital was $32.7 billion, against $21.7 billion a year earlier and $29.8 billion in the prior quarter. The release describes it as capital that will generate fee revenue once invested. Source
  • Focused commingled fund contributions rose: Focused commingled fund contributions were $3.2 billion, against $2.5 billion a year earlier. Separately managed account contributions were $2.6 billion, against $9.0 billion. Source

Balance sheet, dividend and capital

  • Quarterly dividend held at $0.28: The quarterly dividend per Class A share was $0.28, the same rate as in the second quarter of fiscal 2026 and up from $0.24 a year earlier. Source
  • Total stockholders’ equity declined: Total stockholders’ equity was $339.7 million, against $1,390.1 million at March 31, 2025. Accumulated deficit was $866.3 million, against $242.5 million. Source
  • Accrued compensation and benefits increased: Accrued compensation and benefits were $2,404.2 million, against $736.7 million at March 31, 2025 and $1,826.2 million at September 30, 2025. Source
  • Cash and debt levels at quarter end: Cash and cash equivalents were $266.1 million, against $244.8 million at March 31, 2025. Debt obligations were $270.2 million. Source
  • Class A shares outstanding increased: Class A shares outstanding were 80,135,346 at December 31, 2025, against 76,761,399 at March 31, 2025. Adjusted weighted-average shares were 122,590,230 in the quarter. Source

Consolidated Funds and legacy Greenspring entities

  • Consolidated Funds investment income rose: Investment income of Consolidated Funds was $21.3 million, against $15.0 million a year earlier. The nine-month figure was $89.0 million. Source
  • Consolidated Funds investments fell: Investments at fair value of Consolidated Funds were $105.2 million, against $415.0 million at March 31, 2025. Redeemable non-controlling interests in Consolidated Funds were $171.9 million. Source
  • ANI excludes legacy Greenspring economics: ANI does not include legacy Greenspring carried interest revenue, related compensation or investment income, because the company states none of those economics are attributable to it. Source

Coming up, as management said on 5 February 2026

  • Quarterly dividend payable March 13, 2026: The dividend is payable on March 13, 2026 to holders of record at the close of business on February 27, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Assets under management Source$219.8 billion
Assets under advisement Source$591.3 billion
Fee-earning AUM Source$138.6 billion
Undeployed fee-earning capital Source$32.7 billion

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.