greeksoup/ stock research

Virtus Investment Partners, Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 1 May 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Operating income fell on lower revenue: GAAP revenues were $199.5 million, down 8% from a year earlier. GAAP operating income was $15.4 million, a 7.7% margin, against $39.8 million in the prior quarter. Source
  • Adjusted EPS fell on seasonal costs: Diluted EPS as adjusted was $5.38 against $7.16, mainly from $1.26 per share of seasonal expenses and lower investment management fees. Adjusted operating margin was 24.0%, down from 32.4%. Source
  • Retail separate accounts drove outflows: Retail separate account net flows were ($3.9) billion, against ($2.5) billion in the prior quarter, including a large rebalancing of a lower-fee model-only mandate. Source
  • Ending assets fell to $149.0 billion: Ending assets under management were $149.0 billion, down from $159.5 billion, due to market performance and net outflows, partly offset by ETF and global fund inflows and Keystone assets. Source
  • Keystone majority stake closed March 1: The company completed its majority investment in Keystone, an asset-centric private credit manager, for $200 million, with one month of Keystone results in the quarter. Source
  • Cash fell after Keystone payment: Cash and equivalents fell to $136.6 million from $386.5 million, mainly from the Keystone closing payment, seasonal employment expenses and capital returned to shareholders. Source
  • Non-GAAP now counts amortization tax benefit: The company revised its non-GAAP definitions on April 17, 2026 to include tax benefits realized on amortization of goodwill and intangible assets. Source

“Net flows of ($8.4) billion compared with ($8.1) billion in the prior quarter”

Virtus Investment Partners, Inc., press release

What changed from last quarter

  • New: The company completed a majority investment in Keystone, an asset-centric private credit manager, for $200 million on March 1, 2026. Source
  • New: The company revised its definition of certain non-GAAP measures to include tax benefits realized on amortization of goodwill and intangible assets, and recast prior periods. Source

Results and earnings

  • Operating income fell on lower revenue: GAAP revenues were $199.5 million, down 8% from a year earlier. GAAP operating income was $15.4 million, a 7.7% margin, against $39.8 million in the prior quarter. Source
  • GAAP EPS reflected investment losses: GAAP diluted EPS was $1.05, against $5.17 in the prior quarter. The figure included ($1.69) of realized and unrealized investment losses per diluted share. Source
  • Adjusted EPS fell on seasonal costs: Diluted EPS as adjusted was $5.38 against $7.16, mainly from $1.26 per share of seasonal expenses and lower investment management fees. Adjusted operating margin was 24.0%, down from 32.4%. Source
  • Effective tax rate rose on losses: The GAAP effective tax rate was 54%, against 28% in the prior quarter, reflecting higher valuation allowances on net unrealized and realized losses relative to pre-tax income. Source

Flows by channel

  • Retail separate accounts drove outflows: Retail separate account net flows were ($3.9) billion, against ($2.5) billion in the prior quarter, including a large rebalancing of a lower-fee model-only mandate. Source
  • Institutional outflows centred on global equity: Institutional net flows were ($3.2) billion, against ($3.0) billion in the prior quarter, primarily from net outflows in global equity. Source
  • Open-end fund outflows narrowed, ETFs positive: Open-end fund net flows were ($1.3) billion, against ($2.5) billion, including $0.3 billion of positive ETF net flows. Equity sales rose 26% in the quarter. Source

“Total sales increased 8% to $5.8 billion from $5.3 billion in the prior quarter and included a 26% increase in sales of equity strategies.”

Virtus Investment Partners, Inc., press release

Assets under management

  • Ending assets fell to $149.0 billion: Ending assets under management were $149.0 billion, down from $159.5 billion, due to market performance and net outflows, partly offset by ETF and global fund inflows and Keystone assets. Source
  • Equity assets fell most by class: Equity assets fell to $70.1 billion from $82.6 billion, the largest decline by asset class, while alternatives rose to $18.0 billion. Source
  • Average fee rate edged up: Average management fee rate on all products was 41.9 basis points, up from 40.6 in the prior quarter. Source

Expenses and margins

  • Seasonal payroll costs lifted employment expenses: Employment expenses as adjusted were $106.2 million, up from $95.8 million, including $11.4 million of seasonal expenses tied to the timing of annual incentive payments. Source
  • Deal and restructuring costs excluded from adjusted EPS: GAAP net income per diluted share included ($0.62) of acquisition and integration costs and ($0.32) of restructuring and severance, both excluded from the adjusted measure. Source
  • Keystone added one month of costs: Other operating expenses as adjusted were $30.6 million, against $30.2 million, and employment and other expenses each included one month of Keystone. Source

Keystone acquisition and cash

  • Keystone majority stake closed March 1: The company completed its majority investment in Keystone, an asset-centric private credit manager, for $200 million, with one month of Keystone results in the quarter. Source
  • Keystone assets added to AUM: Keystone National Group added assets under management, partially offsetting net outflows and market performance, according to the release. Source
  • Cash fell after Keystone payment: Cash and equivalents fell to $136.6 million from $386.5 million, mainly from the Keystone closing payment, seasonal employment expenses and capital returned to shareholders. Source

Debt, cash and shareholder returns

  • Gross debt rose to $448.0 million: Gross debt was $448.0 million, including $50 million drawn on the company's credit facility, up from $399.0 million at year end. Source
  • Net debt rose to 1.1x EBITDA: Net debt was $311.4 million, or 1.1x EBITDA, compared with $12.5 million in the prior quarter. Source
  • Buybacks and dividend paid: The company repurchased 73,463 shares for $10.0 million and paid its quarterly dividend, which totaled $17.9 million. Source

Non-GAAP definition change

  • Non-GAAP now counts amortization tax benefit: The company revised its non-GAAP definitions on April 17, 2026 to include tax benefits realized on amortization of goodwill and intangible assets. Source
  • Prior periods recast to new definition: Prior periods have been recast to reflect the revisions, so earlier comparisons in this release use the revised definition. Source
  • December 2025 adjusted EPS now $7.16: Diluted EPS as adjusted for the December 31, 2025 quarter is shown as $7.16 after the recast, against $6.50 in the prior release. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Ending assets under management Source$149.0 billion
Average assets under management Source$158.2 billion
Total sales Source$5.8 billion
Net flows Source($8.4) billion
ETF sales Source$0.6 billion

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Quality-oriented equity strategies are experiencing ongoing style headwinds, which management cited as a driver of net outflows. Source
  • Financial: Net debt rose to $311.4 million, or 1.1x EBITDA, from $12.5 million in the prior quarter. Source
  • External: Market performance reduced assets under management during the quarter, alongside net outflows across several channels. 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.