Aberdeen Group PLC (LSE:ABDN), the FTSE 250 wealth and investment manager, saw its shares fall 6% to 209.43p on Tuesday despite reporting higher profits, as persistent net outflows across its business weighed on investor sentiment.
Adjusted operating profit rose 4% to £264 million for the year ended 31 December 2025, while IFRS profit before tax jumped 76% to £442 million, boosted by investment gains on the company's stake in Standard Life, formerly known as Phoenix Group Holdings.
Assets under management and administration (AUMA) grew 9% to £556 billion, driven by positive markets rather than new money, with net outflows across the group widening to £3.9 billion from £1.1 billion in 2024.
Excluding liquidity flows, net outflows narrowed sharply to £1.7 billion from £6.1 billion, which the company presented as evidence of improving momentum.
The strongest performance came from interactive investor, its retail investment platform, where adjusted operating profit surged 34% as daily average trades rose 32% and record net inflows of £7.3 billion pushed platform assets to £97.5 billion.
The Adviser division, which serves independent financial advisers, remained a drag, with adjusted operating profit falling 32% following a strategic repricing of its services that cut revenue yields.
Aberdeen said it now expected the Adviser business to return to positive net flows in 2026, but pushed back its target of £1 billion in net inflows to 2027.
Chief executive Jason Windsor said the company had entered 2026 with momentum and remained focused on delivering its full-year targets of adjusted operating profit of at least £300 million and net capital generation of around £300 million.
The company said its transformation programme had delivered £180 million in annualised cost savings, exceeding its £150 million target.
The full-year dividend was maintained at 14.6p per share.