Polar Capital Shares Jump After Record AuM and Strong Earnings Beat

Shares in Polar Capital Holdings (LON: POLR) surged over 4.5% on Wednesday, hitting an intraday high of 964p before settling around 931p, after the specialist fund manager reported record year-end assets under management and a sharp jump in profitability for the year to 31 March 2026.

Group AuM rose 43% to £30.6bn, driven by £8.8bn of fund performance and market gains alongside £902m of net inflows — the second consecutive year of positive flows. Momentum has accelerated further into the new financial year, with AuM climbing to £44.7bn by 19 June 2026, boosted by £2.3bn of net inflows since April.

Core operating profit rose 11% to £62.8m, while statutory pre-tax profit jumped 49% to £76.9m, aided by higher performance fees and the absence of prior-year impairment charges. Adjusted diluted earnings per share rose 10% to 57.8p.

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Growth was led by the firm’s Technology and Artificial Intelligence strategies, which now account for 55% of Group AuM, alongside strong performance in Healthcare and Smart Energy funds.

The board declared a second interim dividend of 32.0p, taking the full-year payout to 46.0p, matching last year’s total, and unveiled a £15.0m share buyback programme.

It also introduced a new capital return policy, committing to return at least 50% of adjusted core profits via dividends, with excess performance-fee profits returned through special dividends or buybacks.

CEO Iain Evans, who took over from Gavin Rochussen in September 2025, said the results reflected the “strength of our specialist model” and reiterated a strategy to “scale through differentiation and focus.”