UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-K
(Mark One)
þ | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 | |
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018
OR
o | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 | |
For the transition period from to
Commission file number 1-13908
Invesco Ltd.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Bermuda (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) | 98-0557567 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
1555 Peachtree Street, N.E., Suite 1800, Atlanta, GA (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | 30309 (Zip Code) | |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (404) 892-0896
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class | Name of Exchange on Which Registered | |
Common Shares, $0.20 par value per share | New York Stock Exchange | |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known, seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No þ
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer þ | Accelerated filer o | Non-accelerated filer o | Smaller reporting company o | |||
Emerging growth company o | ||||||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.) Yes o No þ
At June 30, 2018, the aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates was $10.7 billion, based on the closing price of the registrant's Common Shares, par value U.S. $0.20 per share, on the New York Stock Exchange. At January 31, 2019, the most recent practicable date, the number of Common Shares outstanding was 397,071,683.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The registrant will incorporate by reference information required in response to Part III, Items 10-14 in its definitive Proxy Statement for its annual meeting of shareholders, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after December 31, 2018.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
We include cross references to captions elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which we refer to as this “Report,” where you can find related additional information. The following table of contents tells you where to find these captions.
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SPECIAL CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Report, other public filings and oral and written statements by us and our management, may include statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the United States securities laws. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of our management and on information available to us at the time such statements are made. Forward-looking statements include information concerning future results of our operations, expenses, earnings, liquidity, cash flows and capital expenditures, industry or market conditions, assets under management, acquisitions and divestitures, debt and our ability to obtain additional financing or make payments, regulatory developments, demand for and pricing of our products, the prospects for certain legal contingencies, and other aspects of our business or general economic conditions. In addition, when used in this Report or such other documents or statements, words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “projects,” “forecasts,” and future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “may,” “could,” “should,” and “would,” and any other statement that necessarily depends on future events, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees and they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although we make such statements based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from our expectations. In most cases, such assumptions will not be expressly stated. We caution investors not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements.
The following important factors, and other factors described elsewhere in this Report or contained in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), among others, could cause our results to differ materially from any results described in any forward-looking statements:
• | significant fluctuations in the performance of capital and credit markets worldwide; |
• | adverse changes in the global economy; |
• | the performance of our investment products; |
• | significant changes in net asset flows into or out of the accounts we manage or declines in market value of the assets in, or redemptions or other withdrawals from, those accounts; |
• | competitive pressures in the investment management business, including consolidation, which may force us to reduce fees we earn; |
• | any inability to adjust our expenses quickly enough to match significant deterioration in markets; |
• | the effect of fluctuations in interest rates, liquidity and credit markets in the U.S. or globally, including regulatory reform of benchmarks, such as LIBOR; |
• | our ability to acquire and integrate other companies into our operations successfully and the extent to which we can realize anticipated product sales, cost savings or synergies from such acquisitions; |
• | the occurrence of breaches and errors in the conduct of our business, including any failure to properly safeguard confidential and sensitive information, cyber-attacks or acts of fraud; |
• | our ability to attract and retain key personnel, including investment management professionals; |
• | limitations or restrictions on access to distribution channels for our products; |
• | our ability to develop, introduce and support new investment products and services; |
• | our ability to comply with client contractual requirements and/or investment guidelines despite preventative compliance procedures and controls; |
• | variations in demand for our investment products or services, including termination or non-renewal of our investment management agreements; |
• | harm to our reputation; |
• | our ability to maintain our credit ratings and access the capital markets in a timely manner; |
• | our debt and the limitations imposed by our credit facility; |
• | exchange rate fluctuations, especially as against the U.S. Dollar; |
• | the effect of political, economic or social instability in or involving countries in which we invest or do business (including the effect of terrorist attacks, war and other hostilities); |
• | the effect of failures or delays in support systems or customer service functions, and other interruptions of our operations; |
• | the effect of non-performance by our counterparties, third party service providers and other key vendors to fulfill their obligations; |
• | impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets; |
• | adverse results in litigation and any other regulatory or other proceedings, governmental investigations, and enforcement actions; and |
• | enactment of adverse federal, state or foreign legislation or changes in government policy or regulation (including accounting standards) affecting our operations, our capital requirements or the way in which our profits are taxed. |
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Other factors and assumptions not identified above were also involved in the derivation of these forward-looking statements, and the failure of such other assumptions to be realized may also cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. For more discussion of the risks affecting us, please refer to Item 1A, “Risk Factors.”
You should consider the areas of risk described above in connection with any forward-looking statements that may be made by us and our businesses generally. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update any of the information in this or any other public report if any forward-looking statement later turns out to be inaccurate, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For all forward-looking statements, we claim the “safe harbor” provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
PART I
Item 1. Business
Introduction
Invesco Ltd. (Invesco or the company) is an independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life. Our comprehensive range of active, passive and alternative investment capabilities has been constructed over many years to help clients achieve their investment objectives. We draw on this comprehensive range of capabilities to provide customized solutions designed to deliver key outcomes aligned to client needs (our most important benchmark).
With more than 7,000 employees and an on-the-ground presence in 25 countries, Invesco is well positioned to meet the needs of investors across the globe. We have specialized investment teams managing investments across a broad range of asset classes, investment styles and geographies. We provide a comprehensive range of investment capabilities and outcomes, delivered through a diverse set of investment vehicles, to help clients achieve their investment objectives. For decades, individuals and institutions have viewed our organization as a trusted partner for a broad range of investment needs. We have a significant presence in the retail and institutional markets within the investment management industry in North America, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Asia-Pacific, serving clients in more than 120 countries. As of December 31, 2018, the firm managed $888.2 billion in assets for investors around the world.
The key drivers of success for Invesco are long-term investment performance, competitive pricing, high-quality client service and effective distribution relationships, delivered across a diverse spectrum of investment management capabilities, distribution channels, geographic areas and market exposures. By achieving success in these areas, we seek to deliver better outcomes for clients and generate competitive investment results, positive net flows, increased assets under management (AUM) and associated revenues. We are affected significantly by market movements, which are beyond our control; however, we endeavor to mitigate the impact of market movements by maintaining broad diversification across asset classes, investment vehicles, client domiciles and geographies. We measure relative investment performance by comparing our investment capabilities to competitors' products, industry benchmarks and client investment objectives. Generally, distributors, investment advisors and consultants take into consideration longer-term investment performance (e.g., three-year and five-year performance) in their selection of investment products and manager recommendations to their clients, although shorter-term performance may also be an important consideration. Third-party ratings may also influence client investment decisions. We monitor quality of client service in a variety of ways, including periodic client satisfaction surveys, analysis of response times and redemption rates, competitive benchmarking of services and feedback from investment consultants.
Invesco Ltd. is organized under the laws of Bermuda, and our common shares are listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “IVZ.” We maintain a website at www.invesco.com. (Information contained on our website shall not be deemed to be part of, or be incorporated into, this document).
Strategy
The company focuses on four key long-term strategic objectives that are designed to sharpen our focus on client needs, further strengthen our business over time and help ensure our long-term success:
• | Achieve strong, long-term investment performance across distinct investment capabilities with clearly articulated investment philosophies and processes, aligned with client needs; |
• | Be instrumental to our clients' success by delivering our distinctive investment capabilities worldwide to meet their needs; |
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• | Harness the power of our global platform by continuously improving execution effectiveness to enhance quality and productivity, and allocating our resources to the opportunities that will best benefit clients and our business; and |
• | Perpetuate a high-performance organization by driving greater transparency, accountability, diversity of thought, fact-based decision making and execution at all levels. |
As an integrated global investment manager, we are keenly focused on meeting clients' needs and operating effectively and efficiently as an integrated, global organization. We take a unified approach to our business and present our financial statements and other disclosures under the single operating segment “investment management.”
We believe one of Invesco's great strengths is our separate, distinct investment teams in multiple markets across the globe. A key focus of our business is fostering a strong investment culture and providing the support that enables our investment teams to maintain well-performing investment capabilities. We believe the ability to leverage the capabilities of our investment teams to help clients across the globe achieve their investment objectives is a significant differentiator for our firm.
2018 Developments
Throughout 2018, we made solid progress in several areas that will help us better meet client needs, further strengthen our global business and increase shareholder value over the long term. At the same time, 2018 was a challenging year for the asset management industry and for Invesco. We saw volatile markets throughout the year and particularly during the fourth quarter. These market headwinds, combined with underperformance in certain investment capabilities and challenges in the global markets in which we operate - such as the uncertainties surrounding Brexit and the trade war between the U.S. and China - led to negative net flows for the firm in 2018 after nine consecutive years of positive net flows.
During 2018, we launched several new products and further invested in key parts of our business that will benefit our clients and enhance our competitiveness over the long term. We continued to invest in capabilities where we see strong client demand or future opportunities by making or agreeing to make certain acquisitions, hiring world-class talent, upgrading our technology platform, launching new products and providing additional resources where necessary. We believe the ability to leverage the capabilities developed by our investment teams to meet client demand across the globe is a significant differentiator for our firm, and we will continue to bring the best of Invesco to different parts of our business where it makes sense for our clients. Some highlights of 2018 are as follows:
▪ | The most significant announcement during the year was our planned acquisition of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company's ("MassMutual") asset management affiliate, OppenheimerFunds. The combination with OppenheimerFunds will help accelerate Invesco’s growth initiatives, increase our scale and client relevance, and expand our comprehensive suite of differentiated investment capabilities. We will also be better positioned to deliver strong outcomes for clients, since overall performance rankings for U.S. mutual funds are consistently stronger for the combined firm than for either firm independently. Invesco entered into a definitive agreement to acquire OppenheimerFunds from MassMutual, which included $226.9 billion(1) of AUM at January 31, 2019. This strategic transaction will bring Invesco’s total AUM to more than $1.1 trillion, making it the 13th-largest global investment manager and sixth-largest U.S. retail investment manager(2), further enhancing the company’s ability to meet client needs through its comprehensive range of high-conviction active, passive and alternative capabilities; |
▪ | Completed the acquisition of Guggenheim Investments’ exchange-traded funds (ETF) business. The acquisition strengthened Invesco’s market-leading ETF capabilities as well as the firm’s efforts to meet the needs of institutional and retail clients in the U.S. and across the globe, which will contribute further to the growth and long-term success of the business; |
▪ | Completed the acquisition of Intelliflo, the No. 1 technology platform(3) for financial advisors in the UK. The addition of Intelliflo builds on the 2016 acquisition of Jemstep to enable an advisor-focused digital platform that enhances the firm’s ability to meet evolving client needs; |
• | Further strengthened our market-leading solutions capability, leveraging one of the industry’s strongest, most experienced solutions teams to enable customized outcomes for clients; |
• | Continued to enhance our culture and provide development opportunities for our talented professionals across the globe; |
• | Invesco Great Wall Fund Management Company ("Invesco Great Wall"), the company's largest joint venture in China, is experiencing strong growth. In June, Invesco Great Wall's Jingyi Money Market Fund was selected as one of seven money market funds to be included in the money market program, Yu'E Bao, administered by Ant Financial, an affiliate of Alibaba; |
▪ | Invesco has launched a fixed income fund for investors to buy into investment opportunities driven by China's 'Belt and Road' (B&R) initiative; |
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▪ | Invesco Great Wall won numerous industry awards during the Asset Management Association of China's inaugural event to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of China's fund industry; |
• | Invesco won the 2018 Multi Asset Manager of the year award, which was given at the LAPF Investment Awards held in London; |
• | Invesco earned an A+ rating in PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment) for its overall approach to responsible investment for second consecutive year; |
• | Invesco was named the best-performing ETF in the U.S. Small Cap Healthcare and Software categories; |
• | In 2018, Invesco was named one of the best places to work in money management by Pensions and Investments. |
Taken together, this work further expanded the broad range of capabilities Invesco uses to create solutions that deliver the outcomes clients are seeking, all wrapped in a robust, value-added client experience. These initiatives also further strengthen the firm’s effectiveness and efficiency, providing greater economies of scale that will enable us to provide a higher level of value to clients and further improve our competitive position.
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(1) Source: OppenheimerFunds
(2) Data as of December 31, 2018
(3) Platform - Adviser Market: Fintech and Digital, January 2018 report
Industry Trends
Trends around the world continue to transform the investment management industry and underscore the need to be well diversified with broad capabilities globally and across asset classes:
• | Clients are demanding more from investment managers. While investment performance remains paramount, competitive pricing, client engagement and value-added services (including portfolio analytics and providing consultative solutions) increasingly differentiate managers. Invesco is working to enhance the client's user experience through digital marketing (web, mobile, social) and improved service. The building out of Invesco Solutions to respond to this trend is among the firm's top priorities. |
• | Investors are continuing to shift to alternative, passive, and smart beta strategies. As a consequence, Invesco and the industry are seeing client demand for core equities and fixed income portfolios decline as a share of global flows. Invesco is the #2 provider of smart beta AUM globally and has 60 ETFs with greater than $500 million in assets.(1) Invesco also has a strong lineup of alternative and multi-asset strategies supported by ongoing product development. |
• | We are seeing increased pressure on pricing within the asset management industry, arising from further concentration within our channel distribution partners (which increases their ability to negotiate pricing) and additional regulatory scrutiny on industry fees. |
• | Distribution partners are becoming more selective and are moving towards developing fewer relationships and partners, reducing the number of investment managers with whom they work. |
• | Regulatory activity remains at increased levels and is influencing competitive dynamics. Increased regulatory scrutiny of managers has focused on many areas including transparency/unbundling of fees, inducements, conflicts of interest, capital, liquidity, solvency, leverage, operational risk management, controls and compensation. Invesco continues to proactively work with regulators around the world. Efforts to further modernize and strengthen our global platform will enhance our ability to compete effectively across markets while complying with the variety of applicable regulatory regimes. |
• | Although the developed markets in the U.S. and Europe are currently the two largest markets for financial assets by a wide margin, other key emerging markets in the world, such as China and India, are positioned for future growth over the long term despite near-term headwinds. As these population-heavy markets mature, we believe investment managers that are truly global will be in the best position to capture this growth. Additionally, population age differences between emerging and developed markets will result in differing investment needs and horizons among countries. Asset allocation and retirement savings schemes also differ substantially among countries. We believe firms such as Invesco, with diversified investment capabilities and product types, are best positioned to meet clients' needs in this global competitive landscape. Invesco has a meaningful market presence in many of the world's most attractive regions, including North America, EMEA and Asia-Pacific. We believe our strong and growing presence in established and emerging markets provides significant long-term growth potential for our business. |
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• | Technology advances are impacting core elements of the investment management industry which lags other industries in its use of technology. Clients increasingly seek to interact digitally with their investment portfolios. This is leading to established managers investing in and/or acquiring "robo" platforms. As the investment management business becomes more complex, automation will become increasingly important to serve clients effectively and efficiently. Invesco is leveraging technology across its business and exploring opportunities to work with third-party technology firms to enhance our clients' investment experience. This includes the addition of Jemstep, our advisor-powered digital advice capability, to offer digital advice as a means for strengthening existing client relationships by offering a comprehensive wealth management service. The addition of Intelliflo to our existing Jemstep capability strengthens our ability to enable an advisor-focused digital platform and positions us ahead of evolving client needs. |
As a result of the trends discussed above, clients are seeking to work with a smaller number of asset managers who can meet a comprehensive set of needs. They want money managers who can provide a robust set of capabilities and create investment solutions that deliver key outcomes aligned to their investment objectives. They also want greater value for their money, which means competitive pricing, investor education, thought leadership, digital platforms and other value added services that create an enhanced client experience. These dynamics are driving fundamental changes within our industry and that we believe will drive increasing consolidation. We believe the steps we have taken over the past decade and throughout 2018 strengthened our ability to meet client needs and will help ensure Invesco is well-positioned to compete and win within our industry.
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(1) Invesco and Morningstar data as of December 31, 2018
Other External Factors Impacting Invesco
Invesco has a larger global presence in key markets than most of our peers. As one of the leading investment managers in the UK and Europe, we were more impacted by continuing uncertainties surrounding Brexit. Additionally, our strong position in Asia Pacific meant that Invesco was more affected than others by market uncertainties over the trade issues between China and the U.S.
In 2016, the UK electorate voted to leave the European Union. Withdrawal is schedule to occur on March 29, 2019. At this time, the terms of the withdrawal and the UK's future relationship with the EU are not agreed. If the withdrawal treaty is agreed in time, Invesco would be able to operate on a business-as-usual basis during a transitional period while the full details of the UK's future relationship with the EU become defined; however, if the UK leaves the EU on Mach 29, 2019 without a withdrawal agreement in place, there would be considerable uncertainty, including uncertainty about continuing trade between the UK and the EU. On January 30, 2019, EU27 national regulators reached agreement with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority to ensure the continued practice of “delegation” in the event of a Brexit without a withdrawal agreement in place. Delegation allows funds to continue to be managed in the UK while being domiciled in another EU country. This agreement will prevent disruption for fund groups and help in Brexit contingency planning, which will help maintain market stability in the EU and ensure investor protection. There may be some disruption for non-fund accounts.
The UK economy has been in a period of uncertainty with volatility expected in financial markets until the terms of withdrawal are agreed upon. We believe uncertainty in the markets was a factor in the decline in AUM within our UK operations, where AUM from clients domiciled in the UK were $85.1 billion at December 31, 2018 (December 31, 2017: $110.9 billion). At December 31, 2018 approximately 6% of our AUM are UK entities providing investment services to EU-based fund management subsidiaries and EU-based clients. Most of this activity is anticipated to be able to continue even if a formal UK exit agreement is not reached.
Invesco is a global business, and has been committed for many years to meeting clients’ needs across Europe in both EU and non-EU countries. Invesco has local teams of experts focused on servicing local clients and fund ranges in different countries to meet a variety of local, country and regional client needs. We currently have a presence in 11 member states across the EU (excluding the UK), employing over 370 staff; our staff will be able to continue to reside and work across the relevant regions. The change in the UK's status from an EU to a non-EU country will not change Invesco’s focus or commitment to serve its clients across Europe. We have plans in place which will enable us to respond to a variety of different potential scenarios and we believe we are fully prepared to continue to operate and deliver for our clients with minimal disruption.
Investment Management Capabilities
We believe that the proven strength of our distinct and globally located investment teams and their well-defined investment disciplines and risk management approach provide us with a robust competitive advantage. There are few independent
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investment managers with teams as globally diverse as Invesco's and with the same breadth and depth of investment capabilities and vehicles. We offer multiple investment objectives within the various asset classes and products that we manage. Our asset classes, broadly defined, include money market, balanced, equity, fixed income and alternatives.
The following sets forth our managed investment objectives by asset class:
Money Market | Balanced | Equity | Fixed Income | Alternatives |
●Cash Plus | ●Balanced Risk | ●Emerging Markets | ●Convertibles | ●Absolute Return |
●Government/Treasury | ●Global/Regional | ●International/Global | ●Core/Core Plus | ●Commodities |
●Prime | ● Single Country | ●Large Cap Core | ●Emerging Markets | ●Currencies |
●Taxable | ●Target Date | ●Large Cap Growth | ●Enhanced Cash | ●Financial Structures |
●Tax-Free | ●Target Risk | ●Large Cap Value | ●Government Bonds | ●Global Macro |
●Custom Solutions | ●Traditional Balanced | ●Low Volatility/Defensive | ●High-Yield Bonds | ●Long/Short Equity |
●Custom Solutions | ●Mid Cap Core | ●International/Global | ●Managed Futures | |
●Mid Cap Growth | ●Investment Grade Credit | ●Multi-Alternatives | ||
●Mid Cap Value | ●Multi-Sector | ●Private Capital | ||
●Passive/Enhanced | ●Municipal Bonds | ●Private Real Estate | ||
●Regional/Single Country | ●Passive/Enhanced | ●Public Real Estate Securities | ||
●Sector Funds | ●Short Duration | ●Senior Secured Loans | ||
●Small Cap Core | ●Stable Value | ●Stressed/Distressed Debt | ||
●Small Cap Growth | ●Structured Securities | ●Custom Solutions | ||
●Small Cap Value | ●Environmental, Social and Governance | |||
●Environmental, Social and Governance | ●Smart Beta/Factor-based | |||
●Smart Beta/Factor-based | ●Custom Solutions | |||
●Custom Solutions | ||||
Distribution Channels
Retail AUM originates from clients investing into funds available to the public in the form of shares or units. Institutional AUM originates from entities such as individual corporate clients, insurance companies, endowments, foundations, government authorities, universities or charities. AUM disclosure by distribution channel represents consolidated AUM distributed by type of sales team (the company's internal distribution channels). AUM amounts disclosed as retail channel AUM represents AUM distributed by the company's retail sales team; whereas AUM amounts disclosed as institutional channel AUM represents AUM distributed by the company's institutional sales team.
The company operates as an integrated global investment manager, presenting itself as a single firm to clients around the world. This is supported with the cross-selling of investment capabilities globally and integrated internal sales forces. As a result, the company's retail and institutional sales forces are able to sell products that cross over traditional delineations of retail or institutional vehicle types. Therefore, not all products sold in the disclosed retail distribution channel are "retail" products, and not all products sold in the disclosed institutional channel are "institutional" products. This aggregation, however, is viewed as a proxy for presenting AUM in the retail and institutional markets in which we operate.
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The following lists our primary investment vehicles by distribution channel:
Retail | Institutional | ||
● Closed-end Mutual Funds | ● Collective Trust Funds | ||
● Exchange-traded Funds (ETF) | ● Exchange-traded Funds (ETF) | ||
● Individual Savings Accounts (ISA) | ● Institutional Separate Accounts | ||
● Investment Companies with Variable Capital (ICVC) | ● Open-end Mutual Funds | ||
● Investment Trusts | ● Private Capital Funds | ||
● Open-end Mutual Funds | |||
● Separately Managed Accounts (SMA) | |||
● Société d'investissement à Capital Variable (SICAV) | |||
● Unit Investment Trusts (UIT) | |||
● Variable Insurance Funds | |||
Retail
Retail AUM were $566.7 billion at December 31, 2018. We offer retail products within all of the major asset classes. Our retail products are primarily distributed through third-party financial intermediaries, including major wire houses, fund supermarkets, regional broker-dealers, insurance companies, banks and financial planners in North America, and independent brokers and financial advisors, banks and supermarket platforms in Europe and Asia.
The U.K., North American and Continental European retail operations rank among the largest by AUM in their respective markets. As of December 31, 2018, Invesco holds a leading position amongst retail fund providers in the U.K.; Invesco's U.S. retail business, including our ETF franchise, is the 10th largest fund complex in the U.S. by long-term assets and Invesco in Continental Europe was among the largest non-proprietary investment managers in the retail channel. Invesco Great Wall was one of the largest Sino-foreign managers of equity products in China, with total AUM of approximately $26.9 billion as of December 31, 2018. We provide our retail clients with one of the industry's most robust and comprehensive product lines.
Institutional
Institutional AUM were $321.5 billion in AUM as of December 31, 2018. We offer a broad suite of domestic and global strategies, including traditional and quantitative equities, fixed income (including money market funds for institutional clients), real estate, private equity, financial structures and absolute return strategies. Regional sales forces distribute our products and provide services to clients and intermediaries around the world. We have a diversified client base that includes major public entities, corporations, unions, non-profit organizations, endowments, foundations, pension funds, financial institutions and sovereign wealth funds. Invesco's institutional money market funds serve some of the largest financial institutions, government entities and corporations in the world.
AUM Diversification
One of Invesco's greatest competitive strengths is the diversification in its AUM by client domicile, distribution channel and asset class. Our distribution network has attracted assets of 64% retail and 36% institutional as of December 31, 2018. By client domicile, 36% of client AUM are outside the U.S., and we serve clients in more than 120 countries. The following tables present a breakdown of AUM by client domicile, distribution channel and asset class as of December 31, 2018. Additionally, the fourth table below illustrates the split of our AUM as Passive and Active. Passive AUM include index-based ETFs, unit investment trusts (UITs), non-management fee earning AUM, foreign exchange overlays and other passive mandates. Active AUM is total AUM less Passive AUM.
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By Client Domicile |  | |||||
($ in billions) | Total | 1-Yr Change | ||||
c U.S. | 566.3 | (3.3 | )% | |||
c Canada | 21.7 | (19.0 | )% | |||
c U.K. | 85.1 | (23.3 | )% | |||
c Continental Europe | 112.5 | (11.5 | )% | |||
c Asia | 102.6 | 17.4 | % | |||
Total | 888.2 | |||||
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By Distribution Channel | ||||||
($ in billions) | Total | 1-Yr Change | ||||
c Retail | 566.7 | (11.0 | )% | |||
c Institutional | 321.5 | 7.0 | % | |||
Total | 888.2 | |||||
By Asset Class |  | |||||
($ in billions) | Total | 1-Yr Change | ||||
c Equity | 385.2 | (10.7 | )% | |||
c Fixed Income | 225.1 | (0.3 | )% | |||
c Balanced | 50.4 | (12.7 | )% | |||
c Money Market | 91.0 | 15.6 | % | |||
c Alternatives | 136.5 | (5.3 | )% | |||
Total | 888.2 | |||||
Active vs. Passive |  | |||||
($ in billions) | Total | 1-Yr Change | ||||
c Active | 667.2 | (9.7 | )% | |||
c Passive | 221.0 | 11.1 | % | |||
Total | 888.2 | |||||
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Employees
As of December 31, 2018, the company had 7,459 employees across the globe. Increases in 2018 relate primarily to the acquisition of Intelliflo, inclusion of 100% of Invesco Great Wall and growth in Jemstep. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, we had 7,030 and 6,790 employees, respectively. None of our employees is covered under collective bargaining agreements.
Competition
The investment management business is highly competitive, with points of differentiation including investment performance, the level of fees, the range of products offered, brand recognition, business reputation, financial strength, the depth and continuity of relationships and quality of service. We compete with a large number of investment management firms, commercial banks, investment banks, broker dealers, hedge funds, insurance companies and other financial institutions. We believe that the quality and diversity of our investment capabilities, product types and channels of distribution enable us to compete effectively in the investment management business. We also believe being an independent investment manager is a competitive advantage, as our business model avoids conflicts that are inherent within institutions that both manage and distribute and/or service those products. Lastly, we believe continued execution against our strategic objectives will further strengthen our long-term competitive position.
Management Contracts
We derive substantially all of our revenues from investment management contracts with funds and other clients. Fees vary with the type of assets being managed, with higher fees earned on actively managed equity and balanced accounts, along with real estate and other alternative asset products, and lower fees earned on fixed income, money market and stable value accounts, as well as certain ETFs. Investment management contracts are generally terminable upon thirty or fewer days' notice. Typically, retail investors may withdraw their funds at any time without prior notice. Institutional clients may elect to terminate their relationship with us or reduce the aggregate amount of assets under management with very short notice periods.
Risk Management
Invesco is committed to continually strengthening and refining our risk management approach. We believe a key factor in Invesco's ability to manage through all market cycles is our integrated approach to risk management. Invesco’s enterprise risk management approach is embedded its management decision-making processes across the organization and provides a consistent and meaningful risk dialogue up, down and across the company. Broadly, our approach includes two governance structures - one for investments and another for business and operational risks with coordination between the two.
• | Investment risk oversight is supported by the Global Performance Measurement and Risk group, which provides senior management and the Board with insight into core investment risks. |
• | Business and operational risk oversight is supported by the Corporate Risk Management Committee which facilitates a focus on strategic, operational and other key business risks both existing and emerging, as well as appropriate ongoing management and Board oversight. |
Further, a network of functional, geographic and specific risk management committees under the guidance and standards of the Corporate Risk Management Committee maintain ongoing risk assessment, management and monitoring processes that provide a bottom-up perspective on the specific risk areas existing in various domains of our business.
Available Information
The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers with the SEC, at www.sec.gov. We make available free of charge on our website, www.invesco.com, our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
Volatility and disruption in world capital and credit markets, as well as adverse changes in the global economy, can negatively affect Invesco's revenues, operations, financial condition and liquidity.
In recent years, capital and credit markets have experienced substantial volatility. In this regard:
• | In the event of extreme circumstances, including economic, political, or business crises, such as a widespread systemic failure or disruptions in the global financial system or failures of firms that have significant obligations as counterparties on financial instruments, we may suffer significant declines in AUM and severe liquidity or valuation problems in managed investment products in which client and company assets are invested, all of which would adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, liquidity, credit ratings, ability to access capital markets, and ability to retain and attract key employees. Additionally, these factors could impact our ability to realize the carrying value of our goodwill and other intangible assets. |
• | Illiquidity and/or volatility of the global fixed income and/or equity markets could negatively affect our ability to manage client inflows and outflows or to timely meet client redemption requests. |
• | Uncertainties regarding geopolitical developments can produce volatility in global financial markets. As an example, the U.K. electorate voted in June 2016 to exit the European Union (Brexit), which resulted in market volatility. Although negotiations between the UK and EU regarding Brexit began in June 2017, it is still uncertain what terms may be agreed to in the final outcome and for any transitional period and what impact those terms may have on global markets. This may impact the levels and composition of our AUM and also negatively impact investor sentiment, which could result in reduced or negative flows. In addition, because the U.K. Pound Sterling is the functional currency for certain of our subsidiaries, any weakening of the U.K. Pound Sterling relative to the U.S. Dollar could negatively impact our reported financial results. |
• | Changes to United States tax, tariff and import/export regulations may have a negative effect on global economic conditions, financial markets and our business. Currently, there is significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States and other countries, including China, with respect to trade policies, treaties, taxes, government regulations and tariffs. It is unclear what changes may be considered or implemented and what the response will be to any such changes by other governments of such affected countries. These developments, or the perception that any of them could occur, may have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets, and may significantly reduce global trade and, in particular, trade between these nations and the United States. Given our strong position in Asia Pacific, we could be more adversely affected than others by such market uncertainties. |
• | In the U.S., regulations requiring a variable (“floating”) net asset value (NAV) for institutional prime and tax-free money market funds became effective in October 2016. Those same regulations also provide for the potential imposition of the assessment of fees in connection with redemptions and/or gates that postpone the time in which redemptions must be processed in the event those funds’ weekly liquid assets fall below certain specified thresholds. Our government money market funds and retail prime and tax-free money market funds continue to offer a stable NAV of $1.00 per share and are not required to impose fees and gates; however, we do not guarantee such NAV level. Market conditions could lead to severe liquidity issues in money market products, which could lead to the imposition of fees or gates with respect to institutional prime and tax-free money market funds and an effect on the NAVs of government and retail prime and tax-free money market funds. If our institutional prime or tax-free money market funds were to impose redemption fees or gates delaying the payment of redemption proceeds, or the NAV of one of our government or retail prime or tax-free money market funds were to decline below $1.00 per share, such funds could experience significant redemptions in AUM, loss of shareholder confidence and reputational harm. |
Our revenues and profitability would be adversely affected by any reduction in AUM as a result of either a decline in market value of such assets or net outflows, which would reduce the investment management fees we earn.
We derive substantially all of our revenues from investment management contracts with clients. Under these contracts, the investment management fees paid to us are typically based on the market value of AUM. AUM may decline for various reasons. For any period in which revenues decline, our income and operating margin likely would decline by a greater proportion because a majority of our expenses remain fixed. Factors that could decrease AUM (and therefore revenues) include the following:
Declines in the market value of AUM in client portfolios. These could be caused by price declines in the securities markets generally or by price declines in the market segments in which our AUM are concentrated. Approximately 43% of our total AUM were invested in the equity asset class and approximately 57% were invested in the fixed income asset
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class and other asset classes at December 31, 2018. Our AUM as of January 31, 2019 were $930.6 billion. We cannot predict whether volatility in the markets will result in substantial or sustained declines in the securities markets generally or result in price declines in market segments in which our AUM are concentrated. Any of the foregoing could negatively impact our revenues, income and operating margin.
Redemptions and other withdrawals from, or shifting among, client portfolios. These could be caused by investors (in response to adverse market conditions or pursuit of other investment opportunities) reducing their investments in client portfolios in general or in the market segments in which Invesco focuses; investors taking profits from their investments; poor investment performance (relative or absolute) of the client portfolios managed by Invesco; and portfolio risk characteristics, which could cause investors to move assets to other investment managers. Poor performance relative to other investment management firms tends to result in decreased sales and increased redemptions with corresponding decreases in our revenues. Failure of our client portfolios to perform well could, therefore, have a material adverse effect on us. Furthermore, the fees we earn vary with the types of assets being managed, with higher fees earned on actively managed equity and balanced accounts, along with real estate and other alternative asset products, and lower fees earned on fixed income, stable return accounts, and certain ETFs. Our revenues may decline if clients continue to shift their investments to lower fee accounts. In addition, the loss of key personnel or significant investment management professionals could reduce the attractiveness of our products to current and potential clients and adversely affect our revenues and profitability.
Investments in international markets. Investment products that we manage may have significant investments in international markets that are subject to significant risks of loss from political, economic, diplomatic developments, currency fluctuations, social instability, changes in governmental policies, expropriation, nationalization and asset confiscation. International trading markets, particularly emerging markets, are often smaller, less liquid, less regulated and significantly more volatile than those in the developed world.
Competitive pressures may force us to reduce the fees we charge to clients, increase commissions paid to our financial intermediaries or provide more support to those intermediaries or could limit or reduce sales of our products, all of which could reduce our profitability.
The investment management business is highly competitive, and we compete based on a variety of factors, including investment performance, the range of products offered, brand recognition, business reputation, financial strength, stability and continuity of client and financial intermediary relationships, quality of service, level of fees charged for services and the level of compensation paid and distribution support offered to financial intermediaries. We continue to face market pressures regarding fee levels in many products. Investors remain attracted to lower fee passive products, which have gained and may continue to gain share at the expense of active products.
We face strong competition in every market in which we operate. Our competitors include a large number of investment management firms, commercial banks, investment banks, broker-dealers, hedge funds, insurance companies and other financial institutions. Some of these institutions have greater capital and other resources, and offer more comprehensive lines of products and services, than we do. Our competitors seek to expand their market share in many of the products and services we offer. If these competitors are successful, our revenues and profitability could be adversely affected. In addition, there are relatively few barriers to entry by new investment management firms, and the successful efforts of new entrants around the world have also resulted in increased competition.
In recent years there have been several instances of industry consolidation, both in the area of distributors and manufacturers of investment products. Further consolidation may occur in these areas in the future. The increasing size and market influence of certain distributors of our products and of certain direct competitors may have a negative impact on our ability to compete at the same levels of profitability in the future.
We may not adjust our expenses quickly enough to match significant deterioration in global financial markets.
If we are unable to effect appropriate expense reductions in a timely manner in response to declines in our revenues, or if we are otherwise unable to adapt to rapid changes in the global marketplace, our profitability, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.
Our revenues and profitability from money market and other fixed income assets may be harmed by interest rate, liquidity and credit volatility.
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Certain institutional investors using money market products and other short-term duration fixed income products for cash management purposes may shift these investments to direct investments in comparable instruments in order to realize higher yields than those available in money market and other fund products holding lower yielding instruments. These redemptions would reduce managed assets, thereby reducing our revenues. In addition, rising interest rates will tend to reduce the market value of fixed income investments and fixed income derivatives held in various investment portfolios and other products. Thus, increases in interest rates could have an adverse effect on our revenues from certain fixed income products. If securities within a money market portfolio default or investor redemptions force the portfolio to realize losses, there could be negative pressure on its NAV. Although money market investments are not guaranteed instruments, the company might decide, under such a scenario, that it is in its best interest to provide support in the form of a support agreement, capital infusion, or other methods to help stabilize a declining NAV. Some of these methods could have an adverse impact on our profitability. Additionally, we have investments in fixed income assets, including collateralized loan obligations and seed money in fixed income funds, the valuation of which could change with changes in interest and default rates.
The manner in which interest rates are calculated could also impact our client portfolios. For example, LIBOR, as well as other interest rate, equity, foreign exchange rate and other types of indices which are deemed to be "benchmarks," are the subject of ongoing international, national and other regulatory guidance and proposals for reform. Some of these reforms are already effective while others are still to be implemented. These reforms may cause LIBOR to perform differently than in the past, or to disappear entirely, or have other consequences which cannot be fully anticipated. Changes in the method pursuant to which LIBOR is determined or the discontinuance of LIBOR may adversely affect the amount of interest payable or interest receivable on certain portfolio investments. These changes may also impact the market liquidity and market value of these portfolio investments.
We may engage in strategic transactions that could create risks.
We regularly review, and from time-to-time have discussions with and engage in, potential strategic transactions, including potential acquisitions, dispositions, consolidations, joint ventures or similar transactions, some of which may be material. There can be no assurance that we will find suitable candidates for strategic transactions at acceptable prices, have sufficient capital resources to pursue such transactions, be successful in negotiating the required agreements, or successfully close transactions after signing such agreements.
Acquisitions also pose the risk that any business we acquire may lose customers or employees or could underperform relative to expectations. We could also experience financial or other setbacks if pending transactions encounter unanticipated problems, including problems related to closing or integration. Following the completion of an acquisition, we may have to rely on the seller to provide administrative and other support, including financial reporting and internal controls, to the acquired business for a period of time. There can be no assurance that such sellers will do so in a manner that is acceptable to us.
Combining OppenheimerFunds may be more difficult, costly or time consuming than expected and the anticipated benefits of the acquisition may not be realized.
In October 2018, Invesco entered into a definitive agreement to acquire OppenheimerFunds from MassMutual. Invesco and OppenheimerFunds have operated and, until the completion of the acquisition, will continue to operate, independently. It is possible that the integration process could result in the loss of key employees, the disruption of either company’s ongoing businesses, or inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies that adversely affect the combined company’s ability to maintain relationships with clients, distributors, employees and others, or to achieve the anticipated benefits of the acquisition. If we experience difficulties with the integration process and attendant systems conversions, including due to the failure of critical third-party service providers, we may adversely impact client or distribution relationships. This could result in the loss of assets under management, or prevent or delay our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of the acquisition. Integration efforts between the two companies will also divert significant management attention and resources. These integration matters could have an adverse effect on either company during this transition period and on the combined company for an undetermined period after completion of the acquisition.
Invesco and OppenheimerFunds will be subject to business uncertainties and contractual restrictions while the acquisition is pending.
Uncertainty about the effect of the acquisition on employees and clients may have an adverse effect on Invesco and OppenheimerFunds. These uncertainties may impair the ability of both of us to attract, retain, and motivate key personnel
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until the acquisition is completed, and could cause clients and others that deal with Invesco or OppenheimerFunds to seek to change existing business relationships.
The OppenheimerFunds business may lose clients as a result of the acquisition.
Under the Investment Company Act of 1940, each of the investment advisory agreements for OppenheimerFunds-advised U.S. mutual funds that are registered as “investment companies” under the Investment Company Act will automatically terminate as a result of the acquisition, and the investment advisory agreements of other OppenheimerFunds clients may also terminate if the parties fail to obtain the approval of such other clients for the continuation of such agreements following the acquisition. Under the merger agreement, the parties agreed to seek the consent of other clients to the continuation of their advisory agreements following the acquisition. It is a condition to completing the acquisition that the parties obtain other client approvals reflecting, as of shortly prior to closing, annualized revenues of at least 75% of the amounts calculated before the signing of the merger agreement (with all revenue calculations adjusted to eliminate the impact of market and currency movements), and the purchase price is subject to adjustment if the shortfall exceeds a certain threshold. No assurance can be given that we will be able to obtain the necessary approvals and consents, and the decrease in revenue that could result from a failure to obtain such approvals, even if the closing condition is satisfied and the purchase price impact taken into account, could have an adverse effect on our business and the anticipated benefits of the acquisition.
The merger agreement may be terminated in accordance with its terms and the acquisition may not be completed.
The merger agreement is subject to a number of conditions which must be fulfilled in order to complete the acquisition. Those conditions include, among others (1) certain regulatory approvals, (2) absence of injunctions prohibiting the completion of the acquisition, (3) approval from the New York Stock Exchange for the listing of our common shares to be issued as part of the acquisition consideration, (4) adoption by us of a certificate of designation for the preferred shares to be issued as part of the acquisition consideration, (5) subject to certain materiality thresholds, the accuracy of the representations and warranties made by the other party, (6) material compliance by such other party with its respective obligations under the merger agreement and (7) the revenue run-rate as of shortly prior to the closing of the acquisition being at least equal to 75% of the revenue run-rate as of shortly prior to the signing of the merger agreement. Additionally, MassMutual’s obligation to complete the transaction is subject to the receipt of a favorable opinion from its counsel regarding certain tax matters. These conditions to the closing of the acquisition may not be fulfilled in a timely manner or at all, and, accordingly, the acquisition may not be completed. In addition, the parties can mutually decide to terminate the merger agreement at any time, and each of us may elect to terminate the merger agreement in certain other circumstances.
We will incur transaction and integration costs in connection with the acquisition of OppenheimerFunds.
We expect to incur significant, non-recurring costs in connection with the acquisition of OppenheimerFunds. In addition, we will incur integration costs following the completion of the acquisition as we integrate the OppenheimerFunds business and systems with our own businesses and systems. There can be no assurances that the expected benefits and efficiencies related to the integration of the business will be realized to offset these transaction and integration costs over time. See the risk factor entitled “Combining OppenheimerFunds may be more difficult, costly or time consuming than expected and the anticipated benefits and cost savings of the acquisition may not be realized” above. We will also incur significant legal, accounting, and other advisor fees, including in connection with our efforts to seek the approval of the OppenheimerFunds clients to the transaction. Some of these costs are payable regardless of whether the acquisition is completed.
In connection with the acquisition of OppenheimerFunds, we will issue perpetual preferred stock having a value of approximately $4 billion, which could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital and may limit our ability to fund other priorities.
In connection with the acquisition, Invesco will issue approximately $4 billion of 5.9% fixed rate perpetual preferred stock to the current shareholders of OppenheimerFunds. This issuance may limit our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements, acquisitions and general corporate or other purposes; may restrict our ability to pay dividends to holders of common shares in certain circumstances; may increase our vulnerability to general economic and industry conditions; and will require a significant portion of cash flow from operations to make distributions.
In connection with the acquisition of OppenheimerFunds, we will issue approximately 81.9 million common shares, which could adversely impact our trading price upon resale of those shares.
We will issue approximately 81.9 million common shares in connection with the acquisition, most of which will be held by MassMutual. The shares held by MassMutual will be subject to an agreement not to sell those shares for a period
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of two years following completion of the acquisition, subject to early termination, as well as to certain limitations on resales. However, MassMutual may in the future sell these shares in the open market or through secondary offerings. If MassMutual were to sell its future equity stake in Invesco, or express an intention to sell the stake, that action could have a significant impact on our common share trading price.
We depend on information technology, and any failures of or damage to, attack on or unauthorized access to our information technology systems or facilities, or those of third parties with which we do business, including as a result of cyber-attacks, could result in significant limits on our ability to conduct our operations and activities, costs and reputational damage.
We are highly dependent upon the use of various proprietary and third-party information and security technology, software applications and other technology systems to operate our business. We are also dependent on the effectiveness of our information and cyber security infrastructure, policies, procedures and capabilities to protect our computer and telecommunications systems and the data that reside on or are transmitted through them. We use our technology to, among other things, manage and trade portfolio investments, support our other operations, obtain securities pricing information, process client transactions, protect the privacy of clients', employees' and business partners' data and provide reports and other customer services to the clients of the funds we manage. Any inaccuracies, delays, systems failures or security breaches in these and other processes could disrupt our business operations, subject us to client, employee or business partner dissatisfaction and losses and/or subject us to reputational harm.
Our computer, communications, data processing, networks, backup, business continuity or other operating, information or technology systems and facilities, including those that we outsource to other providers, may fail to operate properly or become disabled, overloaded or damaged as a result of a number of factors, including events that are wholly or partially beyond our control. Further, third-party service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to us regarding cyber-incidents.
In recent years, several financial services firms suffered cyber-attacks launched both domestically and from abroad, resulting in the disruption of services to clients, loss or misappropriation of confidential data and reputational harm. Cyber-security incidents and cyber-attacks have been occurring globally at a more frequent and severe level. Our status as a global financial institution and the nature of our client base may enhance the risk that we are targeted by such cyber-threats. Although we take protective measures, including measures to effectively secure information through system security technology, and continually monitor and develop our systems to protect our technology infrastructure and data from misappropriation or corruption, our technology systems may still be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses or other events that have a security impact, such as an external hacker attack by one or more cyber criminals or an authorized employee or vendor causing us to release confidential information inadvertently or through malfeasance, or lose temporarily or permanently data or applications or systems, which could materially harm our operations and reputation. The third parties with which we do business or which facilitate our business activities, including financial intermediaries and technology infrastructure and service providers, are also susceptible to the foregoing risks (including regarding the third parties with which they are similarly interconnected or on which they otherwise rely), and our or their business operations and activities may therefore be adversely affected, perhaps materially, by failures, terminations, errors or malfeasance by, or attacks or constraints on, one or more financial, technology or infrastructure institutions or intermediaries with whom we or they are interconnected or conduct business.
Breach of our technology systems could damage our reputation and could result in the unauthorized disclosure or modification or loss of sensitive or confidential information (including client data); unauthorized disclosure modification or loss of proprietary information relating to our business; inability to process client or company transactions and processes; breach and termination of client contracts; liability for stolen assets, information or identity; remediation costs to repair damage caused by the breach, including damage to systems and recovery of lost data; additional security costs to mitigate against future incidents; regulatory actions (including fines and penalties, which could be material) and litigation costs resulting from the incident. Such consequences could result in material financial loss and have a negative effect on our revenues and profitability.
Our investment management professionals and other key employees are a vital part of our ability to attract and retain clients, and the loss of key individuals or a significant portion of those professionals could result in a reduction of our revenues and profitability.
Retaining highly skilled technical and management personnel is important to our ability to attract and retain our clients. The market for investment management professionals is competitive and has become more so in periods of growth of the investment management industry. The market for investment professionals and other key personnel is at times
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characterized by the movement of these professionals among different firms. Our policy has been to provide our investment management professionals and other key personnel with a supportive professional working environment and compensation and benefits (including equity and other forms of deferred compensation) that we believe are competitive with other leading investment management firms. However, we may not be successful in retaining our key personnel, and the loss of significant investment professionals or other key personnel could reduce the attractiveness of our products to potential and current clients and could, therefore, adversely affect our revenues and profitability.
Changes in the distribution channels on which we depend could reduce our net revenues and hinder our growth.
We sell substantially all of our retail investment products through a variety of third party financial intermediaries, including major wire houses, fund supermarkets, regional broker-dealers, insurance companies, banks and financial planners in North America, and independent brokers and financial advisors, banks and supermarket platforms in Europe and Asia. No single one of these intermediaries is material to our business. Increasing competition for these distribution channels could nevertheless cause our distribution costs to rise, which would lower our net revenues. Following the financial crisis, there has been consolidation of banks and broker-dealers, particularly in the U.S., and a limited amount of migration of brokers and financial advisors away from major banks to independent firms focused largely on providing advice. If these changes continue, our distribution costs could increase as a percentage of our revenues generated. Additionally, particularly outside of the U.S., certain of the third party intermediaries upon whom we rely to distribute our investment products also sell their own competing proprietary funds and investment products, which could limit the distribution of our products. Investors, particularly in the institutional market, rely on external consultants and other third parties for advice on the choice of investment manager. These consultants and third parties tend to exert a significant degree of influence over their clients' choices, and they may favor a competitor of Invesco as better meeting their particular clients' needs. There is no assurance that our investment products will be among their recommended choices in the future. Similarly, particularly in the United States, certain distributors have substantially reduced the number of investment funds they make available to their customers. If a material portion of our distributors were to substantially narrow their product offerings, it could have a significant adverse effect on our revenues and profitability. Any failure to maintain strong business relationships with these distribution sources and the consultant community would impair our ability to sell our products, which in turn could have a negative effect on our revenues and profitability.
We may be unable to develop new products and services and the development of new products and services may expose us to additional costs or operational risk.
Our financial performance depends, in part, on the company's ability to develop, market and manage new investment products and services. The development and introduction of new products and services requires continued innovative efforts on our part and may require significant time and resources as well as ongoing support and investment. Substantial risk and uncertainties are associated with the introduction of new products and services, including the implementation of new and appropriate operational controls and procedures, shifting client and market preferences, the introduction of competing products or services and compliance with regulatory requirements. New products often must be in the market place for three or more years in order to generate track records required to attract significant AUM inflows. A failure to continue to innovate to introduce successful new products and services or to manage effectively the risks associated with such products and services may impact our market share relevance and may cause our AUM, revenue and earnings to decline.
Our financial condition and liquidity would be adversely affected by losses on our seed capital and co-investments.
The company has investments in managed investment products that invest in a variety of asset classes, including, but not limited to equities, fixed income products, commodities, derivatives, and similar financial instruments, private equity and real estate. Investments in these products are generally made to establish a track record, meet purchase size requirements for trading blocks, or demonstrate economic alignment with other investors in our funds. Adverse market conditions may result in the need to write down the value of these seed capital and co-investments. A reduction in the value of these investments may adversely affect our results of operations or liquidity. As of December 31, 2018, the company had approximately $983.1 million in seed capital and co-investments, including direct investments in consolidated investment products (CIP).
Failure to comply with client contractual requirements and/or investment guidelines could result in damage awards against us and loss of revenues due to client terminations.
Many of the investment management agreements under which we manage assets or provide products or services specify investment guidelines or requirements that we are required to observe in the provision of our services. Laws and
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regulations impose similar requirements for certain client portfolios (such as registered funds). A failure to comply with these guidelines or requirements could result in damage to our reputation or in our clients seeking to recover losses, withdrawing their assets or terminating their contracts. Regulators likewise may commence enforcement actions for violations of such requirements. Any such effects could cause our revenues and profitability to decline. We maintain various compliance procedures and other controls to prevent, detect and correct such errors. When an error is detected, a payment will typically be made into the applicable client account to correct it. Significant errors for which we are responsible could impact our results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
Our investment advisory agreements are subject to termination or non-renewal, and our fund and other investors may withdraw their assets at any time.
Substantially all of our revenues are derived from investment management agreements. Investment management agreements are generally terminable upon 30 or fewer days' notice. Agreements with U.S. registered funds may be terminated with notice, or terminated in the event of an “assignment” (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended), and must be renewed annually by the disinterested members of each fund's Board of Trustees or Directors, as required by law. In addition, the Boards of Trustees or Directors of certain other fund accounts generally may terminate these investment management agreements upon written notice for any reason. Open-end registered fund and unit trust investors may generally withdraw their funds at any time without prior notice. Institutional clients may elect to terminate their relationships with us or reduce the aggregate amount of AUM, generally on short notice. Any termination of or failure to renew a significant number of these agreements, or any other loss of a significant number of our clients or AUM, would adversely affect our revenues and profitability.
If our reputation is harmed, we could suffer losses in our business, revenues and net income.
Our business depends on earning and maintaining the trust and confidence of clients, regulators and other market participants, and our good reputation is critical to our business. Our reputation is vulnerable to many threats that can be difficult or impossible to control, and costly or impossible to remediate. Regulatory inquiries, investigations or findings of wrongdoing, intentional or unintentional misrepresentation of our products and services in advertising materials, public relations information, social media or other external communications, operational failures (including cyber breaches), employee dishonesty or other misconduct and rumors, among other things, can substantially damage our reputation, even if they are baseless or eventually satisfactorily addressed.
Our business also requires us continuously to manage actual and potential conflicts of interest, including situations where our services to a particular client conflict, or are perceived to conflict, with the interests of other clients or those of Invesco. The willingness of clients to enter into transactions in which such a conflict might arise may be affected if we fail - or appear to fail - to deal appropriately with conflicts of interest. In addition, potential or perceived conflicts could give rise to litigation or regulatory enforcement actions.
We have procedures and controls that are designed to address and manage these risks, but this task can be complex and difficult, and if our procedures and controls fail, our reputation could be damaged. Any damage to our reputation could impede our ability to attract and retain clients and key personnel, and lead to a reduction in the amount of our AUM, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
The failure or negative performance of products offered by competitors may have a negative impact on similar Invesco products irrespective of our performance.
Many competitors offer similar products to those offered by us and the failure or negative performance of competitors’ products could lead to a loss of confidence in similar Invesco products, irrespective of the performance of such products. Any loss of confidence in a product type could lead to withdrawals, redemptions and liquidity issues in such products, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
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The soundness of other financial institutions could adversely affect us.
Financial services institutions are interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, counterparty, or other relationships. We, and the client portfolios that we manage, have exposure to many different industries and counterparties, and routinely execute transactions with counterparties in the financial services industry, including brokers and dealers, commercial banks, investment banks, clearing organizations, hedge funds and other institutions. Many of these transactions expose us or such client portfolios to credit risk in the event of default of its counterparty. While we regularly conduct assessments of such risk posed by counterparties, the risk of non-performance by such parties is subject to sudden swings in the financial and credit markets.
Our ability to maintain our credit ratings and to access the capital markets in a timely manner should we seek to do so depends on a number of factors.
Our access to the capital markets depends significantly on our credit ratings. We have received credit ratings of A2/Stable, BBB+/Stable and A-/Positive from Moody's Investor Services ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Service ("S&P"), and Fitch Ratings ("Fitch"), respectively, as of the date hereof. We believe that rating agency concerns include but are not limited to the fact that our revenues are exposed to equity market volatility and the potential impact from regulatory changes to the industry. Additionally, the rating agencies could decide to downgrade the entire investment management industry, based on their perspective of future growth and solvency. Material deterioration of these factors, and others defined by each rating agency, could result in downgrades to our credit ratings, thereby limiting our ability to access additional financing. Management believes that solid investment grade ratings are an important factor in winning and maintaining institutional business and strives to manage the company to maintain such ratings.
Our credit facility borrowing rates are tied to our credit ratings. A reduction in our long-term credit ratings could increase our borrowing costs, could limit our access to the capital markets and may result in outflows thereby reducing AUM and revenues. Volatility in global finance markets may also affect our ability to access the capital markets should we seek to do so. If we are unable to access capital markets in a timely manner, our business could be adversely affected.
Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial position or results of operations.
As of December 31, 2018, we had outstanding total debt of $2,408.8 million, excluding debt of CIP, and total equity attributable to Invesco Ltd. of $8,578.8 million. The amount of indebtedness we carry could limit our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements or other purposes, increase our vulnerability to adverse economic and industry conditions, limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business or industry and place us at a disadvantage in relation to our competitors. Any or all of the above factors could materially adversely affect our financial position or results of operations.
Our credit facility imposes restrictions on our ability to conduct business and, if amounts borrowed under it were subject to accelerated repayment, we might not have sufficient assets or liquidity to repay such amounts in full.
Our credit facility requires us to maintain specified financial ratios, including maximum debt-to-earnings and minimum interest coverage ratios. The credit facility also contains customary affirmative operating covenants and negative covenants that, among other things, restrict certain of our subsidiaries' ability to incur debt and restrict our ability to transfer assets, merge, make loans and other investments and create liens. The breach of any covenant (either due to our actions or due to a significant and prolonged market-driven decline in our operating results) would result in a default under the credit facility. In the event of any such default, lenders that are party to the credit facility could refuse to make further extensions of credit to us and require all amounts borrowed under the credit facility, together with accrued interest and other fees, to be immediately due and payable. If any indebtedness under the credit facility were subject to accelerated repayment and if we had at that time a significant amount of outstanding debt under the credit facility, we might not have sufficient liquid assets to repay such indebtedness in full.
Performance fees may increase revenue and earnings volatility.
A portion of the company’s revenues is derived from performance fees on investment advisory assignments. Performance fees represented $56.9 million, or 1.1%, of total operating revenues for the year ended December 31, 2018. In most cases, performance fees are based on relative or absolute investment returns, although in some cases they are based on achieving specific service standards. Generally, the company is entitled to performance fees only if the returns on the related portfolios exceed agreed-upon periodic or cumulative return targets. If these targets are not exceeded, performance fees for that period will not be earned and, if targets are based on cumulative returns, the company may not
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earn performance fees in future periods. Performance fees will vary from period to period in relation to volatility in investment returns and the timing of revenue recognition, causing our earnings to be more volatile.
Distribution of earnings of our subsidiaries may be subject to limitations, including net capital requirements.
Substantially all of our operations are conducted through our subsidiaries. As a result, our cash flow and our ability to fund operations are dependent upon the earnings of our subsidiaries and the distribution of earnings, intercompany loans or other payments by our subsidiaries to us. Any payments to us by our subsidiaries could be subject to statutory or contractual restrictions and are contingent upon our subsidiaries’ earnings and business considerations. For example, certain of our subsidiaries are required under applicable laws and regulations to maintain appropriate levels of capital. Such requirements may change from time-to-time as additional guidance is released based on a variety of factors, including balance sheet composition, assessment of risk exposures and governance and review from regulators. These and other similar provisions of applicable laws and regulations may have the effect of limiting withdrawals of capital, repayment of intercompany loans and payment of dividends by such entities. All of our regulated EU subsidiaries are subject to consolidated capital requirements under EU Directives, including those arising from the EU's Capital Requirements Directive and the U.K.'s Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process (ICAAP), and capital is maintained within this sub-group to satisfy these regulations. We meet these requirements in part by holding cash and cash equivalents. This retained cash can be used for general business purposes in the European sub-group in the countries where it is located. Due to the capital restrictions, the ability to transfer cash between certain jurisdictions may be limited. In addition, transfers of cash between international jurisdictions may have adverse tax consequences. As of December 31, 2018, the company's minimum regulatory capital requirement was $720.2 million. Complying with our regulatory commitments may result in an increase in the capital requirements applicable to the European sub-group. As a result of corporate restructuring and regulatory requirements, certain of these EU subsidiaries may be required to limit their dividends to the ultimate parent company, Invesco Ltd. Our financial condition or liquidity could be adversely affected if certain of our subsidiaries are unable to distribute funds to us.
We are exposed to a number of risks arising from our international operations.
We operate in a number of jurisdictions outside of the United States. We have offices in numerous countries and sponsor many cross border and local proprietary funds that are domiciled outside the United States and may face difficulties in managing, operating and marketing our international operations. Our international operations expose us to the political and economic consequences of operating in foreign jurisdictions and subject us to expropriation risks, expatriation controls and potential adverse tax consequences.
Since many of our subsidiary operations are located outside of the United States and have functional currencies other than the U.S. Dollar, changes in the exchange rates to the U.S. Dollar affect our reported financial results from one period to the next.
The largest component of our net assets, revenues and expenses, as well as our AUM, is presently denominated in U.S. dollars. However, we have a large number of subsidiaries outside of the United States whose functional currencies are not the U.S. Dollar. As a result, fluctuations in the exchange rates to the U.S. Dollar affect our reported financial results from one period to the next. Consequently, significant strengthening of the U.S. Dollar relative to the U.K. Pound Sterling, Euro, or Canadian Dollar, among other currencies, could have a material negative impact on our reported financial results.
Terrorist activity and the continued threat of terrorism, as well as increased geopolitical unrest could adversely affect the global economy or specific international, regional and domestic markets, which may cause our AUM, revenue and earnings to decline.
Terrorist activity and the continued threat of terrorism and acts of civil or international hostility, both within the United States and abroad, as well as ongoing military and other actions and heightened security measures in response to these types of threats, may cause significant volatility and declines in the global markets, loss of life, property damage, disruptions to commerce and reduced economic activity. Continued geopolitical unrest and terrorist activity that adversely affect the global economy, capital markets or specific international, regional or domestic markets may cause our AUM, revenue and earnings to decline.
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Failure to establish adequate controls and risk management policies, the circumvention of controls and policies or fraud could have an adverse effect on our reputation and financial position.
We have established a comprehensive risk management process and continue to enhance various controls, procedures, policies and systems to monitor and manage risks to our business; however, we cannot be assured that such controls, procedures, policies and systems will successfully identify and manage internal and external risks to our business. We are subject to the risk that our employees, contractors or other third parties may deliberately seek to circumvent established controls to commit fraud (including through cyber breaches) or act in ways that are inconsistent with our controls, policies and procedures. Persistent or repeated attempts involving conflicts of interests, circumvention of policies and controls or fraud could have a materially adverse impact on our reputation and could lead to costly regulatory inquiries.
Our business is vulnerable to deficiencies and failures in support systems and customer service functions that could lead to breaches and errors or reputational harm, resulting in loss of customers or claims against us or our subsidiaries.
In addition to investment management, our services include fund administration, sales, distribution, marketing, shareholder servicing and trust, custody and other fiduciary services. In order to be competitive and comply with our agreements, we must properly perform our fund and portfolio administration and related responsibilities, including portfolio recordkeeping and accounting, security pricing, corporate actions, investment restrictions compliance, daily net asset value computations, account reconciliations and required distributions to fund shareholders. The ability to consistently and reliably obtain accurate securities pricing information, process client portfolio and fund shareholder transactions and provide reports and other customer service to fund shareholders and clients in accounts managed by us is essential to our continuing success. Certain types of securities may experience liquidity constraints that would require increased use of fair value pricing, which is dependent on certain subjective judgments that have the potential to be challenged. Any delays or inaccuracies in obtaining pricing information, processing such transactions or such reports or other breaches and errors and any inadequacies in other customer service, could result in reimbursement obligations or other liabilities, or alienate clients or distributors and potentially give rise to claims against us. Our customer service capability, as well as our ability to obtain prompt and accurate securities pricing information and to process transactions and reports, is highly dependent on communications and information systems and on third-party service providers. Certain of these processes involve a degree of manual input, and thus problems could occur from time-to-time due to human error. Our failure to properly perform and monitor our operations or our otherwise suffering deficiencies and failures in these systems or service functions could result in material financial loss or costs, regulatory actions, breach of client contracts, reputational harm or legal claims and liability, which in turn could have a negative effect on our revenues and profitability.
The failure of one of our third party service providers or other key vendors to fulfill its obligations could have a material adverse effect on our reputation or business, which may cause our AUM, revenue and earnings to decline.
We depend on third party service providers and other key vendors for various fund administration, accounting, custody, risk analytics, market data, market indices and transfer agent roles, and other distribution and operational needs. If our third party service providers or other key vendors fail to fulfill their obligations to us, it could lead to operational and regulatory problems, including with respect to certain of our products, which could result in losses, enforcement actions, or reputational harm and may cause our AUM, revenue and earnings to decline.
The carrying value of goodwill and other intangible assets on our balance sheet could become impaired, which would adversely affect our results of operations.
We have goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets on our balance sheet that are subject to annual impairment reviews. We also have definite-lived intangible assets on our balance sheet that are subject to impairment testing if indicators of impairment are identified. Goodwill and intangible assets totaled $7,157.1 million and $2,176.1 million, respectively, at December 31, 2018. We may not realize the value of such assets. We perform impairment reviews of the book values of these assets on an annual basis or more frequently if impairment indicators are present. A variety of factors could cause such book values to become impaired. Should valuations be deemed to be impaired, a write-down of the related assets would occur, adversely affecting our results of operations for the period. See Item 7, “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Critical Accounting Policies - Goodwill” and “- Intangibles,” for additional details of our impairment analysis process.
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If we are unable to successfully recover from a disaster or other business continuity problem, we could suffer material financial loss, loss of human capital, regulatory actions, reputational harm or legal liability.
If we were to experience a local or regional disaster or other business continuity problem, such as a pandemic or other natural or man-made disaster, our continued success will depend, in part, on the availability of our personnel, our office facilities and the proper functioning of our computer, telecommunication and other related systems and operations. In such an event, we believe our operational size, the multiple locations from which we operate, and our existing back-up systems should mitigate adverse impacts. Nevertheless, we could still experience near-term operational problems with regard to particular areas of our operations. Further, as we strive to achieve cost savings by shifting certain business processes to lower-cost geographic locations such as India, the potential for particular types of natural or man-made disasters, political, economic or infrastructure instabilities, or other country- or region-specific business continuity risks increases. Although we seek to assess regularly and improve our existing business continuity plans, a major disaster, or one that affected certain important operating areas, or our inability to recover successfully should we experience a disaster or other business continuity problem, could materially interrupt our business operations and cause material financial loss, loss of human capital, regulatory actions, reputational harm or legal liability.
We operate in an industry that is highly regulated in many countries, and any enforcement action or adverse changes in the laws or regulations governing our business could decrease our revenues and profitability.
As with all investment management companies, our activities are highly regulated in almost all countries in which we conduct business. Laws and regulations applied at the national, state or provincial and local level generally grant governmental agencies and industry self-regulatory authorities broad administrative discretion over our activities, including the power to limit or restrict our business activities, conduct examinations, risk assessments, investigations and capital adequacy reviews and impose remedial programs to address perceived deficiencies. As a result of regulatory oversight, we could face requirements which negatively impact the way in which we conduct business, increase compliance costs and/or impose additional capital requirements. Our regulators likewise have the authority to commence enforcement actions which could lead to sanctions up to and including the revocation of licenses to operate certain businesses, the suspension or expulsion from a particular jurisdiction or market of any of our business organizations or their key personnel or the imposition of fines and censures on us or our employees. Judgments or findings of wrongdoing by regulatory or governmental authorities, or in private litigation against us, could affect our reputation, increase our costs of doing business and/or negatively impact our revenues. Any of the effects discussed above could have a material negative impact on our results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
A substantial portion of the products and services we offer are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Commodities Future Trading Commission (CFTC), the National Futures Association (NFA) and the Texas Department of Banking in the United States and by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) in the United Kingdom. Subsidiaries operating in the European Union (EU) are subject to various EU Directives, which generally are implemented by member state national legislation and by EU Regulations. Our operations elsewhere in the world are regulated by similar regulatory organizations.
The regulatory environment in which we operate frequently changes and has seen a significant increase in regulation in recent years. Various changes in laws and regulations have been enacted or otherwise implemented in multiple jurisdictions globally in response to the crisis in the financial markets that began in 2007. Various other proposals remain under consideration by legislators, regulators, other government officials and other public policy commentators. Certain enacted provisions and certain other proposals are potentially far reaching and, depending upon their implementation, could have a material impact on our business. While certain of these provisions appear to address perceived problems in the banking sector, some will or may be applied more broadly and affect other financial services companies, including investment managers. While Invesco does not believe that the these post-crisis developments have or will fundamentally change the investment management industry or cause Invesco to reconsider its basic strategy, certain provisions have required, and other provisions will or may require, us to change or impose new limitations on the manner in which we conduct business; they also have increased regulatory burdens and related compliance costs, and will or may continue to do so. More broadly, we may be adversely affected as a result of new or revised legislation or regulations or by changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and regulations. To the extent that existing regulations are interpreted or amended or future regulations are adopted in a manner that reduces the sale, or increases the redemptions, of our products and services, or that negatively affects the investment performance of our products or impacts our product mix, our aggregate AUM and our revenues could be adversely affected. In addition, regulatory changes have imposed and may continue to impose additional costs or capital requirements, which could negatively impact our profitability or return on equity.
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The EU has promulgated or is considering various new or revised directives pertaining to financial services, including investment managers. Such directives are progressing at various stages, and generally have been, are being or will or would be implemented by national legislation in member states. Ongoing changes in the EU’s regulatory framework applicable to our business, including changes related to Brexit and any other changes in the composition of the EU’s member states, may add further complexity to our global risks and operations.
Developments under regulatory changes will or may include, without limitation:
• | New or increased capital requirements and related regulation. |
• | Limitations on holdings of certain commodities under proposed regulations of the CFTC which could result in capacity constraints for our products that employ commodities as part of their investment strategy. |
• | Regulations impacting the standard of care a financial adviser owes to its clients including the SEC’s proposed best interests standard. |
• | Other changes to the distribution of investment funds and other investment products. |
• | In 2015, the FCA undertook a study of the asset management industry and released their final report in June 2017. The report highlighted a number of specific industry issues and proposed a number of remedies that will take place in a number of stages, including: changes to governance, changes to fee structures to provide clients with increased transparency, improved disclosure in client documentation, improved ability for retail clients to change share classes and changes to pension pooling and investment consultant regulations in the institutional segment. |
• | The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II) in the EU, effective in January 2018, seeks to promote a single market for wholesale and retail transactions in financial instruments. MiFID II addresses the conduct of business rules for intermediaries providing investment services and the effective, efficient and safe operation of financial markets. Key elements of MiFID II are the extent to which retrocessions may be paid and the use of trading commissions to fund research. Beginning in January 2018, the company has absorbed external research costs incurred for MiFID II impacting funds and client accounts in Europe. While the foregoing provisions only impact the EU, client-driven competitive pressures may cause an expansion of these principles to other business regions in which we operate, including the United States. |
• | An increased focus on liquidity in funds (including fixed income funds), an example of which is the SEC’s rules with respect to liquidity and liquidity risk management applicable to certain types of registered U.S. funds that took effect in 2018. |
• | Increased requirements to provide regulators and investors more granular detail regarding our products and services, including the SEC’s reporting modernization rule applicable to certain types of registered U.S. funds that took effect in 2018. |
• | Regulations pertaining to the privacy of data with respect to clients, employees and business partners. In particular, effective May 25, 2018, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has strengthened data protection rules for individuals within the EU and the export of data outside of the EU. A failure to comply with GDPR could result in fines up to 20 million Euros or 4% of our annual revenues, whichever is higher. |
• | Increased regulatory scrutiny on operations of private capital funds. |
• | Requirements pertaining to the trading of securities and other financial instruments, such as swaps and other derivatives, including certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act and European Market Infrastructure Regulation; these include significant reporting requirements, designated trading venues, mandated central clearing arrangements, restrictions on proprietary trading by certain financial institutions, other conduct requirements and potentially new taxes or similar fees. |
• | Heightened regulatory examinations and inspections, including enforcement reviews, and a more aggressive posture regarding commencing enforcement proceedings resulting in fines, penalties and additional remedial activities to firms and to individuals. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, regulators in the United States and the United Kingdom have taken and can be expected to continue to take a more aggressive posture on bringing enforcement proceedings. |
• | Enhanced licensing and qualification requirements for key personnel, including the United Kingdom Senior Managers and Certification Regime, which becomes effective in 2019. |
• | Guidelines regarding the structure and components of fund manager compensation and other additional rules and regulations and disclosure requirements. Certain provisions impose additional disclosure burdens on public companies. Certain proposals could impose requirements for more widespread disclosures of compensation to highly-paid individuals. Depending upon the scope of any such requirements, Invesco could be disadvantaged in retaining key employees vis-à-vis private companies, including hedge fund sponsors. |
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• | Strengthening standards regarding various ethical matters, including compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and anti-money-laundering laws and regulations. |
• | Regulations promulgated to address perceptions that the asset management industry, or certain of its entities or activities, pose systematic risks to the financial system. |
• | Regulations promulgated to protect personal data and address risks of fraud, malfeasance or other adverse consequences stemming from cyber attacks. |
• | Other changes impacting the identity or the organizational structure of regulators with supervisory authority over Invesco. |
We cannot at this time predict the full impact of potential legal and regulatory changes or possible enforcement proceedings on our business. Such changes have imposed, and may continue to impose, new compliance costs and/or capital requirements or impact Invesco in other ways that could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition or liquidity. Moreover, certain legal or regulatory changes could require us to modify our strategies, businesses or operations, and we may incur other new constraints or costs, including the investment of significant management time and resources in order to satisfy new regulatory requirements or to compete in a changed business environment. In recent years, certain regulatory developments have also added downward pressures regarding fee levels.
To the extent that existing or future regulations affecting the sale of our products and services or our investment strategies cause or contribute to reduced sales or increased redemptions of our products, impair the investment performance of our products or impact our product mix, our AUM and results of operations might be adversely affected.
Civil litigation and governmental investigations and enforcement actions could adversely affect our AUM and future financial results, and increase our costs of doing business.
Invesco and certain related entities have in recent years been subject to various legal proceedings, including civil litigation and governmental investigations and enforcement actions. These actions can arise from normal business operations and/or matters that have been the subject of previous regulatory reviews. As a global company with investment products registered in numerous countries and subject to the jurisdiction of one or more regulators in each country, at any given time, our business operations may be subject to review, investigation or disciplinary action. For example, in the United States, United Kingdom and other jurisdictions in which the company operates, governmental authorities regularly make inquiries, hold investigations and administer market conduct examinations with respect to the company's compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Lawsuits or regulatory enforcement actions arising out of these inquiries may in the future be filed against the company and related entities and individuals in the United States, United Kingdom and other jurisdictions in which the company and its affiliates operate. See Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Note 18 -- "Commitments and Contingencies,” for additional information. Judgments in civil litigation or findings of wrongdoing by regulatory or governmental authorities against us could affect our reputation, increase our costs of doing business and/or negatively impact our revenues, any of which could have a material negative impact on our results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
Legislative and other measures that may be taken by U.S. and/or other governmental authorities could materially increase our tax burden or otherwise adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
Under current laws, as the company is domiciled and tax resident in Bermuda, taxation in other jurisdictions is dependent upon the types and the extent of the activities of the company undertaken in those jurisdictions. There is a risk that changes in either the types of activities undertaken by the company or changes in tax rules relating to tax residency could subject the company and its shareholders to additional taxation.
The international tax environment continues to change as a result of both coordinated actions by governments and unilateral measures designed by individual countries, both intended to tackle concerns over base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) and perceived international tax avoidance techniques. The recommendations of the BEPS Project led by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (ATAD) from the European Union (EU) are involved in much of the coordinated activity. As with any global implementation process there are concerns about potential lack of consistency in the local application of these items. Some of the recommendations are complex while others contain optional routes, thereby increasing the likelihood of only partial or limited implementation. Although the timing and methods of implementation vary, several jurisdictions have enacted legislation that is aligned with, and in some cases exceeds the scope of, the OECD's recommendations. This could lead to increased uncertainty with tax positions as well as increase the potential for double taxation.
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In 2018, the EU introduced mandatory disclosure rules (DAC6) requiring disclosure to tax authorities of cross-border arrangements entered into by taxpayers that fall within certain, broadly defined hallmarks. There also are separate transitional rules that require separate reporting for any disclosable transactions occurring after the June 25, 2018 effective date. On July 1, 2018, the OECD enacted the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (the Multilateral Instrument or MLI). The MLI implements several BEPS initiatives: Action 2 - hybrid mismatch arrangements; Action 6 - treaty abuse; Action 7 - definition of permanent establishment; and Action 14 - mutual agreement procedures (MAP) as well as arbitration. Additionally, a few EU countries have enacted or proposed a tax on digital services in response to an inability to agree on an EU wide proposal.
We continually assess the impact of various U.S. federal, state and foreign legislative proposals, and modifications to existing tax treaties between the United States and foreign countries, which could result in a material increase in our U.S. federal, state or foreign taxes. We cannot predict the outcome of any specific legislative proposals. However, if such proposals were to be enacted, or if modifications were to be made to certain existing tax treaties, the consequences could have a materially adverse impact on the company, including increasing our tax burden, increasing costs of our tax compliance or otherwise adversely affecting our future results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
On June 21, 2018, in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. (Wayfair), the U.S. Supreme Court overruled prior Court decisions that had precluded states from imposing a sales and use tax collection obligation on sellers unless they had a physical presence in the state. The Wayfair decision is expected to increase state nexus expansion as more states turn to economic nexus threshold laws and away from physical presence nexus tests.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the 2017 Tax Act) enacted on December 22, 2017, significantly reformed the taxation of business entities. The new legislation, among other things, includes changes to U.S. federal tax rates, imposes significant additional limitations on the deductibility of interest, allows for the expensing of capital expenditures, and puts into effect the migration from a “worldwide” system of taxation to a territorial system. The scope and breadth of the changes and the volume of regulations and guidance issued to date and yet to be issued means the ultimate impact of the 2017 Tax Act on our business and financial condition remains to be determined.
On October 21, 2016, the United States Treasury and the IRS published final and temporary regulations under section 385 of the Internal Revenue Code ("385 Regulations") that target the inbound financing of a foreign-parented multinational group's U.S. subsidiaries. There are no immediate impacts to the company's financial position as a result of the application of the 385 Regulations, however, in the future they could limit our ability to efficiently finance or otherwise choose between debt and equity transactions with our U.S. subsidiaries.
Examinations and audits by tax authorities could result in additional tax payments for prior periods.
The company and its subsidiaries are subject to income taxes as well as non-income based taxes, in both the United States and various foreign jurisdictions and are subject to ongoing tax audits in various jurisdictions. The calculation of our tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations in a multitude of jurisdictions across our global operations. Tax authorities may disagree with certain positions we have taken and assess additional taxes (and, in certain cases, interest, fines or penalties). We recognize potential liabilities and record tax liabilities for anticipated tax audit issues based on our estimate of whether, and the extent to which, additional income taxes will be due. We adjust these liabilities in light of changing facts and circumstances. Due to the complexity of some of these uncertainties, however, the ultimate resolution may result in a payment that is materially different from our current estimate of the tax liabilities.
The European Commission continues to investigate certain tax rulings and beneficial regimes provided by Member States to particular taxpayers that it believes may have violated the EU restriction on State aid. The investigation was triggered by the OECD / BEPS action plan as well as the EU's own agenda to tackle aggressive tax planning and tax avoidance. There is considerable uncertainty with the approach being taken, including retroactive application (10 year period), conflicts with OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines and implications to bilateral tax treaties. While the company does not believe it has received State aid and is not a party to any investigation, due to the uncertainty of the process and retroactive nature of the assessments any potential future findings could have a materially adverse impact on the company, including increasing our tax burden, increasing costs of our tax compliance or otherwise adversely affecting our future results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
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Bermuda law differs from the laws in effect in the United States and may afford less protection to shareholders.
Our shareholders may have more difficulty protecting their interests than shareholders of a company incorporated in a jurisdiction of the United States. As a Bermuda company, we are governed by the Companies Act 1981 of Bermuda (Companies Act). The Companies Act differs in some material respects from laws generally applicable to United States corporations and shareholders, including provisions relating to interested directors, mergers, amalgamations and acquisitions, takeovers, shareholder lawsuits and indemnification of directors.
Under Bermuda law, the duties of directors and officers of a company are generally owed to the company only. Shareholders of Bermuda companies do not generally have rights to take action against directors or officers of the company, and may only do so in limited circumstances described in the following paragraph. However, directors and officers may owe duties to a company's creditors in cases of impending insolvency. Directors and officers of a Bermuda company must, in exercising their powers and performing their duties, act honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the company and must exercise the care and skill that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances. Directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position in which their duties to the company and their personal interests may conflict and also are under a duty to disclose any personal interest in any material contract or proposed material contract with the company or any of its subsidiaries. If a director or officer of a Bermuda company is found to have breached such director’s duties to that company, the director may be held personally liable to the company in respect of that breach of duty.
Class actions and derivative actions are generally not available to shareholders under the laws of Bermuda. However, the Bermuda courts ordinarily would be expected to follow English case law precedent, which would permit a shareholder to commence an action in a company's name against the directors and officers to remedy a wrong done to the company where the act complained of is alleged to be beyond the company's corporate power or is illegal or would result in the violation of the company's memorandum of association or Bye-Laws. Furthermore, consideration would be given by the court to acts that are alleged to constitute a fraud against the minority shareholders or where an act requires the approval of a greater percentage of shareholders than actually approved it. Under our Second Amended and Restated Bye-Laws (Bye-Laws), each of our shareholders agrees to waive any claim or right of action, both individually and on our behalf, other than those involving fraud or dishonesty, against the company or any of our officers, directors or employees. The waiver applies to any action taken by a director, officer or employee, or the failure of such person to take any action, in the performance of his or her duties, except with respect to any matter involving any fraud or dishonesty on the part of the director, officer or employee. This waiver limits the right of shareholders to assert claims against our directors, officers and employees unless the act or failure to act involves fraud or dishonesty.
Our Bye-Laws also provide for indemnification of our directors and officers in respect of any loss arising or liability attaching to them in respect of any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust of which a director or officer may be guilty in relation to the company other than in respect of his or her own fraud or dishonesty, which is the maximum extent of indemnification permitted under the Companies Act.
Because we are incorporated in Bermuda, it may be difficult for shareholders to serve process or enforce judgments against us or our directors and officers.
The company is organized under the laws of Bermuda. In addition, certain of our officers and directors reside in countries outside the United States. A substantial portion of the company's assets and the assets of these officers and directors are or may be located outside the United States. Investors may have difficulty effecting service of process within the United States on our directors and officers who reside outside the United States or recovering against the company or these directors and officers on judgments of U.S. courts based on civil liabilities provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws, even though the company has appointed an agent in the United States to receive service of process.
Further, it may not be possible in Bermuda or in countries other than the United States where the company has assets to enforce court judgments obtained in the United States against the company based on the civil liability provisions of U.S. federal or state securities laws. In addition, there is some doubt as to whether the courts of Bermuda and other countries would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against the company or our directors or officers based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal or state securities laws or would hear actions against the company or those persons based on those laws. We have been advised by our legal advisors in Bermuda that the United States and Bermuda do not currently have a treaty providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters. Some remedies available under the laws of the United States or the states therein, including some remedies available under the U.S. federal securities laws, may not be allowed in Bermuda courts because they may be found to be contrary to Bermuda public policy. Therefore, a final judgment for the payment of money rendered by any
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federal or state court in the United States based on civil liability, whether or not based solely on U.S. federal or state securities laws, would not automatically be enforceable in Bermuda. Similarly, those judgments may not be enforceable in other countries other than the United States.
We have anti-takeover provisions in our Bye-Laws that may discourage a change of control.
Our Bye-Laws contain provisions that could make it more difficult for a third-party to acquire us or to obtain majority representation on our Board of Directors without the consent of our Board. As a result, shareholders may be limited in their ability to obtain a premium for their shares under such circumstances.
Specifically, our Bye-Laws contain the following provisions that may impede or delay an unsolicited takeover of the company:
• | we are prohibited from engaging, under certain circumstances, in a business combination (as defined in our Bye-Laws) with any interested shareholder (as defined in our Bye-Laws) for three years following the date that the shareholder became an interested shareholder; |
• | our Board of Directors, without further shareholder action, is permitted by our Bye-Laws to issue preference shares, in one or more series, and determine by resolution any designations, preferences, qualifications, privileges, limitations, restrictions, or special or relative rights of an additional series. The rights of preferred shareholders may supersede the rights of common shareholders; |
• | shareholders may only remove directors for “cause” (defined in our Bye-laws to mean willful misconduct or gross negligence which is materially injurious to the company, fraud or embezzlement, or a conviction of, or a plea of “guilty” or “no contest” to, a felony); |
• | our Board of Directors is authorized to expand its size and fill vacancies; and |
• | shareholders cannot act by written consent unless the consent is unanimous. |
Our independent registered public accounting firm has advised us that it identified an issue related to an independence requirement contained in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 regulations regarding auditor independence.
In May 2016, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) advised the company that it had identified an issue related to its independence under Rule 2-01(c)(1)(ii)(A) of Regulation S-X (Loan Rule) with respect to certain of PwC’s lenders who own certain Invesco registered funds managed by certain of our wholly-owned investment adviser subsidiaries. The company and such funds are required to have their financial statements audited by a public accounting firm that qualifies as independent under various SEC rules.
The Loan Rule prohibits accounting firms, such as PwC, from having certain financial relationships with their audit clients and affiliated entities. Specifically, the Loan Rule provides, in relevant part, that an accounting firm is not independent if it receives a loan from a lender that is a “record or beneficial owner of more than ten percent of the audit client’s equity securities.” For purposes of the Loan Rule, audit clients include all of the registered investment companies advised by affiliates of the company, as well as the company and its other subsidiaries (collectively, the Invesco Funds Complex) for which PwC also serves as independent auditor. PwC informed the company it has relationships with lenders who hold, as record owner, more than ten percent of the shares of certain funds within the Invesco Fund Complex. These relationships call into question PwC’s independence under the Loan Rule with respect to those funds, as well as all other funds in the Invesco Fund Complex and the company and its subsidiaries.
In June 2016, the SEC Staff issued a “no-action” letter to another mutual fund complex (see Fidelity Management & Research Company et al., No-Action Letter) related to the audit independence issue described above. In that letter, the SEC Staff confirmed that it would not recommend enforcement action against an audit client that relied on audit services performed by an audit firm that was not in compliance with the Loan Rule in certain specified circumstances. The circumstances described in the no-action letter are substantially similar to the circumstances that called into question PwC’s independence under the Loan Rule with respect to the Invesco Funds Complex, including the company. The company therefore believes that the Invesco Funds Complex can rely on the letter to continue to issue financial statements that are audited by PwC and we intend to do so. In September 2017, the SEC Staff issued a letter extending the relief in the June 2016 no-action letter referenced above. The extension makes no changes to the circumstances in the original no-action letter and does not include a new expiration date, providing indefinite relief.
If in the future the independence of PwC is called into question under the Loan Rule by circumstances that are not addressed in the SEC Staff’s no-action letter, the company will need to take other action and incur additional costs in order for the company’s filings with the SEC containing financial statements to be deemed compliant with applicable
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securities laws. Such action may include obtaining the review and audit of the financial statements filed by the company by another independent registered public accounting firm. In addition, under such circumstances, the company’s eligibility to issue securities under its existing registration statements on Form S-3 and Forms S-8 may be impacted and certain financial reporting covenants with our lenders may be impacted. There could be other burdensome requirements or impacts on other entities (including registered funds) included in the Invesco Funds Complex. Such consequences could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Insurance May Not Be Available at a Reasonable Cost to Protect Us from Liability.
We face the inherent risk of liability related to claims from clients, third-party vendors or others, actions taken by regulatory agencies and costs and losses associated with cyber incidents. To help protect against these risks, we purchase insurance in amounts, and against potential liabilities, that we consider appropriate, where such insurance is available at prices we deem reasonable. There can be no assurance, however, that a claim or claims will be covered by insurance or, if covered, will not exceed coverage limits, or that an insurer will meet its obligations regarding coverage, or that coverage will continue to be available on a cost effective basis. Insurance costs are impacted by market conditions and the risk profile of the insured, and may increase significantly over relatively short periods. In addition, certain insurance coverage may not be available or may only be available at prohibitive costs. Renewals of insurance policies may expose us to additional costs through higher premiums or the assumption of higher deductibles or co-insurance liability.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None
Item 2. Properties
Our registered office is located in Hamilton, Bermuda, and our corporate headquarters is in leased office space at 1555 Peachtree Street N.E., Suite 1800, Atlanta, Georgia, 30309, U.S.A. Our principal regional centers are maintained in leased facilities, except as noted below, in the following locations:
•North America: 11 Greenway Plaza, Houston, Texas 77046
•EMEA: Perpetual Park, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 1HH, United Kingdom (owned facilities)
•Asia: Champion Tower, No. 3 Garden Road, Hong Kong
We maintain a global enterprise center in Hyderabad, India in leased facilities at DivyaSree Orion in the Ranga Reddy District of Hyderabad, India. We lease office space in 25 countries.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
See Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Note 18 -- "Commitments and Contingencies - Legal Proceedings," for information regarding legal proceedings.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Invesco Ltd. is organized under the laws of Bermuda, and our common shares are listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “IVZ.” At January 31, 2019, there were approximately 5,226 holders of record of our common shares.
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The following graph illustrates the cumulative total shareholder return of our common shares over the five-year period beginning from the market close on the last trading day of 2013 through and including the last trading day in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, and compares it to the cumulative total return of the Standard and Poor's (S&P) 500 Index and to a group of peer investment management companies. This table is not intended to forecast future performance of our common shares.
Cumulative Shareholder Returns
Note: | Asset Manager Index includes Affiliated Managers Group, AllianceBernstein, Ameriprise Financial, Bank of New York Mellon, BlackRock, Charles Schwab, Eaton Vance, Federated Investors, Franklin Resources, Invesco Ltd., Lazard, Legg Mason, Northern Trust, Principal Financial, State Street, TD Ameritrade, and T. Rowe Price. |
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
The equity compensation plan information required in Item 201(d) of Regulation S-K is set forth in the definitive Proxy Statement for the company's annual meeting of shareholders, which will be filed with the SEC no later than 120 days after the close of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, and is incorporated by reference in this Report.
Repurchases of Equity Securities
The following table shows share repurchase activity during the three months ended December 31, 2018:
Month | Total Number of Shares Purchased(1) | Average Price Paid Per Share | Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs(2) | Approximate Dollar Value of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs(2) (millions) | |||||||||
October 1 - 31, 2018 | 12,580 | $ | 20.99 | — | $ | 1,643.0 | |||||||
November 1 - 30, 2018 | 13,504 | $ | 20.44 | — | $ | 1,643.0 | |||||||
December 1 - 31, 2018 | 14,470,223 | $ | 20.83 | 14,385,360 | $ | 1,343.0 | |||||||
14,496,307 | 14,385,360 | ||||||||||||
____________
(1) | An aggregate of 110,947 shares were surrendered to us by Invesco employees to satisfy tax withholding obligations in connection with the vesting of equity awards during the three months ended December 31, 2018. |
(2) | At December 31, 2018, a balance of $1,343.0 million remains available under the share repurchase authorizations approved by the Board on October 11, 2013 and July 22, 2016. |
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Item 6. Selected Financial Data
The following tables present selected consolidated financial information for the company as of and for each of the five fiscal years in the period ended December 31, 2018. Except as otherwise noted below, the consolidated financial information has been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
As of and For The Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
$ in millions, except per share and other data | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |||||||||
Operating Data: | ||||||||||||||
Operating revenues | 5,314.1 | 5,160.3 | 4,734.4 | 5,122.9 | 5,147.1 | |||||||||
Net revenues (1) | 3,818.1 | 3,754.9 | 3,393.2 | 3,643.2 | 3,608.3 | |||||||||
Operating income | 1,204.9 | 1,279.1 | 1,152.4 | 1,344.7 | 1,270.1 | |||||||||
Adjusted operating income (2) | 1,391.7 | 1,482.2 | 1,297.4 | 1,480.0 | 1,488.2 | |||||||||
Operating margin | 22.7 | % | 24.8 | % | 24.3 | % | 26.2 | % | 24.7 | % | ||||
Adjusted operating margin (2) | 36.5 | % | 39.5 | % | 38.2 | % | 40.6 | % | 41.2 | % | ||||
Net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. | 882.8 | 1,127.3 | 854.2 | 968.1 | 988.1 | |||||||||
Adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. (3) | 1,002.7 | 1,105.9 | 924.1 | 1,048.7 | 1,094.8 | |||||||||
Per Share Data: | ||||||||||||||
Earnings per share: | ||||||||||||||
-basic | 2.14 | 2.75 | 2.06 | 2.26 | 2.27 | |||||||||
-diluted | 2.14 | 2.75 | 2.06 | 2.26 | 2.27 | |||||||||
Adjusted diluted EPS (3) | 2.43 | 2.70 | 2.23 | 2.44 | 2.51 | |||||||||
Dividends declared per share | 1.1900 | 1.1500 | 1.1100 | 1.0600 | 0.9750 | |||||||||
Balance Sheet Data: | ||||||||||||||
Total assets | 30,978.4 | 31,668.8 | 25,734.3 | 25,073.2 | 20,450.0 | |||||||||
Long-term debt | 2,408.8 | 2,075.8 | 2,102.4 | 2,072.8 | 1,576.8 | |||||||||
Debt of consolidated investment products (CIP) | 5,226.0 | 4,799.8 | 4,403.1 | 5,437.0 | 5,149.6 | |||||||||
Total equity attributable to Invesco Ltd. | 8,578.8 | 8,696.1 | 7,503.8 | 7,885.3 | 8,326.0 | |||||||||
Total permanent equity | 8,936.2 | 8,955.6 | 7,611.8 | 8,695.7 | 9,119.8 | |||||||||
Other Data: | ||||||||||||||
Ending AUM (in billions) | 888.2 | 937.6 | 812.9 | 775.6 | 792.4 | |||||||||
Average AUM (in billions) | 958.7 | 875.0 | 788.8 | 794.7 | 790.3 | |||||||||
Headcount | 7,459 | 7,030 | 6,790 | 6,490 | 6,264 | |||||||||
_________
(1) | Net revenues is a non-GAAP financial measure. See Item 7, “Summary Operating Information,” footnote 1, for the definition of this measure and the related reconciliation reference. |
(2) | Adjusted operating income and adjusted operating margin are non-GAAP financial measures. See Item 7, “Summary Operating Information,” footnote 2, for the definition of these measures and the related reconciliation reference. |
(3) | Adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. and adjusted diluted EPS are non-GAAP financial measures. See Item 7, “Summary Operating Information,” footnote 3, for the definition of these measures and the related reconciliation reference. |
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Executive Overview
The following executive overview summarizes the significant trends affecting our results of operations and financial condition for the periods presented. This overview and the remainder of this management's discussion and analysis supplements and should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements of Invesco Ltd. and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “company” or “Invesco”) and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Global financial markets in 2018 saw a return of market volatility, and significant negative returns late in the year wiped out earlier gains in all markets. The year started much as the prior year had ended, with strong returns fueled by optimism around U.S. tax reform and positive macroeconomic data. However, increasing geopolitical uncertainty and rising global trade tensions, as well as concerns about the sustainability of global growth, came into sharper focus as the year progressed, ultimately leading markets lower.
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In the U.S., strong earnings growth and employment data helped to propel the markets higher to start the year, while the accelerating potential for negative trade actions between the U.S. and China and concerns that the U.S. may be late in an economic cycle dampened market enthusiasm as the year progressed. The Federal Reserve’s interest rate actions throughout the year and unwind of the accommodative monetary policy created further uncertainty, as they continued to raise interest rates while indicating that future pace of increases could be slowed or curtailed. The S&P 500 reached an all-time high in September before contracting sharply in the fourth quarter to finish the year down 7.0%.
European markets were similarly lifted early in the year on strong economic data and an improving growth outlook. The sentiment turned negative as the year progressed as rising geopolitical concerns (including the upcoming UK and EU separation, Italian political concerns, and the ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China) and concerns around global growth intensified driving the FTSE 100 down 12.4% for the year.
In Japan, a positive economic outlook and weakening Yen were offset by a slowdown in China’s growth, and concerns about the impact to corporate profits led markets sharply lower late in the year. The Nikkei 225 finished the year down 12.1%.
Bond returns for the year were mixed as strong economic indicators and rate increases implemented in the U.S. and UK drove yields higher for a majority of the year, while the desire for lower-risk assets in the fourth quarter pressured yields on government bonds. Concerns around liquidity and leverage and a weakening outlook for corporate profits negatively impacted corporate investment grade and high-yield credit, driving the U.S. Aggregate Bond Index to finish down a modest 0.2% for the year.
The table below summarizes the year ended December 31 returns based on price appreciation/(depreciation) of several major market indices for 2018, 2017, and 2016:
Year ended December 31, | |||||||
Equity Index | Index expressed in currency | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |||
S&P 500 | U.S. Dollar | (7.0)% | 19.4% | 9.5% | |||
FTSE 100 | British Pound | (12.4)% | 7.6% | 14.4% | |||
FTSE 100 | U.S. Dollar | (17.8)% | 17.9% | (4.1)% | |||
Nikkei 225 | Japanese Yen | (12.1)% | 19.1% | 0.4% | |||
Nikkei 225 | U.S. Dollar | (10.4)% | 23.4% | 3.8% | |||
MSCI Emerging Markets | U.S. Dollar | (16.9)% | 34.4% | 8.6% | |||
Bond Index | |||||||
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond | U.S. Dollar | (0.2)% | 3.5% | 2.7% | |||
The company's financial results are impacted by the fluctuations in exchange rates against the U.S. Dollar, as discussed in the "Foreign Exchange Impact on Balance Sheet, Assets Under Management and Results of Operations" section and the "Results of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2018 compared to December 31, 2017 compared to December 31, 2016" section below.
Our revenues are directly influenced by the level and composition of our AUM. Therefore, movements in global capital market levels, net new business inflows (or outflows) and changes in the mix of investment products between asset classes and geographies may materially affect our revenues from period to period. As fee rates differ across geographic locations, changes to exchange rates have an impact on the net revenue yields.
Invesco benefits from our long-term efforts to ensure a diversified base of AUM. One of Invesco's core strengths, and a key differentiator for the company within the industry, is our broad diversification across client domiciles, asset classes and distribution channels. Our geographic diversification recognizes growth opportunities in different parts of the world. This broad diversification mitigates the impact on Invesco of different market cycles and enables the company to take advantage of growth opportunities in various markets and channels. The company has moved to a unified brand - Invesco, while preserving the time-tested and distinctive investment perspectives, processes and approaches of our different investment teams across the globe. This effort will contribute to a more consistent client experience across multiple markets and strengthen our ability to market our comprehensive range of capabilities more effectively.
As announced in October 2018, Invesco and MassMutual have entered into a definitive agreement whereby Invesco will acquire MassMutual’s asset management affiliate, OppenheimerFunds, Inc. In turn, MassMutual and the OppenheimerFunds employee shareholders will receive a combination of common and preferred equity consideration, and MassMutual will become a significant shareholder of Invesco, with an approximate 17% stake expected at closing. The transaction is on track to close in the second
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quarter of 2019 (pending necessary regulatory and other third-party approvals). This strategic combination of highly complementary investment and distribution capabilities will strengthen the combined organization’s ability to provide relevant investment outcomes to an expanded number of institutional and retail clients in the U.S. and around the globe.
Under the terms of the agreement, Invesco will acquire OppenheimerFunds with consideration to MassMutual and OppenheimerFunds employee shareholders consisting of 81.9 million shares of Invesco common equity and $4 billion in perpetual, non-cumulative preferred shares with a 21-year non-call period and a fixed rate of 5.9%. Based on Invesco’s stock price as of December 31, 2018, this represents an estimated purchase price of $5.4 billion. The purchase and sale agreement contain customary purchase price adjustments related to net working capital and revenue run rate changes at the closing date. As of the date of this Report, no such adjustment to the purchase price would be triggered. The purchase and sale agreement does not contain an adjustment to the purchase price based upon changes in the market valuation of AUM.
Since announcement, Invesco and OppenheimerFunds have made significant progress toward achieving the post-close integration and targeted expense synergies of $475 million through a planned combination of middle- and back-office rationalization, location strategy and leveraging the scale of the global operating platform. As noted in October, bringing the two firms together will accelerate Invesco’s growth strategy and further strengthen our ability to meet client needs across the globe.
In October 2018, the company announced a common stock buyback program of $1.2 billion to be completed within the next two years, which will be financed through the strong operating cash flows of the combined Invesco and OppenheimerFunds organization. For the purpose of repurchasing its shares, the company entered into a forward contract during the fourth quarter of 2018. Under this contract, the counterparty purchased $300 million (14.4 million shares) of the company's shares in the fourth quarter. The shares are included as treasury shares in the company's balance sheet and reduced outstanding shares as of December 3, 2018. The company intends to repurchase an additional $100-$300 million prior to the closing of the OppenheimerFunds acquisition (depending on market conditions), with the remainder to be purchased by the end of 2020.
One of the company's strategic objectives is to harness the power of our global platform by improving effectiveness and efficiency by allocating our resources to the opportunities that will best benefit clients and our business. During 2018, the company has continued our efforts to transform several key business support functions to become more effective and efficient by leveraging shared service centers, outsourcing, automating key processes and optimizing the company's office footprint. Consistent with this objective, business optimization costs of $34.1 million and $58.0 million were recorded during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Total costs of these initiatives at completion are estimated to be approximately $160.0 million, of which $5.0 million remains to be incurred through 2019. At the end of 2018, these initiatives have produced annualized run-rate expense savings of approximately $56 million, and by completion in 2019, the annualized run-rate savings is expected to be up to $58.0 million.
Invesco Great Wall Fund Management Company ("Invesco Great Wall"), the company's largest joint venture in China, is experiencing strong growth. Invesco Great Wall is one of the largest Sino-foreign managers of equity products in China, with AUM of $26.9 billion as of December 31, 2018. The company has a 49% interest in Invesco Great Wall. In June, Invesco Great Wall's Jingyi Money Market Fund was selected as one of seven money market funds to be included in the money market program, Yu'E Bao, administered by Ant Financial, an affiliate of Alibaba. Given Invesco's influence on Invesco Great Wall, a change in regulation allowing increased foreign ownership, and reaching oral agreement in principle in the third quarter to obtain a majority stake of the joint venture, the company began reporting 100% of the flows and AUM for Invesco Great Wall beginning in the third quarter. The company's non-GAAP operating results reflect the economics of these holdings on a basis consistent with the underlying AUM and flows.
On April 6, 2018 the company completed its previously announced acquisition of Guggenheim Investments’ exchange-traded funds (ETF) business, which consists of $38.1 billion of assets under management (at date of acquisition). With this acquisition, Invesco’s ETF assets under management total $199.8 billion globally (as of December 31, 2018). The aggregate purchase price paid by Invesco upon completion of the transaction was $1.2 billion.
On June 4, 2018, the company acquired Intelliflo, the No. 1 technology platform for financial advisors in the UK. The addition of Intelliflo builds on the 2016 acquisition of Jemstep to deliver a global, advisor-focused digital platform that enhances the firm’s ability to meet evolving client needs.
Invesco continues to demonstrate its commitment to supporting financial advisors with industry leading tools and resources, such as Jemstep, as we believe these areas are key to delivering superior investment experiences. The range of investment capabilities available through Jemstep are broad across the firm's active, alternative and ETF offerings. Additionally, Jemstep offers open
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architecture to help advisors provide customized solutions for clients. As a market-leading provider of digital solutions, Jemstep continues to expand its capabilities and market presence, and is an integral part of Invesco's growth strategy.
Presentation of Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations -- Impact of Consolidated Investment Products
The company provides investment management services to, and has transactions with, various retail mutual funds and similar entities, private equity, real estate, fund-of-funds, collateralized loan obligation products (CLOs), and other investment entities sponsored by the company for the investment of client assets in the normal course of business. The company serves as the investment manager, making day-to-day investment decisions concerning the assets of the products. Investment products that are consolidated are referred to in this Form 10-K (Report) as consolidated investments products (CIP). CIP includes all variable and voting interest entities, as applicable, with effect from the adoption of ASU 2015-02. The company's economic risk with respect to each investment in CIP is limited to its equity ownership and any uncollected management and performance fees. The company is required to consolidate certain managed funds from time-to-time, as discussed more fully in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Note 1 -- "Accounting Policies -- Basis of Accounting and Consolidation."
The majority of the company's CIP balances are CLO-related. The collateral assets of the CLOs are held solely to satisfy the obligations of the CLOs. The company has no right to the benefits from, nor does it bear the risks associated with, the collateral assets held by the CLOs, beyond the company's direct investments in, and management and performance fees generated from, the CLOs. If the company were to liquidate, the collateral assets would not be available to the general creditors of the company, and as a result, the company does not consider them to be company assets. Likewise, the investors in the CLOs have no recourse to the general credit of the company for the notes issued by the CLOs. The company therefore does not consider this debt to be a company liability.
The impact of CIP is so significant to the presentation of the company’s Consolidated Financial Statements that the company has elected to deconsolidate these products in its non-GAAP disclosures. This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains four distinct sections, which follow after the Assets Under Management discussion:
• | Results of Operations (years ended December 31, 2018 compared to December 31, 2017 compared to December 31, 2016); |
• | Schedule of Non-GAAP Information; |
• | Balance Sheet Discussion; and |
• | Liquidity and Capital Resources. |
To assess the impact of CIP on the company's Results of Operations and Balance Sheet Discussion, refer to Part II, Item 8, Financial Statements, Note 19, "Consolidated Investment Products." The impact on the company's results of operations is illustrated by a column which shows the dollar-value change in the consolidated figures, as caused by the consolidation of CIP. For example, the impact of CIP on operating revenues for the year ended December 31, 2018 was a reduction of $28.6 million. This indicates that their consolidation reduced consolidated revenues by this amount, reflecting the elimination upon their consolidation of the operating revenues earned by Invesco for managing these investment products.
Wherever a non-GAAP measure is referenced, a disclosure will follow in the narrative or in the note referring the reader to the Schedule of Non-GAAP Information, where additional details regarding the use of the non-GAAP measure by the company are disclosed, along with reconciliations of the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures to the non-GAAP measures. To further enhance the readability of the Results of Operations section, separate tables for each of the revenue, expense, and other income and expenses (non-operating income/expense) sections of the income statement introduce the narrative that follows, providing a section-by-section review of the company’s income statements for the periods presented.
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Summary Operating Information
Summary operating information for 2018, 2017 and 2016 is presented in the table below.
$ in millions, other than per share amounts, operating margins and AUM | Year ended December 31, | |||||||
U.S. GAAP Financial Measures Summary | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |||||
Operating revenues | 5,314.1 | 5,160.3 | 4,734.4 | |||||
Operating income | 1,204.9 | 1,279.1 | 1,152.4 | |||||
Operating margin | 22.7 | % | 24.8 | % | 24.3 | % | ||
Net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. | 882.8 | 1,127.3 | 854.2 | |||||
Diluted EPS | 2.14 | 2.75 | 2.06 | |||||
Non-GAAP Financial Measures Summary | ||||||||
Net revenues (1) | 3,818.1 | 3,754.9 | 3,393.2 | |||||
Adjusted operating income (2) | 1,391.7 | 1,482.2 | 1,297.4 | |||||
Adjusted operating margin (2) | 36.5 | % | 39.5 | % | 38.2 | % | ||
Adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. (3) | 1,002.7 | 1,105.9 | 924.1 | |||||
Adjusted diluted EPS (3) | 2.43 | 2.70 | 2.23 | |||||
Assets Under Management | ||||||||
Ending AUM (billions) | 888.2 | 937.6 | 812.9 | |||||
Average AUM (billions) | 958.7 | 875.0 | 788.8 | |||||
_________
(1) | Net revenues is a non-GAAP financial measure. Net revenues are operating revenues plus the net revenues of our joint venture investments, less third-party distribution, service and advisory expenses, plus management and performance fees earned from CIP. See "Schedule of Non-GAAP Information" for the reconciliation of operating revenues to net revenues. |
(2) | Adjusted operating income and adjusted operating margin are non-GAAP financial measures. Adjusted operating margin is adjusted operating income divided by net revenues. Adjusted operating income includes operating income plus the net operating income of our joint venture investments, the operating income impact of the consolidation of investment products, transaction, integration, and restructuring adjustments, compensation expense related to market valuation changes in deferred compensation plans, and other reconciling items. See "Schedule of Non-GAAP Information," for the reconciliation of operating income to adjusted operating income. |
(3) | Adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. and adjusted diluted EPS are non-GAAP financial measures. Adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. is net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. adjusted to exclude the net income of CIP, transaction, integration, and restructuring adjustments, the net income impact of deferred compensation plans and other reconciling items. Adjustments made to net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. are tax-affected in arriving at adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. By calculation, adjusted diluted EPS is adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. divided by the weighted average number of shares outstanding (for diluted EPS). See "Schedule of Non-GAAP Information," for the reconciliation of net income attributable to Invesco Ltd. to adjusted net income attributable to Invesco Ltd.. |
Investment Capabilities Performance Overview
Invesco's first strategic objective is to achieve strong investment performance over the long-term for our clients. As of December 31, 2018, 41%, 54% and 63% of measured ranked actively managed assets performed in the top half of peer groups on a one-year, three-year and five-year basis respectively. The table below presents the one-, three- and five-year performance of our measured ranked actively managed investment products measured by the percentage of AUM ahead of benchmark and AUM in the top half of peer group. (1)
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Benchmark Comparison | Peer Group Comparison | ||||||||||||
% of AUM Ahead of Benchmark | % of AUM In Top Half of Peer Group | ||||||||||||
1yr | 3yr | 5yr | 1yr | 3yr | 5yr | ||||||||
Equities | |||||||||||||
U.S. Core | 6 | % | 8 | % | 14 | % | 22 | % | 6 | % | 8 | % | |
U.S. Growth | 43 | % | 30 | % | 30 | % | 10 | % | 10 | % | 36 | % | |
U.S. Value | 44 | % | 32 | % | 41 | % | 3 | % | 32 | % | 3 | % | |
Sector Funds | 19 | % | 59 | % | 53 | % | 54 | % | 36 | % | 35 | % | |
U.K. | 12 | % | 7 | % | 83 | % | 10 | % | 8 | % | 7 | % | |
Canadian | 5 | % | 11 | % | 0 | % | 5 | % | 0 | % | 0 | % | |
Asian | 64 | % | 80 | % | 88 | % | 60 | % | 94 | % | 88 | % | |
Continental European | 6 | % | 34 | % | 82 | % | 25 | % | 37 | % | 82 | % | |
Global | 9 | % | 38 | % | 49 | % | 22 | % | 27 | % | 48 | % | |
Global Ex U.S. and Emerging Markets | 67 | % | 14 | % | 14 | % | 2 | % | 15 | % | 3 | % | |
Fixed Income | |||||||||||||
Money Market | 99 | % | 99 | % | 99 | % | 85 | % | 86 | % | 85 | % | |
U.S. Fixed Income | 35 | % | 90 | % | 88 | % | 33 | % | 69 | % | 87 | % | |
Global Fixed Income | 45 | % | 43 | % | 53 | % | 51 | % | 34 | % | 43 | % | |
Stable Value | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | |
Other | |||||||||||||
Alternatives | 16 | % | 65 | % | 87 | % | 40 | % | 46 | % | 80 | % | |
Balanced | 21 | % | 58 | % | 47 | % | 3 | % | 55 | % | 92 | % | |
____________
(1) | Excludes passive products, closed-end funds, private equity limited partnerships, non-discretionary funds, unit investment trusts, fund of funds with component funds managed by Invesco, stable value building block funds and CDOs. Certain funds and products were excluded from the analysis because of limited benchmark or peer group data. Had these been available, results may have been different. These results are preliminary and subject to revision. AUM measured in the one, three, and five year quartile rankings represents 52%, 52%, and 51% of total Invesco AUM, respectively, and AUM measured versus benchmark on a one, three, and five year basis represents 65%, 63%, and 60% of total Invesco AUM as of 12/31/18. Peer group rankings are sourced from a widely-used third party ranking agency in each fund’s market (Lipper, Morningstar, IA, Russell, Mercer, eVestment Alliance, SITCA, Value Research) and asset-weighted in USD. Rankings are as of prior quarter-end for most institutional products and prior month-end for Australian retail funds due to their late release by third parties. Rankings are calculated against all funds in each peer group. Rankings for the primary share class of the most representative fund in each composite are applied to all products within each composite. Performance assumes the reinvestment of dividends. Past performance is not indicative of future results and may not reflect an investor’s experience. |
Foreign Exchange Impact on Balance Sheet, Assets Under Management and Results of Operations
A significant portion of our business is based outside of the U.S. The strengthening or weakening of the U.S. Dollar against other currencies, primarily the Pound Sterling, Canadian Dollar, Euro and Japanese Yen will impact our assets, liabilities, AUM and reported revenues and expenses from period to period. The assets, liabilities and AUM of foreign subsidiaries are translated at period end spot foreign currency exchange rates. The income statements of foreign currency subsidiaries are translated into U.S. Dollars, the reporting currency of the company, using average foreign exchange rates.
The table below sets forth the spot foreign exchange rates used for translation of non-U.S. Dollar denominated asset, liabilities and AUM into U.S. Dollars:
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Spot Foreign Exchange Rates | December 31, 2018 | December 31, 2017 | December 31, 2016 | |||||
Pound Sterling ($ per £) | 1.274 | 1.353 | 1.236 | |||||
Canadian Dollar (CAD per $) | 1.365 | 1.253 | 1.341 | |||||
Japan (¥ per $) | 109.735 | 112.645 | 116.600 | |||||
Euro ($ per Euro) | 1.143 | 1.201 | 1.054 | |||||
The table below sets forth the average foreign exchange rates used for translation of non-U.S. Dollar denominated income, including revenues and expenses, into U.S. Dollars:
Years ended December 31, | ||||||||
Average Foreign Exchange Rates | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |||||
Pound Sterling ($ per £) | 1.336 | 1.288 | 1.356 | |||||
Canadian Dollar (CAD per $) | 1.295 | 1.297 | 1.324 | |||||
Japan (¥ per $) | 110.353 | 112.137 | 108.517 | |||||
Euro ($ per Euro) | 1.181 | 1.129 | 1.107 | |||||
A comparison of period end spot rates between December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 shows a weakening of the Pound Sterling, the Euro, Canadian Dollar relative to the U.S. Dollar, which is reflected in the translation of our Pound Sterling-based, Euro-based and Canadian Dollar-based assets, liabilities and AUM into U.S. Dollars, respectively. Over the same period, the Japanese Yen strengthened, which is reflected in the translation of our Japanese Yen based revenue and expenses into U.S. Dollars, respectively.
A comparison of period end spot rates between December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 shows a strengthening of the Pound Sterling, the Euro, Canadian Dollar and Japanese Yen relative to the U.S. Dollar, which is reflected in the translation of our Pound Sterling-based, Euro-based, Canadian Dollar-based and Japanese Yen-based assets, liabilities and AUM into U.S. Dollars, respectively.
A comparison of the average foreign exchange rates used for the year ended December 31, 2018 when compared to the year ended December 31, 2017 shows a strengthening of the Pound Sterling, the Euro, Canadian Dollar and Japanese Yen relative to the U.S. Dollar, which is reflected in the translation of our Pound Sterling-based, Euro-based, Canadian Dollar-based and Japanese Yen-based revenue and expenses into U.S. Dollars, respectively.
A comparison of the average foreign exchange rates used for the year ended December 31, 2017 when compared to the year ended December 31, 2016 shows a weakening of the Pound Sterling and the Japanese Yen relative to the U.S. Dollar, which is reflected in the translation of our Pound Sterling-based and Japanese Yen-based revenue and expenses into U.S. Dollars. Over the same period, the Canadian Dollar and Euro strengthened, which is reflected in the translation of our Canadian Dollar-based and Euro-based revenue and expenses into U.S. Dollars, respectively.
Assets Under Management
The following presentation and discussion of AUM includes Passive and Active AUM. Passive AUM include index-based ETFs, unit investment trusts (UITs), non-management fee earning AUM, foreign exchange overlays and other passive mandates. Active AUM is total AUM less Passive AUM.
Non-management fee earning AUM includes Invesco QQQ, UITs and product leverage. The net flows in non-management fee earning AUM can be relatively short-term in nature and, due to the relatively low revenue yield, these can have a significant impact on overall net revenue yield.
The AUM tables and the discussion below refer to AUM as long-term. Long-term inflows and the underlying reasons for the movements in this line item include investments from new clients, existing clients adding new accounts/funds or contributions/subscriptions into existing accounts/funds, and new funding commitments into private equity funds. Long-term outflows reflect client redemptions from accounts/funds and include the return of invested capital on the maturity or liquidation of private equity funds. We present net flows into institutional money market funds separately because shareholders of those funds typically use them as short-term funding vehicles and because their flows are particularly sensitive to short-term interest rate movements.
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Changes in AUM were as follows:
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
$ in billions | Total AUM | Active | Passive | Total AUM | Active | Passive | Total AUM | Active | Passive | |||||||||||||||||
January 1 | 937.6 | 738.6 | 199.0 | 812.9 | 668.5 | 144.4 | 775.6 | 636.5 | 139.1 | |||||||||||||||||
Long-term inflows | 209.8 | 139.6 | 70.2 | 183.3 | 140.4 | 42.9 | 177.8 | 141.9 | 35.9 | |||||||||||||||||
Long-term outflows | (248.8 | ) | (176.8 | ) | (72.0 | ) | (178.8 | ) | (140.6 | ) | (38.2 | ) | (161.3 | ) | (135.0 | ) | (26.3 | ) | ||||||||
Long-term net flows | (39.0 | ) | (37.2 | ) | (1.8 | ) | 4.5 | (0.2 | ) | 4.7 | 16.5 | 6.9 | 9.6 | |||||||||||||
Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM | 2.5 | — | 2.5 | 3.0 | — | 3.0 | (6.4 | ) | — | (6.4 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Net flows in institutional money market funds | 7.6 | 7.6 | — | (3.2 | ) | (3.2 | ) | — | 12.8 | 13.1 | (0.3 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Total net flows | (28.9 | ) | (29.6 | ) | 0.7 | 4.3 | (3.4 | ) | 7.7 | 22.9 | 20.0 | 2.9 | ||||||||||||||
Reinvested distributions (1) | 11.4 | 11.4 | — | 7.0 | 7.0 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
Market gains and losses (1) | (67.0 | ) | (52.2 | ) | (14.8 | ) | 66.0 | 45.4 | 20.6 | 37.7 | 32.1 | 5.6 | ||||||||||||||
Transfers (4) | — | 0.5 | (0.5 | ) | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
Acquisitions/dispositions (5) | 47.6 | 10.5 | 37.1 | 26.0 | — | 26.0 | (1.2 | ) | 2.0 | (3.2 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation | (12.5 | ) | (12.0 | ) | (0.5 | ) | 21.4 | 21.1 | 0.3 | (22.1 | ) | (22.1 | ) | — | ||||||||||||
December 31 | 888.2 | 667.2 | 221.0 | 937.6 | 738.6 | 199.0 | 812.9 | 668.5 | 144.4 | |||||||||||||||||
Average AUM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Average long-term AUM | 785.5 | 646.8 | 138.7 | 721.5 | 632.6 | 88.9 | 652.1 | 586.9 | 65.2 | |||||||||||||||||
Average AUM | 958.7 | 726.9 | 231.8 | 875.0 | 705.3 | 169.7 | 788.8 | 653.4 | 135.4 | |||||||||||||||||
Revenue yield | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gross revenue yield on AUM (2) | 56.3 | 69.9 | 14.9 | 59.6 | 70.1 | 16.3 | 60.7 | 70.3 | 15.3 | |||||||||||||||||
Gross revenue yield on AUM before performance fees (2) | 55.7 | 69.1 | 14.9 | 58.2 | 68.5 | 16.3 | 60.2 | 69.6 | 15.3 | |||||||||||||||||
Net revenue yield on AUM (3) | 39.8 | 47.8 | 14.9 | 42.9 | 49.3 | 16.3 | 43.0 | 48.8 | 15.3 | |||||||||||||||||
Net revenue yield on AUM before performance fees (3) | 39.2 | 47.0 | 14.9 | 41.5 | 47.6 | 16.3 | 42.4 | 48.1 | 15.3 | |||||||||||||||||
(1) | In 2018, reinvested distributions are shown in a separate line in the AUM tables. For periods prior to the third quarter of 2017, reinvested distributions are included in market gains and losses. |
(2) | Gross revenue yield on AUM is equal to annualized total operating revenues divided by average AUM, excluding Invesco Great Wall AUM. Prior to the third quarter 2018, management reflected its interests in Invesco Great Wall on a proportional consolidation basis, which was consistent with the presentation of our share of the AUM from these investments. Given the company's influence on Invesco Great Wall, a change in regulation allowing increased foreign ownership, and reaching oral agreement in principle to obtain majority stake of the joint venture, the company began reporting 100% of the flows and AUM for Invesco Great Wall beginning in the third quarter of 2018. Our share of the average AUM in 2018 for our JVs in China was $16.2 billion (2017: $8.5 billion, 2016: $9.2 billion). It is appropriate to exclude the average AUM of our JVs for purposes of computing gross revenue yield on AUM, because the revenues resulting from these AUM are not presented in our operating revenues. Under U.S. GAAP, our share of the net income of the JVs is recorded as equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates on our Consolidated Statements of Income. Additionally, the numerator of the gross revenue yield measure, operating revenues, excludes the management fees earned from CIP; however, the denominator of the measure includes the AUM of these investment products. Therefore, the gross revenue yield measure is not considered representative of the company's true effective fee rate from AUM. |
(3) | Net revenue yield on AUM is equal to annualized net revenues divided by average AUM. See “Schedule of Non-GAAP Information” for a reconciliation of operating revenues to net revenues. |
(4) | During 2018, a net $0.5 billion of passive ETF AUM were reclassified to active AUM. |
(5) | As of July 1, 2018, we began including 100% of Invesco Great Wall, which added $9.5 billion in AUM in 2018. The acquisition of Guggenheim Investments' ETF business on April 6, 2018 added $38.1 billion in AUM in 2018. The acquisition of the European ETF business added $26.0 billion in AUM in 2017. |
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Flows
There are numerous drivers of AUM inflows and outflows, including individual investor decisions to change investment preferences, fiduciaries and other gatekeepers making broad asset allocation decisions on behalf of their clients and reallocation of investments within portfolios. We are not a party to these asset allocation decisions, as the company does not generally have access to the underlying investor's decision-making process, including their risk appetite or liquidity needs. Therefore, the company is not in a position to provide meaningful information regarding the drivers of inflows and outflows.
Average AUM during the year ended December 31, 2018, were $958.7 billion, compared to $875.0 billion for the year ended December 31, 2017 (December 31, 2016: $788.8 billion).
Market Returns and Reinvested Distributions
Market gains and losses include the net change in AUM resulting from changes in market values of the underlying securities from period to period. As discussed in the “Executive Overview” section of this Management’s Discussion and Analysis, during 2018, global markets saw a return of market volatility and significant negative returns late in the year wipe out earlier gains in all markets. See below for a discussion of the impact of foreign exchange rates on AUM.
Foreign Exchange Rates
During the year ended December 31, 2018, we experienced decreases in AUM of $12.5 billion due to changes in foreign exchange rates (December 31, 2017: AUM increased by $21.4 billion; December 31, 2016: AUM decreased by $22.1 billion). See the company's disclosures regarding the changes in foreign exchange rates during the year ended December 31, 2018 in the “Foreign Exchange Impact on Balance Sheet, Assets Under Management and Results of Operations” section above for additional information regarding the movement of foreign exchange rates.
Acquisitions and Dispositions
During the year ended December 31, 2018, we completed the acquisition of Guggenheim Investments' ETF business, which added $38.1 billion in AUM at date of purchase and we began including 100% of Invesco Great Wall Fund Management Company which added $9.5 billion in AUM during the year. For the year ended December 31, 2017, we completed the acquisition of the European ETF business, which added $26.0 billion in passive ETF AUM (including approximately $7.0 billion of externally managed AUM) at date of purchase. For the year ended December 31, 2016, dispositions of $2.7 billion related to the deconsolidation of certain securitization trusts by Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc. (IVR) and other AUM dispositions were partially offset by the acquisition of the controlling interest of Invesco Asset Management (India) Private Limited, which added $2.4 billion to AUM.
Revenue Yield
As a significant proportion of our AUM is based outside of the U.S., changes in foreign exchange rates result in a change to the mix of U.S. Dollar denominated AUM with AUM denominated in other currencies. As fee rates differ across geographic locations, changes to exchange rates have an impact on the net revenue yields. See the company's disclosures regarding the changes in foreign exchange rates in the "Foreign Exchange Impact on Balance Sheet, Assets Under Management and Results of Operations" section for additional information regarding the movement of foreign exchange rates.
Additionally, changes in our AUM mix can significantly impact our net revenue yield. Passive AUM generally earn a lower effective fee rate than active asset classes. The acquisitions of the European ETF business in the third quarter of 2017 and the Guggenheim ETF acquisition in April 2018 increased the level of passive AUM and have a dilutive impact on the company's overall net revenue yield. The company has experienced greater outflows from active AUM as compared to outflows from passive AUM, increasing the proportion of passive to active AUM during the year ended December 31, 2018.
At December 31, 2018, passive AUM were $221.0 billion, representing 24.9% of total AUM at that date; whereas at December 31, 2017, passive AUM were $199.0 billion, representing 21.2% of our total AUM at that date (December 31, 2016: $144.4 billion 17.8%). In the year ended December 31, 2018, the net revenue yield on passive AUM was 14.9 basis points compared to 16.3 basis points in the year ended December 31, 2017, a decrease of 1.4 basis points (December 31, 2016: 15.3).
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Changes in our AUM by channel, asset class, and client domicile, and average AUM by asset class, are presented below:
Total AUM by Channel (1)
$ in billions | Total | Retail | Institutional | |||||
December 31, 2017 | 937.6 | 637.0 | 300.6 | |||||
Long-term inflows | 209.8 | 158.8 | 51.0 | |||||
Long-term outflows | (248.8 | ) | (194.1 | ) | (54.7 | ) | ||
Long-term net flows | (39.0 | ) | (35.3 | ) | (3.7 | ) | ||
Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM | 2.5 | 2.7 | (0.2 | ) | ||||
Net flows in institutional money market funds | 7.6 | 9.0 | (1.4 | ) | ||||
Total net flows | (28.9 | ) | (23.6 | ) | (5.3 | ) | ||
Reinvested distributions (2) | 11.4 | 11.4 | — | |||||
Market gains and losses (2) | (67.0 | ) | (62.0 | ) | (5.0 | ) | ||
Transfers (4) | — | (29.8 | ) | 29.8 | ||||
Acquisitions/dispositions, net (7) | 47.6 | 42.6 | 5.0 | |||||
Foreign currency translation | (12.5 | ) | (8.9 | ) | (3.6 | ) | ||
December 31, 2018 | 888.2 | 566.7 | 321.5 | |||||
December 31, 2016 | 812.9 | 526.5 | 286.4 | |||||
Long-term inflows | 183.3 | 149.8 | 33.5 | |||||
Long-term outflows | (178.8 | ) | (144.4 | ) | (34.4 | ) | ||
Long-term net flows | 4.5 | 5.4 | (0.9 | ) | ||||
Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM | 3.0 | 0.1 | 2.9 | |||||
Net flows in institutional money market funds | (3.2 | ) | (3.2 | ) | — | |||
Total net flows | 4.3 | 2.3 | 2.0 | |||||
Reinvested distributions (2) | 7.0 | 7.0 | — | |||||
Market gains and losses (2) | 66.0 | 58.5 | 7.5 | |||||
Acquisitions/dispositions, net(7) | 26.0 | 26.0 | — | |||||
Foreign currency translation | 21.4 | 16.7 | 4.7 | |||||
December 31, 2017 | 937.6 | 637.0 | 300.6 | |||||
December 31, 2015 | 775.6 | 514.8 | 260.8 | |||||
Long-term inflows | 177.8 | 137.0 | 40.8 | |||||
Long-term outflows | (161.3 | ) | (132.6 | ) | (28.7 | ) | ||
Long-term net flows | 16.5 | 4.4 | 12.1 | |||||
Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM | (6.4 | ) | (5.3 | ) | (1.1 | ) | ||
Net flows in institutional money market funds | 12.8 | — | 12.8 | |||||
Total net flows | 22.9 | (0.9 | ) | 23.8 | ||||
Market gains and losses (2) | 37.7 | 30.4 | 7.3 | |||||
Acquisitions/dispositions, net | (1.2 | ) | 0.4 | (1.6 | ) | |||
Foreign currency translation | (22.1 | ) | (18.2 | ) | (3.9 | ) | ||
December 31, 2016 | 812.9 | 526.5 | 286.4 | |||||
____________
See accompanying notes immediately following these AUM tables.
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Passive AUM by Channel (1)
$ in billions | Total | Retail | Institutional | |||||
December 31, 2017 | 199.0 | 182.0 | 17.0 | |||||
Long-term inflows | 70.2 | 70.2 | — | |||||
Long-term outflows | (72.0 | ) | (72.0 | ) | — | |||
Long-term net flows | (1.8 | ) | (1.8 | ) | — | |||
Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM | 2.5 | 2.7 | (0.2 | ) | ||||
Net flows in institutional money market funds | — | — | — | |||||
Total net flows | 0.7 | 0.9 | (0.2 | ) | ||||
Market gains and losses | (14.8 | ) | (14.4 | ) | (0.4 | ) | ||
Transfers (4) | (0.5 | ) | (0.4 | ) | (0.1 | ) | ||
Acquisitions/dispositions, net (7) | 37.1 | 37.1 | — | |||||
Foreign currency translation | (0.5 | ) | (0.6 | ) | 0.1 | |||
December 31, 2018 | 221.0 | 204.6 | 16.4 | |||||
December 31, 2016 | 144.4 | 128.8 | 15.6 | |||||
Long-term inflows | 42.9 | 42.9 | — | |||||
Long-term outflows | (38.2 | ) | (37.0 | ) | (1.2 | ) | ||
Long-term net flows | 4.7 | 5.9 | (1.2 | ) | ||||
Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM | 3.0 | 0.1 | 2.9 | |||||
Net flows in institutional money market funds | — | — | — | |||||
Total net flows | 7.7 | 6.0 | 1.7 | |||||
Market gains and losses | 20.6 | 21.0 | (0.4 | ) | ||||
Acquisitions/dispositions, net (7) | 26.0 | 26.0 | — | |||||
Foreign currency translation | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | |||||
December 31, 2017 | 199.0 | 182.0 | 17.0 | |||||
December 31, 2015 | 139.1 | 118.7 | 20.4 | |||||
Long-term inflows | 35.9 | 35.9 | — | |||||
Long-term outflows | (26.3 | ) | (26.2 | ) | (0.1 | ) | ||
Long-term net flows | 9.6 | 9.7 | (0.1 | ) | ||||
Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM | (6.4 | ) | (5.3 | ) | (1.1 | ) | ||
Net flows in institutional money market funds | (0.3 | ) | — | (0.3 | ) | |||
Total net flows | 2.9 | 4.4 | (1.5 | ) | ||||
Market gains and losses | 5.6 | 5.7 | (0.1 | ) | ||||
Acquisitions/dispositions, net | (3.2 | ) | — | (3.2 | ) | |||
Foreign currency translation | — | — | — | |||||
December 31, 2016 | 144.4 | 128.8 | 15.6 | |||||
____________
See accompanying notes immediately following these AUM tables.
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Total AUM by Asset Class(3)
$ in billions | Total | Equity | Fixed Income | Balanced | Money Market (5) | Alternatives | |||||||||||
December 31, 2017 | 937.6 | 431.2 | 225.8 | 57.7 | 78.7 | 144.2 | |||||||||||
Long-term inflows | 209.8 | 99.9 | 54.8 | 12.2 | 7.7 | 35.2 | |||||||||||
Long-term outflows | (248.8 | ) | (130.5 | ) | (60.7 | ) | (14.2 | ) | (5.6 | ) | (37.8 | ) | |||||
Long-term net flows | (39.0 | ) | (30.6 | ) | (5.9 | ) | (2.0 | ) | 2.1 | (2.6 | ) | ||||||
Net flows in non-management fee earning AUM | 2.5 | 3.1 | (0.6 | ) | — | — | — | ||||||||||
Net flows in institutional money market funds | 7.6 | — | — | — | 7.6 | — | |||||||||||
Total net flows | (28.9 | ) | (27.5 | ) | (6.5 | ) | (2.0 | ) | 9.7 | (2.6 | ) | ||||||
Reinvested distributions (2) | 11.4 | 9.6 | 1.1 | 0.2 | — | 0.5 | |||||||||||
Market gains and losses (2) | (67.0 | ) | (52.8 | ) | (5.1 | ) | (4.6 | ) | 0.7 | (5.2 | ) | ||||||
Transfers (4) | — | (0.4 | ) | 0.2 | 0.2 | ||||||||||||