PSG Konsult has published its 2019 interim results, showing 8% growth in recurring headline earnings per share and a return on equity of 20.2%.<\/p>\n
A dividend of 7.5 cents per share was declared from income reserves (2018: 7.0 cents per share), which represents a 7% increase from the previous interim period.<\/p>\n
No performance fees were generated during the current period, compared to the prior period where they constituted 4.6% of headline earnings. The group continued its investment in technology and people.<\/p>\n
CEO Francois Gouws said that in the past six months the firm pushed forward aggressively on its strategic goals despite low business confidence, and the political, economic and climate uncertainty that beleaguer South Africa and the global community.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re focusing on simple to use, stable, client centric solutions on a platform that is geared towards a rapidly changing future business environment. The results should be a great digital experience for our clients and advisers,” said Gouws.<\/p>\n
The firm\u2019s total assets under management decreased marginally to R228.1 billion, comprising assets managed by PSG Wealth of R184.5 billion and PSG Asset Management of R43.6 billion, while PSG Insure\u2019s gross written premium increased by a very healthy 35% to R2.7 billion.<\/p>\n
Divisions<\/strong><\/p>\n PSG Wealth achieved recurring headline earnings growth of 10%. \u201cThis is pleasing in the context of the difficult prevailing economic and market conditions,\u201d said Gouws. The division\u2019s overall revenue increased by 8%, consisting of an increase in management and other recurring fees of 8%, while transactional brokerage fees also increased.<\/p>\n Clients\u2019 assets managed by PSG Wealth advisers increased by 6% to R184.5 billion, which included R5.3 billion of positive net inflows. During the period, 25 new wealth advisers were appointed, bringing the division\u2019s formidable financial adviser network to 549 individuals.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fundamentals and prospects of this division give us great confidence, and we believe that our commitment to securing long-term relationships with clients will continue to differentiate us in the markets we compete in,” said Gouws.<\/p>\n PSG Asset Management\u2019s results were impacted by challenging market conditions. Its recurring headline earnings decreased by 7% due to challenging market conditions which resulted in no performance fees being earned.<\/p>\n Although shorter-term investment performance was below benchmark, the division\u2019s long-term track record of delivering top-quartile risk-adjusted investment returns for clients remained intact.<\/p>\n Client assets under management decreased by 8% to R43.6 billion, mainly due to market movements and marginal net client outflows of R37 million. Assets administered by the division increased by 3% to R121.2 billion, having been further bolstered by R4.3 billion of multi-managed net inflows.<\/p>\n PSG Insure achieved recurring headline earnings growth of 50%.<\/p>\n No significant catastrophe or other related events impacted PSG Insure during the period. \u201cWhen combined with our quality underwriting practices, this allowed us to achieve a commendable net underwriting margin of 10.4% compared to the 10.5% we achieved in the prior period,” said Gouws.<\/p>\n Looking ahead, Gouws said that PSG continueS to monitor the corporate, political and economic environment both locally and globally, as well as the increasing risks posed by climate change and the associated impact of all these factors on\u00a0 clients and other stakeholders.<\/p>\n “The cash-generative nature of the business gives PSG Konsult several options for funding business growth initiatives and optimising risk-adjusted returns for our shareholders. As such, the group remains confident about the prospects for continued growth,” he said.<\/p>\n
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