July 26 (Reuters) - Asset manager T Rowe Price ( TROW )
reported an 11% jump in second-quarter adjusted profit on
Friday, helped by a relentless market rally that has boosted the
value of clients' investments and softened the hit from an
outflow of funds.
The growing popularity of low-cost, passively managed funds
has taken market share away from active managers such as T Rowe.
The company has seen 13 consecutive quarters of outflows.
The market rally helped T Rowe's assets under management
(AUM) withstand the onslaught. At the end of the quarter, the
company's AUM, which determines its fees, grew 12% to $1.57
trillion despite $3.7 billion of net outflows.
"We are making steady progress with flows and investment
performance ... continue to be on track to substantially reduce
net outflows this year," CEO Rob Sharps said. Outflows in the
first quarter stood at $8 billion.
Some analysts believe the high interest rate environment
could help active managers stage a comeback after years of
losing out to their passive counterparts.
Investors will have to adopt a more hands-on strategy to add
value to their portfolios and manage risk, in contrast to the
set-and-forget approach that has defined asset management over
the past decade, they have said.
T Rowe's investment advisory fees, typically a percentage of
AUM, jumped 11% to $1.59 billion.
Adjusted profit rose to $519.7 million, or $2.26 per share,
for the three months ended June 30, compared with $466.5
million, or $2.02 per share, a year earlier.