Earnings Release • May 11, 2021
Earnings Release
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1 st quarter 2021
Paris, 11 May 2021
| First quarter | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| In € million | 2021 | 2020 | % Var |
| Global Advisory | 394.9 | 269.1 | 47% |
| Wealth and Asset Management | 134.3 | 130.8 | 3% |
| Merchant Banking | 103.4 | 20.7 | 400% |
| Other businesses | 5.0 | 3.1 | 61% |
| TOTAL before IFRS reconciliation | 637.6 | 423.7 | 50% |
| IFRS Reconciliation | (1.4) | (7.3) | (81)% |
| Total Group revenue | 636.2 | 416.4 | 53% |
First quarter revenue impacted negatively by currency translation effects of €8 million
Our Global Advisory business focuses on providing advice in the areas of Strategic Advisory and M&A, Financing Advisory encompassing Debt Advisory, Restructuring and Equity Advisory, as well as Investor Advisory where we advise clients around engaging with shareholders on a variety of topics including activism, sustainability and governance.
Global Advisory delivered record quarterly revenue of €394.9 million for the three months to March 2021, up 47% from the same stage last year (Q1 2020: €269.1 million), reflecting continued strong momentum and activity levels across our whole business. We continue to maintain a strong competitive position. For the last twelve months to March 2021, we ranked 6 th globally by financial advisory revenue1 .
Our M&A revenue for the three months to March 2021 was €281.3 million, up 33% (Q1 2020: €211.9 million), based on increased deal activity and more larger fees. We ranked 4 th globally by number of completed transactions for the twelve months to March 20212 . In Europe, we continue to advise on more M&A transactions than any of our competitors, a position we have held for more than 15 years.
Financing Advisory revenue for the three months to March 2021 was €113.6 million, representing a twofold increase compared to the same stage last year (Q1 2020: €57.2 million). We ranked 3rd in Europe by number of completed restructuring transactions for the twelve months to March 20212 , and we advised on more European equity assignments than any other independent financial adviser over the same period3 .
Global Advisory advised the following clients on significant assignments that completed in the quarter:
In addition, we continue to work on some of the largest and most complex announced transactions globally, including acting as financial adviser to:
1 Source: Company filings announced to 10 May 2021. Unannounced competitor results are based on twelve months to December 2020
2 Source: Refinitiv
3 Source: Dealogic
Wealth and Asset Management is made up of our Wealth Management businesses in France, Switzerland, UK, Belgium, Germany, Monaco and Italy and our Asset Management activity in Europe. In addition, we operate a small Asset Management business in North America.
Wealth and Asset Management delivered record first quarter revenue of €134.3 million, up 3% (Q1 2020: €130.8 million). The revenue progression has been driven mainly by an increase in management fees as a consequence of the strong growth in Assets under Management (AuM) enjoyed in 2020, and despite the continuing impact of lower interest rates on revenue.
AuM increased by 7% (or €5.5 billion) to €83.6 billion as at 31 March 2020 (31 December 2020: €78.1 billion). The growth was driven by strong Net New Assets (NNA) as well as more favourable market conditions. This was partly offset by the loss of €0.4 billion arising from the sale of our alternative fund of funds business.
Wealth Management recorded a high level of NNA of €2.4 billion. Each Wealth Management business in Europe saw positive net inflows.
Asset Management recorded a net outflow of €0.5 billion, largely due to North America (€0.6 billion), following poor investment performance in 2020. Performance year to date has been much stronger.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the business, with access to our offices and travel both being restricted. Despite this, as is reflected in the NNA figures, levels of business activity remain high.
The progress of the acquisition of Banque Pâris Bertrand, announced in December 2020, is good and we remain confident that we will complete in the summer.
The table below shows the development of our AuM.
| Quarter ended | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| In € billion | 31/03/2021 | 31/12/2020 | 31/03/2020 |
| AuM opening | 78.1 | 71.4 | 76.0 |
| of which Wealth Management | 55.8 | 51.3 | 50.5 |
| of which AM Europe | 14.1 | 13.9 | 15.4 |
| of which AM US | 8.2 | 6.2 | 10.1 |
| Net new assets | 1.9 | 1.4 | 0.6 |
| of which Wealth Management | 2.4 | 0.6 | 1.3 |
| of which AM Europe | 0.1 | (0.2) | (0.1) |
| of which AM US | (0.6) | 1.0 | (0.6) |
| Market and exchange rate | 3.6 | 5.3 | (9.9) |
| AuM closing | 83.6 | 78.1 | 66.7 |
| of which Wealth Management | 60.9 | 55.8 | 46.6 |
| of which AM Europe | 14.5 | 14.1 | 13.0 |
| of which AM US | 8.2 | 8.2 | 7.1 |
| % var / AuM opening | 7% |
Merchant Banking is the investment arm of Rothschild & Co managing capital for the firm and third parties in private equity and private debt.
Merchant Banking delivered record quarterly revenue of €103.4 million, up 400% (Q1 2020: €20.7 million) thanks to significant realised gains on investment disposals, material unrealised value accretion across the entire portfolio and continued growth in recurring revenue. When compared to the average of the last three years' first quarters, Q1 2021 revenue was up 343%.
Assets under Management as at 31 March 2021 were €16.2 billion, up 4% versus 31 December 2020 (€15.7 billion), of which Rothschild & Co's share was €1.4 billion (31 December 2020: €1.3 billion).
The table below illustrates the progression in revenue.
| In € million | Q1 2021 | Q1 2020 | Var | % Var |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recurring revenue | 31.0 | 27.2 | 3.8 | 14% |
| Investment performance revenue (1) | 72.4 | (6.5) | 78.9 | n.m. |
| of which carried interest | 25.8 | (2.2) | 28.0 | n.m. |
| of which realised and unrealised investments gains and dividends |
46.6 | (4.3) | 50.9 | n.m. |
| Total revenue | 103.4 | 20.7 | 82.7 | 400% |
| % recurring / total revenue | 30% | 131% |
(1) Investment performance revenue comprises €50 million, out of a total of €72.4 million, related to investment income earned following valuation uplifts achieved through realisations from the private equity portfolio.
The strong revenue increase for the three months to March 2021 is the combination of two positive effects:
The investment performance revenue generated in the three months to March 2021 represents a strong validation of our robust investment approach and confirms our guidance during 2020 that lower valuation uplifts were due to the transient impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our portfolio.
The resilience of the industry sectors we focus on (Healthcare, Data & Software and Technology-Enabled Business Services), together with the high quality of our assets and our effective portfolio value creation initiatives, were the main drivers behind the successful realisations completed in Q1 2021.
The alignment of interests between the Group and our third-party investors continues to represent a key differentiator for Merchant Banking. In Q1 2021:
During the first quarter, Merchant Banking continued to raise new capital for its various strategies, resulting in a further increase in its AuM and completed several transactions across its private equity and private debt funds' portfolios.
1 MOIC stands for Multiple On Invested Capital
In Global Advisory, announced global M&A activity for the first quarter of 2021 has been particularly strong. This trend is reflected in our visible pipeline of business which is well diversified and significantly ahead of previous years at this stage. We are therefore optimistic regarding the prospective performance of our business for 2021, but of course we remain alert to respond to a range of market conditions in the year ahead.
In Wealth and Asset Management, the outlook for the year is positive, although there are some modest nonrecurrent revenues in the exceptionally strong first quarter figures. Our strong new business and the higher than expected AuM at the end of the first quarter mean the business is well set for the remainder of the year provided markets continue to be supportive.
In Merchant Banking, we expect to continue to grow our recurring revenue base as we complete the fundraisings for our currently open funds, launch new initiatives, and deploy capital across all our strategies. In addition, notwithstanding the ongoing uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect our investments to continue to show resilience and fulfil their value creation potential, which will generate further investment performance related revenue for the Group. We are confident that our fundamental investing principles, centred around capital preservation and providing attractive risk-adjusted returns from our chosen sectors, represent a strong foundation for the ongoing development of Merchant Banking.
The current macro environment continues to benefit our three core businesses which have produced record performances in the first quarter. The clear strategies of each business line have meant that we are weathering the crisis and, if the current momentum and market conditions persist, allow us to be optimistic for a strong performance for the rest of the year.
▪ 20 May 2021: Annual General Meeting ▪ 9 November 2021: Third quarter 2021 – Financial information
| Investor Relations - Marie-Laure Becquart | Media Relations - Caroline Nico |
|---|---|
| [email protected] | [email protected] |
| Media Contact: DGM - Olivier Labesse | |
Rothschild & Co is family-controlled and independent and has been at the centre of the world's financial markets for over 200 years. With a team of c.3,600 talented financial services specialists on the ground in over 40 countries, Rothschild & Co's integrated global network of trusted professionals provides in-depth market intelligence and effective long-term solutions for our clients in Global Advisory, Wealth and Asset Management, and Merchant Banking.
Rothschild & Co is a French partnership limited by shares (société en commandite par actions) listed on Euronext in Paris, Compartment A with a share capital of €155,375,024. Paris trade and companies registry 302 519 228. Registered office: 23 bis avenue de Messine, 75008 Paris, France.
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