Invesco Ltd. today reported financial results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2012. 

The adjusted financial measures are all non-GAAP financial measures. See the information on pages 12 through 16 for a reconciliation to their most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures and the notes beginning on page 23 for other important disclosures.

Assets Under Management

Total assets under management (AUM) at December 31, 2012 were $687.7 billion (September 30, 2012: $683.0 billion), an increase of $4.7 billion during the fourth quarter. Total net inflows were $1.0 billion for the fourth quarter as detailed below. Long-term net flows during the fourth quarter include a $1.6 billion outflow related to a CDO maturity.

Earnings Summary

Net market gains led to a $4.9 billion increase in AUM during the fourth quarter, compared to a $22.1 billion increase in the third quarter 2012. Foreign exchange rate movements led to a $1.2 billion decrease in AUM during the fourth quarter, compared to a $4.3 billion increase in the third quarter 2012.

Average AUM during the fourth quarter were $680.2 billion, compared to $667.9 billion for the third quarter 2012, a 1.8% increase. Further analysis is included in the supplementary schedules to this release.

The company is presenting both U.S. GAAP earnings information and non-GAAP earnings information in this release. The company believes that the additional disclosure of non-GAAP earnings, as described more fully in the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, provides further transparency into the business and allows more appropriate comparisons with our industry peers. Management uses these non- GAAP performance measures to evaluate the business, and they are consistent with internal management reporting.

Non-GAAP Earnings

This section discusses the company's fourth quarter 2012 compared to the third quarter 2012 non-GAAP financial results. The phrase “as adjusted” is used in the following earnings discussion to identify non- GAAP information, together with the non-GAAP financial measures of net revenues (and by calculation net revenue yield), adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income attributable to common shareholders and adjusted diluted EPS. The most directly comparable U.S. GAAP items are reconciled to these non-GAAP items on pages 12 through 16 of this release.

Net revenues increased by $41.2 million (5.6%) to $775.9 million in the fourth quarter from $734.7 million in the third quarter 2012. The change was principally due to increases in investment management fees and performance fee revenues. Net revenue yield before performance fees improved by 0.6 basis points from 43.8 basis points to 44.4 basis points, reflecting an average AUM weighting move towards higher fee-earning asset classes. Foreign exchange rate changes increased fourth quarter net revenues by $2.5 million when compared to the third quarter 2012.

Investment management fees, as adjusted, increased $25.1 million (3.0%) to $865.0 million in the fourth quarter from $839.9 million in the third quarter 2012. The increase reflects higher average AUM as well as increasing revenue yields. Foreign exchange rate changes increased fourth quarter management fees by $3.8 million when compared to third quarter 2012.

Service and distribution fees, as adjusted, increased $3.3 million (1.7%) to $199.4 million in the fourth quarter from $196.1 million in the third quarter 2012, reflecting the higher average AUM. Foreign exchange rate changes increased fourth quarter service and distribution fees by $0.3 million when compared to third quarter 2012.

Performance fees, as adjusted, were $21.1 million in the fourth quarter compared to $3.4 million in the third quarter 2012. The fourth quarter performance fees were primarily earned by our private wealth management business. Other revenues, as adjusted, increased by $3.0 million (12.3%) in the fourth quarter to $27.4 million, compared to $24.4 million in the third quarter 2012, principally due to improved transaction fees from real estate fund activities.

Third-party distribution, service and advisory expenses, as adjusted, increased by $7.9 million (2.4%) to $337.0 million in the fourth quarter compared to $329.1 million in the third quarter 2012, increasing in line with higher investment management fees and service and distribution fees. Foreign exchange rate changes increased the fourth quarter third-party distribution, services and advisory expenses by $1.6 million.

Total operating expenses, as adjusted, increased by $15.1 million (3.1%) to $499.4 million in the fourth quarter from $484.3 million in the third quarter 2012 primarily due to increased employee compensation expenses. Foreign exchange rate changes increased operating expenses by $1.4 million when compared to the third quarter 2012.

Employee compensation expenses, as adjusted, increased by $14.3 million (4.4%) to $342.0 million in the fourth quarter from $327.7 million in the third quarter 2012. The fourth quarter includes additional bonus expense predominately linked to the quarter's performance fee revenues and increases in operating income. In addition, the fourth quarter included a $1.5 million increase in sales commissions in our Continental European business, and a $4.8 million increase in other staff related expenses driven by investment in our fixed income business and year-end staff benefit expense adjustments. Foreign exchange rate changes increased fourth quarter employee compensation expenses by $0.7 million when compared to the third quarter 2012.

Marketing expenses, as adjusted, decreased by $2.7 million (10.2%) to $23.8 million in the fourth quarter from $26.5 million in the third quarter 2012 due to reduced advertising expenditure. Foreign exchange rate changes increased fourth quarter marketing expenses by $0.2 million when compared to the third quarter 2012.

Property, office and technology expenses, as adjusted, increased $2.4 million (3.5%) to $71.7 million in the fourth quarter from $69.3 million in the third quarter 2012. The fourth quarter included increases in outsourced administration in Europe as we transitioned the U.K. transfer agency processes to a third party provider. Foreign exchange rate changes increased fourth quarter property, office and technology expenses by $0.2 million when compared to the third quarter 2012.

General and administrative expenses, as adjusted, increased $1.1 million (1.8%) to $61.9 million in the fourth quarter from $60.8 million in the third quarter 2012. The fourth quarter included additional professional services expenses associated with increasing regulatory requirements in Europe. Foreign exchange rate changes increased fourth quarter general and administrative expenses by $0.2 million when compared to the third quarter 2012.

Non-operating other income and expenses, as adjusted, included equity in earnings from partnership investments of $2.8 million in the fourth quarter compared to $1.6 million in the third quarter 2012. Other gains and losses, net in the fourth quarter were a loss of $0.4 million compared to third quarter investment realized gains of $9.5 million. The effective tax rate decreased to 25.0% for the fourth quarter from 25.8% for the third quarter 2012.

U.S. GAAP Earnings

Operating revenues increased 4.9% to $1,092.9 million in the fourth quarter from $1,041.4 million in the third quarter 2012. Operating expenses increased by 5.4% to $870.1 million in the fourth quarter from $825.4 million in the third quarter 2012.

Operating expenses include $21.7 million in the fourth quarter related to the European infrastructure initiative, compared to $4.0 million for the third quarter. As part of the outsourcing of the U.K. transfer agency, operational process changes resulted in an accounting adjustment recognizing additional distribution expense of $15.3 million in the fourth quarter. This additional expense is attributable to periods prior to 2012 and has no impact on cash flows.

Operating expenses included $2.6 million of transaction and integration charges incurred in the fourth quarter relating to the remaining closed-end fund merger expenses associated with the 2010 acquisition of Morgan Stanley's retail asset management business, including Van Kampen Investments, together with incurred professional services costs associated with the pending acquisition of a 49.0% ownership interest in Religare Asset Management Limited. Transaction and integration charges were $3.0 million in the third quarter 2012.

Other gains and losses, net included a charge of $23.5 million in the fourth quarter related to the call premiums on the redemption of the $333.5 million principal amount of 5.375% Senior Notes due February 27, 2013 and the $197.1 million principal amount of the 5.375% Senior Notes due December 15, 2014. The third quarter included an $8.3 million gain on the sale of certain European CLO management contracts.

The effective tax rate, excluding noncontrolling interests, decreased to 28.1% for the fourth quarter from 30.3% for the third quarter 2012.