London, Feb 16, 2026, 09:49 GMT — Regular session
- St James’s Place shares clawed back some ground in early London trading, bouncing after last week’s steep decline.
- Wealth managers drew attention again, their sector shaken by AI disruption concerns.
- Next up: investors are eyeing the group’s full-year numbers, due later this month.
St James’s Place Plc (SJP.L) shares edged up 0.4% to 1,251 pence as of 0945 GMT on Monday, recouping a fraction of last week’s decline.
This stock now stands in as a kind of barometer for how investors are feeling about advice-driven wealth management firms. Eyes are on the next batch of results for any sign—client inflows, fee growth, or expenses—that could shift sentiment in a hurry.
Selling hit the sector last week after renewed fears that artificial intelligence might take over some of the roles handled by human advisers. St James’s Place dropped 13.4% on Feb. 11, while shares in Quilter and AJ Bell also lost ground.
Not everyone’s convinced. “People are overreacting,” said Jefferies analyst Julian Roberts at the time, making the case that clients continue to rely on advisers, software advances notwithstanding. Morningstar
Technical signals have shifted in a more favorable direction. On Monday, Barclays highlighted that the shares look oversold based on the short-term RSI, a popular momentum indicator, and also noted a bullish stochastic reading.
The company’s most recent update, dated Jan. 29, reported gross inflows hitting 21.9 billion pounds for 2025, with net inflows—after accounting for withdrawals—at 6.2 billion pounds. That pushed funds under management up to 220.0 billion pounds. Chief Executive Mark FitzPatrick noted that by early 2026, outflows and client engagement had “normalise[d].” London South East
Friday’s filing revealed that Denmark’s BLS Capital Fondsmæglerselskab A/S has upped its stake to 4.244%, up from 3.793%. That’s now 22.37 million shares, following the February 12 threshold breach.
The stock, though, remains well off its peak. Friday’s close landed at 1,245.5p—roughly 21% under the Feb. 3 52-week high of 1,575.5p—so any misstep in guidance isn’t getting much forgiveness from investors.
The company’s full-year results are due out Feb. 25, with details on the final dividend schedule expected sometime in March.
