LONDON, April 24, 2026, 16:10 BST
- St. James’s Place shares slipped in Friday’s delayed London trading.
- This week, the wealth manager picked up 231,044 shares to cancel.
- All eyes shift to its first-quarter new business update, which lands April 29.
St. James’s Place Plc shares slipped in London trading Friday, ahead of the wealth manager’s upcoming first-quarter flows update next week. The company is also moving forward with a buyback plan set to reduce its ordinary share count. Hargreaves Lansdown showed the shares at 1,261.5p to sell and 1,262.5p to buy, down 31p, or 2.4%, based on prices delayed at least 15 minutes.
Timing is key here. St. James’s Place will release its first-quarter new business update on April 29, with the annual general meeting set for April 30. That means investors won’t wait long to see if last year’s rebound in client assets and profits is sticking.
SJP snapped up 231,044 ordinary shares on April 22, paying an average 1,298.4521p apiece. The trade saw prices swing between 1,286.5p and 1,306.5p. The company plans to cancel the new stock, which will cut its total ordinary shares to 519,398,538 after the move.
The buyback alone isn’t especially hefty. Still, it forms part of a broader capital return push—remember, SJP pledged back in February to raise total annual shareholder distributions to 70% of its underlying cash result starting 2026. That underlying cash result? It’s SJP’s own metric for regular cash profit, stripped of one-offs and timing swings.
SJP wrapped up 2025 with a record £220.0 billion in funds under management. That’s the total client money the firm oversees—key to how it generates fees. The company’s full-year results showed gross inflows climbing to £21.9 billion, with net inflows coming in at £6.2 billion.
Earnings got a lift too. SJP booked IFRS profit after tax of £531.4 million for 2025, up from £398.4 million the previous year. Its post-tax underlying cash result inched up 3% to £462.3 million. Reuters noted the payout hike arrived a year earlier than expected and followed annual earnings that topped company-compiled analyst estimates.
Back in February, Chief Executive Mark FitzPatrick pointed to “substantial progress” following SJP’s strategy overhaul, highlighting moves to simplify and clarify operations. He also noted the continued uncertainty facing consumers—something investors won’t lose sight of when first-quarter results arrive. Investegate
Off the trading floor, SJP signed on to a fresh UK retail investing drive that kicked off April 23, pulling support from 20 financial services players—among them Quilter, Schroders, Vanguard, NatWest Group, and the London Stock Exchange. According to the Investment Association, the campaign targets cash savers who haven’t yet made the move into investing. Their research points to 10.1 million people in that category who say they want to know more.
Chris Cummings, chief executive at the Investment Association, pointed out there’s “clear demand from millions of savers” eager to put their money to work, though many aren’t sure how to start. Barclays’ Sasha Wiggins, who’s chairing the campaign as well as heading private bank and wealth management, said while the UK does have a savings habit, there’s still “a significant investing gap.” The Investment Association
It’s a busy field. Quilter, Schroders, and Vanguard are all backing the campaign, aiming to steer more household cash toward long-term investment vehicles. For SJP, which still holds the top spot among advice-led UK wealth managers, that collective effort could lift the market as a whole. But with results due next week, SJP still has to deliver net inflows.
Flows could easily disappoint if market volatility lingers or clients stay on the sidelines, still wary about taxes, fees and inflation. There’s also the ongoing debate over how artificial intelligence might reshape financial advice. In February, Reuters noted a 12.2% drop for SJP during a bout of AI-fueled selling in wealth managers; shares of Quilter and Rathbones also slid. UBS strategist Gerry Fowler pointed out that advice-led outfits face more risk from AI-driven disruption than firms focused on transactions.
Right now, SJP’s buyback offers a reliable way to return capital. The bigger question lands Wednesday: will the first-quarter update reveal clients still bringing in new money after the fee changes and hopes for a 2025 recovery?
