A month has gone by since the last earnings report for SEI Investments (SEIC). Shares have lost about 7.9% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.

Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is SEI due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts.

SEI Investments' Q4 Earnings Miss as Expenses Increase Y/Y

SEI Investments’ fourth-quarter 2024 earnings per share of $1.19 lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. Nonetheless, the bottom line reflected a rise of 30.8% from the prior-year quarter's level.

Results were affected by higher expenses. Nevertheless, higher revenues and a rise in AUM were tailwinds.

Net income was $155.8 million, up 29% from the year-ago quarter's level. Our estimate for the metric was $151.3 million.

For 2024, earnings per share of $4.41 missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. Nonetheless, the metric rose 27.5% year over year. Net income increased 25.7% to $581.2 million.

Revenues & AUM Improve, Expenses Rise

Total revenues were $557.2 million, up 14.9% year over year. The rise was driven by higher asset management, administration, and distribution fees, as well as information processing and software servicing fees. Moreover, the top line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $553.9 million.

In 2024, total revenues increased 10.7% to $2.13 billion. Further, the top line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.12 billion.

Total expenses were $411.6 million, up 7.4% year over year. The increase was driven by all the components except consulting, outsourcing and professional fees charges, facilities, supplies and other costs and depreciation charges. Our estimate for the metric was $404.8 million.

Operating income increased 43.1% year over year to $145.5 million. Our estimate for the metric was $145.6 million.

As of Dec. 31, 2024, AUM was $476.7 billion, reflecting a rise of 10.4% from the prior-year quarter's reported actuals. Client assets under administration (AUA) were $1.06 trillion, up 12% year over year. Client AUA did not include $10.3 billion related to Funds of Funds assets reported as of Dec. 31, 2024.

Share Repurchase Update

In the reported quarter, SEI Investments bought back 3.1 million shares for $259.5 million at an average price of $83.43 per share.

How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?

It turns out, estimates revision have trended downward during the past month.

VGM Scores

At this time, SEI has a nice Growth Score of B, though it is lagging a lot on the Momentum Score front with a D. Charting a somewhat similar path, the stock was allocated a grade of C on the value side, putting it in the middle 20% for this investment strategy.

Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of C. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.

Outlook

Estimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions indicates a downward shift. Notably, SEI has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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