Despite headwinds from inflation and low interest rates, Stifel’s wealth management unit reeled in record revenue and client assets last year.
The company doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon. In fact, CEO Ron Kruszewski has set a goal of reaching $1 trillion in client assets from its current level of around $435 billion, he said in an earnings call with analysts after the St. Louis-based firm disclosed its fourth-quarter earnings on Jan. 26. While the number of incoming brokers declined last year, Kruszewski told an analyst who asked about the Global Wealth Management division’s organic growth rate that the target “isn’t a projection” because the business is boosting its assets under management by around 5% to 6% a year, according to a transcript by the website Seeking Alpha.
“That’s what we’re focusing on,” Kruszewski said. “And we’re going to get there by organically growing with our existing clients, getting new clients and by recruiting. And those always sound, like, hugely aspirational. But they’re really not. There are things that we can do. When I started, our AUM was $8 million. So we can do that, and we will. AUM growth is a core foundation to our growth forward, as it has been for the last 25 years.”
To see the key takeaways from the earnings announcement and call, scroll down our slideshow. For coverage of Stifel’s prior quarterly earnings, click here.