Today, AMG reported another quarter of record results, including the highest second quarter earnings in our company's history. Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $316 million, and economic earnings per share of $8.29 grew 44% and 54% year-over-year respectively, reflecting the strength of our diversified business and the ongoing execution of our strategy. Assets under management increased to a record $942 billion, driven by net inflows in markets and setting the stage for ongoing earnings growth momentum in the second half of 2026. We continue to generate strong organic growth with $13 billion in net inflows in the quarter and $56 billion in net inflows over the last 12 months.

Importantly, these figures understate the exceptional momentum in higher fee, higher margin absolute return strategies, which attracted $29 billion in net flows in the quarter and approximately $100 billion over the past 12 months. The momentum across our business highlights the successful execution of our strategy and is a result of the ongoing evolution of our earnings profile towards alternatives. Today, alternatives account for more than 60% of our earnings, and this contribution is expected to grow meaningfully over the next 12 months. As we have discussed in prior calls, four secular trends continue to drive our organic growth profile.

First, the accelerating client demand worldwide for Secondary Strategies across Private Markets. Looking ahead, we expect ongoing strength in alternative strategies as clients increasingly seek differentiated sources of return and diversification against the backdrop of a more complex market environment. With five consecutive quarters of alternative-led net inflows so far and increasing exposure to structural growth areas, AMG is well positioned for sustained organic growth and earnings momentum. Following an active first half, including the completion of our investments in BBH Credit Partners, HighBrook Investors, and an incremental minority investment in Garda Capital Partners, our pipeline remains strong.

What went well
  • Record Q2 results: adjusted EBITDA of ~$316M (up 44% YoY) and economic EPS of $8.29 (up 54% YoY)
  • AUM reached a record $942 billion, up 7% from the prior quarter and 22% on an LTM basis
  • Record alternative-strategy net inflows of $29 billion in the quarter and ~$100 billion over the last 12 months
  • Alternatives now more than 60% of earnings (up from ~50% 18 months ago and 35% five years ago), with a target of 70%
  • Repurchased ~$189M of shares in Q2 (~$375M in the first half), retiring more than 10% of shares over the last 12 months
  • Fee-related earnings grew 39% YoY, improving earnings quality via a higher management-fee mix
What went wrong
  • Differentiated long-only equity strategies saw $14 billion in net outflows amid ongoing industry and performance headwinds
  • Multi-asset and fixed income posted $2 billion in net outflows, driven by seasonal money-market/short-duration redemptions
  • Q2 seasonality in fixed income expected to recur going forward due to added wealth-client exposure from the BBH Credit Partners deal
  • Q3 EBITDA guidance reflects market blend down 2% quarter-to-date as of July 29th
  • Some deal-pipeline discussions were delayed earlier in the year amid geopolitical uncertainty, shifting activity into the second half

Guidance Changes

MetricPeriodCurrent guidance
Adjusted EBITDAQ3 2026$315M-$325M
Recurring fee-related earningsQ3 2026$315M
Net performance feesQ3 2026up to $10M
Economic EPSQ3 2026$8.43-$8.71 (midpoint ~40% YoY growth)
Weighted average share countQ3 202626.3 million
Share repurchasesFY 2026~$600M
Economic EPS growthFY 2026~40%

Performance Breakdown

MetricYoYNote
Adjusted EBITDA +44% Organic growth, investment performance, and margin expansion at largest affiliates
Economic EPS +54% Earnings growth plus >10% reduction in average economic share count from repurchases
Fee-related earnings +39% Positive organic growth, investment performance, and margin expansion
AUM +22% (LTM) New affiliate investments, positive investment performance, and record alternative net inflows
Total net inflows $13B in quarter Led by record $29B of alternative-strategy inflows, offset by long-only and MA/FI outflows
Net performance fee earnings +$5M (to $10M) At the high end of the guidance range

Earnings Call Themes & Trends

TopicPrevious mentionCurrent periodTrend
Shift toward alternatives~50% of earnings 18 months ago, 35% five years agoOver 60% of earnings, targeting 70% in short order
Four secular growth drivers (secondaries, infrastructure, absolute return, tax-aware)Collectively drove ~$100B of alternative net inflows over the last 12 months
Tax-aware investingStructural mindset shift across the wealth ecosystem; just over 10% of AMG earnings today
New affiliate investment pipeline2025 near-record capital deploymentNotable increase in high-quality opportunities beginning late Q2 and continuing into Q3
Disciplined capital allocation15-20% EPS CAGR over past five yearsAccelerated to ~40% expected in 2026; balancing growth investments and repurchases at high-teens return targets

Q&A Summary

How sustainable is tax-aware demand given recent scrutiny, and what is the broader liquid-alts outlook?
Management views tax-aware investing as a durable, industry-wide structural shift driven by individuals investing after-tax dollars, extending across ETFs, tax-loss harvesting, long-short equity, real estate, and private markets. It is ~10% of AMG earnings today (experienced most directly through AQR). Liquid-alts demand is strong, with industry inflows at the highest level since 2007 and AMG's non-tax-aware liquid-alt organic growth over 15%.
Which quant strategies and affiliates are seeing the most interest, and are there capacity concerns?
Momentum is concentrated in the four growth themes (infrastructure, secondaries, absolute return, tax-aware), with record $29B alternative inflows in Q2. On capacity, large-scale liquid-alt managers run multiple strategies; tax-aware is mostly long-short equity benchmarked to MSCI World or S&P 500, which are deep, diverse markets offering ample capacity.
Can you go a layer deeper on the accelerating deal pipeline and how it compares to the start of the year?
2025 was a near-record deployment year that carried into 2026 (HighBrook follow-on, Garda increment, BBH Credit Partners close, ~$175M deployed). A meaningful increase in opportunities began late Q2 and continues into Q3, partly reflecting discussions delayed by earlier geopolitical uncertainty. Targets span private markets and liquid alternatives; typical check sizes are $100M-$500M with some sizable deals in the pipeline, all held to high-teens return requirements.
What is the overall flow profile and how is it changing the business mix?
The four growth areas drove record $29B alternative inflows in Q2 and ~$100B over 12 months, carrying into July. Long-only saw $14B outflows and MA/FI $2B outflows. The mix is now more than 60% alternatives (up from ~50% 18 months ago and 35% five years ago), with EBITDA contribution from flows growing about twice as fast as asset-based organic growth due to higher fee rates and margin expansion.
How does AMG differentiate itself in winning new affiliates?
AMG offers independent firms a strategic partner that magnifies their advantages while preserving independence, contrasting favorably with control deals and financially oriented buyers. It benefits from a strong reputation, inbounds across private markets/liquid alts/long-only, proprietary relationships, and referrals from existing affiliates, supporting capital deployment over the next 12-24 months.
What is the outlook for the differentiated long-only and multi-asset/fixed income categories?
Long-only faces ongoing industry and performance headwinds ($14B outflows) but the long-term trend is improving with pockets of strength; quarter-to-quarter volatility is expected and its earnings contribution has fallen to 35%. Multi-asset/fixed income outflows ($2B) were seasonal (tax-payment timing) and are expected to return to modestly positive organic growth in Q3, though Q2 seasonality may recur due to BBH Credit Partners wealth exposure.

More on Affiliated Managers Group, Inc.

Reported 2026-07-30 · figures from the Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. Q2 2026 earnings call.

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