Gluskin Sheff + Associates Inc. announces second quarter fiscal 2014 results

TORONTO, Feb. 6, 2014 /CNW/ - Gluskin Sheff + Associates Inc. (the "Company") announced today its results for the three and six months ended December 31, 2013.

The Company's revenues are derived from Base Management Fees, calculated as a percentage of Assets Under Management ("AUM"), Performance Fees, which are earned when the Company exceeds pre-specified rates of return, and Other Income.

During the quarter, AUM increased by $488 million to an all-time high of $6.8 billion as at December 31, 2013 from $6.3 billion as at September 30, 2013 due to positive investment performance of $388 million and net additions of $100 million. The net additions resulted from $87 million in net additions from high net worth clients and $13 million in net additions from institutional clients. AUM increased by $1.1 billion from $5.7 billion as at December 31, 2012, to $6.8 billion as at December 31, 2013. This increase in AUM is attributable to positive investment performance of $874 million and net additions of $231 million.

For the three months ended December 31, 2013, Base Management Fees increased by $3.0 million or 16% to $21.7 million from $18.7 million for the three months ended December 31, 2012, due primarily to the increase in average AUM to $6.8 billion from $5.7 billion, partially offset by a decrease in the average Base Management Fee percentage to 1.27% from 1.32%.

Performance Fees for the three months ended December 31, 2013, were $98.5 million, compared to $32.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2012.

Net Income was $60.4 million and represented earnings per share, basic and diluted, of $2.10 and $2.05, respectively, for the three months ended December 31, 2013, up from $24.7 million or $0.85 per share, basic and diluted, for the three months ended December 31, 2012.

Base EBITDA eliminates the effect of Performance Fees, Performance Fee related expenses, post-retirement obligations, stock options expense and amortization of RSU awards, and deducts the dollar value of the expected base RSU bonus to be awarded in respect of the current year, and special RSUs awarded in the current year. For the three months ended December 31, 2013, Base EBITDA increased year-over-year by $1.2 million or 12% to $10.9 million from $9.7 million for the three months ended December 31, 2012.

"The past quarter was a fitting close to a successful year for our clients, as they enjoyed strong risk-adjusted performance with low volatility across all asset classes," commented Jeremy Freedman, President & Chief Executive Officer. "Having recently adopted a new mission statement, which is to provide investors with a world-class experience in the management of their wealth, we have once again raised the bar for ourselves as we embark on 2014."

The Company's full financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis can be found on the Company's website at www.gluskinsheff.com and on www.sedar.com.

Founded in 1984, Gluskin Sheff + Associates Inc. is one of Canada's pre-eminent wealth management firms serving high net worth private clients and institutional investors. Gluskin Sheff offers equity and fixed income investment portfolios in addition to being one of the largest managers of alternative investments in Canada. The Company's Common Shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "GS". For more information about the Company, please visit our website at www.gluskinsheff.com.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to Gluskin Sheff + Associates Inc.'s business and the environment in which it operates. These statements are based on the Company's expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections. They are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company's regulatory filings available on the Company's website at www.gluskinsheff.com or at www.sedar.com. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Readers, therefore, should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Further, a forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any such statement or to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances, except as required by applicable law.

Non-IFRS Measures
Included in this press release are certain financial terms (including Base EBITDA and AUM) that the Company utilizes to assess the financial performance of its business that are not measures recognized under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).  These non-IFRS measures do not have any standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS and  should not be considered alternatives to net income or any other measure of performance determined in accordance with IFRS.  Therefore, these non-IFRS measures are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. For additional information regarding the Company's use of non-IFRS measures, including the calculation of these measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS financial measures" section of the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and its financial statements available on the Company's website and on the SEDAR website located at www.sedar.com. 

SOURCE: Gluskin Sheff + Associates Inc.