AMP · Q1 2026 Earnings

Cautious

Ameriprise Financial

Reported April 23, 2026

30-second summary

Ameriprise printed $4.81B Q1 revenue (+11% YoY, -3% QoQ) and $11.26 adjusted operating EPS with pretax adjusted operating margin at 27.9% and ROE ex-AOCI at 54.3% — record profitability metrics. But the substantive shifts are negative: the payout ratio dropped to 88% from Q4's 101%, management confirmed the full $18B Comerica outflow will hit by end of Q3, and the tone in Q&A pivoted from defending the 4–5% organic growth target to acknowledging it will be "lumpy." The FY2026 tax rate guide (20–22%) came back, but the broader quantitative framework that was retired in Q4 did not.

Headline numbers

EPS

Q1 FY2026

$11.26

Revenue

Q1 FY2026

$4.81B

+11.0% YoY

Operating margin

Q1 FY2026

27.9%

Key financials

Q1 FY2026

Metric	Q1 FY2026	YoY	Q4 FY2025	QoQ
Revenue	$4.81B	+11.0%	$4.96B	-3.0%
EPS	$11.26	—	$10.83	+4.0%
Operating margin	27.9%	—	27.2%	+70bps

Guidance

No quantitative guidance changes on comparable periods; company introduced new FY2026 tax rate and RPS earnings guidance without issuing specific Q2 FY2026 forward guidance.

Guidance is issued for the full year only, refreshed each quarter. Prior and new below are the same FY updated this quarter.

New guidance

Metric	Period	Guide	YoY
Operating effective tax rate	FY 2026	20% to 22%	—
Retirement & Protection Solutions earnings	FY 2026	approximately $800 million per year	—

Segment performance

Q1 FY2026

Segment	Q1 FY2026	YoY
Advice & Wealth Management	$3.175B	+14.0%
Asset Management	$0.91B	+8.0%
Retirement & Protection Solutions	$0.952B	+3.0%

Capital & returns

Q1 FY2026

Segment	Q1 FY2026
Capital Returned to Shareholders	$936 million

Other KPIs

Q1 FY2026

Segment	Q1 FY2026
Assets Under Management, Administration and Advisement	$1.7 trillion
Total Client Assets (AWM)	$1.149 trillion
Assets Under Management & Advisement (Asset Management)	$706 billion
Wrap Assets	$664 billion
Return on Equity ex-AOCI	54.3%
Adjusted Operating Net Revenue per Advisor (TTM)	$1,160 thousand
Pretax Adjusted Operating Margin	27.9%

Management tone

Q2 anchor: sidelined cash as deferred growth → Q3 anchor: structural insulation from environment → Q4 anchor: declaration of victory → Q1 anchor: disciplined acknowledgment of headwinds.

Recruiting language pivoted from selective discipline to explicit rejection. Two quarters ago management framed recruiting as "selectively increased" while maintaining profitability discipline. Last quarter recruiting was still "attractive" with a strong pipeline. This quarter the posture sharpened: "the recruiting deals we are seeing today in this perceived risk on environment exceed what we believe is a balanced risk return approach, given the long cash paybacks and marginal P&L benefits over the extended life of these arrangements." That's the most explicit rejection of competitor-style packages management has issued — and the signal is that capital discipline now outranks flow growth in the priority stack.

Comerica went from contractual protection to acknowledged $18B outflow. Q3 framed Comerica as ~$15B with "contractual protections." Q4 acknowledged Fifth Third "may have its own preferences" but described the relationship as still generating good value. This quarter management quantified the damage: "We anticipate the higher pace of outflows related to Comerica will continue in the second and third quarters, culminating with the conversion occurring near the end of the third quarter." In Q&A, $18B was confirmed as the total outflow with all of it gone by end of Q3. The relationship is no longer being defended — it's being managed to exit.

The 4–5% organic growth bogey moved from reaffirmation to qualified maintenance. Q4 reaffirmed 4–5% as "a reasonable bogey." This quarter, asked directly whether the target still holds given recruiting and attrition pressures, management said "the solid core growth is there" but acknowledged growth will be "lumpy" depending on competitive response calibration. That's a softening — the same answer in Q4 was confident; this quarter it carries explicit caveats.

AI graduated from productivity story to operating model. Q3 quantified record digital adoption. Q4 described Signature Wealth as a validated productivity driver. This quarter management embedded AI into the firm-wide operating philosophy: "Our focus is on using AI and intelligent automation capabilities at scale to help advisors deliver a consistent, high-quality client experience while improving how they operate day to day." The revenue/advisor TTM at $1.160M (up another $38K QoQ) is the evidence trail.

Capital return moved from opportunistic acceleration back to disciplined range. Q4 returned 101% of operating earnings at $1.1B, framed explicitly as opportunistic given the share-price discount. This quarter dropped to 88% — back inside the 85–90% range. In Q&A, management confirmed they evaluate PE ratios and view current levels as "reasonable" but stopped short of calling them a discount. The signal: management thinks the Q4 share-price entry point was better than what they're seeing today.

Recurring themes management leaned on this quarter:

Record profitability and ROE exceeding 54%Disciplined capital allocation and shareholder returns (88% payout ratio)Technology and AI-enabled advisor productivity gainsDiversified earnings resilience across market cyclesOrganic growth model with selective recruiting disciplineAsset management outflow stabilization and sales momentum

Risks management surfaced:

Ongoing market volatility and economic uncertainty contributing to cautious client behaviorAggressive recruiting environment driving higher advisor departuresComerica advisors departing due to their acquisition, creating second and third quarter outflow headwindsGeopolitical volatility impacting retail flows in EMEAElevated cash balances as risk if rates don't decline

Q&A highlights

Wilma Burtis · Raymond James

Why didn't Ameriprise return more than 88% of operating earnings in 1Q26 given stock price levels, and should 2Q26 capital return be higher if stock stays at current levels?

Management indicated they will continue buying back 85-90% of operating earnings, evaluating PE ratios and the current stock price as reasonable for taking advantage and purchasing at higher levels, given capacity to do so while investing in the business.

85% to 90% buyback range targeting1Q26 returned 88% of operating earningsPE ratio evaluation driving capital allocation decisions

Brennan Hawkin · BMO Capital Markets

Can the $18 billion Comerica outflow be evenly allocated across four quarters, or will there be lumpiness in quarterly patterns?

Management confirmed $18 billion total outflow but stated all will be out by end of Q3 (not Q4), with heavier activity in Q1 and Q2. Cannot predict exact quarter-by-quarter amounts due to advisor termination notices and Fifth Third's handling of transfers.

$18 billion total Comerica outflow confirmedAll outflows expected complete by end of Q3Heavier activity in Q1 and Q2 than later quarters$20+ million in make-whole payments received in quarter

Michael Cypress · Morgan Stanley

How are the bank initiatives (Pledge, checking, HELOCs, mortgages, savings) contributing today and what steps are being taken to drive broader engagement and ramp in coming quarters?

Pledge is growing nicely with large opportunity ahead relative to peers. Checking account just launched as core banking component complementing HELOCs, mortgages, and savings programs ramping up. Early advisor launches show positive reception. At early stages with expectation of stronger contribution going forward.

Pledge growing with significant upside opportunity vs. peers like Morgan StanleyChecking account launch completed in quarterEarly advisor launch feedback positiveMultiple banking products rolling out in phases

Sunit Kamath · Jefferies

Can Ameriprise still achieve the 4-5% organic growth target for the year given increased competition affecting attrition and recruiting, or is competition taking them off track?

Management stated the solid core growth is there and they remain comfortable with the objective, but it's being affected by aggressive attrition and recruiting dynamics. Growth will be lumpy depending on market aggressiveness and their response calibration. Core assets and revenue grew strongly despite NNA headwinds.

4-5% organic growth target maintained as objectiveCore same-store growth solid; NNA is the variableComerica attrition contributed to Q1 NNA missQ4 had positive NNA, Q1 was down (lumpy pattern expected)

Tom Gallagher · Evercore ISI

What is the scale of aggressive recruiting packages in the market, and is it still limited enough that Ameriprise can achieve objectives, or will they need to react more forcefully?

Management characterized the issue as relatively contained—some RIA moves happen with financial incentives, and some competitors offer big checks, but the impact is not large. Net recruiting was still very positive last year. When advisors join from other platforms, they often see the superiority of Ameriprise's technology and capability.

Recruiting activity described as 'not large' in scaleNet recruiting was very positive in prior yearW-2 and franchise channels both seeing aggressive packagesAdvisors from competitors impressed by Ameriprise technology relative to promises

Answers to last quarter's watch list

Whether Q1 FY2026 brings back any quantitative guidance framework — Partially. The FY2026 operating effective tax rate guide (20–22%) returned and an RPS earnings run-rate of ~$800M/year "over time" was introduced. But the G&A, payout-ratio, and consolidated cost commitments that were retired in Q4 stayed absent. The disclosure step-down from Q3 has not been reversed.

Resolved negatively

Fifth Third/Comerica decision outcome — Resolved decisively against AMP. Management confirmed $18B in total Comerica outflows will exit by end of Q3, with $20M+ in make-whole payments received this quarter. The contractual protections from Q3/Q4 commentary are now visible only as make-whole receipts, not retention.

Resolved negatively

AWM margin holding 29–30% — Not disclosed at the segment level on the print, but firm-wide pretax adjusted operating margin held at 27.9% (vs. 27.2% Q4) and revenue/advisor TTM rose to $1.160M. Directionally consistent with the Q&A commitment but the specific AWM segment margin wasn't called out.

Continue monitoring

Asset Management revenue durability ex-performance fees — Asset Management revenue held at $910M (+8% YoY) without the $120M Q4 performance fee tailwind, confirming the underlying business has durability past the hedge fund Q4 print. AUM&A did decline $15B QoQ to $706B.

Resolved positively

Capital return cadence post-90% FY2025 payout — Buybacks moderated as anticipated. Q1 returned $936M (88% of operating earnings) vs. Q4's $1.1B at 101%. Management confirmed in Q&A that 85–90% is the operating range and characterized current prices as "reasonable" rather than a discount. The Q4 acceleration was a one-off.

Resolved positively

Signature Wealth penetration disclosure — Management did not provide specific adoption percentages. AI/automation was framed at the operating-model level rather than quantified by platform adoption. The dodge continues.

Not resolved

What to watch into next quarter

Q2 NNA print and whether Comerica outflow pacing matches the "heavier in Q1 and Q2" guide — management said $18B is fully out by Q3 with front-loaded weighting; watch whether Q2 net flows confirm the trajectory or surprise to the downside

Whether the payout ratio holds at 88% or steps back up — Q4's 101% was explicitly tied to share-price discount; Q1's 88% suggests management thinks current levels are fair value. A reversion to 90%+ in Q2 would signal management sees the stock as cheap again

Asset Management AUM&A trajectory — $15B QoQ decline to $706B is the first sequential drop in the trend; watch whether Q2 stabilizes or whether outflows accelerate as institutional redemptions cycle through

RPS quarterly earnings vs. the ~$800M annual run-rate guide — implicit $200M/quarter run-rate is below recent quarterly trajectory; watch whether Q2 RPS earnings confirm the reset lower or whether the guidance is conservative framing

AWM wrap assets recovery — $664B vs. $670B Q4 is the first wrap asset QoQ decline in the recent trend; watch whether market recovery and Signature Wealth adoption push wrap back above $670B

Any reintroduction of the G&A or payout-ratio quantitative framework — Q4 retired both; Q1 brought back only tax rate. Watch whether Q2 brings back consolidated G&A targets or whether the disclosure step-down becomes permanent

Sources

Ameriprise Financial Q1 2026 Earnings Release, April 23, 2026 — https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/820027/000082002726000020/q12026er.htm
Ameriprise Financial Q1 2026 earnings call prepared remarks and Q&A

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