Hamilton Lane (HLNE) Q1 EPS Falls 13%

Hamilton Lane (HLNE 3.89%), a leading private markets investment manager with both discretionary and advisory assets, released its fiscal first quarter 2026 results on August 5, 2025. The main headlines: Non-GAAP EPS was $1.31 in Q1 FY2026 (below the $1.34 non-GAAP consensus estimate), while Reported GAAP revenue fell short of expectations, landing at $175.958 million versus the $186.65 million analysts had projected. The company reported a 13% year-over-year drop in GAAP EPS. Management flagged continued growth in key asset metrics and strong Fee Related Earnings as bright spots. Overall, the quarter saw mixed signals: steady long-term progress on assets under management, but unpredictable incentive fee flows and softer topline (GAAP revenue) compared to estimates.

Source: Analyst estimates for the quarter provided by FactSet.

What Hamilton Lane Does and Where It’s Focused

Hamilton Lane is an investment manager and adviser with a specialty in private markets. It serves over 2,300 institutions and intermediaries, including pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and high-net-worth individuals. Its business centers on managing discretionary assets (it makes investment decisions for the client) and providing advice on non-discretionary assets (the client retains investment control).

The engine of its business is building long-term, fee-earning relationships. Management and advisory fees make up the majority of recurring revenue. In recent years, Hamilton Lane has focused on growing its scale, launching new products like Evergreen funds (always-open investment funds) and expanding its proprietary analytics platform, Cobalt LP. Key factors to its success include growing assets under management, maintaining a diversified client base, launching new funds in private credit and infrastructure, and using technology to improve transparency and reporting for clients.

Inside the Quarter: Data, Drivers, and Developments

The main story this quarter was GAAP revenue and non-GAAP EPS for Q1 FY2026 fell short of consensus. GAAP revenue was $175.958 million in Q1 FY2026, missing the $186.65 million GAAP revenue target, while Non-GAAP EPS fell to $1.31, compared to the $1.34 non-GAAP estimate. On a year-over-year basis, both GAAP revenue and diluted EPS dropped 11% and 13% year-over-year in Q1 FY2026, driven by a notable swing in incentive fees. Management attributed much of the shortfall to the unpredictable timing and lower volume of incentive and retroactive fees -- payments that depend on specific fundraising events and successful deal exits, which can vary widely from period to period.

Fee Related Earnings, a non-GAAP metric measuring recurring profits from core management and advisory work, climbed 31% year-over-year to $83.7 million in Q1 FY2026. The Fee Related Earnings margin (non-GAAP) also rose to 51% in Q1 FY2026, up from 45% a year ago. this was offset by a 26% year-over-year decrease in incentive fees and specialized funds management fees (GAAP) decreased 8% year-over-year. Management and advisory fees remained the largest source of revenue, though they dipped 4% year-over-year as the company lapped an unusually strong period of retroactive fee collection last year.

Segment performance showed pockets of strength and some softness. Specialized funds (including private credit, direct equity, infrastructure, impact funds, and Evergreen funds) saw fees decline year-over-year, reflecting lumpy incentive flows. Customized separate accounts (tailored portfolios for clients) posted modest fee growth of 3%, while Advisory services slipped 7% year-over-year. Reporting, monitoring, data, and analytics fees increased 20%, reflecting increased demand for technology-driven services. Distribution management surged 96%, but this remains a small part of overall revenue.

Assets under management (AUM) reached $140.9 billion as of June 30, 2025, a 9% increase from June 30, 2024, while Assets under advisement (AUA) grew to $845.3 billion as of June 30, 2025, a 4% increase from June 30, 2024. Collectively, total asset footprint (AUM plus AUA) grew 5% year-over-year. Fee-earning assets under management (the pool generating regular fees) climbed 10% to $74.4 billion (non-GAAP), with most growth coming from specialized funds (+16%) in FY2025 and customized separate accounts fee-earning assets under management increased 5% year-over-year. Net income attributable to the company (GAAP) was $53.7 million in Q1 FY2026, down 9% from last year. Adjusted EBITDA remained nearly flat. Notably, The company raised its quarterly dividend by 10% to $0.54 per share compared to the prior fiscal year. According to management, over 80% of gross contributions in the last 12 months came from existing clients.

Product Lines and Technology Initiatives

For context, Hamilton Lane’s main products include specialized funds (pooled vehicles investing in private assets, often with a specific strategy), customized separate accounts (bespoke investment portfolios managed for a single client), and evergreen funds (always-on funds suited for investors wanting liquidity and streamlined access to private markets). Over the past year, several new funds launched or expanded, including the sixth direct equity fund (closed at $181 million for the quarter), new evergreen strategies in infrastructure and secondaries, and a venture/growth series for both U.S. and European investors.

The evergreen platform, which allows both individual and institutional clients to invest in private markets without the restrictions of traditional, closed-end funds, saw particularly robust growth. Platform AUM stands at $10.7 billion. Over 15% of capital raised in Evergreen funds comes from institutional investors. On the technology front, Hamilton Lane made new investments in AI-powered companies such as 73 Strings (data extraction and monitoring for private markets), and continued to develop its proprietary analytics tool, Cobalt LP, which is intended to help clients make more informed decisions. Revenue for reporting/analytics and data-driven services rose 20% year-over-year, underlining the importance of these offerings.

Expense controls included a significant 11% reduction in compensation and benefits. General and administrative costs were mostly steady, with a modest 2% uptick. Leverage remained stable, with debt at $289 million as of Q1 FY2026. The company’s balance sheet showed $263.3 million in cash as of Q1 FY2026 (GAAP) and $674.5 million in investments, mainly in its own funds and technology initiatives, as of Q1 FY2026. Overall, Hamilton Lane continued to invest in growth, especially in technology and expanding its range of products for different client types.

Looking Ahead: Guidance and What to Watch

For future periods, company management reasserted its healthy fundraising pipeline and plans for additional growth in assets. Not withstanding quarter-to-quarter volatility driven mainly by incentive fee timing. Management did not give explicit new revenue or earnings guidance for upcoming quarters but suggested the business is positioned to convert contracted client commitments into new asset flows as markets stabilize.

The key items for investors to monitor remain the trends in incentive and retroactive fee realization, which can cause swings in quarterly performance. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.54 per share, a 10% increase from the prior fiscal year, and has now raised its dividend for eight consecutive years as of FY2025. Hamilton Lane’s client retention, product expansion, and growing asset footprint will be critical in shaping the coming quarters.

Revenue and net income presented using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless otherwise noted.