Investment platform AJ Bell has reported a strong year of growth, with “high levels” of new customers and “record dealing activity”.
The Salford-headquartered firm reported revenue increased 21 per cent to £126.7m for the year ended September 30, up from £104.9m the year before.
Meanwhile, pre-tax profit was up 29 per cent to £48.6m, up from £37.7m the year before.
AJ Bell also said its total customers increased by 63,239 in the year to 295,305, which is an increase of 27 per cent.
Chief executive Andy Bell said: “This has been another year of strong growth, with high levels of new customers and record dealing activity driving a 29% increase in profit before tax to £48.6m.
“Our focus on providing an easy-to-use platform at a competitive price has resulted in growth in customer numbers and assets under administration of 27 per cent and 8 per cent respectively during a year when the FTSE All-Share Index fell by 19 per cent.
“In light of this strong financial performance, the Board recommends a final ordinary dividend of 4.66p per share, taking the total ordinary dividend for the year to 6.16p per share.
“This is an increase of 28 per cent on the previous year and extends our record of increasing our ordinary dividend every year since we paid our first dividend in 2004.
“The long-term growth drivers of the platform market remain strong, with customers increasingly looking for good value, online solutions and we are well positioned to benefit from those trends.”