The figure represents a 55% surge on the 2013 total, with almost half of that – $87.8bn (£57.8bn) – accumulated in the final quarter. Of the full-year figure, $14.8bn (£9.8bn) was invested by EMEA clients, with $61.7bn (£40.6bn) and $11.3bn (£7.4bn) arriving from the Americas and Asia-Pacific respectively.
Retail long-term net inflows accounted for $23bn (£15.6bn), iShares added $44.2bn (£29.1bn), and institutional providing $1bn (£658.9m).
BlackRock’s cash management business gathered a further $25bn (£16.4bn), with assets under management hitting $296.4bn (£195.3bn), contributing to an 8% rise in company-wide AUM in 2014, which hit $4.65tn (£306.1tn). Advisory AUM however dropped 6% to $21.7bn (£14.3bn).
Investors in the firm enjoyed full-year diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $19.25 (£12.69), with adjusted EPS of $19.34 (£12.74), while Q4 EPS yielded a diluted $4.77 (£3.14) and $4.82 (£3.18) adjusted.
As a result, BlackRock’s board of directors gave the green light to a 13% increase in quarterly dividend per share, up to $2.18 (£1.44), payable on 24 March, and will repurchase six million shares according to its existing share repurchase programme.
Operating income growth underwent a 16% jump (13% as adjusted) in 2014, with operating margins rising by 40.4% (42.9% adjusted) year-on-year and a 41.1% (43.6% adjusted) Q4 increase on the previous quarter.
