Organization and Description of the Business

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Organization and Description of the Business

Organization and Description of the Business

BrightSphere Investment Group Inc. (“BrightSphere”, “BSIG” or the “Company”), through its subsidiaries, is a global asset management company. The Company provides investment management services globally to predominantly institutional investors. The Company historically held interests in a diverse group of investment management firms (the “Affiliates”) individually headquartered in the United States. The Company completed the disposition of certain Affiliates and currently operates the business through one Affiliate, Acadian Asset Management LLC (“Acadian”), within its Quant & Solutions reportable segment:

•Quant & Solutions—comprised of versatile, often highly-tailored strategies that leverage data and technology in a computational, factor-based investment process across a range of asset classes in developed and emerging markets, including global, non-U.S. and small-cap equities, as well as managed volatility, ESG, multi-asset, equity alternatives, and long/short strategies.

Acadian is organized as a limited liability company. Fees for services are largely asset-based and, as a result, the Company’s revenue fluctuates based on the performance of financial markets and investors’ asset flows in and out of the Company’s products. The Company utilizes a profit-sharing model in structuring its compensation and ownership with Acadian. Variable compensation is based on the firm’s profitability. BSIG and Acadian key employees share in profits after variable compensation according to their respective ownership interests. The profit-sharing model results in the alignment of BSIG and Acadian key employee economic interests, which is critical to the Company’s talent management strategy and long-term growth of the business.     

The corporate head office is included within the Other category, along with the Company’s previously disposed affiliates, Campbell Global, LLC (“Campbell Global”) and Investment Counselors of Maryland (“ICM”), for the prior year period.

Prior to 2014, the Company was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Old Mutual plc (“OM plc”), an international long-term savings, protection, and investment group, listed on the London Stock Exchange. On October 15, 2014, the Company completed the initial public offering (the “Offering”) by OM plc pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Additionally, between the Offering and February 25, 2019, the Company, OM plc and/or HNA Capital U.S. (“HNA”) completed a series of transactions in the Company’s shares, including a two-step transaction announced on March 25, 2017 for a sale by OM plc of a 24.95% shareholding in the Company to HNA and a two-step transaction announced on November 19, 2018 for a sale of the substantial majority of the shares held by HNA of the Company to Paulson & Co. Inc. (“Paulson”). On February 25, 2019, this transaction was completed and Paulson held approximately 21.7% of the shares of the Company. The remaining shares held by HNA were bought back by the Company in the first quarter of 2019.

For the three months ended September 30, 2022, the Company did not repurchase any shares of common stock. For the nine months ended September 30, 2022, the Company repurchased 4,147,450 shares of common stock at an average price of $24.09 per share, or approximately $100 million in total, including commissions. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company did not repurchase any shares of common stock.