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Australian Ethical Investment

AEF.AX
83
Asset Management · Financial Services
Price
A$4.40
-0.10 (-2.22%)
Market Cap
A$500.9M
Exchange
Australian Securities Exchange
Winston Score
83
Winston is happy
A high-quality business with solid fundamentals.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Dec 31, 2025
How the score breaks down
Quality
Exceptional
Growth
Strong
Cash Flow
Exceptional
Stability
Exceptional
Valuation
Good
Dividends
Strong

Share count rising — dilution

+1.3% over 4y

The company has issued more shares over this period, which dilutes each existing shareholder’s stake.

Diluted shares outstanding: 112.3M (2021) → 113.9M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Australian Ethical Investment is an asset management company based in Australia. It runs a range of managed funds and superannuation (retirement savings) accounts for everyday Australian investors who want their money invested in companies that meet certain ethical standards. The firm avoids industries like fossil fuels, gambling, and weapons, and only invests in businesses it considers socially and environmentally responsible.

The company earns money by charging fees based on how much money clients have invested with them — the more assets under management, the more revenue it collects. It operates almost entirely within Australia and manages roughly $10 billion in assets. Its main competitive advantage is its long-standing ethical investment charter, which has been in place since 1986 and gives it a recognized brand among values-focused investors. The key growth driver is the continued rise of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) investing in Australia, though the main risk is fee pressure and competition from larger fund managers launching their own ethical investment products.

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+16.5% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

+99.6% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

EPS growth accelerating

R&D Spend

A$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (7%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

24.4%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

A$39M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth + cash flow

Australian Ethical Investment is a rare growth stock that's already generating positive cash flow while growing at 17%. The Winston Score doesn't fully credit this transition from "burner" to "earner."

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
80.1%
Premium pricing power — 80.1% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
31.4%
Excellent — 31.4% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
113.2%
Exceptional — 113.2% return on capital

ROIC above 25%. Every dollar invested in the business earns more than 25 cents back per year.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+14.1%
Fast-growing sales (+14.1% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
+60.7%
Earnings growing fast (+60.7% YoY)

Earnings growing 25%+ a year. The compounder zone.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
5/8 quarters
Mixed — about half the quarters showed growth

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
120%
Turns 120% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
22.7%
Converts sales into free cash efficiently (22.7%)

Free cash flow margin above 20%. Out of every $100 in sales, more than $20 is real cash they keep.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
0.04
Conservative — low debt load (0.04)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
394.33x
Comfortably covers interest (394.3x)

Interest coverage above 8. Profits cover interest many times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
20.6x
Growth-priced — P/E 20.6

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+2.2
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow — slightly cheaper on forward P/E

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
3.64%
Moderate income — 3.64% yield

Standard yield zone for stable dividend payers. A meaningful piece of total return.

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+115.4%
Dividend growing fast (115.4% YoY)

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