Core Viewpoint - Hamilton Lane reported strong growth in assets and fee-related results during its fiscal third-quarter 2026 earnings call, highlighting a strategic partnership with Guardian and the performance of its Evergreen platform. Financial Performance - The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.54 per share, targeting $2.16 per share for fiscal year 2026, representing a planned 10% increase over the prior fiscal year [1] - GAAP EPS was $4.35 on $183 million of GAAP net income, while non-GAAP EPS was $4.41 on $240.1 million of adjusted net income [1] Asset Management - Hamilton Lane ended the quarter with a total asset footprint of over $1 trillion, up 6% year-over-year [2][6] - Assets under management (AUM) were $146 billion, an increase of $11 billion or 8%, driven by specialized funds and customized separate accounts [2] - Assets under advisement (AUA) totaled $871 billion, up $50 billion or 6%, attributed to market value growth and technology solutions [2] Growth Drivers - Fee-earning AUM rose to $79.1 billion, an increase of 11%, with specialized fund fee-earning AUM reaching $38.1 billion, up 22% [4][9] - The Evergreen platform surpassed $16 billion in AUM with over $1.2 billion of net inflows this quarter, contributing to a blended fee rate of 67 basis points [4][16] Strategic Partnership - The strategic partnership with Guardian has closed, with Hamilton Lane overseeing nearly $5 billion of Guardian's private equity portfolio and expecting approximately $500 million in annual commitments for at least 10 years [5][7] - Initial economic impacts from the partnership are expected in fiscal Q4 2026, with warrant dilution anticipated to be under 1% [8] Fundraising and Product Development - The firm expects first closes for its seventh secondary fund and second venture access product in the second calendar quarter of 2026 [12] - The sixth Equity Opportunities Fund raised nearly $300 million during the quarter, with a total exceeding $2.3 billion [13] - The second infrastructure fund raised nearly $2 billion, with over $1.5 billion committed to the fund [14] Market Outlook - Distribution activity is increasing as buyers and sellers approach price equilibrium, with expectations for a stronger exit environment in 2026 compared to 2025 [18] - The secondaries market is characterized as undercapitalized relative to transaction demand, indicating growth potential for Hamilton Lane [18] Technology Investment - Hamilton Lane made an investment in Pluto Financial Technologies, an AI-driven platform aimed at enhancing access to private market portfolios and providing liquidity solutions for investors [19]