LONDON (Bloomberg) - Schroders plc., the money manager founded in 1804, reported record inflows for 2009 as the firm regained its position as Britain's largest publicly-traded fund manager by assets.

Assets under management climbed 35 percent to £148.4 billion ($223 billion) at the end of December from 110.2 billion pounds a year earlier, Schroders said yesterday in a statement. The shares rose the most in four months in London trading.

Schroders recorded inflows of £15 billion during 2009, compared with outflows of £9.6 billion a year earlier. That meant the firm overtook Aberdeen Asset management plc., which has £144.1 billion under management, as the UK's biggest publicly traded money manager by assets.

Aberdeen reported a drop in 2009 flows as clients pulled money out.

"They have seen a strong level of inflows and that momentum is continuing," said Sarah Ing, an analyst at Singer Capital Markets in London who has a "fairly valued" recommendation on the stock.

"They are ticking all the right boxes in the sense they have a strong balance sheet, they have good distribution and their funds are performing well."

Schroders climbed 3.5 percent to 1279 pence as of 10.53 a.m. in London trading, valuing the company at £3.54 billion. The shares are up 18 percent over the last six months.

"We go into 2010 in good shape," Schroders CEO Michael Dobson said in an interview. "The momentum in flows we have seen in institutional and intermediary in 2009 has continued into this year."

Schroders said 2009 profit climbed 24 percent as the firm lowered costs. Net income rose to £95.4 million ($143.6 million), from £76.7 million a year earlier. That missed the £99 million median estimate of five analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Exceptional items related to losses on investment capital and redundancies fell 63 percent to £62.7 million from £167.4 million, the money manager said. Schroders reduced employees by about 230 people to 2,600 last year, Kevin Parry, chief financial officer, said in an interview.