Final Results
CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT
The total return on the net assets of Temple Bar during 2006 was 17.7%, which
compares with a total return for the FTSE All-Share Index of 16.8%. The return
achieved is a combination of underlying portfolio performance and the effect of
the capital gearing of the Trust. While it is always pleasant to report
positively on short-term performance, the Board is primarily focused on longer
time periods. The five year track record, over which the fund manager is
principally judged, demonstrates sustained positive performance.
The Board is recommending a final dividend of 19.88p, to produce a total
increase for the year of 5.0%. This dividend will be payable on 30 March 2007
to shareholders on the register as at 16 March 2007. This is the 23rd
consecutive year that the dividend has been increased. The revenue reserve,
which, after adjusting for the proposed final dividend for 2006, represents
84.2% of the 2006 dividend, should provide shareholders with additional comfort
regarding the security of the dividend.
Post-tax revenue earnings increased by 3.2%. The proposed dividend was more
than covered by net earnings generated on the portfolio during the year. The
level of capital gearing, 11.9% at year end, again contributed positively to
performance during the period.
The price of Temple Bar shares traded at a small discount to their underlying
asset value throughout the year, once again supported by the steady demand
created within the Company's Savings Scheme. The Board has encouraged the
Manager to maintain a regular dialogue with our larger shareholders and
investment intermediaries.
Strategy
At the Board's strategy review this year, in conjunction with the Manager, the
strategy behind the Temple Bar portfolio was assessed against both the latest
market developments and shareholders' expectations. Investment restrictions on
the manager were also reviewed.
Overall, the conclusion of this discussion was that major changes were not
warranted but that the relaxation of selective constraints would provide the
Manager with greater flexibility and increase the potential for out-performance
of both our benchmark, the FTSE All-Share Index, and our peer group, without a
significant increase in long-term risk. Inter alia, it was decided that the
fund manager should have the authority to invest up to 50% of the portfolio in
stocks outside the FTSE 100 (against 30% previously) and that the Board would
consider requests to extend the non-FTSE 100 component beyond this point.
To reflect this greater flexibility, the Board has agreed a new investment
policy with the Manager as follows:-
'The Company's investment objective is to provide growth in income and capital
to achieve a long term total return greater than the benchmark FTSE All-Share
Index, through investment in UK securities.. The Company's policy is to invest
in a broad spread of securities with typically the majority of the portfolio
selected from the constituents of the FTSE 100 Index.'
The fund manager has no immediate plans to make use of this increased
flexibility as he currently sees greater value in the largest stocks in the
market.
The Board also decided to ask the Manager to secure an overdraft facility of £
25m, to consider the use of options as part of an overall hedging strategy, in
particular market conditions, and to be aware of the potential for investing in
'special situations', such as high yield debt, in line with his contrarian
principles. It was further felt that the Manager should have greater
flexibility with regard to balancing potential revenue and capital growth
opportunities and it was agreed, therefore, that in any one year, up to 7.5% of
the revenue reserve could be used to fund the dividend, if necessary.
Outlook
The bull market is now over four years old and over that time some dramatic
returns have been achieved. The FTSE 100 has more than doubled (after
reinvesting income) and the FTSE 250 (the 250 largest stocks in the UK market
after the FTSE 100) has risen by over 200%. Corporate profit margins are
generally high, which many would regard as unsustainable, and the valuations of
most companies are well above the lows they reached during the bear market.
The Manager believes that much of the value that remains in the market is to be
found amongst the largest companies as these offer an impressive combination of
low valuations, strong balance sheets, a greater security of earnings and
better prospects for dividend growth. As a result of this view, the portfolio
is more concentrated than has been the norm historically.
Any interruption to the earnings momentum that has driven the market in the
last few years is likely to increase volatility and thus provide an enhanced
number of contrarian opportunities for our Manager to investigate. Currently,
our Manager prefers to hold a portfolio more biased towards security than risk.
Annual General Meeting
The AGM will be held on Monday 26 March at the Managers' office in London. In
addition to the formal business of the meeting, the Managers will make a
presentation to shareholders reviewing the past year and commenting on the
outlook. I look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible. Shareholders
who are unable to attend the meeting are encouraged to use their proxy votes.
20 February 2007
John Reeve
TWENTY LARGEST INVESTMENTS
as at 31 December 2006
Total assets
Valuation less current
liabilities
COMPANY £'000 %
Royal Dutch Shell 42,893 7.17
BP 41,615 6.95
HSBC 39,280 6.56
Vodafone 35,906 6.00
GlaxoSmithKline 35,763 5.98
Royal Bank of Scotland 29,496 4.93
BT 21,231 3.55
AstraZeneca 19,433 3.25
Unilever 18,295 3.06
Signet 16,590 2.77
HBOS 15,649 2.61
Prudential 14,752 2.46
Centrica 14,180 2.37
Legal & General 14,175 2.37
Amvescap 12,814 2.14
Kingfisher 11,329 1.89
Daily Mail & General 10,545 1.76
Trust
ITV 10,330 1.73
HMV 10,033 1.68
Taylor Nelson Sofres ÂÂÂ 9,061 1.51
423,370 70.74
Consolidated income statement
for the year ended 31 December 2006
2006 2005
Revenue Capital Revenue Capital
return return Total return return Total
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Investment income 20,410 - 20,410 19,637 - 19,637
Other operating income 390 - 390 483 - 483
Total Income 20,800 - 20,800 20,120 - 20,120
Gains on investments
Gains on fair value
through profit or loss
assets - 69,689 69,689 - 72,123 72,123
20,800 69,689 90,489 20,120 72,123 92,243
Expenses
Management fees (921) (1,382) (2,303) (804) (1,207) (2,011)
Other expenses (426) (1,172) (1,598) (441) (1,679) (2,120)
Profit before finance
costs and tax
19,453 67,135 86,588 18,875 69,237 88,112
Finance costs (1,833) (2,749) (4,582) (1,799) (2,735) (4,534)
Profit before tax 17,620 64,386 82,006 17,076 66,502 83,578
Tax - - - - - -
Profit for the year 17,620 64,386 82,006 17,076 66,502 83,578
EARNINGS PER SHARE
(BASIC & DILUTED)
30.20p 110.36p 140.56p 29.35p 114.32p 143.68p
The total column of this statement represents the Group's Income Statement
prepared in accordance with IFRS. The supplementary revenue return and capital
return columns are both prepared under guidance issued by the Association of
Investment Companies. All items in the above statement derive from continuing
operations. No operations were acquired or discontinued during the year.
There are no minority interests.
Consolidated statement of changes in equity
for the year ended 31 December 2006
Ordinary Share Capital Capital
share premium reserve reserve Retained Total
capital account realised unrealised earnings equity
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
BALANCE AT 1 JANUARY 14,478 2,193 283,133 75,489 23,587 398,880
2005
CHANGES IN EQUITY FOR
2005
Profit for the year - - 49,908 16,594 17,076 83,578
14,478 2,193 333,041 92,083 40,663 482,458
Dividends paid to equity - - - - (15,834) (15,834)
shareholders
Issue of share capital 107 2,890 - - - 2,997
BALANCE AT 31 DECEMBER 14,585 5,083 333,041 92,083 24,829 469,621
2005
CHANGES IN EQUITY FOR
2006
Profit for the year - - 49,441 14, 945 17,620 82,006
14,585 5,083 382,482 107,028 42,449 551,627
Dividends paid to equity - - - - (16,499) (16,499)
shareholders
BALANCE AT 31 DECEMBER 14,585 5,083 382,482 107,028 25,950 535,128
2006
Consolidated balance sheet
as at 31 December 2006
31 December 2006 31 December 2005
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
NON-CURRENT ASSETS
Investment held at fair value through 579,105 513,012
profit or loss
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents 15,750 26,663
Other receivables 4,335 8,953
20,085 35,616
TOTAL ASSETS 599,190 548,628
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Other payables (705) (15,663)
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 598,485 532,965
NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES
Interest bearing borrowings (63,357) (63,344)
NET ASSETS 535,128 469,621
EQUITY ATTRIBUTABLE TO EQUITY HOLDERS
Ordinary share capital 14,585 14,585
Share premium 5,083 5,083
Capital reserve - realised 382,482 333,041
Capital reserve - unrealised 107,028 92,083
Retained earnings 25,950 24,829
535,128 469,621
TOTAL EQUITY 535,128 469,621
NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE 917.25p 804.96p
Consolidated Group and Company cash flow statement
for the year ended 31 December 2006
2006 2005
£'000 £'000
£'000 £'000
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING
ACTIVITIES
Profit before tax 82,006 83,578
Adjustments for:
Purchases of investments¹ (168,918) (210,423)
Sales of investments¹ 172,514 203,662
3,596 (6,761)
Gains on investments (69,689) (72,123)
Financing costs 4,582 4,534
Operating cash flows before 20,495 9,228
movements in working capital
Increase/(decrease) in accrued 505 (592)
income and prepayments
Increase/(decrease) in 4,113 (5,160)
receivables
(Increase)/decrease in (14,958) 15,107
payables
NET CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING 10,155 18,583
ACTIVITIES BEFORE AND AFTER
INCOME TAX
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING
ACTIVITES
Equity shares issued - 2,997
Interest paid on borrowings (4,559) (4,559)
Bank interest paid (10) (5)
Equity dividends paid (16,499) (15,834)
NET CASH USED IN FINANCING (21,068) (17,401)
ACTIVITIES
NET (DECREASE)/INCREASE IN (10,913) 1,182
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT
THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR
26,663 25,481
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT
THE END OF THE YEAR
15,750 26,663
1. Purchases and sales of investments are considered to be operating
activities of the Company, given its purpose, rather than investing activities.
Dividend
The directors will recommend to shareholders at the annual general meeting to
be held on 26 March 2007 that a final dividend of 19.88p per ordinary share be
paid on 30 March 2007 to shareholders on the Register at the close of business
on 16 March 2007.
Notes
The figures set out above are derived from the audited consolidated accounts of
Temple Bar Investment Trust Plc and its subsidiaries for the years ended 31
December 2005 and 31 December 2006. The 2006 accounts will be sent to
shareholders shortly.
The financial information contained in this announcement does not constitute
full accounts within the meaning of section 254 of the Companies Act 1985. The
2006 accounts, on which the report of the auditors is unqualified, will be
filed with the Registrar of Companies in due course. The audited accounts for
the year ended 31 December 2005 on which the report of the auditors was
unqualified and did not contain a statement under either Section 237(2) or 237
(3) of the Companies Act 1985, have been filed with the Registrar of Companies.
20 February 2007
Contact: Alastair Mundy Telephone 020 7597 2000
Investec Investment Management Limited