26 November 2015
TWENTYFOUR INCOME FUND LIMITED
(a non-cellular company limited by shares incorporated in the Island of Guernsey under the Companies (Guernsey) Law 2008, as amended, with registered number 56128 and registered as a Registered Closed-ended Collective Investment Scheme with the Guernsey Financial Services Commission)
NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETING
In the Company’s interim report published on 19 November 2015, the Board stated its intention to put forward proposals which would include certain changes to the Company's investment policy to provide greater flexibility for the portfolio to reflect the evolving investment opportunity in European ABS and therefore to enhance the Company's ability to continue to deliver attractive, risk-adjusted returns.
The Company has published a circular to Shareholders (the “Circularâ€) and notice of General Meeting to be held on 16 December 2015.
Introduction
TwentyFour Income Fund Limited was launched on 6 March 2013 with an investment objective of generating attractive, risk-adjusted returns, principally through income distributions, by investing in a diversified portfolio of UK and European Asset Backed Securities.
The Articles established at launch provide for a Realisation Opportunity under which Shareholders may elect to realise some or all of their holdings of Ordinary Shares with effect on the Company’s third anniversary.
The Directors have been considering the Company’s policies and structure ahead of the scheduled implementation of the Realisation Opportunity and have decided to put forward for Shareholder approval proposals with the following key components:
The Circular sets out the background to and details of the Proposals, explains the reasons why the Board considers that the Proposals are in the best interests of Shareholders as a whole, and convenes the General Meeting at which the resolutions required by Guernsey company law and the Listing Rules to implement the Proposals will be proposed.
Background to the Proposals
Since launch the Company has delivered strong performance for Shareholders. The NAV (calculated on a total return basis) on the Shares from launch to 24 November 2015 was 35.2 per cent, or 11.7 per cent. per annum which compares favourably with the Company’s target annual total return of 7 to 10 per cent. per annum.
The NAV has benefited from strong performance of the assets underlying the Portfolio and a tightening of credit spreads over the period as a whole. More recently there has been some widening of spreads, reflecting strong supply in certain ABS segments and a general decline in financial market sentiment. The Portfolio Manager believes that UK and European ABS continue to offer attractive, risk-adjusted returns.
The income return to Shareholders has been ahead of the Fund’s targets at launch. The Company’s prospectus stated a target dividend of at least 5p in respect of the year to 31 March 2014 and at least 6p per Ordinary Share thereafter. The Company met these targets by paying dividends of 6.38p and 6.65p per Ordinary Share in respect of the years ended 31 March 2014 and 2015 respectively, and the Board currently estimates a total dividend in respect of the year ending 31 March 2016 of in excess of 6p per Ordinary Share (see Note 1).
The Ordinary Shares have traded at a premium to NAV since launch, reflecting net demand in the market from a broad range of existing and new investors. The premium to NAV was 1.3 per cent. as of 24 November 2015. The Board considers that the premium rating of the Ordinary Shares has also been supported by the decision, with effect from October 2014, not to issue further Ordinary Shares under the Company’s premium management programme because to do so would have resulted in dilution of the earnings per Ordinary Share as any issue proceeds would have been invested at purchase yields which were compressed relative to those available in 2013/14.
Source: Thomson Reuters Datastream
Details of the Proposals
Changes to the Investment Policy
The Portfolio Manager has advised the Board that in order to enhance the Company’s ability to continue to achieve its investment objective, it would be optimal to make certain changes to the investment policy to provide the Company with greater flexibility to invest in a broader range of UK and European ABS.
The key elements of the proposed changes to the investment policy are as follows:
The full text of the proposed new investment policy is set out in Part II of the Circular. If the changes to the Company’s investment policy are approved by Shareholders:
The Board also intends to review the level of the target NAV total return and the Dividend Target at their absolute discretion from time to time and, in particular, in the event that Sterling LIBOR rates increase significantly.
Share Issue
The Articles require that Shareholders are given the opportunity to elect to convert their Ordinary Shares into Realisation Shares with effect from 6 March 2016, following which the Portfolio would be split into two segregated and distinct pools and the assets attributable to any Realisation Shares Pool would be managed in accordance with an orderly realisation programme with the aim of making progressive returns of cash.
The Board has given consideration to the most appropriate structure for the implementation of the Realisation Opportunity and has decided, subject to Shareholder approval of the necessary authorities, to implement a transaction in the first quarter of 2016 with the following options for Shareholders:
In order to facilitate the above transaction, the Board is seeking Shareholder approval for the allotment on a non- pre-emptive basis of up to an aggregate of 300 million new Ordinary Shares in connection with the Issue and a placing programme to operate over the 12 months subsequent to the Issue. It is intended that the new Ordinary Shares available under the Issue will first be issued to existing Shareholders through an open offer. New Ordinary Shares will be issued only at prices at least equal to the then prevailing NAV.
The intended pricing of the Issue is set out in Part II of the Circular. In summary, the basis of the calculation of the Issue Price payable for new Ordinary Shares in the Issue will be calculated as a blended average of the NAV per Ordinary Share multiplied by the aggregate number of Shares in respect of which Realisation Elections are validly made and a 2 per cent. premium to NAV per Ordinary Share to the extent that the number of Ordinary Shares issued under the Issue exceeds the number of Ordinary Shares in respect of which Realisation Elections are validly made.
Amendments to the Articles
At launch the Company established a discount management policy, which included the Realisation Opportunity (which is currently required to be implemented only in March 2016) and the Continuation Provisions (including Shareholders having an opportunity to vote on the continuation of the Company if its current dividend target is not met in any reporting period).
The Board is now proposing that the Articles be amended to revise, inter alia, the Realisation Opportunity and the Continuation Provisions.
The key components of the amendments to the Articles are:
Reorganisation Date is less than £100 million (compared to £50 million under the existing Articles), no Ordinary Shares will be redesignated as Realisation Shares and the Portfolio will not be split into the Continuation Pool and the Realisation Pool and with effect from the Reorganisation Date, unless the Directors have previously been released from this obligation by an extraordinary resolution, the investment objective and investment policy of the Company will be to realise the Company’s assets on a timely basis with the aim of making progressive returns of cash to Shareholders as soon as practicable; and
The Board is also taking the opportunity to update the Articles to take account of changes to Guernsey companies’ law and to make other minor amendments to reflect applicable regulation and legislation.
Further details of the proposed amendments to the Articles are set out in Part III of the Circular.
Benefits of the Proposal
The Board believes that the Proposals will establish appropriate policies and structures for the Company and in particular have the following benefits for Shareholders:
General Meeting
All Shareholders are entitled to attend and vote at the General Meeting. In accordance with the Articles, all Shareholders present in person or by proxy shall upon a show of hands have one vote and upon a poll shall have one vote in respect of each Share held. In order to ensure that a quorum is present at the General Meeting, it is necessary for two Shareholders entitled to attend and vote to be present, whether in person or by proxy (or, if a corporation, by a representative).
At the General Meeting the following resolutions will be proposed:
Enquiries
For further information, please contact:
Numis Securities Limited: +44 (0)20 7260 1000
Nathan Brown / Hugh Jonathan
TwentyFour Income Fund Limited: +44 (0)20 7015 8900
John Magrath / Alistair Wilson
Important Information
Note 1: This is a target only and not a profit forecast. There can be no assurance that this target will be met or that the Company will make any distributions at all. This target return should not be taken as an indication of the Company’s expected or actual current or future results. The Company’s actual return will depend upon a number of factors, including but not limited to the size of the Issue, the number of Ordinary shares in respect of which Realisation Elections are made and the Company’s total expense ratio. Potential investors should decide for themselves whether or not the return is reasonable and achievable in deciding whether to retain or increase their investment in the Company.
Note 2: A copy of the Circular and notice of the General Meeting has been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism, will shortly be available for inspection at http://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/NSMand can also be downloaded from http://www.twentyfouram.com/funds-and-services/twentyfour-income-fund
Note 3: Defined terms used in this announcement shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the same meanings set out in the Circular.