Interim Management Statement

RNS Number : 9853B

F&C U.S. Smaller Companies PLC

24 April 2012

 



F&C US Smaller Companies PLC

Interim Management Statement

For the three months ended 31 March 2012

Investment Objective

To achieve long-term capital growth by investing in a diversified portfolio primarily of quoted US smaller and medium sized companies.

Performance summary

	31 March  2012	31 December  2011	Movement
Net assets	£99.16m	£93.97m	5.5%
Net asset value ("NAV") per share	470.25p	453.80p	3.6%
Share price	476.00p	427.13p	11.4%
Russell 2000 Index      (sterling adjusted)	519.67	476.75	9.0%
Premium/(discount) to NAV per share	1.22%	(5.9%)

Three month review

The NAV per share rose by 3.6% in the three months to 31 March 2012.  This compares to an increase of 9.0% in the benchmark, the Russell 2000 Index (sterling adjusted) during the same period.

The quarter was notable for very strong performance by high risk stocks following steps to support the Euro. The Company's investment approach is conservative, emphasising capital preservation, and normally underperforms in periods when high risks stocks lead the market.

Stocks that lagged and had a particular impact on overall performance included Rex Energy, FTI Consulting, Crawford & Co, Atlantic Tele-Network and Orbital Sciences. There was good performance, however, from Conn's and Prestige Brands; the latter received an unsolicited bid.

We bought one new holding, Grand Canyon (secondary education) and sold another, CapitalSource (business lending).

The Company is not currently geared.

There have been no share buybacks during the period but the Company issued 380,000 shares. Shares have been issued at an average premium of 1.4% to the published NAV on the day of issue.

Ten Largest Holdings

31 Mar  2012	31 Dec 2011	Company Description	Percentage of  total investments
1	3	Conn's Retailer of home appliances and consumer electronics	3.4
2	1	Airgas Distributor of bottled gases	3.0
3	2	America's Car-Mart Used car retailer	3.0
4	4	SBA Communications Mobile phone tower owner and operator	2.8
5	9	Pool Distributor of swimming pool supplies	2.7
6	10	Granite Construction Civil construction contractor	2.6
7	7	Mohawk Industries Manufacturer of floor coverings	2.5
8	37	Microsemi Manufacturer of high performance analogue semiconductors	2.4
9	12	Roper Industries Diversified manufacturer	2.4
10	30	ACI Worldwide Provider of software for electronic funds transfer	2.4

Industrial Classification

	31 March 2012 Percentage of total investments	31 December 2011 Percentage of total investments
Producer Durables	31.7	32.4
Consumer Discretionary	19.0	16.0
Technology	12.0	10.1
Financial Services	10.9	12.4
Materials & Processing	6.4	6.8
Consumer Staples	5.9	6.5
Healthcare	5.7	6.4
Utilities	5.5	6.2
Other Energy	2.9	3.2

Outlook

The US economy has shown some signs of growth since the slowdown in the second half of 2011 and is managing to maintain that momentum despite weakness elsewhere in the world. Uncertainties continue around the Euro and Middle East tension.

The Board is not aware of any significant events or transactions which have occurred between 31 March 2012 and the date of publication of this statement which would have a material impact on the financial position of the Company.

Daily and Key Information

Further information regarding the Company, including monthly factsheets and daily NAVs published since the end of the period are available on the internet at www.fandcussmallers.com

By order of the Board

F&C Management Limited, Secretary

24 April 2012

 

END

 

 

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