Final Results
Brunner Investment Trust PLC
31 January 2006
For immediate release 31 January 2006
THE BRUNNER INVESTMENT TRUST PLC
ANNOUNCEMENT OF PRELIMINARY RESULTS
For the year ended 30 November 2005
Highlights
• Net asset per share up 22.6% compared with benchmark return of 19.2%.
• Share price up by 26.2%.
• Net dividends of 8.80p (2004: 8.10p), an increase of 8.6%
Net Asset Value
The net asset value per Ordinary Share at 30 November 2005 was 446.5p compared
with 364.1p at 30 November 2004, an increase of 22.6%. Over the same period the
benchmark index (60% FTSE All-Share Index, and 40% FTSE World Index, ex-UK in
sterling) increased by 19.2%.
Dividend
The Board recommends a final distribution of 5.20p to be payable on 24 March
2006 to shareholders on the register at the close of business on 24 February
2006, making a total distribution of 8.80p per share for the year ended 30
November 2005, an increase of 8.6%.
Review
I am pleased to be able to report another year of strong returns. Not only have
markets rallied significantly, but our fund managers have outperformed the
benchmark index by 3.4% and our discount has narrowed. Over the year your
Trust's share price has increased by 26.2%.
Markets were strong despite some major negatives, which might ordinarily have
been expected to dampen investor enthusiasm - among them further strength in oil
prices, successive interest rate hikes in the United States and continuing
lacklustre growth in continental Europe. However, the feared slowdown in China
failed to materialise and equity markets have been buoyed by higher earnings -
as companies have restructured to improve margins - and strong mergers and
acquisitions activity. Very strong returns from the resources sector, as demand
from China in particular has pushed metal and oil prices to multi year highs,
have also played their part.
The key factors behind a good performance from our UK equity portfolio included
maintaining an overweight position in the resources sectors, avoiding those
retail stocks heavily exposed to the UK consumer and maintaining our emphasis on
higher quality growth companies. Unlike some previous take-over cycles,
acquisition targets have tended to be in well- financed, high quality companies
with strong products. Over the year we benefited from the takeovers of Allied
Domecq and BPB by the larger French companies Pernod Ricard and Saint-Gobain,
respectively.
Reducing the number of holdings has been one contributor to the strong
performance of our overseas portfolio. This portfolio is constructed in the
first instance by identifying companies which are attractive on a global basis,
and not by allocating investment according to geographic regions. We found
fewer companies that met our criteria in the United States this year and many
more in Japan where the prospects for a wider range of Japanese companies now
appear significantly better as economic reform and the long awaited recovery
finally look as though they will materialise.
Looking ahead, the economic outlook appears to be mixed. In the United States,
consumer expenditure remains vulnerable to a faltering housing market and the
end of the extremely low interest rate environment we have seen in recent years.
In the Far East, on the other hand, momentum behind Japanese economic recovery
now looks well established, and, despite a number of problems, it seems unlikely
that China will suffer a major slowdown in the near future. The ability of the
global economy to withstand a significant slowdown in US consumer expenditure,
if one materialises, remains untested however.
In general, even if growth slows, companies world-wide seem well positioned to
deliver further growth in profits, albeit at lower rates than in previous years.
In the absence of any major external shocks to the world economy, equity
markets should make further progress this year.
Share Buy Backs
Your Board continues actively to monitor the discount to net asset value and
during the period under review we therefore purchased 2,443,578 shares, or 4.6%
of the Trust's issued share capital at the start of the financial year, for
cancellation. This policy has had the benefit of enhancing our net asset value
over the year. It is also pleasing to note that the discount, valuing our long
term debt at its market rate, has narrowed and, at the time of writing, is 10.6%
on this basis.
The Board will recommend to shareholders that the Company take renewed powers to
buy back its Ordinary Shares. Full details will be sent to shareholders with
the forthcoming Annual Report and Accounts.
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held on Thursday 23 March 2006
at 12.00 noon.
Keith Percy
Chairman
155 Bishopsgate
London, EC2M 3AD
Unaudited preliminary results for the year ended 30 November 2005 were approved
for immediate release as undernoted:
RESULTS
STATEMENT OF TOTAL RETURN
for the year ended 30 November 2005
2005
£'000s £'000s £'000s
Revenue Capital Total
(Note 3)
Net gains on investments - 43,599 43,599
Investment income 6,566 - 6,566
Other income 799 - 799
Investment management fee (410) (956) (1,366)
Expenses of administration (301) (16) (317)
Net return before finance costs and taxation 6,654 42,627 49,281
Finance costs of borrowings (1,396) (3,203) (4,599)
Return on ordinary activities before taxation 5,258 39,424 44,682
Taxation
Overseas taxation (217) - (217)
UK taxation (289) 289 -
(506) 289 (217)
Return on ordinary activities after taxation for the 4,752 39,713 44,465
financial year
Dividends on Preference Stock (22) - (22)
Return attributable to ordinary shareholders 4,730 39,713 44,443
Dividends on Ordinary Shares
Prior year over accrual 5 - 5
First Interim paid 3.60p (1,815) - (1,815)
Final proposed 5.20p (2,598) - (2,598)
8.80p (4,408) - (4,408)
Transfer to reserves 322 39,713 40,035
Return per Ordinary Share (Note 1) 9.21p 77.36p 86.57p
NET ASSET STATEMENT
as at 30 November 2005
2005 2005
£'000s £'000s
Fixed Asset Investments 260,383
Net Current Assets 14,865
Total Assets less Current Liabilities 275,248
Creditors : Amounts falling due after more than one year (51,697)
Total Net Assets 223,551
Called up Share Capital - Ordinary 12,491
- Preference 450
12,941
Capital Redemption Reserve 3,509
Capital Reserves - Realised 164,055
- Unrealised 35,226
199,281
Revenue Reserve 7,820
Shareholders' Funds 223,551
Net asset value per Ordinary Share (Note 2) 446.5p
Unaudited preliminary results for the year ended 30 November 2004 were approved
for release as undernoted:
RESULTS
STATEMENT OF TOTAL RETURN
for the year ended 30 November 2004
2004
£'000s £'000s £'000s
Revenue Capital Total
(Note 3)
Net gains on investments - 12,433 12,433
Investment income 6,117 - 6,117
Other income 1,046 -
1,046
Investment management fee (384) (896) (1,280)
Expenses of administration (275) - (275)
Net return before finance costs and taxation 6,504 11,537 18,041
Finance costs of borrowings (1,379) (3,208) (4,587)
Return on ordinary activities before taxation 5,125 8,329 13,454
Taxation
Overseas taxation (176) - (176)
UK taxation (382) 382 -
(558) 382 (176)
Return on ordinary activities after taxation for the 4,567 8,711 13,278
financial year
Dividends on Preference Stock (22) - (22)
Return attributable to ordinary shareholders 4,545 8,711 13,256
Dividends on Ordinary Shares
Prior year over accrual 34 - 34
First Interim paid 3.50p (1,876) - (1,876)
Final proposed 4.60p (2,411) - (2,411)
8.10p (4,253) - (4,253)
Transfer to reserves 292 8,711 9,003
Return per Ordinary Share (Note 1) 8.43p 16.16p 24.59p
NET ASSET STATEMENT
as at 30 November 2004
2004 2004
£'000s £'000s
Fixed Asset Investments 228,345
Net Current Assets 14,683
Total Assets less Current Liabilities 243,028
Creditors : Amounts falling due after more than one year (51,761)
Total Net Assets 191,267
Called up Share Capital - Ordinary 13,102
- Preference 450
13,552
Capital Redemption Reserve 2,898
Capital Reserves - Realised 159,387
- Unrealised 7,931
167,318
Revenue Reserve 7,499
Shareholders' Funds 191,267
Net asset value per Ordinary Share (Note 2) 364.1p
CASH FLOW STATEMENT
For the years ended 30 November 2004 and 30 November 2005
2005 2005 2004
£'000s £'000s £'000s
Net cash inflow from operating activities 6,037 5,801
Servicing of Finance
Interest paid (4,664) (4,652)
Dividends paid on preference stock (22) (22)
Net cash outflow on servicing of finance (4,686) (4,674)
Financial Investment
Purchase of fixed asset investments (181,836) (179,061)
Sale of fixed asset investments 189,667 183,148
Net cash inflow 7,831 4,087
from financial investment
Equity dividends paid (4,221) (4,268)
Net cash inflow before financing 4,961 946
Financing
Purchase of Ordinary Shares for cancellation (7,750) (7,392)
Decrease in cash (2,789) (6,446)
Note 1
The Returns per Ordinary Share have been calculated using a weighted average
number of shares in issue during the year of 51,334,348 shares (2004 -
53,900,208).
Note 2
The net asset value is based on 49,962,838 Ordinary Shares of 25p in issue at
the year end (2004 - 52,406,416).
Note 3
The revenue column of this statement is the profit and loss account of the
Company.
All revenue and capital items derive from continuing operations. No operations
were acquired and no operations were discontinued during the year.
Note 4
The financial information set out in this announcement does not constitute the
Company's statutory accounts for the years ended 30 November 2005 or 30th
November 2004. The financial information for the year ended 30 November 2004
has been extracted from the statutory accounts for that year which have been
delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The auditors' report on those accounts
was unqualified and did not contain a statement under either Section 237(2) or
Section 237(3) of the Companies Act 1985. The statutory accounts for the year
ended 30 November 2005 will be finalised on the basis of the financial
information presented by the directors in this preliminary announcement and will
be delivered to the Registrar of Companies following the Company's Annual
General Meeting.
Note 5
The increase in the Company's benchmark index of 19.2% over the year to 30
November 2005 is composed as follows:
60% FTSE All-Share Index 10.1%
40% FTSE World Index, ex-UK in sterling 9.1%
For further information, please contact:
RCM (UK) Limited
Simon White
Head of Investment Trusts
Tel: 020 7065 1539
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange