Interim Results

Hansa Trust PLC 27 November 2003 HANSA TRUST PLC Announcement of Interim Results for six months ended 30 September 2003 Hansa Trust PLC today announces its interim results for six months ended 30 September 2003. Financial Highlights (Unaudited) (Audited) Six months Year ended ended 30 September 31 March 2003 2003 £'000 £'000 Total income 1,578 2,366 Return on ordinary activities before 1,063 1,360 taxation Net asset value per Ordinary share 359.9p 270.4p Net asset value per 'A' Ordinary share 359.9p 270.4p Capital return per share 87.4p (101.1)p Revenue return per share 3.9p 4.0p Dividend per Ordinary and 'A' Ordinary 1.8p 4.0p share The following are attached: • Chairman's Statement • Consolidated Statement of Total Return • Consolidated Balance Sheet • Consolidated Cash Flow Statement • Notes to the interim accounts For further information please contact: Peter Gardner Hansa Capital Limited 020 7647 5750 David Haggie Haggie Financial Limited 020 7417 8989 HANSA TRUST PLC CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT Performance During the six months of 30 September 2003, the Net Asset Value per share rose by 33.1% from 270.4p to 359.9p (after providing for an interim dividend) which when adjusted for dividends re-invested equates to a Total Return for the period of 33.9% compared to the benchmark of 3.5%. The comparative figures for the medium to long term for the periods ended 30 September 2003 are as follows; ----------------- ----------- Total Return Performance Net Asset Value Benchmark ----------- ----------------- One Year 26.8% 7.1% Three Year -20.8% 22.1% Five Year 50.9% 38.5% Ten Year 173.2% 86.9% At 30 September 2003 the discount on the Ordinary shares was 18.7% (20.5% as at 31 March 2003) and on the 'A' shares was 18.9% (19.4% as at 31 March 2003). Results and Dividend The revenue return for the period on ordinary activities after taxation amounted to £933,000 of which £432,000 will be distributed to shareholders by way of an interim dividend, and £501,000 will be transferred to reserves. The profit on the capital account amounted to 87.4p per share. The Board has declared an interim dividend of 1.8p per share, payable on 19 December 2003 to both ordinary and 'A' Ordinary shareholders on the register of members on 5 December 2003. Regulation Following my comments in the Annual Report on the Financial Services Authority's proposed changes to the Listing Rules, I am delighted to report that the Regulator listened to and heeded the concerns expressed (either directly or through the AITC) by a great many individuals and companies. The outcome in the form of the new Listing Rules appears to be perfectly workable for the Company. In response to one of these rules, your Board has elected not to restrict the ability of the Manager to invest in other UK listed investment trusts. We consider the use of other investment trusts for specialist investment mandates as extremely useful. The Company has historically had significant holdings in investment trusts, although this position will vary from time to time. There is no reason for this Trust to have such a restriction in this respect. Management As also mentioned in the Annual Report your Board, in conjunction with the Company's Manager Hansa Capital Limited, has considered how best to effect the revised investment strategy. It has therefore been decided that Hansa Capital Limited will from 1 December 2003, cease to delegate to Artemis Investment Management Limited the day-to-day management of the Company's assets and that the entirety of the investment process will be carried out by Hansa Capital Limited. As a consequence of the new arrangements, Hansa Capital Limited have strengthened their investment team by recruiting John Alexander, who brings twenty-two years of experience on managing open and closed ended funds. We would like to put on record our great thanks to John Dodd and his colleagues at Artemis for the investment services they have provided to the Company over the last five years. In the UK, Government spending has grown by 27% in three years and is running well ahead of an already rising tax burden and the inflation rate for Government expenditure is far higher than that of the general economy. The Government does not have a history of spending wisely or productively, so this does not bode well for the future. Moreover, any extra spending that consumers have been indulging in has been financed largely through debt. Unsecured personal debt has grown by more than 50% since 1997 which, combined with rapidly increasing mortgage debt, leaves household debt at over £890bn. Rising interest rates and increased taxation are the likely consequence of Government policy, both of which could dampen current high levels of domestic demand. In Euroland, government deficits seem consistently in breach of their Stability Pact, and this should eventually put pressure on the Euro. America's third-quarter economic performance was startling with GDP expanding at an annualised rate of 7.2%, the best quarterly figure in two decades, suggesting that the US recovery from the recession of 2001 is accelerating. This does not sit comfortably with short-term interest rates of 1%, so US interest rates could rise faster than expected going forward. Stockmarkets around the world have enjoyed a sharp recovery over the past six months, resulting in much higher valuations for companies. Low quality, cyclical stocks have risen strongly as investors have once again developed a keen appetite for risk. Going forward there is a need to be very selective and cautious and we believe that our absolute return benchmark will prove to have been a wise choice for the future and in shareholders' best interests. . Jamie Borwick Chairman 27 November 2003 HANSA TRUST PLC CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF TOTAL RETURN Incorporating the revenue account for the six months ended 30 September 2003 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) Six months Six months Year ended ended ended 30 September 30 September 31 March 2003 2003 2002 ------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------- ------- ------ ------- Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 ------- ------ ------ ------- ------ ------- ------- ------ ------- Gains/ (losses) on investments - 20,971 20,971 - (20,449) (20,449) - (24,256) (24,256) Income 1,578 - 1,578 1,591 - 1,591 2,366 - 2,366 Investment management fees (274) - (274) (300) - (300) (547) - (547) Other (241) - (241) (220) - (220) (459) - (459) expenses ------- ------ ------ ------- ------ ------- ------- ------ ------- Net return/ (loss) before finance costs and taxation 1,063 20,971 22,034 1,071 (20,449) (19,378) 1,360 (24,256) (22,896) ------- ------ ------ ------- ------ ------- ------- ------ ------- Interest payable and similar charges (130) - (130) (173) - (173) (397) - (397) ------- ------ ------ ------- ------ ------- ------- ------ ------- Return/(loss) on ordinary activities before taxation 933 20,971 21,904 898 (20,449) (19,551) 963 (24,256) (23,293) ------- ------ ------ ------- ------ ------- ------- ------ ------- Taxation on ordinary activities - - - - - - - - - ------- ------ ------ ------- ------ ------- ------- ------ ------- Return/(loss) on ordinary activities after taxation 933 20,971 21,904 898 (20,449) (19,551) 963 (24,256) (23,293) ------- ------ ------ ------- ------ ------- ------- ------ ------- Dividend on Ordinary and 'A' Ordinary shares (equity) (432) - (432) (432) - (432) (960) - (960) ------- ------ ------ ------- ------ ------- ------- ------ ------- Transfer to/ (from) reserves 501 (20,971) 21,472 466 (20,449) (19,983) 3 (24,256) (24,253) ------- ------ ------ ------- ------ ------- ------- ------ ------- ------- ------ ------ ------- ------ ------- ------- ------ ------- Return/ (deficit) per Ordinary share before taxation 3.9p 87.4p 91.3p 3.7p (85.2)p (81.5)p 4.0p (101.1)p (97.1)p ------- ------ ------ ------- ------ ------- ------- ------ ------- HANSA TRUST PLC CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET As at 30 September 2003 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) 30 September 30 September 31 March 2003 2002 2003 £000 £000 £000 -------- -------- -------- Fixed assets - investments 92,890 76,648 72,466 Current assets Debtors 44 919 92 Investments 247 175 126 Cash at bank 87 113 51 -------- -------- -------- 378 1,207 269 Creditors Amounts falling due within one (6,892) (8,681) (7,831) year Net current liabilities (6,514) (7,474) (7,562) -------- -------- -------- Net Assets 86,376 69,174 64,904 -------- -------- -------- Capital and reserves Called up share capital 1,200 1,200 1,200 Capital reserve - realised 76,124 82,474 77,725 Capital reserve - unrealised 6,765 (16,749) (15,807) Revenue reserve 2,287 2,249 1,786 -------- -------- -------- Total shareholders' funds 86,376 69,174 64,904 -------- -------- -------- Net asset value per Ordinary and 'A' Ordinary shares 359.9p 288.2p 270.4p HANSA TRUST PLC CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT for the six months ended 30 September 2003 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) Six months Six months Year ended ended ended 30 September 30 September 31 March 2003 2002 2003 £000 £000 £000 ---------- ---------- -------- Net cash inflow from operating 1,012 963 1,347 activities ---------- ---------- -------- Service of finance Interest paid (131) (168) (395) ---------- ---------- -------- Net cash outflow from servicing of (131) (168) (395) finance ---------- ---------- -------- Taxation Taxation recovered - 23 23 ---------- ---------- -------- Financial investments Purchases of investments (18,338) (31,892) (42,771) Sales of investments 20,786 23,517 35,394 ---------- ---------- -------- Net cash inflow/(outflow)) from 2,448 (8,375) (7,377) financial investment ---------- ---------- -------- Equity dividends paid (528) (768) (1,200) ---------- ---------- -------- Financing (Repayments) /drawdown of loans (2,765) 7,950 7,165) ---------- ---------- -------- Increase/(decrease) in cash 36 (375) (437) ---------- ---------- -------- NOTES TO THE INTERIM ACCOUNTS 1. Return per Ordinary and 'A' Ordinary Share Revenue return per share is calculated by dividing the net revenue available for shareholders of £933,000, (six months ended 30 September 2002: £898,000, year ended 31 March 2003: £963,000) by the 24,000,000 shares in issue. Capital gain per share is calculated by dividing the net capital gain available for shareholders of £20,971,000 (six months ended 30 September 2002: loss £20,449,000, year ended 31 March 2003: loss £24,256,000) by the 24,000,000 shares in issue. 2. Comparative information The figures and the financial information for the year ended 31 March 2003 are an extract from the latest published accounts and do not constitute statutory accounts for that year as defined by Section 240 of the Companies Act 1985. Those accounts have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies and include a report of the Auditors, which was unqualified and did not contain a statement under either Section 237(2) or 237(3) of the Companies Act 1985. 3. All revenue and capital items in the above statement derive from continuing operations 4. The Interim Report has been prepared using accounting policies that are consistent with those adopted in the statutory accounts for the year ended 31 March 2003. Hansa Capital Limited - Company Secretary 27 November 2003 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
UK 100

Latest directors dealings