Final Results
JPMorgan Eur Fldglng Inv Trust PLC
08 June 2007
STOCK EXCHANGE ANNOUNCEMENT
JPMORGAN EUROPEAN FLEDGELING INVESTMENT TRUST PLC
PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT OF FINAL RESULTS
The Company today announces its results for the year to 31st March 2007.
This has been my first year as Chairman and I am delighted to report that the
Company has again returned an excellent performance both in absolute and
relative terms. This is the third successive year in which the Company has
outperformed its benchmark in its return on net assets and the fourth successive
year it has outperformed by way of total return to shareholders.
Over the year to 31st March 2007 the Company's total return on net assets (i.e.
with net income reinvested) was +23.7%, which compares favourably with a return
of +19.5% on the same basis from the Company's benchmark, the HSBC Smaller
European Companies (ex UK) Total Return Index in Sterling Terms.
The share price total return to shareholders during the year was +26.6%. The
discount to net asset value narrowed during the year from 10.3% to 8.2%. The
average weekly discount during the year was 10.7%.
Most of the outperformance of 4.2% achieved by the investment managers was a
result of their stock selection ability with modest positive contributions
coming from the Company's gearing and currency. This outperformance of 4.2%,
when added to the benchmark return of 19.5%, gives the return on net assets of
23.7%. The total return to shareholders of 26.6% takes into account all other
factors, the most important of which was 2.9% added through the impact of the
decrease in the discount at which the Company's shares trade. The Board pays
close attention to keeping the level of this discount down to the lowest extent
possible.
At the Annual General Meetings in 2005 and 2006 shareholders approved a
resolution to enable the Company to sell shares from treasury at a discount to
net asset value. The Board believes that there are benefits in having the
ability to reissue, rather than cancel, shares bought in the market. Its use can
improve liquidity in the Company's shares, help manage any imbalance between the
supply and demand, reduce the volatility and absolute levels of the discount and
enhance the net asset value by selling shares at a narrower discount than that
at which they were purchased.
During the year, as in the previous year, the Board was able use its ability to
buy shares into treasury and then reissue them to good effect for shareholders.
Between 5th May 2006 and 14th September 2006 1.88 million shares were bought
into treasury at an average discount of 11.7% to the share price. Then with
increased demand for the Company's shares during the first quarter of 2007, a
total of 450,000 shares were reissued from treasury and sold back into the
market at a lower average discount of 7.0%. This provided a modest positive
contribution of 0.3% to the total return for the year.
The Board is requesting that shareholders renew the authority for use of
treasury shares at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting. It is important to
note that, as previously, the Board will maintain the policy of constraining the
Company's ability to sell treasury shares, by imposing a strict limit to the
dilution associated with the sale at a discount to a maximum of 0.5% of net
asset value in any year.
At the Nomination Committee meeting held earlier this year, the Directors
carried out their annual evaluation of the Board and its Committees, the
Directors and the Chairman. The Board takes this review seriously and views it
as an effective means of evaluating the continuing efficacy of the Board. In
accordance with the Company's Articles of Association, I will be the Director
retiring by rotation at this year's AGM. A Nomination Committee of the Board met
to consider my qualifications, performance and contribution to the Board. I am
pleased to report that the Nomination Committee recommends to shareholders that
I should be re-elected, and I am also pleased to stand for re-election.
In addition, Jacques Drossaert also retires from the Board and, after eight
years of service, will not be seeking re-election. On the behalf of the Board, I
would like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to Jacques as he has been
a strong and valuable member of the Board throughout his years of service. We
wish him all the very best for the future.
The Board also carried out a formal detailed review of the Manager during the
year. This covered the investment management, company secretarial,
administrative and marketing services provided to the Company by JPMorgan Asset
Management (UK) Limited ('JPMAM') and took into account their investment
performance record, management processes, investment style, resources and risk
control mechanisms. The Board concluded that it is fully satisfied with the
performance of the Manager and its continued appointment on the existing terms
is very much in the interests of shareholders as a whole.
The Company operates in accordance with corporate governance best practice and
the Board is committed to the highest standards of corporate governance as
applicable to investment trust companies.
At the beginning of the year under review there were significant changes in the
structure of the team at UBS, the Company's broker. As a result the Board
decided to review this role and various brokers specialising in this sector were
invited to present their services. As a result the Board subsequently appointed
Cenkos Securities Limited as the Company's broker.
The Directors and I very much look forward to welcoming you to the Company's AGM
which will be held on 13th July 2007 at 12 noon. The venue will be The Library,
JPMorgan, 60 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0JP. The investment managers will
make a presentation reviewing the past year and commenting on the outlook for
the current year.
The Board is somewhat cautious on the outlook for the market in general
following this extended period of good performance, particularly in the small
cap asset class, but it has considerable confidence that the investment managers
will continue to add value through their stock picking abilities.
Elisabeth Airey
Chairman 8th June 2007
For further information:
Hilary Lowe........................................................020 7742 6000
For and on behalf of
JPMorgan Asset Management (UK) Limited
JPMorgan European Fledgeling Investment Trust plc
Unaudited figures for the year ended 31st March 2007
Income Statement
(Unaudited) (Audited)
Year ended 31st March 2007 Year ended 31st March 2006
Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Gains from investments held at
fair value through profit or
loss - 82,133 82,133 - 150,961 150,961
Net foreign currency gains - 234 234 - 233 233
Income from investments 7,660 - 7,660 4,667 - 4,667
Other interest receivable and
similar income 107 - 107 231 - 231
Gross return 7,767 82,367 90,134 4,898 151,194 156,092
Management fee (4,372) - (4,372) (3,159) - (3,159)
Other administrative expenses (613) - (613) (592) - (592)
Net return on ordinary
activities before finance
costs and taxation 2,782 82,367 85,149 1,147 151,194 152,341
Finance costs (924) - (924) (525) - (525)
Net return on ordinary
activities before taxation 1,858 82,367 84,225 622 151,194 151,816
Taxation (579) - (579) (406) - (406)
Net return on ordinary
activities after taxation 1,279 82,367 83,646 216 151,194 151,410
Return per share (note 2) 2.49p 160.58p 163.07p 0.41p 286.38p 286.79p
All revenue and capital items in the above statement derive from continuing
operations. No operations were acquired or discontinued in the year.
The 'Total' column of this statement is the profit and loss account of the
Company and the 'Revenue' and 'Capital' columns represent supplementary
information. The 'Total' column represents all the information that is required
to be disclosed in a 'Statement of Total Recognised Gains and Losses (STRGL)'.
For this reason a STRGL has not been presented.
JPMorgan European Fledgeling Investment Trust plc
Unaudited figures for the year ended 31st March 2007
Reconciliation of Movements in Shareholders' Funds (Unaudited)
Called up Capital
Share Share redemption Other Capital Revenue
capital premium reserve reserve reserve reserve Total
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
At 31st March 2005 13,391 - 2,245 30,564 188,633 (8,899) 225,934
Adjustment to opening
shareholders' funds at 1st
April 2005 to reflect the
adoption of bid prices - - - - (752) - (752)
Repurchase of shares into - - - (1,623) - - (1,623)
treasury
Sale of shares from treasury - 91 - 675 - - 766
Shares bought back and (196) - 196 (2,765) - - (2,765)
cancelled
Total return from ordinary
activities - - - - 151,194 216 151,410
At 31st March 2006 13,195 91 2,441 26,851 339,075 (8,683) 372,970
Repurchase of shares into - - - (11,195) - - (11,195)
treasury
Sale of shares from treasury - 1,221 - 3,602 - - 4,823
Total return from ordinary
activities - - - - 82,367 1,279 83,646
At 31st March 2007 13,195 1,312 2,441 19,258 421,442 (7,404) 450,244
JPMorgan European Fledgeling Investment Trust plc
Unaudited figures for the year ended 31st March 2007
BALANCE SHEET (Unaudited) (Audited)
31st March 2007 31st March 2006
£'000 £'000
Fixed assets
Investments at fair value through profit or loss 433,219 387,213
Investment in liquidity fund at fair value
through profit or loss 12,736 -
_______
Total portfolio 445,955 387,213
Current assets
Debtors 11,123 10,098
Cash and short term deposits 305 2,417
_______ _______
11,428 12,515
Creditors : amounts falling due within one year (7,139) (26,758)
Net current assets/ (liabilities) 4,289 (14,243)
_______ _______
Total assets less current liabilities 450,244 372,970
_______ _______
Total net assets 450,244 372,970
===== =====
Capital and reserves
Called up share capital 13,195 13,195
Share premium 1,312 91
Capital redemption reserve 2,441 2,441
Other reserve 19,258 26,851
Capital reserve 421,442 339,075
Revenue reserve (7,404) (8,683)
_______ _______
Shareholders' funds 450,244 372,970
===== =====
Net asset value per share (note 3) 876.8p 709.0p
CASH FLOW STATEMENT
(Unaudited) (Audited)
31st March 2007 31st March 2006
£'000 £'000
Net cash inflow from operating activities 1,848 553
Net cash outflow from returns on investments and servicing of (925) (556)
finance
Overseas tax recovered 124 184
Net cash inflow from capital expenditure and financial
investment 14,650 15,757
Net cash outflow from financing (17,813) (27,547)
_______ ______
Decrease in cash for the year (2,116) (11,609)
===== ====
Notes to the Accounts
1. Accounting policies
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 1985,
United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice ('UK GAAP') and with the
Statement of Recommended Practice 'Financial Statements of Investment Trust
Companies' dated 31st December 2005.
All of the Company's operations are of a continuing nature.
2. Return per share
(Unaudited) (Audited)
31st March 2007 31st March 2006
£'000 £'000
Return per share is based on the following:
Revenue return 1,279 216
Capital return 82,367 151,194
Total return 83,646 151,410
Weighted average number of shares in issue 51,293,172 52,794,594
Revenue return per ordinary share 2.49p 0.41p
Capital return per ordinary share 160.58p 286.38p
Total return per ordinary share 163.07p 286.79p
3. Net asset value per share
The net asset value per share is based on the net assets attributable to the
ordinary shareholders of £450,244,000 (2006: £372,970,000) and on the 51,350,198
(2006: 52,606,517) shares in issue at the year end, excluding shares held in
treasury.
4. Status of preliminary announcement
The financial information set out in this preliminary announcement does not
constitute the Company's statutory accounts for the years ended 31st March 2007
or 2006. The statutory accounts for the year ended 31st March 2007 have not been
delivered to the Registrar of Companies, nor have the auditors yet reported on
them. The statutory accounts for the year ended 31st March 2007 will be
finalised on the basis of the information presented by the Directors in this
preliminary announcement and will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies
following the approval of the accounts by the Board of Directors.
8th June 2007
JPMORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT (UK) LIMITED
This information is provided by RNS
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