Final Results - Year Ended 31 December 1999
Jupiter Int.Green Inv. Trust PLC
9 March 2000
Announcement of preliminary results for the year ended 31st December 1999.
CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT
The total assets of your Company rose by 19.7%, after adjusting for the
conversion of Warrants, over the year to 31st December 1999. This compares
with a rise of 21.2% by the FTSE All-Share Index and a rise of 28.2% by the
FT/S&P Actuaries World Index over the same period.
Net revenue after taxation for the period amounted to £1.08 million compared
to £1.07 million last year. Your directors are recommending a final dividend
of 2.6p net per Ordinary share making a total of 4.3p net, an increase of 2.4%
over the previous year. The dividend is not completely covered by earnings
therefore £149,000 has been taken from consolidated revenue reserves of
£511,000.
As at 31st December 1999 the combination of Ordinary shares, Zero Dividend
Preference shares and Warrants stood on a discount over the underlying net
asset value of 3.2%.
Fears at the beginning of the year that recovery in Asia would take a long
time, that Europe and the UK would suffer a period of stagnation, and that the
US economy was overheating have all proved, twelve months later, to be
groundless. World GDP is growing at one of the strongest rates for many
years. The US economy has been expanding consistently since the early years
of the past decade, and is still responding positively to the Federal
Reserve's incremental interest rates increases. The countries of the Pacific
Basin are in the process of solving their financial problems and regenerating
their intra-regional trade. Japan is moving out of a prolonged recession
helped by a series of fiscal reforms and corporate amalgamations. In the
middle of these two great components of the world economy, Europe has created
a third, which is now economically nearly as large, with the euro and the
European Central Bank launched and a first year of political reform and
corporate restructuring completed.
Stockmarkets have mirrored these developments and ended the year at or near
new highs. Inflation has been kept under control through constant productivity
improvements and the Federal Reserve's policy of gradual tightening. At the
same time, pricing power in any internationally competitive area of the world
economy has suffered as never before thanks to currency reform and the
expansion this year in commerce over the Internet. Towards the end of the
year, the explosion of interest in Information Technology and Internet stocks,
led to the outperformance of smaller companies relative to their larger
counterparts. Historical models of valuing growth stocks versus cyclicals or
equities against bonds have subsequently been questioned.
Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) received a significant endorsement this
year with the introduction of a new regulation requiring UK Pension Fund
Statements of Investment Principles to disclose the extent to which social,
environmental and ethical factors are taken into account in investment
decisions. It is hoped that the regulation will encourage more investors to
consider the wider implications of their investment actions. This may also
stimulate companies to improve their social and environmental performances in
order to appeal to these investors. By increasing the demand for SRI products
and the supply of companies in which they may invest the regulation should
have positive implications for your Company.
Within this more favourable climate for SRI, your Company continued to develop
the way it interacts with the companies in which it invests. In particular,
it began to use the Jupiter Environmental Research Unit's increasingly
structured system for encouraging improvements in corporate environmental and
social performance. This should enable your Company to monitor, and thereby
improve, the effectiveness of this 'engagement' process. As in previous
years, a key focus of engagement during the year was the promotion of improved
environmental disclosure through the publication of Corporate Environmental
Reports.
Your Company's promotion of environmental disclosure complements efforts by
the Department of Environment, Transport and Regions (DETR) to initiate
widespread corporate Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting. Guidelines on these
Reports, published by DETR in June provide assistance with calculating
emissions and should encourage more companies to make disclosures.
Another high profile environmental issue that had an impact upon your Company
in the year was the use of Genetically Modified Organisms in food. Although
the Research Unit has monitored this issue for some time, the marked increase
in public concern prompted the Company to revise its stated approach to
investing in companies involved in the area. In essence this approach favours
companies that adopt a precautionary approach, promote the use of
traditionally grown crops, and provide consumers with information on the
ingredients of their purchases.
The new Millennium has started well. As at the end of February your Company's
total assets have risen by 13.7% which compares favourably with a fall of
7.8% in the FTSE All Share Index since the beginning of the year. Looking
forward strong economic growth and low inflation offer a benign backdrop for
equities. Steady bond yields and renewed earnings momentum
should support equity markets.
MICHAEL HEATHCOAT AMORY
9th March 2000
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF TOTAL RETURN
(Incorporating the Revenue Account)
for the year ended 31st December 1999
1999 1998
Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Gains/(losses) on investments - 8,353 8,353 - (341) (341)
Revaluation of currencies - 1 1 - (5) (5)
Income from fixed asset 1,452 - 1,452 1,601 - 1,601
investments
Other income 111 - 111 66 - 66
Profit on dealings by subsidiary 9 - 9 8 - 8
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Gross revenue and capital gains 1,572 8,354 9,926 1,675 (346) 1,329
Management fee (226) (226) (452) (192) (192) (384)
Other expenses (94) (94) (188) (89) (89) (178)
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Net return on ordinary activities 1,252 8,034 9,286 1,394 (627) 767
before finance costs and taxation
Interest payable on bank overdrafts (2) - (2) (12) - (12)
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Return on ordinary activities 1,250 8,034 9,284 1,382 (627) 755
before tax
Tax on ordinary activities (170) 31 (139) (312) 20 (292)
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Return on ordinary activities 1,080 8,065 9,145 1,070 (607) 463
after tax
Return attributable to equity 1,080 4,820 5,900 1,070 (3,686)(2,616)
shares
Return attributable to non- - 3,245 3,245 - 3,079 3,079
equity shares ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______
1,080 8,065 9,145 1,070 (607) 463
Dividends payable to equity (1,229) - (1,229) (1,153) - (1,153)
shareholders
______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Transfer to/(from) reserves (149) 8,065 7,916 (83) (607) (690)
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Return/(loss) per ordinary share 3.83p 17.09p 20.92p 4.01p (13.80p)(9.79p)
======= ======= ======= ===== ======= =======
Diluted return/(loss) per 3.74p 15.97p 19.71p 3.88p(14.29p)(10.41p)
ordinary share
======= ======= ======= ===== ======= =======
The Directors propose a final dividend in respect of the year ended 31st
December 1999 of 2.6p net per Ordinary share. This dividend will be payable
on 5th May 2000 to shareholders on the register on 24th March 2000.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
as at 31st December 1999
1999 1998
£'000 £'000
Total assets 48,897 39,835
====== ======
Net asset value per Ordinary share - undiluted 67.4p 52.0p
Net asset value per Ordinary share - diluted 63.6p 47.9p
Net asset value per Zero Dividend Preference share 103.6p 93.1p
Net asset value per unit of one Ordinary share 171.0p 145.1p
and one Zero Dividend Preference share
The figures for the year ended 31st December 1999 do not constitute full
accounts within the meaning of Section 240 of the Companies Act 1985. The
figures for the year ended 31st December 1998 have been extracted from the
full accounts for that year which have been delivered to the Registrar of
Companies and which the auditors have issued an unqualified audit report.
The directors report and accounts are expected to be posted to shareholders
shortly and copies will be available from the registered office of the Company
at 1, Grosvenor Place, London SW1X 7JJ.
The Annual General meeting is to be convened for 28th April 2000.
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD
JUPITER ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED
SECRETARIES