Half-yearly Report
For immediate release
11 May 2015
To: City Editors
Finsbury Growth & Income Trust PLC
Announces Half Year Results for the six months to 31 March 2015
Financial Summary and Key Data
Financial Highlights
As at As at
31 March 30 %
September
2015 2014 Change
Share price 590.0p 509.0p +15.9
Net asset value per share 584.6p 507.7p +15.1
Premium of share price to 0.9% 0.3% -
net asset value per share
Gearing* 3.7% 4.0% -
Shareholders' funds £629.0m £494.9m +27.1
Number of shares in issue 107,590,212 97,480,212 +10.4
Six months One year to
to
31 March 30
September
2015 2014
Share price (total return)# +17.4% +8.6%
Net asset value per share +17.3% +8.9%
(total return)#
FTSE All-Share Index (total +5.3% +6.1%
return)
(Company benchmark)#â€
Year ending Year ended
30 30
September September
2015 2014
First interim dividend 5.5p 5.1p
Second interim dividend Yet to be 6.2p
declared
# Source - Morningstar
†Source - FTSE International Limited ("FTSE") © FTSE 2015*
* See glossary
Chairman's Statement
Performance
I have pleasure in reporting that the Company's share price total return of
+17.4% and net asset value per share total return of +17.3% have again both
substantially outperformed the Company's benchmark, the FTSE All-Share Index,
which delivered a total return of +5.3%.
The principal contributors to the Company's net asset value performance were
London Stock Exchange, Schroders and Sage Group. Further information on the
Company's portfolio can be found in our Portfolio Manager's Review.
During the period, the Company's shares have consistently traded close to net
asset value, beginning the period at a 0.3% premium to the Company's net asset
value per share and ending on a 0.9% premium.
Share Capital
As I reported at the year-end, due to the constant demand for your Company's
shares, we took the following action:
A new block listing authority was obtained from the UK Listing Authority in
January 2015 to enable shares to be issued as cost effectively as possible;
a Prospectus was also published in December 2014 in order that the Company can
continue to issue shares in accordance with the Prospectus Directive; and
shareholder authority to issue further shares equal to 10% of the Company's
issued share capital on a non-pre-emptive basis was renewed at the Company's
Annual General Meeting held in February 2015.
As at 31 March 2015 the Company had 107,590,212 shares of 25p each in issue (31
March 2014: 91,310,212). During the six months under review 10,110,000 new
shares were issued raising £54.3 million net of expenses. Since the end of the
half-year, to the date of this report, a further 2,340,000 new shares have been
issued raising £13.9 million. As at 11 May 2015, the Company had 109,930,212
shares in issue.
The Directors believe that the issuance of those new shares continues to yield
the following principal benefits:
Improvement of liquidity in the market for the Company's shares;
Maintenance of the Company's ability to issue shares tactically, so as to
manage the premium to net asset value per share at which the shares trade;
Increase in the size of the Company, thereby spreading operating costs over a
larger capital base with a consequent reduction in the ongoing charges ratio;
and
Enhancement of the net asset value per share of existing shares through new
share issuance at a premium to the cum income net asset value per share;
Dividend
The Board has declared a first interim dividend of 5.5p per share, compared to
last year's first interim dividend of 5.1p per share, an increase of 7.8%. The
dividend was paid on Wednesday, 6 May 2015 to shareholders who were on the
register on Tuesday, 7 April 2015. The associated ex dividend date was
Thursday, 2 April 2015.
Gearing
The Company is in the second year of its three-year secured fixed term
multicurrency revolving credit facility with Scotiabank Europe PLC (the
"facility"). As reported in my statement within the Company's 2014 Annual
Report the Company had the ability to draw down a further £20 million over the
then existing £30 million facility. On 18 March 2015 the Board increased the
commitment under the Facility Agreement by an amount of £20 million to a total
of £50 million. The amount drawn under the facility, both initially and as
increased, lies comfortably within the Company' gearing limit and remains
within the constraints of the Company's investment policy.
Outlook
The FTSE All Share Index is up approximately 4.7% so far this calendar year.
Your Board continues to believe that our Portfolio Manager's strategy of
investing for the long-term in durable cash generative franchises capable of
sustained dividend growth will continue to deliver superior investment returns
to shareholders.
Anthony Townsend
Chairman
11 May 2015
Portfolio Manager's Review
Your Company has just enjoyed another half year of competitive absolute and
relative NAV performance. This caps several years of strong performance;
certainly since the bottom of the last bear market in March 2009. Meanwhile,
investors can find plenty to worry about in almost any market or geography they
care to turn their attention to. In particular, this report is written before
the UK General Election and shareholders will have their own apprehensions
about the various possible outcomes. Despite all this we remain exceptionally
bullish about the outlook for global equity markets, including the UK, and
think it worthwhile rehearsing the bull case below (and relating the arguments
to important holdings in the portfolio). Of course there's a risk that we have
become complacent, lulled into permanent optimism by a long bull market -
shareholders must decide the credibility of the case for themselves. At the
very least least we hope it is useful to understand our thinking and why we are
invested as we are.
The price of energy has recently declined almost 60%, with the decline driven
by a major, beneficial supply shock - US horizontal fracking. Wood Mackenzie
estimates that 98% of the world's leading oil fields would still generate
positive cash flow at an oil price of $40 a barrel, while the most efficient US
shale producers have marginal costs of $10-20 per barrel. This suggests the
current rally in oil, back to c$55, is temporary, because the price will have
to stay below $40 for a meaningful period if capacity really is to be
withdrawn. What this means for the rest of us is that, all around the world
corporations can look forward to even lower energy costs and consumers to
having higher disposable income in their pockets.
It is hard to conceive of companies more advantaged by this energy price drop
than the major global consumer branded goods owners. Their costs are declining,
while their billions of customers are feeling better off. It is no surprise to
us that, for instance, Heineken's shares are up 30% in 2015 to date. Brewing
and transporting beer is energy-intensive (and has just become a whole lot
cheaper, while people are no less thirsty but have more Pesos, Rupees, Dong or
Dollars in their pockets to slake their thirsts).
Falling inflation - one result of plummeting energy costs - and straitened
government balance sheets mean one thing: a continuation of extraordinarily lax
monetary policies worldwide. Fiat money will find its way quickly into
financial assets, particularly those that offer any certainty of real,
inflation-protected returns over time. Blue chip equities are an obvious
beneficiary. In January 2015, Merrill Lynch ("ML") put out a "buy" note on
Unilever pointing out that its shares offer a dividend yield of 3.5%. The
dividend is growing ahead of inflation and is, according to Merrill Lynch's
analysts, the second "safest" dividend across the whole of Europe. Meanwhile,
ML continued, there are billions of savings across Europe - Euros, Swiss
Francs, Krone - that offer negative interest rates. It actually costs you to
deposit cash with certain banks. In these circumstances why wouldn't you invest
more into Unilever (or Diageo, Heineken, Mondelez etc)? In addition, the
intermediaries between institutional and individual investors and the financial
markets are likely to benefit from increased volumes of cash flowing across
their platforms - for example London Stock Exchange or Hargreaves Lansdown - or
into their fund products - Schroders or Rathbone.
It's easy to be complacent and sometimes the worst does happen. However,
financial history teaches that financial crises are most often crises for fiat
currencies and government bonds - not for sound Equity.
2014 saw an explosion in global M&A activity. At c$4 trillion of announced
deals the value was up 60% on 2013 and the highest total since the previous
peak of 2007. This has continued into 2015, with the value of announced deals
up a further 17% on 2014 so far and we expect this to accelerate. The logic for
more deals is compelling. Global business requires global corporations.
Meanwhile, technology is increasing the payback on deals, allowing more costs
to be taken out and the control of more complex entities. In fact it's hard to
think of a global industry where there aren't well-founded and compelling
rumours of new business combinations. Bid chatter and the actuality of deals
will keep equity investors perky.
Hargreaves Lansdowne announced last quarter it had increased its IT headcount
by a third in order to take advantage of the opportunities offered by new
technology to improve its services to its customer base. Almost every company
we meet has a similar story to tell - that IT is changing their relationships
with their customers. Most often allowing them to offer a more valuable service
at a lower price. This theme has helped various portfolio companies report
stronger than expected business growth in 2015 key examples include Burberry,
Daily Mail, Fidessa, Pearson, Reed and Sage.
In conclusion - Technology - fracking, digital, biotech - is pushing inflation
down, while increasing opportunities for companies to grow. Exceptionally
bullish indeed.
Nick Train
Director
Lindsell Train Limited
Portfolio Manager
11 May 2015
Investment Portfolio
as at 31 March 2015
Fair value % of
Investment Sector £'000 investments
Unilever Consumer 57,617 8.8
Goods
Diageo Consumer 50,290 7.7
Goods
Reed Elsevier Consumer 50,254 7.7
Services
Pearson Consumer 46,922 7.2
Services
Heineken Holdings (A Shares) Consumer 42,867 6.6
* Goods
London Stock Exchange Financials 40,974 6.3
Hargreaves Lansdown Financials 38,748 5.9
Schroders Financials 35,520 5.5
Burberry Group Consumer 35,457 5.4
Goods
Sage Group Technology 35,329 5.4
Top 10 investments 433,978 66.5
Daily Mail & General Trust Consumer 29,977 4.6
(A Shares) Services
A.G. Barr Consumer 26,483 4.0
Goods
Rathbone Brothers Financials 25,261 3.9
Fidessa Technology 24,682 3.8
Mondelez International^ Consumer 22,725 3.5
Goods
Dr.Pepper Snapple^ Consumer 17,472 2.7
Goods
Greene King Consumer 15,353 2.3
Services
Kraft Foods^ Consumer 13,143 2.0
Goods
Thomson Reuters~ Consumer 11,064 1.7
Services
Euromoney Institutional Consumer 10,348 1.6
Investor Services
Top 20 investments 630,486 96.6
Young & Co's Brewery Consumer 7,538 1.2
(non-voting) Services
Fuller Smith & Turner Consumer 7,077 1.1
Services
The Lindsell Train Financials 4,230 0.6
Investment Trust
Celtic Consumer 2,128 0.3
Services
Frostrow Capital LLP+ Financials 1,060 0.2
Celtic 6% (cumulative - 69 0.0
convertible preference)**
Total investments 652,588 100.0
All of the above investments are equities listed in the UK, unless otherwise
stated.
* Listed in the Netherlands
^ Listed in the United States
~ Listed in Canada
+ Unquoted partnership interest (includes AIFM capital of £320,000)
** Non-equity - Preference Shares
Comparison of Sector Weightings with the FTSE All-Share Index
as at 31 March 2015
Finsbury
Growth
Finsbury FTSE & Income
Growth All-Share
& Income Index (under)/
overweight
Sector % % %
Consumer Goods 40.7 14.5 26.2
Consumer Services 27.7 12.0 15.7
Financials 22.4 25.8 (3.4)
Technology 9.2 1.6 7.6
Oil & Gas - 11.9 (11.9)
Industrials - 10.1 (10.1)
Health care - 8.9 (8.9)
Basic Materials - 6.7 (6.7)
Telecommunications - 4.9 (4.9)
Utilities - 3.6 (3.6)
Total 100.0 100.0 -
Income Statement
For the six months ended 31 March 2015
(Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited)
Six months ended 31 March Six months ended 31 March Year ended 30 September
2015 2014 2014
Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Gains on investments - 83,232 83,232 - 35,256 35,256 - 26,961 26,961
designated at fair
value through profit
or loss
Exchange differences - (25) (25) - (11) (11) - (17) (17)
Income (note 2) 5,229 - 5,229 3,809 - 3,809 13,570 - 13,570
AIFM and Portfolio (573) (1,163) (1,736) (473) (961) (1,434) (987) (2,005) (2,992)
Management fees (note
3)
Other expenses (462) - (462) (351) (19) (370) (739) (26) (765)
Return on ordinary 4,194 82,044 86,238 2,985 34,265 37,250 11,844 24,913 36,757
activities before
finance charges and
taxation
Finance charges (85) (173) (258) (77) (157) (234) (151) (306) (457)
Return on ordinary 4,109 81,871 85,980 2,908 34,108 37,016 11,693 24,607 36,300
activities before
taxation
Taxation on ordinary (106) - (106) (80) - (80) (226) - (226)
activities
Return on ordinary 4,003 81,871 85,874 2,828 34,108 36,936 11,467 24,607 36,074
activities after
taxation
Return per share - 3.8p 77.8p 81.6p 3.2p 39.1p 42.3p 12.6p 27.0p 39.6p
basic (note 4)
The "Total" column of this statement represents the Company's profit and loss
account. The "Revenue" and "Capital" columns are supplementary to this and are
prepared under guidance published by the Association of Investment Companies
("AIC").
All items in the above statement derive from continuing operations. The Company
had no recognised gains or losses other than those declared in the Income
Statement.
There is no material difference between the net return on ordinary activities
before taxation and the net return on ordinary activities after taxation stated
above and their historical cost equivalents.
Reconciliation of Movements in Shareholders' Funds
Share Capital
Share premium redemption Special Capital Revenue
(Unaudited) capital account reserve reserve reserve reserve Total
Six months ended £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
31 March 2015
At 30 September 24,370 215,304 3,453 12,424 228,842 10,538 494,931
2014
Net return from - - - - 81,871 4,003 85,874
ordinary
activities
Second interim - - - - - (6,086) (6,086)
dividend (6.2p
per share) for
the year ended 30
September 2014
Issue of shares 2,527 51,877 - - - - 54,404
Cost of share - (108) - - - - (108)
issuance
At 31 March 2015 26,897 267,073 3,453 12,424 310,713 8,455 629,015
(Unaudited)
Six months ended
31 March 2014
At 30 September 20,784 146,465 3,453 12,424 204,235 8,478 395,839
2013
Net return from - - - - 34,108 2,828 36,936
ordinary
activities
Second interim - - - - - (4,748) (4,748)
dividend (5.7p
per share) for
the year ended 30
September 2014
Issue of shares 2,043 38,952 - - - - 40,995
Cost of share - (110) - - - - (110)
issuance
At 31 March 2014 22,827 185,307 3,453 12,424 238,343 6,558 468,912
(Audited)
Year ended 30
September 2014
At 30 September 20,784 146,465 3,453 12,424 204,235 8,478 395,839
2013
Net return from - - - - 24,607 11,467 36,074
ordinary
activities
Second interim - - - - - (4,748) (4,748)
dividend (5.7p
per share) for
the year ended 30
September 2013
First interim - - - - - (4,659) (4,659)
dividend (5.1p
per share) for
the year ended
30 September 2014
Issue of shares 3,586 68,949 - - - - 72,535
Cost of share - (110) - - - - (110)
issuance
Year ended 30 24,370 215,304 3,453 12,424 228,842 10,538 494,931
September 2014
Balance Sheet
as at 31 March 2015
(Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited)
31 March 31 March 30
September
2015 2014 2014
£'000 £'000 £'000
Fixed assets
Investments designated at fair 652,588 486,958 514,798
value through profit or loss
Current assets
Debtors 2,693 1,215 2,339
Cash at bank 1,660 1,972 2,029
4,353 3,187 4,368
Current liabilities
Creditors (1,526) (433) (1,135)
Net current assets 2,827 2,754 3,233
Total assets less current 655,415 489,712 518,031
liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling due
after one year
Bank loan (26,400) (20,800) (23,100)
Net assets 629,015 468,912 494,931
Capital and reserves
Share capital 26,897 22,827 24,370
Share premium account 267,073 185,307 215,304
Capital redemption reserve 3,453 3,453 3,453
Special reserve 12,424 12,424 12,424
Capital reserve 310,713 238,343 228,842
Revenue reserve 8,455 6,558 10,538
Total shareholders' funds 629,015 468,912 494,931
Net asset value per share - 584.6p 513.5p 507.7p
basic (note 5)
Cash Flow Statement
for the six months ended 31 March 2015
(Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited)
31 March 31 March 30
September
2015 2014 2014
£'000 £'000 £'000
Net cash inflow from operating 2,518 1,707 9,346
activities (note 7)
Net cash outflow from servicing
of finance
Interest paid (258) (328) (551)
Financial investment
Purchase of investments (55,021) (42,457) (78,662)
Sale of investments 802 26 763
Net cash outflow from financial (54,219) (42,431) (77,899)
investment
Equity dividends paid (6,086) (4,748) (9,407)
Net cash outflow before (58,045) (45,800) (78,511)
financing
Financing
Shares issued 54,509 41,350 71,824
Drawdown of loans 3,300 600 2,900
Cost of share issuance (108) (110) (110)
Net cash inflow from financing 57,701 41,840 74,614
Decrease in cash (344) (3,960) (3,897)
Reconciliation of net cash flow
to movement in net debt
Decrease in cash resulting from (344) (3,960) (3,897)
cashflows
Increase in debt (3,300) (600) (2,900)
Exchange movements (25) (11) (17)
Movement in net debt (3,669) (4,571) (6,814)
Net debt at start of period (21,071) (14,257) (14,257)
Net debt at end of period (24,740) (18,828) (21,071)
Analysis of net debt
(Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited)
31 March 31 March 30
September
2015 2014 2014
£'000 £'000 £'000
Cash at bank 1,660 1,972 2,029
Bank loan (26,400) (20,800) (23,100)
(24,740) (18,828) (21,071)
Notes to the Financial Statements
1. Basis of preparation
The condensed financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost
convention, except for the measurement at fair value of investments, and in
accordance with UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (GAAP) and the
Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) for `Financial Statements of
Investment Trust Companies and Venture Capital Trusts' issued by the
Association of Investment Companies dated January 2009 and the Companies Act
2006.
The Financial Statements have been prepared on a going concern basis. The
Directors believe this is appropriate as the Company's net assets consist
almost entirely of liquid securities which are quoted on recognised stock
exchanges.
The same accounting policies used for the year ended 30 September 2014 have
been applied.
2. Income
(Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited)
Six months Six months Year
ended ended ended
31 March 31 March 30
2015 2014 September
2014
£'000 £'000 £'000
Income from investments
Franked investment income
- dividends 4,216 3,274 11,617
Unfranked investment income
- overseas dividends 707 535 1,705
- limited liability partnership 292 - 240
profit-share
- limited liability partnership 14 - 8
- priority profit-share on AIFM
Capital Contribution
Total income 5,229 3,809 13,570
3. AIFM and Portfolio Management fees
(Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited)
Six months Six months Year
ended ended ended
31 March 31 March 30
2015 2014 September
2014
£'000 £'000 £'000
AIFM fee 460 367 770
Portfolio management fee 1,276 994 2,100
VAT on AIFM fees* - 73 122
Total fees 1,736 1,434 2,992
* With effect from 22 July 2014, no VAT has been charged on the AIFM fees.
4. Return per share
The total return per share is based on the total return attributable to equity
shareholders of £85,874,000 (six months ended 31 March 2014: return of £
36,936,000; year ended 30 September 2014: return of £36,074,000) and on
105,279,252 shares (six months ended 31 March 2014: 87,264,241; year ended
30 September 2014: 91,128,356), being the weighted average number of shares in
issue during the period.
The revenue return per share is calculated by dividing the net revenue return
of £4,003,000 (six months ended 31 March 2014: return of £2,828,000; year ended
30 September 2014: return of £11,467,000) by the weighted average number of
shares in issue as above.
The capital return per share is calculated by dividing the net capital return
attributable to shareholders of £81,871,000, (six months ended 31 March 2014:
return of £34,108,000; year ended 30 September 2014: return of £24,607,000) by
the weighted average number of shares in issue as above.
5. Net asset value per share
The net asset value per share is based on net assets attributable to shares of
£629,015,000 (31 March 2014: £468,912,000 and 30 September 2014: £494,931,000)
and on 107,590,212 shares in issue (31 March 2014: 91,310,212 and 30 September
2014: 97,480,212).
6. Transaction costs
Purchase transaction costs for the six months ended 31 March 2015 were £304,000
(six months ended 31 March 2014: £251,000; year ended 30 September 2014: £
461,000).
These comprise of stamp duty costs of £224,000 (31 March 2004: £182,000; year
ended 30 September 2014: £344,000) and commission of £80,000 (31 March 2014: £
69,000; year ended 30 September 2014: £117,000).
Sales transaction costs for the six months ended 31 March 2015 were £nil (six
months ended 31 March 2014: £nil; year ended 30 September 2014: £1,000). These
comprise solely of commission.
These transaction costs are included within the gains on investments within the
Income Statement.
7. Reconciliation of net total return before finance costs and taxation to net
cash inflow from operating activities
(Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited)
Six months Six months Year
ended ended ended
31 March 31 March 30
2015 2014 September
2014
£'000 £'000 £'000
Total return before finance 86,238 37,250 36,757
charges and taxation
Less: capital return before (82,044) (34,265) (24,913)
finance charges and taxation
Net revenue before finance 4,194 2,985 11,844
costs and taxation
Increase in accrued income and (470) (236) (266)
prepayments
Increase in creditors 52 4 39
Taxation - irrecoverable (95) (66) (240)
overseas tax paid
AIFM and portfolio management (1,163) (961) (2,005)
fees charged to capital
Other expenses charged to - (19) (26)
capital
Net cash inflow from operating 2,518 1,707 9,346
activities
8. 2014 accounts
The figures and financial information for the year to 30 September 2014 are
extracted from the latest published accounts of the Company and do not
constitute statutory accounts for the year.
Those accounts have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies and included
the Report of the Auditors which was unqualified and did not contain a
reference to any matters to which the auditors drew attention by way of
emphasis without qualifying the report, and did not contain a statement under
section 498 of the Companies Act 2006.
Interim Management Report
Principal Risks and Uncertainties
A review of the half year, and the outlook for the Company can be found in the
Chairman's Statement and in the Portfolio Manager's Review. The principal risks
and uncertainties faced by the Company fall into the following broad
categories: market price risk; interest rate risk; portfolio performance;
operational and regulatory risk; credit risk; liquidity risk; portfolio
management key person risk; availability of bank finance; inability to maintain
a progressive dividend policy. Information on each of these areas, with the
exception of the availability of bank finance and the Board's ability to
maintain a progressive dividend policy, is given in the Strategic Report within
the Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2014.
The risk associated with the availability of bank finance is that the provider
or any other lender may no longer be prepared to lend to the Company. Copies of
the monthly loan covenant compliance certificates, provided for the lender, are
circulated to the Board. Both the Board and Portfolio Manager are kept fully
informed of any likelihood of the withdrawal of the loan facility so that
repayment can be effected in an orderly fashion if necessary. Negotiations for
the renewal of the loan facility are conducted well in advance of the expiry of
the existing facility. With regard to the Company's dividend policy, the Board
regularly reviews the Company's portfolio and also income forecasts prepared by
the AIFM. Regular reports on the Company's income position are also made by the
Company's Portfolio Manager at each Board meeting. The Company also maintains a
distributable revenue reserve which can be used to help make up any shortfall
in income received by the Company.
In the view of the Board these principal risks and uncertainties are applicable
to the remaining six months of the financial year as they were to the six
months under review.
Related Party Transactions
During the first six months of the current financial year, no transactions with
related parties have taken place which have materially affected the financial
position or the performance of the Company.
Going Concern
The Directors, having made relevant enquiries, are satisfied that it is
appropriate to prepare financial statements on the going concern basis as the
net assets of the Company consist of liquid securities, all of which, with the
exception of the partnership interest in Frostrow Capital LLP, are traded on
recognised stock exchanges.
Directors' Responsibilities
The Board of Directors confirms that, to the best of its knowledge:
(i) the condensed set of financial statements contained within the Half Year
Report has been prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards;
and
(ii) the interim management report includes a true and fair review of the
information required by the UK Listing Authority and 4.2.7R and 4.2.8R of the
Transparency Rules.
In order to provide these confirmations, and in preparing these financial
statements, the Directors are required to:
• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
• make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
• state whether applicable accounting policies have been followed, subject to
any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
and
• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is
inappropriate to presume that the Company will continue in business;
and the Directors confirm that they have done so.
The Half Year Report has not been reviewed or audited by the Company's
auditors.
The Half Year Report was approved by the Board on 11 May 2015 and the above
responsibility statement was signed on its behalf by:
Anthony Townsend
Chairman
Glossary of Terms
AIC
Association of Investment Companies.
AIFMD
The Alternative Investment Fund Manager Directive (the "Directive") is a
European Union Directive that entered into force on 22 July 2013. The Directive
regulates EU fund managers that manage alternative investment funds (this
includes investment trusts).
AIFM Rules
AIFMD and all applicable rules and regulations implementing AIFMD in the UK,
including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing the Alternative
Investment Fund Managers Regulations 2013 (SI2013/1773) and all relevant
provisions of the FCA Handbook.
Discount or Premium
A description of the difference between the share price and the net asset value
per share. The size of the discount or premium is calculated by subtracting the
share price from the net asset value per share and is usually expressed as a
percentage (%) of the net asset value per share. If the share price is higher
than the net asset value per share the result is a premium. If the share price
is lower than the net asset value per share, the shares are trading at a
discount.
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Gearing
Gearing is calculated by dividing total assets (less cash/cash equivalents) by
shareholders' funds, expressed as a percentage (equivalent to AIC definition of
net gearing).
Leverage
The AIFM Directive (the "Directive") has introduced the obligation on the
Company and its AIFM in relation to leverage as defined by the Directive. The
Directive leverage definition is slightly different to the Association of
Investment Companies method of calculating gearing and is as follows; any
method by which the AIFM increases the exposure of an AIFM it manages whether
through borrowing of cash or securities, or leverage embedded in derivative
positions.
There are two methods for calculating leverage under the Directive - the Gross
Method and the Commitment Method. The process for calculating exposure under
each methodology is largely the same, except where certain conditions are met,
the Commitment Method enables instruments to be netted off to reflect `netting'
or `hedging' arrangements and the entity exposure is effectively reduced.
The Board has set the leverage limit for both the Gross basis and the
Committment basis at 125%. These limits are monitored by both the Board and the
AIFM.
Net Asset Value (NAV)
The value of the Company's assets, principally investments made in other
companies and cash being held, less any liabilities. The NAV is also described
as `shareholders' funds' per share. The NAV is often expressed in pence per
share after being divided by the number of shares which have been issued. The
NAV per share is unlikely to be the same as the share price which is the price
at which the Company's shares can be bought or sold by an investor. The share
price is determined by the relationship between the demand and supply of the
shares.
Net Asset Value Total Return
The total return on an investment over a specified period assuming dividends
paid to shareholders were reinvested at net asset value per share at the time
the shares were quoted ex-dividend. This is a way of measuring investment
management performance of investment trusts which is not affected by movements
in discounts or premiums.
Share Price Total Return
The change in capital value of a company's shares over a given period, plus
dividends paid to shareholders, expressed as a percentage of the opening value.
The assumption is that dividends paid to shareholders are re-invested in the
shares at the time the shares are quoted ex dividend.
Treasury Shares
Shares previously issued by a company that have been bought back from
shareholders to be held by the Company for potential sale or cancellation at a
later date. Such shares are not capable of being voted and carry no rights to
dividends.
For and on behalf of
Frostrow Capital LLP, Secretary
11 May 2015
- ENDS -
The following are attached:
* Chairman's Statement
* Portfolio Manager's Review and Investment Portfolio
* Income Statement
* Reconciliation of Movements in Shareholders' Funds
* Balance Sheet
* Cash Flow Statement
* Notes to the Interim Accounts
*Interim Management Report
*Glossary of Terms
For further information please contact:
Alastair Smith/Victoria Hale, Frostrow Capital LLP 020 3008 4911/020 3170 8732
Jo Stonier, Quill PR 020 7466 5066.
Nick Train, Lindsell Train Limited 020 7227 8200