Final Results
PANTHEON INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATIONS PLC
17 September 1999
PANTHEON INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATIONS PLC ANNOUNCES
PRELIMINARY RESULTS
The Board of Pantheon International Participations PLC (PIP)
today announces its results for the year ended 30 June 1999.
The key highlights are:
- The fully diluted net asset value per share increased by
10% to 405.6p (June 1998: 368.6p)
- Total net assets of £145.8 million (June 1998: £131.3 million)
- Total of £30.8 million in cash received from its
investments bringing the total cash realisation to £68 million
from its investment portfolio in the last two years
- Outstanding commitments to private equity funds of £44.7
million at 30 June 1999
- Investment, including commitments, in private equity in
the year amounted to £15 million (June 1998: £24.1 million)
- Repurchase of the Company's shares under consideration
when advantageous to shareholders
- The Company had cash and fixed interest resources of
£62.9 million (June 1998: £47.4 million)
- The Directors recommend a first and final dividend of 2.0
pence per share (1998: nil)
Lionel Stopford Sackville, Chairman of PIP, commented:
'The Company has been careful in consideration of both primary
or secondary investments in the last year, however, it is in a
strong position to make some substantial investments in the
coming months thereby reducing the high levels of cash and
improving the value of the Company.
'The Board has taken measures to reduce the discount between
the net asset value and the share price. It has already
bought back a number of warrants for cancellation and proposes
to repurchase the Company's shares where this is considered
advantageous to shareholders. The discount between the net
asset value and the share price has reduced significantly
since year end.'
The Annual General Meeting will be held at 12.00 noon on
Thursday 18 November 1999 at Chatham House, 10 St James'
Square, London, SW1 and will, as in previous years, include a
presentation on the activities of the Company.
For further information, please contact:
Pantheon International Participations PLC 0171 484 6200
Rhoddy Swire
Pantheon Ventures 0171 484 6200
Richard Bowley
Ludgate Communications 0171 253 2252
Vanessa Anderson/Elizabeth Ware
NOTES TO EDITORS
Pantheon International Participations PLC
- Pantheon International Participations ('PIP') is a £145.8
million investment trust, managed by Pantheon Ventures Ltd.,
which uses an international fund of funds approach to private
equity investment.
- PIP has investments in over 170 private equity funds
whose portfolios contain investments in over 1,500 companies.
- The Company is currently the only independent, private
equity capital fund of funds investor quoted on the London
Stock Exchange. It enables individuals as well as
institutions to gain access to a substantial portfolio of
unquoted companies in the USA, UK, Continental Europe and
Asia, within funds managed by experienced private equity
managers.
- Within its stated primary investment objective, the
Company invests in private equity funds both as secondary
interests and by subscribing to new funds. As an adjunct to
this activity the Company may occasionally acquire direct
holdings in unquoted companies usually where a vendor is
seeking to sell a combined portfolio of funds and direct
holdings. The Company's investment policy also extends to
investing directly in companies where there is a private
equity manager, well known to the company, investing on the
same terms.
Pantheon Ventures Limited
- Pantheon Ventures Ltd., which manages PIP, has been
active in the private equity sector since 1982 and currently
manages approximately £2 billion, which is invested in over
350 private equity funds in over 30 countries.
CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT
This is my first opportunity to address shareholders in the
Annual Accounts of the Company. I am sure that you would like
to join the Board in thanking Tom Griffin for the enormous
contribution that he made to the development of the Company in
the period since its formation in 1987.
The results show that the net asset value has grown by 10% in
the year to 30 June 1999 and that total basic return per share
was 44.6 pence. Due to the low levels of activity in the
secondary market the Company has made few new investments in
the year under review. However its role as the only London-
quoted vehicle giving access to unquoted, third party private
equity funds on a global basis remains undiminished. It
enables institutions and individual investors to participate
in this important asset class through both primary and
secondary investments. The recent dramatic improvement in the
secondary market has found the Company in a very strong
position from which to capitalise on the experience and
resources of its manager.
Market Commentary & Outlook
The private equity market continues to grow at a rapid rate.
Commitments to private equity in 1998 were up 35% on the
previous year and have now more than doubled in two years.
The performance of funds raised in earlier years is strong,
and exits from investments have been very rapid in some
sectors, particularly Internet related investments.
However the increase in the size of the market, together with
the prospect of more normal performance and investment life
cycles in the period ahead, is likely to lead to an increase
in the size of the secondary market. This comes after a
period of limited activity and intense competition. The
increase in activity can already be detected as the manager
has reviewed a large volume of secondary deals in the first
six months of 1999. I expect the Company to make a number of
investments in the near future.
More resources
It has been apparent during the year that some of the
portfolios of secondary interests becoming available are of a
greater size than the Company is able to bid on. Accordingly
the Manager, Pantheon Ventures Limited, has begun raising a
fund, Pantheon Global Secondary Fund, to target large
portfolios of secondary interests. The Company has agreed
terms whereby secondary portfolios are shared with this
vehicle on terms advantageous to the Company. The Company
will be able, with this fund, to ensure that it remains a pre-
eminent purchaser of secondary interests in the global market
place.
Activities
The Company has been careful in its consideration of both
primary and secondary opportunities during the year. In a
period of significant stock market volatility there have been
a number of secondary transactions where the Company has
chosen either not to bid or to bid at level where it
transpired that there was little chance of success. It is
important to remember when considering the large amount of
cash that the Company has available that it is more important
to select the correct investments than to achieve any
particular level of activity. By 'keeping its powder dry' the
Company is well placed to make substantial investments in the
coming months.
The Company received a total of £30.8 million from its
investments in the year and has now received £68 million from
its investment portfolio in the last two years. It is this
continuing high level of distributions, combined with the
limited secondary activity, that explains the high levels of
cash that the Company now possesses.
Share & Warrant Buybacks
The Board has considered what measures could be taken to
reduce the discount between the net asset value and the share
price. It has already bought back a number of warrants for
cancellation and it proposes to take powers at the Annual
General Meeting to repurchase the Company's shares where this
is considered advantageous to shareholders. It should not be
thought that this is a panacea for the problem of the discount
but it is a suitable weapon for the Company to possess. Other
steps are being actively contemplated to reduce this discount,
although I am pleased it has reduced significantly subsequent
to the year end.
Hedging
The Company has identified normal weightings to various
private equity markets and their associated currencies. These
are based upon the strategic geographical allocations that the
manager, Pantheon Ventures Limited, has recommended to the
Board as appropriate at this time. These weightings may
change over the medium term as private equity markets outside
of the USA mature and develop.
Upper % Lower %
USA - US Dollars 60 50
United Kingdom - Sterling 30 20
Continental Europe - Euro 30 15
Asia - Yen 5 0
It is the Company's policy to maintain currency exposure
within those weighting ranges by holding surplus cash in these
currencies and, if necessary, by adopting hedging positions
where assets and commitments fall temporarily outside of those
ranges. There has been no hedging activity during the year
and there are no open contracts at the year end.
Dividend
The Board has recommended a final dividend of two pence per
share, payable on 30 November 1999 to holders of shares on 1
October 1999. The dividend is being paid to meet investment
trust regulations. The Company's aim remains capital growth
and shareholders should not expect regular dividends.
L.G. Stopford Sackville
16 September 1999
Summarised Statement of Total Return of the Company
(incorporating the revenue account*):
1 July 1998 1 July 1997
to 30 June 1999 to 30 June 1998
Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total
£'000s £'000s £'000s £'000s £'000s £'000s
£'000s
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
Gains on investments - 13,867 13,867 - 15,325 15,325
Cost of Warrants
purchased for
cancellation - - - - (1,146)(1,146)
Currency gains - 83 83 - 133 133
Income (Note) 4,091 - 4,091 2,897 - 2,897
Investment
management fee (2,036) - (2,036) (1,857) - (1,857)
Other expenses (717) - (717) (750) - (750)
------ ------ ------ ------- ------ ------
Return on ordinary
activities before tax 1,338 13,950 15,288 290 14,312 14,602
Tax on ordinary
activities (142) - (142) (67) - (67)
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
Return on ordinary
activities after
tax for the financial
year 1,196 13,950 14,146 223 14,312 14,535
Dividends in respect
of equity shares (679) - (679) - - -
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
Transfer to reserves 517 13,950 14,467 223 14,312 14,535
==== ==== ==== ==== ==== ====
Return per ordinary share **
- Basic 3.52p 41.11p 44.63p 0.66p 42.17p 42.83p
- Fully diluted 3.48p 40.55p 44.03p 0.65p 41.52p 42.17p
* The revenue column of this statement is the revenue account
of the Company.
** The accounts have been prepared using accounting standards
and policies adopted at the previous year end, with the
exception of returns per share which have been calculated in
accordance with the recently issued Financial Reporting
Standard No: 14, Earnings per share. The comparative figures
have been restated to reflect this change.
All revenue and capital items in the above statement derive
from continuing operations.
No operations were acquired or discontinued in the year.
Note: Income for the year ended 30 June 1999 was made up
of dividends and interest received from shares and
securities of £4,004,000 (1998: 2,718,000) and other
income of £87,000 (1998: £179,000).
Summarised Balance Sheet of the Company
As at 30 June
1999 1998
£'000s £'000s
Fixed Assets
Investments 140,696 126,547
Current Assets
Debtors 4,720 2,705
Cash at bank 1,479 2,373
--------- ---------
6,199 5,078
--------- ---------
Creditors: amounts falling due
within one year 1,106 303
--------- ---------
Net current assets 5,093 4,775
--------- ---------
Total net assets 145,789 131,322
===== =====
Capital and reserves
Called-up share capital 16,968 16,968
Share premium 32,525 32,525
Capital reserve - realised gains 75,587 57,752
Capital reserve - unrealised gains 19,101 22,986
Revenue reserve 1,608 1,091
--------- ---------
Total shareholders' funds 145,789 131,322
===== =====
Number of ordinary shares in issue 33,936,363 33,936,363
Number or warrants in issue 5,242,546 5,242,546
Net asset value per share:
- basic 429.6p 387.0p
- fully diluted 405.6p 368.6p
The Directors have recommended a final dividend of 2.0p per
share (1998: nil) payable on 30 November 1999 to shareholders
on the register at close of business on 1 October 1999.
The above financial information does not constitute statutory
accounts as defined in Section 240 of the Companies Act 1985.
The comparative financial information for the year ended 30
June 1998 is taken from the full accounts which have been
delivered to the Registrar of Companies and contained an
unqualified audit report.
Signed on behalf of the Board
L G Stopford Sackville
Chairman
16 September 1999