Dividend Target Increase and AGM

RNS Number : 1201Y

Gresham House Strategic PLC

07 September 2020

 

Gresham House Strategic plc ('GHS' or the 'Company')

Dividend Target Increase and Annual General Meeting

Dividend Growth increased to 20% for the current financial year

The Board of GHS is pleased to announce that, in view of the Company's strong performance and outlook for the portfolio it proposes to increase the dividend target for the current financial year to 27.5p per share. 

This represents an increase of 20% on the dividend declared in respect of the Financial Year ended 31 March 2020, compared to the 15% increase previously announced. 

In line with the desire to return a sustainable proportion of realised profits, the Board's long-term expectation remains to grow the dividend at 15% per annum in future years.  The Board intends to pay the increased interim dividend in December 2020 and the final dividend in September 2021, as in prior years.

David Potter, Chairman of Gresham House Strategic plc, commented:

"We've just passed the five-year anniversary of Gresham House's appointment as investment manager, and we look back on a half-decade of strong performance. GHS's Net Asset Value has grown 34.9% since inception August 2015 through to the end of August 2020, which has translated to a share price total return of 38%. A challenging time for UK companies, the FTSE Small Cap Index (ex-Investment Trusts) is up only 4.8% in comparison."

"The board has confidence in the current portfolio and its ability to continue to deliver strong NAV growth in future years. We have recently acquired several new investments during this opportunity-rich period of economic disruption which the investment manager believes have excellent medium-term prospects for capital growth. Furthermore, GHS has shown that it can exit large positions, like IMI Mobile, to crystallise those returns for shareholders."

Annual General Meeting ('AGM') Arrangements

As announced on 3 July 2020, the Company's AGM will be held at the offices of Shakespeare Martineau  LLP, 60 Gracechurch Street, London, EC3V 0HR at 10.00 a.m. on Thursday 17 September 2020.

Given the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions prohibiting public gatherings, it will not be possible to hold an open AGM with shareholders in physical attendance. In order to ensure shareholders are able to engage with the Board and view proceedings, they may attend the AGM via the following online link.

Please note that it will not be possible to vote on the matters to be considered at the AGM through this online link.  Shareholders are encouraged to vote electronically, or to appoint the Chair as their proxy with their voting instructions.

Meeting URL:	https://smglegal-co-uk.zoom.us/j/99583607185?pwd=ZDIzaU4rVVV6SklUcmNROU0zNVFldz09
Meeting ID:	995 8360 7185
Passcode:	304635

The Company will convene the AGM with the minimum necessary quorum of two shareholders in accordance with its articles of association.

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (MAR). Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain. For the purposes of MAR and Article 2 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1055, this announcement is being made on behalf of GHS by David Potter, Chairman.

For further information, please contact:

Gresham House Strategic plc Chairman	David Potter	07711 450 391
Gresham House Asset Management Ltd Fund Managers	Richard Staveley Anthony Dalwood	07864 802 532 020 3837 6278
finnCap Nominated Adviser Joint Broker	William Marle Mark Whitfield	07712 010 135 07388 380 466
Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited Joint Broker	Tom Scrivens Michael Bateman	020 7886 2500
KL Communications PR	Charles Gorman Camilla Esmund Alex Hogan	020 3995 6673

About Gresham House Strategic plc

GHS invests in UK smaller public companies, applying private equity techniques and due diligence alongside a value investment philosophy to construct a focused portfolio expected to be comprised of 10-20 companies, the majority of capital in the top 10.

The Investment Manager, Gresham House Asset Management Ltd (Gresham House, GHAM, or Investment Manager), aims for a high level of engagement with investee company stakeholders, including management, shareholders, customers, suppliers and competitors, with the aim of identifying market pricing inefficiencies and supporting a clear equity value creation plan and targeting above market returns over the longer term.

About Gresham House Asset Management Ltd (GHAM)

Gresham House Asset Management Ltd, the operating business of Gresham House plc (GHE), manages funds and co-investments across a range of differentiated alternative investment strategies for third-party clients.

 

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