TIDMSDU
RNS Number : 8274S
Schroder UK Growth Fund PLC
28 June 2018
28 June 2018
ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS
Schroder UK Growth Fund plc (the "Company") hereby submits its
Annual Report for the year ended 30 April 2018 as required by the
UK Listing Authority's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rule
4.1.
The Company's Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 30
April 2018 are also being published in hard copy format and an
electronic copy will shortly be available to download from the
Company's website http://www.schroders.co.uk/ukgrowth. Please click
on the following link to view the document:
http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/8274S_1-2018-6-27.pdf
The Company has submitted its Annual Report and Accounts to the
National Storage Mechanism and it will shortly be available for
inspection at www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/NSM.
Enquiries:
Andrea Davidson
Schroder Investment Management Limited
Tel: 020 7658 4430
Chairman's Statement
Performance
During the year to 30 April 2018, the Company's net asset value
("NAV") produced a total return of 9.1% while the share price
produced a total return of 15.0%. This compares to a total return
of 8.2% for the benchmark, the FTSE All-Share Index, over the same
period.
For the 10 year period to 30 April 2018, the Company's NAV
produced a total return of 93.9% while the share price produced a
total return of 92.7%. This compares to a total return of 90.9% for
the benchmark, the FTSE All-Share Index, over the same period.
Comment on performance over the period under review can be found
in the Manager's Review.
Change of Manager and name
On 13 April 2018 the Board announced that it had decided to
terminate the appointment of Schroder Unit Trusts Limited as the
Company's Alternative Investment Fund Manager ("AIFM") and had
entered into heads of terms to appoint Baillie Gifford & Co
Limited ("Baillie Gifford AIFM") as the Company's new AIFM and
Company Secretary. Baillie Gifford AIFM intends to delegate certain
portfolio and risk management duties to Baillie Gifford & Co
(together with Baillie Gifford AIFM, "Baillie Gifford").
The appointment of Baillie Gifford is expected to be completed
by the end of June 2018, with the majority of the portfolio
repositioned to be invested in capital growth stocks shortly
thereafter. Baillie Gifford has agreed to waive its management fee
to the extent of GBP732,000, being approximately equal to six
months' management fee at the time of the agreement.
Upon appointment of the new AIFM, it is expected that the
Company's name will be changed to Baillie Gifford UK Growth Fund
plc and its ticker will change to BGUK.
The Board believes in the benefit of active management over a
long-term investment horizon. Accordingly, it believes that
investment management performance should be measured over the long
term. It is very disappointing to note therefore that under
Schroders' fund management, the Company's long-term investment
performance is considerably below the Board's expectation and has
even lagged the Benchmark since its inception. The Company, despite
its ongoing share buy-back policy, has also struggled with a
persistent and wide share price discount to NAV. Accordingly, the
Board concluded that, while it is disappointing and disruptive to
change the management of the Company's assets, in order to provide
the best investment outcome for existing investors and to position
the Company to attract new and ongoing investors, it should make
the change to implement a new, 'best ideas' investment approach
managed by Baillie Gifford; an established manager of investment
trusts with a long-term track record in achieving capital growth
from UK equities.
Although the Company's investment objective and policy will not
change, Baillie Gifford will realign the portfolio to invest in a
bespoke, 'best ideas' portfolio, with approximately 40 stocks,
which will offer shareholders a UK-focused capital growth
investment proposition.
The portfolio will be co-managed by Iain McCombie and Milena
Mileva and will be populated with their highest conviction ideas,
providing investors with exposure to some of the most exciting UK
growth companies. The portfolio managers will seek to select high
quality companies with strong competitive positions which they
believe have the prospect of delivering strong earnings growth over
a number of years. The Board and Baillie Gifford believe that the
investment portfolio, constructed on a stock-picking, capital
growth orientated, long-term basis will be highly differentiated
relative to the Benchmark and to the peer group of all-cap UK
equity investment trusts.
The Board believes that the change in AIFM and investment
approach will provide the following benefits to investors:
- Access to Baillie Gifford's UK equity team. The team is
experienced and well resourced, with an average investment
experience of 13 years, almost all of which has been accumulated at
Baillie Gifford. The team manages UK specialist assets of GBP5.2bn
as at 30 April 2018.
- Strong track record. Although the proposed mandate for the
Company is a customised investment proposition that is different
from the UK open-ended funds managed by Baillie Gifford, both
portfolio managers have strong track records of outperformance in
UK equities and there will be a degree of crossover with their
existing portfolios.
- A bespoke and unique investment portfolio. The 'best ideas'
portfolio will consist of companies that the portfolio managers
believe will outperform materially over the long term. Baillie
Gifford expects active share for the portfolio to be over 80%.
- Long-term view. Baillie Gifford adopts a long-term view with
an investment horizon of five years plus and turnover within UK
portfolios is typically 10%-20% per annum.
- Baillie Gifford is one of the largest investment trust
managers in the UK and currently manages eight other investment
trusts.
It is the Board's view, after consultation with its advisers,
that these changes provide the scope for improved future long-term
performance and should enhance the appeal of the Company. With the
support of Baillie Gifford, the aim will be to attract new
investors and, over time, seek to achieve a narrowing of the
Company's discount.
Depositary and Custodian
As part of the transition process, HSBC will cease as Depositary
and Custodian co-terminously with the appointment of the new AIFM
and BNY Mellon Trust & Depositary (UK) Limited will be
appointed as the new Depositary and Custodian.
Earnings and dividends
The Directors have declared a second interim dividend of 3.00
pence per share taking total dividends for the year ended 30 April
2018 to 6.00 pence per share, an 11.1% increase over total
dividends of 5.40 pence per share paid in respect of the previous
year. The second interim dividend will be payable on 31 July 2018
to shareholders on the register on 6 July 2018.
The Company's investment policy highlights that the yield on the
Company's investment portfolio is of secondary importance to that
of achieving capital growth. Over the last few years, the Company
has paid out dividends that reflected the portfolio revenue derived
from Schroders' management style. As our new portfolio managers are
explicitly growth investors, with any underlying income received
being a by-product of that approach, earnings for future years are
expected to be notably lower than previously: although the earnings
for the year ending April 2019 will reflect the transition of the
management mandate as a number of dividend payments have been
received in May and June 2018.
Gearing
During the year, the Company maintained its total borrowing
facilities at GBP35 million, equally divided between a one year
revolving credit facility and an overdraft facility. Towards the
end of the year a small amount of gearing was implemented to take
advantage of the higher volatility that appeared in markets but
that has now been withdrawn and the portfolio has a small cash
position as we start the transition process to Baillie Gifford. The
Board sets internal guidelines for the Manager's use of gearing
which are altered from time to time but are subject to net
effective gearing not representing more than 20% of shareholders'
funds.
Share buy-backs
The share buy-back policy seeks to operate in the best interests
of shareholders by taking into account the relative level of the
Company's share price discount when compared with peer group
trusts, the absolute level of discount, volatility in the level of
discount and the impact from share buy-back activity on the
long-term liquidity of the Company's issued shares.
Over recent years the Company has regularly bought back shares.
Shares were regularly purchased for holding in treasury from May
2017 until the announcement of the appointment of Baillie Gifford
on 13 April 2018 and a total of 5,068,700 ordinary shares (3.3% of
the shares outstanding as at 30 April 2017) were purchased during
that time.
No shares have been repurchased since 14 April 2018 and the
discount has narrowed from 13.5% on 12 April 2018 to 6.5% on 15
June 2018. This is an encouraging indication that Baillie Gifford's
appointment as Manager is starting to attract new investors.
Board composition and succession planning
The Board continues to review its composition and consider its
succession and refreshment policies and accordingly will seek to
appoint two new directors over the coming year. Mr Cowdell, who has
served as a Director for six years, has indicated his intention to
retire from the Board with effect from the end of September 2018.
We will look to fill the vacancy that this creates in a way which
ensures a continued breadth of expertise within the Board.
Outlook
As investors seeking capital growth, the new portfolio managers
are of the view that the UK stock market provides ample
opportunities for high-conviction, active managers to add value
through identifying and investing in stocks in attractive growth
companies and holding them for as long as possible for
shareholders.
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held on
Thursday 2 August 2018 at 12.00 noon at the Institute of Directors,
116 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5ED. Shareholders are warmly invited to
attend. The meeting will include a presentation by the new
portfolio managers on the prospects for UK equities, the
positioning of the portfolio and the Company's investment strategy.
They and the Board will be available to answer any questions.
Carolan Dobson
Chairman
27 June 2018
Manager's Review (Schroders)
Market background
The FTSE All-Share Index rose 8.2% over the period against the
backdrop of a robust global economy. While the "Goldilocks"
scenario of low and stable growth and inflation was put to the
test, hopes remained that the world economy would continue to enjoy
a sustained synchronised recovery.
While inflationary pressures have remained benign, markets have
become more volatile as fears have grown over the build-up of
inflationary pressures. In particular, the pace of policy
tightening by the US Federal Reserve in response to strong US
employment has led to greater volatility and sector rotation.
Sterling recovered as the Bank of England increased base rates
for the first time since 2007, and as investors welcomed progress
with Brexit negotiations. More recently macro-economic data has
been disappointing, which may partly be explained by poor weather
but highlights the relative weakness of the economy after the
Brexit vote.
Performance
The NAV total return rose 9.1%, slightly ahead of the Benchmark.
A number of large positions delivered strong stock-specific
performance, helped by positive operational delivery and increased
M&A activity. The portfolio also benefited from a rotation away
from highly valued quality growth stocks towards 'value' stocks,
which tend to perform well against a more inflationary
backdrop.
Tesco was the standout contributor as the relatively new
management have been executing their turnaround plan. Their success
in delivering sector-leading volume growth has lead to a recovery
in earnings, balance sheet deleveraging and increased cash flow.
This has culminated in an 800% increase in profit and its first
dividend in three years.
Our exposure to the software sector contributed positively, with
IT infrastructure specialist Computacenter performing particularly
well following a trading update. Ladbrokes Coral was another strong
performer, after agreeing to a renewed offer from GVC. South32
performed strongly as the company benefited from supply reforms in
China restricting pollutive domestic supply of aluminium.
Publishing company Pearson has also been a positive contributor as
evidence is emerging that the poor recent performance has
stabilised and action to transition to digital delivery is gaining
traction.
Support services group Capita was the key detractor following a
disappointing trading update and a profit warning. Shares in
transport company FirstGroup disappointed after a failed bid from
private equity group Apollo.
Portfolio activity
The increase in market volatility earlier this year gave us an
opportunity to use the gearing facility for the first time for a
number of years.
We took advantage of a pull-back in the mining sector to add
South32 and Glencore to the portfolio. We were attracted by
South32's strong cash generation, exposure to aluminium/alumina
where pollution-related supply-side reforms are supportive, and it
has a management team willing to return cash to shareholders.
Glencore's gearing has fallen significantly over the past two years
on the back of self-help measures and a recovery in commodity
prices.
Other new positions included Shire following the announcement
that Takeda was interested in a bid; Barclays following negative
news flow which left the shares trading on a significant valuation
discount; and WPP following a series of negative trading statements
that has left the company on a low valuation. We believe these
concerns are already reflected in current valuations, and that WPP
remains a high-quality global leader in its markets.
We exited a number of positions where the investment case had
played out or we saw better value within the sector. Sales included
BAE Systems, Ladrokes Coral, Fidessa, NEX Group, Morrison's,
Sainsbury's, Mitchell's & Butler and ITV.
Schroder Investment Management Limited,
27 June 2018
Securities shown are for illustrative purposes only and should
not be viewed as a recommendation to buy or sell.
Manager's Review (Baillie Gifford)
As detailed in the Chairman's Statement, responsibility for
managing the portfolio will move to Baillie Gifford from the end of
the day on 29 June 2018, subject to the approval of the Financial
Conduct Authroity ("FCA"), but no later than 13 July 2018. The
portfolio will be co-managed by Iain McCombie and Milena Mileva who
will re-align the portfolio to invest in a concentrated selection
of what they believe to be the best UK growth companies. The report
that now follows, written by the new portfolio managers, introduces
their investment philosophy and process.
The Manager's core investment beliefs:
We believe the following key elements of our investment
philosophy and process provide a sustainable basis for adding value
for shareholders.
Long-term, committed, growth investors:
- We are genuinely long-term investors and believe this is our
key advantage in the context of a financial services industry which
is preoccupied with short-term noise and costly hyperactivity. We
try to assess where a company's earnings might be in five to ten
years' time, not to guess what the next quarter's earnings might
be. As a result, our portfolio turnover is expected to be less than
20%, much lower than the industry average.
- We seek to add value by identifying the few companies capable
of delivering and sustaining above average growth over long
periods. Although short-term sentiment can often swing in
unpredictable ways, we believe that share prices will, over time,
move to reflect the economics of the underlying assets, and above
average growth in earnings and cash flows will ultimately be
rewarded with superior share price performance. Our patient,
long-term approach ensures that company fundamentals are given time
to drive returns.
- We prefer to run our successful investments and will resist
the temptation to take profits provided we have confidence that our
thesis remains intact. We believe it is counter-productive to sell
dynamic growth equity investments because a static target price has
been reached.
- We believe we have an obligation to act as responsible
stewards of the businesses we own on shareholders' behalf. We
endeavour to help the companies we invest in to manage their
businesses in a sustainable manner through thoughtful and long-term
engagement.
- Low trading costs are a natural consequence of our long-term
approach and of benefit to shareholders.
Active investment manager:
- We are index agnostic investors. We buy companies we believe
will outperform materially over the long-term and do not buy shares
in a company just because it is a large component of the index.
Given our clear philosophy, large swathes of the market will be
unattractive and of no interest to us.
- We invest on a resolutely bottom-up basis. We pay little
attention to macro-economic forecasts and believe we have a better
chance of adding value for shareholders by identifying attractive
individual company investments rather than by adopting larger
thematic or industry positions.
- We view a high active share as a necessary prerequisite for
adding value over the long-term and shareholders should be
comfortable tolerating the inevitable ups and downs in short-term
relative performance that will follow from that. Given our
long-term approach, we respectfully request shareholders to judge
our investment performance on a similar timescale (five years).
Small investment teams make better decisions:
- We believe that small teams promote effective decision-making.
Our well-established process puts a significant emphasis on sharing
information and ideas as well as encouraging an open and robust
debate. Although, as co-managers, we retain final responsibility
and accountability for the portfolio, we believe we benefit
tremendously from this collective analytical input.
Multiple research inputs
- We think it is critical that we have a global perspective on
our investments. We seek to achieve this through frequent
interaction with the rest of the regional investors, global
investors, and sector specialists around Baillie Gifford.
A differentiated portfolio
We believe our investment philosophy and process will result in
a differentiated portfolio for shareholders. Our view is that the
UK market is home to many exciting growth businesses and we have
identified a number of these spanning many different sectors. We
think some of these companies are true world leaders in their
fields and benefit from strong and sustainable competitive
positions. They are pursuing large and dynamic growth
opportunities, which are often global in nature; their innovation
is enabling them to disrupt and transform the industries in which
they operate. These companies are managed in a genuinely long term
manner, building businesses that can prosper over many years. We
believe their strengths and adaptability will enable them to
successfully navigate evidently seismic macro-economic and
political shocks.
Outlook
The portfolio will reflect our highest conviction ideas which we
believe will grow at an above average rate over the medium term.
There will be periods when fundamentals are not reflected in
shareholder returns, such as when our growth style is out of
favour. We will, however, remain committed to our process and are
confident that it will create significant value for shareholders
over the long-term.
Baillie Gifford & Co Limited
27 June 2018
Principal Risks and Uncertainties
The Board is responsible for the Company's system of risk
management and internal control and for reviewing its
effectiveness. The Board has adopted a detailed matrix of principal
risks affecting the Company's business as an investment trust and
has established associated policies and processes designed to
manage and, where possible, mitigate those risks, which are
monitored by the Audit Committee on an ongoing basis. This system
assists the Board in determining the nature and extent of the risks
it is willing to take in achieving its strategic objectives. Both
the principal risks and the monitoring system are also subject to
robust review at least annually. The last review took place in June
2018.
The principal risks and uncertainties have remained unchanged
throughout the year under review. The Board has also considered the
potential impact on the Company's principal risks that may arise as
a consequence of the transfer to the new AIFM and the associated
new custodian arrangements. These include the heightened risk of
volatility in the Company's share price, operational disruption to
custody and record keeping, and additional costs incurred in
transitioning to the new investment strategy. Having identified
these risks, the Board has made arrangements to both manage and
where possible mitigate them, including negotiating the management
fee waiver from the new manager and discussions with the Schroders
ISA administrator to try to ensure that any sale of the Company's
shares by it is conducted in an orderly manner aimed at avoiding or
minimising any adverse impact on the share price.
The Board has also performed necessary due diligence to satisfy
itself as to the adequacy and effectiveness of internal controls
and risk management at the new AIFM and custodian.
Actions taken by the Board and, where appropriate, its
Committees, to manage and mitigate the Company's principal risks
and uncertainties are set out in the table below.
Risk Mitigation and management
Strategic
The Company's investment objectives Appropriateness of the Company's
may become out of line with the investment remit periodically
requirements of investors, resulting reviewed and success of the
in a wide discount of the share Company in meeting its stated
price to underlying net asset value. objectives is monitored.
Share price relative to net
asset value monitored and use
of buy-back authorities considered
on a regular basis.
Marketing and distribution activity
is actively reviewed.
Investment management
The Manager's investment strategy, Review of the Manager's compliance
if inappropriate, may result in with the agreed investment restrictions,
the Company underperforming the investment performance and risk
market and/or peer group companies, against investment objectives
leading to the Company and its objectives and strategy; relative performance;
becoming unattractive to investors. the portfolio's risk profile;
and appropriate strategies employed
to mitigate any negative impact
of substantial changes in markets.
Ongoing review and monitoring
of the suitability of the Manager.
Financial and currency
The Company is exposed to the effect Risk profile of the portfolio
of market fluctuations due to the considered and appropriate strategies
nature of its business. A significant to mitigate any negative impact
fall in equity markets could have of substantial changes in markets
an adverse impact on the market discussed with the Manager,
value of the Company's underlying including those originating
investments. from political risk.
The Company's cost base could become Ongoing competitiveness of all
uncompetitive, particularly in light service provider fees subject
of open-ended alternatives. to periodic benchmarking against
competitors.
Annual consideration of management
fee levels.
Depositary and Custody
Safe custody of the Company's assets Depositary reports on safe custody
may be compromised through control of the Company's assets, including
failures by the Depositary, including cash, and portfolio holdings
cyber hacking. are independently reconciled
with the Manager's records.
Review of audited internal controls
reports covering custodial arrangements.
Annual report from the Depositary
on its activities, including
matters arising from custody
operations.
Gearing and leverage
The Company utilises credit facilities. Gearing is monitored and strict
These arrangements increase the restrictions on borrowings imposed:
funds available for investment through gearing continues to operate
borrowing. While this has the potential within pre-agreed limits so
to enhance investment returns in as not to exceed 20% of shareholders'
rising markets, in falling markets funds. The Company can also
the impact could be detrimental hold up to 20% of shareholders'
to performance. funds in cash or cash equivalents.
Accounting, legal and regulatory
In order to continue to qualify Confirmation of compliance with
as an investment trust, the Company relevant laws and regulations
must comply with the requirements by key service providers.
of Section 1158 of the Corporation
Tax Act 2010. Shareholder documents and announcements,
including the Company's published
Breaches of the UK Listing Rules, Annual Report, are subject to
the Companies Act or other regulations stringent review processes.
with which the Company is required
to comply, could lead to a number Procedures have been established
of detrimental outcomes. to safeguard against disclosure
of inside information.
Service provider
The Company has no employees and Service providers appointed
has delegated certain functions subject to due diligence processes
to a number of service providers, and with clearly-documented
principally the Manager, Depositary contractual arrangements detailing
and Registrar. Failure of controls, service expectations.
including as a result of cyber hacking,
and poor performance of any service Regular reporting by key service
provider could lead to disruption, providers and monitoring of
reputational damage or loss. the quality of services provided.
Review of annual audited internal
controls reports from key service
providers, including confirmation
of business continuity arrangements
and IT controls.
Viability statement
The Directors have assessed the viability of the Company over a
five year period, taking into account the Company's position at 30
April 2018 and the potential impacts of the principal risks and
uncertainties it faces for the review period.
A period of five years has been chosen for the purposes of the
assessment of viability as the Board believes that this reflects a
suitable time horizon for strategic planning, taking into account
the investment policy, liquidity of investments, potential impact
of economic cycles, nature of operating costs, dividends and
availability of funding.
In its assessment of the viability of the Company, the Directors
have considered each of the Company's principal risks and
uncertainties detailed on pages 11 and 12 of the 2018 Annual Report
and in particular the impact of a significant fall in UK equity
markets on the value of the Company's investment portfolio. The
Directors have also considered the Company's income and expenditure
projections and the fact that the Company's investments comprise
readily realisable securities which can be sold to meet funding
requirements if necessary and on that basis consider that five
years is an appropriate time period.
The Directors have considered the potential effect of future
developments, including the appointment of a new AIFM and the
related changes to other service providers.
Based on the Company's processes for monitoring operating costs,
the Board's assessment of the resources of the new AIFM, the
portfolio risk profile, limits imposed on gearing, counterparty
exposure, liquidity risk and financial controls, the Directors have
concluded that there is a reasonable expectation that the Company
will be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as
they fall due over the period to 30 April 2023.
In reaching this decision, the Board has taken into account the
Company's 2019 continuation vote, on the presumption that it will
be passed.
Going concern
Having assessed the principal risks and the other matters
discussed in connection with the viability statement set out above,
and the "Guidance on Risk Management, Internal Control and Related
Financial and Business Reporting" published by the FRC in 2014, the
Directors consider it appropriate to adopt the going concern basis
in preparing the accounts.
Statement of Directors' responsibilities in respect of the
Annual Report and Accounts
The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report
and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and
regulation.
Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial
statements for each financial year. Under that law the Directors
have prepared the financial statements in accordance with United
Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom
Accounting Standards, comprising FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting
Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland", and
applicable law). Under company law the Directors must not approve
the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a
true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company and of
the profit or loss of the Company for that period. In preparing the
financial statements, the Directors are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- state whether applicable United Kingdom Accounting Standards,
comprising FRS 102, have been followed, subject to any material
departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
- make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis
unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Company will
continue in business.
The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting
records that are sufficient to show and explain the Company's
transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the
financial position of the Company and enable them to ensure that
the financial statements and the Directors' Remuneration Report
comply with the Companies Act 2006.
The Directors are also responsible for safeguarding the assets
of the Company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the
prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity
of the Company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom
governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements
may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
The Directors consider that the annual report and accounts,
taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable and provides
the information necessary for shareholders to assess the Company's
performance, business model and strategy.
Each of the Directors, whose names and functions are listed in
the Board of Directors on pages 14 and 15 of the 2018 Annual Report
confirm that, to the best of their knowledge:
- the Company financial statements, which have been prepared in
accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting
Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards, comprising FRS 102
"The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic
of Ireland", and applicable law), give a true and fair view of the
assets, liabilities, financial position and profit of the Company;
and
- the Strategic Report includes a fair review of the development
and performance of the business and the position of the Company,
together with a description of the principal risks and
uncertainties that it faces.
Income Statement for the year ended 30 April 2018
2018 2017
Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total
GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000
Gains on investments
held at fair value
through profit or
loss - 16,354 16,354 - 37,665 37,665
Income from investments 10,977 91 11,068 10,068 - 10,068
Other interest receivable
and similar income 3 - 3 1 - 1
--------------------------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gross return 10,980 16,445 27,425 10,069 37,665 47,734
Investment management
fee (460) (1,072) (1,532) (443) (1,033) (1,476)
Administrative expenses (399) - (399) (375) - (375)
--------------------------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Net return before
finance costs and
taxation 10,121 15,373 25,494 9,251 36,632 45,883
Finance costs (8) (18) (26) - - -
--------------------------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Net return on ordinary
activities before
taxation 10,113 15,355 25,468 9,251 36,632 45,883
Taxation on ordinary
activities (14) - (14) (3) - (3)
--------------------------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Net return on ordinary
activities after taxation 10,099 15,355 25,454 9,248 36,632 45,880
--------------------------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Return per share 6.58p 10.00p 16.58p 5.83p 23.09p 28.92p
Dividends declared in respect of the financial year ended 30
April 2018 amount to 6.00p (2017: 5.40p) per share. Further
information on dividends is given in note 8 on pages 36 and 37 of
the 2018 Annual Report.
The "Total" column of this statement is the profit and loss
account of the Company. The "Revenue" and "Capital" columns
represent supplementary information prepared under guidance issued
by The Association of Investment Companies. The Company has no
other items of other comprehensive income, and therefore the net
return on ordinary activities after taxation is also the total
comprehensive income for the year.
All revenue and capital items in the above statement derive from
continuing operations. No operations were acquired or discontinued
in the year.
Statement of Changes in Equity for the year ended 30 April
2018
Called-up Capital Warrant Share
share Share redemption exercise purchase Capital Revenue
capital premium reserve reserve reserve reserves reserve Total
GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000
At 30 April 2016 40,229 9,875 19,759 417 77,191 119,471 7,938 274,880
Net return on ordinary
activities after taxation - - - - - 36,632 9,248 45,880
Repurchase of the
Company's own shares
into treasury - - - - (7,955) - - (7,955)
Dividends paid in
the year - - - - - - (8,433) (8,433)
--------------------------- --------- -------- ----------- --------- --------- --------- -------- --------
At 30 April 2017 40,229 9,875 19,759 417 69,236 156,103 8,753 304,372
Net return on ordinary
activities after taxation - - - - - 15,355 10,099 25,454
Repurchase of the
Company's own shares
into treasury - - - - (8,803) - - (8,803)
Dividends paid in
the year - - - - - - (8,771) (8,771)
--------------------------- --------- -------- ----------- --------- --------- --------- -------- --------
At 30 April 2018 40,229 9,875 19,759 417 60,433 171,458 10,081 312,252
--------------------------- --------- -------- ----------- --------- --------- --------- -------- --------
Statement of Financial Position at 30 April 2018
2018 2017
GBP'000 GBP'000
Fixed assets
Investments held at fair value through profit
or loss 318,885 300,204
Current assets
Debtors 2,219 4,357
Cash at bank and in hand 3,642 1,712
----------------------------------------------- -------- --------
5,861 6,069
----------------------------------------------- -------- --------
Current liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (12,494) (1,901)
----------------------------------------------- -------- --------
Net current (liabilities)/assets (6,633) 4,168
----------------------------------------------- -------- --------
Total assets less current liabilities 312,252 304,372
----------------------------------------------- -------- --------
Net assets 312,252 304,372
----------------------------------------------- -------- --------
Capital and reserves
Called-up share capital 40,229 40,229
Share premium 9,875 9,875
Capital redemption reserve 19,759 19,759
Warrant exercise reserve 417 417
Share purchase reserve 60,433 69,236
Capital reserves 171,458 156,103
Revenue reserve 10,081 8,753
----------------------------------------------- -------- --------
Total equity shareholders' funds 312,252 304,372
----------------------------------------------- -------- --------
Net asset value per share 207.45p 195.63p
Notes to the Accounts
1. Accounting Policies
The accounts are prepared in accordance with the Companies Act
2006, United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice ("UK
GAAP"), in particular in accordance with Financial Reporting
Standard (FRS) 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in
the UK and Republic of Ireland", and with the Statement of
Recommended Practice "Financial Statements of Investment Trust
Companies and Venture Capital Trusts" (the "SORP") issued by the
Association of Investment Companies in November 2014 and updated in
February 2018. All of the Company's operations are of a continuing
nature.
The accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis under
the historical cost convention, as modified by the revaluation of
investments held at fair value through profit or loss.
The accounts are presented in sterling and amounts have been
rounded to the nearest thousand.
The accounting policies applied to these accounts are consistent
with those applied in the accounts for the year ended 30 April
2017.
2. Taxation on ordinary activities
2018 2017
GBP'000 GBP'000
(a) Analysis of charge in the year:
Irrecoverable overseas tax 3 3
Income tax 11 -
------------------------------------ -------- --------
Tax charge for the year 14 3
------------------------------------ -------- --------
(b) Factors affecting the tax charge for the year
The tax assessed for the year is lower (2017: lower) than the
Company's applicable rate of corporation tax for the year of 19.00%
(2017: 19.92%).
The factors affecting the tax charge for the year are as
follows:
2018 2017
Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total
GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000
Net return on ordinary activities
before taxation 10,113 15,355 25,468 9,251 36,632 45,883
------------------------------------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Net return on ordinary activities
before taxation multiplied
by the Company's applicable
rate of corporation tax for
the year of 19.00% (2017:
19.92%) 1,921 2,917 4,838 1,843 7,297 9,140
Effects of:
Capital returns on investments - (3,107) (3,107) - (7,503) (7,503)
Income not chargeable to corporation
tax (1,993) (17) (2,010) (1,993) - (1,993)
Unrelieved expenses 72 207 279 150 206 356
Irrecoverable overseas tax 3 - 3 3 - 3
Income tax 11 - 11 - - -
------------------------------------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Tax charge for the year 14 - 14 3 - 3
------------------------------------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
(c) Deferred taxation
The Company has an unrecognised deferred tax asset of
GBP7,350,000 (2017: GBP7,099,000) based on a prospective
corporation tax rate of 17% (2017: 17%). The reduction in the
standard rate of corporation tax was substantively enacted in
September 2016 and is effective from 1 April 2020.
The deferred tax asset has arisen due to the cumulative excess
of deductible expenses over taxable income. Given the composition
of the Company's portfolio, it is not likely that this asset will
be utilised in the foreseeable future and therefore no asset has
been recognised in the accounts.
The Company intends to meet the conditions required to retain
its status as an Investment Trust Company and therefore no
provision has been made for deferred tax on any capital gains or
losses arising on the revaluation or disposal of investments.
3. Dividends
(a) Dividends paid and declared
2018 2017
GBP'000 GBP'000
2017 second interim dividend of 2.70p (2016: 2.60p)
paid out of revenue profits(1) 4,198 4,166
2018 first interim dividend of 3.00p (2017: 2.70p)
paid out of revenue profits 4,573 4,267
---------------------------------------------------- -------- --------
Total dividends paid in the year 8,771 8,433
---------------------------------------------------- -------- --------
2018 2017
GBP'000 GBP'000
2018 second interim dividend declared of 3.00p (2017:
2.70p) to be paid out of revenue profits 4,516 4,201
------------------------------------------------------ -------- --------
1The 2017 second interim dividend amounted to GBP4,201,000.
However the amount actually paid was GBP4,198,000 as shares were
repurchased into treasury after the accounting date but prior to
the dividend Record Date.
(b) Dividends for the purposes of Section 1158 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 ("S1158")
The requirements of S1158 are considered on the basis of
dividends declared in respect of the financial year as shown below.
The revenue available for distribution by way of dividend for the
year is GBP10,099,000 (2017: GBP9,248,000).
2018 2017
GBP'000 GBP'000
First interim dividend of 3.00p (2017: 2.70p) 4,573 4,267
Second interim dividend of 3.00p (2017: 2.70p) 4,516 4,201
------------------------------------------------- -------- --------
Total dividends of 6.00p (2017: 5.40p) per share 9,089 8,468
------------------------------------------------- -------- --------
4. Return per share
2018 2017
Revenue return (GBP'000) 10,099 9,248
Capital return (GBP'000) 15,355 36,632
-------------------------------------------------- ----------- -----------
Total return (GBP'000) 25,454 45,880
-------------------------------------------------- ----------- -----------
Weighted average number of shares in issue during
the year 153,594,108 158,643,285
Revenue return per share 6.58p 5.83p
Capital return per share 10.00p 23.09p
-------------------------------------------------- ----------- -----------
Total return per share 16.58p 28.92p
-------------------------------------------------- ----------- -----------
5. Called-up share capital
2018 2017
GBP'000 GBP'000
Ordinary shares allotted, called-up and fully paid:
Opening balance of 155,589,184 (2017: 160,375,184)
shares of 25p each, excluding shares held in treasury 38,897 40,094
Repurchase of 5,068,700 (2017: 4,786,000) shares
into treasury (1,267) (1,197)
------------------------------------------------------- -------- --------
Subtotal of 150,520,484 (2017: 155,589,184) shares 37,630 38,897
10,396,700 (2017: 5,328,000) shares held in treasury 2,599 1,332
------------------------------------------------------- -------- --------
Closing balance(1) 40,229 40,229
(1) Represents 160,917,184 (2017: 160,917,184) shares of 25p
each, including 10,396,700 (2017: 5,328,000) shares held in
treasury. During the year, the Company purchased 5,068,700 of its
own shares, nominal value GBP1,267,175 to hold in treasury for a
total consideration of GBP8,803,000 representing 3.3% of the shares
outstanding at the beginning of the year. The reason for these
share repurchases was to seek to manage the volatility of the share
price discount to net asset value per share.
6. Net asset value per share
2018 2017
Total equity shareholders funds (GBP'000) 312,252 304,372
Shares in issue at the year end, excluding shares
held in treasury 150,520,484 155,589,184
-------------------------------------------------- ----------- -----------
Net asset value per share 207.45p 195.63p
-------------------------------------------------- ----------- -----------
7. Disclosures regarding financial instruments measured at fair value
The Company's financial instruments within the scope of FRS 102
that are held at fair value comprise its investment portfolio.
FRS 102 requires financial instruments to be categorised into a
hierarchy consisting of the three levels below.
Level 1 - valued using unadjusted quoted prices in active
markets for identical assets.
Level 2 - valued using observable inputs other than quoted
prices included within Level 1.
Level 3 - valued using inputs that are unobservable.
Details of the valuation techniques used by the Company are
given in note 1(b) on page 33 of the 2018 Annual Report.
At 30 April 2018, all investments in the Company's portfolio
were categorised as Level 1 (2017: same).
8. Status of announcement
2017 Financial Information
The figures and financial information for 2017 are extracted
from the published Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 30
April 2017 and do not constitute the statutory accounts for that
year. The 2017 Annual Report and Accounts have been delivered to
the Registrar of Companies and included the Report of the
Independent Auditors which was unqualified and did not contain a
statement under either section 498(2) or section 498(3) of the
Companies Act 2006.
2018 Financial Information
The figures and financial information for 2018 are extracted
from the Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 30 April
2018 and do not constitute the statutory accounts for the year. The
2018 Annual Report and Accounts include the Report of the
Independent Auditors which is unqualified and does not contain a
statement under either section 498(2) or section 498(3) of the
Companies Act 2006. The 2018 Annual Report and Accounts will be
delivered to the Registrar of Companies in due course.
Neither the contents of the Company's webpage nor the contents
of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's webpage
(or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this
announcement.
This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the
London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct
Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United
Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution
of this information may apply. For further information, please
contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
END
FR SEWFAWFASELM
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June 28, 2018 02:00 ET (06:00 GMT)
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