Foresight Solar Fund - Optimising capital allocation

Foresight Solar Fund (FSFL) celebrated its 10-year anniversary of listing on the London Stock Exchange with decade-high cash distributions from assets of £120.4m in its FY23 results (year end 31 December). FY23 also saw FSFL’s divestment programme come to fruition with the sale of a 50% stake in its Spanish Lorca portfolio at a 21% premium to its holding value. The proceeds of this divestment, along with free cash, were used to pay down the fund’s variable rate debt via its revolving credit faci

FY23 Results and Outlook

In a difficult year, FSFL delivered a modestly negative NAV TR (-0.8%) in the face of rising discount rates and lower power price forecasts. As part of the results the fund increased its disclosure, highlighting a conservative valuation mark (£1.17m/MW) and the potential to extend at least 50% of the portfolio to 40 year asset lives in the coming years. We are constructive on the outlook. FSFL’s board has articulated a clear capital allocation strategy to reposition it from being a YieldCo to of

Hardman & Co Insight: 2023 was an annus horribilis for Quoted UK Infrastructure and Renewable Energy

The focus of Hardman & Co Research is on the nine quoted Infrastructure Investment Companies (IICs) and on the 22 Renewable Energy Infrastructure Funds (REIFs): the stocks analysed are all members of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC). We are updating our publication of January 2023, assessing both the lacklustre share price performances during 2023 and the key issues, including interest rates, inflation and power prices. As a 31-strong group, its combined market capitalisation is no

Initiation – adapting to the new environment

Trading at a c.18% discount to NAV (an implied asset level discount rate of c.10.2%pa), Foresight Solar (FSFL) is undervalued relative to other renewable generators, its own trading history and other long-duration assets. In our opinion, the key risk is investors’ required risk premium (spread over gilts). In light of the fund’s self-help measures (paying down the RCF, rotating in to higher returning assets and buying shares) and sensitivity analysis we believe the market has, by pricing at an a

Foresight Solar Fund - Q3 NAV and first sale of divestment programme

Foresight Solar Fund (FSFL) achieved record cash generation of £87.8m from its underlying assets to 30 September 2023, driven by favourable fixed prices, despite production being below budget. As a result, FSFL paid down £10m of its revolving credit facility (RCF) during the period. After the Q3 period, FSFL sold 50% of its 99MW Lorca portfolio in Spain for €26.9m, at a 21% premium to its Q3 holding value. The proceeds from this transaction will be used to further reduce the RCF. Global revenues

Asset sale at a 21% premium to NAV & Q3 NAV

FSFL’s announcement of the disposal of a 50% stake in the Lorca (Spain) solar project at a 21% premium to its 30 September value is a key milestone. We estimate that this disposal adds 0.8pp to NAV, reduces the drawings on fund’s RCF by c.£24m or 22% of the drawn balance and highlights the value of its Spanish development portfolio. In Q3’23, FSFL’s NAV declined 1.5% (to 118.1p) as a 50bps increase in UK discount rates to 8.0% and lower price forecasts took its toll on the valuation. We note tha

Foresight Solar Fund - Generating solar power and cash

Foresight Solar Fund (FSFL) presents investors with an attractive dividend yield (8.6%), a 10-year track record of dividend growth (25% since IPO), strong cash dividend coverage (1.5x until at least 2025) and underlying revenue security (contracted revenue accounts for 90% of total revenue in 2023, 85% in 2024 and 75% in 2025). These appealing metrics are even more surprising given the fund operates in a structural growth industry. As FSFL reaches its 10-year anniversary, the competitiveness and

Interim Results

FSFL, a UK centric solar electricity generator, delivered a solid H1’23 total return (-2.4%) in a difficult environment. During the period, the fund continued with its forward sales (locking in cashflows for the next 2.5 years), increased its discount rate by c50bps to 7.5% (UK), maintained its medium term inflation (2024-2030) assumption of 3.0% and announced plans to recycle 200MW of assets into higher returning projects. During 2023 the sector has de-rated as investors, grappling with valuati

Hardman & Co Insight: UK interest rates and “risk-free” gilts at their peak? Infrastructure stocks struggle

The share price performances of the nine Infrastructure Investment Companies (IICs) and of the 22 Renewable Energy Infrastructure Funds (REIFs) have been dire over the past year. Undoubtedly, the sharp rise in interest rates has presented the sector with serious challenges, especially since the yield on “risk-free” 10-year gilts has risen appreciably. Furthermore, the ongoing war in Ukraine and high inflation rates, from which many IICs and REIFs are partially ‒ if not wholly ‒ protected, contin

Foresight Solar Fund - Q2 NAV, trading and capital recycling update

Foresight Solar Fund (FSFL) released a strong operational trading update, with production 2.8% ahead of budget, cash receipts of £52.3m, 42% higher year on year, and forward power sales supporting a 1.5x dividend cover forecast by the company for the next three years. FSFL’s Q2 NAV/share was down 4.3p (-3.4%) from Q1 at 119.9p, with 74% of this move due to 50bp rise in discount rate assumptions for UK assets to 7.5%. FSFL trades at an attractive 19% discount to NAV and 8% dividend yield, in our

The Hardman & Co Monthly: August 2023

Feature article: UK interest rates and “risk-free” gilts at their peak? Infrastructure stocks struggle Executive summary Infrastructure/Renewable Energy Funds ► The share price performances of the nine Infrastructure Investment Companies (IICs) and of the 22 Renewable Energy Infrastructure Funds (REIFs) have been dire over the past year. Undoubtedly, the sharp rise in interest rates has presented the sector with serious challenges, especially since the yield on “risk-free” 10-year gilts has r

LIBERUM: Plus500: Strategic progress pays dividends

Tatton Asset Management (TAM LN) - Record net inflows

Tatton, the leading on-platform discretionary fund manager (DFM) and IFA support services Group has released a trading update ahead of its results to 31 March 2024, due on 18 June 2024.

Ondo InsurTech FY24 Trading Update

Ondo InsurTech has released a brief post-YE update revealing its good progress continued through 2H24 and consequently FY24 will be in line with market expectations.

Foxtons Group (FOXT LN) - 1Q24 IMS shows real momentum

Foxtons Group plc first quarter revenue rose 9% to £35.7m (1Q23: £32.9m) with growth delivered across all business segments. Trading is in line with management's expectations.

BlackRock World Mining

BRWM’s managers: we see all the classic signs of high commodity prices...

Morning Note – 18 April 2024

NextEnergy Solar Fund - Attractive Refinancing

The refinancing of a £135m revolving credit facility and the extension of a similar £70m facility gives NESF firepower as development opportunities for new solar are especially attractive thanks to lower module prices in Europe. They give the fund key financial flexibility at a critical time as it pursues its capital recycling programme.

Foxtons Group - FY24 underpinned by market share gains

Foxtons Group’s Q1 revenue grew by 9%, supported by growth in all three divisions as the strategic initiatives continue to gain significant momentum, driven by investment in staff, best-in-class bespoke IT and data platforms. This implies that Foxtons’ medium-term targets are now coming into focus. Market share is being gained in all divisions, which puts Foxtons in a good position as the sales market stabilises. We maintain our valuation of 132p/share and believe that if interest rates stabilis

NextEnergy Solar Fund – High- and growing-income opportunity?

NextEnergy Solar Fund (NESF) is almost 10 years old. Since launch, it has built a £1.2bn, 933MW portfolio of 100 operating solar assets, powering the equivalent of over 330,000 homes, declared dividends totalling £333m, and avoided the emission of about 2.2 Mt CO2e. NESF is on track to pay 8.35p in dividends, with forecast dividend cover of about 1.3x. Share price weakness that has afflicted the whole sector means that dividend translates to a yield of 11.1%, one of the highest in its sector, a

The Hardman & Co Monthly: April 2024

Feature article: Steady as she goes, but could be better: A review of investment company liquidity since 2016 Liquidity is the lifeblood of equity markets. The measurement of liquid asset availability to a market or company is a way of gauging a market’s health. This article builds on our previous work, which analysed the liquidity data for non-financial trading companies, by applying the same analytical techniques to the investment companies (IC) space. We analyse liquidity for ICs as a whol

Initial Equity Trading Comments - 19 February 2024

M Winkworth+ (WINK, House Stock at 163p) - Solid FY23A results, well placed to grow

Hybridan Research: Sector Review: Artificial intelligence in UK cybersecurity: the human uplift 17/04/2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a double-edged sword in cybersecurity. Whilst new AI models, architectures, and innovations are emerging to protect the security posture of organisations, attackers are also benefiting from deepfakes, sophisticated phishing, and automation of malicious codes. To ensure the impact of AI on cybersecurity to be a net-positive, we need to pit good AI against bad AI. Point solutions enhanced with machine learning: Global cybersecurity has been built with point soluti

Resilient FY24, confident long-term outlook

Vp’s full year update highlights sector-leading results, once again benefiting from the diversity of its end markets and the quality of its specialist businesses. With results expected to be broadly in line with expectations, we trim our FY24 PBT forecast by c.5% to £39.0m, a shade below the FY23 outturn (£40.2m). We consider this an impressively resilient performance set against a mixed market backdrop. Under new leadership, a strategic refresh is underway and management is confident in long

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 16/04/2024

16th April 2024 * A corporate client of Hybridan LLP ** Arranged by type of listing and date of announcement *** Alphabetically arranged **** Potential means Intention to Float (ITF) has been announced Dish of the day Admissions: Delistings: What’s baking in the oven? ** Potential**** Initial Public Offerings: Reverse Takeovers: Electric Guitar (ELEG.L) Concurrent with its Admission to trading on AIM, Electric Guitar is proposing to acquire the entire issued share capital of 3radical Limited for