Mid Wynd International

Introducing MWY’s new management team…

Mid Wynd International

The flexibility of the managers continues to provide a resilient, core global equity solution for long-term investors…

Mid Wynd International

MWY’s flexible approach has proven relatively resilient compared to its global equity focused peers…

Riding out the storm

Many investors are attracted to investment trusts for the discount opportunities: e.g. for the chance to buy £1 of assets for 80p or less (see our Discounted Opportunities Portfolio for some potential examples). However, particularly in volatile market environments such as today’s, some investors may be put off by the uncertainty that discounts bring: they may worry about the possibility of trying to ‘catch a falling knife’, as it can be difficult to call when a discount will rebound or when it

Apples and pears

We examine the relationship between the demand for open- and closed-ended funds, and ask whether investor behaviour can be predicted...

Mid Wynd International - Overview

Mid Wynd International Investment Trust (MWY) offers investors a portfolio of global equities, with its managers, Simon Edelsten and Alex Illingworth aiming to participate fully in market upside whilst falling less than the market in drawdowns. While MWY has long been a ‘quality growth’ strategy, it is also defined by the team’s heavy use of thematic trends. As we outline in the Portfolio section, the team have recently seen fit to rotate out of their ‘emerging market consumer’ theme into a ‘sus

We are the (ESG) champions

ESG continues to be a critical consideration for investors, not just because of the importance to society of its ideas, but because of the potential source of alpha it can offer. We believe many investors use ESG ratings to guide their fund selection. While these are not perfect systems and are still works in progress, they are useful tools. In this article we uncover evidence from these ratings that investment trusts have intrinsic advantages when it comes to ESG, with investment trusts represe

Pandemic immunity

Since the start of 2020 global equity markets have been on a pandemic-driven roller-coaster ride, with many phases of an economic cycle condensed into the last 19 months. Yet thanks to the effective roll-out of vaccines we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. As equity markets show signs of normalisation we take the opportunity to review the AIC’s Global sector, examining how its constituents performed over the four major periods of the pandemic and identifying which trusts,

Mid Wynd International - Overview

Mid Wynd International (MWY) offers investors a portfolio of global equities, with the aim of maximising capital growth. Since 2014, the trust has been run by the Global Select team at Artemis, utilising a thematic approach to portfolio construction. However, in choosing themes and underlying stocks, the team’s preference for sustainability runs all the way through their investment process. MWY’s portfolio is currently allocated across nine distinct themes, with each one not only having a promi

My haven’t you grown!

Like childbirth, we think 2020 will be remembered for what it produced rather than the agony of the experience. Events have conspired that, rather than the sickly and unpopular child it once was, sustainability as an investment theme has become a thriving, healthy teenager which seems destined for great things (note the torturous lack of gender specifics in this sentence, another thing we can thank 2020 for). As with many trends that were already in progress at the start of 2020, the speed at w

Mid Wynd International - Overview

Mid Wynd International Investment Trust (MWY) invests in a portfolio of high-quality global stocks, with the objective of growing its investors’ real returns. The management team consist of Simon Edelsten, Alex Illingworth and Rosanna Burcheri. They make heavy use of long-term themes across the world, anticipating how they will evolve over three to five years. The team are also valuation-sensitive, and typically use a cash flow or asset-based valuation when determining the underlying holdings. A

Nice guys finish first

ESG investing, Environmental, Social, and Governance respectively, is much in vogue and has ended up weaving its way into almost every manager’s investment thesis, though with varying degrees of genuine integration. In this article we shine light on where ESG originated from, how Kepler Trust Intelligence goes about analysing ESG, and examples of trusts which demonstrate both good ESG credentials but also the nuances of assessing ESG.

The next big thing two megatrends that everyone should own

2020 has so far proven to be the latest episode in a long period of technology outperformance, as we observed in this article. Over the past decade, technology-related companies have tended to perform like consumer staples or defensives on the downside, and like high-growth discretionary stocks on the upside: an ideal combination from the investor’s point of view. As a result the indices (and fund managers’ portfolios) are increasingly correlated to ‘big tech’. How do investors who want a divers

Riding for a fall

In the financial markets, the biggest winners from the crisis so far have – without a doubt – been the technology sectors. Software, hardware, ecommerce and related sectors have outperformed in the immediate aftermath (as we discussed in a recent strategy note). They also seem likely to benefit from some of the likely long-lasting changes to society that the crisis will forge. This is the latest episode in a long period of outperformance. Looking back over the past decade, technology-related com

On solid ground

To those who regularly invest in investment trusts, discounts can often be part of the opportunity. But to others, discounts are an extra complication, not to mention an extra risk. The last six weeks has probably strengthened the prejudices of both sides on the topic. The recent bout of volatility has – in our opinion – more clearly exposed both the advantages and the disadvantages of investment trusts. Our perspective is that discounts are like a drunk friend. They are fun to have around, but

Morning Note – 22 April 2024

Benefits of scale set to materialise

Frenkel Topping - Resilient with strong growth potential

FY 2023 was a challenging year for Frenkel with higher interest rates encouraging clients to place money into lower margin money market funds. Despite this, sales grew +32% (supported by recurring revenue +9% and +51% in non-recurring), EBIT margins remained strong at 22% and adj. EPS grew +17% (taking into account the higher number of shares). FY 2024 has seen a solid start to transactional business and there is a strong pipeline of new FUM opportunities both of which support further growth. Wi

Bluefield Solar Income Fund – Fundamentals shine despite discount

The manger comments that, in common with the other trusts in the renewable energy sector, the last six months have continued what has been a challenging period for the Bluefield Solar Income Fund (BSIF). It adds that the trust’s ongoing fundamental performance has failed to reverse a steady slide in its share price which began back in May 2023. Despite this, it says the company has continued to deliver solid NAV growth and market-leading shareholder distributions thanks to a range of contractual

S&U - PBT ahead, encouraging volume trends

S&U reported FY24 PBT of £33.6m, down from £41.4m in FY23 on higher funding and regulatory costs and higher impairments in Advantage in H2. PBT was 2% ahead of our forecast as stronger revenues – up 12% to £115.4m – and better costs offset higher-than-expected impairments. Net receivables grew to a record at both Advantage and Aspen and management noted particular strength in Q4 and a good trading environment in the current year. Having absorbed a significant rise in funding cost as well as addi

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

Foresight Solar Fund - Termination of coverage

Edison Investment Research is terminating coverage on ABC Arbitrage (ABCA), paragon (PGN), Foresight Solar Fund (FSFL), Kendrion (KENDR), Lithium Power International (LPI), Triple Point Energy Transition (TENT), 4iG (4IG), e-therapeutics (ETX), Pharnext (ALPHA) and Shield Therapeutics (STX). Please note you should no longer rely on any previous research or estimates for this company. All forecasts should now be considered redundant. Previously published reports can still be accessed via our web

Regional REIT - Performing as expected ahead of refinancing

In a challenging market, Regional REIT’s (RGL’s) FY23 operational and financial performance was robust, in line with expectations and previous guidance. Investor focus remains on the company’s loan to value (LTV) reduction and bond refinancing plans, explored in detail in our previous note and RGL will provide an update on this in due course.

LIBERUM: PayPoint: On track for £100m of EBITDA in FY 26

LIBERUM: Speedy Hire: Weakness in FY 24 but recovery in FY 25

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 22 April 2024

22nd 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: 16 April 2024: Electric Guitar (ELEG.L) Concurrent with its Admission to trading on AIM, Electric Guitar is proposing to acquire the entire issued share capital of 3radi

International Public Partnerships - Consistently and responsibly delivering

International Public Partnerships’ (INPP’s) FY23 results show that it continues to deliver consistent and predictable returns for investors, while delivering environmental and social benefits for the individuals and communities that are served by its assets. Despite this strong performance and a substantial need for private infrastructure funding, the macroeconomic environment has weighed on INPP’s share price, in common with the wider sector. Regardless, attractive returns are available from th

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.

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

H&T Group (HAT): Core franchise build, short-term retail noise

In our 15 March 2023 initiation, 'Pawnbroking royalty, with strong, profitable growth', and subsequent notes, we have highlighted the strong market for pawnbroking and why H&T, as the market leader, is uniquely placed to take advantage of these opportunities. These results reconfirmed both, with the pledge book up 28% and net pawnbroking revenue up 36%. Like many in the retail space, H&T faced the challenge of customers focusing on lower-value, lower-margin items in the key run-up to Christmas 2