Murray Income Trust - Delivering income and capital growth

Murray Income Trust (MUT) invests in high-quality, mainly UK-listed stocks. It has achieved both its dividend and capital growth objectives over the long term. The trust boasts 50 years of continually rising dividends. It paid a dividend of 37.5p per share in FY23 (ended 30 June 2023 (FY22: 36.0p)), and the board has indicated the dividend will rise to at least 38.0p in FY24. This represents a prospective yield of 4.5%. Late last year the company decided to take action to allow shareholders to a

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We reveal the winners of our investment trust ratings for 2024... Our ratings seek to reward closed-ended funds which deliver attractive and persistent performance characteristics in three categories which we think match up to broad goals investors usually have: long-term growth, income and growth, and high current income. This includes strong performance versus a fund’s underlying market, as well as attractive risk characteristics which we think suggests they could continue to be premium optio

Murray Income Trust - In a celebratory mood

Murray Income Trust (MUT) is currently celebrating two key milestones. This year marks its 100-year anniversary, and 50 years of consistently rising dividends. MUT’s FY23 dividend of 37.5p (up from 36.0p in FY22) represents a current yield of 4.7% and MUT’s board has stated that maintaining the trust’s record of annually increasing dividends remains a priority. Performance has improved after a rare bout of underperformance last year. In the year ended September 2023, MUT returned 14.5%, in line

Murray Income Trust - Milestones marked by a return to form

Murray Income Trust (MUT) marks its 100-year anniversary this year. It invests mainly in UK equities and aims to provide capital growth and a high and growing income. The trust continues to meet these three objectives. Recent absolute and relative performance has improved after a rare bout of underperformance last year, as the merits of MUT’s high-quality portfolio holdings reassert themselves. In the six months to end April 2023, the trust returned 15.8% on an NAV basis, versus a market return

Murray Income Trust - Attractive income at a discount

Murray Income Trust (MUT) invests mainly in UK equities and aims to provide a high and growing income, combined with capital growth. The trust is meeting these three objectives. The FY23 dividend is expected to be at least 36.5p, putting it on track to deliver its 50th consecutive year of dividend growth. This represents a prospective yield of 4.4%. MUT has underperformed during this year’s market rotation away from the quality companies favoured by manager Charles Luke. However, the trust has s

Murray Income Trust - Attractive income and long-term outperformance

Murray Income Trust (MUT) invests mainly in UK equities and aims to provide a high and growing income, combined with capital growth. Its quality bias has resulted in underperformance during the recent rotation away from the quality and growth stocks favoured by manager, Charles Luke. However, the trust’s long-term track record of outperformance of the market and its peers confirms that Luke’s approach pays off over time. Over the ten years to end March 2022, MUT has generated an average annualis

Murray Income Trust - A happy anniversary for shareholders

Murray Income Trust (MUT) has just marked the first anniversary of its merger with Perpetual Income & Growth Investment Trust (PLI). This merger doubled the trust’s assets under management, improved the liquidity of its shares and delivered a significant reduction in its already competitive fee. MUT invests mainly in UK equities and aims to provide a high and growing income, combined with capital growth. Its quality bias ensured that its revenues proved very resilient during the pandemic, despit

Murray Income - Overview

Murray Income Trust (MUT), managed by Charles Luke and Iain Pyle at abrdn, looks to invest across a broad range of companies to achieve a high and growing income combined with capital growth. The trust is conservatively managed, so Charles and Iain aim to have a sensibly diversified portfolio. They ensure that the portfolio is not overly exposed to one economic scenario and therefore like to invest in a broad range of companies. Capital and income exposure to any one company is capped at around

Morning Note – 22 April 2024

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

Benefits of scale set to materialise

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

Morning Note – 29 February 2024

Jupiter Green

Hardman & Co Insight - Asset managers had a poor 2022

Asset managers had a poor 2022: the S&P Composite 1500 Asset Management Index was down 22% and, according to the Investment Company Institute (ICI), worldwide mutual funds fell by 20%, from $76tr to $60tr. When bond and equity markets fall, the results are unlikely to be pretty: with revenues trending down and multiples contracting, there is a double whammy to contend with. So how do valuations shape up now, after a bullish start to the new year? The first chart is my favourite chart of asset m