Murray International Trust - Business as usual ahead of manager’s retirement

Murray International Trust’s (MYI’s) managers are transitioning smoothly from a team of three to two, ahead of Bruce Stout’s retirement at the end of June 2024. The two remaining managers, Martin Connaghan and Samantha Fitzpatrick, have worked closely with Stout since 2001, so MYI’s shareholders can have confidence that it will be ‘business as usual’ in H224 and beyond. Regardless of the market environment, the managers strive to fulfil their objectives of generating income and capital growth hi

Murray International Trust - Attractive offering of income and capital growth

Murray International Trust’s (MYI’s) three managers, Bruce Stout, Martin Connaghan and Samantha Fitzpatrick, have worked closely together since 2001, so it will be business as usual when Stout retires at the end of June. The trust has amassed considerable revenue reserves (equivalent to around one year’s annual dividend) so was able to continue its progressive dividend policy during COVID; MYI returned to a covered dividend in FY22. Despite high inflation preventing real (above inflation) divide

Murray International

MYI’s diversified approach may offer stability in an uncertain environment...

Murray International Trust - Business as usual at Murray International

The board of Murray International Trust (MYI) has been planning for manager Bruce Stout’s end-June 2024 retirement for a long time. He and the trust’s other two co-managers, Martin Connaghan and Samantha Fitzpatrick, have worked together for many years and they all share the same investment philosophy, so following Stout’s departure it will be business as usual. MYI returned to a covered dividend in FY22 following a two-year period where the trust’s income was negatively affected by COVID. Altho

Murray International Trust - Things looking good for MYI’s shareholders

Murray International Trust (MYI) is managed by members of abrdn’s global equity team, Bruce Stout (lead manager), Martin Connaghan and Samantha Fitzpatrick. Things are progressing well for the trust, which meaningfully outperformed its global reference index in FY22. MYI’s income during the period exceeded the managers’ expectations and the proposed annual dividend was c 1.1x covered. Performance has been enhanced by portfolio activity undertaken during the global pandemic, due to successful sto

Murray International

MYI’s benchmark agnostic approach may continue to benefit as the same structural economic challenges persist into the new year despite its current premium rating…

Murray International Trust - Big improvement in relative performance

Murray International Trust (MYI) employs a team-based approach, headed up by Bruce Stout working closely with Martin Connaghan and Samantha Fitzpatrick, who are part of abrdn’s global equity team. The trust offers investors a globally diversified portfolio of primarily equities (c 90%) with the balance in fixed income securities and cash, broadly split 50:50 between developed and emerging markets. MYI’s portfolio is constructed independently on a bottom-up basis without consideration of the make

Murray International Trust - Sticking to the funds income and growth credentials

Murray International Trust (MYI) is managed by Bruce Stout, who is supported by Martin Connaghan and Samantha Fitzpatrick; they are part of abrdn’s global equity team. The fund provides a differentiated offering for investors as emerging markets make up close to 50% of the portfolio as the managers favour these regions in terms of their higher growth potential and reasonably attractive valuations. A higher focus on real assets in recent years should stand the trust in good stead in the current i

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.

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

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

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

AUM up 30% in FY24, record flows, forecasts raised

AUM jumped £3.8bn or +30% in FY24, reaching £16.6bn on 31 Mar 24, 12% above our previous forecast of £14.7bn. Including 50%-owned 8AM Global, Assets Under Influence hit £17.6bn. Investment performance provided a tailwind, adding £1.5bn to AUM. But our key takeaway from Tatton’s hugely impressive last few years, is that it has designed and implemented a superior offering in platform-MPS with net flows consistently far higher than peers. That leadership looks even more pronounced in H2-24 with net