In January 2019 we unveiled our new quant rating system for investment trusts, identifying both the top 20 trusts for capital growth and the top 20 trusts for income by using a quant screening system. We believe this is the first quant rating system for closed-ended funds to be based on NAV returns, which reflects the performance of the manager much more purely than the share price, which is a far noisier signal. We aimed to reward consistent long-term outperformers within the metrics we chose and the five-year time period over which we assessed them. In the New Year we will be rerunning our screens and rebalancing our ratings, but for now we are pleased to be able to report that in the first ten months since we revealed our selection, subsequent performance has been strong across both lists.
Companies: FEV TRY THRG IPU
TR Property (TRY) aims to generate total returns from investing in the equity of UK and European listed property companies. It also owns a small portfolio of direct commercial property in the UK. Within the total return objective, the trust’s dividend is an important consideration for the board and managers. TRY’s management team is made up of commercial property specialists who invest in property securities across Europe. Underpinning the investment process is a desire to invest with management teams who have delivered successfully through cycles. Manager Marcus Phayre-Mudge also takes a top down view on economies and economic prospects believing this is the fundamental driver of property and rental values. The big top down (and successful) call that Marcus took after the Brexit referendum was that traditional UK property sectors would be ‘dead water’, and so he has re-allocated overseas, but also shifted focus in the UK to niches such as student property, medical property and long-lease properties. A unique feature of TRY is that it also owns a commercial property portfolio directly. In the managers’ view, this gives them a significant edge over peers, given the market intelligence that owning a direct property portfolio gives when evaluating listed property companies, and meeting with other managers. At 14%, gearing is broadly in line with the level employed over the last five years. It is worth noting that given the underlying gearing of the property companies that TRY owns, the ‘look-through’ gearing level (loan to total value), is in the order of 42% according to the managers, in-line with the benchmark. TRY has done well relative to the benchmark, having outperformed in ten out of the past 11 financial years. As we discuss in the Portfolio section, the company has exactly the same currency exposure as the benchmark, and so all of this outperformance has come through stock picking or asset allocation. Currently, the historic dividend yield on the shares is 3.2%. While not in the formal objective, we understand that the board sets a lot of store by the managers’ ability to continue to grow the dividend. Since the 2009 financial year the company has paid a covered dividend in all but two years and grown the dividend by a compound annual growth rate of 8.9%.
Companies: TR Property Investment Trust
Today, we introduce our investment trust ratings. According to the quantitative screens we have selected in an attempt to highlight the best performers in the closed-ended universe, the trusts discussed here have been the best in their classes over the last five years. We have selected trusts using two different sets of criteria, aiming to identify the top performers for capital growth and for achieving a high and growing income. There are many rating systems for open-ended funds, but no quantitative-based system for investment trusts that is available to the average investor. While we cannot identify trusts which will perform well in the future – past outperformance is no guide to future out-performance – we hope these ratings will highlight the outstanding performers in the closed-ended universe and those managers who have best used the advantages of investment trusts to generate alpha. We are trying to reward consistent and long-term outperformance, and so we have decided to look over a five-year period. All data is as of the end of December 2018, sourced from Morningstar and JPMorgan Cazenove. We have looked at NAV total return performance and discount value has not been considered: the aim is to identify those trusts which have performed the best rather than highlight bargains.
Companies: IPU FAS ATR JEO FEV FGT THRG SEC PAC BRSC IAT HNE MIGO TRY JMG DIVI SLS BGS SDP JETI SOI BCI MRC TIGT EDIN JAGI BEE SDV BRIG AAIF HFEL SCF SIGT BRFI IVPG CTY HINT JCH NAIT
Research Tree provides access to ongoing research coverage, media content and regulatory news on TR Property Investment Trust. We currently have 20 research reports from 3 professional analysts.
Litigation Capital Management (LCM) is an alternative asset manager specialising in disputes financing, with its main operations in Australia and the UK. The company provides funding for litigation in exchange for a share of any settlement and has built a strong track record of supporting winning c
Companies: Litigation Capital Management Ltd
President Trump likes to project himself as a highly successful businessman, but surprisingly little is known about his true financial position. Various articles, including a 2016 in-depth analysis by The Wall Street Journal, have speculated about his income and asset base. All sorts of claims and counter-claims have been made about his wealth – by Trump himself, pitching his fortune at some $9bn, and by journalist Timothy O'Brien, suggesting that it is as “low” as $150m-$250m. It is doubtful whether we shall ever know the truth, but we can use Trump’s UK corporate filings to gain an insight into his businesses in Scotland.
Companies: AVO ARBB ARIX CLIG DNL FLTA ICGT PCA PIN PHP RECI STX SCE TRX SHED VTA YEW
Mondelez International has announced that it has appointed MediaMonks to manage global technology infrastructure, global websites and content production for North America, Latin America and AMEA. We believe this account win by S4 Capital further vindicates the unitary structure and integrated offer of the group as Mondelez initially worked with MightyHive before broadening the scope of this relationship to encompass MediaMonks. S4 Capital describes the account as a Whopper, indicating that it will generate revenues of over $20m when the account is fully transitioned. We will update our forecasts for the account win at the next financial newsflow from the group. We currently forecast LFL Gross Profit growth of +26% for FY21 and believe the Mondelez win will further accelerate this. We raise our target price to 500p (was 475p) and retain our Buy recommendation.
Companies: S4 Capital plc
Today's news & views, plus announcements from Capita, JD Wetherspoon, HarbourVest Global Private Equity, Walker Crips Group, Randall & Quilter*, Michelmersh Brick, LoopUp, Schroders British Opportunities Trust and Baillie Gifford UK Growth Trust.
Companies: Randall & Quilter Investment Holdings Ltd.
Liontrust has delivered in line interims, however AuM growth since the HY point drives higher earnings estimates. In H1, net inflows remained strong despite the backdrop and, alongside performance, contributed to 28% AuM growth. Post-period, performance momentum has boosted AuM by a further 5% to £28.1bn, plus the completion of Architas. Together, this results in a step up in the run rate. We update our forecasts for higher than expected AuM driving a +5% upgrade to FY21e EPS and +10-13% in outer years. We do not forecast scaling in Architas or Global which could prompt further upgrades, reducing the 15x FY22e PER.
Companies: Liontrust Asset Management PLC
Today’s $2.3m framework agreement with an existing Tier 1 global customer is further validation of Clareti’s competitive advantage, of its ability to land and expand and, logically, is the augury of incremental revenues ahead. Gresham continues to gain market share in the critical Tier 1 space and we expect this to show in a resumption of revenue growth next year. Trading on forward Clareti recurring revenues of c. 4.1x, we see significant upside.
Companies: Gresham House
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated trends in online retailing, to the benefit of the European logistics market, in which Tritax EuroBox (EBOX) is a leading player. Demand for logistics space is growing exponentially, while supply of existing and new stock is depleted. This dynamic is even more acute in prime locations close to heavily populated conurbations and prolonged rental growth is forecast. EBOX has amassed a portfolio of big box facilities located in major logistics hotspots across Europe. Numerous value-add opportunities also exist within the portfolio, including development and asset management projects. One of the key differentiators of EBOX to its peers is its exclusive ties with established logistics developers. Through the relationships, EBOX has access to and first right of refusal over a pipeline of development assets worth €2bn.
Companies: Tritax EuroBox Plc
Palace Capital’s (PCA) H121 performance was robust and ahead of our central expectations. We have slightly increased FY21 earnings forecasts and introduced FY22–23 estimates, with growth driven by Hudson Quarter completion, on track for March 2021. Significant additional reversionary potential and development/refurbishment represent significant value creation potential.
Companies: Palace Capital plc
Alliance Trust (ATST) underwent a major overhaul three and a half years ago, refocusing on its global equity portfolio. Non-core parts of the company have been sold and overheads slashed. Today, the trust’s assets are managed by nine of the world’s best stock pickers. Investing sustainably is a strong theme within the fund, but the manager, Willis Towers Watson, seeks to blend managers with different styles so that the trust is not beholden to any particular fashion in markets.
Companies: Alliance Trust
Aberdeen Asian Income Fund (AAIF) has recovered well from the widespread market sell-off driven by the coronavirus pandemic, although its focus on quality stocks with attractive dividends has held back returns relative to the broad Asian index, which is increasingly dominated by non-yielding Chinese internet companies. Portfolio manager Yoojeong Oh says the team has ridden the technology wave differently, with exposure to semiconductor companies that are supporting the cloud-based boom in working from home, as well as e-commerce stocks in high-yielding markets like Taiwan, and firms that benefit from green stimulus in Europe. While gearing (currently c 8%) was a drag in the March market falls, keeping it steady has helped boost returns in the recovery, and the fund is on track to deliver a 13th consecutive year of dividend growth, partly supported by reserves it has built up over the past decade.
Companies: Aberdeen Asian Income Fund
Today's news & views, plus announcements from KGF, MRO, UU, BAB, BRW, FUTR, GNS, HICL, LIO, AEXG, FUL, KWS
Companies: AEX GNS HICL
Murray Income Trust’s (MUT) recent combination with Perpetual Income and Growth Investment Trust (PLI) has doubled the trust’s assets under management to £1.1bn and is expected to deliver a substantial fee reduction to investors. MUT invests in a diversified portfolio of mainly UK equities and aims to provide a high and growing income, combined with capital growth. It has achieved these objectives, having just delivered its 47th consecutive year of increasing annual dividends, while also outperforming its benchmark (a broad UK stock market index) and most of its peers over both the short and longer term. Manager Charles Luke’s success – even in the current climate, which has been characterised by widespread dividend cuts – confirms his conviction that ‘quality, sustainable and growing income is out there, if you know where to look’. He intends to maintain his research-intensive search for resilient companies capable of growing future earnings and dividends over time.
Companies: Murray Income Trust
A number of REITs have the ability to thrive in current market conditions and thereafter. Not only do they hold assets that will remain in strong demand, but they have focus and transparency. The leases and underlying rents are structured in a manner to provide long visibility, growth and security. Hardman & Co defined an investment universe of REITs that we considered provided security and “safer harbours”. We introduced this universe with our report published in March 2019: “Secure income” REITs – Safe Harbour Available. Here, we take forward the investment case and story. We point to six REITs, in particular, where we believe the risk/reward is the most attractive.
Companies: AGY ARBB ARIX BUR CMH CLIG DNL HAYD NSF PCA PIN PXC PHP RE/ RECI SCE SHED VTA
Interim results demonstrate YoY growth and a resilient outcome that has exceeded management's expectations from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is testament to the degree of recurring revenue generated across the business. FY21 trading looks to be more challenging, as notably lower new insurance sales post-lockdown will translate into lower premium income. A number of organic opportunities are being worked on to fill the shortfall. Rising UK redundancies and their impact on policyholder retentions creates great uncertainty, hence our forecasts remain withdrawn and recommendation remains Under Review.
Companies: Personal Group Holdings Plc
The current crisis is definitely unprecedented. Like most of its peers, not only did the group not make any extra provisions related to the pandemic but it released some provisions following an update to its macroeconomic scenario. The group also managed to mitigate the rate cut impact and generate 60bp of capital ahead of next year’s headwinds.
Companies: Lloyds Banking Group plc
