Final Results

Brunner Investment Trust PLC 31 January 2006 For immediate release 31 January 2006 THE BRUNNER INVESTMENT TRUST PLC ANNOUNCEMENT OF PRELIMINARY RESULTS For the year ended 30 November 2005 Highlights • Net asset per share up 22.6% compared with benchmark return of 19.2%. • Share price up by 26.2%. • Net dividends of 8.80p (2004: 8.10p), an increase of 8.6% Net Asset Value The net asset value per Ordinary Share at 30 November 2005 was 446.5p compared with 364.1p at 30 November 2004, an increase of 22.6%. Over the same period the benchmark index (60% FTSE All-Share Index, and 40% FTSE World Index, ex-UK in sterling) increased by 19.2%. Dividend The Board recommends a final distribution of 5.20p to be payable on 24 March 2006 to shareholders on the register at the close of business on 24 February 2006, making a total distribution of 8.80p per share for the year ended 30 November 2005, an increase of 8.6%. Review I am pleased to be able to report another year of strong returns. Not only have markets rallied significantly, but our fund managers have outperformed the benchmark index by 3.4% and our discount has narrowed. Over the year your Trust's share price has increased by 26.2%. Markets were strong despite some major negatives, which might ordinarily have been expected to dampen investor enthusiasm - among them further strength in oil prices, successive interest rate hikes in the United States and continuing lacklustre growth in continental Europe. However, the feared slowdown in China failed to materialise and equity markets have been buoyed by higher earnings - as companies have restructured to improve margins - and strong mergers and acquisitions activity. Very strong returns from the resources sector, as demand from China in particular has pushed metal and oil prices to multi year highs, have also played their part. The key factors behind a good performance from our UK equity portfolio included maintaining an overweight position in the resources sectors, avoiding those retail stocks heavily exposed to the UK consumer and maintaining our emphasis on higher quality growth companies. Unlike some previous take-over cycles, acquisition targets have tended to be in well- financed, high quality companies with strong products. Over the year we benefited from the takeovers of Allied Domecq and BPB by the larger French companies Pernod Ricard and Saint-Gobain, respectively. Reducing the number of holdings has been one contributor to the strong performance of our overseas portfolio. This portfolio is constructed in the first instance by identifying companies which are attractive on a global basis, and not by allocating investment according to geographic regions. We found fewer companies that met our criteria in the United States this year and many more in Japan where the prospects for a wider range of Japanese companies now appear significantly better as economic reform and the long awaited recovery finally look as though they will materialise. Looking ahead, the economic outlook appears to be mixed. In the United States, consumer expenditure remains vulnerable to a faltering housing market and the end of the extremely low interest rate environment we have seen in recent years. In the Far East, on the other hand, momentum behind Japanese economic recovery now looks well established, and, despite a number of problems, it seems unlikely that China will suffer a major slowdown in the near future. The ability of the global economy to withstand a significant slowdown in US consumer expenditure, if one materialises, remains untested however. In general, even if growth slows, companies world-wide seem well positioned to deliver further growth in profits, albeit at lower rates than in previous years. In the absence of any major external shocks to the world economy, equity markets should make further progress this year. Share Buy Backs Your Board continues actively to monitor the discount to net asset value and during the period under review we therefore purchased 2,443,578 shares, or 4.6% of the Trust's issued share capital at the start of the financial year, for cancellation. This policy has had the benefit of enhancing our net asset value over the year. It is also pleasing to note that the discount, valuing our long term debt at its market rate, has narrowed and, at the time of writing, is 10.6% on this basis. The Board will recommend to shareholders that the Company take renewed powers to buy back its Ordinary Shares. Full details will be sent to shareholders with the forthcoming Annual Report and Accounts. Annual General Meeting The Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held on Thursday 23 March 2006 at 12.00 noon. Keith Percy Chairman 155 Bishopsgate London, EC2M 3AD Unaudited preliminary results for the year ended 30 November 2005 were approved for immediate release as undernoted: RESULTS STATEMENT OF TOTAL RETURN for the year ended 30 November 2005 2005 £'000s £'000s £'000s Revenue Capital Total (Note 3) Net gains on investments - 43,599 43,599 Investment income 6,566 - 6,566 Other income 799 - 799 Investment management fee (410) (956) (1,366) Expenses of administration (301) (16) (317) Net return before finance costs and taxation 6,654 42,627 49,281 Finance costs of borrowings (1,396) (3,203) (4,599) Return on ordinary activities before taxation 5,258 39,424 44,682 Taxation Overseas taxation (217) - (217) UK taxation (289) 289 - (506) 289 (217) Return on ordinary activities after taxation for the 4,752 39,713 44,465 financial year Dividends on Preference Stock (22) - (22) Return attributable to ordinary shareholders 4,730 39,713 44,443 Dividends on Ordinary Shares Prior year over accrual 5 - 5 First Interim paid 3.60p (1,815) - (1,815) Final proposed 5.20p (2,598) - (2,598) 8.80p (4,408) - (4,408) Transfer to reserves 322 39,713 40,035 Return per Ordinary Share (Note 1) 9.21p 77.36p 86.57p NET ASSET STATEMENT as at 30 November 2005 2005 2005 £'000s £'000s Fixed Asset Investments 260,383 Net Current Assets 14,865 Total Assets less Current Liabilities 275,248 Creditors : Amounts falling due after more than one year (51,697) Total Net Assets 223,551 Called up Share Capital - Ordinary 12,491 - Preference 450 12,941 Capital Redemption Reserve 3,509 Capital Reserves - Realised 164,055 - Unrealised 35,226 199,281 Revenue Reserve 7,820 Shareholders' Funds 223,551 Net asset value per Ordinary Share (Note 2) 446.5p Unaudited preliminary results for the year ended 30 November 2004 were approved for release as undernoted: RESULTS STATEMENT OF TOTAL RETURN for the year ended 30 November 2004 2004 £'000s £'000s £'000s Revenue Capital Total (Note 3) Net gains on investments - 12,433 12,433 Investment income 6,117 - 6,117 Other income 1,046 - 1,046 Investment management fee (384) (896) (1,280) Expenses of administration (275) - (275) Net return before finance costs and taxation 6,504 11,537 18,041 Finance costs of borrowings (1,379) (3,208) (4,587) Return on ordinary activities before taxation 5,125 8,329 13,454 Taxation Overseas taxation (176) - (176) UK taxation (382) 382 - (558) 382 (176) Return on ordinary activities after taxation for the 4,567 8,711 13,278 financial year Dividends on Preference Stock (22) - (22) Return attributable to ordinary shareholders 4,545 8,711 13,256 Dividends on Ordinary Shares Prior year over accrual 34 - 34 First Interim paid 3.50p (1,876) - (1,876) Final proposed 4.60p (2,411) - (2,411) 8.10p (4,253) - (4,253) Transfer to reserves 292 8,711 9,003 Return per Ordinary Share (Note 1) 8.43p 16.16p 24.59p NET ASSET STATEMENT as at 30 November 2004 2004 2004 £'000s £'000s Fixed Asset Investments 228,345 Net Current Assets 14,683 Total Assets less Current Liabilities 243,028 Creditors : Amounts falling due after more than one year (51,761) Total Net Assets 191,267 Called up Share Capital - Ordinary 13,102 - Preference 450 13,552 Capital Redemption Reserve 2,898 Capital Reserves - Realised 159,387 - Unrealised 7,931 167,318 Revenue Reserve 7,499 Shareholders' Funds 191,267 Net asset value per Ordinary Share (Note 2) 364.1p CASH FLOW STATEMENT For the years ended 30 November 2004 and 30 November 2005 2005 2005 2004 £'000s £'000s £'000s Net cash inflow from operating activities 6,037 5,801 Servicing of Finance Interest paid (4,664) (4,652) Dividends paid on preference stock (22) (22) Net cash outflow on servicing of finance (4,686) (4,674) Financial Investment Purchase of fixed asset investments (181,836) (179,061) Sale of fixed asset investments 189,667 183,148 Net cash inflow 7,831 4,087 from financial investment Equity dividends paid (4,221) (4,268) Net cash inflow before financing 4,961 946 Financing Purchase of Ordinary Shares for cancellation (7,750) (7,392) Decrease in cash (2,789) (6,446) Note 1 The Returns per Ordinary Share have been calculated using a weighted average number of shares in issue during the year of 51,334,348 shares (2004 - 53,900,208). Note 2 The net asset value is based on 49,962,838 Ordinary Shares of 25p in issue at the year end (2004 - 52,406,416). Note 3 The revenue column of this statement is the profit and loss account of the Company. All revenue and capital items derive from continuing operations. No operations were acquired and no operations were discontinued during the year. Note 4 The financial information set out in this announcement does not constitute the Company's statutory accounts for the years ended 30 November 2005 or 30th November 2004. The financial information for the year ended 30 November 2004 has been extracted from the statutory accounts for that year which have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The auditors' report on those accounts was unqualified and did not contain a statement under either Section 237(2) or Section 237(3) of the Companies Act 1985. The statutory accounts for the year ended 30 November 2005 will be finalised on the basis of the financial information presented by the directors in this preliminary announcement and will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies following the Company's Annual General Meeting. Note 5 The increase in the Company's benchmark index of 19.2% over the year to 30 November 2005 is composed as follows: 60% FTSE All-Share Index 10.1% 40% FTSE World Index, ex-UK in sterling 9.1% For further information, please contact: RCM (UK) Limited Simon White Head of Investment Trusts Tel: 020 7065 1539 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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