Final Results

F&C Capital & Income Inv Tst PLC 01 December 2005 Date: 1 December 2005 Contact: Julian Cane F&C Management Ltd 020 7628 8000 Lisa Stanley Lansons Communications 020 7294 3692 F&C CAPITAL AND INCOME INVESTMENT TRUST PLC Unaudited Preliminary Statement of Results for the year ended 30 September 2005 Highlights • The NAV per share rose by 22.4%, outperforming the benchmark FTSE All-Share index's 20.9% return. • The Company will pay a total dividend of 5.80p per share, a 6.4% increase on last year. This is the 13th successive annual dividend increase. • The merger with F&C Income Growth Investment Trust PLC was finalised on 5 May this year. This deal has been a success and has not detracted from investment performance. Following the merger, the Company has benefited from increased liquidity, and this in turn should be beneficial to investors as it should be easier and more efficient to buy and sell shares, which in time should attract other investors. • The buy-back programme has been successful as the share price has tracked the NAV per share closely with the average discount being just 2.1% and the widest discount being 5.4%. • Companies are forecast to provide reasonable levels of earnings and dividend growth and this should provide support to the stockmarket. Overall, valuations for the stockmarket appear attractive when compared to bonds or cash, while the absolute level of valuation is in line with longer-term averages. F&C CAPITAL AND INCOME INVESTMENT TRUST PLC Unaudited Preliminary Statement of Results for the year ended 30 September 2005 SUMMARY OF RESULTS 30 Sep 30 Sep % 2005 2004 Change Attributable to equity shareholders Net assets £176.97m £84.30m +109.9 Net assets per share 217.47p 177.62p +22.4 Earnings per share 6.56p 5.38p +21.9 Dividends per share 5.80p 5.45p +6.4 Share price 211.25p 173.50p +21.8 F&C CAPITAL AND INCOME INVESTMENT TRUST PLC Unaudited Preliminary Statement of Results for the year ended 30 September 2005 Chairman's Statement Dear Shareholder The last year has been an active one for your Company as the merger with F&C Income Growth Investment Trust PLC ("FIGIT") became effective. This deal has been a success and has not detracted from investment performance which has been strong both in absolute terms and relative to our main benchmark. Over the year to 30 September 2005, the net asset value (NAV) per share and share price of your Company rose by 22.4% and 21.8% respectively. Both of these returns were ahead of the 20.9% increase in the FTSE All-Share Index. The Directors are recommending a final dividend of 1.675 pence per share to give a total for the year of 5.80 pence, an increase of 6.4% on the previous year. Capital Performance The stockmarket has continued its strong recovery from the bear market of 2000 to 2003 as company earnings and dividends have grown strongly. Bond yields have remained low and this has continued to make equities appear attractive as an asset class, which in turn has led to a large number of mergers and acquisitions, either from other quoted companies or private equity. It is pleasing to report a substantial increase in NAV as the market has risen rapidly, especially as your Company was resilient and the NAV fell much less than the index in the previous bear market. Over the medium- and long-term results are well ahead of the FTSE All-Share benchmark index. Revenue and Dividend This year many of the headline figures in the revenue account have been affected by the merger in May. The most important figure, however, is the return per ordinary share as it reflects your Company's true dividend paying ability. It is based on the average number of shares in issue during the year, removing much of the distorting effect of the merger. The revenue return per share last year was 6.56p which shows a very attractive increase of more than 21.9% on the previous year. This reflects a combination of both strong underlying revenue growth from our investments and also greater cost efficiency stemming from the merger. Following the merger with FIGIT, your Company is now paying dividends quarterly. As the merger only completed in May, there was one dividend for the six months to March 2005, a dividend for the third quarter to June and the proposed final dividend for the fourth quarter to September. The total increase for the year of 6.4% is the thirteenth successive annual increase and is well ahead of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the underlying rate of inflation (Retail Price Index excluding Mortgage Interest Payments) both of which were 2.5% for the year to September. It should be noted that the cost of each dividend paid is based on the number of shares in issue at each point in time, rather than average shares in issue during the year, and hence the proposed final dividend of 1.675 pence per share will cost the Company more than the first interim dividend of 2.725 pence per share, paid in May 2005. F&C CAPITAL AND INCOME INVESTMENT TRUST PLC Unaudited Preliminary Statement of Results for the year ended 30 September 2005 Gearing In the expectation of attractive investment returns and in response to the relatively low costs of borrowing, the portfolio has been geared throughout the year. The absolute level of debt has been within the range of £3.5m to £8.5m. As the returns generated from the extra invested capital have exceeded the cost of debt, the decision to gear the portfolio has added extra value to shareholders. Share Capital The most significant event during the year in terms of scale was the merger of your Company with FIGIT, which increased the number of shares in issue from 48.6m to 82.2m. However, probably more important in terms of impact was the Board's continued commitment to ensuring that the Company's shares should not stand at any material discount to NAV. This has been done through an active share buy-back programme which made twenty purchases during the year, buying a total of 1.2m shares. The buy-back programme has been successful as the share price has tracked the NAV per share closely with the average discount being just 2.1% and the widest discount being 5.4%. There was also considerable demand from index-tracking funds for the Company's shares when it was re-included in the FTSE All-Share Index at the end of 2004. This caused the share price to rise and the Board issued 1.5m shares at a premium to NAV to satisfy the demand. Although this level of extra demand is not expected to return in future years, it is encouraging that over the year more shares were issued than were bought back. It is also positive that on any analysis, whether looking at the absolute prices or the level of discounts and premiums at which the purchases and issues took place, these transactions have been beneficial for shareholders. Benefits of the Merger At the time of the proposal, the Directors believed the merger would benefit shareholders by the creation of a larger company, bringing economies of scale and the prospect of increased market liquidity. Although the merger was only effective for less than half of the financial year it has helped to reduce operating costs as a percentage of average total assets from 0.69% in the previous year to 0.66%. This is a very competitive rate compared to other similar investment vehicles. Since completion of the deal, the average daily volume of shares traded in the enlarged company has been almost twice that of the average of the previous three years. This increase in liquidity should be beneficial to investors as it should be easier and more efficient to buy and sell shares, which in time should attract other investors. Directors The Board constitution has changed considerably over the year as a consequence of the merger. I would like to thank all those directors who have helped to make the deal successful and especially to record my thanks to Graham Ross Russell and Peter Hardy who retired on completion of the deal and who have steered your Company so well since its earliest days. Their wise counsel and attention to detail will be greatly missed. I am delighted that John Emly and Neil Dunford, who were on the Board of FIGIT, have joined this Company's Board and I look forward to working closely with them in the years to come. Annual General Meeting This year's Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, 31 January 2006 at 10.30 am. There will be a presentation by the Manager on investment policy and future prospects and I hope to welcome as many of you to the meeting as possible. F&C CAPITAL AND INCOME INVESTMENT TRUST PLC Unaudited Preliminary Statement of Results for the year ended 30 September 2005 Prospects There are a number of issues which give cause for concern. These range from the specific, such as the high price of oil, to the more general structural imbalances in the UK economy. In particular, recent growth has been driven very largely by consumer and Government expenditure and not enough by investment and exports. At a time when the average level of personal indebtedness in the UK is at high levels and personal disposable income is being restricted by increases in fuel costs and taxes, retail spending is coming under pressure. Furthermore, taxation is likely to have to rise to pay for accelerating Government expenditure and the UK trade deficit continues to widen. These longer-term issues are not expected to have an immediate impact on the stockmarket, but are likely to restrict future rates of growth. Despite this, companies are forecast to continue to produce reasonable levels of earnings and dividend growth and this should provide support to the stockmarket. Even though the market has risen strongly, so have earnings and thus valuations are very similar to last year. The rate of growth is, however, expected to decline as the overall rate of economic growth slows. Overall, valuations for the stockmarket appear attractive when compared to bonds or cash, while the absolute level of valuation is in line with longer-term averages. Pen Kent CHAIRMAN December 2005 F&C CAPITAL AND INCOME INVESTMENT TRUST PLC Unaudited Preliminary Statement of Results for the year ended 30 September 2005 Unaudited Statement of Total Return (incorporating the Revenue Account*) for the year ended 30 September 2005 2004 Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total £'000s £'000s £'000s £'000s £'000s £'000s Gains on investments - 27,285 27,285 - 9,384 9,384 Exchange gains/(losses) on 1 8 9 1 (4) (3) currency balances Income 4,876 - 4,876 3,145 - 3,145 Management fee (316) (316) (632) (211) (211) (422) Other expenses (294) (14) (308) (196) (22) (218) Net return before finance costs 4,267 26,963 31,230 2,739 9,147 11,886 and taxation Interest payable and similar (178) (178) (356) (120) (120) (240) charges Return on ordinary activities 4,089 26,785 30,874 2,619 9,027 11,646 before taxation Taxation on ordinary activities (43) - (43) (22) - (22) Return attributable to equity 4,046 26,785 30,831 2,597 9,027 11,624 shareholders Dividends on ordinary shares (equity): First interim dividend of 2.725p (2004:2.725p) (1,322) - (1,322) (1,277) - (1,277) Second interim dividend of 1.40p (2004: nil) (1,148) - (1,148) - - - Proposed final dividend of 1.675p (2004:2.725p) (1,363) - (1,363) (1,293) - (1,293) (3,833) - (3,833) (2,570) - (2,570) Amount transferred to reserves 213 26,785 26,998 27 9,027 9,054 Return per ordinary share - pence 6.56 43.42 49.98 5.38 18.70 24.08 * The revenue column of the statement is the profit and loss account of the Company. All revenue and capital items in the above statement derive from continuing operations. F&C CAPITAL AND INCOME INVESTMENT TRUST PLC Unaudited Preliminary Statement of Results for the year ended 30 September 2005 Unaudited Balance Sheet at 30 September 2005 2004 £'000s £'000s Fixed assets Listed Investments 185,864 91,012 Current assets Debtors 6,568 596 Taxation recoverable 14 13 Cash at bank & short-term deposits 1,700 743 8,282 1,352 Current liabilities Creditors: amounts falling due within one year: Loans (8,500) (6,000) Other (8,677) (2,065) (17,177) (8,065) Net current liabilities (8,895) (6,713) Net assets 176,969 84,299 Capital and reserves Called up share capital 20,548 12,051 Capital redemption reserve 3,154 3,154 Share premium account 76,334 18,771 Special reserve 11,960 12,348 Capital reserves 63,755 36,970 Revenue reserve 1,218 1,005 Total equity shareholders' funds 176,969 84,299 Net asset value per ordinary share - pence 217.47 177.62 F&C CAPITAL AND INCOME INVESTMENT TRUST PLC Unaudited Preliminary Statement of Results for the year ended 30 September 2005 Unaudited Summary Cash Flow Statement for the year ended 30 September 2005 2004 £'000s £'000s Net cash inflow from operating activities 3,752 2,583 Net cash outflow from servicing of finance (360) (213) Total tax paid (44) (18) Net cash outflow from financial investment (1,482) (30) Equity dividends paid (2,616) (2,931) Net cash outflow before use of liquid resources and financing (750) (609) Increase in short-term deposits (1,700) - Net cash inflow from financing 1,379 1,339 (Decrease)/increase in cash (1,071) 730 F&C CAPITAL AND INCOME INVESTMENT TRUST PLC Unaudited Preliminary Statement of Results for the year ended 30 September 2005 Statement of changes in Equity Capital Share Share Redemption Premium Special Capital Revenue Capital Reserve Account Reserve Reserves Reserve £'000s £'000s £'000s £'000s £'000s £'000s Balances at 30 September 2004 12,051 3,154 18,771 12,348 36,970 1,005 Issue of ordinary shares 93 - 636 - - - Sales of ordinary shares held in - - 272 1,972 - - treasury Issue of ordinary shares under the Scheme of Arrangement 8,404 - 56,655 - - - Purchase of ordinary shares held in - - - (2,360) - - treasury Realised gains on investments - - - - 6,881 - Unrealised gains on investments - - - - 20,404 - Other transfers (from)/to reserves - - - - (500) 213 Balances at 30 September 2005 20,548 3,154 76,334 11,960 63,755 1,218 The Directors recommend a final dividend of 1.675p (2004: 2.725p) per share payable on 3 February 2006 to shareholders registered on 6 January 2006. The financial information set out in this announcement does not constitute the Company's statutory accounts for the years ended 30 September 2005 or 30 September 2004. The financial information for the year ended 30 September 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 September 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. The Report & Accounts will be posted to shareholders towards the end of December 2005. Copies may be obtained thereafter during normal business hours from the Company's Registered Office, Exchange House, Primrose Street, London EC2A 2NY. By order of the Board F&C Management Limited - Secretary 1 December 2005 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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