ICG Enterprise Trust Plc: Q3 Update for the thr...

ICG Enterprise Trust Plc: Q3 Update for the three months ended 31 October 2022

ICG Enterprise Trust plc

2 February 2023

Q3 Update for the three months ended 31 October 2022

NAV per Share Total Return + 3.6% in the third quarter ; +19.9% LTM

Highlights
  • NAV per Share of 1,918p (31 July 2022: 1,852p); NAV per Share Total Return of 3.6% for the quarter and 19.9% for the last twelve months (‘LTM’)
  • Portfolio Return on a Local Currency Basis of 0.2% for the quarter and 13.8% on an LTM basis
  • New Investments of £59.9m, including 3 Direct Investments
  • Realisation Proceeds of £62.6m during the quarter, including 11 Full Exits executed at a 33.0% weighted average Uplift to Carrying Value
  • Third quarter dividend of 7p per share, taking total dividends for the period to 21p (Q3 FY22: 18p); reiterated intention to declare total dividend for FY23 of at least 30p per share
  • Long-term share buyback programme initiated in October, with £0.3m being invested in share buybacks during the quarter and total repurchases under the program of £2.1m up to and including 31 January 2023
  • Revised management fee agreement and cost-sharing, effective from 1 February 2023


Oliver Gardey
Head of Private Equity Fund Investments, ICG

 
ICG Enterprise Trust extended its track record of delivering resilient growth during the period, generating NAV per Share Total Return of 3.6% in the third quarter, bringing our five-year annualised NAV per Share Total Return to 17.6%.

Our Portfolio generated local currency returns of 0.2% in the third quarter, and 13.8% on an LTM basis. Importantly, we continued to realise assets at a premium, with 11 full exits completed during the third quarter at an average Uplift to Carrying Value of 33%. We believe these uplifts underline the quality and value of our Portfolio. We are also encouraged to see this momentum continuing post-period end.

ICG and our third-party managers have continued to source attractive opportunities, whilst our strong capitalisation is enabling us to invest for the future. Our investment strategy, centred on ‘defensive growth’, is underpinned by a disciplined approach to capital allocation, seeking to enable ICG Enterprise Trust shareholders to benefit from both income and capital appreciation over the long term.
 

PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW

         
        Annualised
Performance to 31 October 2022 3 months 9 months 1 year 3 years 5 years 10 years  
Portfolio Return on a Local Currency Basis 0.2% 7.9% 13.8% 22.2% 20.2% 14.4%  
NAV per Share Total Return 3.6% 14.8% 19.9% 21.0% 17.6% 14.6%  
Share Price Total Return (13.9)% (15.2)% (18.1)% 4.9% 6.3% 11.7%  
FTSE All-Share Index Total Return (4.6)% (4.7)% (2.8)% 2.3% 2.4% 6.2%  
         
    Three months to: Nine months to: 12 months to:
Portfolio activity   31 Oct. 2022 31 Oct. 2021 31 Oct. 2022 31 Oct. 2021 31 Oct. 2022 31 Oct. 2021
Realisation Proceeds   £62.6m £90.0m £169.4m £265.3m £237.7m £308.3m
Total New Investments   £59.9m £75.2m £203.6m £208.5m £298.8m £265.7m

ENQUIRIES

Investors and analysts:

Oliver Gardey, Head of Private Equity Fund Investments, ICG: +44 (0) 20 3545 2000

Colm Walsh, Managing Director, Private Equity Fund Investments, ICG

Chris Hunt, Shareholder Relations, ICG

Livia Bridgman Baker, Shareholder Relations, ICG        

Media:

Clare Glynn, Corporate Communications, ICG: +44 (0) 20 3545 1395

Website:

www.icg-enterprise.co.uk

EVENTS

A presentation for investors and analysts will be held at 10:30 GMT today. A link for the presentation can be found on the Results & Reports page of the Company website. A recording of the presentation will be made available on the Company website after the event.

Company timetable

Ex-dividend date: 16 February 2023

Record date: 17 February 2023

Payment of dividend:  3 March 2023

ABOUT ICG ENTERPRISE TRUST

ICG Enterprise Trust is a leading listed private equity investor focused on creating long-term growth by delivering consistently strong returns through selectively investing in profitable, cash-generative private companies, primarily in Europe and the US, while offering the added benefit to shareholders of daily liquidity.

We invest in companies directly as well as through funds managed by ICG and other leading private equity managers who focus on creating long-term value and building sustainable growth through active management and strategic change.

We have a long track record of delivering strong returns through a flexible mandate and highly selective approach that strikes the right balance between concentration and diversification, risk and reward.

NOTES

Included in this document are Alternative Performance Measures (“APMs”). APMs have been used if considered by the Board and the Manager to be the most relevant basis for shareholders in assessing the overall performance of the Company, and for comparing the performance of the Company to its peers and its previously reported results. The Glossary in the Company’s H1 results includes further details of APMs and reconciliations to International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) measures, where appropriate.

In the Business Review and Supplementary Information, all performance figures are stated on a Total Return basis (i.e., including the effect of re-invested dividends). ICG Alternative Investment Limited, a regulated subsidiary of Intermediate Capital Group plc, acts as the Manager of the Company.

DISCLAIMER

This report may contain forward looking statements. These statements have been made by the directors in good faith based on the information available to them up to the time of their approval of this report and should be treated with caution due to the inherent uncertainties, including both economic and business risk factors, underlying such forward-looking information. These written materials are not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom. The issuer has not and does not intend to register any securities under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and does not intend to offer any securities to the public in the United States. No money, securities or other consideration from any person inside the United States is being solicited and, if sent in response to the information contained in these written materials, will not be accepted.

BUSINESS REVIEW

Portfolio composition

We take an active approach to portfolio construction, with a flexible mandate that enables us to deploy capital into primary, secondary and direct investment opportunities. Our portfolio composition as at 31 October 2022 is shown below:

Investment c ategory 31 October  2022
£m
31 October 2022
% of Portfolio
Primary 749.7 53.3%
Secondary 266.6 18.9%
Direct 391.6 27.8%
Tota l 1 ,407.9 100.0%

We invest in funds managed by ICG and other leading private equity managers who focus on creating long-term value and building sustainable growth through active management and strategic change. Investments managed by ICG account for 30.3% of the Portfolio as at 31 October 2022.

Our primary investments provide a diversified base to our Portfolio, and through our direct and secondary investments we seek to proactively increase our exposure to companies that particularly align to our investment strategy.

Investment c ategory 31 October 2022
£m
31 October 2022
% of Portfolio
ICG managed investments1 426.5 30.3%
Third party Direct Investments 238.4 16.9%
Third party Secondary Investments 66.5 4.7%
High Conviction Investments 731.4 51.9%
Third Party Funds 676.5 48.1%
Total 1,407.9 100 .0 %
1 ICG managed investments include Primary, Secondary and Direct Investments    

Geographically we focus on the developed markets of North America and Europe, including the UK, which have deep and mature private equity markets supported by a robust corporate governance framework. The geographic profile of the Portfolio is shown below:

Geography 1 31 October 2022
£m
31 October 2022
% of Portfolio
North America 640.6 45.5%
Europe 430.8 30.6%
UK 242.2 17.2%
Other 94.3 6.7%
Total 1,407.9 100%
1 Calculated by reference to the location of the headquarters of the underlying Portfolio companies on a value-weighted basis

Portfolio performance

  • Portfolio valued at £1,407.9m on 31 October 2022, with 87.2% of the Portfolio having a Valuation Date of 30 September 2022 or later (October 2021: 88.9%)
  • The Portfolio Return on a Local Currency Basis of 0.2% during the quarter represents modest declines within our Primary funds of (0.5)%; an increase of 0.3% within Secondaries; and an increase of 1.7% within Direct investments
  • Due to the geographic diversification of our Portfolio, the reported value is impacted by changes in foreign exchange rates. During the third quarter, the Portfolio increased by £53.6m (4.0%) due to FX movements, driven primarily by US Dollar strengthening against Sterling. The Portfolio return on a reported currency basis was therefore 4.2% during the period

Movement in the Portfolio
£m
Three months to
31 October 2022
Opening Portfolio 1, 353.7
Total New Investments 59.9
Total Proceeds (62.6)
Net (proceeds)/investments (2.7)
Valuation movement 3.3
Currency movement 53.6
Closing Portfolio 1,407. 9
% Portfolio growth (local currency) 0.2 %
% currency movement 4.0%
% Portfolio growth (Sterling) 4.2 %
Impact of (net cash)/net debt 0.3%
Expenses and other income (0.5)%
Co-investment Incentive Scheme Accrual (0.4)%
Impact of share buybacks and dividend reinvestment -
NAV per S hare Total Return 3.6 %
   

Realisation activity

  • Total Realisation proceeds of £62.6m during the third quarter
  • 11 Full Exits completed in the quarter, at a weighted average Uplift to Carrying Value of 33.0% and 1.8x Multiple to Cost

Investment activity

  • Total New Investment of £59.9m in the third quarter. New investment by category was as follows:

  £m % of total
Primary 33.9 56.6%
Secondary - -
Direct 26.0 43.4%
Tota l 59.9 100.0%
  • Total New Investment in the third quarter included three new direct investments for a combined total of £25.9m, as outlined below:

Company Manager Company sector D escription Investment value
ECA Group ICG Industrials Provider of autonomous systems and navigation solutions £13.0m
KronosNet ICG Business Services Provider of business process outsourcing services £8.8m
Vistage Worldwide Gridiron Business Services Provider of executive advisory services £4.1m

New Commitments

  • We made one new fund Commitment of £17.2m during the third quarter:

Fund Manager Focus Commitment
value
Leonard Green IX1 Leonard Green Large buyouts $20.0m (£17.2m)
1 Represents a new manager relationship during the period

Quoted Companies

  • We do not actively invest in publicly quoted companies but gain listed investment exposure when IPOs are used as a route to exit an investment. In these cases, exit timing typically lies with the third party manager alongside whom we are invested
  • At 31 October 2022, quoted companies representing 8.0% of the Portfolio were valued by reference to the latest market price (31 July 2022; 8.8%)
  • Only one quoted investment individually accounted for 0.5% or more of the Portfolio value:

  Company Ticker % of Portfolio value
1 Chewy (part of PetSmart holding)1 CHWY-US 3.5%
Other     4.5 %
Total     8.0 %
1 % value of Portfolio includes entire holding of PetSmart and Chewy. Majority of value is within Chewy



Balance sheet and financing

  • Total available liquidity of £174.2m, comprising £22.7m cash and £151.5m undrawn bank facility

  £m
Cash at 31 July 202 2 12.7
Realisation Proceeds 62.6
New investments (59.9)
Shareholder returns (0.3)
FX and other1 7.6
Cash at 3 1 October 2022 22.7
Available undrawn debt facilities 151.5
Cash and undrawn debt facilities (total available liquidity) 1 74.2
1 FX and other includes a £13.1m drawing from existing debt facilities, partially offset by FX and other expenses paid out
  • At 31 October 2022 the Portfolio represented 107.2% of net assets and the Company had net debt of £32.7m

  £m % of net assets
Total Portfolio 1,407.9 107.2%
Cash 22.7 1.7%
Drawn debt (55.4) (4.2)%
Co-investment Incentive Scheme Accrual (59.8) (4.6)%
Other net current liabilities (2.0) (0.1)%
Net assets 1, 313. 4 100 .0 %
  • Undrawn commitments of £528.5m, of which 18.8% (£99.1m) were to funds outside of their investment period

Dividend and share buyback

  • Progressive dividend policy maintained: third quarter dividend of 7p per share, bringing total dividends for the financial year-to-date to 21p
  • In the absence of any unforeseen circumstances, it is the Board’s current intention to declare total dividends of at least 30p per share for the financial year ended 31 January 2023. This would represent an increase of 3p (11.1%) per share compared to the financial year ended 31 January 2022
  • Long-term share buyback program initiated in October 2022, with 30,000 shares repurchased during the third quarter for a total consideration of £0.3m at an estimated weighted-average discount of 45.9% to last reported NAV per Share
  • In aggregate, £2.1m invested in share buybacks since the program was initiated, up to and including 31 January 2023, with a total of 191,480 shares having been repurchased at an estimated weighted-average discount of 40.0% to the last reported NAV per Share

Changes to management fees and costs

  • The ICG Enterprise Trust Board and the Manager have agreed a revised management fee rate, effective from 1 February 2023
  • While the management fee arrangement will remain unchanged, a tiered cap as a proportion of NAV has been introduced at the following thresholds:
ICG Enterprise Trust NAV Management Fee Cap
< £1.5bn 1.25%
≥ £1.5bn ≤ £2.0bn 1.10%
> £2.0bn 1.00%
  • The Board believes that this arrangement fairly compensates the Manager, and ensures that ICG Enterprise Trust shareholders benefit from the economies of scale generated from growth in the Company’s NAV
  • The management fees for the twelve months to Q3 FY23 were 1.34% of NAV. As an illustration, had the revised agreement been in place during this period, management fees would have been capped at 1.25%. This would have reduced the management fee by approximately 6% (approximately £1.1m)
  • The Manager has also agreed to absorb a number of ongoing costs previously paid for by ICG Enterprise Trust, in particular a material share of Sales and Marketing costs. The Board estimates that these are equivalent to approximately 25-30% of the General Expenses (which exclude management fees and finance costs) that would have been paid by ICG Enterprise Trust prior to this agreement being reached

Notable activity since the period end1

  • One new Primary Commitment of £12.5m
  • New investments of £44.5m
  • Total Proceeds of £46.3m

ICG Private Equity Fund Investments Team
2 February 2023

SUPPLEME N TARY INFORMATION

Top 30 companies
The table below presents the 30 companies in which ICG Enterprise Trust had the largest investments by value at 31 October 2022.

  Company Manager Year of investment Country % of Portfolio value
1 PetSmart        
  Retailer of pet products and services BC Partners 2015 United States 3.5%
2 Endeavor Schools        
  Provider of paid private schooling Leeds Equity 2018 United States 2.8%
3 Minimax        
  Supplier of fire protection systems and services ICG 2018 Germany 2.7%
4 Leaf Home Solutions        
  Provider of home maintenance services Gridiron 2016 United States 1.9%
5 Froneri        
  Manufacturer and distributor of ice cream products PAI 2013 / 2019 United Kingdom 1.8%
6 Yudo        
  Designer and manufacturer of hot runner systems ICG 2017 / 2018 South Korea 1.8%
7 DOC Generici        
  Manufacturer of generic pharmaceutical products ICG 2019 Italy 1.7%
8 Precisely        
  Provider of enterprise software Clearlake 2021 / 2022 United States 1.4%
9 AML RightSource        
  Provider of compliance and regulatory services and solutions Gridiron 2020 United States 1.3%
10 Ambassador Theatre Group        
  Operator of theatres and ticketing platforms ICG / Providence 2021 United Kingdom 1.3%
11 Curium Pharma        
  Supplier of nuclear medicine diagnostic pharmaceuticals ICG 2020 United Kingdom 1.2%
12 DigiCert        
  Provider of enterprise internet security solutions ICG 2021 United States 1.2%
13 IRI/NPD        
  Provider of mission-critical data and predictive analytics to consumer goods manufacturers New Mountain 2022 United States 1.2%
14 DomusVi        
  Operator of retirement homes ICG 2017 / 2021 France 1.2%
15 David Lloyd Leisure        
  Operator of premium health clubs TDR 2013 / 2020 United Kingdom 1.2%
16 European Camping Group        
  Operator of premium campsites and holiday parks PAI 2021 France 1.1%
17 Newton        
  Provider of management consulting services ICG 2021 / 2022 United Kingdom 1.1%
           
           
18 Ivanti        
  Provider of IT management solutions Charlesbank / ICG 2021 United States 1.1%
19 Visma        
  Provider of business management software and outsourcing services Hg Capital / ICG 2017 / 2020 Norway 1.0%
20 PSB Academy        
  Provider of private tertiary education ICG 2018 Singapore 1.0%
21 Crucial Learning        
  Provider of corporate training courses focused on communication skills and leadership development Leeds Equity 2019 United States 1.0%
22 Planet Payment        
  Provider of integrated payments services focused on hospitality and luxury retail Advent / Eurazeo 2021 Ireland 0.9%
23 Brooks Automation        
  Provider of semiconductor manufacturing solutions Thomas H. Lee 2021 / 2022 United States 0.9%
24 ECA Group        
  Provider of autonomous systems for the aerospace and maritime sectors ICG 2022 France 0.9%
25 Class Valuation        
  Provider of residential mortgage appraisal management services Gridiron 2021 United States 0.8%
26 Davies Group        
  Provider of specialty business process outsourcing services BC Partners 2021 United Kingdom 0.8%
27 RegEd        
  Provider of SaaS-based governance, risk and compliance enterprise software solutions Gryphon 2018 / 2019 United States 0.7%
28 MoMo Online Mobile Services        
  Operator of remittance and payment services via
mobile e-wallet
ICG 2019 Vietnam 0.6%
29 AMEOS Group        
  Operator of private hospitals ICG 2021 Switzerland 0.6%
30 KronosNet        
  Provider of tech-enabled customer engagement and business solutions ICG 2022 Spain 0.6%
  Total of the 30 largest underlying investments       39.3 %

Portfolio at 31 October 2022
All data is presented on a look-through basis to the investment portfolio held by the Company, consistent with the commentary in previous annual and interim reports

Portfolio by calendar year of investment % of value of underlying investments
2022   17.4%
2021   25.3%
2020   10.2%
2019   13.7%
2018   12.4%
2017   6.5%
2016   4.4%
2015   4.3%
2014 and older   5.8%
Total   100.0%


Portfolio by sector % of value of underlying investments
TMT 23.0%
Consumer goods and services 20.1%
Healthcare 14.5%
Business services 11.8%
Industrials 8.8%
Financials 7.3%
Education 6.9%
Leisure 3.8%
Other 3.8%
Total 100.0%



1 Unless otherwise stated, values in this section refer to the period up to 31 December 2022


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