Final Results

JPMorgan Fleming American IT PLC 27 February 2003 JPMorgan Fleming American Investment Trust plc Stock Exchange Announcement 27th February 2003 The Board of the Company today announces the preliminary results of the Company for the year ended 31st December 2002 as follows. Investment Performance In 2002 your Company bore the full brunt of the equity bear market and suffered a net asset value per share decline of 36.2% which compares with a 30.7% decline in the benchmark index, the S&P 500 Composite Index expressed in sterling terms. The share price fell by 42.5% as the discount widened to 7.4% by the end of the year. In my review of the Interim Results I pointed out that by the end of July the U.S. equity market had reached a level last seen in 1997 and that stocks were looking particularly attractive on a valuation basis relative to bonds. For the balance of the year the market action was highly volatile, marked by strong rallies in August and November, while returning to its lowest levels in early October. Continuing poor corporate earnings performance was the principal factor preventing the market from enjoying a sustained rally. In addition the likelihood of military action in Iraq did not help. The final five months of the year saw a modest decline for equities of 2.9% as measured by the S&P 500 Composite Index expressed in US$ terms. The net asset value decline was exacerbated by three additional factors, the Company's gearing, the decline of the U.S. dollar by 10.6% and the performance of the smaller companies portfolio. The net asset value performance against the benchmark index was a negative 5.5 percentage points. By far the largest contributor to the underperformance was the gearing, which made up for two thirds of the deficit. Going into 2002 the investment managers were not anticipating a further market decline of such magnitude and decided to maintain the existing level of gearing as a means of enhancing long-term appreciation. The remainder of the underperformance came from a disappointing year for the smaller companies' portfolio. Over the past years the allocation to this segment of the market has exhibited volatile return patterns, but on balance has neither added nor detracted value. In 2002 the investment managers introduced a new policy for the management of the allocation to smaller companies using a formulaic approach to relative valuation. Over time this will probably lead to a lower allocation, although any such reduction will be made after a recovery in small growth company valuations. The performance of the Company in 2002 can only be described as disappointing, and steps have been taken to manage the asset allocation on a more active basis. Gearing The investment managers have access to two gearing facilities, a £50m debenture and a US$40m fixed loan. The latter of these is due to be repaid in June 2003 and it is the Board intention not to replace this with another loan. The effect of this repayment would, if it had happened at the year-end, reduce the potential gearing from 125% to 117%. The actual gearing ratio at the year-end was 118%. The repayment of the loan will therefore be mainly from available cash balances. The Board sets guidelines on the extent that gearing can be used (ie the actual gearing ratio) and these currently restrict such use to 20% of shareholders funds. Investment Policy and Investment Manager The Company's philosophy has not changed over the year and remains to invest in a diversified portfolio of high quality US companies whose intrinsic value per share is expected to grow over time. While portfolio turnover is designed to be low, the inherent volatility of individual stocks allows the investment manager to take advantage of valuation disparities in both purchase and sale decisions. The Company invests in US companies of all sizes, believing that smaller companies periodically offer higher growth at lower valuations than blue chip stocks. The expectation that equities will outperform the Company's cost of borrowing over time is the main factor behind the chosen level of long-term gearing. Following consultation with the Board, the manager of the Company's assets, JPMorgan Fleming Asset Management (UK) Limited, has appointed Garrett Fish as the individual responsible for investment management on behalf of the Company. To assist Garrett, Tim Parton will continue to manage the smaller companies portfolio. Revenue Account and Dividends This year the Company recorded earnings per share of 4.75p (2001:5.30p). As the policy is to distribute substantially all the available income the Board is proposing that a dividend of 4.80 pence per share (2001: 5.20p) be paid on 2nd May 2003 to shareholders on the register on 4th April 2003. Share Issues and Repurchases At the beginning of the year the Company's shares were trading at a premium to the net asset value and this enabled 195,945 shares to be issued. The average premium of these issues was 2.3% and the proceeds were £1.6m. From the 2nd quarter of the year onwards the shares returned to trading at a discount to the net asset value and this enabled 2,426,000 ordinary shares to be repurchased for cancellation. The average discount of these repurchases was 8.6% and the cost £11.9m. The resulting effect of these issues and repurchases was to enhance the net asset value by £1.1m, or 0.4% of the net asset value. Since the year end a further 277,500 shares have been purchased and cancelled. Directors I have decided to step down as a Director of the Company, and hence as Chairman, having been on the Board for nearly 20 years, including 5 years as Chairman. I will remain on the Board until the conclusion of this year's Annual General Meeting. Hamish Buchan has agreed to accept the appointment as Chairman from that date and I wish him, the other Directors and the Company every success for the future. Outlook A year ago I wrote that a more buoyant stock market would require a recovery in corporate profits. Unfortunately this did not materialise in 2002, although the consensus view is that the new year will see gradual improvement. Expectations are subdued because of a lack of pricing power in most sectors of the economy, along with the relatively new headwinds of higher pension costs and the expensing of stock option grants for the first time. Meanwhile, inflation and interest rates are at very low levels and the stock market remains undervalued relative to high quality bonds. Overshadowing these factors is the probability of war. The element of uncertainty regarding Iraq and other geopolitical events argues for a higher than average equity risk premium, but the current level seems excessive. There is therefore a reasonable probability that a resolution of the conflict will yield a better environment for both the dollar and the stock market. Nicholas Cosh Chairman JPMorgan Fleming American Investment Trust plc Unaudited figures for the year ended 31 December 2002 Statement of Total Return (Unaudited) Year ended 31 December 2002 Year ended 31 December 2001 Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 Realised losses on investments - (24,716) (24,716) - (13,119) (13,119) Net change in unrealised appreciation - (145,146) (145,146) - (36,112) (36,112) Currency (losses)/gains on cash and short-term - - deposits held during the year (2,382) (2,382) 938 938 Change in unrealised currency loss on US dollar 2,638 2,638 (707) (707) loan - - Change in unrealised gain in forward foreign - 292 292 - (1,631) (1,631) currency transactions Other capital charges - (4) (4) - (7) (7) Income from Investment 6,042 - 6,042 5,839 - 5,839 Other Income 439 - 439 1,376 - 1,376 _______ ________ _______ _______ ________ _______ Gross return 6,481 (169,318) (162,837) 7,215 (50,638) (43,423) Management fee (449) (1,795) (2,244) (549) (2,192) (2,741) Other administrative expenses (448) - (448) (408) - (408) Interest payable (1,040) (4,159) (5,199) (1,072) (4,289) (5,361) _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ Return before taxation 4,544 (175,272) (170,728) 5,186 (57,119) (51,933) Taxation (1,672) 834 (838) (1,987) 1,141 (846) _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ Total return attributable to ordinary 2,872 (174,438) (171,566) 3,199 (55,978) (52,779) shareholders Dividends on ordinary shares (2,830) - (2,830) (3,171) - (3,171) ______ _______ _______ ______ _______ _______ Transfer to/(from) reserves 42 (174,438) (174,396) 28 (55,978) (55,950) ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== Return per ordinary share 4.75p (288.29)p (283.54)p 5.30p (92.80)p (87.50)p Dividend per ordinary share 4.80p 5.20p JPMorgan Fleming American Investment Trust plc Unaudited figures for the year ended 31 December 2002 BALANCE SHEET 31 December 31 December 2002 2001 £'000 £'000 Investments at valuation 363,620 528,132 Net current (liabilities)/assets (18,976) 28,652 Creditors: Amounts falling due after more than one year (49,551) (77,006) _______ _______ Total net assets 295,093 479,778 ===== ===== Net asset value per ordinary share 502.3p 786.9p CASH FLOW STATEMENT 2002 2001 £'000 £'000 Net cash inflow from operating activities 3,113 3,098 Net cash outflow from returns on investments and servicing of finance (5,523) (4,975) Total tax recovered - 178 Net cash outflow from capital expenditure and financial investment (3,907) (10,289) Total equity dividends paid on ordinary shares (3,181) (3,423) Net cash (outflow)/inflow from financing (10,289) 7,254 _______ ______ Decrease in cash for the year (19,787) (8,157) ===== ==== The above financial information does not constitute statutory accounts as defined in Section 240 of the Companies Act 1985. The comparative financial information is based on the statutory accounts for the year ended 31st December 2001. These accounts, upon which the auditors issued an unqualified opinion, have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies. J.P. MORGAN FLEMING ASSET MANAGEMENT (UK) LIMITED 27th February 2003 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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