Interim Results

JPMorgan Fleming American IT PLC 13 August 2002 JPMorgan Fleming American Investment Trust plc Stock Exchange Announcement 13th August 2002 The Board today announce the unaudited results for the six-month period to 30th June 2002 as follows: JP Morgan Fleming American Investment Trust's net asset value fell by 23.3% over the first six months of 2002, as a severe decline in the value of U.S. stocks was accompanied by a reversal in the upward trend of the dollar. The Company's share price fell by 31.1% as the discount widened to 7.8% at the end of the period. The performance of the Company over this short-term period has been disappointing in that the stated investment policies of investing in growth stocks, both large and small, and the use of gearing have been detrimental to performance versus the benchmark index, the S&P 500 index, which fell by 17.7% in sterling terms. The Company's gearing exacerbated the decline by contributing approximately one third of the relative underperformance. There were a few bright spots in the portfolio over the period, but most holdings suffered a decline in value. The worst sector was telecommunications, where Sprint PCS and AT&T caused the most damage. Other holdings to suffer disproportionately were Tyco International, AOL Time Warner, Williams Companies and El Paso Energy, all of which had declining asset values and too much debt. The smaller companies portfolio was responsible for approximately one quarter of the overall relative underperformance of the Company. Share issues & buybacks Prior to these recent difficult market conditions, the Company's shares were trading at a premium to net asset value and the opportunity was taken to issue 195,945 shares at an average premium of 2.8%. With the resulting return of the shares to trading at a discount to net asset value the Board were also able to repurchase and cancel 217,000 shares at an average discount of 7.4%. Both of these cumulative transactions enhanced the net asset value per share, albeit only by small amounts due to the relative size of the number of shares concerned. Economic & Market Review Although the official statistics pointed to a steady recovery for the U.S. economy, there was little to cheer about in the corporate sector. On the whole earnings growth has remained lacklustre and most executives have given up talking about a second half recovery. Every sector of the economy is suffering from lack of demand growth and a fiercely competitive environment, which is depressing profit margins and returns on capital. The only exception so far has been housing, where the stimulus of historically low interest rates is having a positive effect. Perhaps the most troubling revelation of the past year has been that the accounting chicanery and corporate greed at Enron was not an isolated event. The unfolding disaster at Worldcom is even greater in terms of market value destruction and yet another example of corporate mismanagement and deception. While the incidence of fraud and criminal behaviour may turn out to be limited in scope, the use of aggressive accounting and excessive stock option grants among the major U.S. companies is more widespread. The uncertainty among investors about which reported profits numbers to believe was clearly a contributor to the first half market decline. The only sectors to remain relatively unscathed were consumer staples, which acted in a truly defensive manner and were also helped by a declining dollar, energy and materials, both of which benefited from stable commodity prices. The remaining major industry sectors were under pressure for a variety of different reasons, although the build-up of debt to finance new ventures and acquisitions was certainly a common thread. In utilities the stampede to become traders and merchants of electricity and natural gas turned out to be a flawed strategy. In media and telecommunications the growing appetite for wireless phones and high speed internet access encountered indigestion sooner than expected. Within financial services the combination of deteriorating credit experiences and depressed capital markets was too much for most major banks to remain unscathed. Even the pharmaceutical sector was punished by a tough regulatory stance by the Food and Drug Administration and the onset of expiring patent protection for major drugs. Amidst all this wreckage the beleaguered technology stocks continued their descents, but the negative news no longer stands out from the rest. Finally the travails at Tyco International failed to abate, although the recent change in senior management and the underlying strength in its business have led us to believe that the worst may be over for this stock. All in all it was a dire first half. Outlook The month of July saw an acceleration of the downtrend as the focus on second quarter profit reports gave investors little hope of an imminent recovery. The Company's net asset value fell by a further 11.6% over the month of July, while the share price fell 17.5% and the discount widened to 14.3%. This compares with a fall of 10.1% in the S&P500 benchmark index. The U.S. equity market is now at a level last seen in 1997 and stocks look particularly attractive on a valuation basis relative to bonds. While it is obviously difficult to predict the bottom of the market, however it is comforting to note that the structure of the U.S. economy is sound and that inflation remains low. The investment managers believe that the existing investment policy of investing in growth stocks, both large and small, will prove to be beneficial to performance versus the benchmark index when more normal market conditions return. The opportunity to invest the Company's remaining liquidity is also being actively considered, as the investment managers take advantage of the current malaise to invest in high quality companies for the long term. The market's reaction to the lower level of corporate profits and the various scandals in the executive suites has been swift. The actions of the regulators, the government and the market itself are serving to purge the system and create a strong platform for a recovery. The Board continues to believe that share repurchases and issues are an important way of increasing shareholder value and also help to reduce discount volatility. The Board will therefore continue to use these authorities as and when appropriate. Since the end of the reporting period a further 270,000 shares have been purchased and cancelled at an average discount of 9.3%. For and on behalf of JPMorgan Fleming American Investment Trust plc Fraser Easton Authorised Signatory J.P. Morgan Fleming Asset Management (UK) Limited - Secretary JP Morgan Fleming American Investment Trust plc Unaudited figures for the six months ended 30 June 2002 Statement of Total Return (Unaudited) Six months to 30th June 2002 Six months to 30th June 2001 Year to 31st December 2001 Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 Realised (losses)/ gains on investments - (1,812) (1,812) - 182 182 - (13,119) (13,119) Net change in unrealised appreciation - (109,343) (109,343) - 2,113 2,113 - (36,112) (36,112) Net currency (losses) /gains on cash and short term deposits Held during the period - (1,687) (1,687) - 2,223 2,223 - 938 938 Net change in unrealised gains/ (losses) on dollar loan - 1,242 1,242 - (1,664) (1,664) - (707) (707) Net change in unrealised gains/ (losses) on forward foreign currency transactions - 140 140 - (4,392) (4,392) - (1,631) (1,631) Other capital charges - - - - - - - (7) (7) Overseas dividends 2,926 - 2,926 2,565 - 2,565 5,412 - 5,412 Overseas interest 16 - 16 221 - 221 427 - 427 Deposit interest 330 - 330 1,006 - 1,006 1,376 - 1,376 _______ ________ _______ ______ _______ ________ _______ _______ _______ Gross return 3,272 (111,460) (108,188) 3,792 (1,538) 2,254 7,215 (50,638) (43,423) Management fee (256) (1,025) (1,281) (288) (1,149) (1,437) (549) (2,192) (2,741) Other administrative expenses (283) - (283) (167) - (167) (408) - (408) Interest payable (408) (1,629) (2,037) (533) (2,135) (2,668) (1,072) (4,289) (5,361) _______ _______ _______ ______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ Return before 2,325 (114,114) (111,789) 2,804 (4,822) (2,018) 5,186 (57,119) (51,933) taxation Taxation (1,211) 796 (415) (1,066) 667 (399) (1,987) 1,141 (846) ______ _______ _______ ______ _______ ______ _______ _______ _______ Total return 1,114 (113,318) (112,204) 1,738 (4,155) (2,417) 3,199 (55,978) (52,779) attributable to ordinary shareholders Dividends on ordinary (10) - (10) - - - (3,171) - (3,171) shares _______ _______ ______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ Transfer to reserves 1,104 (113,318) (112,214) 1,738 (4,155) (2,417) 28 (55,978) (55,950) Return per ordinary 1.82p (185.63)p (183.81)p 2.89p (6.92)p (4.03)p 5.30p (92.80)p (87.50)p share Dividend per ordinary Nil Nil 5.20p share JPMorgan Fleming American Investment Trust plc Unaudited figures for the six months ended 30th June 2002 BALANCE SHEET 30 June 30 June 31 December 2002 2001 2001 £'000 £'000 £'000 Investments at valuation 425,584 588,890 528,132 Net current (liabilities)/assets (6,806) 15,101 28,652 _______ _______ _______ Total assets less current liabilities 418,778 603,991 556,784 Creditors (amounts falling due after more than one (50,896) (77,920) (77,006) year) _______ _______ _______ Total net assets 367,882 526,071 479,778 ===== ===== ===== Net asset value per ordinary share 603.6p 875.9p 786.9p CASH FLOW STATEMENT 30 June 2002 30 June 2001 31 December 2001 £'000 £'000 £'000 Net cash inflow from operating activities 1,430 1,718 3,098 Net cash outflow from servicing of finance (2,394) (2,676) (4,975) Total tax recovered - 149 178 Net cash outflow from capital expenditure and financial investment (8,779) (19,618) (10,289) Total equity dividends paid (3,181) (3,423) (3,423) Net cash inflow from financing 318 14 7,254 _______ ______ ______ Decrease in cash for the period (12,606) (23,836) (8,157) ===== ==== ==== J.P. MORGAN FLEMING ASSET MANAGEMENT (UK) LIMITED 12 August 2002 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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