Final Results

RNS Number : 6891M
North Atlantic Smlr Co Inv Tst PLC
12 May 2020
 

North Atlantic Smaller Companies Investment Trust plc

Annual Financial Report for the year ended 31 January 2020

 

NASCIT is pleased to announce its results for the year ended 31 January 2020

The financial information set out in this announcement does not constitute the Company's statutory financial statements in accordance with section 434 Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 January 2020, but has been extracted from the statutory financial statements for the year ended 31 January 2020 which were approved by the Board of Directors on 12 May 2020 and will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies in due course. The Independent Auditor's Report on those financial statements was unqualified and did not contain any emphasis of matter nor statements under s 498(2) and (3) of the Companies Act 2006. The statutory accounts for the year ended 31 January 2019 have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies and received an Independent Auditor's report which was unqualified and did not contain any emphasis of matter nor statements under s 498(2) and (3) of the Companies Act 2006. The annual financial report will be posted to shareholders later this month. Copies of the Annual Report will then be available on the Company's website  www.nascit.co.uk   and from the Company Secretary.

 



 

highlights

 

 

31 January 2020

% change

31 January 2019

31 January 2018

31 January 2017

31 January 2016

revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross income (£'000)

12,345

6.0%

11,645

10,115

6,105

3,175

(Net Revenue after tax attributable to shareholders (£'000)

5,872

0.5%

5,840

5,138

1,295

(890)

Basic return per 5p Ordinary Share:* - Revenue

41.24

1.6%

40.58

35.62

8.97

(6.13)

- Capital

652.92

217.6%

205.57

455.29

212.95

490.70

Final Dividend per 5p Ordinary Share (declared)

30.0p

 

30.0p

nil

nil

nil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total assets less current liabilities (£'000)

620,723

16.8%

531,425

499,423

428,606

396,961

Net asset value ("NAV") per 5p Ordinary Share:**

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

4,384p

18.2%

3,710p

3,462p

2,971p

2,749p

Diluted

4,384p

18.2%

3,708p

3,458p

2,968p

2,746p

Basic adjusted†

4,505p

19.3%

3,776p

3,529p

3,036p

2,776p

Diluted adjusted†

4,505p

19.4%

3,774p

3,525p

3,033p

2,773p

Mid-market price of the 5p Ordinary Shares

3,400p

16.8%

2,910p

2,870p

2,455p

2,280p

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

discount to diluted net asset value

22.4%

 

21.5%

17.0%

17.3%

17.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

discount to diluted adjusted net asset value

24.5%

 

22.9%

18.6%

19.1%

17.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

indices and exchange rates at 31 January

 

 

 

 

 

 

Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Index

3,225.5

19.3%

2,704.1

2,823.8

2,278.9

1,940.2

Russell 2000 Index

1,614.1

7.6%

1,499.4

1,575.0

1,352.3

1,035.4

US Dollar/Sterling exchange rate

1.31830

 0.2%

1.31505

1.4221

1.2581

 

1.4185

Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Index - Sterling adjusted

2,442.5

18.4%

2,062.8

1,989.9

1,811.7

1,362.2

Russell 2000 - Sterling adjusted

1,222.2

6.9%

1,143.8

1,109.90

1,075.1

726.9

 

* Please refer to note 7 for details on how the basic return per 5p Ordinary Share is calculated.

** Please refer to note 7 for details on how the net asset value per 5p Ordinary Share is calculated.

† Adjusted to reflect Oryx International Growth Fund plc ("Oryx") under the equity method of accounting, which is how the Company previously accounted for its share of Oryx, prior to the adoption of IFRS 10. This is useful to the shareholder as it shows the NAV based on valuing Oryx at NAV. See note 7.



 

 

chairman's statement

It is pleasing to note that the diluted net asset value ("NAV") rose by 18.2% which compares with a rise in the sterling adjusted S&P Composite of 18.4%. In comparison with relevant indices in the UK, where the majority of the Company's assets are located, the fund materially outperformed.

While the capital return of the Company was £93 million (2019: £30 million), the revenue account showed a profit after tax of £5,872,000 (2019: £5,840,000). The Directors have therefore declared a final dividend of 30p (2019: 30p).

During the period 165,620 shares were purchased for cancellation at a good discount to NAV. This benefits all long-term shareholders by creating an immediate uplift to NAV. At the forthcoming AGM shareholders will once again be asked to support a whitewash proposal allowing the company to continue to repurchase shares without requiring our Chief Executive and persons and companies presumed to be acting in concert with him to make a mandatory offer under Rule 9 of The Takeover Code for the company. This proposal and the background surrounding it are outlined in a separate circular being sent to shareholders. The passing of the resolution to support this proposal is crucial to the provision of good liquidity to selling shareholders, while enabling the Company to add value to the ongoing NAV by buying back its own shares. Last year the AGM approved the whitewash proposal with opposing votes, mainly from two institutions, amounting to 33.62% of votes cast (the largest shareholder being disqualified from voting). The opposing votes were cast on behalf of multiple clients of both institutions apparently on the recommendation of their ESG compliance departments. We contacted the institutions to explain the evident benefits to all shareholders of the buyback program but encountered little interest in continuing the discussion.

Many of our businesses face serious issues as a consequence of the Coronavirus outbreak. It is no consolation that the evident real risk that this disease represents highlights the irrelevance of the former Governance requirement to describe the Brexit risks to our business. Certainly the worstcase scenario of more frequent global pandemics goes some way to explain the all-time low bond yields. These rates will probably rise when the global moves towards massive fiscal stimulus ceases to be primarily financed by central banks.

The largest economic contractionary impact is likely to be felt during the containment and delay stages of the global strategy to combat the virus. Once we move into the mitigate phase, there should be some return to some normalcy and economic growth with the restoration of supply chains and consumer demand. Even if effective vaccines take time to develop, the clarification that there are a number of potential treatments will help to alleviate public alarm during the mitigation phase.

The valuation of our positions in the pharmaceutical and medical testing sectors should continue to see support, while our tendency to avoid debt-laden companies should protect extreme downside outcomes in our investments which are exposed to the ongoing decline in discretionary consumer spending.

Most importantly, our substantial holdings in cash and equivalents will protect our company going forward. It will enable our investment manager to identify and capitalise on the increasing number of attractive opportunities, both listed and unlisted, which are now appearing with the volatility and sporadic weakness in the equity markets.

Peregrine Moncreiffe Chairman

12 May 2020



 

investment manager's report

quoted portfolio

United Kingdom:

There was a general recovery in small cap indices during the period helped towards the end of the period by a convincing win by the Conservative party over Labour.

Corporate profits were generally favourable as increasing consumer confidence and a stable exchange rate created a favourable environment for the stock market.

The major standout success stories were Augean and Renalytix which collectively created nearly £35m of value for our shareholders during the twelve month period. Against this the holding in Goals Soccer was written off costing shareholders approximately £4m over the twelve month period as a result of fraud.

United States:

The United States portfolio remains relatively small amounting to less than £20m. However, it was encouraging to see good uplifts in both Mountain Commerce and Ambac following good operating results.

unquoted portfolio

United Kingdom:

The largest investment is Harwood Private Equity IV which has since the end of the period sold a major holding Inspecs at a good uplift which will result in a return of capital. The fund is now fully drawn down. A commitment to Harwood Private Equity V has recently been made amounting to £40m. The largest direct investment during the period was Spring Investment LP. The company provides pharmaceutical products to the NHS not dissimilar to the very successful investment we made in Quantum Pharma about two years ago. Recent results are ahead of budget.

United States:

Performance Chemicals continued to recover well after the defection of key employees and is expected to further increase profits in the current year. Sadly, the valuation on Jaguar had to be written down following the loss of a major contract with American Airlines.

A description of the Company's unquoted investments can be read in the Annual Report.

liquidity

Our cash holdings (comprising cash at banks and US treasury bills) fell significantly during the period from approximately £122m to £82m. This is due to the repurchase of company shares for redemption and a number of new investments which we believe trade at significant discount to fair value.

Since the end of the period all world markets have fallen very substantially due to the onset of the COVID-19 virus which has disastrously impacted economic activity. Many of our businesses have either had to shut down or have had operations substantially curtailed. As noted above we have entered this downturn with very substantial liquid resources. Shareholders will already be aware we have tended to invest mainly in companies with strong balance sheets. We are therefore very well placed to support our businesses where appropriate.

To date we have helped refinance Ten Entertainment so that it can now withstand a shutdown of fifteen months at a cost of less than £1m. We would expect that no more than two or three other investments will require funding with an estimated cost to the Company of no more than £5m.

Either I or a member of my team have now spoken to every major investment in the Company and Oryx (which also has comparable cash balances) and can confirm that we are confident that our business will survive this very difficult economic downturn. It is however inevitable that corporate activity will be curtailed for some time so that realisations may take longer to occur than was originally anticipated.

Notwithstanding this I anticipate that the next few months will present some good opportunities and therefore remain confident that the Company will continue to provide positive returns once a degree of normality is restored.

Christopher Mills Chief Executive & Investment Manager

12 May 2020



 

sector analysis of investments at fair value

as at 31 January

 

Europe

31 January 2020

%

United States

31 January 2020

%

United Kingdom

31 January 2020

%

Total

31 January 2020

%

Total

31 January 2019

%

equities, convertible securities & loan stocks as a % of total portfolio valuation

 

 

 

 

 

Financial Services

-

-

 30.7

30.7

23.5

Industrial Goods & Services

1.1

3.3

10.1

14.5

18.1

Health Care

-

-

12.5

12.5

11.5

Banks

-

1.6

7.9

9.5

7.7

Travel & Leisure

-

-

11.9

11.9

10.8

Technology & Software

-

0.9

3.5

4.4

3.0

Oil & Gas

-

2.4

-

2.4

2.9

Energy

 -

 -

1.3

 1.3

 -

Telecommunications

 -

 -

1.0

1.0

1.3

Insurance

 -

-

1.0

1.0

1.0

Real Estate

-

-

0.2

 0.2

 2.1

 

1.1

8.2

 80.1

89.4

81.9

 

 

 

 

 

 

treasury bills

 -

10.6

 -

10.6

18.1

total at 31 January 2020

1.1

18.8

80.1

100.0

 

total at 31 January 2019

1.4

28.3

70.3

 

100.0

 



 

twenty largest investments

as at 31 January

 

 

At fair value

£'000

equities (including convertibles, loan stocks and related financing)

 

 

Oryx International Growth Fund Limited *

UK Listed

72,251

MJ Gleeson Group plc

UK Listed

47,900

Polar Capital Holdings plc

UK Quoted on AIM

40,880

Harwood Private Equity IV LP

UK Unquoted

37,524

Augean plc

UK Quoted on AIM

35,150

EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc

UK Quoted on AIM

32,634

Ten Entertainment Group plc

UK Listed

31,200

Stobart Group Plc

UK Listed

24,480

Renalytix AI plc

UK Quoted on AIM

21,262

Sherwood Holdings Limited

UK Unquoted

19,544

ten largest investments

 

362,825

 

 

 

Odyssean Investment Trust Plc

UK Listed

15,544

Performance Chemicals Company

US Unquoted

13,781

AssetCo plc

UK Quoted on AIM

12,238

Ergomed plc

UK Quoted on AIM

11,924

Coventbridge Group

US Unquoted

10,051

Sureserve Group plc

UK Quoted on AIM

9,696

Signature Aviation plc

UK Listed

9,318

Hargreaves Services Plc

UK Quoted on AIM

7,875

Benchmark Holdings plc

UK Quoted on AIM

7,560

Mountain Comm Bancorp Inc

US Listed

6,804

twenty largest investments

 

467,616

 

 

 

Aggregate of other investments at fair value

 

69,711

 

 

537,327

US Treasury Bills

 

63,841

 

 

 

total

 

601,168

* incorporated in Guernsey.

All investments are valued at fair value.



 

strategic report

The Directors present the strategic report of the Company for the year ended 31 January 2020.

principal activity

The Company carries on business as an investment trust and its principal activity is portfolio investment.

objective

The Company's objective is to provide capital appreciation to its Shareholders through investing in a portfolio of smaller companies which are based primarily in countries bordering the North Atlantic Ocean.

strategy

In order to achieve the Company's investment objective, the Manager uses a stock specific approach in managing the Company's portolio, selecting investments that he believes will increase in value over a period of time, whether that be due to issues in the management of the businesses which he believes can be improved by Shareholder engagement and involvement or simply due to the fact that the stock is undervalued and he can see potential for improvement in value over the long term. The Company may invest in both quoted and unquoted companies. At present, the investments in the portfolio are principally in companies which are located either in the United Kingdom or the United States of America. Typically the investment portfolio will comprise between 40 and 50 securities.

investment policy

While pursuing the Company's objective, the Manager must adhere to the following:

1.  the maximum investment limit is 15% of the Company's investments in any one company at the time of the investment;

2.  gearing is limited to a maximum of 30% of net assets;

3.  the Company may invest on both sides of the Atlantic, with the weighting varying from time to time;

4.  the Company may invest in unquoted securities as and when opportunities arise and again the weighting will vary from time to time.

investment restrictions

The Company has not adopted any specific investment restrictions, and the Company's investments may be highly concentrated. However, the Manager has put in place internal limitations to control risk and to manage diversification with the aim of allowing it to operate within parameters that it believes are wide enough for it to generate target returns but which are suitable to prevent undue risk.

investment approach

The Company invests in a diversified range of companies, both quoted and unquoted, on both sides of the Atlantic in accordance with its objective and investment policy.

Christopher Mills, the Company's Chief Executive and Investment Manager, is responsible for the construction of the portfolio and details of the principal investments are set out in the Annual Report. The top twenty largest investments by current valuation are listed above.

When analysing a potential investment, the Manager will employ a number of valuation techniques depending on their relevance to the particular investment. A key consideration when deciding on a potential investment would be the sustainability and growth of long term cash flow. The Manager will consider the balance of quoted and unquoted securities in the portfolio when deciding whether to invest in an unquoted stock as he is aware that the level of risk in unquoted securities may be considered higher.

In respect of the unquoted portfolio, regular contact is maintained with the management of prospective and existing investments and rigorous financial and business analysis of these companies is undertaken. It is recognised that different types of business perform better than others depending on economic cycles and market conditions and this is taken into consideration when the Manager selects investments and is therefore reflected within the range of investments in the portfolio. The Company attempts to minimise its risk by investing in a diversified spread of investments whether that spread be geographical, industry type or quoted or unquoted companies.

borrowing and leverage

The Company does not intend to incur borrowings as part of its investment strategy.

However, in the event that it did employ leverage for working capital purposes, any such borrowings incurred will not remain outstanding for more than 60 calendar days. In each such case, leverage may be obtained on an unsecured or secured/collateralised basis. The Company is not otherwise expected to engage in borrowing or make use of leverage.

The Company's borrowing and leveraging capacity is limited to an amount equal to: 30% of the net asset value of the Company when calculated in accordance with the "commitment" method set out in the AIFMD Rules.

The calculation and disclosure of such maximum leverage limits is required in order to satisfy the requirements of the AIFMD Rules. However, the Investment Manager expects the typical leverage levels to be lower than the maximum levels stated above, and generally not to exceed 10% of the Company's net asset value. The Investment Manager will inform investors to the extent such leverage limits are exceeded in accordance with the AIFMD Rules.

The Company does not currently grant any guarantee under any leveraging arrangement. The grant of any such guarantee would be disclosed to investors in accordance with the AIFMD Rules. Save as set out herein, there are no restrictions on the Company's use of leverage, by borrowing or otherwise, other than those which may be imposed by applicable law, rule or regulation.

changes to the investment policy, Investment restrictions and investment approach

Changes to the investment policy, investment restrictions and investment approach of the Company as set out above may be made by the Directors. Changes believed by the Directors to be material will be notified to investors in advance of the change taking effect.

financial instruments

The financial instruments employed by the Company primarily comprise equity and loan stock investments, although it does hold cash and liquid instruments. Further details of the Company's risk management objectives and policies relating to the use of financial instruments can be found in note 14 to the financial statements.

delegated activities

The Company being internally managed has not delegated the provision of portfolio management and risk management functions but does rely on third party services providers to provide ancillary services to support the activities of the company.  As a result, the Company will continue to act as an internally managed AIFM of the Company for the purposes of the FCA Rules in accordance with the Investment Management Agreement.

appointment of custodian

The Company has appointed Bank of New York Mellon (BNYM) as custodian for the quoted securities deposited for safekeeping with BNYM or with any subcustodian appointed by BNYM and to hold cash in accordance with the terms of its agreement.

any conflicts of interest that may arise from such delegations

From time to time conflicts may arise between the Depositary and the delegates, for example where an appointed delegate is an affiliated group company which receives remuneration for another custodial service it provides to the Company. In the event of any potential conflict of interest which may arise during the normal course of business, the Depositary will have regard to the applicable laws.

performance

At 31 January 2020, the diluted NAV per share was 4,384p (2019: 3,708p), an increase of 18.2% during the year, compared to an increase of 18.4% during the year in the Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Index (Sterling adjusted).

Net assets attributable to equity holders at 31 January 2020 amounted to £620,723,000 compared with £531,425,000 at 31 January 2019.

The ongoing charges relating to the Company are 1.1% (2019: 1.1%), based on total expenses, excluding finance charges and non-recurring items for the year and average monthly net assets.

results and dividends

The total net return after taxation for the financial year ended 31 January 2020 amounted to £98,852,000 (2019: £35,418,000). The Board proposes to pay a final dividend of 30p per share (2019: 30p).

key performance indicators

The Directors regard the following as the main key indicators pertaining to the Company's performance:

(i)  Net asset value per Ordinary Share: the chart in the Annual Report illustrates the movement in the fully diluted net asset value per Ordinary Share over the past five years:

(ii)   Share price return: the chart in the Annual Report illustrates the movement in the share price per Ordinary Share over the past five years:

(iii)   Performance against benchmark

The performance of the Company's share price is measured against the Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Index (Sterling adjusted), the Company's benchmark. A graph comparing performance can be found in the Directors' Remuneration Report in the Annual Report.

principal risks and uncertainties

The Board has carried out a robust assessment of the emerging and principal risks facing the Company including those that would threaten the Company's business model, future performance, solvency of liquidity and reputation.

The key risks faced by the Company are set out below. The Board regularly reviews these and agrees policies for managing these risks.

· Impact of COVID-19: COVID-19 has had a material negative impact both on the valuation of the Company's assets and on the performance of most of its underlying portfolio holdings. The Company has taken steps to assess the anticipated effects on each holding, particularly in terms of financial resilience. Where appropriate, action has been taken to mitigate potential weakness.

· Performance risk: the Board is responsible for deciding the investment strategy in order to fulfil the Company's objectives and for monitoring the performance of the Manager. An inappropriate investment strategy may result in under-performance against the companies in the peer group or against the benchmark indices. The Board manages this risk by ensuring that the investments are appropriately diverse and by receiving reports from the Manager at every board meeting explaining his investment decisions and the composition and performance of the portfolio.

· Market risk: this category of risk includes currency risk, market price risk and interest rate risk. The fair value or future cash flows of a financial investment held by the Company may fluctuate because of changes in market prices. Also, the valuations of the investments in the portfolio may be subject to fluctuation due to exchange rates or general market prices. The Manager monitors these fluctuations and the markets on a daily basis; the performance of the investment portfolio against its benchmarks is also closely monitored by the Manager. The afore-mentioned graph in the Directors' Remuneration Report illustrates the Company's performance against its benchmarks over the last ten years.

· Impact of Brexit: the Board has considered whether Brexit poses a discrete risk to the Company. The Board believes that Brexit is unlikely to affect the Company's business model and is also unlikely to have a perceptible impact on the level of discount or premium at which the Company's shares trade. The Board will continue to monitor developments as they occur.

· Investments in unquoted stocks, by their nature, involve a higher degree of risk than investments in the listed market. The valuation of unquoted investments can include a significant element of estimation based on professional assumptions that is not always supported by prices from current market transactions. Recognised valuation techniques are used and recent arms' length transactions in the same or similar entities may be taken into account. Clearly the valuation of such investments is therefore a key uncertainty but the Board manages this risk by regularly reviewing the valuation principles applied by the Manager to ensure that they comply with the Company's accounting policies and with fair value principles. Harwood Capital LLP, a firm which is ultimately owned by Christopher Mills, the Company's Manager, and which provides services such as dealings, administration and compliance to the Company, operates a Valuations and Pricing Committee which meets regularly throughout the year to review and agree the valuations of the investments in the portfolio for onward submission to the Board.

· Discount volatility: the Company's shares historically trade at a discount to its underlying net asset value. The Company has a share buyback programme in place to try to narrow this discount as far as possible by cancelling shares that it repurchases. The Company repurchased 165,620 (2019: 100,000) any Ordinary Shares for cancellation during the year.

· Regulatory risk: any breach of a number of regulations applicable to the Company, the UKLA's Listing Rules and the Companies Act could lead to a number of detrimental effects on the Company as well as reputational damage. The Audit Committee monitors compliance with these regulations in close alliance with the Manager and Secretary.

· Custodial and Banking risk: there is a risk that the custodians and banks used by the Company to hold assets and cash balances could fail and the Company's assets may not be returned. Associated with this is the additional risk of fraud or theft by employees of those third parties. The Board exercises monitoring through the Manager and Harwood Capital LLP over the financial position of its custodial banks.

· Credit risk/Counterparty risk: the Company holds preference shares in some investee companies and provides other forms of debt or loan guarantees where deemed necessary. There is a risk of those counterparties being unable to meet their obligations. The financial position and performance of those investee companies are continually monitored by the Manager and actions are taken to protect the Company's investment if needed.

professional negligence

The Company covers professional liability risks set out in Article 9(7) of Directive 2011/61/EU on Alternative Investment Fund Managers (the "Directive) and article 12 and 13 of the AIFMD level 2 regulation (professional liability risks) by holding professional indemnity insurance and maintaining an amount of own funds to meet the PII capital requirement under the Directive; and comply with the qualitative requirements addressing professional liability risks.

section 172 statement

Under Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006, directors are required to promote the success of the Company for the benefit of the stakeholders. In accordance with the requirements of the Companies (Miscellaneous Reporting) Regulations, 2018, the Company has to detail how this duty has been performed with regard to the matters set out in Section 172 (1) (a) to (f).

· The directors have to consider the likely consequences of their decisions in the long term taking into account the interests of the various different stakeholders of the Company.

· A company's stakeholders are normally considered to comprise of its shareholders, employees, customers and suppliers as well as the wider community in which the company operates. As the Company is an internally managed investment company it does not have any employees as its activities are outsourced. Its customers are its shareholders and details of those owning more than 3% of the Company's shares are shown in the Report of the Directors. The Company's relations with its shareholders are detailed in the Annual Report.

· The main stakeholders are therefore the Company's shareholders and a small number of key third party suppliers, principally the Investment Manager, together with the company secretary, accountants, brokers, depositary, custodian, bankers and auditors, to whom the day to day functions are delegated.

· The Board works closely with the Investment Manager to promote the long-term success of the Company as effectively and responsibly as possible and he in turn interacts directly with the investee companies. Details of the investment policy and investment approach can be found above.

· The Company has a limited impact on the environment and has no greenhouse gas emissions as indicated below. Its impact on social, community and human rights issues are detailed below, and a statement on the Modern Slavery Act is given below.

· To summarise, the directors are fully aware of their duty under Section 172 in all their deliberations, and decisions taken always take into account the interests of the key stakeholders.

viability statement

In accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code the Board has considered the longer term prospects for the Company. The Directors have reviewed the Company over the next three years to May 2023, which is generally a reasonable investment horizon for many investment trust shareholders. This assessment took into account the Company's current position as well as its continuing investment strategy. Additional factors under review included the principal risks inherent in its management and portfolio structure, contractual arrangements and cost base.

The Directors have noted the following elements as part of its evaluation:

· the Company invests in a combination of listed and unquoted companies, the large majority of which have positive EBITDA and/or net tangible asset values which support their valuations;

· the Company holds around 14% of its portfolio in cash and US Treasury Bills which are readily realisable and intends to continue to hold liquidity comfortably in excess of any contingent liabilities, including any requirements to fund any future drawdowns resulting from private equity or put option commitments;

· the Company's expenses are relatively stable, except for the Investment Manager's fee which is positively correlated with the Company's net asset value and relative performance, giving comfort that the Company could easily cover costs in the event of a substantial decline in net asset value; and

· the Company has considered the effect of COVID-19 and, for the reasons explained in more detail in the liquidity section of the investment manager's report above, does not believe it impacts its viability.

The Directors have also assessed the Company's principal risks and uncertainties and believe that appropriate measures are in place to minimise the likelihood of their potential to impact the viability of the Company. These measures include:

· the Manager's reports on compliance with the investment objective;

· the Manager's control of counterparty and custodial risk;

· the Board's monitoring of gearing (if any), compliance with specific investment guidelines and liquidity risk; and

· monitoring the share price's discount to net asset value and the stability of the shareholder base.

Based on the results of this analysis, the Directors have concluded that there is a reasonable expectation that the Company can continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due during the period to May 2023.

future prospects

The Directors are hopeful that some of the Company's investments will see corporate activity over the coming year so that the Company's net asset value should outperform its benchmark.

social, community and human rights issues

As an investment trust with no employees the Company has no direct social or community responsibilities or impact on the environment. The Company, however, takes into account the impact of environmental, social and governance factors when selecting and managing its investments within the context of its obligation to manage investments in the financial interests of its shareholders.

modern slavery act

As an investment vehicle the Company does not provide goods or services in the normal course of business. Accordingly, the Directors consider that the Company is not required to make any slavery or human trafficking statement under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

greenhouse gas emissions

The Company has no physical assets, operations, premises or employees of its own. Consequently it has no greenhouse gas emissions to report. Hampton Investment Properties Limited, a property investment and development company, in which the Company has a 70.81% holding, has effectively liquidated its property portfolio and now only owns a redevelopment site which produces no greenhouse gas emissions. The Company's only other real estate assets were held via a wholly owned subsidiary, Harwood Leeds Limited, which was sold during the year.

AIFMD

The Company is authorised under the AIFMD as a Small Registered UK Alternative Investment Fund Manager under regulation 10(1) of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/1773). Small registered UK AIFMs are not authorised persons as a result of their registration as small registered UK AIFMs and are not included on the Financial Services Register in relation to this business. However, small registered UK AIFMs are not prevented from carrying on regulated activities as a result of their registration and therefore may be included on the Financial Services Register in relation to other business. For AIFMD purpose the Company is internally managed with Christopher Mills making the investment decisions in his capacity as Chief Executive. As the Company has passed the tipping point of having assets over £500 million it is now seeking approval as a full-scope UK AIFM of an internally managed AIF. The Company submitted the original application in 2018 to vary the Company's FCA permission and the FCA requested the Company to submit a full application for authorisation which is in progress.

It was noted in the last annual report that the application would be submitted for approval to have occurred by the end of quarter three 2019. This deadline was missed because the imminent FCA rule change from the approved persons regime to the senior management and certification regime (SM&CR) meant that the application had to be paused to assess the changes and make the necessary amendment to the application to accommodate the new rules on significant persons. As a result, the benefit of delaying the application meant there was no longer a regulatory requirement to register NASCIT's non-executive directors or persons carrying investment management functions under the SM&CR. The FCA rule changes has meant that additional documents had to be completed for persons performing the role of Chairman and Director.

The application has now been completed and submitted in March 2020 to the FCA for review and approval which normally takes 12 weeks.

periodic and regular disclosure

1. The following information is available to investors in the annual report:

(i)  the percentage of the Company's assets that are subject to special arrangements arising from their illiquid nature;

(ii)  any material changes to the arrangements for managing the liquidity of the Company;

(iii)  the current risk profile of the Company and the risk management systems employed by the Company to manage those risks; and

(iv)  the total amount of leverage employed by the Company if applicable.

2. Any changes to the following information will be provided by the Company to investors without undue delay (and may be provided by email) in accordance with the AIFMD Rules:

(i)  the maximum level of leverage which the Company may employ on behalf of the Company;

(ii)  the grant of or any changes to any right of re-use of collateral or any changes to any guarantee granted under any leveraging arrangement; and

(iii)  activation of liquidity management tools.

By Order of the Board

 

Derringtons Limited

Company Secretary

12 May 2020



 

report of the directors

for the year ended 31 January

The Directors present their report to Shareholders and the financial statements for the year ended 31 January 2020. Certain information that is required to be disclosed in this report has been provided in other sections of this Annual Report and accordingly, these are incorporated into this report by reference.

taxation status

In the opinion of the Directors, the Company has conducted its affairs during the period under review, and subsequently, so as to maintain its status as an investment trust for the purposes of Chapter 4 of Part 24 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010. The Company made a successful application under Regulation 5 of the Investment Trust (Approved Company) (Tax) Regulations 2011 for investment trust status to apply to all accounting periods starting on or after 1 February 2013 subject to the Company continuing to meet the eligibility conditions contained in Section 1158 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 and the ongoing requirements outlined in Chapter 3 of Part 2 of the Regulations.

share capital

The Company's issued share capital consisted of 14,160,000 Ordinary Shares of 5p nominal value each on 31 January 2020. Since the year end, no Ordinary Shares have been repurchased for cancellation. All shares hold equal rights with no restrictions and no shares carry special rights with regard to the control of the Company. There are no special rights attached to the shares in the event that the Company is wound up.

During the year, the Company purchased 165,620 (2019: 100,000) Ordinary Shares for £5.0m (2019: £2.9m) for cancellation to improve net asset value per Share. This comprised 1.2% (2019: 0.7%) of the issued share capital.

share valuations

On 31 January 2020, the middle market quotation and the diluted net asset value per 5p Ordinary Share were 3,400p and 4,384p respectively. The comparable figures at 31 January 2019 were 2,910p and 3,708p respectively. The only dilution to the net asset value is those share options that have been issued to certain employees of the Manager. The remaining 10,000 share options were discharged during the year (2019: 20,000 share options discharged) so there was no dilutive effect on the net asset value as at 31 January 2020.

substantial shareholders

As at 31 January 2020, and at the date of this report, the following interests in the Ordinary Shares of the Company which exceed 3% of the issued share capital had been notified to the Company:

 

Number of Ordinary Shares

% of issued share capital

Christopher Mills

3,766,000

26.60

CG Asset Management

967,243

6.83

Rathbone Brothers plc

805,618

5.69

Butterfield Bank Group

691,182

4.88

Charles Stanley

457,304

3.23

Peregrine Moncreiffe

438,140

3.09

directors

The biographical details for Directors currently in office are shown in the Annual Report.

The Company's Articles of Association require that Directors should submit themselves for election at the first Annual General Meeting following their appointment and thereafter for re-election at least every three years. However, the Company is adopting the requirements of the UK Corporate Governance Code in relation to the annual re-election of directors. Therefore, in accordance with provision 18 of the UK Corporate Governance Code all of the Directors will retire at the Annual General Meeting and being eligible, offer themselves up for re-election.

directors' interests

The interests of the Directors as notified to the Company, including those of their connected persons, in the Ordinary Shares of the Company as at 31 January 2020 and 31 January 2019 were as follows:

 

31 January 2020

5p Ordinary Shares

31 January 2019

5p Ordinary Shares

Peregrine Moncreiffe

438,140

417,640

Christopher Mills

3,766,000

3,666,000

Christopher Mills (non-beneficial)

355,740

355,740

Lord Howard of Rising

5,000

5,000

G Walter Loewenbaum

15,000

15,000

Sir Charles Wake

1,800

-

There have been no changes to the above interests between 31 January 2020 and the date of this report.

Details of Directors' remuneration are described in the Directors' Remuneration Report in the Annual Report.

Save as disclosed in the Report of the Directors in the Annual Report or in notes 3 and 15 to the financial statements, no Director was party to or had any interest in any contract or arrangement with the Company at any time during the year.

significant agreements

The Company is required to disclose details of any agreement that it considers to be essential to the business and the two agreements detailed below are considered by the Board to be significant.

Pursuant to the Sub Advisory, Administration and Transmission Services Agreement dated 15 June 2016, Harwood Capital LLP provides administration services to the Company. The Sub Advisory, Administration and Transmission Services Agreement continues unless thereafter terminated by either party on not less than twelve months' notice in writing or may be terminated forthwith as a result of a material breach of the agreement or the insolvency of either party. No compensation is payable on termination of the Agreement.

Pursuant to the Secondment Services Agreement between the Company, GFS and Christopher Mills and the Sub Advisory, Administration and Transmission Services Agreement between the Company and Harwood Capital LLP, Christopher Mills is responsible for the day-to-day investment decisions. The Secondment Services Agreement continues until terminated by the Company or GFS on not less than twelve months' notice.

The Board reviews the activities of the Manager. The Chief Executive carries out day-to-day investment decisions for and on behalf of the Company. As part of this review, the Board is satisfied that the continuing appointment of the Manager, on the terms agreed, is in the best interests of Shareholders. Christopher Mills has been Chief Executive of the Company since 1984 and the Board consider it is in the best interest of the Company for this arrangement to continue.

As part of this review, the Board has given consideration to the experience, skills and commitment of the Chief Executive in addition to the personnel, services and resources provided by Harwood Capital LLP. The Company's performance over the last year is described in the Chairman's Statement above.

related party transactions

Christopher Mills makes day-to-day investment decisions for the Company in his capacity as its Chief Executive and this position is distinct from his position as Chief Investment Officer of Harwood Capital LLP. Christopher Mills is a director of Growth Financial Services Limited ("GFS"). GFS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harwood Capital Management Limited, which is the holding company of the Harwood group of companies and is, in turn, 100% owned by Christopher Mills. Harwood Capital Management Limited is also a Designated Member of Harwood Capital LLP.

Details of the related party transactions and fees payable are disclosed in note 15 and in the Directors' Remuneration Report in the Annual Report. The Investment Management Fees are disclosed in note 3 of the financial statements. Any Performance Fee payable to GFS is disclosed in the Directors' Remuneration in the Annual Report and note 3 of the financial statements.

With the exception of the matters referred to above, during the year no Director was materially interested in any contract of significance (as defined by the UK Listing Authority Listing Rules) entered into by the Company.

institutional investors - use of voting rights

The Chief Executive, in the absence of explicit instruction from the Board, is empowered to exercise discretion in the use of the Company's voting rights in respect of investments and to then report to the Board, where appropriate, regarding decisions taken. The Board have considered whether it is appropriate to adopt a new voting policy and an investment policy with regard to social, ethical and environmental issues and concluded that it is not appropriate to change the existing arrangements.

donations

The Company does not make any political or charitable donations.

post balance sheet events

Since the end of the period all world markets have fallen substantially due to the onset of the COVID-19 virus which has disastrously impacted economic activity. These matters are considered further in the Chairman's Statement and the Investment Manager's Report above.

creditors' payment policy

It is the Company's policy to settle investment transactions according to the settlement periods operating for the relevant markets. For other creditors, it is the Company's policy to pay amounts due to them as and when they become due. All supplier invoices received by 31 January 2020 had been paid (31 January 2019 - all supplier invoices paid).

auditors

Resolutions to appoint RSM UK Audit LLP as the Company's auditors and to authorise the Board to determine their remuneration will be proposed at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

In the case of each of the persons who are directors at the time the report is approved so far as each director is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the Company's auditor is unaware, and he has taken all the steps that he ought to have taken as a director in order to make himself aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the Company's auditor is aware of that information.

going concern

The Company's assets largely comprise readily realisable securities which can be sold to meet funding commitments if necessary and it also has sufficient cash reserves so the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company has adequate resources to continue in operation for the foreseeable future. They have, therefore, adopted the going concern basis in preparing these financial statements.

additional disclosures

The following further information is disclosed in accordance with the Large and Medium-sized Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008:

· the Company's capital structure and voting rights are summarised earlier in this report and note 11;

· details of the substantial shareholders in the Company are listed earlier in this report;

· the rules concerning the appointment and replacement of directors are contained in the Company's Articles of Association and are discussed earlier in this report;

· amendment of the Company's Articles of Association and powers to issue on a pre-emptive basis or buy back the Company's shares requires a special resolution to be passed by the Shareholders; and

· there are: no restrictions concerning the transfer of securities in the Company; no special rights with regard to control attached to securities; no agreements between holders of securities regarding their transfer known to the Company; no agreements which the Company is party to that might affect its control following a takeover bid; no agreements between the Company and its Directors concerning compensation for loss of office; and no qualifying third party indemnities in place.

By Order of the Board

 

Derringtons Limited

Company Secretary

Registered Office:

6 Stratton Street

Mayfair

London

W1J 8LD

Registered No: 1091347

12 May 2020



 

statement of directors' responsibilities in respect of the annual report and the financial statements

for the year ended 31 January

The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law they have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union (IFRSs as adopted by the EU).

The financial statements are required by law and IFRS as adopted by the EU to present fairly the financial position and performance of the company. The Companies Act 2006 provides in relation to such financial statements that references in the relevant part of that Act to financial statements giving a true and fair view are references to their achieving a fair presentation.

Under company law the Directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company and of the profit or loss for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Directors are required to:

· select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

· make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable, relevant and reliable;

· state whether they have been prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU;

· assess the Company's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern; and

· use the going concern basis of accounting unless they either intend to liquidate the Company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Company and enable them to ensure that its financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are responsible for such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and have general responsibility for taking such steps as are reasonably open to them to safeguard the assets of the Company and to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.

Under applicable law and regulations, the Directors are also responsible for preparing a Strategic Report, Directors' Report, Directors' Remuneration Report and Corporate Governance Statement that complies with that law and those regulations.

The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the company's website. Legislation in the UK governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

responsibility statement of the directors in respect of the annual financial report

Each of the directors, whose names and functions are listed in the Annual Report confirm that to the best of each person's knowledge:

· the financial statements, prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the EU, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Company taken as a whole; and

· the Strategic Report and the Report of the Directors includes a fair review of the development and performance of the business and the position of the company, together with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties that they face.

We consider the Annual Report and financial statements, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the information necessary for shareholders to assess the Company's position and performance, business model and strategy.

For and on behalf of the Board

 

Peregrine Moncreiffe

Chairman

12 May 2020



 

statement of comprehensive income

for the year ended 31 January

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Notes

Revenue
£'000

Capital
£'000

Total
£'000

Revenue
£'000

Capital
£'000

Total
£'000

Income

2

12,345

-

12,345

11,645

-

11,645

Net gains on investments at fair value

8

-

93,536

93,536

-

31,095

31,095

Currency exchange gains

8

-

153

153

-

271

271

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

total income

 

12,345

93,689

106,034

11,645

31,366

43,011

Expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investment management fee

3

(5,410)

(709)

(6,119)

(5,091)

(1,788)

(6,879)

Other expenses

3

(1,063)

-

(1,063)

(714)

-

(714)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

return before taxation

 

5,872

92,980

98,852

5,840

29,578

35,418

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxation

6

-

-

-

-

-

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

return for the year

 

5,872

92,980

98,852

5,840

29,578

35,418

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

basic earnings per ordinary share

7

41.24

652.92

694.16

40.59

205.57

246.16

diluted earnings per ordinary share

7

41.24

652.92

694.16

40.53

205.27

245.8

The total column of the statement is the Statement of Comprehensive Income of the Company, prepared in accordance with IFRS, as adopted by the European Union. The supplementary revenue and capital columns are presented in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice issued by the Association of Investment Companies ("AIC SORP").

All items in the above Statement derive from continuing operations. No operations were acquired or discontinued in the year.

There is no other comprehensive income, and therefore the return for the year is also the comprehensive income.

The notes form part of these financial statements.



 

statement of changes in equity

for the year ended 31 January

 

Share
capital
£'000

Share
options
reserve
£'000

Share
premium
account
£'000

Capital
reserve
£'000

Capital
redemption
reserve
£'000

Revenue
reserve
£'000

Total
£'000

2020

 







31 January 2019

716

24

1,301

524,316

154

4,914

531,425

 








Total comprehensive income for the year

-

-

-

92,980

-

5,872

98,852

Dividend paid

-

-

-

-

-

(4,256)

(4,256)

Shares purchased for cancellation

(8)

-

-

(5,022)

8

-

(5,022)

Share options discharge

-

(24)

-

(252)

-

-

(276)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

31 January 2020

708

-

1,301

612,022

162

6,530

620,723

 








 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share
capital
£'000

Share
options
reserve
£'000

Share
premium
account
£'000

Capital
reserve
£'000

Capital
redemption
reserve
£'000

Revenue
reserve
£'000

Total
£'000

2019

 







31 January 2018

721

55

1,301

498,123

149

(926)

499,423

 








Total comprehensive income for the year

-

-

-

29,578

-

5,840

35,418

Shares purchased for cancellation

(5)

-

-

(2,920)

5

-

(2,920)

Share options discharge

-

(31)

-

(465)

-

-

(496)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

31 January 2019

716

24

1,301

524,316

154

4,914

531,425

The notes part of these financial statements.



 

balance sheet

as at 31 January

 

Notes

31 January
2020
£'000

31 January
2019
£'000

non current assets

 



Investments at fair value through profit or loss

8

601,168

500,696

 




 

 

601,168

500,696

current assets

 



Trade and other receivables

9

3,736

19,623

Cash and cash equivalents

 

17,805

30,669

 




 

 

21,541

50,292

 




total assets

 

622,709

550,988

 




current liabilities

 



Trade and other payables

10

(1,986)

(19,563)

 




total liabilities

 

(1,986)

(19,563)

 




total assets less current liabilities

 

620,723

531,425

 




net assets

 

620,723

531,425

 




represented by:

 



Share capital

11

708

716

Share options reserve

 

-

24

Share premium account

 

1,301

1,301

Capital reserve

 

612,022

524,316

Capital redemption reserve

 

162

154

Revenue reserve

 

6,530

4,914

 




total equity attributable to equity holders of the company

 

620,723

531,425

 




net asset value per ordinary share:

 



Basic

7

4,384p

3,710p

Diluted

7

4,384p

3,708p

 

These financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Board of Directors on 12 May 2020 and signed on its behalf by:

The notes part of these financial statements.

 

Peregrine Moncreiffe, Chairman

Company Registered Number: 1091347



 

cash flow statement

for the year ended 31 January

 

Notes

2020
£'000

2019
£'000

cash flows from operating activities

 



Investment income received

 

9,631

9,002

Deposit interest received

 

18

15

Investment Manager's fees paid

 

(7,168)

(7,686)

Share based payment - discharge of options

 

(276)

(496)

Other cash payments

 

(1,225)

(826)

 




cash generated from operations

12

980

9

Taxation paid

 

-

-

 




net cash inflow from operating activities

 

980

9

 




cash flows from investing activities

 



Purchases of investments

 

(290,621)

(358,127)

Sales of investments

 

286,006

380,966

 




net cash (outflow)/inflow from investing activities

 

(4,615)

22,839

 




cash flows from financing activities

 



Dividend paid

 

(4,256)

-

Repurchase of Ordinary Shares for cancellation

 

(5,022)

(2,920)

 




net cash outflow from financing activities

 

(9,278)

(2,920)

 




(decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents for the year

 

(12,913)

19,928

 




cash and cash equivalents at the start of the year

 

30,669

10,653

 




Revaluation of foreign currency balances

 

49

88

 




cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

13

17,805

30,669

The notes form part of these financial statements.



 

 

notes to the financial statements

1 accounting policies

NASCIT is a listed public company incorporated and registered in England and Wales. The registered office of the Company is 6 Stratton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8LD. The principal activity of the Company is that of an investment trust company within the meaning of sections 1158/1159 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 and its investment approach is detailed in the Strategic Report.

a) basis of preparation

The financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the European Union which comprise standards and interpretations approved by the International Accounting Standards Board ('IASB'), and as applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006. The annual financial statements have also been prepared in accordance with the AIC SORP for the financial statements of investment trust companies and venture capital trusts, except to any extent where it is not consistent with the requirements of IFRS.

The functional currency of the Company is Pounds Sterling because this is the currency of the primary economic environment in which the Company operates. The financial statements are also presented in Pounds Sterling rounded to the nearest thousand, except where otherwise indicated.

b) going concern

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis that approval as an investment trust company will continue to be met.

The Directors have made an assessment of the Company's ability to continue as a going concern and are satisfied that the Company has the resources to continue in business for the foreseeable future, being a period of at least 12 months from the date these financial statements were approved. Since the end of the period all world markets have fallen substantially due to the onset of the COVID-19 virus which has disastrously impacted economic activity. Whilst this has impacted the value of the Company's investment portfolio, the Company entered the downturn with substantial liquid resources (cash at bank and US treasury bills) of £82m at the year end. The Directors are not aware of any material uncertainties that may cast doubt upon the Company's ability to continue as a going concern, having taken into account the liquidity of the Company's investment portfolio and the Company's financial position in respect of its cash flows, debt and investment commitments. Therefore, the financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis.

c) segmental reporting

The Directors are of the opinion that the Company is engaged in a single segment of the business, being investment business. The Company invests in small companies principally based in countries bordering the North Atlantic Ocean.

d) accounting developments

In the current year, the Company has applied a number of amendments to IFRS, issued by the IASB mandatorily effective for an accounting period that begins on or after 1 January 2019. These include annual improvements to IFRS, changes in standards, legislative and regulatory amendments, changes in disclosure and presentation requirements. The adoption of these has not had any material impact on these financial statements.

e) critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS requires management to make judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of policies and the reported amounts in the Balance Sheet, the Income Statement and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis of making judgements about carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future period if the revision affects both current and future periods.

In order to value the unquoted investments, there are a number of valuation techniques that can be used. Judgement is used to determine the best methodology to obtain the most accurate valuation.

The Board of Directors has assessed the Company as meeting the definition of an investment entity within IFRS 10 Consolidated Financial Statements requirements. The Company measures the subsidiaries at fair value through profit or loss rather than consolidate the entities. The details are set out in Note 8.

Further to the above there were no accounting estimates or significant judgements in the current period that have had a material impact upon the financial statements.

f) investments

The Company's business is investing in financial assets with a view to profiting from their total return in the form of income and capital growth. The Company classifies its investments based on their contractual cash flow characteristics and of the Company's business model for managing the assets. The business model, which is the determining feature, is such that the portfolio of investments is managed, performance and risk is evaluated on a fair value basis. Consequently, all investments are designated as at fair value through profit or loss.

All investments are designated upon initial recognition as held at fair value through profit or loss, and are measured at subsequent reporting dates at fair value, which is either the bid price or the closing price for Stock Exchange Electronic Trading Service - quotes and crosses ('SETSqx'). The Company derecognises a financial asset only when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire, or when it transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the asset to another entity. On derecognition of a financial asset, the difference between the asset's carrying amount and the sum of consideration received and receivable and the cumulative gain or loss that had been accumulated is recognised in profit or loss.

Fair values for unquoted investments, or investments for which the market is inactive, are established by using various valuation techniques in accordance with the International Private Equity and Venture Capital Valuation (the "IPEV") guidelines. These may include recent arm's length market transactions, the current fair value of another instrument which is substantially the same, discounted cash flow analysis and option pricing models. Where there is a valuation technique commonly used by market participants to price the instrument and that technique has been demonstrated to provide reliable estimates of prices obtained in actual market transactions, that technique is utilised.

Gains and losses arising from changes in fair value are included in the total return as a capital item. Also included within this heading are transaction costs in relation to the purchase or sale of investments. When a sale or purchase is made under a contract, the terms of which require delivery within the timeframe of the relevant market, the investments concerned are recognised or derecognised on the trade date.

All investments for which a fair value is measured or disclosed in the financial statements are categorised within the fair value hierarchy levels set out in Note 14.

g) foreign currency translation

Transactions in currencies other than Pounds Sterling are recorded at the rates of exchange prevailing on the date of the transaction. Items that are denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated at the rates prevailing on the Balance Sheet date. Any gain or loss arising from a change in exchange rate subsequent to the date of the transaction is included as an exchange gain or loss in the capital reserve or the revenue account depending on whether the gain or loss is capital or revenue in nature.

h) cash and cash equivalents

Cash comprises cash in hand, overdrafts and demand deposits. Cash equivalents are short-term, highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to known amounts of cash and which are subject to insignificant risk of changes in value.

For the purpose of the Statement of Cash Flows, cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and cash equivalents as defined above, net of outstanding bank overdrafts when applicable.

i) other receivables and payables

Trade receivables and trade payables are measured at amortised cost and balances revalued for exchange rate movement.

j) income

Dividends receivable on quoted equity shares are taken to revenue on an ex-dividend basis. Dividends receivable on equity shares where no ex-dividend date is quoted are brought into account when the Company's right to receive payment is established. Fixed returns on non-equity shares are recognised on a time-apportioned basis. Dividends from overseas companies are shown gross of any withholding taxes which are disclosed separately in the Statement of Comprehensive Income.

Special dividends are taken to the revenue or capital account depending on their nature. In deciding whether a dividend should be regarded as capital or revenue receipt, the Board reviews all relevant information as to the sources of the dividend on a case-by-case basis.

When the Company has elected to receive scrip dividends in the form of additional shares rather than in cash, the amount of the cash dividend foregone is recognised as income. Any excess in the value of the cash dividend is recognised in the capital column.

All other income is accounted on a time-apportioned accruals basis and is recognised in the Statement of Comprehensive Income.

k) expenses and finance costs

All expenses are accounted on an accruals basis and are allocated to wholly to revenue with the exception of the Performance Fees which are allocated wholly to capital, as the fee payable by reference to the capital performance of the Company.

Expenses incurred in shares purchased for cancellation are charged to the capital reserve through the Statement of Changes in Equity.

l) share based payments

The value of share options awarded under the 2011 Executive Share Option Scheme to the Chief Executive and employees of Harwood Capital LLP. The accounting charge is based on the fair value of each grant, measured at the grant date and is spread over the vesting period. The deemed expense over the vesting period is transferred to the Share Options Reserve.

Where the share options are discharged this is released to the Share Options Reserve.

m) taxation

The charge for taxation is based on the net revenue for the year and takes into account taxation deferred or accelerated because of temporary differences between the treatment of certain items for accounting and taxation purposes.

Deferred tax is provided using the liability method on temporary differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their carrying amount for financial reporting purposes at the reporting date. Deferred tax assets are only recognised if it is considered more likely than not that there will be suitable profits from which the future reversal of timing differences can be deducted. In line with recommendations of the SORP, the allocation method used to calculate the tax relief expenses charged to capital is the 'marginal' basis. Under this basis, if taxable income is capable of being offset entirely by expenses charged through the revenue account, then no tax relief is transferred to the capital account.

n) dividends payable to shareholders

Dividends to shareholders are recognised as a liability in the period in which they are paid or approved in general meetings and are taken to the Statement of Changes in Equity. Dividends declared and approved by the Company after the Balance Sheet date have not been recognised as a liability of the Company at the Balance Sheet date.

o) share capital and reserves

Share Capital: Represents the nominal value of equity shares.

Share Options Reserve: The expense of share based payments. The fair value of Share Options is measured at grant date and spread over the vesting period. The deemed expense is transferred to the Share Options Reserve.

Share Premium Account: The account represents the accumulated premium paid for shares issued in previous periods above their nominal value less issue expenses.

Capital Reserve: The following items are taken to this reserve:

· realised and unrealised capital and exchange gains and losses on the disposal and revaluation of investments and of foreign currency items;

· performance fee costs;

· Ordinary Shares repurchased for cancellation; and

· Exchange differences of a capital nature.

Capital Redemption reserve: The amount by which the share capital has been reduced, equivalent to the nominal value of the Ordinary Shares repurchased for cancellation.

Revenue reserves: Represents the surplus of accumulated revenue profits being the excess of income derived from holding investments less the costs associated with running the Company. This reserve may be distributed by way of dividends.

2 income

 

2020
£'000

2019
£'000

income from investments

 


Dividend income

6,640

5,646

Unfranked investment income

 


- interest

3,274

2,476

- interest reinvested

2,413

3,500

 



 

12,327

11,622

 



other income

 


Interest receivable

18

15

Net return from Subsidiary

-

7

Realised gains on income

-

1

 



 

18

23

 



Total income

12,345

11,645

 



total income comprises

 


Dividends

6,640

5,646

Interest

5,705

5,991

Other income

-

8

 



 

12,345

11,645

 



income from investments

 


Listed UK

6,640

5,646

Other unquoted

5,687

5,976

 



 

12,327

11,622

3 expenses

a) investment management fee

(i)  Pursuant to the Secondment Services Agreement, described in the Report of the Directors above and the Directors' Remuneration Report of the Annual Report, GFS provides the services of Christopher Mills as Chief Executive of the Company, who is responsible for day-to-day investment decisions. Christopher Mills is a director of GFS. GFS is entitled to receive part of the investment management and related fees payable to GFS and Harwood Capital LLP as may be agreed between them from time to time.

(ii)  Pursuant to the terms of the Sub Advisory, Administration and Transmission Services Agreement, described above in the Report of the Directors, Harwood Capital LLP is entitled to receive a fee (the Annual Fee) in respect of each financial period equal to the difference between (a) 1% of Shareholders' Funds (as defined) on 31 January each year and (b) the amount payable to GFS referred to in note 3(i) above. This fee is payable quarterly in advance.

As set out in note 15, no formal arrangements exist to avoid double charging on investments managed or advised by the Chief Executive or Harwood Capital LLP.

(iii)  The Performance Fee, calculated annually to 31 January, is only payable if the investment portfolio, including Oryx at the adjusted price, outperforms the Sterling adjusted Standard & Poors' 500 Composite Index. It is calculated as 10% of the outperformance and paid as a percentage of Shareholders' Funds. It is limited to a maximum payment of 0.5% of Shareholders' Funds. The Performance Fee arrangements payable to GFS have been in place since 1984 when they were approved by Shareholders.

The amounts payable in the year in respect of investment management are as follows:



2020

 


2019

 

 

Capital
£'000

Total
£'000

Revenue
£'000

Capital
£'000

Total
£'000

Revenue
£'000

Annual fee payable to Harwood Capital

3,246

-

3,246

3,054

-

3,054

Annual fee payable to GFS

2,164

-

2,164

2,037

-

2,037

Performance fee

-

654

654

-

1,743

1,743

Irrecoverable VAT thereon*

-

55

55

-

45

45

 







 

5,410

709

6,119

5,091

1,788

6,879

At 31 January 2020, £270,000 was payable to Harwood Capital LLP in respect of outstanding management fees (2019: £255,000). At 31 January 2020, there was £654,000 payable to GFS in respect of outstanding performance fees (2019: £1,743,000) net of VAT.

*42% irrecoverable (2019: 13%) based on rates per latest VAT return information.

b) other expenses

 

2020
£'000

2019
£'000

Auditor's remuneration - audit - RSM UK Audit LLP

58

-

Auditor's remuneration - audit - KPMG LLP

8

57

Directors' fees (see the Directors' Remuneration Report in the Annual Report)

130

130

Administration fee

279

263

Legal and Professional fees

192

67

Registrars fees

29

29

Stock Exchange related fees

35

28

Other expenses

332

140

 



 

1,063

714

4 dividends paid

 

2020
£'000

2019
£'000

Amounts relating to the year but not paid at the year end:

 


Final dividend for the year ended 31 January 2019 of 30p per share (2018: nil)

4,256

-

 



 

4,256

-

The Directors have proposed a final dividend totalling £4.2m (2019: £4.3m) from revenue reserves, in respect of the year ended 31 January 2020 of 30.0p per share (2019: 30.0p), payable on 14 December 2020 to all shareholders on the register on 20 November 2020. The final dividend is subject to approval by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting.

5 share based remuneration

A list of the Options in issue are shown below;

No. of options at 1 February 2019

Year of grant

Discharged during the year

Grant of options during the year

Price

No. of Options at 31 January 2020

10,000

2011

10,000

nil

1,467.71

nil

On 14 July 2011, Christopher Mills was granted 420,000 share options under the NASCIT 2011 Executive Share Option Scheme at an exercise price of 1,467.71p per share. A further 10,000 options were granted to an eligible employee of Harwood Capital LLP. Christopher Mills discharged his share of these options on 23 October 2014. The remaining 10,000 options were exercised in September 2019.

The accounting charge is based on the fair value of each grant, at the grant date and is spread over the vesting period, being 3 years from the date of grant assuming all necessary performance criteria are met. The deemed expense is transferred to the Share options reserve. As at 31 January 2020 and 2019 there was no accounting charge as the vesting period has expired.

As at 31 January 2020, and as at the date of this report there were no options in issue.

6 taxation

 

2020
Total
£'000

2019
Total
£'000

Withholding tax

-

-

 



 

-

-

The current taxation charge for the year is different from the standard rate of corporation tax in the UK of 19%. The differences are explained below.

 

2020
Total
£'000

2019
Total
£'000

Total return before taxation

98,852

35,418



18,782

6,729



 


(17,801)

(5,960)

(1,262)

(1,073)

-

(1)

Increase in tax losses, disallowable expenses and excess management expenses

281

305



Actual current tax charge

-

-

Factors that may affect future tax charges:

As at 31 January 2020, the Company has tax losses of £62,732,000 (2019: £60,800,000) that are available to offset future taxable revenue, comprising excess management expenses of £53,737,000 and a non-trade loan relationship deficit of £8,995,000 (2019: excess management expenses of £51,805,000 and a non-trade loan relationship deficit of £8,995,000). A deferred tax asset has not been recognised in respect of those losses as the Company is not expected to generate taxable income in the future in excess of the deductible expenses of future periods and, accordingly, it is unlikely that the Company will be able to reduce future tax liabilities through the use of those losses.

The Company is exempt from corporation tax on capital gains provided it maintains its status as an investment trust under Chapter 4 of Part 24 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010. Due to the Company's intention to continue to meet the conditions required to maintain its investment trust status, it has not provided for deferred tax on any capital gains or losses arising on the revaluation or disposal of investments.

7 return per ordinary share and net asset value per ordinary share

a) return per ordinary share:

 

Net return
£'000

Revenue
Ordinary
Shares

Per Share
pence

Net return
£'000

Capital
Ordinary
Shares

Per Share
pence

Net return
£'000

Total
Ordinary
Shares

Per Share
pence

2020

 









Basic return per Share

5,872

14,240,620

41.24

92,980

14,240,620

652.92

98,852

14,240,620

694.16

Share options*

-

-

 

-

-

 

-

-

 

 










Diluted return per Share

5,872

14,240,620

41.24

92,980

14,240,620

652.92

98,852

14,240,620

694.16

 










 

Net return
£'000

Revenue
Ordinary
Shares

Per Share
pence

Net return
£'000

Capital
Ordinary
Shares

Per Share
pence

Net return
£'000

Total
Ordinary
Shares

Per Share
pence

2019

 









Basic return per Share

5,840

14,388,359

40.59

29,578

14,388,359

205.57

35,418

14,388,359

246.16

Share options*

-

20,895

 

-

20,895

 

-

20,895

 

 










Diluted return per Share

5,840

14,409,254

40.53

29,578

14,409,254

205.27

35,418

14,409,254

245.8

Basic return per Ordinary Share has been calculated using the weighted average number of Ordinary Shares in issue during the year.

* Excess of total number of potential shares on Option Conversion over the number that could be issued at the average market price, as calculated in accordance with IAS 33: Earnings per share.

b) net asset value per ordinary share:

The net asset value per Ordinary Share calculated in accordance with the Articles of Association is as follows:

2020

 

Net assets
£'000

Number of
Ordinary Shares

Net asset
value per Share

Ordinary Shares

- Basic and Diluted

620,723

14,160,000

4,384p

 





Ordinary Shares*

- Basic and Diluted

637,974

14,160,000

4,505p

 





 

 

 

 

 

2019

 

Net assets
£'000

Number of
Ordinary Shares

Net asset
value per Share

Ordinary Shares

- Basic

531,425

14,325,620

3,710p

 

- Diluted

531,572

14,335,620

3,708p

 





Ordinary Shares*

- Basic

540,920

14,325,620

3,776p

 

- Diluted

541,067

14,335,620

3,774p

* Adjusted for Oryx using equity accounting.

The diluted net asset value per Ordinary Share for 31 January 2019, was calculated on the assumption that the outstanding 10,000 Share Options were exercised at the prevailing exercise prices, giving a total of 14,335,620 issued Ordinary Shares. There is no dilutive effect for 31 January 2020, as there were no options outstanding.

The Company has also reported an adjusted net asset value per share, in accordance with its previous method of valuing its investment in Oryx. The Company has chosen to report this net asset value per share to show the difference derived if equity accounting was used. Equity accounting permits the use of net asset value pricing for listed assets, which in the case of Oryx, is higher than its fair value as set out below:

 

2020
£'000

2019
£'000

Oryx at Fair value (traded price) using IFRS 10

72,251

57,776

Oryx value using Equity Accounting

89,502

67,270

Increase in net assets using Equity Accounting

17,251

9,494

8 investments at fair value through profit or loss

a) investments at fair value through profit or loss

 

2020
£'000

2019
£'000

Quoted at fair value:

 


United Kingdom

400,401

281,795

Overseas

19,930

15,677

 



Total quoted investments

420,331

297,472

Treasury bills at fair value

63,841

90,893

Unquoted and loan stock at fair value

116,996

112,331

Investments at fair value through profit or loss

601,168

500,696

 

2020

Listed
equities
£'000

AIM
quoted
£'000

Unlisted
equities
£'000

Loan
stocks
£'000

Treasury
Bills
£'000

Total
£'000

analysis of investment portfolio movements

 






Opening bookcost as at 1 February 2019

75,357

104,344

42,670

44,728

92,899

359,998

Investment holding gains/(losses)

99,462

18,309

24,659

274

(2,006)

140,698

 







opening fair value as at 1 February 2019

174,819

122,653

67,329

45,002

90,893

500,696

 







Movements in year:

 






Purchases at cost

34,991

18,973

8,957

9,665

203,140

275,726

Sales - proceeds

(20,579)

(4,392)

(1,468)

(11,193)

(231,158)

(268,790)

- realised gains/(losses) on sales

11,764

(11,550)

(1,578)

(388)

371

(1,381)

Investment holding gains/(losses)

26,188

67,464

1,052

(382)

595

94,917

 







closing fair value as at 31 January 2020

227,183

193,148

74,292

42,704

63,841

601,168

 







Closing bookcost as at 31 January 2020

101,533

107,375

48,581

42,812

65,252

365,553

Investment holding gains/(losses)

125,650

85,773

25,711

(108)

(1,411)

235,615

 







 

227,183

193,148

74,292

42,704

63,841

601,168

 







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2019

Listed
equities
£'000

AIM
quoted
£'000

Unlisted
equities
£'000

Loan
stocks
£'000

Treasury
Bills
£'000

Total
£'000

analysis of investment portfolio movements

 






Opening bookcost as at 1 February 2018

67,505

88,368

35,815

33,447

100,480

325,615

Investment holding gains/(losses)

130,168

11,856

26,756

(615)

(4,868)

163,297

 







opening fair value as at 1 February 2018

197,673

100,224

62,571

32,832

95,612

488,912

 







Movements in year:

 






Transfer

(2)

2

(3,584)

3,584

-

-

Purchases at cost

39,085

31,190

11,808

23,020

310,956

416,059

Sales - proceeds

(67,016)

(15,238)

(13,414)

(16,433)

(323,269)

(435,370)

- realised gains on sales

35,785

22

12,045

1,110

4,732

53,694

Investment holding (losses)/gains

(30,706)

6,453

(2,097)

889

2,862

(22,599)

 







closing fair value as at 31 January 2019

174,819

122,653

67,329

45,002

90,893

500,696

 







Closing bookcost as at 31 January 2019

75,357

104,344

42,670

44,728

92,899

359,998

Investment holding gains/(losses)

99,462

18,309

24,659

274

(2,006)

140,698

 







 

174,819

122,653

67,329

45,002

90,893

500,696

 

 

2020
£'000

2019
£'000

analysis of capital gains and losses

 


(Losses)/gains on sales

(1,381)

53,694

Unrealised gains/(losses)

94,917

(22,599)

 



gains on investments at fair value

93,536

31,095

 



 

 

 

 

2020
£'000

2019
£'000

Exchange gains on capital items

104

183

Exchange gains on currency

49

88

 



exchange gains

153

271

 



 

 

 

 

2020
£'000

2019
£'000

portfolio analysis

 


Equity shares

490,333

360,368

Preference securities

4,290

4,433

Fixed interest securities

42,704

45,002

Treasury Bills

63,841

90,893

 



 

601,168

500,696

b) subsidiary undertakings

At 31 January 2020 the Company has the following Subsidiaries which were active during the year:

Subsidiary

Principal activity

Equity held

Country of registration

Consolidated Venture Finance Limited

Investment entity

100%

England and Wales

Hampton Investment Properties Limited

Property investment

70.81%

England and Wales

Oryx International Growth Fund Limited

Investment company

51.95%

Guernsey

Performance Chemical Company

Oil field service company

53.12%

United States of America

assessment as an investment entity

Entities that meet the definition of an investment entity within IFRS 10 Consolidated Financial Statements, are required to measure their subsidiaries at fair value through profit or loss rather than consolidate the entities. The criteria which define an investment entity are as follows:

· an entity that obtains funds from one or more investors for the purpose of providing those investors with investment services;

· an entity that commits to its investors that its business purpose is to invest funds solely for returns from capital appreciation, investment income or both; and

· an entity that measures and evaluates the performance of substantially all of its investments on a fair value basis.

The Board have concluded that the Company continues to meet the characteristics of an investment entity in that it has more than one investment, it has ownership interests in the form of equity and similar interests, it has more than one investor and its investors are not related parties other than those disclosed in note 15.

c) significant holdings

At the year-end, the Company held 20% or over of the aggregate nominal value of voting equity of the following companies:

Company and address of principal business

Country of incorporation and registration

Year end

Capital and reserves

£'000

Revenue reserves for the last financial year

£'000

Company holding 31 January 2020

%

Company holding 31 January 2019

%

AssetCo plc

Singleton Court Business Park, Wonastow Road, Monmouth, Monmouthshire NP25 5JA

England and Wales

30 September 2019

29,855

 763

28.63

28.63

Consolidated Venture Finance Limited

6 Stratton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8LD

England and Wales

31 January 2020

(746)

-

100.00

100

EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc

Avon House, 19 Stanwell Road, Penarth, Cardiff CF64 2EZ

England and Wales

31 December 2018

81,380

 10,299

21.58

21.58

Hampton Investment Properties Limited

6 Stratton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8LD

England and Wales

31 December 2018

12,387

(143)

70.81

70.81

Harwood Private Equity Fund IV LP

6 Stratton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8LD

England and Wales

31 December 2019

143,397

(136)

26.28

26.28

Oryx International Growth Fund Limited

BNP Paribas House, St Julian's Avenue, St Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 1WA

Guernsey

31 March 2019

133,326

 8,096

51.95

51.86

Performance Chemical Company

9105 W Interstate 20 Midland TX 79706

United States of America

30 September 2019

$754

$3,006

53.12

53.1

Trident Private Equity Fund III LP

6 Stratton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8LD

England and Wales

31 December 2019

16,595

(132)

38.76

38.76

All the investments detailed above have not been consolidated into the financial statements due to the Company meeting the definition of an investment entity under IFRS 10 and therefore these investments are included at fair value through profit and loss.

At the year end, the Company held over 3% of the shares in the following companies which were considered to be material:

 

%

Frenkel Topping Group Plc 

19.99

Augean Plc 

17.77

TEN Entertainment Group Plc 

15.38

Odyssean Investment Trust Plc

15.18

Sureserve Group Plc

12.71

Sportech Plc 

10.86

Bigblu Broadband Plc 

10.42

Renalytix AI Plc

10.34

MJ Gleeson Plc

9.04

Hargreaves Services Plc

7.75

Polar Capital Holdings Plc 

7.25

Mountain Commerce Bancorp 

6.52

Stobart Group Plc 

6.41

Ergomed Plc 

5.45

Benchmark Holdings Plc

3.22

 

d) investments in US treasury bills

At 31 January 2020, the Company held US Treasury Bills with a market value of £63,841,000 (2019: £90,893,000).

e) transaction costs

During the year, the Company incurred total transaction costs of £183,000 (2019: £226,000) comprising £114,000 (2019: £68,000) and £69,000 (2019: £158,000) on purchases and sales of investments respectively. These amounts are included in gains on investments as disclosed in the Statement of Comprehensive Income.

f) material disposals of unlisted investments in the year:

 

Proceeds
£'000

Bookcost
£'000

Gain/(loss)
£'000

Carrying
value at
31 January
2019
£'000

GAJV A Prefs

nil

2,187

(2,187)

nil

Harwood Leeds

9,127

9,516

(389)

9,516

Specialist Components 5% loan

2,067

2,067

nil

n/a

The information on exit strategy for the invested companies is confidential and in most cases the likely exit is a sale to a trade or financial buyer at an uplifted multiple on increased profits.

g) commitment

During the year, the Company has made a commitment to invest £40m in Harwood Private Equity V L.P. As at 31 January 2020, no monies had been advanced in relation to the commitment.

9 trade and other receivables

 

2020
£'000

2019
£'000

Amounts due from brokers

1,085

17,103

Amounts owed by Subsidiary

90

89

Accrued income

825

542

Other debtors

808

959

Recoverable withholding tax

928

930

 



 

3,736

19,623

10 trade and other payables

 

2020
£'000

2019
£'000

Investment Manager's fees

270

255

Performance fees (incl. VAT)

784

2,091

Amounts due to brokers

771

16,988

Other creditors and accruals

161

229

 



 

1,986

19,563

11 share capital

 

2020
Number

2020
£'000

2019
Number

2019
£'000

- allotted, called up and fully paid:

 




Ordinary Shares of 5p:

 




Balance at beginning of year

14,325,620

716

14,425,620

721

Cancellation of shares

(165,620)

(8)

(100,000)

(5)

 





Balance at end of year

14,160,000

708

14,325,620

716

Since 31 January 2020, no Ordinary Shares have been purchased by the Company for cancellation. As at the date of this report, the Company's issued share capital consists of 14,160,000 Ordinary Shares of 5p nominal value each.

12 reconciliation of total return before taxation to cash generated from operations

 

2020
£'000

2019
£'000

Total return before taxation

98,852

35,418

Gains on investments

(93,689)

(31,366)

Dividends and interest reinvested

(2,413)

(3,500)

Share based payment - discharge of options

(276)

(496)

Movement in provision for subsidiary

-

(7)

(Increase)/decrease in debtors and accrued income

(133)

847

(Decrease)/increase in creditors and accruals

(1,361)

(887)

 



Cash generated from operations

980

9

13 analysis of net cash and net debt

net cash

At 1 February 2019

£'000

Cash flow

£'000

Exchange movement

£'000

At 31 January 2020

£'000

Cash and cash equivalents

30,669

(12,913)

49

17,805

14 financial instruments and capital disclosures

The Company's financial risk management objectives, policies and strategy can be found in the Strategic Report in the Annual Report.

The Company's financial instruments comprise its investment portfolio, cash balances, loan stock and trade receivables and trade payables that arise directly from its operations. Note 1 above sets out the accounting policies, including criteria for recognition and the basis for measurement, applied to significant financial instruments (excluding cash at bank) which are carried at fair value. Note 1 also includes the basis on which income and expenses arising from financial assets and liabilities are recognised.

The main risks arising from the Company's financial instruments are:

(i)  market price risk, including currency risk, interest rate risk and other price risk;

(ii)  liquidity risk; and

(iii)  credit risk

The Board and Manager consider and review the risks inherent in managing the Company's assets which are detailed below.

(i) market price risk

The fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument held by the Company may fluctuate because of changes in market prices. This market risk comprises currency risk, interest rate risk and other price risk. The Board of Directors reviews and agrees policies for managing these risks through detail and continuing analysis. The Manager assesses the exposure to market risk when making each investment decision and monitor the overall level of market risk on the whole of the investment portfolio on an ongoing basis.

currency risk

The Company's total return and net assets can be materially affected by currency translation movements as a significant proportion of the Company's assets are denominated in currencies other than Sterling, which is the Company's functional currency. It is not the Company's policy to hedge this risk on a continuing basis but the Company may, from time to time, match specific overseas investment with foreign currency borrowings. The Manager seeks, when deemed appropriate, to manage exposure to currency movements on borrowings by using forward foreign currency contracts as a hedge against potential foreign currency movements. At 31 January 2020, the Company had no open forward currency contracts (2019: none).

The revenue account is subject to currency fluctuation arising on overseas income. The Company does not hedge this currency risk.

Foreign currency exposure by currency of denomination:


31 January 2020

31 January 2019

 

Overseas
investments
£'000

Net monetary
assets
£'000

Total currency
exposure
£'000

Overseas
investments
£'000

Net monetary
assets
£'000

Total currency
exposure
£'000

US Dollar

118,468

1,946

120,414

141,873

2,410

144,283

Euro

6,725

-

6,725

6,981

-

6,981

 

125,193

1,946

127,139

148,854

2,410

151,264

Sensitivity analysis is based on the Company's monetary foreign currency financial instruments held at each balance sheet date. If Sterling had moved by 10% against all currencies, with all other variables constant, net assets would have moved by the amounts shown below. The analysis is shown on the same basis for 2019.


31 January 2020

31 January 2019

 

10%
weakening
£'000

10%
strengthening
£'000

10%
weakening
£'000

10%
strengthening
£'000

US Dollar

13,379

(10,947)

16,031

(13,117)

Euro

747

(611)

776

(635)

 

 

 

 

 

 

14,126

(11,558)

16,807

(13,752)

In the opinion of the Directors, the above sensitivity analyses are not representative of the year as a whole, since the level of exposure changes frequently as part of the currency risk management process used to meet the Company's objectives.

interest rate risk

Interest rate movements may affect;

· the fair value of the investments in fixed interest rate securities (including unquoted loans); or

· the level of income receivable on cash deposits;

The possible effects on fair value and cash flows that could arise as a result of changes in interest rates are taken into account when making investment decisions.

The Board reviews on a regular basis the values of the fixed interest rate securities and the unquoted loans to companies in which private equity investment is made.

Movements in interest rates would not significantly affect net assets attributable to the Company's Shareholders and total profit.

other price risk

Other price risks (i.e. changes in market prices other than those arising from currency risk or interest rate risk) may affect the value of the quoted and unquoted investments.

The Company's exposure to price risk comprises mainly movements in the value of the Company's investments. It should be noted that the prices of options tend to be more volatile than the prices of the underlying securities. As at the year-end, the spread of the Company's investment portfolio analysed by sector as set out earlier in the Report.

The Board of Directors manages the market price risks inherent in the investment portfolios by ensuring full and timely access to relevant investment information from the Manager. The Board meets regularly and at each meeting reviews investment performance. The Board monitors the Manager's compliance with the Company's objectives and is directly responsible for investment strategy and asset allocation.

When appropriate, derivative contracts are used to hedge against the exposure to price risk.

The Company's exposure to other changes in market prices at 31 January 2020 on its quoted and unquoted investments and options on investments was as follows:

 

2020
£'000

2019
£'000

Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss

 


- Non current investments at fair value through profit or loss

601,168

500,696

As mentioned in the accounting policies note, the Private equity investments have been valued following the IPEV Valuation Guidelines. The valuation incorporates all relevant factors that market participants would consider in setting a price.

Methods applied include cost of investment, price of recent investments, net assets and earnings multiples. Any valuations in local currency are converted into sterling at the prevailing exchange rate on the valuation date.

Although the Manager believes that the estimates of fair values are appropriate, the use of different methodologies or assumptions could lead to different measurements of fair values.

Subsequent adjustments in price are determined by the Manager's Valuation and Pricing Committee.

The table below shows how the most significant unquoted investments have been valued as at 31 January 2020.

 

Method of fair value valuation

2020 fair

value GBP

£'000

2019 fair

value GBP

£'000

Harwood Private Equity Fund IV

Net Assets

37,524

31,569

Sherwood Holdings Limited 12.5% PIK Loan Notes

Cost

19,544

17,131

Performance Chemical Holdings Common Stock US$

Valuation Multiple

10,327

10,353

Performance Chemical Holdings Series A Preferred Stock US$

Cost

3,454

3,462

Harwood Leeds Property

Fair Value

-

9,516

Coventbridge Group Limited USD 9% loan

Cost

10,051

7,604

Pelsis Holding/Hamsard 3468 Ltd 8% A1 Loan Notes Euro €1

Valuation Multiple

2,677

2,780

Pelsis Holding/Hamsard 3468 Ltd 8% A2 Loan Notes Euro €1

Valuation Multiple

4,016

4,169

Pelsis Holdin/Hamsard 3468 Ltd A4 Ordinary Euro €1

Valuation Multiple

32

32

Trident Private Equity Fund LP 3 Including Rebate

Net Assets

6,418

6,339

Jaguar Holdings Limited Ordinary Shares - USD

Valuation Multiple

1,630

3,042

Jaguar Holdings Limited Preference Shares - USD

Valuation Multiple

2,162

2,167

Viking Investments LP

Net Assets

4,852

4,411

Utitec Holdings Inc US$ - Loan Stock 12.5%

Cost

3,793

3,802

GAJV Holdings, Ordinary shares

Valuation Multiple

-

-

GAJV Holdings, CD

Cost

-

1142

GAJV Holdings, Preferred

Cost

-

404

WEP II SIMCO Co-Investment US$

Net Assets

1,517

1,521

Hampton Investment Properties Ltd New

Net Assets

995

995

Spring Investment LP (Duke Street) GBP

Cost

3,500

-

Specialist Components Ltd APC Technology Ord £1

Cost

118

-

Specialist Components Ltd GBP 5% Loan Notes

Cost

2,622

-

Telos Corporation Common Stock

Fair Value

1,315

1,318

 

 

 

 

 

 

116,547

111,757

Other investments

 

449

574

 

 

 

 

 

 

116,996

112,331

the valuation techniques applied are based on the following assumptions:

Unquoted investments are usually valued by reference to the valuation multiples of similar listed companies or from transactions of similar businesses. Where appropriate discounts are then applied to those comparable multiples to reflect difference in size and liquidity. These enterprise values are then adjusted for net debt to arrive at an equity valuation. Where companies are in compliance with the loan note terms these loans are generally held at par plus accrued interest (where applicable) unless the enterprise value suggests that the debt cannot be recovered.

Further detail on the valuation of significant investments, are detailed below:

Trident Private Equity Fund III LP (TPE3) and Harwood Private Equity IV LP (HPE4)

Held at net asset value, derived from the audited financial statements of the Funds as at 31 December 2019, as the underlying investments within TPE3 and HPE4 are valued on a fair value basis. The Directors believe that the movement between the Funds' measurement dates and the reporting dates are not material. As the funds have no debts, a change of 10% in the underlying assets would have a 10% impact on the Funds' carrying value.

Performance Chemical Company - Ordinary Stock and Preferred Stock

The ordinary stock is valued using an EBITDA multiple of 7.3x to calculate an enterprise value. The preferred stock is held at cost. A reduction in the multiple by a factor of 1x would reduce the carrying value of the total investment by £1.6 million or 12%. An increase in the multiple by a factor of 1x would increase the value of the total investment by £1.6 million or 12%.

Coventbridge Group Limited - Loan

The loan is held at par plus accrued interest. The enterprise value is calculated using an EBITDA multiple of 8.3x. Neither a reduction nor an increase in the multiple by a factor of 1x would impact the carrying value of the loan.

Sherwood Holdings Limited - Loan

The loan is held at par plus accrued interest. The enterprise value is calculated using an EBITDA multiple of 15.5x. Neither a reduction nor an increase in the multiple by a factor of 1x would impact the carrying value of the loan.

Hansard 3468 Limited - Ordinary Shares and Loan notes

The ordinary shares are valued using an EBITDA multiple of 11.2x to calculate an enterprise value. The loan notes are held at par. Interest income has not been accrued in the accounts. A reduction in the multiple by a factor of 1x would reduce the carrying value of the total investment by £1.3 million or 19%. An increase in the multiple by a factor of 1x would increase the value of the total investment by £1.3 million or 19%.

The following table illustrates the sensitivity of the profit after taxation and net assets to an increase or decrease of 10% in the fair values of the Company's investments. This level of change is considered to be reasonably possible based on observation of current market conditions. The sensitivity analysis is based on the Company's equities and equity exposure through options at each Balance Sheet date, with all other variables held constant.

 

2020

2019

 

Increase in
 fair value

£'000

Decrease in
fair value

£'000

Increase in
fair value

£'000

Decrease in
fair value

£'000

Increase/(decrease) in net assets

60,117

(60,117)

50,070

(50,070)

 

(ii) liquidity risk

This is the risk that the Company will encounter difficulty in meeting obligations associated with financial liabilities.

The Company invests in equities and other investments that are readily realisable. It also invests in unquoted securities, which are less readily marketable than equities. These investments are monitored by the Board on regular basis.

As at 31 January 2020, the majority of the Company's cash is held in short-term Treasury Bills, which are highly liquid. As a consequence, the Company could access in excess of £63 million based on current exchange rates, within one week.

(iii) credit risk

Other than its investment in US Treasury Bills, the Company does not have any significant exposure to credit risk arising from any one individual party. Credit risk is spread across a number of counterparties, each having an immaterial effect on the Company's cash flows, should a default happen. The Company assesses the credit worthiness of its debtors from time to time to ensure they are neither past due or impaired.

The maximum exposure of the financial assets to credit risk at the Balance Sheet date was as follows:

 

2020
£'000

2019
£'000

financial assets neither past due or impaired

 


Fixed income securities

42,704

45,002

Preference shares

4,290

4,433

Treasury Bills

63,841

90,893

Accrued income and other debtors

3,736

19,623

Cash and cash equivalents

17,805

30,669

 



 

132,376

190,620

The maximum credit exposure of financial assets represents the carrying amount.

There are no financial assets that are past due or impaired.

commitments giving rise to credit risk

There are no commitments giving rise to credit risk as at 31 January 2020.

fair value of financial assets

The Company measures fair values using the fair value hierarchy that reflects the significance of the inputs used in making the measurements of the relevant assets as follows:

· Level 1 - Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

· Level 2 - Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly (that is, as prices) or indirectly (that is, derived from prices).

· Level 3 - Inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data (unobservable inputs). See note 1e) for details on how the value of level 3 investments are calculated.
The Company's main unobservable inputs are earnings multiples, recent transactions and net asset basis. The market value would be sensitive to movements in these unobservable inputs. Movements in these inputs, individually or in aggregate could have a significant effect on the market value. The effect of such a change or a reasonable possible alternative would be difficult to quantify as such data is not available.

The level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement is categorised in its entirety is determined on the basis of the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. For this purpose, the significance of an input is assessed against the fair value measurement in its entirety. If a fair value measurement uses observable inputs that require significant adjustment based on unobservable inputs, that measurement is a Level 3 measurement. Assessing the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgement, considering factors specific to the asset or liability.

The Company considers observable data from investments actively traded in organised financial markets, fair value is generally determined by reference to Stock Exchange quoted market bid prices at the close of business on the Balance Sheet date, without adjustment for transaction costs necessary to realise the asset.

The table below sets out fair value measurements of financial assets in accordance with the IFRS 13 fair value hierarchy system:

financial assets at fair value through profit or loss

At 31 January 2020

Total
£'000

Level 1
£'000

Level 2
£'000

Level 3
£'000

Equity investments

494,623

420,331

-

74,292

Fixed interest investments

106,545

63,841

-

42,704

 





Total

601,168

484,172

-

116,996

 





 

 

 

 

 

At 31 January 2019

Total
£'000

Level 1
£'000

Level 2
£'000

Level 3
£'000

Equity investments

364,801

297,472

-

67,329

Fixed interest investments

135,895

90,893

-

45,002

 





Total

500,696

388,365

-

112,331

A reconciliation of fair value measurements in Level 3 is set out below.

level 3 financial assets at fair value through profit or loss

At 31 January 2020

Total
£'000

Equity
investments
£'000

Fixed interest
investments
£'000

Opening Balance

112,331

67,329

45,002

Purchases

25,732

8,957

16,775

Sales

(19,771)

(1,468)

(18,303)

 




Total gains/(losses) included in gains on investments in the Statement of Comprehensive Income:

 



- on assets sold

(1,966)

(1,578)

(388)

- on assets held at the end of the year

670

1,052

(382)

 




Closing balance

116,996

74,292

42,704

capital management policies and procedures

The Company's capital management objectives are:

· to ensure that the Company will be able to continue as a going concern; and

· to maximise the income and capital return to its equity Shareholders through an appropriate balance of equity capital and debt. The policy is that gearing should not exceed 30% of net assets.

The Company's capital at 31 January comprises:


2020
£'000

2019
£'000

Debt

-

-

Equity



Equity share capital

708

716

Retained earnings and other reserves

620,015

530,709





620,723

531,425




Debt as a % of net assets

0.0%

0.0%

capital management policies and procedures

The Board, with the assistance of the Manager monitor and reviews the broad structure of the Company's capital on an ongoing basis. This review includes:

· the planned level of gearing, which takes account of the Manager's views on the market;

· the need to buy back equity Shares for cancellation, which takes account of the difference between the net asset value per share and the Share price (i.e. the level of share price discount or premium);

· the need for new issues of equity Shares; and

· the extent to which revenue in excess of that which is required to be distributed should be retained.

The Company's objectives, policies and processes for managing capital are unchanged from the preceding accounting period.

15 related party transactions

Harwood Capital LLP is regarded as a related party of the Company due to Christopher Mills, the Company's Chief Executive and Investment Manager being a member of Harwood Capital LLP until 9 June 2015 and the ultimate beneficial owner. Harwood Capital LLP acts as Investment Manager or Investment Adviser of the following companies in which the Company has an investment and from which companies it receives fees or other incentives for its services:

 

Services

2020

£'000

2019

£'000

Oryx International Growth Fund Limited

Investment Advisory

1,843

1,689

Trident Private Equity III LP

Investment Advisory

147

200

Harwood Private Equity IV LP

Investment Advisory

3,052

3,050

The amounts payable to the Manager are disclosed in note 3. The relationships between the Company, its Directors and the Manager are disclosed in the Report of the Directors in the Annual Report.

Christopher Mills is Chief Executive Officer and indirectly a member of Harwood Capital LLP. He is also a director of Oryx. GFS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harwood Capital Management Limited, which is the holding company of the Harwood group of companies and is, in turn, 100% owned by Christopher Mills. Harwood Capital Management Limited is also a Designated Member of Harwood Capital LLP, the Administrator of the Company.

disclosure of interests

Christopher Mills is also a director of the following companies in which the Company has an investment or may have had in the year and/or from which he may receive fees or hold shares: AssetCo plc, Augean plc, Benchmark Holdings Plc, Bigblu Broadband plc, Coventbridge Group, EKF Diagnostics Holdings Plc, Goals Soccer Centres plc, Hargreaves Services Plc, M J Gleeson Group plc, Oryx, Pelsis/Hamsard, Renalytix AI Plc, Sherwood Holdings Limited, Signature Aviation Plc, Stobart Group Plc, Sunlink Health Systems Inc, Sureserve Group plc, Ten Entertainment Group plc and Tribal Group Plc. Employees of the Manager may hold options over shares in investee companies. A total of £411,000 (2019: £306,000) in directors fees was received by Christopher Mills during the year under review.

No formal arrangements exist to avoid double charging on investments held by the Company which are also managed or advised by Christopher Mills (Chief Executive) and/or Harwood Capital LLP. Members and certain private clients of Harwood Capital LLP, and its associates (excluding Christopher Mills and his family) hold 83,924 shares in the Company (2019: 73,343).

Members, employees, institutional clients and private clients of Harwood Capital LLP may co-invest in the same investments as the Company.

From time to time Directors may co-invest in the same investments as the Company.

16 post balance sheet events

Since the end of the period all world markets have fallen substantially due to the onset of the COVID-19 virus which has disastrously impacted economic activity. These matters are considered further in the Chairman's Statement, the Investment Manager's Report and within the Board's review of principal risks earlier in the Annual Report.


This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
 
END
 
 
FR KKBBKABKDAPD
UK 100

Latest directors dealings