Half Yearly Report

RNS Number : 4160C
Schroder Oriental Income Fund Ltd
30 April 2012
 



 

 

 

 

Half-Yearly Report

 

Schroder Oriental Income Fund Limited (the "Company") hereby submits its Half-Yearly Report for the period ended 29 February 2012 as required by the UK Listing Authority's Disclosure and Transparency Rule 4.2. 

 

The Half Yearly Report is also being published in hard copy format and an electronic copy of that document will shortly be available to download from the Company's website http://www.schroderorientalincome.com  Please click on the following link to view the document:

 

 http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/4160C_-2012-4-30.pdf

 

The Company has submitted a pdf of the hard copy format of its Half-Yearly Report to the National Storage Mechanism and it will shortly be available for inspection at www.Hemscott.com/nsm.do.

 

Enquiries:

 

Jonathan McGuire

Schroder Investment Management Limited                                        Tel: 020 7658 3496

30 April 2012

 

 

 

 

Enquiries:

 

Jonathan McGuire

Schroder Investment Management Limited                                        Tel: 020 7658 3496

 

 

 

Schroder Oriental Income Fund Limited

 

Financial Highlights

                                                                            29 February 2012   31 August 2011            % Change

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Shareholders' funds (£'000)                                               279,951               254,070                      10.2

Shares in issue ('000)                                                         170,815               166,280                        2.7

Net asset value per ordinary share                                    163.89p               152.80p                        7.3

Share price                                                                         164.00p               152.00p                        7.9

Share price premium/(discount)                                               0.1%                  (0.5)%

 

                                                                                        For the six            For the six

                                                                                 months ended      months ended

                                                                            29 February 2012 28 February 2011

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

NAV total return*                                                                   11.0%                  11.9%

Share price total return*                                                       10.7%                    8.9%

MSCI AC Pacific ex Japan Total Return

(sterling adjusted) Index*                                                       7.0%                  10.1%

 

*Source: Morningstar (www.morningstar.co.uk)

 

Ten Largest Investments

 

As at 29 February 2012                                                                            Market Value of                 % of

                                                                                                                             Holding  Shareholders'

Company and Activities                                                                                            £'000              Funds

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Fortune Real Estate Investment Trust                                                                   14,524                 5.19

REIT, comprising shopping malls in Hong Kong

Australia & New Zealand Banking Group                                                               11,553                 4.13

Australian banking group

Swire Pacific                                                                                                           10,227                 3.65

Hong Kong holding company

Taiwan Semiconductor                                                                                             9,748                 3.48

Taiwanese manufacturer of semiconductor products

Venture                                                                                                                    8,760                 3.13

Contract manufacturing services in Singapore

Fletcher Building                                                                                                      8,545                 3.05

New Zealand based building materials

Crown                                                                                                                      8,525                 3.05

Australian Entertainment Group

Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust                                                                  7,933                 2.83

Singapore based REIT, with a diversified portfolio of commercial properties

Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna                                                                                  7,301                 2.61

Leading tobacco company in Indonesia

Glow Energy                                                                                                            7,254                 2.59

Thai supplier of electricity and steam power

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Total                                                                                                                      94,370               33.71

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

 

At 31 August 2011, the ten largest investments represented 32.94% of shareholders' funds.

 

Interim Management Report

 

Chairman's Statement

 

Performance

 

During the six-month period to 29 February 2012, the Company's net asset value produced a total return of 11.0% and the share price produced a total return of 10.7%.

 

The net asset value out-performed the MSCI AC Pacific ex Japan Total Return (sterling adjusted) Index, which produced a total return of 7.0% for the period ended 29 February 2012.

 

Full details of investment performance, as well as portfolio activity, policy and outlook, may be found in the Investment Manager's Review.

 

Dividends

 

I am pleased to report that the Directors have declared a first interim dividend of 2.70p per share (2011: 2.65p) for the year ending 31 August 2012, representing an increase of 1.9% on the first interim dividend paid last year. This dividend will be paid on 4 May 2012 to shareholders on the register on 20 April 2012. A second interim dividend for the year ending 31 August 2012 will be declared later in 2012, as in previous years.

 

Share Capital

 

The Company's shares traded at around asset value for most of the period under review, as demand remained strong, and the average discount during the period was 0.1%.

 

The Board has continued to implement its active policy on discount management and premium control and a total of 4,535,000 ordinary shares were issued at a slight premium to net asset value during the six months to 29 February 2012, to provide liquidity to the market. A further 2,000,000 ordinary shares have been issued since the end of the period. Following these issues, there are a total of 172,814,500 ordinary shares in issue.

 

Gearing

 

The Company has a multi-currency credit facility of £25 million with Scotiabank Europe PLC. During the period, the average net gearing represented 2.3% of net assets and the Directors continue to monitor the level of gearing to ensure that it is utilised in accordance with the guidelines imposed by the Board. Following the period end the borrowings, which had previously been provided in US dollars, were transferred into Australian dollars.

 

Outlook

 

Given the uncertainty in most Western economies and the Middle East at the moment, it is reassuring to see the continued recovery in the portfolio's investment income. Asia continues to provide plenty of opportunities for the portfolio to source dividends growing faster than both local and UK inflation, and in the last six months that has contributed to another good rise in the Company's net asset value.

 

The Investment Manager's report describes the momentum that should keep Asian dividends growing in the next 6-12 months. It is a stability that the Board hopes will continue to offset the risk of further volatility in the West.

 

Robert Sinclair

 

Chairman

 

30 April 2012

 

Investment Manager's Review

 

The net asset value of the Company recorded a total return of 11.0% over the six month period. An interim dividend of 2.70p has been declared.

 

The Asian equity markets have displayed three broad phases over the first half of the Company's fiscal year. The first month witnessed a continuation of the weakness sparked by mounting uncertainty surrounding the sustainability of the euro and the rising debt problems facing not only smaller economies such as Greece and Portugal, but also encircling the major entities of Spain, Italy, and even France in the wake of downgrades by the rating agencies.

 

Asia could not be immune from such issues affecting such a large portion of the global economy, particularly as growth elsewhere was scarcely robust, and the region itself yet to turn the corner decisively on inflationary pressures and tightening credit conditions. Asia credit spreads rose in sympathy with those in Europe, and recoveries in the traditional safe haven currencies of the yen and the dollar further drained liquidity from the regional markets.

 

However, following a period of consolidation markets have prospered at the start of 2012. Widespread easing of monetary policy, most notably in the form of the LTRO programme pursued energetically by the European Central Bank, mirrored by further quantitative easing in the UK and a softening of policy by the Bank of Japan, have supported sentiment, along with a flow of better than expected economic news across the developed and emerging world. Asia has also had more domestic sources of support in the form of a, thus far, orderly slowdown in China and selective interest rate/reserve requirement cuts (India, China, Australia).

 

Markets have as usual displayed a fair amount of variation in performance across the region. Emerging ASEAN markets were generally the outstanding performers, particularly in the earlier part of the period when they were viewed as less directly impacted by external events. The exception was Indonesia where a very expansionary monetary stance by Bank Negara undermined confidence in the currency.

 

The other main laggards were Australia and New Zealand, where a significant portion of the return was reliant on currency strength. This hampered underlying returns particularly for resources (whose revenues are generally priced in US dollars) and export-oriented industrials.

 

Fund Positioning and Performance

 

The Company's focus on well-capitalised companies offering relatively high and sustainable dividends has continued to stand the portfolio in good stead. The total return of 11.0% was significantly ahead of the 7.0% return achieved by the reference benchmark, the MSCI All Countries Pacific ex Japan Total Return (sterling adjusted) Index. The main contributors were stock selection in Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore and Australia. Over weighting New Zealand and the under-representation in Korea were modest headwinds.

 

Country and sector exposure has been broadly stable. Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Australia remain the major areas of exposure, with Thailand the main weight within emerging ASEAN. Key sectors remain property, telecommunications, consumer cyclicals and information technology, which were added to over the period.

 

Investment Outlook

 

Although better economic statistics have provided a major support to equity markets in the first quarter of the year, we believe the developed  economies still face a challenging 2012 with overall growth likely to be at subdued levels. This implies that markets will need to undergo a re-setting of expectations which may mirror that of last year which also started with a period of (subsequently disappointed) optimism over economic activity. This leaves to one side the inevitably less predictable geo-political risks surrounding the situation in the Middle East and tensions over Iran.

 

However, it is undeniable that policy makers have been more aggressive than expected in loosening monetary policy. As a result, the economic outlook for Europe looks slightly less grim. Although tighter fiscal policy and banking sector de-leveraging remains a feature, Germany has proved to be more resilient than forecast whilst the long-term repo operations (LTRO) liquidity measures by the ECB are expected to head off the worst effects of the credit crunch.

 

Against this backdrop, global monetary policy is likely to remain loose with central banks in the major developed economies expected to keep interest rates low for an extended period. There is also the prospect of the US Federal Reserve implementing QE 3 if the economy loses momentum. In the UK, we assume further QE whilst in the Eurozone we see the ECB continuing to offer long term liquidity to the banking system. For emerging markets, 2012 should see cuts in interest rates and bank reserve ratios. China, India and Brazil are already moving in that direction. Given the increased contribution that emerging markets make to global growth, this loosening should support sentiment even if growth forecasts for the developed world are tending to be revised lower.

 

Given the expected environment, the portfolio remains biased towards companies with relatively strong balance sheets, focused management and visible growth forecasts. This does not mean that the portfolio is unduly defensive given that, even on our lower than consensus expectations, there should be reasonable global expansion of around 3% in real terms.

 

The main domestic area of uncertainty for the region is, in our view, China. At a time of continued flux in the leadership, a major re-orientation of economic growth away from investment and towards consumption is required. Given the scale of this shift, there is likely to be a risk of disappointment over headline growth numbers. While we would argue that a lower overall level of growth in China would be healthy for the long-term balance of the global economy, we do not underestimate the likely impact upon sentiment in the region. The possible implications for corporate profits and cash flows is one of the reasons for our continued caution over direct Chinese exposure, allied to the general paucity of attractive dividend opportunities in that market. It also dictates caution on commodity and basic material producers.

 

Sector and Country Weights

 

Portfolio by country                                                                  Portfolio by sector

at 29 February                                Portfolio                            at 29 February                            Portfolio

                                                   Weight (%)                                                                          Weight (%)

―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――                                                          ――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Australia                                                22.0                            Real Estate                                       24.5

Singapore                                              20.2                            Consumer Discretionary                    12.8

Hong Kong                                            18.4                            Telecommunications                          12.2

Taiwan                                                  10.4                            Information Technology                    11.8

Thailand                                                  8.2                            Materials                                             9.0

New Zealand                                           5.3                            Industrials                                          8.6

Indonesia                                                3.9                            Banks                                                  8.2

Korea                                                      3.5                            Other Financials                                  5.0

China                                                       2.9                            Utilities                                                3.2

Malaysia                                                  2.5                            Consumer Staples                              2.6

Philippines                                               2.0                            Energy                                                2.1

Canada                                                   0.7                           

 

Source: Schroders as at 29 February 2012.

 

Schroder Investment Management Limited

 

30 April 2012

 

Principal Risks and Uncertainties

 

The principal risks and uncertainties with the Company's business fall into the following categories: financial risk; gearing; strategic risk; and accounting, legal and regulatory risk. A detailed explanation of the risks and uncertainties in each of these categories can be found on pages 11 and 12 of the Company's published Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2011. These risks and uncertainties have not materially changed during the six months ended 29 February 2012.

 

Going Concern

 

The Directors believe, having considered the Company's investment objectives, risk management policies, capital management policies and procedures, the nature of the portfolio and expenditure projections; that the Company has adequate resources, an appropriate financial structure and suitable management arrangements in place to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For these reasons, they consider there is reasonable evidence to continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the accounts.

 

Related Party Transactions

 

Details of related party transactions can be found on pages 33 and 34 of the Company's published Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2011. There have been no material transactions with the Company's related parties during the six months ended 29 February 2012.

 

Directors' Responsibility Statement

 

The Directors confirm that, to the best of their knowledge, this set of condensed financial statements has been prepared in accordance with The Companies (Guernsey) Law 2008 and with International Financial Reporting Standards ('IASB') and the Interim Management Report as set out above includes a fair review of the information required by 4.2.7R and 4.2.8R of the FSA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

 

Statement of Comprehensive Income

 

                                                      (Unaudited)                           (Unaudited)                          (Audited)

                                                  For the six months                  For the six months                   For the year

                                              ended 29 February 2012          ended 28 February 2011        ended 31 August 2011

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

                                       Revenue    Capital       Total   Revenue     Capital       Total Revenue    Capital      Total

                                Note      £'000      £'000      £'000       £'000       £'000      £'000      £'000      £'000     £'000

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Gains on

investments held at

fair value through

profit or loss                                -    22,290    22,290             -     23,838    23,838            -    26,157   26,157

Currency (losses)/gains                 -      (250)      (250)             -      1,019      1,019            -     1,270     1,270

Income                          2      5,470         200      5,670       4,337          6      4,343    14,323            -   14,323

Investment management

and performance fees     3      (288)    (1,516)    (1,804)       (274)      (638)     (912)      (562)   (3,548)  (4,110)

Administrative expenses         (245)          (4)      (249)       (252)          (4)      (256)      (485)         (7)     (492)

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Net profit before finance

costs and taxation                  4,937    20,720    25,657       3,811     24,221    28,032    13,276    23,872   37,148

Finance costs

Interest payable and

similar charges               3        (49)      (111)      (160)         (58)       (132)      (190)      (102)      (233)     (335)

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Net profit on ordinary

activities before

taxation                                4,888    20,609    25,497       3,753     24,089    27,842    13,174    23,639   36,813

Taxation on ordinary

activities                                (250)            -      (250)        (310)             -       (310)    (1,248)            -  (1,248)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Profit for the period

and Total

Comprehensive Income          4,638    20,609    25,247       3,443     24,089    27,532    11,926    23,639   35,565

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Net profit per ordinary

share                            4      2.75p    12.23p    14.98p       2.10p     14.68p    16.78p     7.22p    14.31p   21.53p

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

 

The total column of this statement represents the Company's Statement of Comprehensive Income prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS").

 

The Company does not have any other comprehensive income and hence the net profit for the period, as disclosed above, is the same as the Company's total comprehensive income.

 

The Revenue and Capital columns are supplementary to this and are prepared under guidance published by the Association of Investment Companies.

 

All revenue and capital items in the above statement derive from continuing operations. No operations were acquired or discontinued during the period.

 

The notes below form an integral part of these financial statements.

 

Statement of Changes in Equity

 

                                                                     For the six months ended 29 February 2012 (Unaudited)

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

                                                                                    Capital

                                                                  Share redemption      Special      Capital   Revenue

                                                                 capital       reserve     reserve     reserve   reserve*         Total

                                                                   £'000          £'000        £'000        £'000        £'000        £'000

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Balance at 1 September 2011                  19,918               39    150,374      68,016      15,723    254,070

Net profit on ordinary activities                         -                 -               -         20,609        4,638      25,247

Issue of shares                                          6,871                 -               -               -               -            6,871

Ordinary dividend paid                                      -                 -               -               -          (6,237)     (6,237)

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

At 29 February 2012                                26,789               39    150,374      88,625      14,124    279,951

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

 

                                                                     For the six months ended 28 February 2011 (Unaudited)

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

                                                                                                    Capital

                                                                  Share redemption      Special      Capital   Revenue

                                                                 capital       reserve     reserve     reserve   reserve*         Total

                                                                   £'000          £'000        £'000        £'000        £'000        £'000

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Balance at 1 September 2010                  10,918               39    150,374      44,377      13,491    219,199

Net profit on ordinary activities                         -                 -               -        24,089        3,443      27,532

Issue of shares                                          9,000                 -               -               -               -           9,000

Ordinary dividend paid                                      -                 -               -               -        (5,288)      (5,288)

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

At 28 February 2011                                19,918               39    150,374      68,466      11,646    250,443

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

 

                                                                              For the year ended 31 August 2011 (Audited)

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

                                                                                    Capital

                                                                  Share redemption      Special      Capital   Revenue

                                                                 capital       reserve     reserve     reserve   reserve*         Total

                                                                   £'000          £'000        £'000        £'000        £'000        £'000

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Balance at 1 September 2010                  10,918               39    150,374      44,377      13,491    219,199

Net profit on ordinary activities                         -                 -               -         23,639      11,926      35,565

Issue of shares                                          9,000                 -               -               -               -           9,000

Ordinary dividends paid                                    -                 -               -               -          (9,694)     (9,694)

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

At 31 August 2011                                   19,918               39    150,374      68,016      15,723    254,070

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

 

*The Revenue reserve represents the amount of the Company's reserves distributable by way of a dividend.

 

The notes below form an integral part of these financial statements.

 

Balance Sheet

 

                                                                                               (Unaudited)     (Unaudited)         (Audited)

                                                                                          At 29 February At 28 February    At 31 August

                                                                                                          2012                2011                2011

                                                                                  Note               £'000               £'000               £'000

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Non-current assets

Investments held at fair value

through profit or loss                                                                   286,764           262,154           261,317

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

                                                                                                     286,764           262,154           261,317

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Current assets

Other receivables                                                                             4,188               2,890               1,589

Cash and cash equivalents                                                            14,423               6,671             13,970

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

                                                                                                       18,611               9,561             15,559

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Total assets                                                                                 305,375           271,715            276,876

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Current liabilities

Bank loans                                                                       5          (20,345)            (19,982)          (19,960)

Other payables                                                                              (5,079)             (1,290)            (2,846)

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

                                                                                                    (25,424)            (21,272)          (22,806)

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Net assets                                                                                    279,951           250,443           254,070

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Equity attributable to equity holders

Share capital                                                                   6             26,789             19,918             19,918

Capital redemption reserve                                                                   39                    39                    39

Special reserve                                                                             150,374           150,374           150,374

Capital reserve                                                                               88,625             68,466             68,016

Revenue reserve                                                                            14,124             11,646             15,723

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Equity shareholders' funds                                                           279,951           250,443           254,070

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Net asset value per ordinary share                                 7           163.89p           150.62p           152.80p

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

 

The notes below form an integral part of these financial statements.

 

Cash Flow Statement

 

                                                                                 (Unaudited)            (Unaudited)                (Audited)

                                                                      For the six months  For the six months            For the year

                                                                     ended 29 February ended 28 February    ended 31 August

                                                                                           2012                       2011                       2011

                                                                                           £'000                      £'000                      £'000

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Cash flows from operating activities

Net profit before finance costs and taxation                    25,657                    28,032                    37,148

Other currency losses/(gains)                                               250                     (1,019)                   (1,270)

Overseas taxes paid                                                          (395)                        (332)                   (1,210)

Adjustments for:

Increase in investments                                                (25,447)                   (24,910)                 (24,073)

Increase in receivables                                                    (2,455)                     (1,338)                        (98)

Increase/(decrease) in payables                                       2,224                     (1,410)                         146

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Net cash (used in)/from operating activities                       (166)                      (977)                    10,643

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

 

Cash flows from financing activities

Equity dividends paid                                                      (6,237)                      (5,288)                   (9,694)

Issue of shares                                                                  6,871                        9,000                      9,000

Bank overdraft interest paid                                                   (1)                             (1)                          (2)

Bank loan interest paid                                                      (142)                          (119)                      (263)

Other finance charges                                                            (7)                            (23)                        (23)

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Net cash from/(used in) financing activities                           484                      3,569                      (982)

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

 

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents                           318                      2,592                      9,661

Effect of realised foreign exchange gains/(losses)                135                      (146)                           84

Cash and cash equivalents at 1 September                    13,970                      4,225                      4,225

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Cash and cash equivalents carried forward                     14,423                      6,671                    13,970

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

 

The notes below form an integral part of these financial statements

 

Notes to the Accounts

 

1. Accounting Policies

 

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34 "Interim Financial Reporting", as adopted by the European Union and are presented in pounds sterling, as this is the principal currency of the primary economic environment in which the Company operates.

 

The Company's accounting policies have not varied from those described in the Report and Accounts for the year to 31 August 2011.

 

Implementation of changes to accounting standards in the financial period, as outlined in the 31 August 2011 accounts, had no significant affect on the accounting or reporting of the Company.

 

2. Income

 

                                                                                 (Unaudited)            (Unaudited)                (Audited)

                                                                                   For the six              For the six                    For the

                                                                             months ended        months ended             year ended

                                                                       29 February 2012   28 February 2011      31 August 2011

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

                                                                                           £'000                      £'000                      £'000

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Income from investments:

Overseas dividends                                                           5,451                      4,258                    14,173

Income on fixed interest securities                                           -                           69                         107

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

                                                                                          5,451                      4,327                    14,280

Other income:

Interest on deposits                                                               19                           10                           43

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

                                                                                          5,470                      4,337                    14,323

Capital:

Distribution allocated to capital                                             200                             6                             -

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

                                                                                          5,670                      4,343                    14,323

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

 

3. Investment management fees and interest payable

 

The investment management fee and finance costs on borrowings for investment purposes are apportioned 70% to capital and 30% to revenue.

 

A performance fee of £844,000 has been accrued in respect of the current year, and apportioned 100% to capital.

 

4. Net profit per ordinary share

 

                                                                                 (Unaudited)            (Unaudited)                (Audited)

                                                                                   For the six              For the six                    For the

                                                                             months ended        months ended             year ended

                                                                       29 February 2012   28 February 2011      31 August 2011

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Revenue (£'000)                                                                4,638                      3,443                    11,926

Capital (£'000)                                                                 20,609                    24,089                    23,639

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Total (£'000)                                                                    25,247                    27,532                    35,565

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Weighted average number of ordinary shares       168,503,374           164,063,616           165,180,664

Revenue                                                                             2.75p                      2.10p                      7.22p

Capital                                                                             12.23p                    14.68p                    14.31p

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Total                                                                                 14.98p                    16.78p                    21.53p

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

 

5. Bank loans

 

                                                                                 (Unaudited)            (Unaudited)                (Audited)

                                                                            At 29 February        At 28 February           At 31 August

                                                                                           2012                       2011                       2011

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

US Dollars                                                                 32,500,000             32,500,000             32,500,000

Equivalent to                                                           £20,345,000           £19,982,000           £19,960,000

 

The Company has a multi-currency secured credit facility of £25,000,000 with Scotiabank Europe PLC. This facility has a revolving 364 day term and is chargeable at a floating rate linked to LIBOR.

 

6. Called-up share capital

 

                                                                                               (Unaudited)     (Unaudited)         (Audited)

                                                                                          At 29 February At 28 February    At 31 August

                                                                                                          2012                2011                2011

                                                                                                         £'000               £'000               £'000

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Authorised:

250,000,000 ordinary shares of 1p each                                         2,500               2,500               2,500

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Allotted, Called up and Fully paid:

Balance brought forward: 166,279,500 (2011: 160,434,500)

ordinary shares                                                                              19,918             10,918             10,918

Shares issued: 4,535,000 (28 February 2011 and

31 August 2011: 5,845,000) ordinary shares                                  6,871               9,000               9,000

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Balance carried forward:170,814,500 (28 February 2011 and

31 August 2011: 166,279,500) ordinary shares                            26,789             19,918             19,918

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

 

7. Net asset value per ordinary share

 

                                                                                               (Unaudited)     (Unaudited)         (Audited)

                                                                                          At 29 February At 28 February    At 31 August

                                                                                                          2012                2011                2011

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Net assets attributable to ordinary shareholders (£'000)            279,951           250,443           254,070

Ordinary shares in issue at end of period                             170,814,500    166,279,500    166,279,500

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Net asset value per ordinary share                                              163.89p           150.62p           152.80p

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

 


This information is provided by RNS
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