TIDMBPET
RNS Number : 9275F
BMO Private Equity Trust PLC
20 November 2020
To: Stock Exchange For immediate release:
20 November 2020
BMO Private Equity Trust PLC
Quarterly results for the three months to 30 September 2020
(unaudited)
-- Net asset value of 388.68p per Ordinary Share reflecting a
total return for the three months of 2.1 per cent for the Ordinary
Shares
-- Share price total return for the three months of -13.9 per cent for the Ordinary Shares
-- Quarterly dividend of 3.99p per Ordinary Share to be paid on 29 January 2021
-- Dividend yield of 5.9% based on the period end share price (1).
(1) Calculated as dividends of 3.99p paid on 31 July and 30
October 2020 and 3.99p payable on 29 January 2021 annualised
divided by the Company's share price of 270.50p as at 30 September
2020.
Introduction
As at 30 September 2020, the net assets of the Company were
GBP287.4 million, giving a Net Asset Value (NAV) per share of
388.68p. Taking into account the dividend of 3.99p paid on 31 July
the NAV total return for the quarter is +2.1%, and -2.7% for the
nine months to 30 September 2020.
With the discount widening from 8.8% at 31 December 2019 to
30.4% at 30 September 2020 the share price total return for this
nine-month period was -25.7%.
At 30 September 2020 the Company had net debt of GBP67.9 million
and outstanding undrawn commitments of GBP133 million including
GBP14 million to funds where the investment period has expired.
The next quarterly dividend of 3.99p per share will be paid on
29 January 2021 to shareholders on the register on 8 January 2021.
The ex-dividend date is 7 January 2021.
The valuation is set against the backdrop of the COVID-19
pandemic, which has continued to spread rapidly across the world,
with over 48 million confirmed cases recorded and the loss of over
1.2 million lives as of 6 November 2020 according to the World
Health Organisation. While the widespread national lockdowns
experienced earlier in the year have been relaxed to varying
degrees it is apparent that in some cases this was done too early
or too rapidly in the absence of effective alternative methods of
controlling the spread of the virus. As a result, there is
currently a worrying second wave spreading across many parts of
Europe, leading to a rapid increase in both new cases and deaths
and the re-imposition of national lockdowns in many European
countries. Similarly, the US is experiencing a rapid rise in
infections, with confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic
now exceeding 10 million.
It is difficult to predict the full impact of the pandemic,
lockdown restrictions, and fiscal and monetary support let alone
the longer-term implications for economic growth. As is typical
this valuation is largely based off 30 June valuations adjusted for
cashflows, with only c.30% of 30 September valuations received by
at the time of calculation. Nevertheless, this is arguably the
first valuation in which the impact of the pandemic is reflected in
all the underlying valuations, and it is therefore a good
opportunity to assess more compressively how the portfolio has
fared since the onset of the pandemic.
The Company has a well-diversified portfolio, which is not
overly exposed to any one company or sector. As expected, most of
the portfolio companies have been negatively impacted, with only a
handful (for example those supplying personal protective equipment)
experiencing accelerated growth. All the companies are facing
significant challenges including keeping employees and customers
safe and managing supply chains. However, at this stage, it appears
that the portfolio as a whole is proving encouragingly resilient to
the crisis, due in a large part to the hard work of the portfolio
management teams and our investment partners who have been very
actively supporting them. This support is one of the key
foundations of private equity, and we believe is a key driver of
private equity's outperformance of public markets particularly in
difficult times.
New Investments
No new commitments were made to funds or co-investments during
the quarter, as we continue to pursue a cautious approach to new
investments until the full impact of, and path to recovery from,
the pandemic is clearer.
As previously reported during the quarter we re-financed one of
our co-investments Accuvein, a producer of vein visualisation
devices, which help medical staff access patients veins which can
be particularly difficult in very ill, obese and very young
patients. In July we contributed GBP1.3 million to a GBP10 million
round, which will hopefully see the company through to cashflow
breakeven next year.
There were also a number of drawdowns across the portfolio for
new investments and add-on investments. In the UK Kester Capital
drew GBP1.5 million to fund investments in Vixio (previously
Compliance Online) and YouGarden (gardening ecommerce) both of
which were completed in 2019 and had been funded by a bridge loan.
Inflexion Supplemental Fund V drew GBP0.4 million to support
Marstons (traffic penalty enforcement and debt collection), which
has been impacted by COVID-19 as enforcement officers were not
allowed to work during the lockdown and continue to have restricted
access to properties.
In Europe DBAG Fund VII drew GBP1.0 million for further
investment into Cartonplast (supply chain services for the food and
beverage industry) and Blikk (radiology services). Montefiore V
drew GBP0.3 million for an investment in Groupe Open, a listed
French IT services company that it has taken private and Verdane
Edda drew GBP0.5 million for a new investment in Evondos, the
Nordic market leader in automated medicine dispensing primarily for
elderly patients.
In the US Archimed II drew GBP0.5 million for an investment in
ActiGraph, a US based company that provides sensors and software
for sleep monitoring for use in both academic and clinical studies
and Graycliff drew GBP0.5 million from Funds III and IV for
investment in Gerard Daniel Worldwide a manufacturer and
distributor of wire mesh and other wire products.
During the quarter a total of GBP7.8 million was invested
(GBP1.5 million into co-investments and GBP6.3 million into funds).
This is down from a total of GBP11.7 million in Q1 and GBP9.9
million in Q2, with the funds element being GBP8.8 million and
GBP8.4 million in Q1 and Q2 respectively.
Realisations
The total realisations during the quarter were GBP6.1 million,
which is down from what we would expect in a normal quarter, but a
recovery from the GBP4.8 million received in Q2 (during Q1 the
Company received GBP9.7 million from realisations largely agreed
prior to the onset of the pandemic).
The largest distribution at GBP4.1 million was the receipt of
final proceeds from the sale of our co-investment in Recover Nordic
to EQT bringing the total return for the Company to 3.6x cost and
23% IRR. Other material realisations include GBP0.6 million
received from Accession Mezzanine following the sale of Bulgarian
telecoms company Vivacom. This is the final exit for this 2006
vintage fund, which is now in liquidation.
In the UK consumer specialist Piper also achieved a strong exit,
with the sale of natural dog food brand Forthglade to IK Investment
Partners for an excellent 4.8x cost and 37% IRR, resulting in a
distribution of GBP0.5 million from Piper Private Equity V.
Finally, in the US Camden sold debt management software company
Katabat for 1.1x cost, returning GBP0.4 million to the Company.
Since the quarter end there appears to be an increase in
realisation activity with funds including Piper Private Equity V,
Portobello III and Agilitas 2015 reporting successful exits. This
demonstrates the continued demand for high quality businesses, and
buyers increasing confidence in transacting during the crisis.
Valuation changes
The portfolio was up by GBP10.1 million (2.9%) before the impact
of foreign exchange. During the quarter Sterling strengthened
particularly against the US dollar (+4.4%), as a result there was a
negative impact of 0.8% of portfolio value, taking the overall
movement to +2.2%.
Uplifts came from across the portfolio, driven by a combination
of recovery from previous pandemic induced lows and company
specific circumstances. Our portfolio of Inflexion holdings
provides a good example of the former: this portfolio of largely UK
mid-market businesses is valued based of draft 30 September
valuations and was up by GBP1.2 million (4.6%) reflecting
encouraging progress across the portfolio.
The largest uplift of GBP3.1 million was in Ambio, the active
pharmaceutical ingredients company, based on the valuation of a
recent funding round. Dotmatics, the provider of informatics
software to research laboratories, continues to trade strongly,
with little impact from COVID-19, resulting in an uplift of GBP2.7
million to 2.1x cost. STAXS, the value added distributor of
consumables for pharma and cleanrooms, continues to experience
exceptional growth driven by COVID-19 induced demand for personal
protective equipment, and has been written up by GBP2.4 million to
2.5x cost and with the potential to return c.GBP3 million (the cost
of our investment) via a refinancing of the business over coming
months. San Siro (Italian funeral homes) is also uplifted by GBP1.2
million to 2.0x cost, reflecting increased profitability following
the integration of two acquisitions.
Funds that have been written-up include Inflexion 2010 Fund
which has been written-up by GBP0.9 million largely due to strong
trading in British Engineering Services (testing, inspection and
certification) which has been written up to 12.7x cost. Procuritas
Capital V (+GBP0.9 million), Procuritas IV (+GBP0.8 million),
Polish fund Avallon MBO Fund III (+GBP0.6 million), Vaaka Partners
Buyout Fund II (+GBP0.6 million) and Horizon Capital III (+GBP0.6
million).
Unsurprisingly there were also several write-downs within the
portfolio, due to the adverse effects of the pandemic. The largest
of these were in our oil and gas co-investments Ashtead, Coretrax
and TWMA, which were down GBP2.4 million, GBP1.9 million and GBP0.7
million respectively due to the lower levels of activity in the oil
and gas sector. As previously reported logistics company Walkers
Transport has been hard hit by the pandemic and the reduction in
palletised freight volumes particularly during the lockdown. There
has been an encouraging recovery in volumes in Q3, however year to
date trading is down c.30% on the prior year, and as a result the
valuation is down by GBP1.1 million. Collingwood Insurance Group
also faces a difficult market and has experienced a significant
reduction in its taxi business due to COVID-19, resulting in a
write-down of GBP1.0 million. Finally, within the co-investment
portfolio, restaurant chain Rosa Mexicano has been written down a
further GBP0.4 million as a result of restaurant closures and
reduced capacity due to the pandemic. Funds that were hard hit by
the pandemic include NEM III (-GBP1.0 million) due to high exposure
to travel, Italian Portfolio (-GBP0.8 million) and Astorg VI
(-GBP0.4 million).
Financing
The Company has seen net debt increase from GBP62.7 million to
GBP67.9 million over the quarter, an increase of GBP5.2 million,
due to continued investment by funds, some re-financings, a fall in
realisations and the payment of a GBP3.0 million dividend. Net debt
has since reduced to GBP63.6 million as at 10 November 2020.
Our current projections continue to show that the Company should
stay well within its covenants and borrowing facility.
Outlook
As we write Pfizer has released positive interim results from
stage III clinical trials of its messenger RNA based COVID-19
vaccine, causing a surge in global stock markets and driving the
MSCI All-Country World Index to a new all-time high.
While there is encouraging progress in the development of
vaccines and therapies to combat COVID-19 we believe that it is
likely that the pandemic will continue to negatively impact
economies around the world for some time.
The full implications of the crisis on economic growth and
individual businesses are still to be seen - for example the number
of company insolvencies in England and Wales has decreased by c.40%
in Q3 2020 vs the same period in the prior year as a result of
generous government support. Unfortunately, when this support is
withdrawn (as it surely must be at some point) we fear that this
trend will reverse rapidly. The US election result has been well
received by markets and should provide a more stable political
backdrop for businesses. The terms of the UK's exit from the EU
however remain to be agreed. We therefore believe that while the
outlook is generally positive, huge challenges and uncertainties
remain, and there will likely to be bumps in the road to
recovery.
The Company's portfolio has so far proven encouragingly
resilient, and requirements for re-financings have been smaller
than anticipated. We therefore remain very confident that the
Company is well placed to come through the crisis, and to continue
to build long-term value for its shareholders.
Hamish Mair
Investment Manager
BMO Investment Business Limited
BMO PRIVATE EQUITY TRUST PLC
Statement of Comprehensive Income for the
nine months ended 30 September 2020 (unaudited)
Revenue Capital Total
GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000
---------------------------------------------- --------- --------- ---------
Income
Losses on investments held at fair value - (1,786) (1,786)
Exchange losses - (3,590) (3,590)
Investment income 1,789 - 1,789
Other income 7 - 7
---------------------------------------------- --------- --------- ---------
Total income 1,796 (5,376) (3,580)
---------------------------------------------- --------- --------- ---------
Expenditure
Investment management fee - basic fee (209) (1,884) (2,093)
Investment management fee - performance - - -
fee
Other expenses (726) - (726)
---------------------------------------------- --------- --------- ---------
Total expenditure (935) (1,884) (2,819)
---------------------------------------------- --------- --------- ---------
Profit/(loss) before finance costs and
taxation 861 (7,260) (6,399)
Finance costs (178) (1,597) (1,775)
---------------------------------------------- --------- --------- ---------
Profit/(loss) before taxation 683 (8,857) (8,174)
Taxation - - -
Profit/(loss) for period/total comprehensive
income 683 (8,857) (8,174)
Return per Ordinary Share 0.92 (11.98p) (11.06p)
BMO PRIVATE EQUITY TRUST PLC
Statement of Comprehensive Income for the
nine months ended 30 September 2019 (unaudited)
Revenue Capital Total
GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000
------------------------------------------ --------- --------- ---------
Income
Gains on investments held at fair value - 13,081 13,081
Exchange gains - 588 588
Investment income 3,010 - 3,010
Other income 56 - 56
------------------------------------------ --------- --------- ---------
Total income 3,066 13,669 16,735
------------------------------------------ --------- --------- ---------
Expenditure
Investment management fee - basic fee (206) (1,858) (2,064)
Investment management fee - performance
fee - (1,289) (1,289)
Other expenses (619) - (619)
------------------------------------------ --------- --------- ---------
Total expenditure (825) (3,147) (3,972)
------------------------------------------ --------- --------- ---------
Profit before finance costs and taxation 2,241 10,522 12,763
Finance costs (132) (1,190) (1,322)
------------------------------------------ --------- --------- ---------
Profit before taxation 2,109 9,332 11,441
Taxation (401) 401 -
Profit for period/total comprehensive
income 1,708 9,733 11,441
Return per Ordinary Share 2.31p 13.16p 15.47p
BMO PRIVATE EQUITY TRUST PLC
Statement of Comprehensive Income for the
year ended 31 December 2019 (audited)
Revenue Capital Total
GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000
-------------------------------------------- --------- --------- ---------
Income
Gains on investments held at fair value - 30,687 30,687
Exchange gains - 2,352 2,352
Investment income 3,788 - 3,788
Other income 63 - 63
-------------------------------------------- --------- --------- ---------
Total income 3,851 33,039 36,890
-------------------------------------------- --------- --------- ---------
Expenditure
Investment management fee - basic fee (279) (2,509) (2,788)
Investment management fee - performance
fee - (1,878) (1,878)
Other expenses (844) - (844)
-------------------------------------------- --------- --------- ---------
Total expenditure (1,123) (4,387) (5,510)
-------------------------------------------- --------- --------- ---------
Profit before finance costs and taxation 2,728 28,652 31,380
Finance costs (181) (1,632) (1,813)
-------------------------------------------- --------- --------- ---------
Profit before taxation 2,547 27,020 29,567
Taxation - - -
Profit for year/total comprehensive income 2,547 27,020 29,567
Return per Ordinary Share 3.45p 36.54p 39.99p
BMO PRIVATE EQUITY TRUST PLC
Balance Sheet
As at 30 As at 30 As at 31 December
September September 2019
2020 2019
(unaudited) (unaudited) (audited)
GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000
--------------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------------
Non-current assets
Investments at fair value through
profit or loss 357,290 318,825 348,644
--------------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------------
Current assets
Other receivables 17 21 26
Cash and cash equivalents 4,169 3,188 6,509
--------------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------------
4,186 3,209 6,535
Current liabilities
Other payables (2,002) (2,389) (3,038)
Interest-bearing bank loan (50,330) (9,732) (27,794)
--------------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------------
(52,332) (12,121) (30,832)
Net current liabilities (48,146) (8,912) (24,297)
--------------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------------
Total assets less current liabilities 309,144 309,913 324,347
Non-current liabilities
Interest-bearing bank loan (21,751) (20,945) (20,070)
Net assets 287,393 288,968 304,277
--------------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------------
Equity
Called-up ordinary share capital 739 739 739
Share premium account 2,527 2,527 2,527
Special distributable capital
reserve 15,040 15,040 15,040
Special distributable revenue
reserve 31,403 31,403 31,403
Capital redemption reserve 1,335 1,335 1,335
Capital reserve 236,349 237,924 253,233
Revenue reserve - - -
Shareholders' funds 287,393 288,968 304,277
--------------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------------
Net asset value per Ordinary Share 388.68p 390.81p 411.51p
BMO PRIVATE EQUITY TRUST PLC
Reconciliation of Movements in Shareholders' Funds
Nine months Nine months Year ended
ended 30 September ended 30 31 December
2020 September 2019
2019
(unaudited) (unaudited) (audited)
------------------------------------ -------------------- ------------ -------------
GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000
Opening shareholders' funds 304,277 285,631 285,631
(Loss)/profit for the period/total
comprehensive income (8,174) 11,441 29,567
Dividends paid (8,710) (8,104) (10,921)
------------------------------------ -------------------- ------------ -------------
Closing shareholders' funds 287,393 288,968 304,277
------------------------------------ -------------------- ------------ -------------
Notes (unaudited)
1. The unaudited quarterly results have been prepared on the
basis of the accounting policies set out in the statutory accounts
of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2019. Earnings for
the nine months to 30 September 2020 should not be taken as a guide
to the results for the year to 31 December 2020.
2. Investment management fee:
Nine months ended Nine months ended Year ended 31 December
30 September 2020 30 September 2019 2019
(unaudited) (unaudited) (audited)
Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total
GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000
------------------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
Investment
management
fee - basic fee 209 1,884 2,093 206 1,858 2,064 279 2,509 2,788
Investment
management
fee - performance
fee - - - - 1,289 1,289 - 1,878 1,878
------------------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
209 1,884 2,093 206 3,147 3,353 279 4,387 4,666
------------------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
3. Finance costs:
Nine months ended Nine months ended Year ended 31 December
30 September 2020 30 September 2019 2019
(unaudited) (unaudited) (audited)
Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total
GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000
------------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
Interest payable
on bank loans 178 1,597 1,775 132 1,190 1,322 181 1,632 1,813
4. Returns and net asset values
Nine months ended Nine months Year ended 31
30 September 2020 ended 30 September December 2019
2019
(unaudited) (unaudited) (audited)
The returns and net asset
values per share are based
on the following figures:
Revenue Return GBP683,000 GBP1,708,000 GBP2,547,000
Capital Return (GBP8,857,000) GBP9,733,000 GBP27,020,000
Net assets attributable GBP287,393,000 GBP288,968,000 GBP304,277,000
to shareholders
Number of shares in issue
at end of period 73,941,429 73,941,429 73,941,429
Weighted average number
of shares in issue during
the period 73,941,429 73,941,429 73,941,429
5. The financial information for the nine months ended 30
September 2020, which has not been audited or reviewed by the
Company's auditor, comprises non-statutory accounts within the
meaning of Section 434 of the Companies Act 2006. Statutory
accounts for the year ended 31 December 2019, on which the auditor
issued an unqualified report, have been lodged with the Registrar
of Companies. The quarterly report is available on the Company's
website www.bmoprivateequitytrust.com
Legal Entity Identifier: 2138009FW98WZFCGRN66
For more information, please contact:
Hamish Mair (Investment Manager) 0131 718 1184
Scott McEllen (Company Secretary) 0131 718 1137
hamish.mair@bmogam.com / scott.mcellen@bmogam.com
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