Schroders
Capital Global Innovation Trust plc
Half Year
Report
Schroders Capital Global Innovation
Trust plc (the "Company") hereby submits
its Half Year Report for the six months ended 30 June 2024 as
required by the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure Guidance
and Transparency Rule 4.2.
Key
highlights
· The
Company reported a NAV of 20.99p per share as of 30 June 2024, a
decrease of 17.1% relative to the NAV per share as of 31 December
2023 (25.32p) and 8.1.% relative to the NAV per share as of 31
March 2024 (22.82p).
· The
Investment Manager has continued to reposition the portfolio to
align with the long-term investment strategy focused on private
equity and has executed the Company's capital discipline
approach.
· Two
new investments were completed in the life sciences and growth
segments of the portfolio: Neurona Therapeutics, a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company focusing on therapies for chronic
neurological disorders, and "AI Company II" (actual name not
disclosed), a privately held company that provides high-quality
data curation services for generative AI models and application
developers.
· As of
30 June 2024, the Company had £4.8 million in cash, £25.2 million
in money market funds and a further £14.8 million invested in
public equity investments, which will be utilised to meet the
funding requirements of the existing portfolio, execute the buyback
programme, and selectively target new investments in innovative
venture, growth and life sciences companies.
Investor Presentation
Please join us online at 09:00 am on
Tuesday 1 October as Portfolio Managers Tim Creed and Harry Raikes
present the Company's interim results for the six months ended 30
June 2024. Investors can register for
the event at: https://www.schroders.events/event/INOVHY24/websitePage:69ec5b2b-a3b7-41f8-ba96-10260c129ec7
Tim
Edwards, Chair, Schroders Capital Global Innovation Trust
plc:
"Despite the performance during the first half of the year,
the Investment Manager continues to remain focused on executing the
Company's key priorities, which include rebalancing the portfolio
and maximising sales proceeds from positions being exited, in order
to create for shareholders a portfolio of attractive global
companies with reasonable prospects of sustained growth over the
long-term."
The Half Year 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
web pages: www.schroders.com/inov
The Company has submitted a copy of
its Half Year Report to the National Storage Mechanism and it will
shortly be available for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism
Enquiries:
Schroder Investment Management Limited
Andy Pearce (Press)
|
020 7658 2000
|
Katherine Fyfe (Company
Secretarial)
|
020 7658 6000
|
HALF YEAR REPORT AND
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 30 JUNE 2024
Legal Entity Identifier: 2138008X94M7OVE73l77
Information disclosed in accordance with DTR
4.2.2
PERFORMANCE SUMMARY
Net
asset value ("NAV") per share total return*
-17.1%
(Year ended 31 December 2023:
-11.2%)
Share price total return*
-18.8%
(Year ended 31 December 2023:
-5.3%)
NAV
per share
20.99p
(Year ended 31 December 2023:
25.32p)
Some of the financial measures are
classified as Alternative Performance Measures, as defined by the
European Securities and Markets Authority and are indicated with an
asterisk (*). Definitions of these performance measures, and other
terms used in this report, are given on pages 30 and 31 together
with supporting calculations and sources where
appropriate.
Investment objective
The investment objective of
Schroders Capital Global Innovation Trust plc (the "Company") is to
achieve long-term capital growth through investing in a diversified
global portfolio of private and public equity companies.
Investment Policy
The portfolio manager employs a
collaborative, team-based approach combining skills, experience and
research resources across its public and private equity teams. It
aims to identify private equity investments which demonstrate an
optimal combination of fast-growing, high-quality companies with
strong management teams and co-investors, and public companies with
innovative business models, a focus on organic growth and
high-quality management.
The portfolio composition at any one
time will reflect the opportunities available to the portfolio
manager, the performance of the underlying investee companies and
the maturity of the portfolio. The Company's portfolio will
typically consist of 30-80 holdings. The Company may become a
significant shareholder in any of the underlying investee
companies. While the intention is for each underlying investee
company to represent not less than 20 per cent of the Company over
the longterm, the actual exposure may vary from time to time
reflecting the maturity of the portfolio and market environment at
that time.
The Company's portfolio is
constructed on the basis of an assessment of the fundamental value
of individual securities and is not structured on the basis of
country or sector weightings. The Company's portfolio will be
diversified across a number of sectors and, while there are no
specific limits placed on exposure to any one country or sector,
the Company will at all times invest and manage the portfolio in a
manner consistent with spreading investment risk.
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Trust plc
Ongoing charges ratio*
1.09%
(Year ended 31 December 2023:
1.08%)
Share price discount to NAV per share*
43.3%
(Year ended 31 December 2023:
42.1%)
Share price
11.90p
(Year ended 31 December 2023:
14.65p)
Revenue return per share
-0.12p
(31 December 2023: -0.20p)
This is not a sustainable product for the purposes of the
Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") rules.
References to the consideration of
sustainability factors and ESG integration should not be construed
as a representation that the Company seeks to achieve any
particular sustainability outcome.
CHAIR'S STATEMENT
"The recent performance has made it
important for the Board and the Manager to work closely and
constructively to ensure that the Company has the platform and the
foundations to meet the expectations of our
shareholders."
Performance and valuation
During the six-month period to 30
June 2024, the NAV per share decreased by 17.1% from 25.32p per
share to 20.99p per share; the share price decreased by 18.8% from
14.65p to 11.90p; and the share price discount to NAV per share
widened from 42.1% to 43.3%.
Whilst this performance is clearly
disappointing, the Investment Manager has continued to execute the
Company's strategy as agreed with the Board and we have continued
to implement our capital discipline policy. Your Board is conscious
of the Company's continuation vote in 2025 and is continuing to
work with the Manager on the Company's long-term strategy so it
will have long-term appeal to our shareholders. The Company's
strategy remains as follows:
- Stay close to
the portfolio and work with portfolio management teams,
co-investors, and other stakeholders to support business growth and
a path to profitability
- Rebalance the
portfolio ensuring the appropriate liquidity (cash and liquid
public equities) to execute efficiently the buyback programme and
support the portfolio
- Maximise the
sale proceeds from holdings, both public and private, as part of
the rebalancing exercise
- Complete new
investments that align with our strategy
The Company's portfolio has had
another challenging period. During the period, the Investment
Manager has continued to monitor progress across the various
investments, and has actively engaged with their management teams.
Good progress has been made by a number of the companies including
Atom Bank, Revolut, Nexeon and Carmot Therapeutics. However, this
progress has not been universal across the portfolio and other
portfolio companies faced challenges over the period, which has led
to the Company's negative performance overall.
The main detractors to performance
over the first half of the year included the public equity holdings
in the DNA sequencing company Oxford Nanopore Technologies and,
despite significant financial and product developments, Autolus
Therapeutics. In the Company's private equity holdings, Ocuterra
and Reaction Engines both contributed negatively to the performance
over the period.
The Investment Manager has continued
to reposition the portfolio to align with the long-term investment
strategy focused on private equity, has executed the Company's
capital discipline approach, and has made two new investments into
companies in the life sciences and growth segments of the portfolio
(further details in the Investment Manager's Review).
The recent performance has made it
important for the Board and the Manager to work closely and
constructively to ensure that the Company has the platform and the
foundations to meet the expectations of our shareholders. More
details on performance, valuation and portfolio activity can be
found in the Investment Manager's Review.
Capital discipline and share repurchases
As noted in the annual report and
financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023, the Board
has restated its intention to repurchase shares equal to at least
5% of the Company's issued share capital in each of the calendar
years 2023 and 2024, and in addition such number of shares in order
to ensure that over the period to the 2025 Annual General Meeting
("AGM"), the Company has undertaken share repurchases in an amount
equating to 25% of all net cash realisations from the portfolio
inherited from the previous portfolio manager. As of 26 September
2024, the Company had repurchased 35,000,000 shares for
cancellation. No shares are held in treasury. Accordingly, the
total number of voting rights in the Company as of 26 September
2024 was 822,360,026.
Continuation vote
In accordance with the Company's
Articles of Association, shareholders will have the opportunity to
vote on the continuation of the Company at its AGM in 2025 and
every five years thereafter.
Board succession
Scott Brown retired from the Board
at the AGM in May 2024 having served on the Board since 2015.
Following his departure, the Board continues to review its
composition and as stated in the Annual Report, have agreed to
continue with the composition of four Directors for the time
being.
Results webinar
Please join the Investment Manager
for a webinar in which they will report on the half year ended 30
June 2024 and outline their thoughts on the future direction of the
portfolio. The presentation will be followed by a live Q&A
session. The webinar will take place on Tuesday 1 October 2024 at
9.00a.m. Register for the event at
https://www.schroders.events/INOVHY24 or via the QR code
below:
Outlook
As of 30 June 2024, the Company had
£4.8 million in cash, £25.2 million in money market funds and
a further £14.8 million invested in public equity investments,
which will be utilised to meet the funding requirements of the
existing portfolio, execute the buyback programme, and selectively
target new investments in innovative venture, growth and life
sciences companies.
Despite the difficult performance
during the first half of the year, the Investment Manager continues
to remain focused on executing the Company's key priorities, which
include rebalancing the portfolio and maximising sales proceeds
from positions being exited, in order to create for shareholders
a portfolio of attractive global companies with reasonable
prospects of sustained growth over the long-term.
Tim Edwards
Chair
27 September 2024
INVESTMENT MANAGER'S
REVIEW
"Despite several headwinds, we have
continued to make progress in delivering the share buyback,
shifting the portfolio to focus on private equity, and investing in
exciting new opportunities across venture, growth and life
sciences."
Summary
-
The Company reported a NAV
of 20.99p per share as of 30 June 2024, a decrease of 17.1%
relative to the NAV per share as of 31 December 2023 (25.32p)
and 8.1% relative to the NAV per share as of 31 March 2024
(22.82p).1
-
Performance over the first quarter was impacted by
news, which was previously disclosed in the Company's annual report
and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023, that
OcuTerra's phase II diabetic retinopathy trial failed to meet its
endpoints. This subsequently resulted in the position being valued
to zero.
-
Performance in the second quarter was further
impacted by a downwards revaluation to Reaction Engines, an
Oxfordshire-based firm developing innovative thermal management
solutions for aerospace and other industries, following news of
slower than anticipated revenue growth which would require further
financing and time to become cash positive.
-
Meanwhile, the share price of listed DNA
sequencing company Oxford Nanopore Technologies declined 54.9%
during the period following weaker performance than previously
guided by management.
-
The Company made total realisations of £25.6
million, including the sale of Carmot Therapeutics to Roche, the
full exit of Immunocore, further sales of Oxford Nanopore
Technologies, and the first milestone payment following the sale of
Kymab to Sanofi.
-
Two new investments were completed: Neurona
Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusing
on therapies for chronic neurological disorders, and "AI Company
II" (actual name not disclosed), a privately held company that
provides high-quality data curation services for generative AI
models and application developers.
-
As of 30 June 2024, the Company had £4.8 million
in cash, £25.2 million in money market funds2 and £14.8
million in public equity investments3 to meet the
funding requirements of the existing portfolio, execute the
buy-back programme4, and selectively target new
investments in innovative venture, growth and life sciences
companies.
1 Source: Schroders
2A
money market fund is a type of mutual fund that invests in
short-term, high-quality debt instruments, offering high liquidity,
making it suitable for preserving capital and accessing cash
easily.
3 Excluding BenevolentAI, which is fair value, priced by the
AIFM.
4 A buy-back is a company's purchase of its outstanding stock
shares. It increases the proportion of earnings that each share is
worth. This stock price will rise if the same price to earnings
(P/E) ratio is maintained.
Past Performance is not a guide to future performance and may
not be repeated. The value of investments and the income from them
may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the amount
originally invested. Exchange rate changes may cause the value of
investments to fall as well as rise.
This document may contain "forward-looking" information, such
as forecasts or projections. Please note that any such information
is not a guarantee of any future performance and there is no
assurance that any forecast or projection will be
realised.
For help in understanding any terms used, please visit address
https://www.schroders.com/en-gb/uk/individual/glossary/
Introduction:
Progress made in the first half of 2024
In the annual report, we discussed
our four key strategic areas as Investment Manager. Here we discuss
the progress made in the first half of the year towards our
long-term investment strategy of pursuing opportunities in
innovative, private companies globally across three key strategies:
venture, growth and life sciences.
1. Stay close to the portfolio and work with
portfolio management teams, co-investors, and other stakeholders to
support business growth and a path to
profitability
32.2%
average sales growth for growth portfolio
companies5
As Investment Manager, we monitor
progress across the portfolio, and where our relationship allows,
engage with the management teams to help support strategic
planning, with specific examples provided regularly in our annual
report. During the first half of 2024, despite the challenges faced
by individual companies, several portfolio companies made good
progress on various fronts:
-
Atom Bank published its full year 2024 annual
report for the year ending 31 March 2024 detailing 32% growth in
net interest income (from £76 million to £100 million) and 575%
growth in operating profit (from £4 million to £27
million).
-
Bluewater Bio, the largest holding in the HP
Environmental technologies Fund, announced a significant new
upgrade project of the North Sitra wastewater treatment works in
the Kingdom of Bahrain valued at £33 million.
-
Revolut released its annual report for the year
ending 31 December 2023 detailing 46% customer growth (from 26
million to 38 million), 95% group revenue growth (from £0.9 billion
to £1.8 billion) and a profit before tax of £438
million.
-
Nexeon announced the start of construction for its
first commercial-scale plant to deliver silicon anode material
starting in 2025, fulfilling the previously announced binding
supply agreement with Panasonic.
-
Genomics announced: (1) A new £35 million funding
round led by existing investors F-Prime Capital and Foresite
Capital, including new investors Infinity Investment Partners and
US life insurer MassMutual, and (2) A precision medicine
collaboration with GSK to assess polygenic risk scores in clinical
trial design.
-
Carmot Therapeutics announced its acquisition by
Roche at a purchase price of $2.7 billion.
Several portfolio companies that
faced challenges include:
- Oxford Nanopore Technologies saw its share price fall by
-54.9% following revenue growth and profitability below management
guidance and the renegotiation of a key customer
contract.
- Despite steps to commercialise its technology, revenue growth
at Reaction Engines has been slower than management anticipated,
with the company requiring further investment and time to become
cash positive.
- OcuTerra Therapeutics' phase II diabetic retinopathy trial
failed to meet its endpoints.
- Despite significant financial and product developments at
Autolus Therapeutics, the company's share price decreased by 49.1%
over the period.
Meanwhile, as outlined for the first
time in the annual report, we have provided below our assessment of
the overall portfolio funding risk. The table breaks down equity
investments over the relevant period by which portfolio companies
are required to raise further capital or risk failure.
As of 30 June 2024, 67% of equity
investments (by value) were either profitable, fully funded, with
no need to raise further capital, or funded beyond 2025. This also
indicates that 8% of equity investments (by value) will need to
raise additional capital during 2024 and 25% during
2025.
Assessment of portfolio funding risk
|
% of
equities
|
Year
company is required to raise further funding
|
31 December
2023
|
30 June
2024
|
2024
|
12.0%
|
8.1%
|
2025
|
21.5%
|
24.9%
|
2026+
|
31.7%
|
17.8%
|
Unprofitable (fully
funded)
|
5.9%
|
8.0%
|
Profitable (incl.
milestones)
|
28.9%
|
41.2%
|
Total equities
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
Source: Schroders, 2024. These
figures represent forecasts and may not be realised.
Information herein is believed to be
reliable, but Schroders does not warrant its completeness or
accuracy.
2. Rebalance the portfolio ensuring the
appropriate liquidity (cash and liquid public equities) to execute
efficiently the buyback programme and support the
portfolio
£30
million in cash and money market funds as of 30 June
2024
We continued altering the liquidity
mix to ensure the Company is appropriately positioned to execute
efficiently the buyback programme and support the portfolio. The
Company continued its buyback programme buying back £3.6 million
worth of shares.
As of 30 June 2024, the Company had
£4.8 million in cash (December 2023: £2.9 million), £25.2 million
in money market funds and £14.8 million in liquid public equity
investments, which we believe to be sufficient to continue
successfully the buyback programme in 2024, meet the funding
requirements of the existing portfolio and selectively target new
investments.
5As at 30 June 2024, the weighted average sales growth over the
last 12 months or most recently available data for all growth
investments valued using a market-based approach, and excluded HP
Environmental Technologies Fund as well as Federated Wireless.
Growth companies are companies that are younger in their
lifecycle.
3.
Maximise the sale proceeds from holdings, both public and private,
as part of the rebalancing exercise
£25.6
million in distributions received over the six months to 30
June 2024
During 2024, we have continued to
explore sales options for several holdings in the portfolio. We
reduced the exposure to certain public holdings with the goal to
position the portfolio to align better with the focus on private
equity. To this end, the Company realised £25.6 million over the
six months to 30 June 2024, exiting public equity holdings in
Immunocore and significantly reducing the holding in Oxford
Nanopore Technologies.
In addition, previously announced
private exits, including Carmot (acquired by Roche), as well as
Kymab (acquired by Sanofi) have further strengthened the liquidity
position of the Company.
%
of total investments by strategy: inner ring = 31 December 2023,
outer ring = 30 June 2024
Any reference to regions/ countries/ sectors/ stocks/
securities is for illustrative purposes only and not a
recommendation to buy or sell any financial instruments or adopt a
specific investment strategy.
Source: Schroders, 2024.
4.
Complete new investments that align with our new
strategy
2
ew investments completed over the six months to 30 June
2024
While ensuring the Company was in a
position to execute successfully the buyback programme, we
simultaneously made good progress with new investments that align
to our long-term investment strategy, making two new investments,
Neurona Therapeutics, which fully aligns with our life sciences
strategy, and "AI Company II", a privately held company that
provides high-quality data curation services for generative
Artificial Intelligence ("AI") models and application developers,
which aligns to our growth strategy. The name of the company has
not been disclosed due to confidentiality restrictions.
Economic and market backdrop
The macroeconomic backdrop has been
mixed, driven by continued high interest rates, despite falling
inflation. However, generally the economic environment continued to
be resilient resulting in a mostly friendly economic
environment.
In Europe, the macroeconomic
environment improved overall with economic growth and a relatively
tight labor market, even though the picture was more mixed for
individual countries. China continues to have a challenging time
with lower than expected growth, driven mainly by the deteriorating
property market and resulting fall in consumer confidence. The US
continued to defy expectations of a recession, even at higher
interest rates, however the economy started to lose steam in the
first half of the year. Globally, key concerns continued to be the
lowering of interest rates by central banks as well as geopolitical
tensions which includes both larger nations like the US and China,
as well as the potential for a regional conflict in the Middle
East.
Global equity markets enjoyed a
generally positive environment in the first half of 2024, which
followed the pattern of the market recovery that started in late
2023. Overall, it was largely technology stocks that benefitted the
most from anticipated gains derived from the development of their
AI capabilities.
Global venture capital activity
continued to fall in the first half of 2024 with the number of
deals declining by 24%, meaning that deal activity has dropped
below levels seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Deal making has
shifted towards larger transactions with the average deal size
being up 17% year to date ("YTD"). A key focus of all venture
activity has been investments in AI which accounted for 28% of all
capital raised. Key drivers of this were raises into companies like
xAI, CoreWeave and Scale. In terms of geography, funding for new
start-ups fell particularly in China, whilst other countries in
Asia saw boosts to funding. In terms of exits, these have seen a
slight decline versus the first half of 2024, with the US share of
exits increasing to be on par with Europe.
Source for venture data: CB
Insights, State of Venture Q2 2024 Report.
Financial performance
YTD
2024 performance
The Company's portfolio had a
challenging half year period impacted by the performance of public
equity holdings, Oxford Nanopore Technologies and Autolus
Therapeutics, venture holding, Reaction Engines, and life science
holding, OcuTerra Therapeutics.
The NAV as of 30 June 2024 was
£174.2 million, a decrease of 19.8% compared with the NAV (£217.1
million) as of 31 December 2023. The NAV per share as of 30 June
2024 was 20.99p per share, a decrease of 17.1% compared with the
NAV per share (25.32p) as of 31 December 2023.
The 19.8% decrease in NAV
comprised:
-
Public equity: -11.8%
-
Private equity growth: +0.6%
-
Private equity venture: -4.2%
-
Private equity life sciences: -2.5%
-
Money market funds: +0.3%
-
Repurchase and cancellation of the Company's own
shares: -1.7%
-
Costs and other movements: -0.5%
|
Private
equity
|
|
Money
|
Cash and
cash
|
|
|
|
Life
sciences
|
Venture
|
Growth
|
Public
equity
|
market
funds
|
equivalents
|
Other
|
NAV
|
Value as at
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31
December 2023
|
31.0
|
39.3
|
73.3
|
56.8
|
9.7
|
2.9
|
4.1
|
217.1
|
+ Investments
|
4.9
|
5.7
|
-
|
-
|
25.3
|
(35.9)
|
-
|
-
|
- Realisations at value
|
(10.5)
|
-
|
-
|
(15.1)
|
(10.5)
|
36.1
|
-
|
-
|
+/- Fair value
gains/(losses)
|
(5.4)
|
(9.1)
|
1.2
|
(25.7)
|
0.7
|
-
|
-
|
(38.3)
|
+/- Reclassified holdings
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
- Repurchase and cancellation
of
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
the Company's own shares
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(3.6)
|
-
|
(3.6)
|
+/- Costs and other
movements
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
5.3
|
(6.3)
|
(1.0)
|
Value as at
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30
June 2024
|
20.0
|
35.9
|
74.5
|
16.01
|
25.2
|
4.8
|
(2.2)
|
174.2
|
1Including BenevolentAI.
Source: Schroders 2024
Exchange rate changes may cause the
value of investments to fall as well as rise
Public equity holdings
The Company's public equity holdings
saw a fair value loss of -45.2% of the opening fair value,
contributing -11.8% to the overall -19.8% decrease in NAV over the
six-month period.
A significant driver was the
performance of Oxford Nanopore Technologies that fell by -54.9%
over the reporting period. The company released a trading update in
January preceding its annual results in March. The company grew
Life Science Research Tools ("LSRT") revenue by 15% (from £147
million to £169 million), underlying LSRT revenue by 39% (from £108
million to £150 million), while extending its adjusted Earnings
Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation ("EBITDA")
losses (from £79 million to £105 million). These results fell short
of analyst consensus estimates with management citing difficulties
in the final quarter associated with U.S. semiconductor regulation
in Asia and one-off customer delays. The company also announced
changes to its commercial agreement with G42 Laboratories, a key
customer delivering the Emirati Genome Programme, and reduced its
medium-term growth and profitability guidance.
Despite significant financial and
product developments at Autolus Therapeutics, the company's share
price decreased by 49.1% over the period. In January the US Food
and Drug Administration ("FDA") accepted the company's biologics
license application for Obe-cel as a treatment for
relapsed/refractory adult B-Cell acute lymphoblastic
leukemia. Additionally in April, the European Medicines Agency
announced the acceptance of a marketing authorization application
for the same indication. In June, Autolus presented longer-term
follow-up and additional data analysis of the FELIX study at the
American Society of Clinical Oncology, where they highlighted that
most patients who responded to Obe-cel showed durable responses,
with a potential for long-term survival outcomes. Notably, 40% of
patients remained in ongoing remission without undergoing
subsequent stem cell transplantation or other intervention. The
study also found that ongoing CAR T persistence was associated with
improved event-free survival.
For help in understanding any terms
used, please visit address
https://www.schroders.com/en-gb/uk/individual/glossary/
In February, Autolus reached an
agreement with BioNTech to invest $50 million under a license and
option agreement. As part of this agreement, BioNTech will receive
a mid-single digit royalty on net sales of Obe-cel and will have
the option to access Autolus' infrastructure to accelerate the
development of BNT211 in additional tumor types. BioNTech can also
co-commercialise certain candidates in specific territories.
Furthermore, BioNTech has been granted an exclusive license to use
Autolus' proprietary binders and technology, which includes
potential milestone payments and royalties on net sales if options
are exercised. Another major development for Autolus occurred in
February when the company raised $350 million in a public offering,
and BioNTech also agreed to invest an additional $200 million in
Autolus through a private placement resulting in $550 million in
total proceeds.
Growth holdings
The Company's growth holdings saw a
fair value gain of 1.6% of the opening fair value, reducing the
overall decrease in NAV by 0.6%.
Important contributors to this
positive performance included Ada Health, Revolut and Agrostar.
Revolut demonstrated strong continued growth, doubling revenues for
2023 and was able to translate successfully that into a £483
million pre-tax profit, up from a loss in the prior year.
Agrostar, the tech enabled agriculture commerce platform that helps
farmers with high quality agriculture inputs and sells produce to
global markets, is on track to achieve EBITDA breakeven driven by
the strong growth and profitability of its branded products as per
discussions with the company.2
2Please note that the value
of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up
and investors may not get back the amounts originally invested.
This is not a recommendation and you should speak to your adviser
before making any investment decision
Venture holdings
The Company's venture holdings saw a
fair value loss of 23.2% of the opening fair value, contributing
4.2% to the overall decrease in NAV.
This was mainly due to the fall in
valuation of Reaction Engines which decreased by 87% of the opening
fair value. The main driver for this was slower than anticipated
revenue growth and that the company will require further investment
and time to become cash positive.
Life sciences holdings
The Company's private equity life
sciences holdings saw a fair value loss of 17.4% of the opening
fair value, contributing 2.5% to the overall decrease in
NAV.
The notable detractor from
performance was the portfolio's holding in OcuTerra, which was
revalued at zero (from a fair value of £4.8 million as of 31
December 2023). This decision was made after the company announced
that its phase II DR:EAM clinical trial of the selective RGD
integrin inhibitor, nesvategrast (OTT166) eye drops, for patients
with diabetic retinopathy, did not meet its endpoints. Although the
data confirmed the safety of OTT166, the experimental medication
did not show a statistically significant improvement in the
diabetic retinopathy severity scale scores compared to the placebo
group.
Development of life science investments
Source: Schroders Capital, 2024.
Companies shown are for illustrative purposes only and should not
be viewed as a recommendation to buy or sell.
Foreign exchange
Over the period, the fair value of
investments denominated in Swiss Franc and Euro were negatively
impacted by appreciation in the value of the British Pound
Sterling. Meanwhile, the fair value of investments denominated in
United States Dollar were positively impacted by depreciation in
the value of the British Pound Sterling.
Investment activity
Realisations
During the six months to 30 June
2024, the Company made realisations totalling £25.6 million. This
included £4.5 million from the sale from Kymab, £4.5 million from
the sale of Carmot Therapeutics, £4.6 million from the full exit of
Immunocore and £10.5 million from reducing the holding in Oxford
Nanopore Technologies. The proceeds of these sales continue to be
used for the buyback programme, follow-on investments and selective
new investments.
Investments
During the six months to 30 June
2024, the Company invested into Neurona Therapeutics, "AI Company
II" and made two follow-on investments into iOnctura and Memo
Therapeutics.
Life sciences
Neurona Therapeutics
The Company invested $1.6 million as
part of the Neurona Therapeutics Series E financing round, which
raised $120 million for the company. The proceeds from the
financing will be used to advance the company's pipeline of wholly
owned, off-the-shelf cell therapies for multiple indications,
including its lead investigational candidate, NRTX-1001. The round
was co-led by Viking Global Investors and Cormorant Asset
Management with capital raised from several new and existing
investors, including the Company.
Neurona Therapeutics is a privately
held, clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on developing
therapies to treat chronic diseases of the nervous system. It was
founded at the University of California, San Francisco and is
building on two decades of research. The company has built a robust
regenerative medicine discovery platform and developed proprietary
methods to manufacture specific types of cell therapy candidates
for targeted delivery into the damaged nervous system.
Growth
"AI Company II" (actual name not
disclosed) is a privately held company that provides high-quality
data curation services for generative AI models and application
developers. It also offers a full-stack generative AI platform for
enterprises to onboard their data, curate it and use it to train AI
models in one place. These services are used by customers across
various industries. This investment completed in two tranches
during the second and third quarters.
Outlook
The core tenets of the strategy
pursued in 2023 remain unchanged in 2024. We continue to stay close
to the portfolio, work with portfolio company management teams, and
when possible, seek to maximise potential exit outcomes. Below we
look at the latest outlook across the four different
strategies:
Growth
Atom Bank is now substantially the
largest holding in the portfolio representing 13.5% of total
investments. As described above, the company made good progress in
full year 2023, however with inflation over the past two years
placing UK households under pressure, and with interest rates at or
close to peak, the less benign interest rate outlook we believe is
expected to squeeze margins in the banking sector. This is being
monitored closely, and in the months ahead, Atom Bank will need to
balance carefully growth with profitability to maintain its
momentum.
In addition, we would draw attention
to the post balance sheet events section of this report which
details expected valuation adjustments during Q3.
Revolut announced two important
updates to its business outlook. Firstly, the company received its
UK banking licence with restrictions from the Prudential Regulation
Authority, the regulator responsible for overseeing the UK banking
sector, to complete the build out of their UK banking operations.
Subsequently, the company announced a secondary share sale
providing liquidity for employees at a $45 billion valuation. With
these developments, the company is well set to continue its
impressive growth journey as what we believe to be Europe's most
valuable private technology company. Revolut is expected to be
positively revalued during Q3.
We expect negative valuation
adjustments to Ada Health and Bizongo. Despite positive momentum in
the first half year, resulting in an upwards revaluation in Q2
2024, the near-term business expectations for Ada Health have been
reassessed. In addition, Bizongo has been revised down to reflect
the latest developments within the company.
Venture
The venture segment of the portfolio
by design is where we expect to see the highest level of risk and
therefore widest dispersion of returns (excluding life sciences)
and 2024 is likely to be no different. These holdings are the
hardest to value, often requiring a milestone-based approach which,
at times, can result in large swings in valuation.
Following the disappointing news
regarding Reaction Engines, key factors for success in 2024 are
focused on Nexeon making progress with building its first
commercial scale production plant, Federated Wireless driving
further commercial and federal traction and Genomics signing new
partnerships to demonstrate the value of its polygenic risk scores.
Meanwhile, the venture-stage software holdings, Securiti, Attest
and MMC SPV 3, will continue to be focused on scaling customers,
revenue and targeting timely sustained profitability.
Life sciences
The primary drivers of expected
value in the therapeutics portfolio are the readouts from ongoing
clinical trials. iOnctura will continue conducting phase II
clinical trials of their lead therapeutic, roginolisib,
specifically focusing on Uveal melanoma. Additionally, they have
recently started a new phase II clinical trial for roginolisib in
combination with the PD-1 targeting antibody dostarlimab in
collaboration with GSK, aimed at treating non-small cell lung
cancer.
Anthos, after demonstrating its
potential in best-in-class thrombosis prevention last year, will
persist in the development of Abelacimab, a Factor XI inhibitor.
This will be carried out through pivotal clinical trials, with the
goal of preventing thrombosis in patients with atrial fibrillation
and those at risk of cancer-associated thrombosis.
Epsilogen has successfully obtained
approval from the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory
Agency for the phase Ib trial of MOv18 IgE. This trial is
anticipated to commence later in 2024 and will assess the
effectiveness of MOv18 IgE in patients with platinum-resistant
ovarian cancer.
Public equities
We expect the public equity
portfolio, principally Oxford Nanopore Technologies and Autolus
Therapeutics, to remain volatile as the valuation environment for
loss-making listed companies remains unforgiving. After the period
end, Oxford Nanopore Technologies published its half year trading
update detailing underlying year-on-year LSRT revenue growth of
12.4%, lower than the annual target of 20-30%, although in-line
with the company's expected phasing, with 2024 and longer-term
guidance unchanged. In August, the company also announced the
completion of an £80 million equity issue led by strategic
investor, Novo Holdings A/S, the investment company responsible for
managing the assets and the wealth of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
No specific use of proceeds was disclosed, only to strengthen the
company's financial position and provide further headroom to
implement the business plan through adjusted EBITDA breakeven in
2027 and cashflow breakeven in 2028.
Autolus is currently waiting for
regulatory approval to market Obe-cel, a treatment for
relapsed/refractory Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. In the US, the
anticipated response date, also known as the Prescription Drug User
Fee Act date, from the US FDA is November 16, 2024. Regulators have
also accepted the filings for regulatory approval of Obe-cel in the
European Union. Furthermore, there are plans to submit the
regulatory filing for Obe-cel in the United Kingdom in the second
half of 2024. Additional clinical trial results for two other
programs are also expected by the end of 2024. First, the results
of the phase 1 clinical trial (ALLCAR19) for Obe-cel in B-cell
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia will be
available. Second, the results of the phase 1 dose confirmation
study (CARLYSLE) in refractory systemic lupus erythematosus
patients are also expected to be released.
Artificial Intelligence
Schroders Capital has been investing
in venture capital for over 25 years. Over that time, our team has
seen various waves of technological innovation and witnessed
first-hand the ripple effect through different sectors and regions.
Our belief is that AI, most recently focused on the field of
generative AI that has been enabled by the advent of large language
models, has the potential for innovation and disruption on a scale
comparable to the introduction of email, the internet and
smartphones.
Schroders Capital has been investing
in AI for over 10 years with exposure today, both directly and
indirectly, to 52 of the top 100 AI companies, and 8 of the 10 most
highly valued generative AI startups1. Our venture capital fund
managers are amongst leading investors in the theme.
This is a theme that we, as
Investment Manager, are particularly excited about and expect to
become an increasingly prominent focus in our portfolios, including
this Company's portfolio. Our venture capital investment team are
committing significant resources to this area, working closely with
our data insights and internal technology teams, researching the
sector and uncovering new opportunities.
To date, the Company has completed
three AI investments;
-
Securiti - the pioneer of a centralised platform
that enables the safe use of data with generative AI covering
security, privacy, governance and compliance.
-
"AI Company I" (MMC SPV3) - an early leader in an
emerging segment of AI software.
-
"AI Company II" - a privately held company that
provides high-quality data curation services for generative AI
models and application developers.
We expect to make further
investments in this sector going forward.
5As ranked by Pitchbook in terms of latest post-money valuation
for private companies in the Generative AI vertical. Post-money
valuation is the value of a company after it has received external
funding or investment. It is calculated by adding the pre-money
valuation (the company's value before the new investment) to the
amount of new equity received from investors.
Rebalancing and diversification
With 46% of equities as of 30 June
2024 representing investments made by Schroders, we continue to
seek to maximise the sale proceeds from holdings, both public and
private, as part of the rebalancing exercise to ensure sufficient
liquidity (cash and liquid public equities) to execute efficiently
the buyback programme, support the portfolio and make new
investments.
As outlined in the annual report, we
expect diversification to be a key topic for 2024. As capital
availability allows, we seek to target new investments that align
with our three strategies (venture, growth and life sciences) with
the aim of building a diversified portfolio which more
appropriately balances the risk of each strategy. This goal remains
a moving target with the requirements of the buyback programme and
uncertain timing of potential future exits. In this regard, we are
delighted with the two new investments completed over the period,
although given our latest view of potential liquidity events in the
portfolio, we expect that capital available for new investments
will be constrained through the second half of the year.
We understand the frustration felt
by shareholders over another difficult period, however Schroders
Capital remains committed to the Company and delivering long-term
value for shareholders.
Schroders has expressed its own
views and opinions in this document and these may
change.
Top
10 investments
|
Quoted/
|
31 December
|
% of total
|
30 June
|
% of total
|
Portfolio company
|
unquoted
|
2023
|
investments
|
2024
|
investments
|
Atom Bank2
|
Unquoted
|
23,105
|
11.0
|
23,105
|
13.5
|
HP Environmental Technologies
Fund2
|
Unquoted
|
10,918
|
5.2
|
10,576
|
6.2
|
Ada Health
|
Unquoted
|
9,638
|
4.6
|
10,486
|
6.1
|
Oxford Nanopore
Technologies2
|
Quoted
|
41,669
|
19.8
|
10,173
|
5.9
|
Revolut3
|
Unquoted
|
7,888
|
3.8
|
8,670
|
5.1
|
Back Market4
|
Unquoted
|
8,839
|
4.2
|
8,648
|
5.0
|
Nexeon2
|
Unquoted
|
7,039
|
3.4
|
8,235
|
4.8
|
AgroStar5
|
Unquoted
|
7,279
|
3.5
|
7,897
|
4.6
|
AI Company II6
|
Unquoted
|
-
|
-
|
5,651
|
3.3
|
Federated
Wireless5
|
Unquoted
|
6,392
|
3.0
|
5,381
|
3.1
|
2Assets inherited from the previous portfolio
manager
3Revolut is held via the Company's holding in Target Global
Selected Opportunities, LLC - Series Space, a single asset
fund.
4Back Market is held via the Company's holding in Sprints
Capital Ellison LP, a single asset fund.
5AgroStar is held via the Company's holding in Schroders
Capital Private Equity Asia Mauri VIII Ltd, a single asset
fund.
6The company's actual name is not disclosed due to
confidentiality restrictions.
|
|
Portfolio's three largest positions
Atom Bank
Leading UK app-only challenger bank
Atom Bank is the UK's first bank
built exclusively for mobile. It aims to redefine what a bank
should be, making things easier, more transparent, and better
value. Atom Bank currently offers savings accounts, mortgages and
business loans.
In June 2024, Atom Bank published
its annual report for the 12-month period to 31 March 2024, with
key highlights including:
-
Deposits grew by 14% from £5.7 billion to £6.6
billion
-
Loan book grew by 39% from £3.0 billion to
£4.1billion
-
Net interest income grew by 32% from £76 million
to £100 million
-
Net interest margin remained stable at 2.8%
despite pressure on spreads within the residential mortgage
market
-
Operating profit grew by 575% from £4 million to
£27 million, primarily due to the loan book growth, keeping costs
below plan and maintaining customer metrics
Source: Atom Bank Annual Report
(https://www.atombank.co.uk/investor-information/)
HP
Environmental Technologies Fund
A
fund invested in emerging environmental technologies that was
seeded through the secondary purchase of a portfolio of seven
environmental technology companies (previously called Ombu
Group).
The HP Environmental Technologies
Fund specialises in high growth clean tech firms. The largest
holding within the fund is wastewater treatment company, Bluewater
Bio.
In May 2024, Bluewater Bio announced
an upgrade project of the North Sitra wastewater treatment works in
the Kingdom of Bahrain valued at £33 million. The contract was
formally concluded and signed in Westminster, at the Department for
Business and Trade headquarters. Bluewater Bio will be responsible
for all aspects of engineering, acting as a contractor and
technology supplier, through the provision of their advanced
treatment technologies, HYBACS® and FilterClear®. As the result of
population and industrial expansion, additional and enhanced
treatment capacity is required to continue to produce treated water
suitable for reuse.
Ada
Health
A medical AI platform that simplifies healthcare journeys and helps
people take care of themselves
Ada Health has developed a clinical
grade AI powered health assessment and triaging software providing
users with diagnoses and care recommendations following a dynamic
questionnaire prompted by the user's responses regarding their
symptoms. The technology platform is monetized through i)
commercial services to pharma by identifying and qualifying
potential patients with certain diseases and ii) supporting health
systems payors by providing safe and accurate care navigation and
health assessment support. Ada Health offers unmatched clinical
breadth, accuracy and safety,6,000+ condition models and 10,000+
symptoms and risk factors from 14,000+ unique sources, continuously
tested to optimise condition coverage.
Ada Health recorded significant
revenue growth between 2020 to 2023 and reached EBITDA level
profitability in 2023, driven by new large contract wins, although
continues to maintain a strong dependency on key contracts and
expanding its client base.
The recent business outlook has
become more uncertain and this is reflected as a post balance sheet
event (please refer to Note 10 in the section on Notes to the
Financial Statements).
Information herein is believed to be
reliable but Schroders does not warrant its completeness or
accuracy.
Source: Schroders. Figures have been
rounded to nearest %.
*Based on country of
risk.
INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO
as at 30 June 2024
The 20 largest investments account
for 92.1% of total investments by value (30 June 2023: 94.8% and 31
December 2023: 91.1%).
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
Fair value
|
investments
|
Holding
|
Quoted/unquoted
|
Strategy
|
Industry
sector
|
£'000
|
%
|
Equities
|
|
|
|
|
|
Atom Bank1
|
Unquoted
|
Growth
|
Financials
|
23,105
|
13.5
|
HP Environmental Technologies
Fund1
|
Unquoted
|
Growth
|
Industrials
|
10,576
|
6.2
|
Ada Health
|
Unquoted
|
Growth
|
Health
Care
|
10,486
|
6.1
|
Oxford Nanopore
Technologies1
|
Quoted
|
Public
|
Health
Care
|
10,173
|
5.9
|
Revolut LLP3
|
Unquoted
|
Growth
|
Financials
|
8,670
|
5.1
|
Back Market2
|
Unquoted
|
Growth
|
Consumer
|
8,648
|
5.0
|
Nexeon1
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Industrials
|
8,235
|
4.8
|
AgroStar4
|
Unquoted
|
Growth
|
Technology
|
7,897
|
4.6
|
AI Company II
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Technology
|
5,651
|
3.3
|
Federated
Wireless1
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Technology
|
5,381
|
3.1
|
Genomics1
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Health
Care
|
5,139
|
3.0
|
Bizongo5
|
Unquoted
|
Growth
|
Technology
|
5,063
|
3.0
|
Autolus
Therapeutics1
|
Quoted
|
Public
|
Health
Care
|
4,592
|
2.7
|
Cequr1
|
Unquoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
4,368
|
2.5
|
Securiti
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Technology
|
4,204
|
2.5
|
iOnctura
|
Unquoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
3,090
|
1.8
|
Attest Technologies
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Business
Services
|
2,844
|
1.7
|
Anthos Therapeutics
|
Unquoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
2,461
|
1.4
|
Epsilogen
|
Unquoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
2,021
|
1.2
|
Kymab1
|
Unquoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
1,850
|
1.1
|
MMC SPV 3 LP7
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Technology
|
1,663
|
1.0
|
Araris Biotech
|
Unquoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
1,420
|
0.8
|
Reaction
Engines1
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Industrials
|
1,406
|
0.8
|
AMO Pharma1
|
Unquoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
1,361
|
0.8
|
Industrial
Heat1
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Industrials
|
1,318
|
0.8
|
Memo Therapeutics
|
Unquoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
1,280
|
0.7
|
Neurona Therapeutics
|
Unquoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
1,266
|
0.7
|
BenevolentAl1,6
|
Quoted
|
Public
|
Health
Care
|
1,179
|
0.7
|
A2 Biotherapeutics
|
Unquoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
922
|
0.5
|
Econic1
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Industrials
|
58
|
-
|
ARC Group1
|
Quoted
|
Public
|
Business
Services
|
11
|
-
|
Novabiotics1
|
Unquoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
-
|
-
|
OcuTerra1
|
Unquoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
-
|
-
|
Carmot Therapeutics
|
Unquoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
-
|
-
|
Freevolt (formerly
Drayson)1
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Technology
|
-
|
-
|
Just
Benchmarks1
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Financials
|
-
|
-
|
Mafic1
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Industrials
|
-
|
-
|
Metaboards1
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Technology
|
-
|
-
|
Mereo BioPharma
Group1
|
Quoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
-
|
-
|
Evofem
Biosciences1
|
Unquoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
-
|
-
|
Bodle
Technologies1
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Technology
|
-
|
-
|
Rutherford
Health1
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Health
Care
|
-
|
-
|
Lignia Wood1
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Industrials
|
-
|
-
|
Oxsybio1
|
Unquoted
|
Life
sciences
|
Health
Care
|
-
|
-
|
Spin Memory1
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Technology
|
-
|
-
|
Kind Consumer1
|
Unquoted
|
Venture
|
Consumer
Staples
|
-
|
-
|
Total equities
|
|
|
|
146,338
|
85.3
|
Money market funds
|
|
|
|
|
|
Schroder Special Situations -
Sterling
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liquidity Plus Fund
|
Quoted
|
Cash
|
Collective
- SICAV
|
25,229
|
14.7
|
Total money market funds
|
|
|
|
25,229
|
14.7
|
Total investments8
|
|
|
|
171,567
|
100.0
|
1 Assets inherited from the previous portfolio
manager.
2 Back Market is held via the Company's holding in Sprints
Capital Ellison LP, a single asset fund.
3 Revolut is held via the Company's holding in Target Global
Selected Opportunities, LLC - Series Space, a single asset
fund.
4 AgroStar is held via the Company's holding in Schroders
Capital Private Equity Asia Mauri VIII Ltd, a single asset
fund.
5 Bizongo is held via the Company's holding in Schroders Capital
Private Equity Asia Maurit V Ltd, a single asset fund.
6 BenevolentAI is quoted, but the market is inactive. Thus its
valuation has been determined in accordance with the process
followed for unquoted assets.
7 MMC SPV 3 LP is a single asset fund that holds an AI software
company.
8 Total investments comprise:
|
£'000
|
%
|
Unquoted
|
130,383
|
76.0
|
Listed on the London Stock
Exchange
|
10,572
|
6.1
|
Listed on a recognised stock exchange
overseas
|
5,383
|
3.2
|
Collective investment scheme - money
market instruments
|
25,229
|
14.7
|
Total
|
171,567
|
100.0
|
DIRECTORS' REPORT
Principal risks and uncertainties
The Board has determined that the
key risks for the Company are strategy risk, economic and market
risk, investment performance and portfolio concentration risk,
liquidity risk, operational risk, information technology and
information security risk, key person dependency risk and ESG risk.
These risks are set out on pages 38 to 41 of the annual report and
financial statements for the year ended 31 December
2023.
The Board regularly monitors the
Company's liquid assets since the recommencement of share
repurchases. There is continued geopolitical and economic
uncertainty. The Company's principal risks and uncertainties, and
their mitigation, have not materially changed during the
six months to 30 June 2024 or since the annual report was
published on 28 March 2024.
Going concern
The Board has considered the
Company's principal risks and uncertainties (including whether
there are any emerging risks); has scrutinised the detailed cash
flow forecast prepared by the Manager; and considered their
assessment of the likelihood and quantum of funds which could be
raised from sales of investments. As a result, the Board is
comfortable that the Company will have sufficient liquid funds to
pay operating expenses and capital commitments.
On this basis, the Board considers
it appropriate to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in
preparing the Company's accounts.
Related party transactions
There have been no transactions with
related parties that have materially affected the financial
position or the performance of the Company during the six months
ended 30 June 2024.
Directors' responsibility statement
In respect of the half year report
for the six months ended 30 June 2024, the Directors confirm that,
to the best of their knowledge:
- the condensed
set of Financial Statements contained within have been prepared in
accordance with the United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting
Practice in particular with Financial Reporting Standard 104
"Interim Financial Reporting" and with the statement of Recommended
Practice, "Financial Statements of Investment Companies and Venture
Capital Trusts" issued in July 2022 and give a true and fair view
of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit and loss
of the Company as at 30 June 2024, as required by the Disclosure
Guidance and Transparency Rule 4.2.4R; and
- the half year
report includes a fair review of the information as required by the
Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules 4.2.7R and
4.2.8R.
The half year report has not been
audited nor reviewed by the Company's auditor.
Tim
Edwards
Chair
For and on behalf of the
Board
27 September 2024
STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE
INCOME
for the six months ended 30 June
2024 (unaudited)
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Audited)
|
|
For the six
months
|
For the six
months
|
For the
year
|
|
ended 30 June
2024
|
ended 30 June
2023
|
ended 31 December
2023
|
|
|
Revenue
|
Capital
|
Total
|
Revenue
|
Capital
|
Total
|
Revenue
|
Capital
|
Total
|
|
Note
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Losses on investments held at
fair
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
value through profit or
loss
|
|
-
|
(38,307)
|
(38,307)
|
-
|
(33,566)
|
(33,566)
|
-
|
(32,015)
|
(32,015)
|
Net foreign currency
gains/(losses)
|
|
-
|
45
|
45
|
-
|
(39)
|
(39)
|
-
|
42
|
42
|
Income from investments
|
|
106
|
-
|
106
|
501
|
-
|
501
|
784
|
-
|
784
|
Gross return/(loss)
|
|
106
|
(38,262)
|
(38,156)
|
501
|
(33,605)
|
(33,104)
|
784
|
(31,973)
|
(31,189)
|
Management fee
|
|
(457)
|
-
|
(457)
|
(621)
|
-
|
(621)
|
(1,252)
|
-
|
(1,252)
|
Administrative expenses
|
|
(652)
|
-
|
(652)
|
(772)
|
-
|
(772)
|
(1,341)
|
-
|
(1,341)
|
Net
loss before finance
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
costs and taxation
|
|
(1,003)
|
(38,262)
|
(39,265)
|
(892)
|
(33,605)
|
(34,497)
|
(1,809)
|
(31,973)
|
(33,782)
|
Finance costs
|
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(16)
|
-
|
(16)
|
(16)
|
-
|
(16)
|
Net
loss before taxation
|
|
(1,003)
|
(38,262)
|
(39,265)
|
(908)
|
(33,605)
|
(34,513)
|
(1,825)
|
(31,973)
|
(33,798)
|
Taxation
|
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Net
loss after taxation
|
|
(1,003)
|
(38,262)
|
(39,265)
|
(908)
|
(33,605)
|
(34,513)
|
(1,825)
|
(31,973)
|
(33,798)
|
Loss
per share (pence)
|
4
|
(0.12)
|
(4.55)
|
(4.67)
|
(0.10)
|
(3.72)
|
(3.82)
|
(0.20)
|
(3.57)
|
(3.77)
|
The "Total" column of this statement
is the profit and loss account of the Company. The "Revenue" and
"Capital" columns represent supplementary information prepared
under guidance issued by The Association of Investment Companies.
The Company has no other items of other comprehensive income, and
therefore the net loss on ordinary activities after taxation is
also the total comprehensive loss for the period, therefore
no separate Statement of Comprehensive Income has been
prepared.
All revenue and capital items in the
above statement derive from continuing operations. No operations
were acquired or discontinued in the period.
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN
EQUITY
for the six months ended 30 June
2024 (unaudited)
|
|
Capital
|
|
|
|
|
|
Called-up
|
Redemption
|
Special
|
Capital
|
Revenue
|
|
|
share
capital
|
reserve
|
reserve
|
reserves
|
reserve
|
Total
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
At 31 December 2023
|
8,573
|
513
|
883,145
|
(646,164)
|
(29,003)
|
217,064
|
Repurchase and cancellation of the
Company's own shares
|
(275)
|
275
|
(3,638)
|
-
|
-
|
(3,638)
|
Net loss after taxation
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(38,262)
|
(1,003)
|
(39,265)
|
At
30 June 2024
|
8,298
|
788
|
879,507
|
(684,426)
|
(30,006)
|
174,161
|
for the six months ended 30 June
2023 (unaudited)
|
|
|
|
Capital
|
|
|
|
|
|
Called-up
share
|
Share
|
Redemption
|
Special
|
Capital
|
Revenue
|
|
|
capital
|
premium
|
reserve
|
reserve
|
reserves
|
reserve
|
Total
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
At 31 December 2022
|
9,042
|
891,017
|
44
|
-
|
(615,003)
|
(27,178)
|
257,922
|
Repurchase and cancellation of the
Company's
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
own shares
|
(17)
|
-
|
17
|
-
|
(256)
|
-
|
(256)
|
Net loss after taxation
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(33,605)
|
(908)
|
(34,513)
|
At
30 June 2023
|
9,025
|
891,017
|
61
|
-
|
(648,864)
|
(28,086)
|
223,153
|
for the year ended 31 December 2023
(audited)
|
|
|
|
Capital
|
|
|
|
|
|
Called-up
share
|
Share
|
Redemption
|
Special
|
Capital
|
Revenue
|
|
|
capital
|
premium
|
reserve
|
reserve
|
reserves
|
reserve
|
Total
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
At 31 December 2022
|
9,042
|
891,017
|
44
|
-
|
(615,003)
|
(27,178)
|
257,922
|
Cancellation of share
premium
|
-
|
(891,017)
|
-
|
891,017
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Repurchase and cancellation of the
Company's
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
own shares
|
(469)
|
-
|
469
|
(7,872)
|
812
|
-
|
(7,060)
|
Net loss after taxation
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
(31,973)
|
(1,825)
|
(33,798)
|
At
31 December 2023
|
8,573
|
-
|
513
|
883,145
|
(646,164)
|
(29,003)
|
217,064
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL
POSITION
as at 30 June 2024
(unaudited)
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Audited)
|
|
|
30 June
|
30 June
|
31 December
|
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
2023
|
|
Note
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Fixed assets
|
|
|
|
|
Investments held at fair value
through profit or loss
|
5
|
171,567
|
192,828
|
210,093
|
Current assets
|
|
|
|
|
Debtors
|
|
1,117
|
307
|
5,511
|
Cash and cash equivalents
|
|
4,841
|
30,954
|
2,913
|
|
|
5,958
|
31,261
|
8,424
|
Current liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
Creditors: amounts falling due within
one year
|
6
|
(3,364)
|
(936)
|
(1,453)
|
Net
current assets
|
|
2,594
|
30,325
|
6,971
|
Total assets less current liabilities
|
|
174,161
|
223,153
|
217,064
|
Net
assets
|
|
174,161
|
223,153
|
217,064
|
Capital and reserves
|
|
|
|
|
Called-up share capital
|
7
|
8,298
|
9,025
|
8,573
|
Share premium
|
|
-
|
891,017
|
-
|
Capital redemption
reserves
|
|
788
|
61
|
513
|
Special reserve
|
|
879,507
|
-
|
883,145
|
Capital reserves
|
|
(684,426)
|
(648,864)
|
(646,164)
|
Revenue reserve
|
|
(30,006)
|
(28,086)
|
(29,003)
|
Total equity shareholders' funds
|
|
174,161
|
223,153
|
217,064
|
Net
asset value per share (pence)
|
8
|
20.99
|
24.73
|
25.32
|
Registered in England and Wales as a
public company limited by shares
Company registration number: 09405653
CASH FLOW STATEMENT
for the six months ended 30 June
2023 (unaudited)
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Audited)
|
|
For the six
|
For the six
|
For the
|
|
months
ended
|
months
ended
|
year ended
|
|
30 June
|
30 June
|
31 December
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
2023
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Operating activities
|
|
|
|
Net
loss before finance costs and taxation
|
(39,265)
|
(34,497)
|
(33,782)
|
Adjustments for:
|
|
|
|
Capital loss before
taxation
|
38,262
|
33,605
|
31,973
|
Decrease/(increase) in
debtors
|
9
|
(120)
|
(134)
|
(Decrease)/increase in
creditors
|
(455)
|
114
|
514
|
Net
cash outflow from operating activities
|
(1,449)
|
(898)
|
(1,429)
|
Investing activities
|
|
|
|
Purchases of investments
|
(33,452)
|
(8,420)
|
(35,999)
|
Sales of investments
|
40,469
|
24,503
|
31,178
|
Net
cash inflow/(outflow) from investment activities
|
7,017
|
16,083
|
(4,821)
|
Financing activities
|
|
|
|
Repurchase and cancellation of the
Company's own shares
|
(3,685)
|
(256)
|
(6,985)
|
Finance costs
|
-
|
(58)
|
(16)
|
Net
cash outflow from financing activities
|
(3,685)
|
(314)
|
(7,001)
|
Change in cash and cash equivalents
|
1,883
|
14,832
|
(13,251)
|
Cash and cash equivalents at the
beginning of the period
|
2,913
|
16,122
|
16,122
|
Exchange movements
|
45
|
(39)
|
42
|
Cash
and cash equivalents at the end of the period
|
4,841
|
30,954
|
2,913
|
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
1. Financial
Statements
The information contained within the
financial statements in this half year report has not been audited
or reviewed by the Company's independent auditor.
The figures and financial
information for the year ended 31 December 2023 are extracted from
the latest published financial statements of the Company and do not
constitute statutory financial statements for that year. Those
financial statements have been delivered to the Registrar of
Companies and included the report of the auditor which was
unqualified and did not contain a statement under either section
498(2) or 498(3) of the Companies Act 2006.
2. Accounting
policies
Basis of accounting
The financial statements have been
prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted
Accounting Practice, in particular with Financial Reporting
Standard 104 "Interim Financial Reporting" and with the Statement
of Recommend Practice "Financial Statements of Investment Trust
Companies and Venture Capital Trusts" issued by the Association of
Investment Companies in July 2022.
All of the Company's operations are
of a continuing nature.
The accounting policies applied to
these financial statements are consistent with those applied in the
financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023. In
particular, the policy on valuation of investments is consistent
with that detailed in note 1(b) to the financial statements for the
year ended 31 December 2023, presented on page 69 of the annual
report.
3.
Taxation
The Company's effective corporation
tax rate is nil, as deductible expenses exceed taxable income. The
Company intends to continue meeting the conditions required to
maintain its status as an Investment Trust Company, and therefore
no provision has been made for deferred tax on any capital gains or
losses arising on the revaluation or disposal of
investments.
4. Loss per
share
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Audited)
|
|
For the six
|
For the six
|
For the
|
|
months
ended
|
months
ended
|
year ended
|
|
30 June
|
30 June
|
31 December
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
2023
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Revenue loss
|
(1,003)
|
(908)
|
(1,825)
|
Capital loss
|
(38,262)
|
(33,605)
|
(31,973)
|
Total loss
|
(39,265)
|
(34,513)
|
(33,798)
|
Weighted average number of shares in
issue during the period
|
841,102,572
|
902,740,094
|
895,075,078
|
Revenue loss per share
(pence)
|
(0.12)
|
(0.10)
|
(0.20)
|
Capital loss per share
(pence)
|
(4.55)
|
(3.72)
|
(3.57)
|
Total loss per share (pence)
|
(4.67)
|
(3.82)
|
(3.77)
|
The basic and diluted loss per share
is the same because there are no dilutive instruments in
issue.
5
Investments held at fair value through profit or
loss
(a)
Movement in investments
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Audited)
|
|
For the six
|
For the six
|
For the
|
|
months
ended
|
months
ended
|
year ended
|
|
30 June
|
30 June
|
31 December
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
2023
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Opening book cost
|
553,693
|
581,253
|
581,253
|
Opening investment holding
losses
|
(343,600)
|
(338,749)
|
(338,749)
|
Opening fair value
|
210,093
|
242,504
|
242,504
|
Purchases at cost
|
35,865
|
8,420
|
35,999
|
Sales proceeds
|
(36,084)
|
(24,530)
|
(36,395)
|
Losses on investments held at fair
value through profit or loss
|
(38,307)
|
(33,566)
|
(32,015)
|
Closing fair value
|
171,567
|
192,828
|
210,093
|
Closing book cost
|
550,101
|
547,562
|
553,693
|
Closing investment holding
losses
|
(378,534)
|
(354,734)
|
(343,600)
|
Closing fair value
|
171,567
|
192,828
|
210,093
|
The Company received £36,084,000
(period ended 30 June 2023: £24,530,000 and year ended 31 December
2023: £36,395,000) from investments sold in the period. The book
cost of the investments when they were purchased was £39,457,000
(period ended 30 June 2023: £42,111,000 and year ended 31 December
2023: £63,560,000). These investments have been revalued overtime
and, until they were sold, any unrealised gains/losses were
included in the fair value of the investments.
(b)
Unquoted investments, including investments quoted in inactive
markets
Material revaluations of unquoted investments during the
period (unaudited)
|
Opening
|
|
|
Closing
|
|
valuation
at
|
|
|
valuation
at
|
|
31 December
|
Valuation
|
Purchases/
|
30 June
|
|
20231
|
adjustment
|
(disposals)
|
2024
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Reaction Engines
|
10,625
|
(9,219)
|
-
|
1,406
|
OcuTerra
|
4,804
|
(4,804)
|
-
|
-
|
1 Based on the closing holding at
opening prices.
Material disposals of unquoted investments during the period
(unaudited)
|
|
|
|
Profit
based
|
|
|
|
|
on carrying
|
|
|
Carrying value
at
|
|
value at
|
|
|
31 December
|
|
30 June
|
|
Book cost
|
2023
|
Sales
Proceeds
|
2024
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Kymab
|
-
|
4,520
|
4,539
|
19
|
Carmot Therapeutics
|
1,379
|
4,262
|
4,506
|
244
|
6. Creditors:
amounts falling due within one year
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Audited)
|
|
30 June
|
30 June
|
31 December
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
2023
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Repurchase and cancellation of the
Company's own shares awaiting settlement
|
28
|
-
|
75
|
Securities purchased awaiting
settlement
|
2,460
|
314
|
-
|
Management fee payable
|
253
|
-
|
633
|
Other creditors and
accruals
|
623
|
622
|
745
|
|
3,364
|
936
|
1,453
|
The Directors consider that the
carrying amount of creditors falling due within one year
approximates to their fair value.
7. Called-up
share capital
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Audited)
|
|
For the six
|
For the six
|
For the
|
|
months
ended
|
months
ended
|
year ended
|
|
30 June
|
30 June
|
31 December
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
2023
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Ordinary shares of 1p each, allotted, called up and fully
paid:
|
|
|
|
Opening balance of 857,360,026 (31
December 2022: 904,219,238) shares
|
8,573
|
9,042
|
9,042
|
Repurchase and cancellation of
27,560,000 (period ended 30 June 2023: 1,735,000
|
|
|
|
and year ended 31 December 2023:
46,859,212) shares
|
(275)
|
(17)
|
(469)
|
Closing balance of 829,800,026 (30
June 2023: 902,484,238 and 31 December 2023: 857,360,026)
shares
|
8,298
|
9,025
|
8,573
|
8. Net asset
value per share
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Unaudited)
|
(Audited)
|
|
30 June
|
30 June
|
31 December
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
2023
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Net assets (£'000)
|
174,161
|
223,153
|
217,064
|
Shares in issue at the period
end
|
829,800,026
|
902,484,238
|
857,360,026
|
Net asset value per share
(pence)
|
20.99
|
24.73
|
25.32
|
9. Disclosures
regarding financial instruments measured at fair
value
The Company's financial instruments
within the scope of FRS 102 that are held at fair value comprise
its investment portfolio.
FRS 102 requires that financial
instruments held at fair value are categorised into a hierarchy
consisting of the three levels below. A fair value measurement is
categorised in its entirety on the basis of the lowest level input
that is significant to the fair value measurement.
Level 1 - valued using unadjusted
quoted prices in active markets for identical assets.
Level 2 - valued using observable
inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1.
Level 3 - valued using inputs that
are unobservable.
At 30 June, the Company's investment
portfolio and any derivative financial instruments were categorised
as follows:
|
30 June 2024
(unaudited)
|
|
Level 1
|
Level 2
|
Level 3
|
Total
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Investments in equities -
quoted
|
14,776
|
25,229
|
1,179
|
41,184
|
Investments in equities -
unquoted
|
-
|
-
|
130,383
|
130,383
|
Total
|
14,776
|
25,229
|
131,562
|
171,567
|
The Level 2 asset relates to the
holding in Schroders Special Situations - Sterling Liquidity Plus
Fund. BenevolentAI is quoted, but the market is inactive. Thus its
valuation has been determined in accordance with the process
followed for unquoted assets and included in Level 3
above.
|
30 June 2023
(unaudited)
|
|
Level 1
|
Level 2
|
Level 3
|
Total
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Investments in equities -
quoted
|
52,089
|
-
|
3,627
|
55,716
|
Investments in equities -
unquoted
|
-
|
-
|
137,112
|
137,112
|
Total
|
52,089
|
-
|
140,739
|
192,828
|
There have been no transfers between
levels during the period ended 30 June 2023.
|
30 December 2023
(audited)
|
|
Level 1
|
Level 2
|
Level 3
|
Total
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Investments in equities -
quoted
|
54,603
|
9,733
|
2,176
|
66,512
|
Investments in equities -
unquoted
|
-
|
-
|
143,581
|
143,581
|
Total
|
54,603
|
9,733
|
145,757
|
210,093
|
The Level 2 asset relates to the
holding in Schroders Special Situations - Sterling Liquidity Plus
Fund. BenevolentAI is quoted, but the market is inactive. Thus its
valuation has been determined in accordance with the process
followed for unquoted assets and included in Level 3
above.
10. Events after the
interim date that have not been reflected in the financial
statements for the interim period
On 16 August 2024, Revolut Ltd, one
of the Company's growth investments, announced a secondary share
sale to provide employees with a liquidity opportunity. The
Company, while not participating in this secondary share sale,
considered the relevant information implied from this transaction
as part of its own valuation assessment and currently estimates a
positive valuation adjustment of £1.8 million to the 30 June 2024
net asset value.
The Company has assessed the
valuation of its other unquoted holdings based on information
received until the date of this interim report, including recent
business updates, changes to business projections, and the
Company's own estimates of current valuation levels. The Company
estimates negative valuation adjustments to the 30 June 2024 net
asset value of £3.8m in Bizongo because of developments within the
company and £2.9m in Ada Health due to changes in business
expectations.
In total, the assessed valuation
changes amount to a net decrease of £4.9 million, which corresponds
to an approximate 2.8% decline to the 30 June 2024 net asset
value. The Company has evaluated these developments and determined
that they qualify as non-adjusting events for these interim
financial statements. All unquoted holdings, including the
investments mentioned above, will undergo further evaluation and
final determination in line with the Company's valuation policy as
part of the 30 September 2024 quarterly net asset value
publication.
DEFINITIONS OF TERMS AND ALTERNATIVE
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
The
terms and performance measures below are those commonly used by
investment companies to assess values, investment performance and
operating costs. Numerical calculations are given where relevant.
Some of the financial measures below are classified as Alternative
Performance Measures ("APMs") as defined by the European Securities
and Markets Authority. Under this definition, APMs include a
financial measure of historical financial performance or financial
position, other than a financial measure defined or specified in
the applicable financial reporting framework. APMs have been marked
with an asterisk.
Net
asset value ("NAV") per share
The NAV per share of 20.99p (31
December 2023: 25.32p) represents the net assets attributable to
equity shareholders of £174,161,000 (31 December 2023:
£217,064,000) divided by the number of shares in issue of
829,800,026 (31 December 2023: 857,360,026).
The change in the NAV amounted to
-17.1% (year ended 31 December 2023: -11.2%) over the
period.
Total return*
The combined effect of any dividends
paid, together with the rise or fall in the share price or NAV per
share. Total return statistics enable the investor to make
performance comparisons between investment companies with different
dividend policies. Any dividends received by a shareholder are
assumed to have been reinvested in either the assets of the Company
at its NAV per share at the time the shares were quoted ex-dividend
(to calculate the NAV per share total return) or in additional
shares of the Company (to calculate the share price total return).
The Company has not declared a dividend in either 2023 or
2024.
The NAV total return for the period
ended 30 June 2024 is calculated as follows:
Opening NAV at 31/12/23
|
25.32p
|
Closing NAV at 30/06/24
|
20.99p
|
NAV total return, being the closing
NAV, expressed
|
|
as a percentage change in the opening
NAV:
|
-17.1%
|
The NAV total return for the year
ended 31 December 2023 is calculated as follows:
Opening NAV at 31/12/22
|
28.52p
|
Closing NAV at 31/12/23
|
25.32p
|
NAV total return, being the closing
NAV, expressed
|
|
as a percentage change in the opening
NAV:
|
-11.2%
|
The share price total return for the
period ended 30 June 2024 is calculated as follows:
|
|
Opening Share price at
31/12/23
|
14.65p
|
Closing Share price at
30/06/24
|
11.90p
|
Share price total return, being the
closing share
|
|
price, expressed as a percentage
change in the
|
|
opening share price:
|
-18.8%
|
The share price total return for the
year ended 31 December is calculated as follows:
|
|
Opening Share price at
31/12/22
|
15.47p
|
Closing Share price at
31/12/23
|
14.65p
|
Share price total return, being the
closing share
|
|
price, expressed as a percentage
change in the
|
|
opening share price:
|
-5.3%
|
Discount/premium*
The amount by which the share price
of an investment trust is lower (discount) or higher (premium) than
the NAV per share. If shares are trading at a discount, investors
would be paying less than the value attributable to the shares by
reference to the the underlying assets. A premium or discount
is generally the consequence of supply and demand for the shares on
the stock market. The discount or premium is expressed as a
percentage of the NAV per share. The discount at the period end
amounted to 43.3% (31 December 2023: 42.1%), as the closing share
price at 11.90p (31 December 2023: 14.65p) was 18.8% (31 December
2023: 5.3%) lower than the closing NAV of 20.99p (31 December 2023:
25.32p).
(Net cash)/gearing*
The gearing percentage reflects the
amount of borrowings (i.e. bank loans or overdrafts) which the
Company has drawn down and invested in the market. This figure is
indicative of the extra amount by which shareholders' funds would
move if the Company's investments were to rise or fall. This
represents borrowings used for investment purposes, less cash,
expressed as a percentage of net assets. If the figure so
calculated is negative, this is shown as a "Net cash" position. The
gearing figure at the relevant period/year end is calculated as
follows:
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Borrowings used for
investment
|
|
|
|
purposes, less cash
|
|
(4,841)
|
(2,913)
|
Net assets
|
|
174,161
|
217,064
|
(Net cash)/gearing (%)
|
|
(2.8)
|
(1.3)
|
Leverage*
For the purpose of the Alternative
Investment Fund Managers (AIFM) Directive, leverage is any method
which increases the Company's exposure, including the borrowing of
cash and the use of derivatives. It is expressed as the
ratio of the Company's exposure to its net asset value and is
required to be calculated both on a "Gross" and a "Commitment"
method. Under the Gross method, exposure represents the sum
of the absolute values of all positions, so as to give an
indication of overall exposure. Under the Commitment method,
exposure is calculated in a similar way, but after netting off
hedges which satisfy certain strict criteria.
The Company's leverage policy and
details of its leverage ratio calculation and exposure limits as
required by the AIFMD are published on the Company's webpages and
within this report. The Company is also required to periodically
publish its actual leverage exposures. As at 30 June 2024
these were:
|
% of net asset
value
|
|
Maximum
|
Actual
|
Gross method
|
310
|
99.01
|
Commitment method
|
120
|
100
|
Ongoing Charges*
Ongoing charges are calculated in
accordance with the Association of Investment Companies recommended
methodology. When the financial reporting period is not a full
year, the ongoing charges are annualised to obtain a 12-month
ongoing charges figure. This figure includes management fee and all
other operating expenses, excluding finance costs and transaction
costs. For the current period, the ongoing charges amount to
£2,151,000 (31 December 2023: £2,593,000), expressed as a
percentage of the average daily net asset values during the period
of £197,803,000 (31 December 2023: £239,109,000).
|
30 June
|
31 December
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Management fee and all other
operating
|
|
|
expenses excluding finance costs,
transaction
|
|
|
costs and any performance fee
payable
|
2,151
|
2,593
|
Average daily net asset values during
the
|
|
|
period/year
|
197,803
|
239,109
|
Ongoing charges ratio
|
1.09
|
1.08
|
SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION
Warning to shareholders
Companies are aware that their
shareholders have received unsolicited telephone calls or
correspondence concerning investment matters. These are
typically from overseas-based 'brokers' who target UK shareholders,
offering to sell them what often turn out to be worthless or high
risk shares or investments. These operations are commonly known as
'boiler rooms'. These 'brokers' can be very persistent and
extremely persuasive. Shareholders are advised to be wary of any
unsolicited advice, offers to buy shares at a discount or offers of
free company reports. If you receive any unsolicited investment
advice:
•
Make sure you get the correct name of the person and
organisation
•
Check that they are properly authorised by the FCA before getting
involved by visiting https://register.fca.org.uk
•
Report the matter to the FCA by calling 0800 111 6768 or visiting
https://fca.org.uk/consumers/report-scam-unauthorised-firm
•
Do not deal with any firm that you are unsure about
If you deal with an unauthorised
firm, you will not be eligible to receive payment under the
Financial Services Compensation Scheme. The FCA provides a list of
unauthorised firms of which it is aware, which can be accessed at
https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/unauthorised-firmsindividuals#list.
More detailed information on this or
similar activity can be found on the FCA website at
https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/protectyourself-scams
INFORMATION ABOUT THE
COMPANY
www.schroders.com/inov
Directors
Tim Edwards (Chair)
Lamia Baker
Stephen Cohen
Jane Tufnell
Registered office
1 London Wall Place
London EC2Y 5AU
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7658 6000
Advisers
Alternative Investment Fund Manager (the "AIFM" or
"Manager")
Schroder Unit Trusts
Limited
1 London Wall Place
London EC2Y 5AU
Investment Manager
Schroder Investment Management
Limited
1 London Wall Place
London EC2Y 5AU
Schroders Capital Management
(Switzerland) AG
Affolternstrausse 56,
CH-8050
Zurich, Switzerland
Company Secretary
Schroder Investment Management
Limited
1 London Wall Place
London EC2Y 5AU
Email: amcompanysecretary@schroders.com
Depositary and custodian
HSBC Bank plc
8 Canada Square
London E14 5HQ
Corporate broker
Winterflood Securities
Limited
Riverbank House
2 Swan Lane
London EC4R 3GA
Legal adviser
Stephenson Harwood LLP
1 Finsbury Circus
London EC2M 7SH
Independent Auditor
Ernst & Young LLP
25 Churchill Place
London E14 5EY
Registrar
Equiniti Limited
Aspect House
Spencer Road
Lancing
West Sussex BN99 6DA
Shareholder Helpline:
0800 032 06411
Website: www.shareview.co.uk
1Calls to this number are free of charge from UK
landlines.
Communications with shareholders are
mailed to the address held on the register. Any notifications and
enquiries relating to shareholdings, including a change of address
or other amendment should be directed to Equiniti Limited at the
address above.
Other information
Company number
09405653
Shareholder enquiries
General enquiries about the Company
should be addressed to the Company Secretary at the Company's
Registered Office.
Dealing codes
SEDOL:
BVG1CF2
ISIN:
GB00BVG1CF25
Ticker:
INOV
Global Intermediary Identification Number
(GIIN)
U73RHA.99999.SL.826
Legal Entity Identifier (LEI)
2138008X94M7OVE73l77
Privacy notice
The Company's privacy notice is
available on its web pages.