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MNKS Monks Investment Trust Plc

1,136.00
20.00 (1.79%)
Last Updated: 11:40:44
Delayed by 15 minutes
Share Name Share Symbol Market Type Share ISIN Share Description
Monks Investment Trust Plc LSE:MNKS London Ordinary Share GB0030517261 ORD 5P
  Price Change % Change Share Price Bid Price Offer Price High Price Low Price Open Price Shares Traded Last Trade
  20.00 1.79% 1,136.00 1,134.00 1,136.00 1,138.00 1,126.00 1,128.00 60,852 11:40:44
Industry Sector Turnover Profit EPS - Basic PE Ratio Market Cap
Mgmt Invt Offices, Open-end -47.92M -67.84M -0.3025 -37.62 2.55B

Monks Investment Trust PLC Annual Financial Report (0513J)

26/06/2017 7:00am

UK Regulatory


Monks Investment (LSE:MNKS)
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TIDMMNKS

RNS Number : 0513J

Monks Investment Trust PLC

26 June 2017

 
RNS Announcement: Preliminary Results 
------------------------------------- 
 

The Monks Investment Trust PLC

Legal Entity Identifier: 213800MRI1JTUKG5AF64

 
Unaudited Preliminary Results for the year to 30 April 2017 
----------------------------------------------------------- 
 

Over the year to 30 April 2017, the Company's net asset value (NAV) total return* was 40.0% compared to a total return of 31.0% for the FTSE World Index (in sterling terms). The share price total return for the same period was 53.9%, with the discount to NAV* narrowing to 0.6%.

3/4 Amazon, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Naspers were the most notable positive contributors to absolute returns in the period during which 29 of our holdings appreciated by more than 50% in Sterling terms.

   3/4        Portfolio turnover for the 12 months was 13.8%. 

3/4 As at the financial year end, the Company's equity gearing stood at 6.2%, which was unchanged over the year.

3/4 A single final dividend of 1.25p is being recommended, compared to a total of 1.5p last year. This is the minimum required to maintain the Company's investment trust status, reflecting its priority which is capital growth.

3/4 Despite the strong performance over the past year, the Managers are optimistic that future portfolio returns should be positive, based on continued profit growth from a range of strong and adaptable businesses with superior prospects.

* With borrowings deducted at fair value

The Monks Investment Trust PLC invests globally in order to achieve capital growth. This takes priority over income and dividends. Monks is managed by Baillie Gifford, an independent fund management group, which has around GBP171 billion under management and advice as at 22 June 2017.

Monks is a listed UK company. The value of its shares and any income from them can fall as well as rise and investors may not get back the amount invested. The Company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. You can find up to date performance information about Monks at www.monksinvestmenttrust.co.uk(++) . Past performance is not a guide to future performance. See disclaimer at the end of this announcement.

++ Neither the contents of the Managers' website nor the contents of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Managers' website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.

26 June 2017

For further information please contact:

Anzelm Cydzik, Baillie Gifford & Co

Tel: 0131 275 2000

Roland Cross, Director, Four Broadgate

Tel: 0203 697 4200

The following is the unaudited preliminary financial results statement for the year to 30 April 2017 which was approved by the Board on 23 June 2017.

 
Chairman's Statement 
==================== 
 

Monks has had an excellent year, as you will see from this report. The weakness in Sterling contributed to the result, but the key to it was the performance of our new portfolio which was established two years ago. Our managers have commented on this as follows:

'Our approach is to focus on a range of the world's best businesses and to hold them for several years, often through political and economic cycles and uncertainties. The long-term revenue and profit growth potential of our investments dominates our analysis, as opposed to guesswork surrounding variations in global GDP, interest rates or politics. Indeed, one of the strengths which defines successful businesses is their ability to adapt and evolve in the face of changing external circumstances, with the best managers also having the ambition and vision to exploit new opportunities as and when they appear. Such companies should over time contribute greatly to social and economic development; they are the wealth creators and we as their shareholders can profit from their efforts. The bulk of our investments produced revenue and profit growth in line or ahead of our expectations during the reporting period.'

We are encouraged by the results that the implementation of the new approach has produced so far, but we note the caveat in the Managers' Report below that performance should be judged over a period of at least five years.

Performance

In the year to 30 April 2017, the total return for the FTSE World Index was 31.0% while the Company's net asset value total return (NAV), with borrowings at fair value, was 40.0%. The share price total return was greater at 53.9% because of the narrowing of the discount. The Company's one year net asset value performance ranked it third out of 23 AIC Global sector peer trusts.

Earnings and Dividend

Earnings per share increased from 2.31p to 2.36p. The Board is recommending that a single final dividend of 1.25p should be paid for the year, compared to a total of 1.5p last year. This is the minimum required to maintain the Company's investment trust status, reflecting our priority which is capital growth. No interim dividend was paid during the year.

Borrowings and Gearing

As advocates of the potential for strong real returns from equities over the long term, our managers will typically maintain a geared position. At present, we have agreed with them a gearing range of 5% net cash to plus 10% invested in equities. As at the financial year end, Monks equity gearing was 6.2%, which was unchanged over the year.

In addition to the GBP40m debenture that expires in 2023, the Company has a multi-currency revolving credit facility with National Australia Bank, of which US$87m is drawn at present.

Discount

The discount has narrowed substantially over the last two years. When the current team was appointed in March 2015 the discount (when calculated with borrowings at fair value) was 14.3%; by end April 2016 it had narrowed to 9.5% and as at the end of April 2017 it had moved to 0.6%. Since the year end the Company has occasionally traded at a small premium. If a clear premium to NAV emerges, we may issue shares to satisfy the demand from the market.

Management Fee

We have agreed a new tiered management fee with effect from 1 May 2017. The annual management fee payable to Baillie Gifford & Co Limited is now 0.45% on the first GBP750m of total assets and 0.33% on the remaining total assets, where total assets is defined as the total value of all assets held less all liabilities (other than any liability in the form of borrowings intended for investment purposes). Previously the fee payable was a flat 0.45% on total assets less current liabilities. Applying the new arrangement to the financial year to 30 April 2017, it is estimated that the ongoing charge would have been reduced by approximately GBP508,000. The new fee arrangement was instigated by our managers and ensures that shareholders benefit from economies of scale. The ongoing charge for the Company's last financial year was 0.59%.

The Board

During the financial year under review, we welcomed Belinda Richards and Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt to the Board. Belinda Richards is a former senior partner at Deloitte LLP with a thirty year career specialising in business operations and strategy development with a particular focus on the Financial Services and Consumer Products sectors. Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt is Principal of Jesus College, Oxford, Professorial Research Fellow in the Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford and a visiting Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Southampton. He specialises in open data and artificial intelligence.

As a consequence of the increase in the number of Directors and with a view to giving flexibility for the future, we are seeking shareholder authority at the Annual General Meeting to increase the Company's aggregate Directors' fees limit from GBP200,000 to GBP300,000 per annum. This aggregate level was last increased in 2003 and the Board has no intention of increasing the Directors' fees this year.

Outlook

Despite the present political uncertainties, the global economy is enjoying its most rapid expansion for many years. US consumer confidence is high, and the European economy is now recovering strongly. As long-term investors in growth, our portfolio managers see many bright spots about which to be optimistic, based on their analysis of the companies in our portfolio.

Annual General Meeting

I hope shareholders will come to the Annual General Meeting, which will be held on Wednesday 2 August 2017 at 11.00am at the Institute of Directors. The managers will give a short presentation and there will be an opportunity to ask questions and to meet them and the Directors informally.

James Ferguson

Chairman

23 June 2017

Past performance is not a guide to future performance. See disclaimer at the end of this announcement.

The Managers' Core Investment Beliefs

We believe the following features of Monks provide a sustainable basis for adding value for shareholders.

Active Management

3/4 We invest in attractive companies using a 'bottom-up' investment process. Macroeconomic forecasts are of relatively little interest to us.

3/4 High active share* provides the potential for adding value.

3/4 We ignore the structure of the index - for example the location of a company's HQ and therefore its domicile are less relevant to us than where it generates sales and profits.

3/4 Large swathes of the market are unattractive and of no interest to us.

3/4 As index agnostic global investors we can go anywhere and only invest in the best ideas.

3/4 As the portfolio is very different from the index, we expect portfolio returns to diverge - sometimes substantially and often for prolonged periods.

Committed Growth Investors

3/4 In the long run, share prices follow fundamentals; growth drives returns.

3/4 We aim to produce a portfolio of stocks with above average growth - this in turn underpins the ability of Monks to add value.

3/4 We have a differentiated approach to growth, focusing on the type of growth that we expect a company to deliver. All equity holdings fall into one of four growth categories - as set out in the Equity Portfolio by Growth Category table below.

3/4 The use of these four growth categories ensures a diversity of growth drivers within a disciplined framework.

Long-Term Perspective

3/4 Long-term holdings mean that company fundamentals are given time to drive returns.

3/4 We prefer companies that are managed with a long-term mindset, rather than those that prioritise the management of market expectations.

3/4 We believe our approach helps us focus on what is important during the inevitable periods of underperformance.

3/4 Short-term portfolio results are random.

3/4 As longer-term shareholders we are able to have greater influence on environmental, social and governance matters.

Dedicated Team with Clear Decision-making Process

3/4 Senior and experienced team drawing on the full resources of Baillie Gifford.

3/4 Alignment of interests - the investment team responsible for Monks all own shares in the Company.

Portfolio Construction

3/4 Equities are held in three broad holding sizes - as set out in the Equity Portfolio by Growth Category table below.

3/4 This allows us to back our judgement in those stocks for which we have greater conviction, and to embrace the asymmetry of returns through 'incubator' positions in higher risk/return stocks.

3/4 'Asymmetry of returns': some of our smaller positions will struggle and their share prices will fall; those that are successful may rise many fold. The latter should outweigh the former.

Low Cost

3/4 Investors should not be penalised by high management fees.

3/4 Low turnover and trading costs benefit shareholders.

* Active share, a measure of how actively a portfolio is managed, is the percentage of the portfolio that differs from its comparative index. It is calculated by deducting from 100 the percentage of the portfolio that overlaps with the comparative index. An active share of 100 indicates no overlap with the index and an active share of zero indicates a portfolio that tracks the index.

 
Managers' Report 
================ 
 

Background

Markets were strong in the year to end April 2017, with returns to Sterling investors flattered by the pronounced weakness in the pound which followed the UK's decision to leave the European Union. Global headlines throughout the period were dominated by political uncertainties and predictions of economic gloom, yet the reality was that few of these fears were realised and companies across the world were, in general, able to produce good revenue and profit growth against a background of stable low inflation and continuing low interest rates. There was limited divergence of performance between the major markets or between sectors; it was a year when stock selection dominated.

Performance

During the year to 30 April 2017 the Company's net asset value (NAV), with borrowings at fair value, returned 40.0%, significantly ahead of the FTSE World Index at 31.0%. While this is a more than satisfactory outcome, we believe that performance should only be judged over longer time periods of five years or more, so it is still early days for the new management team. Over the two years since the change in approach the NAV return has been 39.4% compared to the benchmark at 31.6%.

Remarkably 29 of our holdings appreciated by more than 50% in Sterling during the year and 7 by more than 100%. These big winners come disproportionately from two of our favourite growth areas: Platform businesses and Technology companies, notably those involved in semi-conductors. Among the Platforms we saw big contributions from long-term holdings including Amazon which is now our largest holding, MercadoLibre and Alibaba (respectively the leading Brazilian and Chinese ecommerce platforms), Naspers, a South African based internet investor, and MarketAxess which is an electronic bond trading platform. The diverse nationality of these companies demonstrates that geography was not a big influence but rather similarities in business model and scale alongside secular changes in behaviour enabled by the internet and the development of mobile services were the key success factors. It is interesting to note that despite very strong share price appreciation we made no sales of any of these holdings but rather added to Alibaba and Naspers during the year as we continue to believe such companies are capable of substantial further growth.

Broader technological progress is also driving demand for advanced electronics and in particular for the semi-conductors which enable everything from our mobile phones to industrial automation, medical diagnostics and treatments and electric (and eventually autonomous) vehicles. The semi-conductor industry has historically proven highly cyclical and unpredictable but it remains our contention that significant consolidation across several strands of the industry will result in more dominant leaders and more rational behaviour, particularly as it relates to new capacity and pricing. Combined with a rapid uptick in demand based on this wide range of new applications, this should produce significant future profits and a more positive assessment of the companies involved. The strong share price performance of holdings such as Nvidia, Teradyne, Samsung Electronics and Veeco, each of which more than doubled in the year, along with Rohm and TSMC suggests that this process has begun, though as with the Platform winners, we believe there is considerably more to go for.

We also saw strong relative share price performance across a broad spread of holdings including financials such as Sberbank, First Republic and HDFC (respectively Russian, American and Indian banks); industrials such as Renishaw, Atlas Copco, CRH and Lincoln Electric; and consumer companies including Royal Caribbean Cruises. The only notable negative contributors to performance, both of which remain in the portfolio, were Myriad Genetics (medical diagnostics) and Novo Nordisk, the world leader in diabetes treatment. Both fell victim to pricing pressures as regulators and competitors combined to try to get US healthcare costs under control but we believe each has technical leadership which should enable a better long-term outcome.

Performance was also helped by gearing, with borrowed funds invested in the equity markets contributing approximately 1.7% to returns for the year. We put the equity gearing in place in two stages following market weakness in late 2015 and early 2016. We have been waiting patiently for an opportunity to take the level of borrowings to what we consider the long-term norm of 10% of shareholders' funds. The market's strength has dissuaded us from taking out further borrowings for the time being but we remain alert to opportunities and we have scope within our existing bank arrangements to move quickly should the chance arise.

In addition to the strong performance of the underlying portfolio and the positive impact of gearing, shareholders also benefited during the year from a narrowing of the discount from 9.5% to 0.6% (calculated with borrowings at fair value). This boosted the share price total return to a gain of 53.9%. The reduction in the discount was the result of our efforts to generate more buyers of Monks' shares in the market while reducing the level of selling by existing shareholders. The approach we have taken is to explain clearly and consistently our investment approach to both existing and potential shareholders, focusing on those we consider to be the natural long-term holders, namely private individuals, those advised by intermediaries such as wealth managers and smaller charities and foundations. The main factor tying these groups together is their willingness to take a very long-term view of their investments, without the inclination for expensive and uncertain short-term portfolio trading.

We are encouraged by progress so far but recognise that if we are to prevent the discount from widening out again, we shall have to continue to demonstrate ongoing potential for strong performance. We are pleased that this is the second successive year where the Company has not needed to buy back shares and, in contrast, we are now approaching the position where we might potentially issue new shares at a premium to NAV in order to satisfy demand from buyers. Now that we have agreed a new lower tiered fee scale with the Board, any growth in assets will result in lower costs for all shareholders.

Portfolio changes

 
 New Purchases             Complete Sales 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 Abiomed                   Aggreko 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 AP Moller-Maersk          American Express 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 China Biologic            Banco Popular 
  Products                  Español 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 Ctrip.com International   Coca Cola HBC 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 GRAIL                     Dolby Laboratories 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 HTC                       eBay 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 Infineon Technologies     Ferrari 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 Interactive               Jardine Matheson 
  Brokers Group 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 Jardine Strategic         Monsanto 
  Holdings 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 Kansai Paint              Nanoco 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 LendingTree               Praxair 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 Line                      Qualcomm 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 PageGroup                 Shimano 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 Resmed                    SK Hynix 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 SiteOne Landscape         Softbank 
  Supply 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 Trupanion                 Stratasys 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 Verisk Analytics          THK 
------------------------  ------------------- 
                           Victrex 
------------------------  ------------------- 
                           Volvo 
------------------------  ------------------- 
                           Wolseley 
------------------------  ------------------- 
 

Portfolio turnover was lower than in recent years at 13.8%, suggesting an average holding period of over seven years, in line with our long-term perspective. The table above shows the new purchases and complete sales. We sold a number of successful investments where valuations now largely discount future prospects, including Shimano, Ferrari, Wolseley and Dolby and in a similar vein we also reduced Markel, First Republic, Ryanair and CRH. The balance of disposals were of companies which have failed to develop as we had previously hoped, many of which had entered the portfolio as smaller 'incubator' positions, reflecting the wide range of possible outcomes and uncertainties. It is our practice not to dwell on such unknowns as risk taking is at the heart of our investment approach and failures are inevitable; the key is to include as many successes as possible.

Several of the new purchases were of 'Rapid' growth stocks, including a number of relatively immature but high potential companies which address large markets with innovative solutions. Examples include Abiomed (heart pumps), LendingTree (consumer finance portal), China Biologics (plasma products) and GRAIL (cancer diagnosis). GRAIL is a start up company, working on the development of blood tests for the early detection of cancer. It is currently not listed on the stockmarket but has a pedigree list of backers including Illumina, Google and a number of leading pharmaceutical companies. One of the advantages of investment trusts relative to open-ended vehicles is this ability to invest in unquoted companies. We will continue to look out for further unique and high potential opportunities not otherwise accessible through public markets, however, we do not expect to hold more than a handful of such companies. Other new purchases represented more established growth businesses such as Resmed, Verisk, Infineon and Ctrip. Lastly, we acquired initial incubator sized holdings in two out of favour 'Latent' growth stocks HTC and AP Moller-Maersk. In each case we are hoping for much improved future prospects, especially as capacity is now growing more slowly than demand while self help and restructuring offer benefits on top. Both are strongly financed and would look significantly undervalued should our positive case come through.

Outlook for the Portfolio

Following the significant rise in the Monks share price over the last twelve months we must prepare ourselves for the likelihood of lower returns in the future. But importantly, we still believe portfolio returns should be positive, based on continued profit growth from a range of strong and adaptable businesses with superior prospects. We are less confident that aggregate stockmarket indices will make continued progress given the number of large companies and industries which look to us to be ripe for disruption and long-term decline. Our job is to ensure that the portfolio has sufficient exposure to the winners and the foresight to avoid too many of the losers.

Politics across the developed world does seem to be becoming less predictable, in part because of competition from fast developing economies and in part because of the impact of new technologies on societies. While aggregate market valuations appear high and perhaps fail to reflect some of the external risks, we believe that the portfolio carries significantly lower redundancy risk and well above average growth potential, thereby justifying premium valuations. Half of the portfolio is, in any case, not dependant on general economic development but rather on secular drivers. Such companies, and we have already referred to several of them in discussion of performance and transactions, should succeed or fail on their own efforts and we describe these as 'economically agnostic' (see the Thematic Risk Categories table below). In many cases we believe that the winner in a particular industry will take the vast majority of the rewards, so that as a dominant leader such as Amazon, Alibaba, Samsung or Facebook emerges, so the risks from competitors reduce, higher valuations can be justified and holdings can be allowed to rise in size. While the growth rates of such companies will eventually slow, margins and cashflows should improve and returns to shareholders remain healthy.

The other half of the portfolio is more economically sensitive and reflects three broad themes: continued confidence in American growth; a revival in Emerging Markets; and cautious optimism that we are past the worst in Japan and Europe. While the progress of the Trump administration's reforms are uncertain, we believe the direction of tax and industrial policy is broadly positive and should support the economy, with incentives to increase investment and research particularly important for the longer term. A number of Emerging Markets are benefiting from a cyclical recovery after a difficult few years, supported by competitive currencies and praiseworthy efforts to improve governance and reduce corruption; in several such countries politics is actually becoming a cause for optimism. The portfolio's exposure to Europe and Japan is currently modest but the passage of time and increased pressure for change and reform suggests growing scope for positive news.

Overall we are seeing more opportunities for profitable investment all over the world and we look forward with confidence. We believe we are closely aligned with the interests of investors looking for a low cost, actively managed global trust which they can buy easily in the market and then hold for the very long term.

Charles Plowden,

Spencer Adair

Malcolm MacColl

23 June 2017

Past performance is not a guide to future performance. See disclaimer at the end of this announcement.

 
Equity Portfolio by Growth Category as at 30 April 2017 (unaudited) 
=================================================================== 
 
 
 Holding       Growth Stalwarts        %      Rapid Growth         %      Cyclical Growth          %      Latent Growth        % 
  Size 
               (c.10% p.a.                    (c.15% to 25%               (c.10% to 15%                   (earnings growth 
                earnings growth)               p.a. earnings               p.a. earnings                   to accelerate 
                                               growth)                     growth through                  over time) 
                                                                           a cycle) 
------------  ----------------------  -----  -------------------  -----  -----------------------  -----  -------------------  ----- 
                    Company                   Company                     Company                         Company 
                    Characteristics           Characteristics             Characteristics                 Characteristics 
                    3/4 Durable               3/4 Early                   3/4 Subject                     3/4 Company 
                    franchise                 stage businesses            to macroeconomic                specific catalyst 
                    3/4 Deliver               with vast growth            and capital                     will drive 
                    robust                    opportunity                 cycles with                     above average 
                    profitability             3/4 Innovators              significant                     earnings in 
                    in most                   attacking existing          structural                      future 
                    macroeconomic             profit pools                growth prospects                3/4 Unspectacular 
                    environments              or creating                 3/4 Strong                      recent operational 
                    3/4 Competitive           new markets                 management                      performance 
                    advantage                                             teams highly                    and therefore 
                    includes                                              skilled at                      out of favour 
                    dominant                                              capital allocation 
                    local scale, 
                    customer loyalty 
                    and strong 
                    brands 
------------  ----------------------  -----  -------------------  -----  -----------------------  -----  -------------------  ----- 
 Highest 
  conviction 
  holdings 
  c.2.0% 
  each 
  Total:                                                                  Royal Caribbean                 Samsung 
  36.5%        Prudential              3.4    Amazon.com           3.8     Cruises                 3.2    Electronics          1.8 
------------ 
  SAP                                  2.1    Naspers              3.1    TSMC                     2.1    MS&AD Insurance      1.7 
 
  Anthem                               2.0    Alphabet             2.5    CRH                      2.0 
  Moody's                              1.7    AIA                  2.0    TD Ameritrade            1.6 
                                              Alibaba              1.9    CarMax                   1.6 
 -----------------------------------  -----  -------------------  -----  -----------------------  -----  -------------------  ----- 
 
 Average       Visa                    1.3    MercadoLibre         1.5    Martin Marietta          1.3    Bank of Ireland      0.9 
  sized                                                                    Materials 
  holdings 
  c.1.0%        Schindler               1.2    Ryanair              1.5    Teradyne                 1.2    Apache               0.9 
   each 
  Total:        MasterCard              1.2    Facebook             1.4    Richemont                1.1    Sberbank of          0.8 
   42.1%                                                                                                    Russia 
   Verisk Analytics                     0.9    Seattle Genetics     1.2    Markel                   1.1    Veeco Instruments    0.7 
   Novo Nordisk                         0.9    iRobot               1.1    Atlas Copco              1.0    Fairfax Financial    0.7 
   Waters                               0.8    Ctrip.com Interna    1.1    EOG Resources            0.9    Carlsberg            0.7 
                                               tional 
   Resmed                               0.8    ICICI Bank           1.0    Leucadia National        0.9 
   Colgate-Palmolive                    0.7    Nvidia               1.0    First Republic           0.9 
                                                                            Bank 
                                               Baidu                0.9    Hays                     0.9 
                                               MarketAxess          0.9    Lincoln Electric         0.9 
                                               Tesla                0.9    Svenska Handelsbanken    0.8 
                                               HDFC                 0.9    Wabtec                   0.8 
                                               Yandex               0.9    CH Robinson              0.7 
                                                                            Worldwide 
                                               GrubHub              0.7    SMC                      0.7 
                                               LendingTree          0.7    Jardine Strategic        0.7 
                                                                           Holdings 
 -----------------------------------  -----  -------------------  -----  -----------------------  -----  -------------------  ----- 
 
 
Equity Portfolio by Growth Category as at 30 April 2017 (unaudited) (Ctd) 
========================================================================= 
 
 
                                %                                  %                            %                               % 
   Holding     Growth                     Rapid Growth                       Cyclical Growth              Latent Growth 
   Size        Stalwarts 
-----------  ----------------  ------  -------------------------  ------  -------------------  ------  ----------------------  ------ 
              (c.10% p.a.               (c.15% to                          (c.10% to                    (earnings 
               earnings                  25% p.a. earnings                  15% p.a. earnings            growth to 
               growth)                   growth)                            growth through               accelerate 
                                                                            a cycle)                     over time) 
-----------  ----------------  ------  -------------------------  ------  -------------------  ------  ----------------------  ------ 
 Incubator    Bureau Veritas    0.6     Renishaw                   0.6     Deutsche Boerse      0.6     Howard Hughes           0.6 
  Holdings 
  c.0.5%       Olympus           0.6     Cyberagent                 0.6     Brambles             0.6     Toyota Tsusho           0.6 
   each 
  Total:       Kansai Paint      0.5     Schibsted                  0.6     Rolls Royce          0.6     Tsingtao Brewery        0.6 
   21.4% 
               Stericycle        0.5     Infineon Technologies      0.5     Ritchie Bros         0.5     Rohm                    0.5 
                                                                             Auctioneers 
               Dia               0.4     BM&F Bovespa               0.5     PageGroup            0.5     Autohome                0.5 
                                         M3                         0.5     Kirby                0.5     HTC                     0.4 
                                         Financial                  0.4     Sands China          0.4     Silk Invest             0.4 
                                          Engines                                                         Africa Food 
                                         Zillow                     0.4     DistributionNOW      0.4     Fund                    0.4 
                                         Trupanion                  0.4     SiteOne Landscape    0.3     OC Oerlikon             0.4 
                                         Qiagen                     0.4     Supply               0.1     AP Moller-Maersk        0.4 
                                         Abiomed                    0.4     Ferro Alloy                  Fiat Chrysler           0.2 
                                                                             Resources                    Autos 
                                         GRAIL                      0.4                                  MTN                     0.1 
                                         TripAdvisor                0.4                                  Doric Nimrod            - 
                                                                                                          Air One 
                                         IP Group                   0.4                                  Juridica Investments 
                                         China Biologic             0.4 
                                          Products 
                                         Myriad Genetics            0.4 
                                         Japan Exchange             0.4 
                                         Interactive                0.4 
                                          Brokers 
                                         Group                      0.4 
                                         Line                       0.4 
                                         Intuitive                  0.3 
                                          Surgical 
                                         Alnylam Pharmaceuticals 
-----------  ----------------  ------  -------------------------  ------  -------------------  ------  ----------------------  ------ 
  Total                         19.6%   Total                      38.2%   Total                28.9%   Total                   13.3% 
 ----------------------------  ------  -------------------------  ------  -------------------  ------  ----------------------  ------ 
 
 
 Portfolio Positioning as at 30 April 2017 
  (unaudited) 
========================================== 
 

Thematic Risk Categories

 
                                               At 30 
                                               April 
                                                2017 
  Category                                         % 
===========================================  ======= 
 Economically Agnostic                          47.6 
  Internet Winners                              19.1 
  Innovation                                    18.9 
  Consumer Stalwarts                             8.5 
  Idiosyncratic                                  1.1 
 US Re-emergence                                22.9 
  Industrial                                     5.9 
  Consumer                                       5.8 
  Normalisation                                  4.3 
  Capital Cycle                                  3.6 
  Government Budgets                             2.0 
  Energy                                         1.3 
 Continued Progress of Asia/Latin America       16.1 
  Consumer Catch-up                             12.8 
  Energy                                         1.7 
  Industrial                                     1.5 
  Capital Cycle                                  0.1 
 European and Japanese Healing                  11.5 
  Consumer                                       3.7 
  Industrial                                     2.7 
  Abenomics                                      2.7 
  Normalisation                                  2.3 
  Capital Cycle                                  0.1 
 ==========================================  ======= 
 Bonds and Net Liquid Assets                     1.3 
  Net Liquid Assets                              0.9 
  Bonds                                          0.4 
 ==========================================  ======= 
 Other Equities                                  0.6 
===========================================  ======= 
 Total Assets                                  100.0 
===========================================  ======= 
 
 
 Portfolio Positioning as at 30 April 2017 (unaudited) 
  (Ctd) 
====================================================== 
 

Geographical Analysis

 
                              At          At 
                        30 April    30 April 
                            2017        2016 
                               %           % 
====================  ==========  ========== 
 North America              47.1        46.1 
 Continental Europe         16.4        17.7 
 Emerging Markets           18.9        14.2 
 United Kingdom              6.3         8.3 
 Japan                       6.3         8.3 
 Developed Asia              3.7         3.2 
 Bonds                       0.4         0.6 
 Net Liquid Assets           0.9         1.6 
 Total Assets              100.0       100.0 
====================  ==========  ========== 
 

Sectoral Analysis

 
                                           At          At 
                                     30 April    30 April 
                                         2017        2016 
                                            %           % 
===========  ====================  ==========  ========== 
 Equities:    Oil and Gas                 2.2         2.7 
  Basic Materials                         0.6         1.2 
  Industrials                            17.3        18.9 
  Consumer Goods                          8.0         7.8 
  Health Care                             8.9         7.0 
  Consumer Services                      21.1        18.8 
  Financials                             25.5        26.8 
  Technology                             14.9        13.3 
  Telecommunications                      0.2         1.3 
 ================================  ==========  ========== 
                                         98.7        97.8 
 Bonds                                    0.4         0.6 
 Net Liquid Assets                        0.9         1.6 
=================================  ==========  ========== 
 Total Assets                           100.0       100.0 
=================================  ==========  ========== 
 
 
List of Investments at 30 April 2017 (unaudited) 
================================================ 
 
 
                                                                 Fair value                          Cumulative % of 
 Name                  Business              Growth category        GBP'000   % of total assets         total assets 
====================  ====================  =================  ============  ==================  =================== 
 Amazon.com            Online retailer       Rapid                   56,326                 3.7 
                       International 
 Prudential             financial services   Stalwart                50,355                 3.3 
 Royal Caribbean       Cruise line 
  Cruises               operator             Cyclical                48,657                 3.2 
                       Media and 
 Naspers                e-commerce           Rapid                   47,399                 3.1 
                       Online search and 
 Alphabet               platform provider    Rapid                   37,578                 2.5 
 SAP                   Enterprise software   Stalwart                32,272                 2.1 
                       Semiconductor 
 TSMC                   manufacturer         Cyclical                31,555                 2.1 
                       Asian insurance 
 AIA                    provider             Rapid                   30,660                 2.0 
 Anthem                Healthcare insurer    Stalwart                30,548                 2.0 
                       Diversified 
 CRH                    building materials   Cyclical                30,110                 2.0                 26.0 
                       Online and mobile 
 Alibaba                commerce             Rapid                   28,245                 1.9 
                       Consumer and 
                        industrial 
                        electronic 
 Samsung Electronics    equipment            Latent                  26,560                 1.7 
                       Credit rating 
 Moody's                agency               Stalwart                25,318                 1.7 
 MS&AD Insurance       Non-life insurer      Latent                  24,923                 1.6 
 TD Ameritrade         Online brokerage      Cyclical                23,623                 1.6 
 CarMax                Used car retailer     Cyclical                23,478                 1.5 
                       Latin American 
                        e-commerce 
 MercadoLibre           platform             Rapid                   22,735                 1.5 
 Ryanair               Low cost airline      Rapid                   22,090                 1.5 
                       Social media 
 Facebook               platform             Rapid                   21,240                 1.4 
                       Cement and 
 Martin Marietta        aggregates 
  Materials             producer             Cyclical                20,221                 1.3                 41.7 
                       Global electronic 
 Visa                   payments network     Stalwart                18,938                 1.2 
                       Elevator and 
                        escalator 
 Schindler              manufacturer         Stalwart                18,504                 1.2 
                       Global electronic 
 MasterCard             payments network     Stalwart                17,855                 1.2 
                       Biotechnology 
                        treatments for 
 Seattle Genetics       cancer               Rapid                   17,513                 1.1 
                       Semiconductor 
                        testing equipment 
 Teradyne               manufacturer         Cyclical                17,398                 1.1 
                       Luxury goods 
                        designer and 
 Richemont              manufacturer         Cyclical                17,283                 1.1 
                       Speciality 
 Markel                 insurance            Cyclical                17,150                 1.1 
 iRobot                Domestic robots       Rapid                   16,857                 1.1 
 Ctrip.com             Chinese online 
  International         travel agency        Rapid                   15,987                 1.0 
                       Banking and 
 ICICI Bank             financial services   Rapid                   15,724                 1.0                 52.8 
                       Interactive 3D 
 Nvidia                 graphics provider    Rapid                   15,338                 1.0 
                       Industrial 
                        compressors and 
                        mining equipment 
 Atlas Copco            producer             Cyclical                15,178                 1.0 
                       Oil and gas 
                        explorer and 
 EOG Resources          producer             Cyclical                14,195                 0.9 
                       Chinese internet 
 Baidu                  search engine        Rapid                   13,859                 0.9 
                       Diversified holding 
                        and investment 
 Leucadia National      company              Cyclical                13,658                 0.9 
                       Retail and 
 Bank of Ireland        commercial bank      Latent                  13,587                 0.9 
                       Private banking and 
 First Republic Bank    wealth management    Cyclical                13,554                 0.9 
                       Electronic bond 
 MarketAxess            trading platform     Rapid                   13,524                 0.9 
                       Oil exploration and 
 Apache                 production           Latent                  13,415                 0.9 
                       Recruitment and 
 Hays                   human resources      Cyclical                13,302                 0.9                 62.0 
                       Data analytics 
 Verisk Analytics       provider             Stalwart                13,268                 0.9 
                       Electric vehicle 
                        and solution 
 Tesla                  provider             Rapid                   13,193                 0.9 
                       Welding equipment 
 Lincoln Electric       manufacturer         Cyclical                13,133                 0.9 
                       Indian mortgage 
 HDFC                   provider             Rapid                   13,062                 0.9 
                       Pharmaceutical 
 Novo Nordisk           company              Stalwart                12,978                 0.9 
                       Internet search and 
 Yandex                 online services      Rapid                   12,954                 0.9 
                       Banking and 
 Sberbank of Russia     financial services   Latent                  12,531                 0.8 
 
 
 
List of Investments at 30 April 2017 (unaudited) (Ctd) 
====================================================== 
 
 
                                                                  Fair value                           Cumulative % of 
 Name                   Business              Growth category        GBP'000   % of total assets          total assets 
=====================  ====================  =================  ============  ==================  ==================== 
                        Liquid 
                         chromatography 
                         products and 
 Waters                  services             Stalwart                12,507                 0.8 
                        Develops and 
                         manufactures 
 Resmed                  medical equipment    Stalwart                12,431                 0.8 
 Svenska 
  Handelsbanken         Retail bank           Cyclical                12,090                 0.8                  70.6 
                        Technology products 
                         and services 
                         provider for 
 Wabtec                  the rail industry    Cyclical                11,540                 0.8 
                        Semiconductor 
 Veeco Instruments       equipment company    Latent                  11,291                 0.7 
                        Third party 
 CH Robinson             delivery and 
  Worldwide              logistics business   Cyclical                10,661                 0.7 
                        Financial services 
 Fairfax Financial       holding company      Latent                  10,636                 0.7 
 Colgate-Palmolive      Consumer goods        Stalwart                10,533                 0.7 
                        Factory automation 
 SMC                     equipment producer   Cyclical                10,361                 0.7 
 Carlsberg              Brewer                Latent                  10,254                 0.7 
 Jardine Strategic 
  Holdings              Trading company       Cyclical                 9,948                 0.7 
                        Online takeaway 
 GrubHub                 ordering service     Rapid                    9,920                 0.6 
                        Online loan 
 LendingTree             marketplace          Rapid                    9,802                 0.6                  77.5 
                        Consulting and 
                         testing services 
 Bureau Veritas          company              Stalwart                 9,412                 0.6 
                        Measurement and 
                         calibration 
                         equipment 
 Renishaw                manufacturer         Rapid                    9,410                 0.6 
                        Real estate 
 Howard Hughes           developer            Latent                   9,380                 0.6 
                        Internet 
                         advertising and 
 Cyberagent              content              Rapid                    8,920                 0.6 
 Toyota Tsusho          Trading company       Latent                   8,891                 0.6 
                        Online media and 
 Schibsted               classifieds          Rapid                    8,861                 0.6 
                        Stock exchange 
 Deutsche Boerse         operator             Cyclical                 8,832                 0.6 
 Olympus                Optics manufacturer   Stalwart                 8,674                 0.6 
                        Pallet pool 
 Brambles                operator             Cyclical                 8,524                 0.6 
 Tsingtao Brewery       Brewer                Latent                   8,324                 0.5                  83.4 
                        Power systems 
 Rolls Royce             manufacturer         Cyclical                 8,273                 0.5 
                        German 
 Infineon                semiconductor 
  Technologies           manufacturer         Rapid                    8,020                 0.5 
                        Stock exchange 
 BM&F Bovespa            operator             Rapid                    7,846                 0.5 
                        Industrial 
 Ritchie Bros            equipment 
  Auctioneers            auctioneer           Cyclical                 7,724                 0.5 
                        Semiconductor 
 Rohm                    manufacturer         Latent                   7,705                 0.5 
 Kansai Paint           Paint manufacturer    Stalwart                 7,494                 0.5 
                        Recruitment 
 PageGroup               consultancy          Cyclical                 7,314                 0.5 
                        Online auto 
 Autohome                research platform    Latent                   7,306                 0.5 
                        Online medical 
 M3                      database             Rapid                    7,147                 0.5 
                        Medical waste 
                         management 
 Stericycle              services             Stalwart                 7,122                 0.5                  88.4 
                        Marine shipping 
 Kirby                   company              Cyclical                 7,027                 0.5 
                        Investment advisory 
 Financial Engines       firm                 Rapid                    6,791                 0.4 
                        US online real 
 Zillow                  estate services      Rapid                    6,748                 0.4 
                        Pet health 
 Trupanion               insurance provider   Rapid                    6,747                 0.4 
                        Mobile handset and 
                         visual hardware 
 HTC                     producer             Latent                   6,677                 0.4 
                        Biotechnology 
 Qiagen                  equipment            Rapid                    6,528                 0.4 
 Sands China            Casino operator       Cyclical                 6,374                 0.4 
                        Manufacturer of 
                         medical implant 
 Abiomed                 devices              Rapid                    6,218                 0.4 
 
 
List of Investments at 30 April 2017 (unaudited) (Ctd) 
====================================================== 
 
 
                                                                 Fair value                          Cumulative % of 
 Name                  Business              Growth category        GBP'000   % of total assets         total assets 
====================  ====================  =================  ============  ==================  =================== 
                       Discount food 
 Dia                    retailer             Stalwart                 6,205                 0.4 
                       Liquid biopsy 
 GRAIL*                 cancer testing       Rapid                    6,184                 0.4                 92.5 
                       Online travel 
 TripAdvisor            review platform      Rapid                    6,173                 0.4 
                       Intellectual 
                        property 
 IP Group               commercialisation    Rapid                    6,076                 0.4 
 Silk Invest Africa    Africa-focused 
  Food                  private equity 
  Fund*                 fund                 Latent                   6,060                 0.4 
                       Industrial 
                        equipment 
 OC Oerlikon            manufacturer         Latent                   6,035                 0.4 
                       Transport and 
 AP Moller-Maersk       logistics company    Latent                   6,026                 0.4 
 China Biologic 
  Products             Biopharmaceuticals    Rapid                    5,995                 0.4 
 Myriad Genetics       Genetic testing       Rapid                    5,718                 0.4 
                       Vehicle 
 Fiat Chrysler Autos    manufacturer         Latent                   5,660                 0.4 
                       Stock exchange 
 Japan Exchange         operator             Rapid                    5,594                 0.4 
 Interactive Brokers   Online equity 
  Group                 trading platform     Rapid                    5,593                 0.4                 96.5 
                       Online social media 
 Line                   platform             Rapid                    5,545                 0.4 
                       Oilfield drilling 
                        equipment 
 DistributionNOW        distributor          Cyclical                 5,503                 0.4 
 Intuitive Surgical    Surgical robots       Rapid                    5,492                 0.4 
                       Landscaping 
 SiteOne Landscape      supplies 
  Supply                distributor          Cyclical                 4,819                 0.3 
 Alnylam 
  Pharmaceuticals      Biotechnology         Rapid                    4,073                 0.3 
                       South African 
                        wireless telecom 
 MTN                    company              Latent                   3,167                 0.2 
 Ferro Alloy 
  Resources*           Vanadium mining       Cyclical                 1,390                 0.1 
 Doric Nimrod Air 
  One                  Aircraft leasing      Latent                   1,242                 0.1 
 Juridica              Litigation 
 Investments           financing             Latent                     248                   - 
====================  ====================  =================  ============  ================== 
 Total Equity Investments                                         1,500,892                98.7                 98.7 
=============================================================  ============  ================== 
 
 Bonds 
 Credit Suisse 0% 
  Swap 
  Rate Linked Note 
  2017*                UK swap rate linked note                       6,185                 0.4 
 
 Total Bonds                                                          6,185                 0.4 
=============================================================  ============  ================== 
 Total Investments                                                1,507,077                99.1                 99.1 
 Net Liquid Assets                                                   14,053                 0.9 
=============================================================  ============  ==================  =================== 
 Total Assets at Fair Value                                       1,521,130               100.0                100.0 
=============================================================  ============  ==================  =================== 
 
 
   *      Denotes an unlisted security 
 
Income statement (unaudited) 
============================ 
 
 
                                                             For the year ended               For the year ended 
                                                                30 April 2017                    30 April 2016 
                                                        Revenue    Capital      Total    Revenue    Capital      Total 
                                                        GBP'000    GBP'000    GBP'000    GBP'000    GBP'000    GBP'000 
====================================================  =========  =========  =========  =========  =========  ========= 
 Gains/(losses) on investments                                -    403,486    403,486          -   (10,799)   (10,799) 
 Currency (losses)/gains                                      -    (3,264)    (3,264)          -      1,655      1,655 
 Income                                                  17,593          -     17,593     15,149          -     15,149 
 Investment management fee                              (6,011)          -    (6,011)    (4,617)          -    (4,617) 
 Other administrative expenses                          (1,261)          -    (1,261)    (1,150)          -    (1,150) 
====================================================  =========  =========  =========  =========  =========  ========= 
 Net return before finance costs and taxation            10,321    400,222    410,543      9,382    (9,144)        238 
 Finance costs of borrowings                            (3,910)          -    (3,910)    (3,291)          -    (3,291) 
====================================================  =========  =========  =========  =========  =========  ========= 
 Net return on ordinary activities before taxation        6,411    400,222    406,633      6,091    (9,144)    (3,053) 
 Tax on ordinary activities                             (1,368)          -    (1,368)    (1,137)          -    (1,137) 
====================================================  =========  =========  =========  =========  =========  ========= 
 Net return on ordinary activities after taxation         5,043    400,222    405,265      4,954    (9,144)    (4,190) 
====================================================  =========  =========  =========  =========  =========  ========= 
 Net return per ordinary share (note 2)                   2.36p    187.05p    189.41p      2.31p    (4.27p)    (1.96p) 
====================================================  =========  =========  =========  =========  =========  ========= 
 Note: 
  Dividends per share paid and payable in respect of 
  the year (note 3)                                       1.25p                            1.50p 
====================================================  =========  =========  =========  =========  =========  ========= 
 

The total column of this statement represents the profit and loss account of the Company. The supplementary revenue and capital columns are prepared under guidance published by the Association of Investment Companies.

All revenue and capital items in this statement derive from continuing operations.

A Statement of Comprehensive Income is not required as all gains and losses of the Company have been reflected in the above statement.

 
Balance sheet (unaudited) 
========================= 
 
 
                                                          At 30 April 2017   At 30 April 2016 
                                                                   GBP'000            GBP'000 
 Fixed assets 
 Investments held at fair value through profit or loss           1,507,077          1,079,434 
=======================================================  =================  ================= 
 Current assets 
 Debtors                                                             7,816              3,330 
 Cash and cash equivalents                                          15,208             15,930 
=======================================================  =================  ================= 
                                                                    23,024             19,260 
=======================================================  =================  ================= 
 Creditors 
 Amounts falling due within one year (note 4)                     (76,217)           (47,968) 
 Net current liabilities                                          (53,193)           (28,708) 
=======================================================  =================  ================= 
 Total assets less current liabilities                           1,453,884          1,050,726 
=======================================================  =================  ================= 
 Creditors 
 Amounts falling due after more than one year (note 4)            (39,810)           (39,777) 
 Net assets                                                      1,414,074          1,010,949 
=======================================================  =================  ================= 
 Capital and reserves 
 Called up share capital                                            10,698             10,698 
 Share premium account                                              11,100             11,100 
 Capital redemption reserve                                          8,700              8,700 
 Capital reserve                                                 1,335,036            934,814 
 Revenue reserve                                                    48,540             45,637 
=======================================================  =================  ================= 
 Shareholders' funds                                             1,414,074          1,010,949 
=======================================================  =================  ================= 
 Net asset value per ordinary share 
  (after deducting borrowings at fair value)                        656.8p             470.1p 
=======================================================  =================  ================= 
 Net asset value per ordinary share 
  (after deducting borrowings at par)                               660.8p             472.4p 
=======================================================  =================  ================= 
 Ordinary shares in issue (note 5)                             213,963,859        213,963,859 
=======================================================  =================  ================= 
 
 
Statement of changes in equity (unaudited) 
========================================== 
 

For the year ended 30 April 2017

 
                        Called up                           Capital 
                            share    Share premium       redemption          Capital                     Shareholders' 
                          capital          account          reserve          reserve   Revenue reserve           funds 
                          GBP'000          GBP'000          GBP'000          GBP'000           GBP'000         GBP'000 
================  ===============  ===============  ===============  ===============  ================  ============== 
 Shareholders' 
  funds at 1 May 
  2016                     10,698           11,100            8,700          934,814            45,637       1,010,949 
 Net return on 
  ordinary 
  activities 
  after taxation                -                -                -          400,222             5,043         405,265 
 Dividends paid 
  during the 
  year (note 3)                 -                -                -                -           (2,140)         (2,140) 
================  ===============  ===============  ===============  ===============  ================  ============== 
 Shareholders' 
  funds at 30 
  April 2017               10,698           11,100            8,700        1,335,036            48,540       1,414,074 
================  ===============  ===============  ===============  ===============  ================  ============== 
 

For the year ended 30 April 2016

 
                        Called up                           Capital 
                            share    Share premium       redemption          Capital                     Shareholders' 
                          capital          account          reserve          reserve   Revenue reserve           funds 
                          GBP'000          GBP'000          GBP'000          GBP'000           GBP'000         GBP'000 
================  ===============  ===============  ===============  ===============  ================  ============== 
 Shareholders' 
  funds at 1 May 
  2015                     10,698           11,100            8,700          943,958            49,135       1,023,591 
 Net return on 
  ordinary 
  activities 
  after taxation                -                -                -          (9,144)             4,954         (4,190) 
 Dividends paid 
  during the 
  year (note 3)                 -                -                -                -           (8,452)         (8,452) 
================  ===============  ===============  ===============  ===============  ================  ============== 
 Shareholders' 
  funds at 30 
  April 2016               10,698           11,100            8,700          934,814            45,637       1,010,949 
================  ===============  ===============  ===============  ===============  ================  ============== 
 
 
Cash flow statement (unaudited) 
=============================== 
 
 
                                                          Year ended 30 April 2017     Year ended 30 April 2016 
                                                             GBP'000       GBP'000         GBP'000      GBP'000 
=====================================================  =============  ============  ==============  =========== 
 Cash flows from operating activities 
 Net return on ordinary activities before taxation                         406,633                      (3,053) 
 Net (gains)/losses on investments                                       (403,486)                       10,799 
 Currency losses/(gains)                                                     3,264                      (1,655) 
 Amortisation of fixed income book cost                                      (409)                        (353) 
 Finance costs of borrowings                                                 3,910                        3,291 
 Overseas tax incurred                                                     (1,348)                      (1,125) 
 Changes in debtors and creditors                                              627                      (1,257) 
 Cash from operations                                                        9,191                        6,647 
 Interest paid                                                             (3,858)                      (3,214) 
=====================================================  =============  ============  ==============  =========== 
 Net cash inflow from operating activities                                   5,333                        3,433 
=====================================================  =============  ============  ==============  =========== 
 Cash flows from investing activities 
 Acquisitions of investments                               (183,649)                     (209,105) 
 Disposals of investments                                    161,830                       215,791 
 Net cash (outflow)/inflow from investing activities                      (21,819)                        6,686 
=====================================================  =============  ============  ==============  =========== 
 Cash flows from financing activities 
 Equity dividends paid                                       (2,140)                       (8,452) 
 Shares purchased for cancellation                                 -                           (2) 
 Borrowings drawn down/(repaid)                               15,608                      (39,536) 
=====================================================  =============  ============  ==============  =========== 
 Net cash inflow/(outflow) from financing activities                        13,468                     (47,990) 
=====================================================  =============  ============  ==============  =========== 
 Decrease in cash and cash equivalents                                     (3,018)                     (37,871) 
 Exchange movements                                                          2,296                        2,986 
 Cash and cash equivalents at 1 May                                         15,930                       50,815 
=====================================================  =============  ============  ==============  =========== 
 Cash and cash equivalents at 30 April                                      15,208                       15,930 
=====================================================  =============  ============  ==============  =========== 
 
 
Notes to the condensed financial statements (unaudited) 
======================================================= 
 
 
 1.    The unaudited financial results for the year to 30 April 2017 have been prepared in accordance 
        with FRS 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland'. 
        The accounting policies adopted are consistent with those of the previous financial year. 
        The Company has early adopted the amendments to section 34 of FRS 102 regarding fair value 
        hierarchy disclosures. 
      ======================================================================================================== 
 
 2.    Net Return per Ordinary Share                                2017                                  2016 
      ========================================================  ========  ==================================== 
  Revenue return                                                   2.36p                                 2.31p 
  Capital return                                                 187.05p                               (4.27p) 
 ========================================================       ========  ==================================== 
  Total return                                                   189.41p                               (1.96p) 
 ========================================================       ========  ==================================== 
  Revenue return per ordinary share is based on the net revenue return on ordinary activities 
   after taxation of GBP5,043,000 (2016 - GBP4,954,000) and on 213,963,859 (2016 - 213,963,859) 
   ordinary shares of 5p, being the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during 
   the year. 
   Capital return per ordinary share is based on the net capital gain for the financial year 
   of GBP400,222,000 (2016 - loss of GBP9,144,000) and on 213,963,859 (2016 - 213,963,859) ordinary 
   shares, being the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year. 
   There are no dilutive or potentially dilutive shares in issue. 
 ============================================================================================================= 
 3.    Ordinary Dividends                                           2017    2016          2017            2016 
                                                                                       GBP'000         GBP'000 
      ========================================================  ========  ======  ============  ============== 
       Amounts recognised as distributions in the year: 
  Previous year's final (paid 5 August 2016)                       1.00p   3.45p         2,140           7,382 
  Interim                                                              -   0.50p             -           1,070 
                                                                   1.00p   3.95p         2,140           8,452 
 =============================================================  ========  ======  ============  ============== 
       We also set out below the total dividends paid and proposed in respect of the financial year, 
        which is the basis on which the requirements of section 1158 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 
        are considered. The revenue available for distribution by way of dividend for the year is 
        GBP5,043,000 (2016 - GBP4,954,000). 
      ======================================================================================================== 
                                                                    2017    2016          2017          2016 
                                                                                       GBP'000       GBP'000 
       =======================================================  ========  ======  ============  ============ 
        Amounts paid and payable in respect of the financial 
        year: 
   Interim                                                             -   0.50p             -         1,070 
   Proposed final (payable 4 August 2017)                          1.25p   1.00p         2,675         2,140 
  ============================================================  ========  ======  ============  ============ 
                                                                   1.25p   1.50p         2,675         3,210 
  ============================================================  ========  ======  ============  ============ 
        If approved, the recommended final dividend on ordinary shares will be paid on 4 August 2017 
         to shareholders on the register at the close of business on 7 July 2017. The ex-dividend date 
         is 6 July 2017. The Company's Registrar offers a Dividend Reinvestment Plan and the final 
         date for elections for this dividend is 14 July 2017. 
 
 
 
Notes to the condensed financial statements (unaudited) (ctd) 
============================================================= 
 
 
 4.   At 30 April 2017 the book value of the Company's borrowings amounted to GBP107m (2016 - GBP86m), 
       comprising a GBP40m 6 3/8% debenture stock repayable in 2023 (2016 - GBP40m) and a short-term 
       bank loan of US$87m (2016 - US$67.5m). 
       The fair value of borrowings at 30 April 2017 was GBP116m (2016 - GBP91m). 
 5.   The Company did not buy back or allot any ordinary shares during the year. At 30 April 2017 
       the Company had authority to buy back 32,073,182 ordinary shares, being 14.99% of the shares 
       in issue at the year end, and to allot 
       21,396,385 ordinary shares without application of pre-emption rights, being 10% of the shares 
       in issue at the year end. 
 6.   The Report and Accounts will be available on the Managers' website www.monksinvestmenttrust.co.uk(++) 
       on or around 4 July 2017. 
 7.   The financial information set out above does not constitute the Company's statutory accounts 
       for the year ended 30 April 2017. The financial information for 2016 is derived from the statutory 
       accounts for 2016 which have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The Auditors have 
       reported on the 2016 accounts; their report was unqualified and it did not contain a statement 
       under section 498(2) or (3) of the Companies Act 2006. The statutory accounts for 2017 will 
       be finalised on the basis of the financial information presented in this preliminary announcement 
       and will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies following the Company's Annual General 
       Meeting. 
 8.   None of the views expressed in this document should be construed as advice to buy or sell 
       a particular investment. 
 

++ Neither the contents of the Managers' website nor the contents of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Managers' website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.

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