Abrdn UK Smaller Compani... Share Discussion Threads

[henryatkin] 01/1/2014 16:58

SLS finished the year up 36% which compares to 32% for the SMX and 25% for MCX.

Many other investment funds and unit trust's did much better though:
THRG 48%, HSL 50%, IPU 33%, JMI 55%, SCP 65%, BRSC53%, River & Mercantile UKSC 57%, Aberforth UKSC 45%, Cazenove UKSC 43% and Fidelity UKSC 48%. Generally UK smaller companies did much better than SMX so fund managers earned their crust. Looking at their respective portfolio's its the quality of their top 20 holdings that give them the edge over the index.

[henryatkin] 31/12/2013 09:26

janeann... its been a great year all round, lets hope it continues.

Hargreaves Lansdown wealth 150 review:
www.hl.co.uk/video/mark-dampiers-wealth-150-review?utm_source=Silverpop&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EO017%20HLTV%20W150%20review%20-%20everyone%20(1)&utm_content=top%20image_1&theSource=EO017&Override=1&sp_mid=44720499&sp_rid=dmFuY2UxbG5AYnRpbnRlcm5ldC5jb20S1

[janeann] 23/12/2013 11:04

Henry; well having looked at BRSC following your early post I bought some of those on 8 dec as well as sls. Very pleased so far with both but especially bsrc! Mrch still sitting quietly !

thanks

[henryatkin] 24/11/2013 11:46

I understand Cazenove small companies was closed to new entrants on Friday. It has become so popular that they have hit £1bn under management which the fund manager feels is the limit he can handle whilst maintaining its current growth rate. It's still smaller than SLS which currently has £1.2bn under management but also holds a few larger companies compared to Cazenove.

MRCH is one I haven't looked at too closely but I can see the attraction of the Large Mcap helping reduce over all portfolio volatility and giving good income.

[janeann] 24/11/2013 10:25

Already hold the Cazenova unit trust - or at least my daughter does. Also hold and like MRCH although that has stood relatively still for a few months now (along with the ftse 100); nice dividend c 4.5% there though.

Never like buying right at the top - unless its a top up, although cant avoid it sometimes!

[henryatkin] 21/11/2013 09:06

These give such a diverse portfolio of good quality companies that I personally wouldn't worry too much about tops and bottoms.

Looking at Hargreaves Lansdown latest wealth 150 report, Cazenove UK smaller companies Unit Trust has outperformed both SLS and BRSC over the past five years. Annual % growth rates:
Cazenove - 50.5, 24.8, 12.7, 28.1, 47.5
BRSC - 24.4, 32.3, 1.3, 19.1, 34.2
SLS - 35.9, 42, 4.6, 12.2, 31.5

Considering the smallcap index SMX lost over 12% in 2011 they all did well to achieve positive growth.

[janeann] 20/11/2013 21:06

henryatkin - thanks for that; agree brsc is also good - if not marginally better, but standard life buying into thal (announced 7/11) pushed me in this direction.

just hope i havent bought in at a peak!

[henryatkin] 20/11/2013 14:51

janeann...Blackrock also does quite well - BRSC.

[janeann] 16/11/2013 15:27

Just been researching various IT's and come to the conclusion this is one of the best - cerrtainly in terms of recent performance.

[strollingmolby] 14/11/2013 12:56

With much the same commentary as the recent September newsletter...

Activity

The Company bought shares in Ocado, the on-line food retailer and distributor, during the quarter. The announcement of its joint venture with Wm. Morrison's puts the business on a sound financial footing, giving it a platform for strong growth. The Company also acquired a new holding in Delcam, the provider of computer-aided design software products to various industries. The business is well managed, enjoying earnings upgrades and fits the Company's investment process well. The Company also purchased shares in 4imprint, the manufacturer of branded corporate marketing and promotional products. The industry is highly fragmented and it is expected that the company will use its scale and operating leverage to acquire competitors and grow market share. Notable sales included the disposal of Domino's Pizza, which is suffering delays to its German expansion, and scientific equipment manufacturer Oxford Instruments which is experiencing a concerning deterioration in demand. Telecity was also reduced significantly as the company reported waning pricing trends.

[henryatkin] 07/11/2013 16:06

SLS - BLUE
FTSE 250 MCX - PURPLE
FTSE SMALLCAP SMX - GREY
FTSE100 UKX - GOLD

[henryatkin] 28/10/2013 17:16

I hold and question whether I need to hold anything else - I do of course but after reading Harry's report in the annual accounts I think a novice investor could learn so much from investing here and researching each company individually. One question; why does Harry weight the UK consumer sector so heavily? I would have thought that with salaries tight against inflation & personal credit already so high consumers have limited growth in disposable cash.

[glaws2] 16/10/2013 14:29

Yes I have just bought this for my SIPP

[strollingmolby] 11/10/2013 22:19

With thanks to Roger Lawson of ShareSoc who alerted me to this trust through his excellent AGM write-up on the ShareSoc Members Network:

hxxp://sharesoc.ning.com/forum/topics/the-agm-forum?commentId=6389471%3AComment%3A23737

I have some common holdings and the performance looks terrific here, hence I decided to create the thread and watch how the trust develops and the themes and stocks Harry Nimmo introduces in future.

Any holders here?

SM

[strollingmolby] 11/10/2013 19:55

Top Ten Holdings - as at 31 July 2019
4.0 - Dechra
4.0 - Gamma Communications
3.5 - RWS Holdings
3.5 - 4imprint
3.3 - GB Group
3.3 - Future
3.2 - JD Sports Fashion
3.1 - First Derivatives
3.0 - Diploma
2.9 - Hilton Food
----------------
33.8 - Total
----------------

10-Oct-13: