Volta Finance Ld Net Asset Value As At 31 March 2019

 
TIDMVTA 
 
 
   Volta Finance Limited (VTA / VTAS) -- March 2019 monthly report 
 
 
 
 
 
   NOT FOR RELEASE, DISTRIBUTION OR PUBLICATION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR 
INTO THE UNITED STATES 
 
 
 
 
 
   ***** 
 
   Guernsey, 23 April 2019 
 
 
 
 
 
   AXA IM has published the Volta Finance Limited (the "Company" or "Volta 
Finance" or "Volta") monthly report for March. The full report is 
attached to this release and will be available on Volta's website 
shortly (www.voltafinance.com). 
 
 
 
 
 
   PERFORMANCE and PORTFOLIO ACTIVITY 
 
 
 
 
 
   In March, Volta's NAV* total return performance was +0.5%, bringing the 
YTD performance to 4.0% after a volatile end to 2018. 
 
 
 
 
 
   Volta paid a quarterly dividend (EUR0.15 per share) on the 28(th) March 
(the ex-dividend date was the 7(th) March). 
 
 
 
 
 
   This positive performance was driven mainly by the good performance of 
bank balance sheet transactions (+0.7% for the month) and of CLO debt 
tranches (+0.6%). The performances of Volta's other asset classes in 
local currencies were: -0.2% for CLO Equity tranches; +0.7% for Cash 
Corporate Credit deals; and +0.4% for ABS. 
 
 
 
 
 
   As at the end of March, Volta was fully invested having purchased three 
new positions (1 Bank Balance Sheet transaction and 2 CLO Equity 
positions, one in Euro and one in USD) for a total of the equivalent of 
EUR24.2m. On average, using market standard assumptions, the projected 
yield of such purchases was 12.6%. Some of these purchases have a 
settlement in April, explaining why the cash position of Volta at the 
end of March was negative (on a trade date basis not on a settlement 
date basis). 
 
 
 
 
 
   At the end of March, Volta still had exposure to a CLO warehouse, which 
does not carry any more credit risk as the underlying CLO equity has 
been priced. The realized IRR on this warehouse is to be confirmed 
shortly (after the very last settlement in April) but it should likely 
be between 25 and 30%. 
 
 
 
 
 
   Being at the end of the first quarter of this year, it makes sense to 
reassess our view for 2019. What we observed, almost everywhere in the 
credit markets and it is even more true in structured finance, is that, 
on average, the maturity curve and the credit curve are very steep. For 
CLO debt tranches it has been rare to see such a steep maturity curve 
(same rating assets are yielding far more with a long maturity than with 
a mid to short term maturity). This situation characterizes periods in 
which investors, are globally cautious in the way they deploy capital 
(avoiding long credit duration instruments and the most sensitive ones). 
 
 
 
 
 
   This situation is very encouraging for the rest of the year even though 
we continue to think that it is near the end of the economic and credit 
cycles and that at some point in time more volatility will come back. 
The fact that investors are cautious limits the probability of a brutal 
rise in volatility in the coming months/quarters. More and more we think 
that the probability of having in 2019 a second spike of volatility like 
the one we had in Q4 2018 is declining. This overall cautiousness makes 
us a bit more comfortable deploying all the capital (balancing risks) 
and avoiding having too much cash. 
 
 
 
 
 
   We continued increasing our CLO equity tranche exposure and reducing CLO 
debt tranches as the CLO equity tranches are already benefiting from the 
fact that spreads stopped tightening in loan markets (we have noticed 
for some months that the CLO managers we selected have been able to 
increase the WAS (Weighted Average Spread) of the underlying loan pools, 
generating higher cash flows to the CLO Equity positions). 
 
 
 
 
 
   In March, Volta generated the equivalent of EUR0.2m in interest and 
coupons net of repo costs (non-Euro amounts translated into Euro using 
end-of-month cross currency rates). This brings the total cash amount 
generated during the last six months in terms of interest and coupons to 
EUR19.6m. 
 
 
 
 
 
   As at the end of March 2019, Volta's NAV was EUR287.8m or EUR7.87 per 
share. The GAV stood at EUR326.3m. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   *It should be noted that approximately 11.2% of Volta's GAV comprises 
investments for which the relevant NAVs as at the month-end date are 
normally available only after Volta's NAV has already been published. 
Volta's policy is to publish its own NAV on as timely a basis as 
possible in order to provide shareholders with Volta's appropriately 
up-to-date NAV information. Consequently, such investments are valued 
using the most recently available NAV for each fund or quoted price for 
such subordinated note. The most recently available fund NAV or quoted 
price was for 6.9% as at 28 February 2019, 2.9% as at 31 December 2018 
and for 1.4% as at 28 September 2018. ** "Mark-to-market variation" is 
calculated as the Dietz-performance of the assets in each bucket, taking 
into account the Mark-to-Market of the assets at month-end, payments 
received from the assets over the period, and ignoring changes in cross 
currency rates. Nevertheless, some residual currency effects could 
impact the aggregate value of the portfolio when aggregating each 
bucket. 
 
 
 
 
 
   CONTACTS 
 
 
 
 
 
   For the Investment Manager 
 
   AXA Investment Managers Paris 
 
   Serge Demay 
 
   [e-mail] 
https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=xCI-dAox31KMl8-wb8Uf_9Qf61v1aWAiVC_kygcA1gPnE3WRm3UobEsFYBL5_fqSjpEvtJg5OPUaazxPeH4DJGvGOGeQk7rywDt_hPCU2dk= 
 
 
   [phone] 
 
 
 
 
 
   Company Secretary and Administrator 
 
   BNP Paribas Securities Services S.C.A, Guernsey Branch 
 
   [e-mail] 
https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=0LU3W1CfsEAxl9am2l7skyPza6wzBGUtyYTQbu23P-1aePDBMpUKSqtCdUI5Y-ysStyrEgrSkfmLs0oCdh_2M75Kj6XLySGlmZtuSHBxlxCoyDU8miR8N1OESc7amK9qSDtYc8WZr3KxV8QYjM-yB3WiKjbtXQCVP-LMsc7R8g52sEDXcNAVvp_LqqP3GwglItCVEmke2A2cIg42VmODreJepIq8d1Za7sCeHljKn1iZ5DCQNrRafcFUgAopGaNoKFM-75Zqk0jTXdOr_KG5h0by2CeBtl0l55r7Pio1U-ME1Zr1aP7ycY6t4EgCmdKtCsVN-LZzf9i9UyJzJP-4AcWRo8q3-6VggIXyO-Op-nF7zYWr8jj2_JMtuBC0LUTI 
 
 
   [phone] 
 
 
 
 
 
   Corporate Broker 
 
   Cenkos Securities plc 
 
   Andrew Worne 
 
   Oliver Packard 
 
   Sapna Shah 
 
   [phone] 
 
 
 
 
 
   ***** 
 
   ABOUT VOLTA FINANCE LIMITED 
 
   Volta Finance Limited is incorporated in Guernsey under The Companies 
(Guernsey) Law, 2008 (as amended) and listed on Euronext Amsterdam and 
the London Stock Exchange's Main Market for listed securities. Volta's 
home member state for the purposes of the EU Transparency Directive is 
the Netherlands. As such, Volta is subject to regulation and supervision 
by the AFM, being the regulator for financial markets in the 
Netherlands. 
 
 
 
 
 
   Volta's investment objectives are to preserve capital across the credit 
cycle and to provide a stable stream of income to its shareholders 
through dividends. Volta seeks to attain its investment objectives 
predominantly through diversified investments in structured finance 
assets. The assets that the Company may invest in either directly or 
indirectly include, but are not limited to: corporate credits; sovereign 
and quasi-sovereign debt; residential mortgage loans; and, automobile 
loans. The Company's approach to investment is through vehicles and 
arrangements that essentially provide leveraged exposure to portfolios 
of such underlying assets. The Company has appointed AXA Investment 
Managers Paris an investment management company with a division 
specialised in structured credit, for the investment management of all 
its assets. 
 
 
 
 
 
   ***** 
 
   ABOUT AXA INVESTMENT MANAGERS 
 
   AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) is a multi-expert asset management 
company within the AXA Group, a global leader in financial protection 
and wealth management. AXA IM is one of the largest European-based asset 
managers with 766 investment professionals and EUR759 billion in assets 
under management as of the end of June 2018. 
 
 
 
 
 
   ***** 
 
   This press release is published by AXA Investment Managers Paris ("AXA 
IM"), in its capacity as alternative investment fund manager (within the 
meaning of Directive 2011/61/EU, the "AIFM Directive") of Volta Finance 
Limited (the "Volta Finance") whose portfolio is managed by AXA IM. 
 
 
 
 
 
   This press release is for information only and does not constitute an 
invitation or inducement to acquire shares in Volta Finance. Its 
circulation may be prohibited in certain jurisdictions and no recipient 
may circulate copies of this document in breach of such limitations or 
restrictions. This document is not an offer for sale of the securities 
referred to herein in the United States or to persons who are "U.S. 
persons" for purposes of Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 
1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or otherwise in circumstances 
where such offer would be restricted by applicable law. Such securities 
may not be sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption 
from registration from the Securities Act. Volta Finance does not intend 
to register any portion of the offer of such securities in the United 
States or to conduct a public offering of such securities in the United 
States. 
 
 
 
 
 
   ***** 
 
   This communication is only being distributed to and is only directed at 
(i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) investment 
professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and 
Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (iii) 
high net worth companies, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be 
communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all 
such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). The 
securities referred to herein are only available to, and any invitation, 
offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such 
securities will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person 
who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or 

any of its contents. Past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to 
future performance. 
 
 
 
 
 
   ***** 
 
   This press release contains statements that are, or may deemed to be, 
"forward-looking statements". These forward-looking statements can be 
identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the 
terms "believes", "anticipated", "expects", "intends", "is/are expected", 
"may", "will" or "should". They include the statements regarding the 
level of the dividend, the current market context and its impact on the 
long-term return of Volta Finance's investments. By their nature, 
forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and readers 
are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not 
guarantees of future performance. Volta Finance's actual results, 
portfolio composition and performance may differ materially from the 
impression created by the forward-looking statements. AXA IM does not 
undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking 
statements. 
 
 
 
 
 
   Any target information is based on certain assumptions as to future 
events which may not prove to be realised. Due to the uncertainty 
surrounding these future events, the targets are not intended to be and 
should not be regarded as profits or earnings or any other type of 
forecasts. There can be no assurance that any of these targets will be 
achieved. In addition, no assurance can be given that the investment 
objective will be achieved. 
 
 
 
 
 
   The figures provided that relate to past months or years and past 
performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance or 
construed as a reliable indicator as to future performance. Throughout 
this review, the citation of specific trades or strategies is intended 
to illustrate some of the investment methodologies and philosophies of 
Volta Finance, as implemented by AXA IM. The historical success or AXA 
IM's belief in the future success, of any of these trades or strategies 
is not indicative of, and has no bearing on, future results. 
 
 
 
 
 
   The valuation of financial assets can vary significantly from the prices 
that the AXA IM could obtain if it sought to liquidate the positions on 
behalf of the Volta Finance due to market conditions and general 
economic environment. Such valuations do not constitute a fairness or 
similar opinion and should not be regarded as such. 
 
 
 
 
 
   Editor: AXA INVESTMENT MANAGERS PARIS, a company incorporated under the 
laws of France, having its registered office located at Tour Majunga, 6, 
Place de la Pyramide - 92800 Puteaux. AXA IMP is authorized by the 
Autorité des Marchés Financiers under registration number 
GP92008 as an alternative investment fund manager within the meaning of 
the AIFM Directive. 
 
 
 
 
 
   ***** 
 
   Attachments 
 
 
   -- March 2019 Monthly Press Release Final 
      https://ml-eu.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/818efcb3-2643-41ac-ae0f-234d9d328ec9 
 
 
   -- Volta - Monthly Report - March 2019 
      https://ml-eu.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/d6a3466a-f5ca-4cd1-88ca-793ca7cb7232 
 
 
 
 
 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 23, 2019 12:00 ET (16:00 GMT)

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