Annual report update with Portfolio Manager, Dan Whitestone

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About this investment trust

Capital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested.

The Company aims to provide shareholders with long-term capital growth and an attractive total return by investing primarily in UK smaller companies and mid-capitalisation companies traded on the London Stock Exchange.

Why choose it?

The BlackRock Throgmorton Trust looks to back the UK’s emerging companies. An unusual feature of the Trust is its ability to ‘short’ companies that we find unattractive, enabling us to profit if the share price falls. This gives the Trust’s manager the opportunity to back investment ideas with real conviction, within a strong risk framework.

Suited to…

Investors who want a dynamically managed portfolio of growing companies but are comfortable with a limited degree of ‘short’ exposure.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The BlackRock Throgmorton Trust aims to achieve long-term capital growth along with an attractive total return for shareholders. It is a high-conviction portfolio focusing on UK emerging companies with an ability to “short” unattractive companies, providing flexibility and potential for profit. The Trust seeks differentiated, exciting firms with quality management and dominant market positions, aiming to capitalise on industry disruptors within a strong risk framework and is most suited to investors who are comfortable with a dynamically managed portfolio and limited “short” exposure. It employs a unique strategy to back investment ideas with conviction.

  • Daniel Whitestone is the lead Portfolio Manager for BlackRock Throgmorton Trust. Daniel joined BlackRock in 2013, previously heading the UK small and mid-cap sales desk at UBS where he ranked first in the Extel Small/Mid-Cap sales ratings in 2011 and 2012.

  • A high conviction portfolio can be described as an investment portfolio that holds a relatively concentrated number of positions, typically in a limited number of securities or assets in which the fund manager has high confidence. In other words, the fund manager believes strongly in the potential of the selected investments to outperform the market and as a result allocates a significant portion of the portfolio to those specific assets.

    For BlackRock Throgmorton Trust, having a high conviction portfolio is relevant because it aligns with the Trust’s investment objective of achieving long-term capital growth through investing in smaller UK companies. By maintaining a concentrated portfolio of carefully selected securities, the fund manager aims to capitalise on what they believe to be the more promising investment opportunities within the realm of smaller UK companies.

  • Investing in UK small and medium-sized companies offers potential for growth, innovation and diversification. These agile firms can capitalise on market inefficiencies, providing opportunities for superior returns. Contributing to economic growth, they may become acquisition targets, adding to their appeal for investors seeking higher-risk, higher-reward opportunities.

  • The BlackRock Throgmorton Trust primarily invests in UK small and mid-market companies on the London Stock Exchange. Up to 15% of its assets may be allocated to non-UK securities. The Trust diversifies its portfolio across various sectors, which include industrials, consumer services, financials, technology, healthcare and telecommunications.

AJ Bell Best Investment Trust for Growth logo    AJ Bell UK Smaller Companies – Active logo 

AJ Bell Online Personal Wealth Awards 2021: As at 8 March 2021.
AJ Bell Award: As at 3 September 2021.

Awards/Ratings have not been superseded to date.
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results and should not be the sole factor of consideration when selecting a product or strategy.

What are the risks?

  • Capital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested.
  • Net Asset Value (NAV) performance is not the same as share price performance, and shareholders may realise returns that are lower or higher than NAV performance.
  • The Trust’s investments may have low liquidity which often causes the value of these investments to be less predictable. In extreme cases, the Trust may not be able to realise the investment at the latest market price or at a price considered fair.
  • Investment strategies, such as borrowing, used by the Trust can result in even larger losses suffered when the value of the underlying investments fall.
  • The insolvency of any institutions providing services such as safekeeping of assets or acting as counterparty to derivatives or other instruments, may expose the Fund to financial loss.
  • Derivatives may be used substantially for complex investment strategies. These include the creation of short positions where the Investment Manager artificially sells an investment it does not physically own.
  • Derivatives can also be used to generate exposure to investments greater than the net asset value of the fund/investment trust. Investment Managers refer to this practice as obtaining market leverage or gearing. As a result, a small positive or negative movement in stockmarkets will have a larger impact on the value of these derivatives than owning the physical investments. The use of derivatives in this manner may have the effect of increasing the overall risk profile of the Funds.

Useful information

Capital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested.

Fees & Charges

Annual Expenses as at Date: 30/11/2023

Ongoing Charge (including any Performance Fee): 0.87% as at 30/11/2023

Management Fee Summary: Management fee of 0.35% of the gross assets value of the Company’s long only portfolio plus the gross economic exposure of the total long and short portfolio. The fee structure includes a performance fee of 15% of the NAV (total return) outperformance against the Numis Smaller Companies plus AIM (excluding Investment Companies) Index, measured over a two year rolling basis and applied on average gross assets over two years. A cap on total management fees of 1.25% of average gross assets over a two year period will also apply. As the performance fee model operates on a rolling two year period, there is an annual cap of circa 0.9% on average gross assets over two years. On first day of the financial year outperformance from the previous financial year can be carried forward and accrued in the daily NAV released to the London Stock Exchange on that day. The maximum annual accrual under these circumstances is circa 0.9% of average gross assets.

  • ISIN: GB0008910555

    Sedol: 0891055

    Bloomberg: THRG.LN

    Reuters: THRG.L

    LSE code: THRG

  • Name of Company: BlackRock Fund Managers Limited

    Telephone: 020 7743 3000

    Email: cosec@blackrock.com

    Website: www.blackrock.com/uk

    Correspondence Address: Investment Trusts

    BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited

    12 Throgmorton Avenue

    London

    EC2N 2DL

    Name of Registrar: Computershare PLC

    Registered Office: 12 Throgmorton Avenue

    London

    EC2N 2DL

    Registrar Telephone: +44 (0)370 707 4016

    Place of Registration: England

    Registered Number: 594634

  • Year End: 30 November

    Results Announced: July (interim), February (final)

    AGM: March

    Dividends Paid: August (interim), April (final)

Latest company announcements

Capital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested.

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Fund manager commentary

31 January 2024

Comments from the Portfolio Manager

Please note that the commentary below includes historic information in respect of the performance of portfolio investments, index performance data and the Company’s NAV and share performance.

The figures shown relate to past performance. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of current or future results.

The Company returned 0.9% in January, delivering 2.5% of relative outperformance against the benchmark (Deutsche Numis Smaller Companies +AIM ex Inv Trusts returned -1.6%). 1

Broader markets proved quite mixed in January; whilst the tech heavy Nasdaq in the US climbed, most other major developed markets, including the UK, fell during the month. Despite this, stock specifics continue to exert more influence over returns and January continued this growing trend.

SigmaRoc delivered an impressive trading update with double-digit upgrades to full-year guidance. The company recently announced a significant acquisition of CRH’s limestone assets which further strengthens their European footprint. However, the upgrade for the full year announced in January was down to the strength of their underlying business, with ongoing strength in infrastructure and industrial markets and potential for a recovery in residential construction. Shares in 4imrpint surged after the company announced continued progress through the course of 2023 and as a result upgraded full year guidance (again). Digital payments business Boku reported increasing transaction volumes and an acceleration in adoption of Local Payment Methods from a number of their key merchants, driving upgrades to full year guidance.

The top detractor was Watches of Switzerland (WOSG). We had already reduced the position over late November/December 2023 which helped cushion the blow, but not enough to escape the impact from their profit warning in early January 2024 only a few weeks after they had reiterated their full year guidance in December. A marked deceleration in sales in lower/mid-tier watches and jewellery in the UK, and more importantly, a slowdown in the US caused by a change in product mix supply from Rolex caused the shares to fall significantly. We have written many times in the past about how c.2/3rd of WOSG sales are “waitlist product” and given the company "knows" its allocation from big brands (Rolex in particular), sales in this category should be highly predictable. We are reminded of Mark Twain's observation that "It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so". With Rolex delivering a mix of product that contained fewer gold/rose-gold and more “steel only” this had a significant impact on the year-on-year average selling price. Although we are still attracted to WOSG's attractive position in the supply chain and the long-term opportunity to expand the category in the US, this was a particularly disappointing development and we have reduced the position size significantly. WH Smith fell in the month despite issuing a trading statement which we thought was re-assuring. The shares have continued to de-rate to 14x PE, which we see as very attractive for a global leader in travel retail, especially as results from airlines and other travel operators are indicating the post COVID-19 travel recovery will continue into Summer 2024. Accordingly, we have added to the position. The third biggest detractor to performance was from not owning Yellowcake, a uranium investment company, that rose in the period.

In conclusion, despite a mixed market backdrop, January featured a large number of significant stock specific developments, some positive, some negative, but overall, considerably more positives than negatives! Whilst we briefly highlighted the three largest contributors during the month, it is worth mentioning that there were many more of our long-term core holdings that delivered impressive updates in the period, including, Gamma Communications, QinetiQ and Grafton, to name only a few. We note a broadening out of returns within the portfolio and the increasing role stock specifics are having, which reassures us that returns are not being driven by one thematic or macro bet. We remain excited about the opportunities in front of us; we think the current environment is a fertile one for bottom-up stock picking and we are working hard to capitalise on those opportunities while retaining overall balance in the portfolio which will hopefully build resilience in a range of macro and market environments. The net of the Company remains around 106% while the gross is around 114%.

We thank shareholders for your ongoing support.

Sources:

1Datastream and London Stock Exchange as at 31 January 2024.

Any opinions or forecasts represent an assessment of the market environment at a specific time and are not intended to be a forecast of future events or a guarantee of future results. This information should not be relied upon by the reader as research, investment advice or a recommendation.

Risk: Reference to the names of each company mentioned in this communication is merely for explaining the investment strategy and should not be construed as investment advice or investment recommendation of those companies.

Portfolio manager biography

Capital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested.

Daniel Whitestone, Managing Director, is Head of the Emerging Companies team, within the Fundamental Equity Division of BlackRock's Active Equity business. He is the lead Portfolio Manager for BlackRock Throgmorton Trust plc, BlackRock UK Emerging Companies Hedge Fund and BlackRock UK Emerging Companies Absolute Return Fund.

Dan's service with the firm dates back to 2013. Prior to joining BlackRock, Dan worked for UBS, where he was the head of the UK small and mid-cap sales desk and ranked the number one salesperson in the Extel Small/Mid-Cap sales ratings in 2011 and 2012. Prior to working at UBS, Dan joined Noble and Co in 2006 as a UK small and mid-cap salesman. He began his career at Accenture, in 2003 as a strategy consultant.

Dan earned a BA Hons degree in Combined Studies from the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

Portfolio Manager

Dan Whitestone
Dan Whitestone

Board of directors

All the Directors are non-executive, independent of the Investment Manager and members of the Audit Committee, Management Engagement Committee and the Nomination Committee.

Christopher Samuel (Chairman) was appointed to the Board in June 2016. He was Chief Executive of Ignis Asset Management from 2009 until its sale to Standard Life Investments in 2014. He was previously Chief Operating Officer at Gartmore and Hill Samuel Asset Management and was a partner at Cambridge Place Investment Management. He is a Non-Executive Director of Quilter plc (including subsidiaries Quilter Financial Planning Limited, Quilter Investment Platform Limited and Quilter Life & Pensions Limited). Mr Samuel was formerly Chairman and a Non-Executive Director of JP Morgan Japanese Investment Trust plc and a non-Executive Director of the Alliance Trust plc, UIL Limited and its subsidiary UIL Finance Limited. He graduated from Oxford with an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG.

Angela Lane was appointed to the Board in June 2020. She had previously spent 18 years working in private equity at 3i, becoming a partner in 3i's Growth Capital business managing the UK portfolio. Since 2007, Angela has held several non-executive and advisory roles for small and medium capitalised companies across a range of industries including business services, healthcare, travel, media, consumer goods and infrastructure. She is currently the Audit Chair and Non-Executive Director of Pacific Horizon Investment Trust plc, Dunedin Enterprise Investment Trust plc and Seraphim Space Investment Trust plc.

Louise Nash was a UK Small and Mid-Cap Fund Manager, firstly at Cazenove Capital and latterly at M&G Investments which she left in 2015. She now works for family wine business Höpler. She also acts as a consultant to JLC Investor Relations. Louise holds an MA in German and Politics from the University of Edinburgh and the IMRO Investment Management Certificate.

Nigel Burton was appointed to the Board in December 2020. He has spent over 14 years as an investment banker at leading City institutions including UBS Warburg and Deutsche Bank, including as the Managing Director responsible for the energy and utilities industries. Nigel has also spent 15 years as Chief Financial Officer or Chief Executive Officer of a number of private and public companies. He is currently a Non-Executive Director of AIM listed companies DeepVerge plc, Microsaic Systems plc, eEnergy Group plc and Location Sciences Group plc. He was formerly a Non-Executive Director of Digitalbox plc, Corcel plc, Modern Water plc, Alexander Mining plc, Mobile Streams plc and Chairman of Remote Monitored Systems plc.

Merryn Somerset Webb was appointed to the Board in March 2021. She has significant experience of financial matters through her role as a senior columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and writes extensively on this subject across radio and television. She is also a former Editor-in-Chief of MoneyWeek, the UK personal finance magazine. Merryn brings valuable investment trust specific experience. She is a former Non-Executive Director of Murray Income Investment Trust plc, Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon Public Limited Company and Netwealth Investments Limited.

Glen Suarez was appointed to the Board on 9 January 2023. He is an experienced director, having held both executive and non-executive roles. He is currently a non-executive director of Impax Environmental Markets plc and chairman of the board of Knight Vinke Asset Management. He is a senior adviser to FMAP Limited, a consultancy founded by Lord Maude which advises governments on the implementation of public sector reform. Glen was chairman of The Edinburgh Investment Trust plc until July 2022 and was a committee member and co-chair of the Capital Markets Advisory Committee, an independent body advising the IASB on accounting issues and standards between 2014 and 2020. Before this, he was a Partner in Soditic Limited and prior to that he was head of European energy, infrastructure and utilities investment banking business at Morgan Stanley. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and a member of the Royal Society of Arts.

Our approach to ESG

Capital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing is often conflated or used interchangeably with the term “sustainable investing.” BlackRock has identified sustainable investing as being the overall framework and ESG as a data toolkit for identifying and informing our solutions. BlackRock has defined ESG Integration as the practice of incorporating material ESG information and consideration of sustainability risks into investment decisions in order to enhance risk-adjusted returns. BlackRock recognises the relevance of material ESG information across all asset classes and styles of portfolio management. The Investment Manager may incorporate sustainability considerations in its investment processes across all investment platforms. ESG information and sustainability risks are included as a consideration in investment research, portfolio construction, portfolio review, and investment stewardship processes.

The Investment Manager considers ESG insights and data, including sustainability risks, within the total set of information in its research process and makes a determination as to the materiality of such information in its investment process. ESG insights are not the sole consideration when making investment decisions and the extent to which ESG insights are considered during investment decision making will also be determined by the characteristics or objectives of the Company. The Investment Manager’s evaluation of ESG data may be subjective and could change over time in light of emerging sustainability risks or changing market conditions. This approach is consistent with the Investment Manager’s regulatory duty to manage the Company in accordance with its investment objective and policy and in the best interests of the Company’s investors. The Investment Manager’s Risk and Quantitative Analysis group will review portfolios, in partnership with the portfolio managers, to ensure that sustainability risks are considered regularly alongside traditional financial risks, that investment decisions are taken in light of relevant sustainability risks and that decisions exposing portfolios to sustainability risks are deliberate, and the risks diversified and scaled according to the investment objectives of the Company.

BlackRock’s approach to ESG integration is to broaden the total amount of information the Investment Manager considers with the aim of improving investment analysis and understanding the likely impact of sustainability risks on the Company’s investments. The Investment Manager assesses a variety of economic and financial indicators, which may include ESG data and insights, to make investment decisions appropriate for the Company objectives. This can include relevant third-party insights or data, internal research or engagement commentary and input from BlackRock Investment Stewardship.

Sustainability risks are identified at various steps of the investment process, where relevant, from research, allocation, selection, portfolio construction decisions, or management engagement, and are considered relative to the Company’s risk and return objectives. Assessment of these risks is done relative to their materiality (i.e. likeliness of impacting returns of the investment) and in tandem with other risk assessments (e.g. liquidity, valuation, etc.).

ESG integration does not change the Company’s investment objective or constrain the Investment Manager’s investable universe, and does not mean that an ESG investment strategy or exclusionary screens has been or will be adopted by the Company. Similarly, ESG integration does not determine the extent to which the Company may be impacted by sustainability risks.

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Investment strategies targeting growth and income
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Over 29 years of proven experience running investment trusts (Dec 2021)
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Unparalleled research capabilities and experienced stock pickers
Contact
To get in touch contact us on:
Telephone: 020 7743 3000
Email: cosec@blackrock.com