Stefan Bernstein explains how the EU/Greenland critical raw materials partnership benefits GreenRoc. Watch the full video here.

Less Ads, More Data, More Tools Register for FREE

Pin to quick picksForesight Technology Regulatory News (FTV)

Share Price Information for Foresight Technology (FTV)

London Stock Exchange
Share Price is delayed by 15 minutes
Get Live Data
Share Price: 78.50
Bid: 77.00
Ask: 80.00
Change: 0.00 (0.00%)
Spread: 3.00 (3.896%)
Open: 78.50
High: 78.50
Low: 78.50
Prev. Close: 78.50
FTV Live PriceLast checked at -
Foresight VCT is an Investment Trust

To provide private investors with attractive returns from a portfolio of investments in fast-growing unquoted companies based in the UK.

Find out More

Watchlists are a member only feature

Login to your account

Alerts are a premium feature

Login to your account

Foresight VCT plc - Annual Financial Report

10 Apr 2019 16:29



Foresight VCT plc - Annual Financial Report

FORESIGHT VCT PLC

Final Results31 December 2018

Foresight VCT plc, managed by Foresight Group CI Limited, today announces the final results for the year ended 31 December 2018.These results were approved by the Board of Directors on 10 April 2019.The Annual Report will shortly be available in full at www.foresightgroup.eu. All other statutory information can also be found there.

Highlights

• Total net assets £136.7 million. • Net Asset Value per Ordinary Share increased by 3.9% from 80.0p at 31 December 2017 to 83.1p before dividends. After payment of a 5.0p dividend made on 4 May 2018, NAV per share at 31 December 2018 was 78.1p. • The investment portfolio has seen an uplift in valuation of £6.8 million during the year. • Seven new investments totalling £13.2 million and five follow-on investments totalling £4.5 million made during the year. • The Company successfully exited ICA Group, Thermotech Solutions and CoGen realising a total of £3.4 million. • The Board has declared an interim dividend relating to the year ended 31 December 2018 of 5.0p per share, to be paid on 3 May 2019.

Chairman’s Statement

I am pleased to present the Company’s Audited Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2018. In last year’s Annual Report, I provided shareholders with detailed information on the wind-down of both the Planned Exit and Infrastructure Share classes, which were removed in January 2018. As a consequence, the issued share capital now consists solely of Ordinary Shares.

STRATEGYThe Directors, together with the Manager, have been pursuing a long-term strategy for the Company which includes the following four key objectives:

 • Increasing and then maintaining the Company’s net asset value (NAV) significantly above £150 million; • Paying an annual dividend to shareholders of at least 5.0p per share and endeavouring to maintain, or increase, NAV per share year on year, after payment of dividends; • Completing a significant number of new and follow on qualifying investments every year; and • Offering a programme of regular share buy backs at a discount of approximately 10% to the prevailing NAV.

The Directors and the Manager believe that these key objectives remain appropriate and the Company’s performance in relation to each of them over the past year is reviewed more fully below.

NET ASSET VALUEDuring the year ended 31 December 2018 the NAV per share rose by 3.1p, an increase of 3.9%. However, following the payment of a 5.0p per share dividend on 4 May 2018, which came to a total of £8.7 million, including shares allotted under the dividend reinvestment scheme, the NAV of the Company decreased from £140.4m at 31 December 2017 to £136.7 million as at 31 December 2018. The Directors believe that it would be beneficial to increase the Company’s net assets over the coming years but with some £33.2 million of funds available for investment at the time of writing, it is not the Board’s present intention to seek new money by way of an offer for subscription.

DIVIDENDSThe interim dividend of 5.0p per share was paid on 4 May 2018 based on an ex-dividend date of 19 April 2018, with a record date of 20 April 2018. This is in line with the Board’s objective on dividend payments.

The Company has achieved or exceeded its target of paying an annual dividend of at least 5.0p per share for each of the past eight years.

If you had invested five years ago, your NAV total return per share would have increased by 14.0%. It is the combined achievement of dividend payments and the maintenance or increase in NAV per share which is now at the centre of the Company’s current and future portfolio management.

The Board has declared an interim dividend relating to the year ended 31 December 2018 of 5.0p per share, to be paid on 3 May 2019 based on an ex-dividend date of 11 April 2019, with a record date of 12 April 2019.

INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE AND PORTFOLIO ACTIVITY

A detailed analysis of the investment portfolio performance over the period is given in the Manager’s Review.

Before the payment of dividends, the Company’s NAV increased last year by £5.0 million. The Board believes that this reflects the benefit of the enlarged and diversified portfolio of qualifying investments which the Manager has built up over the past few years. The Company started the current year with nearly 72% of its available resources invested in a range of unquoted growth capital investments; the Board and Manager believe that, in aggregate, these investments will continue to mature and should help improve the future rate of growth in NAV.

During the year under review the Manager completed seven new investments amounting to £13.2 million and two new investments totalling £3.7 million have been made since the end of the year. Details of each of these new portfolio companies can be found in the Manager’s Review.

The Manager expects that the current pipeline of opportunities should support completion of a significantly increased number of new investments during the current year.

The complexity surrounding qualification for VCT investment inevitably limits the opportunity for the Company to make new investments and the Manager’s ongoing ability to source new deals is pivotal to the Company’s future performance. As a consequence, investments made under the new VCT rules will change the risk profile of the portfolio because the rules now incline us towards investments in earlier stage businesses.

The Board is aware that Foresight 4 VCT plc (‘Foresight 4’) has over the past two years raised a considerable amount of new money, much of which needs to be invested in the near future. The Company and Foresight 4 have the same Manager and share similar investment policies. The Board closely monitors the extent and nature of the pipeline of investment opportunities and is reassured by the Manager’s confidence in being able to increase the level of new investments without compromising quality during 2019 and beyond, so as to be in a position to satisfy the needs of both the Company and Foresight 4.

BUYBACKSDuring the year the Company repurchased 2.6 million shares for cancellation at an average discount of 10.1%. The Board and the Manager consider that the ability to offer to buy back shares at a target discount of approximately 10% is fair to both continuing and selling shareholders and is an appropriate way to help underpin the discount to NAV at which the shares trade.

MANAGEMENT CHARGES, CO-INVESTMENT AND INCENTIVE ARRANGEMENTSThe annual management fee is an amount equal to 2.0% of net assets, excluding cash balances above £20 million, which are charged at a reduced rate of 1.0%. This has resulted in ongoing charges for the year ended 31 December 2018 being 2.1% of net assets, which is at the lower end of the range when compared to competitor VCTs.

Since March 2017, co-investments made by the Manager and individual members of Foresight Group’s private equity team have totalled £0.5 million alongside the Company’s investments of £32.4 million. Currently the ‘Total NAV Return Hurdle’, as detailed in note 14 to the accounts, has not been achieved and no performance incentive payment is due.

BOARD COMPOSITIONAs announced in last year’s Annual Report, Peter Dicks, a founder member of the Board and a past chairman retired at the Annual General Meeting held in May 2018.

The Board continues regularly to review its own performance and undertakes succession planning to maintain an appropriate level of independence, experience, diversity and skills in order to be in a position to discharge all its responsibilities.

OUTLOOKEconomic uncertainty is, in general, not good for UK businesses and Brexit has and will continue to cause economic uncertainty for some time. Notwithstanding this, the Manager and the Directors are confident in the ability of the current portfolio companies to produce good returns.

The Board and the Manager believe that the value of investments currently held within the portfolio should grow further during the current year and that the pipeline of new investment opportunities will provide worthwhile new investments in the months ahead. In these circumstances the Board believes that the Company is well positioned to work towards meeting its key objectives and in particular to provide shareholders with regular dividends alongside maintained growth in NAV per share.

SHAREHOLDER COMMUNICATIONAs part of its commitment to high quality investor relations, Foresight Group continues to host its popular investor forums. In addition to an annual event in London, several regional investor forums have been or will be held around the country. Details of regional events will be sent to shareholders resident in the locality as and when they are organised.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGThe Company’s Annual General Meeting will take place on 23 May 2019 at 1.00pm. I look forward to welcoming you to the meeting, which will be held at the offices of Foresight Group in London. Details can be found on page 70 of the accounts.

John Gregory

ChairmanTelephone: 01296 682751Email: j.greg@btconnect.com10 April 2019

Manager’s Review

The Company has appointed Foresight Group CI Limited as its manager (“The Manager”) to provide investment management and administration services. Foresight Group CI Limited has appointed Foresight Group LLP to be its investment adviser. The Manager has also delegated secretarial, accounting and other administration services to Foresight Group LLP. References to “the Manager” throughout this report refer to the activities of Foresight Group CI Limited and include the activities of Foresight Group LLP when acting as the Manager’s investment adviser and administrative delegate.

Portfolio SummaryAs at 31 December 2018 the Company’s portfolio comprised 33 actively managed investments with a total cost of £80.5 million and a valuation of £99.1 million. The portfolio is diversified by sector, transaction type and maturity profile. Details of the ten largest investments by valuation, including an update on their performance, are provided on pages 12 to 16 of the accounts.

NEW INVESTMENTS The Company invested a total of £13.2 million in seven new portfolio companies during 2018: Luminet Networks, a provider of fixed wireless internet access, Mologic, a health diagnostics company, The Naked Deli, a Newcastle-based group of ‘clean eating’ restaurants, Codeplay, a software developer and consultancy specialising in Artificial Intelligence, Accrosoft, a software provider with a focus on HR and education, Fertility Focus, an ovulation monitoring company and most recently Spektrix, a performing arts software business. Post-year end, the Company completed a £1.3 million investment into sports management software company, ClubSpark and a £2.4 million investment into Steamforged Games, a developer and retailer of tabletop games.

LUMINETIn April, the Company committed £2.4 million to a Foresight Group-led £3.0 million development capital investment into Luminet Networks, an award-winning provider of connectivity and managed IT services to businesses. Founded in 2005, Luminet was one of the first companies to offer commercial wireless broadband solutions to businesses and has grown its client base to more than 550.

MOLOGICAlso in April, the Company committed £2.4 million to a Foresight Group-led £4.0 million growth capital investment round in Bedford-based Mologic. The business is a Point of Care diagnostics company that provides contract research and manufacturing services, as well as developing proprietary diagnostics.

THE NAKED DELIIn May, the Company completed a £1.7 million growth capital investment in The Naked Deli, a Newcastle based group of ‘clean eating’ restaurants offering eat-in casual dining and grab-and-go options. Established in 2014, The Naked Deli serves a tasty range of healthy gluten and dairy-free, vegan and paleo dishes. The group uses unprocessed whole and natural state foods, with a clear pathway from origin to plate. Since investment, management have continued to extend the pipeline of new potential sites and in December 2018, opened a fifth site in Newcastle city centre.

CODEPLAYIn July, the Company invested £0.7 million in Codeplay, a software developer specialising in Artificial Intelligence. Building on its proven expertise in the fields of games and mobile phones, Codeplay has developed a new technology which supports the deployment of Artificial Intelligence applications into mass produced devices, with an initial focus on the automotive sector and, specifically, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (“ADAS”) and autonomous vehicles.

ACCROSOFTIn August, the Company completed a new investment totalling £1.7 million in Accrosoft. Based in Loughborough, Accrosoft offers two Software as a Service (“SaaS”) products, Vacancy Filler, an Applicant Tracking System which improves the recruitment process for organisations and Weduc, an engagement tool to enable parent-teacher communication. The business will use the investment to drive continued growth across both products through new hires and initiatives.

FERTILITY FOCUSIn December, the Company invested £0.9 million in Fertility Focus, a leading fertility monitoring technology company that has developed OvuSense, a registered medical device that enables women to predict ovulation. Fertility Focus was established in 2005 to commercialise the intellectual property developed by a team from Bristol University that identified the ability to determine and predict ovulation. The growth capital investment will be primarily used to invest in sales and marketing and will also fund a clinical trial to further prove the benefits of OvuSense as a tool to diagnose ovulatory issues.

SPEKTRIXAlso in December, the Company invested £3.4 million in Spektrix, the UK’s leading provider of cloud-based ticketing, marketing and fundraising software for the arts sector. Founded in 2007, Spektrix was an early pioneer in bringing cloud technology to the arts. The investment will be used to accelerate product development and support Spektrix’s international expansion, particularly in North America where it is already working with nearly 100 arts organisations.

CLUBSPARKPost-year end the Company made a £1.3 million investment into Sportlabs Technology Limited, trading as ClubSpark, a specialist software company providing sports management software to sports clubs, venues, coaches and participants. ClubSpark was founded in 2012 by two ex-Lawn Tennis Association employees who spotted an opportunity to develop a platform to manage operations for the LTA member clubs. The investment will be used to establish an international presence, enhance the platform and expand into new sports markets.

STEAMFORGED GAMESIn March 2019 the Company invested £2.4 million in Steamforged Games, a developer and retailer of tabletop games with a portfolio of miniature role playing, board and card games. Founded in 2014, Steamforged Games has successfully carved out a niche in the market developing tabletop games based on popular video game titles, as well as their own original content. The investment will be used to fund growth through product development and international expansion.

FOLLOW ON INVESTMENTSFollow-on investments totalling £4.5 million were also made in five existing portfolio companies throughout the year. Further details of each of these are provided below.

OLLIE QUINNPortfolio company Ollie Quinn, a branded retailer of prescription glasses and sunglasses which the Company first committed to in March 2017, received four follow-on funding rounds from the Company throughout 2018, totalling £2.7 million. This supported Ollie Quinn’s working capital needs and site optimisation strategy, which focuses on increasing the footprint in Canada. Management restructured towards the end of 2018 putting the business in a stronger position to improve overall site performance and develop its product range across the stores.

IDIODuring the year the Company made a £0.1 million follow-on investment in data analysis software platform, Idio, as part of a larger funding round. This additional investment enabled Idio to invest in new technologies and provided support for further growth.

BIOFORTUNAIn August, molecular diagnostics business, Biofortuna, drew down the second tranche of the 2017 round of investment, with the Company providing £0.2 million of capital. This investment round was focused on supporting the growth of a differentiated contract services business, under new management, and maximising value from the potential product collaboration with a global diagnostics company.

200 DEGREESAlso in August, the Company provided 200 Degrees, an artisan coffee chain headquartered in Nottingham, with c. £0.5 million of capital. This was the second tranche of committed capital from the original investment, approved in November 2017. This additional investment will support the targeted retail store expansion in the UK and associated growth in the company’s B2B wholesale and B2C subscription offerings. Since investment, the business has opened two new stores with a pipeline of new sites to come.

ONLINE POUNDSHOPIn September, the Company made a follow-on investment of £0.9 million into Online Poundshop. This funding followed a management restructuring in May and enabled Online Poundshop to continue to fund growth, increase its product lines and stock and make several key hires with a stronger team in place.

PIPELINEForesight Group continues to see a strong pipeline of potential investments and has started the year with a number of opportunities under exclusivity or in due diligence. Our investment team currently consists of 24 experienced private equity professionals operating from five offices in the UK, due to be expanded to six in 2019. During 2018 we reviewed nearly 1,500 business plans of potential investee companies, with an increasing number of prospects originated directly by our investment team, which will continue to be at the core of our investment sourcing strategy. The Company focuses on SME’s in all sectors across the UK, seeking funding of £1-5 million. At the time of writing, the Company has cash balances of £33.2 million, which will be used to fund new and follow-on investments, buybacks and running expenses.

EXITS AND REALISATIONSDuring the year, total proceeds of £3.4 million were generated from the disposal of three investments.

ICA GROUPIn February, ICA, which provides document management solutions to businesses in London and the South East, was acquired by Automated Systems Ltd, a large independent print solution business. ICA became part of the Company’s portfolio through the merger with Foresight 2 VCT plc in December 2015, at a holding value of £0.9 million following an original investment of £1 million made in 2009. Overall, including returns pre-merger, the ICA investment generated a 2.4x return.

THERMOTECHIn May, the Company completed the successful sale of facilities management provider Thermotech to Servest Group, a global facilities management group headquartered in South Africa, generating a return of 2.3x original investment of £1.5 million. Thermotech, in which the Company invested in August 2013, provides customised air conditioning and fire sprinkler systems for retail, commercial and residential properties, with clients including M&S, John Lewis and Selfridges & Co. Under the Company’s ownership Thermotech was able to expand its high-quality customer base and develop further recurring maintenance revenue streams, as well as complete a strategic acquisition.

COGENIn December, the Company disposed of CoGen, a developer of Waste to Energy plants in the UK. CoGen, largely financed to date by loans from other shareholders, carries significant costs and overheads as plants are developed and built and had been operating at a loss. Further funding would have been required from other shareholders to continue to develop the pipeline of new opportunities. In these circumstances, to avoid further dilution, the investment was realised. The Company received £0.2 million for its holding against a cost of £1.6 million.

Foresight Group continues to engage with a range of potential acquirers of several portfolio companies, with demand for the high growth businesses demonstrated by both private equity and trade buyers.

DISPOSALS IN THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

Company Detail Original Cost/ Take-On Value(£) Proceeds (£) Realised (Loss)/Gain (£) Valuation at 31 December 2017 (£)
CoGen Limited Full disposal 1,603,491 199,832 (1,403,659) 550,734
ICA Group Limited Full disposal 885,232 1,200,088* 314,856 1,290,701
Thermotech SolutionsLimited Full disposal 300,000 1,980,206^ 1,680,206 1,915,331
Total disposals 2,788,723 3,380,126 591,403 3,756,766

*In addition £158,411 of shareholder loan interest was received on completion and £1,029,671 had been received by Foresight 2 VCT plc pre-merger.^£1,452,828 had also been received by way of interest and loan payments in prior years.

Deferred consideration of £257,846 was also received by the Company from the sale of Simulity Labs and £51,547 from the sale of O-Gen Acme Trek.

Final administration proceeds totalling £20,320 were received in relation to the liquidation of Evance Wind Turbines, Closed Loop Recycling and Global Immersion.

KEY PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENTS

Overall, the value of investments held rose to £99.1 million, driven by a deployment of £17.7 million and an increase in value of the portfolio by £6.8 million including realisations. Material changes in valuation, defined as increasing or decreasing by £1 million or more since 31 December 2017, are detailed below.

Company Valuation Methodology Valuation Change (£)
Itad Limited Discounted earnings multiple 1,362,619
Fresh Relevance Limited Discounted revenue multiple 1,281,686
Dhalia Limited Net assets 1,251,150
TFC Europe Limited Discounted earnings multiple 1,246,184
Specac International Limited Discounted earnings multiple 1,212,768
FFX Group Limited Discounted earnings multiple 1,037,397
Powerlinks Media Limited Discounted revenue multiple (1,168,336)

OUTLOOK

Whilst UK inflation fell to a two-year low, the jobs market remained robust as the UK reached record levels of employment. The demand for labour continued to bolster wage growth, as real wages climbed at their strongest pace since 2016. However, the backdrop of Brexit means that consumer and business confidence is weakening in the UK amid ongoing uncertainty over the UK’s future trading position with Europe, and indeed the rest of the world.

At the time of writing, parliament had yet to reach a consensus on how the UK’s departure from the EU is to be realised. Although the majority of MPs oppose a ‘hard Brexit’ this remains a near-term possibility, as does the Government’s proposed deal. However, the lack of progress towards an agreed Brexit route is increasing the likelihood of a general election and a further delay to Brexit, thereby prolonging and exacerbating the current uncertainty. We will therefore continue to support portfolio management teams in planning for a variety of Brexit scenarios. Whilst the direct impact of a ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ Brexit would vary across the portfolio, some potentially heavily impacted, some potentially benefitting, a wider recession would inevitably cause broader issues and there is likely to be a period of volatility ahead.

Nonetheless, we remain positive about the prospects for the existing portfolio and continues to see encouraging levels of activity from smaller UK companies seeking growth capital, as well as from potential acquirers of portfolio companies. We remain focused on targeting companies in markets with sound fundamentals, with attractive growth attributes and strong management teams. We will continue to monitor and adapt to market and regulatory changes to ensure the Company’s portfolio is well-placed to deliver returns to its investors.

Russell Healey

Head of Private EquityForesight Group 10 April 2019

Audited Income Statementfor the year ended 31 December 2018

 Year ended31 December 2018 Revenue Capital £’000 £’000 Total£’000Year ended31 December 2017^ Revenue Capital £’000 £’000Total£’000
Realised gains on investments92192112,55012,550
Investment holding gains5,9165,9164,1074,107
Income1,3981,3981,5701,570
Investment management fees(595)(1,784)(2,379)(729)(3,051)*(3,780)
Other expenses(472)(472)(1,199)(1,199)
Return/ (loss) on ordinary activities3315,0535,384(358)13,60613,248
Taxation(34)34
Return/ (loss) on ordinary activities after taxation2975,0875,385(358) 13,606 13,248 
Return/ (loss) per share:      
Ordinary Share0.2p2.9p3.1p(0.3)p6.0p5.7p
Planned Exit Share(0.4)p0.3p(0.1)p
Infrastructure Share0.8p10.9p11.7p

^Comparative includes Planned Exit Shares Fund and Infrastructure Shares Fund.*Includes £863,000 performance incentive fee relating to the Infrastructure Shares Fund.

The total column of this statement is the profit and loss account of the Company and the revenue and capital columns represent supplementary information.

All revenue and capital items in the above Income Statement are derived from continuing operations. No operations were acquired or discontinued in the year.

The Company has no recognised gains or losses other than those shown above, therefore no separate statement of total comprehensive income has been presented.

Audited Reconciliation of Movements in Shareholders’ Funds

Year ended 31 December 2018Called-upshare capital£’000Share premium account£’000Capital redemption reserve £’000Distributablereserve£’000Capital reserve£’000Revaluation reserve£’000Total£’000
As at 1 January 20182,19497,68745523,1694,25112,673140,429
Share issues in the year*221,5231,545
Removal of shares(439)439
Expenses in relation to share issues**(95)(95)
Repurchase of shares(26)26(1,817)(1,817)
Realised gains on disposal of investments921921
Investment holding gains5,9165,916
Dividends paid(8,720)(8,720)
Management fees charged to capital(1,784)(1,784)
Tax credited to capital3434
Revenue return for the year297—-297
As at 31 December 20181,75199,11592012,9293,42218,589136,726
*Relating to the dividend reinvestment scheme.**Expenses in relation to share issues relate to trail commission for prior years fund raising. Total distributable reserves at 31 December 2018 total £16,351,000 (2017: £27,420,000).
Year ended 31 December 2017^Called-upshare capital£’000Share premium account£’000Capital redemption reserve £’000Distributablereserve£’000Capital reserve£’000Revaluation reserve£’000Total£’000
As at 1 January 20171,718112,54143518,543(5,248)8,566136,555
Share issues in the year49642,11042,606
Expenses in relation to share issues*(1,759)(95)(1,854)
Repurchase of shares(20)20(1,476)(1,476)
Cancellation of share premium(55,205)55,205
Realised gains on disposal of investments12,55012,550
Investment holding gains4,1074,107
Dividends paid(48,650)(48,650)
Management fees charged to capital(3,051)(3,051)
Revenue loss for the year(358)(358)
As at 31 December 20172,19497,68745523,1694,25112,673140,429

^Comparative includes Planned Exit Shares Fund and Infrastructures Share Fund.*Expenses in relation to share issues include advisor fees (£686,000) and promoters fees (£958,000) for the 2017 Ordinary Shares Fund raise and trail commission for prior years fund raising (£115,000).

Audited Balance Sheet

at 31 December 2018

Registered Number: 03421340 As at As at 31 December 31 December 2018 2017 £’000 £’000
Fixed assets
Investments held at fair value through profit or loss 99,065 77,963
Current assets  
Debtors 542 887
Money market securities and other deposits 34,723 60,482
Cash 2,696 1,517
37,961 62,886
Creditors  
Amounts falling due within one year (300) (420)
Net current assets 37,661 62,466
Net assets 136,726 140,429
Capital and reserves  
Called-up share capital 1,751 2,194
Share premium account 99,115 97,687
Capital redemption reserve 920 455
Distributable reserve 12,929 23,169
Capital reserve 3,422 4,251
Revaluation reserve 18,589 12,673
Equity Shareholders’ funds 136,726 140,429
Net asset value per share:  
Ordinary Share 78.1p 80.0p

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors and authorised for issue on 10 April 2019 and were signed on its behalf by:

John Gregory Chairman

Audited Cash Flow Statementfor the year ended 31 December 2018

Year Year ended ended 31 December 31 December 2018 2017^ £’000 £’000
Cash flow from operating activities
Investment income received 1,180 2,457
Deposit and similar interest received 258 113
Investment management fees paid (2,379) (3,797)
Secretarial fees paid (115) (113)
Other cash payments (495) (902)
Net cash outflow from operating activities (1,551) (2,242)
Cash flow from investing activities  
Purchase of investments (17,705) (17,869)
Net proceeds on sale of investments 3,380 48,394
Net proceeds on deferred consideration 310 561
Net proceeds on liquidation of investments 20
Net cash (outflow)/ inflow from investing activities (13,995) 31,086
Cash flow from financing activities  
Proceeds of fund raising 39,384
Expenses of fund raising (95) (1,247)
Repurchase of own shares (1,763) (1,336)
Equity dividends paid (7,176) (45,983)
Movement in money market funds 25,759 (29,506)
Net cash inflow/(outflow) from financing activities 16,725 (38,688)
Net inflow/(outflow) of cash in the year 1,179 (9,844)
Reconciliation of net cash flow to movement in net funds  
Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents for the year 1,179 (9,844)
Net cash and cash equivalents at start of year 1,517 11,361
Net cash and cash equivalents at end of year 2,696 1,517

^Comparative includes Planned Exit Shares Fund and Infrastructure Shares Fund.

Analysis of changes in net debt At 1 January 2018 Cashflow At 31 December 2018
  £'000 £'000 £'000
Cash and cash equivalents 1,517 1,179 2,696

Notes

1. These are not statutory accounts in accordance with S436 of the Companies Act 2006. The full audited accounts for the year ended 31 December 2018, which were unqualified and did not contain statements under S498(2) of the Companies Act 2006 or S498(3) of the Companies Act 2006, will be lodged with the Registrar of Companies. Statutory accounts for the year ended 31 December 2018 including an unqualified audit report and containing no statements under the Companies Act 2006 will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies in due course.

2. The audited Annual Financial Report has been prepared on the basis of accounting policies set out in the statutory accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2018. All investments held by the Company are classified as ‘fair value through the profit and loss’. Unquoted investments have been valued in accordance with IPEVC guidelines. Quoted investments are stated at bid prices in accordance with the IPEVC guidelines and Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

3. Copies of the Annual Report will be sent to shareholders and will be available for inspection at the Registered Office of the Company at The Shard, 32 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9SG and can be accessed on the following website: www.foresightgroup.eu.

4. Net asset value per share

The net asset value per share is based on net assets at the end of the year and on the number of shares in issue at that date.

 31 December 201831 December 2017
 OrdinaryOrdinaryPlannedInfrastructure
 SharesSharesExit SharesShares
 FundFundFundFund
Net assets£136,726,000£140,429,000£nil£nil
No. of shares at year end175,051,026175,601,97711,404,31432,495,246
Net asset value per share78.1p80.0p0.0p0.0p

5. Return per share

Year ended 31 December 2018 Year ended 31 December 2017
Ordinary Share Ordinary Share Planned Exit Share Infrastructure Share
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Total return after taxation 5,384 9,452 (9) 3,805
Total return per share (note a) 3.1p 5.7p (0.1)p 11.7p
Revenue return from ordinary activities after taxation 297 (561) (45) 248
Revenue return per share (note b) 0.2p (0.3)p (0.4)p 0.8p
Capital return from ordinary shares after taxation 5,087 10,013 36 3,557
Capital return per share (note c) 2.9p 6.0p 0.3p 10.9p
Weighted average number of shares in issue in the year 175,834,593 165,748,167 11,404,314 32,495,246

Notes:a) Total return per share is total return after taxation divided by the weighted average number of shares in issue during the year.b) Revenue return per share is revenue return after taxation divided by the weighted average number of shares in issue during the year.c) Capital return per share is capital return after taxation divided by the weighted average number of shares in issue during the year.

6. Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting will be held at 1.00pm on 23 May 2019 at the offices of Foresight Group LLP, The Shard, 32 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9SG.

7. Income

Year ended Year ended 31 December 31 December 2018 2017^ £’000 £’000
Loan stock interest 985 820
Dividends receivable 155 637
Overseas based Open Ended Investments Companies (“OEICs”) 241 113
Bank interest received 17 -
1,398 1,570

^Comparative includes Planned Exit Shares Fund and Infrastructure Shares Fund

8. Investments

  2018 £’000 2017 £’000
Unquoted investments 99,065 77,963
99,065 77,963

Total  
  £’000  
Book cost as at 1 January 2018 65,611  
Investment holding gains 12,352  
Valuation at 1 January 2018 77,963  
Movements in the year:  
Purchases at cost 17,705  
Disposal proceeds (3,380)  
Realised gains* 591  
Investment holding gains** 6,186  
Valuation at 31 December 2018 99,065  
Book cost at 31 December 2018 80,527  
Investment holding gains 18,538  
Valuation at 31 December 2018 99,065  
     

*Realised gains in the income statement include deferred consideration received of £258,000 (Simulity) and £52,000 (O-Gen Acme Trek) as well as final administration proceeds of £10,000 (Evance Wind Turbines), £7,000 (Closed Loop Recycling) and £3,000 (Global Immersion) received in the year.

** Investment holding gains in the income statement have been reduced by the offset in the deferred consideration debtor of £258,000 (Simulity) and £19,000 (O-Gen Acme Trek) and have been increased by an adjustment to the deferred consideration debtor for Trilogy of £7,000.

9. Related party transactions

No Director has an interest in any contract to which the Company is a party other than their appointment as directors.

10. Transactions with the manager

Foresight Group CI Limited acts as manager of the Company. During the year, services of a total cost of £2,379,000 (2017: £3,780,000 including an £863,000 performance incentive fee in relation to the Infrastructure Shares Fund) were purchased by the Company from Foresight Group CI Limited. At 31 December 2018, the amount due to Foresight Group CI Limited was £nil (2017: £nil).

During the year, services of a total cost of £117,000 (2017: £113,000) were indirectly delivered to the Company by Foresight Group LLP. At 31 December 2018, the amount due to Foresight Group LLP was £2,000 (2017: £nil).

No amounts have been written off in the year in respect of debts due to or from the Manager.

END


Date   Source Headline
21st Mar 20243:09 pmGNWIssue of Equity
11th Mar 20242:30 pmGNWPortfolio Update: Sale of portfolio company Specac International delivers 10.3x return for Foresight VCT PLC
29th Feb 20244:30 pmGNWTotal voting rights
22nd Feb 20244:13 pmGNWIssue of Equity
8th Feb 20243:35 pmGNWIssue of Equity
8th Feb 202412:28 pmGNWNet Asset Value(s)
31st Jan 20244:30 pmGNWTotal voting rights
26th Jan 20243:00 pmGNWOffer for Subscription - Update
11th Jan 20242:32 pmGNWIssue of Equity
29th Dec 20239:52 amGNWTotal voting rights
28th Dec 20235:47 pmGNWTransaction in Own Shares
22nd Dec 202312:25 pmGNWIssue of Equity
20th Dec 20237:00 amGNWOffer Update - Use of Over-Allotment Facility
14th Dec 20234:21 pmGNWDirector/PDMR Shareholding
14th Dec 20234:16 pmGNWIssue of Equity
14th Dec 20237:00 amGNWNet Asset Value(s)
30th Nov 20235:34 pmGNWNet Asset Value(s)
15th Nov 202312:55 pmGNWOffer and Prospectus
31st Oct 20234:00 pmGNWTotal voting rights
27th Oct 20235:02 pmGNWTransaction in Own Shares
26th Sep 20231:13 pmGNWUnaudited Half-Yearly Financial Report
11th Sep 202310:37 amGNWIntention to Fundraise
1st Sep 20237:58 amGNWTotal voting rights
18th Aug 20234:16 pmGNWDirector/PDMR Shareholding
18th Aug 20234:11 pmGNWIssue of Equity
31st Jul 20234:16 pmGNWTotal voting rights
31st Jul 20234:14 pmGNWTotal voting rights
27th Jul 20231:53 pmGNWDividend Declaration
30th Jun 20234:50 pmGNWTransaction in Own Shares
30th Jun 20233:14 pmGNWDirector/PDMR Shareholding
30th Jun 20233:12 pmGNWIssue of Equity
15th Jun 20233:34 pmGNWGM Statement
15th Jun 20233:29 pmGNWResult of AGM
31st May 20233:10 pmGNWNet Asset Value
31st May 20237:00 amGNWTotal voting rights
19th May 20235:29 pmGNWTransaction in Own Shares
18th May 20231:29 pmGNWPublication of a Circular
2nd May 20239:25 amGNWTotal voting rights - Correction
28th Apr 20234:00 pmGNWTotal voting rights
25th Apr 20235:06 pmGNWFinal Results
13th Apr 20233:07 pmGNWIssue of Equity
12th Apr 20239:56 amGNWCHANGE TO DIRECTOR INFORMATION
5th Apr 20233:54 pmGNWIssue of Equity
5th Apr 202311:13 amGNWNet Asset Value
3rd Apr 20238:00 amGNWPortfolio Update
30th Mar 20232:43 pmGNWIssue of Equity
23rd Mar 20234:33 pmGNWOFFER UPDATE – USE OF OVER-ALLOTMENT FACILITY
22nd Mar 20233:08 pmGNWIssue of Equity
21st Feb 20235:37 pmGNWNotification of Interests of Directors
20th Feb 20233:37 pmGNWIssue of Equity

Due to London Stock Exchange licensing terms, we stipulate that you must be a private investor. We apologise for the inconvenience.

To access our Live RNS you must confirm you are a private investor by using the button below.

Login to your account

Don't have an account? Click here to register.

Quickpicks are a member only feature

Login to your account

Don't have an account? Click here to register.