WITAN INVESTMENT TRUST PLC
Financial Report for the Half Year ended 30 June 2021
For the full published results, please visit – Investegate |Witan Inv Tst PLC Announcements | Witan Inv Tst PLC: Half-year Report
SUMMARY
• Witan's NAV total return for the first half of 2021 was 12.4%, 1% ahead of our composite global benchmark
• Gearing was maintained at over 10% during the period and was a significant contributor to returns
• The discount widened, along with others in the sector; we continued with our active buyback policy, with 4.1% of our shares bought into treasury, at an average discount of close to 7%. The Board retains its long-term commitment to achieving a share price which trades in line with the NAV
• A second interim quarterly dividend of 1.36p per ordinary share will be paid in September. Total dividends paid in respect of the period are 2.72p per ordinary share (2020: 2.68p)
• Engagement deepened with our managers on ESG issues and further investments were made in positions which will benefit from businesses committed to combatting climate change
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Key data |
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(Unaudited) 30 June 2021 |
(Audited) 31 December 2020 |
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Share price |
241.5p |
230.5p |
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Net asset value per ordinary share (debt at fair value) (3)(4) |
262.3p |
236.0p |
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Net asset value total return (3)(4) |
12.4% |
4.2% |
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30 June 2021 |
30 June 2020 |
31 December 2020 |
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Dividends per share |
2.72p |
2.68p |
5.45p |
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Total return performance |
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6 months return % |
1 year return % |
5 years return % |
10 years return % |
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Share price total return (1)(3) |
6.0 |
34.7 |
81.0 |
194.0 |
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Net asset value total return (1)(3) |
12.4 |
37.3 |
79.0 |
177.7 |
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Witan benchmark (1) |
11.4 |
24.5 |
79.9 |
161.3 |
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MSCI ACWI Index(2) |
11.4 |
25.1 |
96.3 |
214.9 |
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MSCI UK IMI Index(2) |
11.2 |
20.3 |
32.6 |
78.8 |
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(1) |
Source: Morningstar. |
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(2) |
Source: Morningstar. See also MSCI for conditions of use (www.msci.com). |
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(3) |
Alternative performance measures The financial statements (on pages 11 to 18) set out the required statutory reporting measures of the Company's financial performance. In addition, the Board assesses the Company's performance against a range of criteria which are viewed as particularly relevant for investment trusts. Definition of the terms used and the Witan benchmark are set out in the Half Year Report. |
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(4) |
30 June 2021 data is unaudited. |