THE INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MAY CONSTITUTE INSIDE INFORMATION AS STIPULATED
UNDER THE UK'S MARKET ABUSE REGULATION. UPON THE PUBLICATION OF
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, SUCH INSIDE INFORMATION IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE
IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
LEI:
2138004UJ1TW8UCELX08
19 March 2024
LMS CAPITAL
PLC
Final Results for the Year
Ended 31 December 2023
The Board of LMS Capital plc (the
"Company") is pleased to announce the Company's audited annual
results for the year ended 31 December 2023.
Financial Summary
|
31 December
2023
|
31 December
2022
|
|
|
|
Net asset value
|
£42.1m
|
£46.5m
|
Cash available at year
end
|
£15.5m
|
£17.9m
|
|
|
|
Portfolio losses
|
(£1.4m)
|
£-m
|
Net running costs
|
£1.8m
|
£1.7m
|
|
|
|
Net asset value per share
(p)
|
52.2p
|
57.7p
|
Dividends paid per share
(p)
|
0.925p
|
0.925p
|
Dividends declared/recommended by
Board (p)
|
0.925p
|
0.925p
|
2023 key points
Net Asset Value
·
The net asset value ("NAV") at 31 December 2023
was £42.1 million, 52.2 pence per share (31 December 2022: £46.5
million, 57.7 pence per share).
·
Adjusting for the impact of dividends to
shareholders, the NAV over the year decreased by a net £3.7
million, or 7.9%.
·
The portfolio net decrease comprises:
o Unrealised foreign exchange losses £1.2 million;
o Unrealised loss on revaluation of Brockton Fund 1 £3.5
million; partly offset by
o Realised gain on sale of Medhost £1.4 million;
o Accrued interest income on Dacian £1.4 million;
and
o Net unrealised gains on other assets £0.5
million.
·
We reported good progress on two fronts in
December:
o Our real estate activity in the retirement living sector has
enabled us to make our first investment - Castle View Retirement
Village, Windsor ("Castle View") - which we see as a foundation for
further investment in the sector;
o The sale of Medhost represents a material realisation from
our mature asset portfolio, generating $7.0 million cash in 2023,
and a deferred payment of $1.7 million with a coupon of 11.25% due
in December 2024. This produced a gain on the sale of £1.4 million
which after accounting for foreign exchange movements resulted in a
net gain of £1.1 million
· Portfolio performance:
o Positives in the portfolio were the Medhost realisation and
an increase in the Elateral value;
o Dacian experienced production difficulties during the year
which meant performance fell short of its budget, but it continued
to service its third party loan note obligations, and the Board
expects the debt obligations to its investors, including LMS, to be
met.
o Overall performance was impacted materially by the £3.5
million reduction in value of the Company's holding in Brockton
Fund 1. The fund's remaining investment is a debt participation in
a "Super Prime" residential development in Mayfair, London. The
scheme is complete and has achieved sales but in January 2024 the
senior lenders to the scheme appointed receivers. Brockton continue
to expect that the scheme will produce a return for Brockton Fund 1
investors, including LMS and we will keep the position under
review.
Dividends
· A
final dividend of 0.625 pence per share in respect of the year
ending 31 December 2022 was paid in June 2023, and an interim
dividend of 0.3 pence per share for the half year ending 30 June
2023 was paid in September 2023. A final dividend for the year
ending 31 December 2023 of 0.625 pence per share is recommended by
the Board and will be proposed for approval by shareholders at the
Annual General Meeting.
Net Running Costs
·
Net Running costs, including those incurred by
subsidiaries, were £1.8 million (2022: £1.7 million) and there were
an additional £1.0 million (2022: £0.4 million) of investment
related costs, including £0.6 million acquisition costs relating to
Castle View.
Cash balances
·
Group cash balances at the year-end, including
amounts held by subsidiaries, were £15.5 million, representing 19.2
pence per share and 36.7% of the NAV (2022: £17.9 million and 22.2
pence per share and 38.5% of the NAV). The Company has no external
debt.
Robert Rayne, Chairman, commented:
"The company had a strong end to
the year with the realisation of Medhost and the completion of our
first investment in the retirement living sector, although the
write down on Brockton is disappointing.
While we continue to nurture and
support all of our investments we see our real estate activities,
particularly in retirement living, as being a key area of focus
over the next period in establishing a portfolio which can deliver
our long-term goal. In particular we will be focussed on
identifying additional investment opportunities and funding
partners with whom to develop our investment platform in the
retirement living sector. I look forward to reporting further
progress across our portfolio during 2024."
For further information please contact:
LMS Capital plc
Nick Friedlos, Managing Director
0207 935 3555
Chairman and Managing Director's Report
We are pleased to report our
results for the year ended 31 December 2023.
·
The 31 December 2023 NAV is £42.1 million and
compares with NAV at the prior year end, 31 December 2022 of £46.5
million. Adjusting for £0.7 million dividends paid during the year,
the NAV has decreased by a net £3.7 million, 7.9%, during the
year.
·
There was good progress on two fronts in
December:
o Our real estate activity in the retirement living sector has
enabled us to make our first investment - Castle View Retirement
Village, Windsor ("Castle View") - which we see as a foundation for
further investment in the sector;
o The sale of Medhost represents a material realisation from
our mature asset portfolio, generating $7.0 million cash in 2023,
and a deferred payment of $1.7 million with a coupon of 11.25% due
in December 2024. After accounting for foreign exchange
differences, this produces a net gain of £1.1 million.
·
A significant contributor to the net decrease was
the £3.5 million reduction in valuation of the Company's interest
in Brockton Fund 1, of which the only remaining asset is loan
participation in a high-end residential development in Mayfair,
London. This reduction reflects the risks for the development in
the current market and, following the news on 26 January 2024 that
the senior lender to the scheme had appointed a receiver, an
allowance for the costs of the receivership process and potential
disruption to sales. Brockton continues to expect that the scheme
will generate a return for LMS and we will keep the situation under
review.
·
Notwithstanding the £6.1 million investment in
Castle View and with the Medhost proceeds, cash at the year end was
£15.5 million. (2022: £17.9 Million).
·
Dividend - a final dividend of 0.625 pence per
share for the year ended 31 December 2023 is recommended by the
Board.
Real estate - retirement living: NAV £6.1 million (7.6 pence
per share)
Our real estate activities in 2022
and 2023 have been focussed on identifying opportunities to invest
in specialist use real estate in the retirement living sector.
During this time, we have developed our knowledge and understanding
and evaluated potential acquisition opportunities.
The sector offers the opportunity
for growth and allows us to deploy our real estate investment
expertise.
·
Underlying demand is driven by demographics in
the UK. The number of 75+ year old households is expected to
increase by 77% in the 25 years from 2018 to 2043;
·
The older population owns in excess of 40% of
housing equity which can be released to finance retirement options
and also free up stock for the wider family housing
market;
·
The market is undersupplied, with relatively few
developers or operators of scale and an increasing interest from
institutional capital.
The investment in Castle View
shortly before the end of the year, represents the first step in
developing an investment platform focussed on retirement
living.
There are a variety of business
models in the sector. Our goal is initially to establish an
investment platform based around Integrated Retirement Communities
("IRC"), in which residents live independently in their own
self-contained home, with access to communal facilities and
amenities and the availability of optional support and care
services, if needed.
Consideration will be given both
to investment in development sites as well as in established
businesses.
The business is capital intensive
but has the capability to generate long-term income streams for
investors. Our objective during 2024 is to identify further
investment opportunities alongside funding partners, to develop the
investment platform.
Mature portfolio -NAV £11.3 million (14.0 pence per
share)
Medhost
We had positive news on progress
in the realisation of the mature portfolio, with the sale in
December 2023, of Medhost, in which LMS had a co investment of
9.4%. The sale produced total proceeds for LMS of $8.7 million
(£6.8 million) of which $7.0 million (£5.5 million) was received in
cash before the year end and a deferred payment of $1.7 million
(£1.3 million) with a coupon of 11.25% is due in December 2024.
After accounting for foreign exchange differences, this produces a
net gain of £1.1 million.
This was a minority investment, in
which LMS did not have a board seat, but LMS nonetheless maintained
a dialogue with the Medhost management and the lead fund manager
encouraging the push towards an exit and so it is gratifying that
this has now been achieved.
Other mature assets
Following the Medhost sale and the
reduction in valuation of Brockton, the mature portfolio is reduced
to £11.3 million, all of which originates from the Company's
strategy pre-2012. The portfolio largely comprises positions
managed by third-party managers where the Company is not able to
control or direct decision making. 92.9% of the mature portfolio is
held in four investments.
The Board balances the goals of
optimising realisation value of these investments and achieving
liquidity within an acceptable time frame. The Board keeps under
review progress by the third-party managers towards realisation and
monitors opportunities to accelerate realisation of the Company's
holdings in the secondary markets.
Energy - Dacian: NAV £11.0 million (13.6 pence per
share)
Although underwritten in August
2020, completion of this investment only occurred, following local
Romanian regulatory approvals, in November 2021. The year just
ended therefore represents the second full year of
operation.
The business was financed at the
outset with some $14.0 million of seven-year high-coupon loan notes
from investors (of which LMS was the lead investor, investing $9.1
million) and an additional $6.0 million of third-party three-year
loan notes provided via the vendor and which are required to be
serviced in preference to the investor loan notes.
The investor loan notes also
carried with them, for nominal consideration, 50% of the equity of
the business. Dividends can only be paid on the shares once the
investor loan notes and accrued interest have been paid in
full.
The business was budgeted to
generate sufficient cash in 2023 to meet its service obligations on
the third-party loan notes and also to start servicing the investor
notes. Actual performance in 2023 has been below budget due to a
significant engineering problem which disrupted gas production in
Q2 and Q3 leading to lost revenue. Unaudited revenue, stated net of
applicable royalties and taxes, for 2023 was $19.1 million (2022:
$21.6 million) and EBITDA was $2.7 million (2022: $4.5
million).
The business has continued to
service the third-party loan notes - which should be fully repaid
by November 2024, but has not generated cash this year to service
the investor notes.
Notwithstanding the difficulties
of 2023, the Board expects the loan notes to be serviced in full.
At present no value is given to the equity in the
accounts.
FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER
2023
Net Asset Value ("NAV") overview
The NAV of the Company at 31
December 2023 was £42.1million, 52.2 pence per share (31 December
2022: £46.5 million, 57.7 pence per share). The balance sheet at
the year end can be summarised as follows:
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
|
£'m
|
£'m
|
Mature assets
|
|
|
11.3
|
20.8
|
Real estate - Retirement
Living
|
|
|
6.1
|
-
|
Energy - Dacian
|
|
|
11.0
|
10.1
|
Debtor - Medhost deferred
consideration
|
|
|
1.7
|
-
|
Cash
|
|
|
15.5
|
17.9
|
Other net liabilities /
provisions
|
|
|
(3.5)
|
(2.3)
|
|
|
|
42.1
|
46.5
|
This represents a decrease of £4.4
million on the prior year and comprises:
·
dividends paid of £0.7 million;
·
£3.5 million decrease in valuation of Brockton
Fund 1
·
net increase on other portfolio investments,
including realised and unrealised amounts, of £0.7
million;
·
increase of £1.4 million being accrued interest
on Dacian;
·
other net reductions of £2.3 million,
comprising:
o £0.7 million of interest income;
o £1.8 million for running costs;
o £0.4 million of investment costs principally associated with
developing real estate deal opportunities;
o £0.6 million of one off transaction costs; and
o Taxation of £0.2 million, foreign exchange losses on
non-portfolio assets of £0.1 million and other net income of £0.1
million.
After adjusting for the 0.925
pence per share distributed as dividends during 2023, the NAV has
shown a decrease on the year of 7.9%.
Mature Assets
This portfolio showed overall a
net reduction in the year of £2.8 million, made up of
·
£1.2 million unrealised foreign exchange losses
on US dollar denominated investments, reflecting appreciation of
sterling against the US dollar during the year of 5.2%;
·
£1.4 million realised gain on the sale of
Medhost;
·
£3.5 million unrealised loss on Brockton Fund 1
investments; and
·
£0.5 million unrealised gains on other mature
assets.
Medhost: Realised gain £1.4 million
- As discussed above, Medhost was
realised shortly before the year end. Cash consideration of $7.0
million was received in December and a further $1.7 million is
payable under a loan note due December 2024.
Brockton Fund 1: Unrealised loss £3.5
million - Brockton Fund 1's
remaining investment is its participation in a "Super Prime"
Mayfair residential development. In reporting the Q3 NAV estimate,
we reduced the valuation of our share of the fund by £1.1 million
to reflect the risk of slower sales and higher interest costs in
current market conditions. Following the decision in January 2024
of the senior lender to the development to appoint a receiver, we
have made a further £2.4 million reduction in carrying value as at
31 December 2023.
·
The 32 apartments in the scheme were completed in
May 2023 and whilst prices on apartments sold to date have been
good, the pace of sale has been slower than anticipated;
·
Brockton's current expectation is that all
parties involved will continue to pursue an orderly sale of the
remaining apartments and that there will ultimately be proceeds
available to fund investors. We have taken the view that at
this stage, given the difficulty in estimating the likely outcome,
that it is prudent to reduce the valuation to allow for the costs
of the receivership process and any potential disruption to the
sale process;
·
We will keep the position under review during
2024.
Other Mature assets portfolio: Unrealised gains £0.5
million
Net underlying gains were £0.5
million, the principal elements of which were:
·
Elateral - Unrealised gain £1.1 million,
reflecting the improved financial performance, and progress in
sales and marketing strategy;
·
GW 2001 Fund - Unrealised gain £0.2
million, reflecting market
movements in the fund's portfolio of micro-cap US
companies;
·
Opus Capital Venture Partners - Unrealised loss
£0.9 million, reflecting reductions in the quoted market comparable
companies for the fund's two principal remaining investments;
and
·
Other investments - Unrealised net gains £0.1
million.
Dacian
Interest for the year of £1.4
million is payable on the Company's loan investment in Dacian and
has been accrued.
In 2021, LMS led the funding group
which, including $9.1 million from LMS itself, invested in Dacian,
a Romanian oil and gas production company newly formed to acquire
and operate mature onshore energy production assets.
LMS's $9.1 million is structured
principally as senior secured loan notes, which are entitled to
interest of 14% per annum gross before a withholding tax of 10%.
LMS's share of equity is 32%. The balance of the equity is held by
LMS's co-investors, 18%, and management 50%. Distributions to
equity can only occur once the senior loan notes and accrued coupon
are fully repaid.
Interest accrued from the time of
the investment to date on the loan amounts to £3.8 million, against
which £0.4 million of withholding tax has been recognised in the
accounts.
Running Costs
Running costs, net of Dacian fee
income, for the year were £1.8 million. Steps have been taken to
make savings across a number of back office functions which are
budgeted to result in reductions in 2024.
Investment Costs
Investment costs of £1.0 million
include the cost of the advisory group we have assembled to help
develop our presence in the retirement living sector, and
professional costs associated with evaluating and investigating
potential site and business acquisitions. The most significant
element of cost in 2023 being the acquisition costs of Castle
View.
Real estate - Castle View: 31 December 2023 NAV £6.1
million
The Company, through its wholly
owned subsidiaries, completed its investment in Castle View on 20
December 2023. The investment was structured as an investment in
the group of companies ("Castle View Group") which own the asset.
Castle View comprises a development of 64 self-contained one and
two bedroom apartments close to Windsor town centre, completed in
2018. Communal facilities include 24 hour reception, library,
lounges, roof terrace, bars, private dining room and a restaurant
facility.
Residents acquire individual
apartments on 250 year leases and pay an annual service charge,
which covers the day to day running of the scheme, plus a deferred
fee on resale of an apartment. Of the 64 apartments, 49 have been
sold and 15 remain to be sold.
The value of the Castle View
Group, on a debt free and cash free basis was £11.9 million. LMS
invested £6.1 million and the balance of the price was funded by a
loan of £5.8 million from Terido (part of Octopus Group). Castle
View Group owns the Castle View freehold, including the unsold
apartments, employs the team responsible for running the village
and holds the right to receive the service charge fees and deferred
fees in the future. The loan is repayable over three years from the
proceeds of sale of the remaining 15 unsold apartments.
Castle View generates investment
returns in two ways:
Sale of 15 unsold
apartments
·
Construction was completed at the end of October
2018 and in the year from November 2018 to November 2019, 19
apartments were sold. The pandemic and lockdowns in 2020 and 2021
impacted the rate of sales, but rates have increased again in 2022
and 2023;
·
Sales rates for new developments in the sector
are recognised to be slower than rates for regular market new build
apartments and houses. We have taken a conservative view of sales
rates for the remaining apartments in evaluating the investment but
expect to maintain or improve upon the historic rates;
·
Under the current financing structure of Castle
View proceeds from apartment sales will first be used to pay down
the Terido loan, as noted above.
Deferred fees on resale of
apartments
·
The deferred fees are payable to Castle View, by
the vendor, out of the proceeds of resale as and when an apartment
is resold. The level of deferred fee depends on length of ownership
starting at 4% and increasing to a maximum of 20% from the
beginning of the fifth year of ownership. The deferred fee is
designed to recover the costs of constructing the communal
facilities, to cover their ongoing maintenance and updating and to
provide a return on the capital invested;
·
The timing and amount of the investment return
from the deferred fees will depend on the actual timing and value
of resales and will inevitably be uneven year to year. The average
period of ownership in independent retirement communities such as
Castle View is eight years. Once village occupancy is stabilised,
meaning all units are sold and the pattern of occupancy
established, on average, approximately 12.5% of the scheme would be
expected to be resold each year. Allowing for the time for the
village to achieve stabilised occupancy the base case investment
appraisal model shows overall income returns in excess of
11%.
Liquidity - Cash less other net liabilities
Cash
Cash balances in the Company and
its subsidiaries at 31 December 2023 were £15.5 million (31
December 2022: £17.9 million). Net outflows were £2.4 million (31
December 2022: £2.2 million).
Net liabilities
Net liabilities in the Company and
its subsidiaries of £3.5 million (31 December 2022: £2.3 million)
consist primarily of deferred consideration payable on the Castle
View acquisition, accruals for income taxes, historic carried
interest liabilities for one remaining asset and other sundry
costs.
DIVIDEND POLICY
The Company paid £0.7 million in
dividends during the year comprising a final dividend for the year
ended 31 December 2022 of 0.625 pence per share, paid on 23 June
2023 and an interim dividend for the year ended 31 December 2023 of
0.3 pence per share paid on 12 September 2023.
A final dividend of 0.625 pence
per share for the year ended 31 December 2023 is recommended by the
Board. Subject to approval by shareholders at the AGM in May 2024,
the dividend will be paid to shareholders in early June
2024.
The dividend policy laid out by
the Board in 2020 was to pay a dividend in respect of each
financial year equal to approximately 1.5% of the closing NAV for
that year. The proposed dividend for 2023 will amount to
approximately 1.8% of closing NAV. Having regard to the Company's
cash position and, whilst the dividends currently exceed the net
cash income, the Board is confident of the Company's ability to
generate future annual income and has therefore recommended to
continue the dividend at the current amount.
The Board's ambition is to
increase the level of dividend and will keep the current policy
under review. The actual level of dividend each year will take
account of market conditions generally, the Company's financial
position and its distributable reserves.
LOOKING FORWARD
The Company's objective is the
preservation and creation of wealth for its shareholders over the
longer term. Its target is to deliver returns, net of costs, of
between 12% and 15% over the longer period.
When the Company returned to
self-management in 2020, the Board laid out a strategy for the
deployment of capital, making new investments in areas where the
Company has clear competitive advantage through its knowledge and
experience of particular sectors and its access to teams and
opportunities within those sectors. The principal areas of focus
have been real estate and energy.
We see our real estate activities,
particularly in retirement living as being a key area of focus over
the next period in establishing a portfolio which can deliver our
long-term goal. In particular we will be focussed on identifying
additional investment opportunities and funding partners with whom
to develop our investment platform in the retirement living
sector.
We will continue to nurture and
support our other investments.
We would like to express our
appreciation for the support from our team and from the network of
people with whom we work on a regular basis. We would also like to
express our appreciation for the continued support of our
shareholders. We look forward to reporting progress to you during
2024.
Robert Rayne
Chairman
Nicholas Friedlos
Managing Director
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT REVIEW
Market background
Sterling had its best year against
the US dollar since 2017. Having begun the year at $1.21, the pound
hit 15-month highs in July of more than $1.31 as investors bet that
UK interest rates could rise as high as 6.5%.
But sterling then fell back
through the autumn, as UK inflation eased and the City began to
conclude that monetary policy would not need to be quite so
restrictive.
With inflation now down to 4.0%
(CPI December 2023), and UK interest rates probably at their peak
at 5.25%, the pound ended the year at about $1.27.
Oil has had a volatile year, with
prices both pushed down by fears of a global downturn and lifted by
concerns that geopolitical tensions would hurt supply.
The price of crude ended the year
down by about 10%, despite the Opec cartel's best efforts to prop
up prices by cutting production. Having started January at $86 a
barrel, Brent crude finished the year about 10% lower, at
$77.50.
Domestically, the outlook for 2024
looks more positive. Interest rates are expected to begin to be cut
and inflation continues to fall.
The consequences of recent
developments and the impact of macroeconomic and domestic issues
will continue to be monitored closely by the Board.
Performance review
The movement in NAV during the
year was as follows:
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Opening NAV
|
46,541
|
49,109
|
Net realised and unrealised
reductions on investments
|
(2,761)
|
(1,305)
|
Investment interest income
(Dacian)
|
1,374
|
1,274
|
Advisory fee income
|
160
|
165
|
Dividends
|
(747)
|
(747)
|
Overheads and other net
movements
|
(2,426)
|
(1,955)
|
Closing NAV
|
42,141
|
46,541
|
|
|
|
Cash realisations and new and
follow-on investments from the portfolio were as
follows:
|
Year ended
31
December
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Proceeds from the sale of
investments
|
5,770
|
2
|
Proceeds from redemption of
convertible debt
|
88
|
-
|
Proceeds from redemption of
preference shares
|
-
|
336
|
Distributions from funds and loan
repayments
|
62
|
97
|
Total - gross cash
realisations
|
5,920
|
435
|
New and follow-on
investments
|
-
|
(428)
|
Fund calls
|
-
|
(41)
|
Total - net
|
5,920
|
(34)
|
|
|
|
Realisations of £5.9 million in
2023 include:
·
cash proceeds of £5.5 million from the sale of
Medhost;
·
Proceeds from the sale of ICU of £0.2 million:
and
·
Other realisations of £0.2 million.
Below is a summary of the
investment portfolio of the Company and its subsidiaries, which
reflects all investments held by the Group:
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
2023
|
|
2022
|
Mature investment portfolio
|
GBP
denominated
£'000
|
USD
denominated
£'000
|
Total
£'000
|
|
GBP
denominated
£'000
|
USD
denominated
£'000
|
Total
£'000
|
Quoted
|
107
|
38
|
145
|
|
121
|
39
|
160
|
Unquoted
|
1,680
|
37
|
1,717
|
|
681
|
5,945
|
6,626
|
Funds
|
3,139
|
6,330
|
9,469
|
|
6,676
|
7,357
|
14,033
|
|
4,926
|
6,405
|
11,331
|
|
7,478
|
13,341
|
20,819
|
Other investments
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Castle View
|
6,130
|
-
|
6,130
|
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Dacian
|
-
|
10.989
|
10,989
|
|
-
|
10,145
|
10,145
|
|
6,130
|
10,989
|
17,119
|
|
-
|
10,145
|
10,145
|
Total investments
|
11,056
|
17,394
|
28,450
|
|
7,478
|
23,486
|
30,964
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Basis of valuation
Quoted investments
Quoted investments for which an
active market exists are valued at the bid price at the reporting
date.
Unquoted direct investments
Unquoted direct investments for
which there is no active market are valued using the most
appropriate valuation technique with regard to the stage and nature
of the investment. Valuation methods that may be used
include:
·
investments in an established business are valued
using revenue or earnings multiples depending on the stage of
development of the business and the extent to which it is
generating sustainable revenue or earnings;
·
investments in an established business which is
generating sustainable revenue or earnings but for which other
valuation methods are not appropriate are valued by calculating the
discounted cash flow of future cash flows;
·
investments in debt instruments or loan notes are
determined on a standalone basis, with the initial investment
recorded at the price of the transaction and subsequent adjustments
to the valuation are considered for changes in credit risk or
market rates; and
·
convertible instruments are valued by
disaggregating the convertible feature from the debt instrument and
valuing it using a Black-Scholes model.
Funds
Investments in managed funds are
valued at fair value. The general partners of the funds will
provide periodic valuations on a fair value basis, the latest
available of which the Company will adopt provided it is satisfied
that the valuation methods used by the funds are not materially
different from the Company's valuation methods. Adjustments will be
made to the fund valuation where the Company believes there is
evidence available for an alternative valuation.
Performance of the investment portfolio
The return on investments for the
year ended 31 December 2023 was as follows:
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
2023
|
|
2022
|
|
Realised gains/
(losses)
|
Unrealised gains/
(losses)
|
Total
|
|
Realised
gains/ (losses)
|
Unrealised gains/ (losses)
|
Total
|
Asset type
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quoted
|
(10)
|
-
|
(10)
|
|
(1)
|
(220)
|
(221)
|
Unquoted
|
1,498
|
366
|
1,864
|
|
24
|
(1,285)
|
(1,261)
|
Funds
|
(9)
|
(4,509)
|
(4,518)
|
|
-
|
108
|
108
|
|
1,479
|
(4,143)
|
(2,664)
|
|
23
|
(1,397)
|
(1,374)
|
(Charge)/credit for incentive
plans
|
|
|
(100)
|
|
|
|
69
|
|
|
|
(2,764)
|
|
|
|
(1,305)
|
Operating and similar
(loss)/income of subsidiaries
|
|
|
(44,500)
|
|
|
|
1,081
|
|
|
|
(47,264)
|
|
|
|
(224)
|
The Company historically operated
carried interest arrangements in line with normal practice in the
private equity industry. These arrangements have been in run-off
since 2012 and only one investment, Medhost, remains subject to the
arrangements. Following the sale of Medhost a payment will be due
based on the cash consideration received, and a further payment
will be due following receipt of the final part of the proceeds in
December 2024.The credit for incentive plans for the Company is
£3,000 and for subsidiaries a charge of £103,000 for carried
interest and other incentives relating to historic arrangements.
The charge for carried interest incentive plan is included in the
net movement on investments in the Income Statement.
Approximately 61% of the portfolio
at 31 December 2023 is denominated in US dollars (31 December 2022:
76%) and the above table includes the impact of currency movements.
In the year ended 31 December 2023, the strengthening of sterling
against the US dollar over the year as a whole resulted in an
unrealised foreign currency loss of £1.14 million (2022: unrealised
gain of £2.74 million). As a common practice in private equity
investment, it is the Board's current policy not to hedge the
Company's underlying non-sterling investments.
Quoted investments
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
Company
|
Sector
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Tialis Essential IT plc
|
UK technology
|
|
107
|
121
|
Arsenal Digital Holdings
Inc
|
US energy
|
|
10
|
13
|
Others
|
-
|
|
28
|
26
|
|
|
|
145
|
160
|
|
|
|
|
|
The net gains and losses on the
quoted portfolio arose as follows:
|
Year ended 31
December
|
Gains/(losses), net
|
2023
£'000
|
2022
£'000
|
Realised
|
|
|
Weatherford International
Inc
|
(8)
|
-
|
Evolving Systems Inc
|
(2)
|
-
|
Tialis Essential IT plc
|
-
|
(1)
|
|
(10)
|
(1)
|
Unrealised
|
|
|
Tialis Essential IT plc
|
(13)
|
(94)
|
Arsenal Digital Holdings
Inc
|
(4)
|
(135)
|
Other quoted holdings
|
17
|
(2)
|
Unrealised foreign currency gains
/ (losses)
|
-
|
11
|
|
-
|
(220)
|
Total net losses
|
(10)
|
(221)
|
|
|
|
Unquoted investments
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
Company
|
Sector
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Dacian
|
EU energy
|
|
10,989
|
10,145
|
Castle View
|
UK retirement living
|
|
6,130
|
-
|
Medhost Inc
|
US technology
|
|
-
|
5,673
|
Elateral
|
UK technology
|
|
1,680
|
599
|
ICU Eyewear
|
US consumer
|
|
-
|
232
|
Tialis loan notes
|
UK technology
|
|
-
|
82
|
Cresco
|
US consumer
|
|
37
|
40
|
|
|
|
18,836
|
16,771
|
|
The net gains and losses on the unquoted
portfolio arose as follows:
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
Gains/(losses), net
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Realised
|
|
|
Medhost Inc
|
1,432
|
24
|
Updata
|
86
|
-
|
ICU Eyewear
|
62
|
-
|
|
1,580
|
24
|
Unrealised
|
|
|
Tialis loan notes
|
6
|
(25)
|
Elateral
|
1,081
|
(645)
|
Medhost Inc
|
-
|
(691)
|
ICU Eyewear
|
-
|
(1,778)
|
Unrealised foreign currency
(losses)/gains
|
(803)
|
1,854
|
|
284
|
(1,285)
|
Total net
gains/(losses)
|
1,864
|
(1,261)
|
|
|
|
Valuations are sensitive to
changes in the following two inputs:
·
the operating performance of the individual
businesses within the portfolio; and
·
changes in the revenue and profitability
multiples and transaction prices of comparable businesses, which
are used in the underlying calculations.
Fund interests
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
General partner
|
Sector
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Brockton Capital Fund 1
|
UK real estate
|
2,526
|
6,036
|
Opus Capital Venture
Partners
|
US venture capital
|
4,142
|
5,275
|
Weber Capital Partners
|
US micro-cap quoted
stocks
|
2,180
|
2,046
|
EMAC ILF
|
EU
|
330
|
341
|
Simmons
|
UK
|
283
|
262
|
Eden Ventures
|
UK venture capital
|
-
|
37
|
Other interests
|
-
|
8
|
36
|
|
|
9,469
|
14,033
|
|
|
|
|
The net gains on the Company's
fund portfolio for the year ended 31 December 2023 were as
follows:
|
Year ended 31
December
|
Gains/(losses), net
|
2023
£'000
|
2022
£'000
|
Realised
|
|
|
San Francisco Equity
Partners
|
(9)
|
-
|
|
(9)
|
-
|
Unrealised
|
|
|
Opus Capital Venture
Partners
|
(896)
|
755
|
Brockton Capital Fund I
|
(3,510)
|
458
|
Primus Capital Fund V
|
(3)
|
(7)
|
San Francisco Equity
Partners
|
-
|
(103)
|
Simmons Parallel Energy
|
27
|
(144)
|
EMAC Illyrian Land Fund
II
|
(5)
|
(419)
|
Eden Ventures
|
(5)
|
(457)
|
Weber Capital Partners Fund
1
|
222
|
(855)
|
Unrealised foreign currency
(losses)/gains
|
(339)
|
880
|
|
(4,509)
|
108
|
Total net gains
|
(4,518)
|
108
|
|
|
|
Costs
Running costs for the year were
£1.8 million (2022: £1.7 million) and investment related costs
being support costs for real estate and co-investment activities,
were £1.0 million (2022: £0.4 million) which includes £0.6 million
of acquisition costs in relation to the Castle View
investment.
Taxation
The Group tax provision for the
year, all of which arose in the subsidiaries, is £0.2 million
(2022: £0.4 million). This includes £0.2 million of
withholding tax on our foreign sourced income.
Financial Resources and Commitments
At 31 December 2023 cash holdings,
including cash in subsidiaries, were £15.5 million (31 December
2022: £17.9 million) and neither the Company nor any of its
subsidiaries had any external debt in either 2023 or
2022.
At 31 December 2023, subsidiary
companies had commitments of £2.7 million (31 December 2022: £2.7
million) to meet outstanding capital calls from fund
interests.
LMS CAPITAL PLC
Statement of Directors' Responsibilities
The Directors are responsible for
preparing the Annual Report and the Financial Statements in
accordance with UK adopted international accounting standards and
applicable law and regulations.
Company law requires the Directors
to prepare financial statements for each financial year.
Under that law the Directors are required to prepare the Financial
Statements in accordance with UK adopted international accounting
standards. Under company law the Directors must not approve the
Financial Statements unless they are satisfied that they give a
true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company and of
the profit or loss of the Company for that period.
In preparing these Financial
Statements, the Directors are required to:
·
select suitable accounting policies and then
apply them consistently;
·
make judgements and accounting estimates that are
reasonable and prudent;
·
state whether they have been prepared in
accordance with UK adopted international accounting standards,
subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the
Financial Statements;
·
prepare the Financial Statements on the going
concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the
Company will continue in business; and
·
prepare a Directors' Report, a Strategic Report
and Directors' Remuneration Report which comply with the
requirements of the Companies Act
2006.
The Directors are responsible for
keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and
explain the Company's transactions and disclose with reasonable
accuracy at any time the financial position of the Company and
enable them to ensure that the Financial Statements comply with the
Companies Act 2006.
They are also responsible for
safeguarding the assets of the Company and hence for taking
reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and
other irregularities. The Directors have ensured that the Annual
Report and Accounts, taken as a whole, are fair, balanced, and
understandable and provides the information necessary for
shareholders to assess the position and performance, business model
and strategy.
Website publication
The Directors are responsible for
ensuring the Annual Report and the Financial Statements are made
available on a website. Financial Statements are published on
the Company's website in accordance with legislation in the United
Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial
statements, which may vary from legislation in other
jurisdictions. The maintenance and integrity of the Company's
website is the responsibility of the Directors. The
Directors' responsibility also extends to the ongoing integrity of
the Financial Statements contained therein.
Directors' responsibilities pursuant to
DTR4
The Directors confirm to the best
of their knowledge:
·
The Financial Statements have been prepared in
accordance with the applicable set of accounting standards, give a
true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position
and profit and loss of the Company.
·
The Annual Report includes a fair review of the
development and performance of the business and the financial
position of the Company, together with a description of the
principal risks and uncertainties that they face.
For and on behalf of the
Board.
Robert Rayne
Chairman
Company Income Statement
For
the year ended 31 December 2023
|
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
Notes
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Net loss on investments
|
2
|
(47,264)
|
(224)
|
Interest income
|
3
|
608
|
189
|
Other income
|
|
120
|
107
|
Dividend income
|
2
|
45,000
|
-
|
Total gain on
investments
|
|
(1,536)
|
72
|
Operating expenses
|
4
|
(2,196)
|
(1,946)
|
Loss before tax
|
|
(3,732)
|
(1,874)
|
Taxation
|
7
|
-
|
-
|
Loss for the year
|
|
(3,732)
|
(1,874)
|
|
|
|
|
Attributable to:
|
|
|
|
Equity shareholders
|
|
(3,732)
|
(1,874)
|
|
|
|
|
Loss per ordinary share -
basic
|
8
|
(4.6)p
|
(2.3)p
|
Loss per ordinary share -
diluted
|
8
|
(4.6)p
|
(2.3)p
|
|
|
|
|
All activities of the Company are
classed as continuing.
Company Statement of Other Comprehensive
Income
For
the year ended 31 December 2023
|
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Loss for the year
|
|
(3,732)
|
(1,874)
|
Total comprehensive loss for the
year
|
|
(3,732)
|
(1,874)
|
Attributable to:
|
|
|
|
Equity shareholders
|
|
(3,732)
|
(1,874)
|
Company Statement of Financial Position
As at 31 December 2023
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
Notes
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
|
Assets
|
|
|
|
|
Non-current assets
|
|
|
|
|
Right-of-use assets
|
18
|
42
|
70
|
|
Investments
|
10
|
20,854
|
68,207
|
|
Amounts receivable from
subsidiaries
|
13
|
15,014
|
5,158
|
|
Total non-current
assets
|
|
35,910
|
73,435
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current assets
|
|
|
|
|
Operating and other
receivables
|
11
|
135
|
71
|
|
Cash
|
12
|
9,027
|
14,542
|
|
Total current assets
|
|
9,162
|
14,613
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total assets
|
|
45,072
|
88,048
|
|
Liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
Current liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
Operating and other
payables
|
14
|
(422)
|
(428)
|
|
Amounts payable to
subsidiaries
|
15
|
(2,493)
|
(41,032)
|
|
Total current
liabilities
|
|
(2,915)
|
(41,460)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-current liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
Lease liabilities
|
14
|
(16)
|
(47)
|
|
Total non-current
liabilities
|
|
(16)
|
(47)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities
|
|
(2,931)
|
(41,507)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net assets
|
|
42,141
|
46,541
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity
|
|
|
|
|
Share capital
|
16
|
8,073
|
8,073
|
|
Share premium
|
|
508
|
508
|
|
Capital redemption
reserve
|
|
24,949
|
24,949
|
|
Share-based equity
|
17
|
207
|
128
|
|
Retained earnings
|
|
8,404
|
12,883
|
|
Total equity shareholders'
funds
|
|
42,141
|
46,541
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net asset value per ordinary
share
|
24
|
52.20p
|
57.65p
|
|
Company Statement of Changes in Equity
For
the year ended 31 December 2023
|
|
|
Capital
|
Share-
|
|
|
|
Share
|
Share
|
redemption
|
based
|
Retained
|
Total
|
|
|
capital
|
premium
|
reserve
|
equity
|
earnings
|
equity
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance at 1 January 2022
|
8,073
|
508
|
24,949
|
75
|
15,504
|
49,109
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Comprehensive income for the year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss for the year
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(1,874)
|
(1,874)
|
|
Equity after total comprehensive loss for the
year
|
8,073
|
508
|
24,949
|
75
|
13,630
|
47,235
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contributions by and distributions to
shareholders
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Share-based payments
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
53
|
-
|
53
|
|
Dividends
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(747)
|
(747)
|
|
As at 31 December 2022
|
8,073
|
508
|
24,949
|
128
|
12,883
|
46,541
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Comprehensive income for the year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss for the year
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(3,732)
|
(3,732)
|
|
Equity after total comprehensive income for the
year
|
8,073
|
508
|
24,949
|
128
|
9,151
|
42,809
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contributions by and distributions to
shareholders
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Share-based payments
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
79
|
-
|
79
|
|
Dividends
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(747)
|
(747)
|
|
As at 31 December 2023
|
8,073
|
508
|
24,949
|
207
|
8,404
|
42,141
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Company Cash Flow Statement
For
the year ended 31 December 2023
|
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
Notes
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Cash flows from operating activities
|
|
|
|
Loss before tax
|
|
(3,732)
|
(1,874)
|
|
|
|
|
Adjustments for non-cash income
and expense:
|
|
|
|
Equity settled share-based
payments
|
17
|
79
|
53
|
Depreciation on right-of-use
assets
|
18
|
28
|
27
|
Interest expense on
lease
|
18
|
4
|
6
|
Losses on investments
|
2
|
47,264
|
224
|
Interest income
|
3
|
(608)
|
(189)
|
Other income
|
|
(120)
|
(107)
|
Dividend income
|
2
|
(45,000)
|
-
|
Adjustments to incentives
plans
|
2
|
3
|
30
|
Exchange losses/(gains) on cash
balances
|
|
17
|
(71)
|
|
|
(2,065)
|
(1,901)
|
|
|
|
|
Change in operating assets and liabilities
|
|
|
|
(Increase)/decrease in operating
and other receivables
|
|
(53)
|
16
|
(Increase)/decrease in operating
and other payables
|
|
(8)
|
34
|
(Increase)/decrease in amounts
receivable from subsidiaries
|
|
(9,856)
|
33
|
Increase in amounts payable to
subsidiaries
|
|
6,460
|
2,292
|
Net cash (used in)/from operating
activities
|
|
(5,522)
|
474
|
|
|
|
|
Cash flows from investing activities
|
|
|
|
Interest received
|
3
|
598
|
152
|
Other income received
|
|
120
|
107
|
Proceeds from sale of
investments
|
|
86
|
-
|
Net cash from investing activities
|
|
804
|
259
|
|
|
|
|
Cash flows from financing activities
|
|
|
|
Dividends paid
|
9
|
(747)
|
(747)
|
Repayment of principal lease
liabilities
|
18
|
(29)
|
(27)
|
Repayment of lease
interest
|
18
|
(4)
|
(6)
|
Net cash used in financing activities
|
|
(780)
|
(780)
|
|
|
|
|
Net decrease in cash
|
|
(5,498)
|
(47)
|
Exchange (losses)/gains on cash
balances
|
|
(17)
|
71
|
Cash at the beginning of the
year
|
12
|
14,542
|
14,518
|
Cash at the end of the year
|
|
9,027
|
14,542
|
Notes to the Financial Statements
1. Material
accounting policies
Reporting entity
LMS Capital plc ("the Company") is
domiciled in the United Kingdom. These Financial Statements are
presented in pounds sterling because that is the currency of the
principal economic environment of the Company's
operations.
The Company was formed on 17 March
2006 and commenced operations on 9 June 2006 when it received the
demerged investment division of London Merchant Securities
plc.
Basis of preparation
These Financial Statements for the
year ended 31 December 2023 have been prepared in accordance with
UK adopted International Accounting Standards.
LMS Capital plc adopted an
amendment to IFRS 10 with effect from 11 January 2016, which
exempts investment entities from presenting consolidated financial
statements. As a result, the Company is not required to produce
consolidated accounts and only presents the results of the
Company.
The Financial Statements have been
prepared on the historical cost basis except for investments which
are measured at fair value, with changes in fair value recognised
in the Income Statement.
The Company's business activities
and financial position are set out in the Strategic Report on pages
11 to 18 and in the Portfolio Management Review on pages 19 to 23.
In addition, note 19 to the financial information includes a
summary of the Company's financial risk management processes,
details of its financial instruments and its exposure to credit
risk and liquidity risk. Taking account of the financial resources
available to it, the Directors believe that the Company is well
placed to manage its business risks successfully. After making
enquiries, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the
Company has adequate resources for the foreseeable
future.
The Financial Statements are
prepared on a going concern basis and the Directors considered this
and concluded that the use of the going concern basis continued to
be appropriate. The Company's business activities, together with
the factors likely to affect its future development, performance
and financial position, are set out in the Strategic Report on
pages 11 to 18 and the Portfolio Management Review on pages 19 to
23. The Directors have carried out a robust assessment of the
emerging and principal risks and concluded that they have a
reasonable expectation that the Company will continue in operation
and meet its liabilities as they fall due over a three-year period
from the date of this report. This assessment included reviewing
the liquidity forecasts of the Company that include the flexibility
in the dividend policy and lack of any external debt, the
significant cash balances on hand at 31 December 2023, the expected
future expenditures and commitments and the latest report on the
investment portfolio. In preparing this liquidity forecast,
consideration has been given to the expected ongoing impact of the
war in Ukraine on the Company and the wider Group as well as the
potential impact on the underlying investee companies. The
Directors have considered these factors for a period not less than
12 months from the date of this report.
New and revised accounting standards and amendments effective
for the current period
New and revised accounting
standards and amendments that are effective for annual periods
beginning 1 January 2023 which have been adopted for the first time
by the Company:
•
Amendments to IAS 1 - Presentation of Financial
Statements and IFRS Practice Statement 2: Disclosure of Accounting
policies
•
Amendments to IAS 8 - Accounting policies, Changes in
Accounting Estimates and Errors: Definition of Accounting
Estimates
•
Amendments to IAS 12 - Income Taxes: Deferred Tax
related to Assets and Liabilities arising from a Single
Transaction
The adoption of the standards and
amendments listed above did not have any material impact on the
Company's results.
These amendments have been
endorsed by the EU and adopted by the UK.
There are no other standards,
amendments to standards or interpretations that are effective for
annual periods beginning on 1 January 2023 that have had a material
effect on the Company's Financial
Statements.
New accounting standards, amendments and interpretations not
yet effective, and which have not been early
adopted
Other standards and amendments
that are effective for subsequent reporting periods beginning on or
after 1 January 2024 and have not been early adopted by the Company
include:
•
Amendments to IAS 1 - Presentation of Financial
Statements: Classification of Liabilities as Current or Non-current
(effective 1 January 2024).
•
Amendments to IFRS 16 - Leases: Lease Liability in a Sale
and Leaseback (effective 1 January 2024).
These standards and amendments are
not expected to have a significant impact on the
Financial Statements in
the period of initial application and therefore detailed
disclosures have not been provided.
IFRS 2 - Share-based payment
IFRS 2 - Share-based payment
requires an entity to recognise equity-settled share-based payments
measured at fair value at the date of grant. The fair value
determined at the grant date of the equity-settled share-based
payments is expensed over the vesting period, together with a
corresponding increase in other capital reserves, based upon the
Company's estimate of the shares that will eventually vest, which
involves making assumptions about any performance and service
conditions over the vesting period. Non-vesting conditions and
market vesting conditions are factored into the fair value of the
options granted. The vesting period is determined by the period of
time the relevant participant must remain in the Company's
employment before the rights to the shares transfer unconditionally
to them. The total expense is recognised over the vesting period,
which is the period over which all the specified vesting conditions
are to be satisfied. At the end of each period, the Company revises
its estimates on the number of awards it expects to vest based on
the service conditions.
Any awards granted are to be
settled by the issuance of equity are deemed to be equity settled
share-based payments, accounted for in accordance with IFRS 2 -
Share-based payment.
Where the terms of an
equity-settled transaction are modified, as a minimum, an expense
is recognised as if the terms had not been modified. In addition,
an expense is recognised for any increase in the value of the
transaction as a result of the modification, as measured at the
date of modification.
Where an equity-settled
transaction is cancelled, it is treated as if it had vested on the
date of the cancellation, and any expense not yet recognised for
the transaction is recognised immediately. However, if a new
transaction is substituted for the cancelled transaction and
designated as a replacement transaction on the date that it is
granted, the cancelled and new transactions are treated as if they
were a modification of the original transaction, as described in
the previous paragraph.
Accounting for subsidiaries
The Directors have concluded that
the Company has all the elements of control as prescribed by IFRS
10 - Consolidated Financial Statements in relation to all its
subsidiaries and that the Company continues to satisfy the three
essential criteria to be regarded as an investment entity as
defined in IFRS 10, IFRS 12 - Disclosure of lnterests in Other
Entities and IAS 27 - Separate Financial Statements. The three
essential criteria are such that the entity must:
•
obtain funds from one or more investors for the
purpose of providing these investors with professional investment
management services;
•
commit to its investors that its business purpose
is to invest its funds solely for returns from capital
appreciation, investment income or both; and
•
measure and evaluate the performance of
substantially all of its investments on a fair value
basis.
In satisfying the second essential
criteria, the notion of an investment time frame is critical. An
investment entity should not hold its investments indefinitely but
should have an exit strategy for their realisation. Although the
Company has invested in equity interests that have an indefinite
life, it invests typically for a period of up to 10 years. In some
cases, the period may be longer, depending on the circumstances of
the investment, however, investments are not made with intention of
indefinite hold. This is a common approach in the private equity
industry.
Subsidiaries are therefore
measured at fair value through profit or loss, in accordance with
IFRS 13 - Fair Value Measurement and IFRS 9 - Financial
instruments.
The Company's subsidiaries, which
are wholly-owned and over which it exercises control, are listed in
note 23.
Use of estimates and judgements
The
preparation of the Financial Statements require management to make
judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the application
of accounting policies and the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities, income and expense. Actual results may differ from
these estimates. Estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed
on an ongoing basis; revisions to accounting estimates are
recognised in the period in which the estimates are revised and in
any future periods affected.
The areas involving significant
judgements are:
·
valuation technique selected in estimating fair
value of unquoted investments - note 10;
·
valuation technique selected in estimating fair
value of investments held in funds - note 10; and
·
recognition of deferred tax asset for carried
forward tax losses - note 7.
The areas involving significant
estimates are:
·
estimated inputs used in calculating fair value
of unquoted investments - note 10; and
·
estimated inputs used in calculating fair value
of investments held in funds - note 10.
Estimates and judgements are
continually evaluated. They are based on historical experience and
other factors, including expectations of future events that may
have financial impact on the entity and that are believed to be
reasonable under the circumstances.
Investments in subsidiaries
The Company's investments in
subsidiaries are stated at fair value which is considered to be the
carrying value of the net assets of each subsidiary. On disposal of
such investments, the difference between net disposal proceeds and
the corresponding carrying amount is recognised in the Income
Statement.
Valuation of investments
The Company and its subsidiaries
manage their investments with a view to profit from the receipt of
dividends, interest income and increase in fair value of equity
investments which can be realised on sale. Therefore, all quoted,
unquoted and managed fund investments are designated at fair value
through profit or loss which can be realised on sale and carried in
the Statement of Financial Position at fair value.
Fair values have been determined
in accordance with the International Private Equity and Venture
Capital Valuation ("IPEV") Guidelines. These guidelines require the
valuer to make judgments as to the most appropriate valuation
method to be used and the results of the valuations.
Each investment is reviewed
individually with regard to the stage, nature and circumstances of
the investment and the most appropriate valuation method selected.
The valuation results are then reviewed and any amendment to the
carrying value of investments is made as considered
appropriate.
Quoted investments
Quoted investments for which an
active market exists are valued at the bid price at the reporting
date.
Unquoted direct investments
Unquoted direct investments for
which there is no active market are valued using the most
appropriate valuation technique with regard to the stage and nature
of the investment. Valuation methods that may be used
include:
·
investments in an established business are valued
using revenue or earnings multiples depending on the stage of
development of the business and the extent to which it is
generating sustainable revenue or earnings;
·
investments in an established business which is
generating sustainable revenue or earnings but for which other
valuation methods are not appropriate are valued by calculating the
discounted cash flow of future revenue or earnings;
·
investments in debt instruments or loan notes are
determined on a standalone basis, with the initial investment
recorded at the price of the transaction and subsequent adjustments
to the valuation are considered for changes in credit risk or
market rates;
·
convertible instruments are valued by
disaggregating the convertible feature from the debt instrument and
valuing it using a Black-Scholes model; and
·
the Company has adopted the IPEV guidelines
issued in December 2023.
Funds
Investments in managed funds are
valued at fair value. The general partners of the funds will
provide periodic valuations on a fair value basis, the latest
available of which the Company will adopt provided it is satisfied
that the valuation methods used by the funds are not materially
different from the Company's valuation methods. Adjustments will be
made to the fund valuation where the Company believes there is
evidence available for an alternative valuation.
Carried interest
The Company historically offered
its executives, including Board executives, the opportunity to
participate in the returns from successful investments. A
variety of incentive and carried interest arrangements were put in
place during the years up to and including 2011. No new schemes
have been introduced since. As is commonplace in the private equity
industry, executives may, in certain circumstances, retain their
entitlement under such schemes after they have left the employment
of the Company. The liability under such incentive schemes is
accrued if its performance conditions, measured at the reporting
date, would be achieved if the remaining assets in that scheme were
realised at their fair value at the reporting date. An accrual is
made equal to the amount which the Company would have to pay to any
remaining scheme participants from a realisation of the reported
value at the reporting date.
Foreign currencies
Transactions in foreign currencies
are recorded at the rate of exchange at the date of transaction.
Monetary assets and monetary liabilities denominated in foreign
currencies at the reporting date are reported at the rates of
exchange prevailing at that date and exchange differences are
included in the Income Statement.
Intercompany receivables
The Company measured intercompany
receivables and other receivables at fair value less any expected credit
losses. Expected credit losses are measured through a loss
allowance at an amount equal to:
·
the 12-month expected credit losses (expected
credit losses from possible default events within 12 months after
the reporting date); or
·
full lifetime expected credit losses (expected
credit losses from all possible default events over the life of the
financial instrument).
A loss allowance for full lifetime
expected credit losses is required for intercompany receivables and
other receivables if the credit risk has increased significantly
since initial recognition.
Impairment losses on financial
assets carried at amortised cost are reversed in subsequent periods
if the expected credit losses decrease.
Cash
Cash comprises cash on hand and
demand deposits.
Dividend payable
Dividend distribution to the
shareholders is recognised as a liability in Financial Statements
when approved at an annual general meeting by the shareholders.
Interim dividend approved during the year is recorded upon
payment.
Income
Gains and losses on investments
Realised and unrealised gains and
losses on investments are recognised in the Income Statement in the
period in which they arise.
Interest income
Interest income is recognised as
it accrues using the effective interest method.
Dividend income
Dividend income is recognised on
the date the Company's right to receive payment is
established.
Expenditure
Income tax expense
Income tax expense comprises
current and deferred tax. Income tax expense is recognised in the
Income Statement except to the extent that it relates to items
recognised in other comprehensive income or directly in
equity.
Current tax is the expected tax
payable on the taxable income for the year, using tax rates enacted
or substantively enacted at the reporting date, and any adjustment
to tax payable in respect of previous years.
Deferred tax is recognised using
the balance sheet liability approach, providing for temporary
differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities
for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for taxation
purposes. Deferred tax is measured at the tax rates that are
expected to be applied to the temporary differences when they
reverse, based on the laws that have been enacted or substantively
enacted by the reporting date. A deferred tax asset is recognised
to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will
be available against which temporary differences can be utilised.
Deferred tax assets are reviewed at each reporting date and are
reduced to the extent that it is no longer probable that the
related tax benefit will be realised.
Additional income taxes that arise
from the distribution of dividends are recognised at the same time
as the liability to pay the related dividend is
recognised.
2. Net gains/
losses on investments
Gains and losses on investments
were as follows:
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
|
2023
|
|
|
2022
|
|
Investment portfolio of the
Company
|
Realised
|
Unrealised
|
Total
|
Realised
|
Unrealised
|
Total
|
Asset type
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Unquoted
|
86
|
-
|
86
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
86
|
-
|
86
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Credit for incentive
plans
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
30
|
|
|
|
89
|
|
|
30
|
Investment portfolio of
subsidiaries
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Asset type
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quoted
|
(10)
|
-
|
(10)
|
(1)
|
(220)
|
(221)
|
Unquoted
|
1,412
|
366
|
1,778
|
24
|
(1,285)
|
(1,261)
|
Funds
|
(9)
|
(4,509)
|
(4,518)
|
-
|
108
|
108
|
|
1,393
|
(4,143)
|
(2,750)
|
23
|
(1,397)
|
(1,374)
|
Total
|
1,479
|
(4,143)
|
(2,661)
|
23
|
(1,397)
|
(1,344)
|
(Charge)/credit for incentive
plans
|
|
|
(103)
|
|
|
39
|
|
|
|
(2,764)
|
|
|
(1,305)
|
Operating and similar
(loss)/income of subsidiaries*
|
|
(44,500)
|
|
|
1,081
|
|
|
|
(47,264)
|
|
|
(224)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*Includes operating and legal
costs and taxation charges of subsidiaries.
During the year the Company and
its subsidiaries carried out an exercise to settle the debtor and
creditor balances that had accumulated over a period of years
between companies within the Group. This will achieve a
simplification of accounting within the Group. Settlement of
the balances was achieved through offsetting debtor and creditor
amounts where appropriate and through the declaration of dividends
by various subsidiary companies to holding companies within the
Group. As part of this exercise a dividend of £45,000,000 was
declared by LMS Capital Group Limited to LMS Capital plc. The
assets of LMS Capital plc increased by the amount of the dividend
but as a result of this a reduction in the fair value of the
investments in subsidiaries has been recognised. This exercise had
no overall net effect on the net assets of the Company.
The Company operates carried
interest arrangements in line with normal practice in the private
equity industry. The credit for incentive plans for the Company is
£3,000 (2022: £30,000) and other incentives relating to historic
arrangements. The charge for subsidiaries is included in the net
gains/ losses on investments in the Income Statement.
3. Interest
income
|
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Bank interest
|
|
608
|
189
|
|
|
608
|
189
|
4. Operating
expenses
Operating expenses comprise
administrative expenses and include the
following:
|
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Directors' remuneration (note
5)
|
|
832
|
726
|
Staff expenses (note 6)
|
|
467
|
462
|
Depreciation on right-of-use
assets
|
|
28
|
27
|
Other administrative
expenses
|
|
761
|
670
|
Foreign currency exchange
differences
|
|
17
|
(24)
|
Auditor's remuneration
|
|
|
|
Fees to Company auditor
|
|
91
|
85
|
- parent
company
|
|
91
|
67
|
- interim review
for LMS Capital plc
|
|
-
|
18
|
|
|
2,196
|
1,946
|
|
|
|
|
Audit fees for the subsidiaries of
£73,000 (2022: £103,700) were directly charged to
subsidiaries.
5. Directors'
Remuneration
|
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Directors' remuneration
|
|
657
|
584
|
Directors' social security
contributions
|
|
86
|
77
|
Share-based payments
|
|
59
|
39
|
Directors' other
benefits
|
|
30
|
26
|
|
|
832
|
726
|
|
|
|
|
The highest paid Director was
Nicholas Friedlos
(2022 - Nicholas
Friedlos)
|
|
442
|
367
|
|
|
|
|
The Directors are considered to be
the only key management personnel.
6. Staff
Expenses
|
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Wages and salaries
|
|
366
|
378
|
Employers' social security
contributions
|
|
50
|
54
|
Share-based payments
|
|
20
|
13
|
Pension costs
|
|
23
|
11
|
Employees' other
benefits
|
|
8
|
6
|
|
|
467
|
462
|
Pensions costs are amounts payable
to employees' defined contribution pension plans and are recognised
on an accruals basis as they are incurred.
The average number of staff was as
follows:
|
2023
|
2022
|
Directors
|
5
|
5
|
Staff
|
4
|
4
|
Total
|
9
|
9
|
7.
Taxation
|
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Current tax expense
|
|
|
|
Current year
|
|
-
|
-
|
Total tax expense
|
|
-
|
-
|
Reconciliation of tax expense
|
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Loss before tax
|
|
(3,732)
|
(1,874)
|
Corporation tax using the
Company's domestic
tax rate - 23.5% (2022:
19%)
|
|
(877)
|
(356)
|
Expenses not deductible /
non-taxable income
|
|
534
|
47
|
Capital allowances
|
|
53
|
(3)
|
Company relief
|
|
(91)
|
476
|
Deferred tax asset not
recognised
|
|
56
|
85
|
Group relief surrendered /
(received)
|
|
325
|
(249)
|
Total tax expense
|
|
-
|
-
|
As at year end, there are
cumulative potential deferred tax assets of £2.516 million (2022:
£2.377 million) in relation to the Company's cumulative tax losses
of £10.064 million (2022: £9.510 million). It is uncertain when the
Company will generate sufficient taxable profits in the future to
utilise these amounts and therefore no deferred tax asset has been
recognised in the current or prior year.
8. Loss per
ordinary share
The calculation of the basic and
diluted earnings per share, in accordance with IAS 33, is based on
the following data:
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Loss
|
|
|
Loss for the purposes of loss per
share
|
|
|
being net loss attributable to
equity holders of the parent
|
(3,732)
|
(1,874)
|
|
|
|
|
Number
|
Number
|
Number of shares
|
|
|
Weighted average number of
ordinary shares for the
|
|
|
purposes of basic loss per
share
|
80,727,450
|
80,727,450
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss per share
|
Pence
|
Pence
|
Basic
|
(4.6)
|
(2.3)
|
Diluted
|
(4.6)
|
(2.3)
|
The Company share awards will be
dilutive when the Company makes a profit.
9. Dividends
paid
Dividends declared during the year
ending 31 December 2023 are as follows.
|
Dividend date
|
Payment Date
|
Dividend
£'000
|
Dividend
per
share
pence
|
|
|
|
|
|
Final dividend payment for
2021
|
27 May 2022
|
23 June 2022
|
505
|
0.6250
|
Interim dividend payment for
2022
|
12 August 2022
|
12 September 2022
|
242
|
0.3000
|
Total as at 31 December 2022
|
|
|
747
|
0.9250
|
Final dividend payment for
2022
|
26 May 2023
|
23 June 2023
|
505
|
0.6250
|
Interim dividend payment for
2023
|
11 August 2023
|
12 September 2023
|
242
|
0.3000
|
Total as at 31 December 2023
|
|
|
747
|
0.9250
|
A final dividend of 0.625p per
share is recommended by the Board and, subject to approval by
shareholders at the AGM on 15 May 2024, will be paid out in early
June 2024.
10.
Investments
The Company's investments
comprised the following:
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Total investments
|
20,854
|
68,207
|
These comprise:
|
|
|
Investment portfolio of
subsidiaries
|
28,450
|
30,964
|
Other net (liabilities)/assets of
subsidiaries
|
(7,596)
|
37,243
|
|
20,854
|
68,207
|
The carrying amounts of the
subsidiaries' investment portfolios were as follows:
|
Year ended 31
December
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
Investment portfolio of subsidiaries
Asset type
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Quoted
|
144
|
160
|
Unquoted
|
18,837
|
16,771
|
Funds
|
9,469
|
14,033
|
|
28,450
|
30,964
|
Other net (liabilities)/assets of
subsidiaries
|
(7,596)
|
37,243
|
|
20,854
|
68,207
|
The movements in the investment
portfolio were as follows:
|
Quoted
securities
|
Unquoted
securities
|
Funds
|
Other net assets /
(liabilities) of subsidiaries
|
Total
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Balance at 1 January
2022
|
383
|
16,626
|
13,929
|
37,523
|
68,461
|
Accrued interest
|
-
|
1,274
|
-
|
-
|
1,274
|
Purchases
|
-
|
427
|
-
|
-
|
427
|
Proceeds from disposal
|
(2)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(2)
|
Distributions from
partnerships
|
-
|
(375)
|
(56)
|
-
|
(431)
|
Contribution to
partnerships
|
-
|
80
|
52
|
-
|
132
|
Fair value adjustments
|
(221)
|
(1,261)
|
108
|
-
|
(1,374)
|
Other movements
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(280)
|
(280)
|
Balance at 31 December
2022
|
160
|
16,771
|
14,033
|
37,243
|
68,207
|
|
Quoted
securities
|
Unquoted
securities
|
Funds
|
Other net assets /
(liabilities) of subsidiaries
|
Total
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Balance at 1 January
2023
|
160
|
16,771
|
14,033
|
37,243
|
68,207
|
Accrued interest
|
-
|
1,373
|
-
|
-
|
1,373
|
Purchases
|
-
|
6,130
|
-
|
-
|
6,130
|
Proceeds from disposal
|
(6)
|
(7,301)
|
-
|
-
|
(7,307)
|
Distributions from
partnerships
|
-
|
-
|
(55)
|
-
|
(55)
|
Contribution to
partnerships
|
-
|
-
|
9
|
-
|
9
|
Fair value adjustments
|
(10)
|
1,864
|
(4,518)
|
-
|
(2,664)
|
Dividends paid (note 2)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(45,000)
|
(45,000)
|
Other movements
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
161
|
161
|
Balance at 31 December
2023
|
144
|
18,837
|
9,469
|
(7,596)
|
20,854
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The following table analyses
investments carried at fair value at the end of the year, by the
level in the fair value hierarchy into which the fair value
measurement is categorised. The different levels have been defined
as follows:
Level 1: quoted prices
(unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets;
Level 2: inputs other than quoted
prices included within level 1 that are observable for the asset,
either directly (i.e., as prices) or indirectly (i.e., derived from
prices); and
Level 3: inputs for the asset that
are not based on observable market data (unobservable inputs such
as trading comparables and liquidity discounts).
Fair value measurements are based
on observable and unobservable inputs. Observable inputs reflect
market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable
inputs reflect the Company's view of market assumptions in the
absence of observable market information (see note 19 - Financial
risk management).
The Company's investments are
analysed as follows:
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Level 1
|
|
|
-
|
-
|
Level 2
|
|
|
-
|
-
|
Level 3
|
|
|
20,854
|
68,207
|
|
|
|
20,854
|
68,207
|
Level 3 includes:
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Investment portfolio of
subsidiaries
|
|
|
28,450
|
30,964
|
Other net (liabilities)/assets of
subsidiaries
|
|
|
(7,596)
|
37,243
|
|
|
|
20,854
|
68,207
|
Investment portfolio of
subsidiaries includes quoted investments
of £144,000 (2022: £160,000).
There were no transfers between
levels during the year ending 31 December 2023.
11. Operating and other
receivables
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Other receivables and
prepayments
|
|
|
135
|
71
|
|
|
|
135
|
71
|
|
|
|
|
|
12.
Cash
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Bank balances
|
|
|
1,451
|
201
|
Demand deposits
|
|
|
7,576
|
14,341
|
|
|
|
9,027
|
14,542
|
13. Amounts receivable
from subsidiaries
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Amounts receivable from
subsidiaries
|
|
|
15,014
|
5,158
|
|
|
|
15,014
|
5,158
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amounts receivable from subsidiaries are
intercompany loans repayable on demand and are interest
free.
During the year the Company and
its subsidiaries carried out an exercise to settle the debtor and
creditor balances that had accumulated over a period of years
between companies within the Group (see note 2).
14. Operating and other
payables
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Carried interest
provision
|
|
|
-
|
9
|
Trade payables
|
|
|
19
|
41
|
Lease liabilities
|
|
|
31
|
28
|
Other non-trade payables and
accrued expenses
|
|
|
372
|
350
|
|
|
|
422
|
428
|
Other long-term lease
liabilities
|
|
|
16
|
47
|
|
|
|
438
|
475
|
The Company operates carried
interest arrangements in line with normal practice in the private
equity industry, calculated on the assumption that the investment
portfolio is realised at its year end carrying amount. As at 31
December 2023, £nil (2022: £9,000) has
been accrued for in the Company and
£523,000 (2022: £419,000) has been accrued for in the subsidiaries. Carried interest
accrued for in the subsidiaries is included in the amounts owing to
subsidiaries in the Statement of Financial Position.
15. Amounts payable to
subsidiaries
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Amounts payable to
subsidiaries
|
|
|
2,493
|
41,032
|
|
|
|
2,493
|
41,032
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amounts payable to subsidiaries are
intercompany loans repayable on demand and are interest
free.
During the year the Company and
its subsidiaries carried out an exercise to settle the debtor and
creditor balances that had accumulated over a period of years
between companies within the Group (see note 2).
16. Capital and
reserves
Share capital
|
2023
|
2023
|
2022
|
2022
|
Ordinary shares
|
Number
|
£'000
|
Number
|
£'000
|
Balance at the beginning of the
year
|
80,727,450
|
8,073
|
80,727,450
|
8,073
|
Balance at the end of the
year
|
80,727,450
|
8,073
|
80,727,450
|
8,073
|
The Company's ordinary shares have
a nominal value of 10p per share and all shares in issue are fully
paid up.
The holders of ordinary shares are
entitled to receive dividends as declared from time to time and are
entitled to one vote per share at meetings of the
Company.
Share premium account
The Company's share premium
account arose on the exercise of share options in prior
years.
Capital redemption reserve
The capital redemption reserve
comprises the nominal value of shares purchased by the Company out
of its own profits and cancelled.
17. Share awards
Awards were made in accordance
with the LTIP arrangements approved by shareholders at the Annual
General Meeting held on 17 May 2023.
Employee Share Incentive Plan
On 15 August 2023, the
Remuneration Committee approved the issue of 686,064 nil-cost
options.
The options vest to 15 August 2026
and have both a performance and a continuous service condition
attached to them.
Performance condition
The Performance Condition for the
Award shall be determined by reference to the Company's performance
in deploying its available uninvested capital at 31 December 2022.
The level of performance and hence the amount of the Award that
vests will be determined at the discretion of the Remuneration
Committee.
The targets for deployment of
Investible Capital are:
(a)
At least 50% of Investible Capital should have
been Deployed by 31 December 2024;
(b)
100% of Investible capital should have been
Deployed by 31 December 2025.
(c)
The investments into which capital has been
Deployed should be performing satisfactorily, taking account of the
relatively early stage of such investments at the time the
Performance Conditions are assessed.
For the purposes of this award
Investible Capital has been set at £12.4 million.
IFRS 2: Share-based Payment
addresses the accounting for the Share Plan. This sets out the
definition of a share-based payment and in this case the Share Plan
is classified as an equity settled transaction with cash
alternatives, the Company has the discretion to settle the
liability fully or partly in cash. Since there is no present
obligation to settle the award in cash, the scheme will be
accounted for as equity settled.
Both the performance condition and
the service condition, which is to be employed for three years from
the effective date of award, are considered to be non-market
vesting condition per IFRS 2. On this basis the Share Plan will be
recognised at fair value at the date of the award and will be
amortised over the life of the plan on a straight-line
basis.
The LMS Capital plc share price on
the date of the award was 21p. This gives a fair value of the award
at the date of issue of £144,073.
Management expect the performance
condition to be met and the award to vest in full. In the
event the performance condition is not met, the Remuneration
Committee has the discretion to settle the awards in
full.
As there is a service condition
attached to the Share Plan, an estimate of whether there will be
leavers is required over the vesting period. In this instance
there is no expectation that any members of staff will leave within
three years and as such 100% of the award will be used to recognise
the expense over three years.
|
Number of
awards
|
Weighted average fair value
per award
|
Outstanding at 1 January
2023
|
|
|
-
|
-
|
Granted
|
|
|
686,064
|
£0.21
|
Outstanding at 31 December 2023
|
|
|
686,064
|
£0.21
|
Exercisable at year end
|
|
|
-
|
|
Value Creation Plan
At the Annual General Meeting on
17 May 2023, shareholders approved the proposed amendments to the
VCP whereby the original units awarded in 2020 would be cancelled
and a smaller number of new units would be issued. 384 new
units were awarded on 14 June 2023.
Grant date
|
Type of
award
|
Number of shares
awarded
|
Fair
value/
share
|
Vesting
conditions
|
Final vesting
date
|
14 June 2023
|
Shares
|
384
|
£461
|
Awards
vest quarterly over five years provided the employee is still in
service of the Company.
|
14 June
2028
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Number of
awards
|
Weighted average fair value
per award
|
Outstanding at 1 January
2022
|
|
|
625
|
£413.48
|
Granted
|
|
|
-
|
-
|
Outstanding at 31 December 2022
|
|
|
625
|
£413.48
|
Units cancelled
|
|
|
(625)
|
£413.48
|
New units issued
|
|
|
384
|
£461.00
|
Outstanding at 31 December 2023
|
|
|
384
|
£461.00
|
Exercisable at year end
|
|
|
-
|
|
18.
Leases
Lease commitments
The Company leases office space
and information with regards to this lease is outlined
below:
Rental lease asset
|
£'000
|
Balance at 1 January
2022
|
97
|
Depreciation for the
year
|
(27)
|
Balance at 31 December
2022
|
70
|
Depreciation for the
year
|
(28)
|
Balance as at 31 December 2023
|
42
|
Rental lease liability
|
£'000
|
Balance at 1 January
2022
|
102
|
Unwinding of the discount on lease
liability
|
6
|
Payments for lease
|
(33)
|
Balance at 31 December
2022
|
75
|
Unwinding of the discount on lease
liability
|
4
|
Payments for lease
|
(33)
|
Balance as at 31 December 2023
|
46
|
19. Financial risk
management
Financial instruments by category
The following tables analyse the
Company's financial assets and financial liabilities in accordance
with the categories of financial instruments in IFRS 9. Assets and
liabilities outside the scope of IFRS 9 are not included in the
table below:
|
31
December
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
Fair Value through profit or
loss
|
Measured at amortised
cost
|
Total
|
Fair Value through profit or
loss
|
Measured at amortised
cost
|
Total
|
Financial assets
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Investments
|
20,854
|
-
|
20,854
|
68,207
|
-
|
68,207
|
Amounts receivable from
subsidiaries
|
-
|
15,014
|
15,014
|
-
|
5,158
|
5,158
|
Operating and other
receivables
|
-
|
120
|
120
|
-
|
60
|
60
|
Cash
|
-
|
9,027
|
9,027
|
-
|
14,542
|
14,542
|
Total
|
20,854
|
24,161
|
45,015
|
68,207
|
19,760
|
87,967
|
|
31
December
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
Fair Value through profit or
loss
|
Measured at amortised
cost
|
Total
|
Fair Value through profit or
loss
|
Measured at amortised
cost
|
Total
|
Financial liabilities
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Operating and other
payables
|
-
|
392
|
392
|
-
|
400
|
400
|
Amounts payable to
subsidiaries
|
-
|
2,493
|
2,493
|
-
|
41,032
|
41,032
|
Lease liabilities
|
-
|
46
|
46
|
-
|
75
|
75
|
Total
|
-
|
2,931
|
2,931
|
-
|
41,507
|
41,507
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Intercompany payables to
subsidiaries are all repayable on demand thus there are no
discounted contractual cash flows to present.
The Company has exposure to the
following risks from its use of financial instruments:
·
credit risk;
·
liquidity risk; and
·
market risk.
This note presents information
about the Company's exposure to each of the above risks, its
policies for measuring and managing risk, and its management of
capital.
Credit risk
Credit risk is the risk of the
financial loss to the Company if a counterparty to a financial
instrument fails to meet its contractual obligations and arises
principally from the Company's receivables and its cash.
|
|
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Amounts receivable from
subsidiaries
|
|
|
|
|
15,014
|
5,158
|
Operating and other
receivables
|
|
|
|
|
120
|
60
|
Cash
|
|
|
|
|
9,027
|
14,542
|
|
|
|
|
|
24,161
|
19,760
|
The Company limits its credit risk
exposure by only depositing funds with highly rated institutions.
Cash holdings at 31 December 2023 and 2022 were held in
institutions currently rated A or better by Standard and Poor.
Given these ratings, the Company does not expect any counterparty
to fail to meet its obligations and therefore, no allowance for
impairment is made for bank deposits.
The loss allowance as at 31
December 2023 and 31 December 2022 was determined as follows for
trade receivables:
|
|
More than
|
More than
|
More than
|
|
|
Current
|
30 days past
due
|
60 days past
due
|
120 days past
due
|
Total
|
2023
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Other receivables
|
120
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
120
|
Total
|
120
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
120
|
|
|
More than
|
More than
|
More than
|
|
|
Current
|
30 days past
due
|
60 days past
due
|
120 days past
due
|
Total
|
2022
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Other receivables
|
60
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
60
|
Total
|
60
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
60
|
The Company recognised credit
losses of the full value of receivable for trade receivables not
recovered after four months. As at 31 December 2023, the Company
does not have an outstanding trade receivable (2022:
£nil).
For the year ending 31 December
2023, the Company did not witness significant increase in the
credit risk since the initial recognition of the outstanding
receivable from subsidiaries and other receivables, therefore, no
expected losses were recognised during the year (2022:
£nil).
Liquidity risk
Liquidity risk is the risk that
the Company will not be able to meet its financial obligations as
they fall due. The Company's financing requirements are met through
a combination of liquidity from the sale of investments and the use
of cash resources.
The following table shows an
analysis of the undiscounted financial liabilities by remaining
expected maturities as at 31 December 2023 and 31 December
2022.
Financial liabilities:
|
Up to
3 months
|
3-12
months
|
1-5
years
|
Over
5 years
|
Total
|
2023
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Operating and other
payables
|
392
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
392
|
Amount payable to
subsidiaries
|
2,493
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2,493
|
Lease liabilities
|
7
|
23
|
16
|
-
|
46
|
Total
|
2,892
|
23
|
16
|
-
|
2,931
|
|
Up to
3 months
|
3-12
months
|
1-5
years
|
Over
5 years
|
Total
|
2022
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Operating and other
payables
|
400
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
400
|
Amount payable to
subsidiaries
|
41,032
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
41,032
|
Lease liabilities
|
6
|
22
|
47
|
-
|
75
|
Total
|
41,438
|
22
|
47
|
-
|
41,507
|
In addition, some of the Company's
subsidiaries have uncalled capital commitments to funds of
£2,661,000 (2022: £2,674,000) for which the timing of payment is
uncertain (see note 20).
Market risk
Market risk is the risk that
changes in market prices such as foreign exchange rates, interest
rates and equity prices will affect the Company's income or the
value of its holdings of financial instruments. The Company aims to
manage this risk within acceptable parameters while optimising the
return.
Currency risk
The Company is exposed to currency
risk on those of its investments which are denominated in a
currency other than the Company's functional currency which is
pounds sterling. The only other significant currency within the
investment portfolio is the US dollar; approximately 76% of the
investment portfolio is denominated in US dollars.
The Company does not hedge the
currency exposure related to its investments. The Company regards
its exposure to exchange rate changes on the underlying investment
as part of its overall investment return and does not seek to
mitigate that risk through the use of financial
derivatives.
The Company is exposed to
translation currency risk on sales and purchases which are
denominated in a currency other than the Company's functional
currency. The currency in which these transactions are denominated
is principally US dollars.
The Company's exposure to foreign
currency risk was as follows:
|
31
December
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
GBP
|
USD
|
Other
|
GBP
|
USD
|
Other
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Investments
|
2,847
|
17,394
|
613
|
44,118
|
23,486
|
603
|
Amounts receivable from
subsidiaries
|
15,014
|
-
|
-
|
5,157
|
1
|
-
|
Right-of-use assets
|
42
|
-
|
-
|
70
|
-
|
-
|
Operating and other
receivables
|
135
|
-
|
-
|
71
|
-
|
-
|
Cash
|
8,680
|
347
|
-
|
14,228
|
314
|
-
|
Operating and other
payables
|
(438)
|
-
|
-
|
(440)
|
(35)
|
-
|
Amount payable to
subsidiaries
|
(2,493)
|
-
|
-
|
(41,014)
|
(18)
|
-
|
Gross exposure
|
23,787
|
17,741
|
613
|
22,190
|
23,748
|
603
|
Forward exchange
contracts
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Net exposure
|
23,787
|
17,741
|
613
|
22,190
|
23,748
|
603
|
The aggregate net foreign exchange
profit recognised in profit or loss were:
|
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Net foreign exchange (loss)/profit
on investment
|
(1,141)
|
2,769
|
Net foreign exchange (loss)/profit
on non-investments
|
(42)
|
439
|
Total net foreign exchange
(loss)/profit recognised in profit before income tax for the
year
|
(1,183)
|
3,208
|
At 31 December 2023, the rate of
exchange was USD $1.27 = £1.00 (2022: $1.21 = £1.00).
A 10% strengthening of the US
dollar against the pound sterling would have increased equity and
increased profit by £2.0 million at 31 December 2023 (2022:
increased equity and increased profit by £2.6 million). This
assumes that all other variables, in particular interest rates,
remain constant. A weakening of the US dollar by 10% against the
pound sterling would have decreased equity and decreased the profit
for the year by £1.6 million (2022: decreased equity and decreased
the profit for the year by £2.2 million). This level of change is considered to be reasonable based on
observations of current conditions.
Interest rate risk
At the reporting date, the
Company's cash is exposed to interest rate risk and the sensitivity
below is based on these amounts.
An increase of 100 basis points in
interest rates at the reporting date would have increased equity by
£118,000 (2022: increase of £145,000) and increased the profit for
the year by £118,000 (2022: increased the profit £145,000). A
decrease of 100 basis points would have decreased equity and
increased the loss for the year by the same amounts.
This level of change is considered to be
reasonable based on observations of current conditions.
Fair values
All items not held at fair value
in the Statement of Financial Position have fair values that
approximate their carrying values.
Other market price risk
Equity price risk arises from
equity securities held as part of the Company's portfolio of
investments. The Company's management of risk in its investment
portfolio focuses on diversification in terms of geography and
sector, as well as type and stage of investment.
The Company's investments comprise
unquoted investments in its subsidiaries. The subsidiaries'
investment portfolios comprise investments in quoted and unquoted
equity and debt instruments. Quoted investments are quoted on the
main stock exchanges in London and New York. A proportion of the
unquoted investments are held through funds managed by external
managers.
As is common practice in the
venture and development capital industry, the investments in
unquoted companies are structured using a variety of instruments
including ordinary shares, preference shares and other shares
carrying special rights, options and warrants and debt instruments
with and without conversion rights. The investments are held for
resale with a view to the realisation of capital gains. Generally,
the investments do not pay significant income.
The significant unobservable
inputs used at 31 December 2023 in measuring investments
categorised as level 3 in note 11 are considered below:
1.
Unquoted securities (carrying value £18.8 million) are valued using
the most appropriate valuation technique such as a revenue-based
approach, an earnings-based approach, or a discounted cash flow
approach. These investments are sensitive to both the overall
market and industry specific fluctuations that can impact multiples
and comparable company valuations. In most cases the valuation
method uses inputs based on comparable quoted companies for which
the key unobservable inputs are:
·
EBITDA multiples of approximately five times
dependent on the business of each individual company, its
performance and the sector in which it operates;
·
revenue multiples in the range 0.30-1.5 times,
also dependent on attributes at individual investment level;
and
·
discounts applied of up to 50%, to reflect the
illiquidity of unquoted companies compared to similar quoted
companies. The discount used requires the exercise of judgement
taking into account factors specific to individual investments such
as size and rate of growth compared to other companies in the
sector.
2. Investments
in funds (carrying value £9.5 million) are valued using reports
from the general partners of the fund interests with adjustments
made for calls, distributions and foreign currency movements since
the date of the report (if prior to 31 December 2023). The Company
also carries out its own review of individual funds and their
portfolios to satisfy themselves that the underlying valuation
bases are consistent with the basis of valuation and knowledge of
the investments and the sectors in which they operate. However, the
degree of detail on valuations varies significantly by fund and, in
general, details of unobservable inputs used are not
available.
Two of the Company's subsidiaries'
underlying investments are valued using discounted cash flow
("DCF") models. The table below shows the effect on profit / (loss)
of increasing or decreasing the discount rate used on the valuation
on these investments. The base-case discount rate used is 30% and a
change to 20% or 40% is considered to be reasonable possible change
for the purpose of the sensitivity analysis.
|
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Effect of change in discount rate
to 20%
|
740
|
1,643
|
Effect of change in discount rate
to 40%
|
(517)
|
(1,201)
|
The valuation of the investments
in subsidiaries makes use of multiple interdependent significant
unobservable inputs and it is not meaningful to sensitise
variations of any one input on the value of the investment
portfolio as a whole. Estimates and underlying assumptions are
reviewed on an ongoing basis, however, inputs are highly
subjective. Changes in any one of the variables, earnings or
revenue multiples or illiquidity discounts could potentially have a
significant effect on the valuation.
The reported values of the level 3
investments would change, should there be a change in the
underlying assumptions and unobservable inputs driving these
values. The Company has performed a sensitivity analysis to assess
the overall impact of a 10% movement in these reported values of
investments, on the profit for the year. The effect on loss is
shown in the table below:
|
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Effect of 10% decrease in
investment value
|
|
|
|
(2,000)
|
(6,800)
|
Effect of 10% increase in
investment value
|
|
|
|
2,000
|
6,800
|
Capital management
The Company's total capital at 31
December 2023 was £42.1 million (2022: £46.5 million) comprising
equity share capital and reserves. The Company had no borrowings at
31 December 2023 (2022: £nil).
In order to meet the Company's
capital management objectives, the Board monitors and reviews the
broad structure of the Company's capital on an ongoing basis. This
review includes:
·
Working capital requirements and follow-on
investment capital for portfolio investments, including calls from
funds;
·
Capital available for new investments;
and
·
The annual dividend policy and other possible
distributions to shareholders.
20. Capital
commitments
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
|
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Outstanding commitments to
funds
|
|
|
2,661
|
2,674
|
The outstanding capital
commitments to funds comprise unpaid calls in respect of funds
where a subsidiary of the Company is a limited
partner.
As of 31 December 2023, the
Company has no other contingencies or commitments to disclose
(2022: £nil).
21. Related party
transactions
During the year, the Company paid
rent of £32,780 (2022: £32,780) to The Rayne Foundation for its
office space. Robert Rayne is the Chairman of The Rayne
Foundation.
During the year the following
transactions occurred with Group companies:
31 December 2023
|
Advanced
to
|
Received
from
|
Dividends/ fees
received
|
Balance due from/ (due
to)
|
|
£
|
£
|
£
|
£
|
LMS Capital Group
Limited
|
45,012,930
|
45,000,000
|
45,000,000
|
31,930
|
LMS Capital Holdings
Limited
|
45,175,126
|
30,325,581
|
-
|
(2,188,698)
|
LMS Co-Invest Limited
|
150,956
|
301,327
|
120,130
|
63,737
|
Lion Investments
Limited
|
418,911
|
535,127
|
-
|
4,516,306
|
Tiger Investments
Limited
|
6,436
|
-
|
-
|
(1,128)
|
LMS Tiger Investments (II)
Limited
|
10,551,301
|
10,580,158
|
-
|
1,828
|
Cavera Limited
|
46,790
|
5,000
|
-
|
243,047
|
LMS Retirement Living
Limited
|
5,750,326
|
-
|
-
|
5,750,326
|
Lioness Property Investments
Limited
|
6,848,764
|
-
|
-
|
4,407,579
|
Lion Property Investments
Limited
|
6,469
|
-
|
-
|
(300,948)
|
Westpool Investment Trust
plc
|
11,900,544
|
-
|
-
|
(674)
|
LMS Capital (Bermuda)
Limited
|
12,750,211
|
3,796,079
|
-
|
(1,355)
|
International Oilfield Services
Limited
|
10,001,614
|
9,681,266
|
-
|
-
|
31 December 2022
|
Advanced
to
|
Received
from
|
Fees
received
|
Balance due from/ (due
to)
|
|
£
|
£
|
£
|
£
|
LMS Capital Group
Limited
|
9,500
|
-
|
-
|
19,000
|
LMS Capital Holdings
Limited
|
142,819
|
135,319
|
-
|
(17,038,244)
|
LMS Co-Invest Limited
|
175,583
|
28,097
|
106,220
|
214,107
|
Lion Investments
Limited
|
126,490
|
409,960
|
-
|
4,632,521
|
Tiger Investments
Limited
|
4,500
|
-
|
-
|
(7,564)
|
LMS Tiger Investments (II)
Limited
|
4,500
|
-
|
-
|
30,685
|
Cavera Limited
|
73,346
|
-
|
-
|
201,257
|
Lioness Property Investments
Limited
|
4,500
|
56,325
|
-
|
(2,441,185)
|
Lion Property Investments
Limited
|
4,545
|
-
|
-
|
(307,417)
|
Westpool Investment Trust
plc
|
316,041
|
514,946
|
-
|
(11,901,218)
|
LMS Capital (Bermuda)
Limited
|
10,596
|
2,052,882
|
-
|
(8,955,487)
|
International Oilfield Services
Limited
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(320,348)
|
Details of Directors' remuneration
is disclosed in note 5.
22. Subsequent
events
There are no subsequent events
that would materially affect the interpretation of these Financial
Statements.
23.
Subsidiaries
The Company's subsidiaries are as
follows:
Name
|
Country of incorporation
|
Holding %
|
Activity
|
International Oilfield Services
Limited
|
Bermuda
|
100
|
Investment holding
|
LMS Capital (Bermuda)
Limited
|
Bermuda
|
100
|
Investment holding
|
LMS Capital Group
Limited
|
England and Wales
|
100
|
Investment holding
|
LMS Capital Holdings
Limited
|
England and Wales
|
100
|
Investment holding
|
Lioness Property Investments
Limited
|
England and Wales
|
100
|
Investment holding
|
Lion Property Investments
Limited
|
England and Wales
|
100
|
Investment holding
|
Lion Investments
Limited
|
England and Wales
|
100
|
Investment holding
|
Lion Cub Property Investments
Limited
|
England and Wales
|
100
|
Dormant
|
Tiger Investments
Limited
|
England and Wales
|
100
|
Investment holding
|
LMS Tiger Investments (II)
Limited
|
England and Wales
|
100
|
Investment holding
|
Westpool Investment Trust
plc
|
England and Wales
|
100
|
Investment holding
|
Cavera Limited
|
England and Wales
|
100
|
Dormant
|
LMS Co-Invest Limited
|
England and Wales
|
100
|
Trading
|
LMS Retirement Living
Limited
|
England and Wales
|
100
|
Investment holding
|
The registered office addresses of
the Company's subsidiaries are as follows:
Subsidiaries incorporated in
England and Wales: 3 Bromley Place, London, United Kingdom, W1T
6DB.
Subsidiaries and partnerships
incorporated in Bermuda: Clarendon House, 2 Church Street, Hamilton
HM 11, Bermuda.
24. Net asset value per
share
The net asset value per ordinary
shares in issue are as follows:
|
|
|
31
December
|
|
|
|
2023
|
2022
|
NAV (£'000)
|
|
|
42,141
|
46,541
|
Number of ordinary shares in
issue
|
|
|
80,727,450
|
80,727,450
|
NAV per share (in
pence)
|
|
|
52.20
|
57.65
|
NAV per share is considered to be
an Alternative Performance Measure ("APM").