(Alliance News) - Ruffer Investment Co Ltd on Wednesday reported a decline in net asset value and market capitalisation for the six months to December 31 but increased its dividend and annualised yield.
The London-based investment management company said its NAV per share fell to 280.69 pence as of December 31, down from 284.89p on June 30. Its market capitalisation declined to GBP892.8 million from GBP968.2 million over the same period.
Ruffer Investment reported total revenue of GBP11.4 million for the six months ended December 31, up from GBP9.5 million a year earlier, driven by higher fixed interest and dividend income.
However, the company posted a pretax loss of GBP5.3 million, compared to a profit of GBP9.6 million the prior year. Diluted earnings per share fell to a loss of 1.71 pence, down from earnings of 2.42p per share in the same period last year.
The company's share price total return for 2024 was 0.2%, slightly down from 0.3% a year earlier, while its NAV total return fell 0.4%, compared to a 0.6% rise in the previous year. The discount to NAV widened to 4.5% from 3.7% a year prior.
Despite a decline in NAV, Ruffer Investment Company saw its dividend per share over the six months to December 31 rise to 3.10 pence, up from 1.65p a year earlier. This contributed to an increase in its annualised dividend yield to 2.3% from 1.2%.
The company declared an interim dividend of 2.85p per share for the half-year period, including 0.01p attributed to the financial year ended June 30, 2024. This marks an increase from the 2.0p per share paid in the previous year.
Chair Nick Pink acknowledged "disappointing" recent performance but said the board remains confident in the investment manager's long-term strategy.
"The first half of 2024/2025 was a period where Ruffer's desire to own protection and narrow markets meant dull performance. The board is not complacent but continues to have confidence that the investment manager is positioning the investment portfolio to be roughly right for the uncertain times ahead," Pink said.
Shares in Ruffer Investment were down 0.3% at 275.57 pence in London on Wednesday morning.
By Eva Castanedo, Alliance News reporter
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