The City of London Investment Trust

Investment trust

Launched in 1891, this is one of the longest-running investment trusts in the UK. It aims to provide growth in income and capital by investing predominantly in larger UK companies with international exposure. It has increased its dividend payment every year for the past 53 years.

Our opinion

This is a well-established income and growth trust, run by an experienced manager in Job Curtis, who has managed the trust for almost three decades. His thorough research process and conservative approach to stock selection has generated steady returns over a long period of time. Maintaining dividend income is of the utmost importance to the board, making the City of London Investment Trust an excellent core option for investors wanting UK equity exposure.

Trust manager

Job Curtis

I have a conservative personality and it is reflected in the portfolio. I pay attention to the downside risks as well as the upside potential.

Job CurtisTrust manager

Investment board

The trust’s board comprises of six members and is chaired by Phillip Remnant CBE. He holds other independent directorships with investment institutions, including chairman of M&G Investments and deputy chair of the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers. Philip has announced that he, alongside fellow board member Simon Barratt, is expected to leave the board in 2020 once replacements are found for their respective roles.

The other board members are Martin Morgan, Samantha Wren, Ted Holmes and Clare Wardle. They have a wealth of experience, particularly in the areas of investment management and accountancy. The board meets with the investment team seven times a year and the company year-end is 30 June.

Investment process

Job focuses on companies which have the ability to pay and increase their dividends over time. He pays close attention to valuations and is careful not to overpay when he initiates positions. He particularly likes companies with a competitive advantage and has historically favoured multi-national brands with stable earnings and growth prospects. He has a bias towards large caps, with 60% of the portfolio typically held in companies which sit in the FTSE 100, however, there is a bias within this as the trust prefers international companies (listed in the FTSE 100) as the managers believes these economies are likely to grow faster than the UK.

Job aims to provide shareholders with dividends that are between 10% and 30% higher than the average for the UK equity market. Dividends are distributed quarterly.

Risk

This trust invests primarily in UK equities, although it does have the flexibility to invest up to 20% in overseas equities. Stock specific risk is somewhat mitigated by the number of stocks Job holds, which is typically around 100.

Gearing

The manager is able to employ gearing when appropriate in a bid to enhance returns over the long-term. Other than in exceptional market conditions, borrowing will not exceed 20% of net asset value. The long-term gearing target is between 0% and 20%. Up to 10% of the net assets can be held in cash. Selling traded options where the underlying share is held in the portfolio can be used to generate income. Buying and selling FTSE 100 Index Futures can be used to increase or reduce gearing.

Gearing on the trust stood at 9% on 4 February 2020.

The company has a mix of fixed and variable loan facilities in place, providing funds for the manager. Some of the fixed borrowings are quite expensive, but they are due to be repaid in 2020 and 2021. The value of long-term borrowing is relatively small in comparison to the value of net assets.

In November 2017 City of London Investment Trust issued £50 million of fixed rate 32-year private placement notes at an annualised coupon of 2.94%. The board decided to take out this additional loan to secure long-term fixed funding at an attractive rate.

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