My Shares

CITY OF LONDON INVESTMENT: Further KPI Failure Prompts Welcome Leadership Change After H1 2025 Suffers $564m FuM Outflow And Leaves Barely Covered Dividend Yielding 9%

12 July 2025
By Maynard Paton

H1 2025 results summary for City of London Investment (CLIG):

  • A positive H1 performance versus the comparable H1, with average funds under management (FuM) up 12% helping revenue gain 9%, profit improve 13% and the dividend to be sustained at 11p per share for the fifth consecutive H1.
  • Net client withdrawals at $564m were the largest six-month outflow since at least H1 2018, and reiterated how client CAGRs at 5-8% and gross fees at 0.72% are no longer that appealing versus the “expansion of passive options“.
  • A further failure to achieve the group’s main KPI looks to have prompted the search for a new chief executive, which offers hope marketing efforts can be enhanced to attract elusive new customers and the “team approach” can be assessed to improve client returns. 
  • Despite talk of cost savings, expenses continue to creep higher and cash flow just about covers the annual 33p per share dividend with the weaker USD. CLIG has meanwhile flattered its own dividend-cover projection by lifting the market-growth assumption from 0% to 5%.
  • The persistent outflow of client money (another $212m during Q3 2025), the tight dividend cover and sudden leadership transition have kept the ‘value trap’ shares languishing at 2007 levels and yielding 9%. I continue to hold.

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SYSTEM1: Ominous Q4 2025 Update Revealing ‘Downside Risk’ to Client Budgets Overshadows Record H1 2025 Showcasing Upgraded ‘Illustrative Growth Scenario’ And Tantalising 20-30% Platform-Revenue CAGR Ambition

17 June 2025
By Maynard Paton

H1 2025 results summary for System1 (SYS1):

  • A record H1 for both revenue and profit, after Test Your Ad income gained 53%, the gross margin once again exceeded its 85% target and employee productivity reached a £229k high.
  • News of a £2m “additional discretionary investment” led to an upgraded “illustrative growth scenario“, whereby a tantalising 20-30% platform-revenue CAGR ambition could now apparently lead to a “longer term” £36m Ebitda.
  • But the £2m “discretionary” investment actually appears mandatory, given the lack of obvious ‘fame building’ options for Test Your Innovation and a startling admission of needing to further “professionalise” the workforce. 
  • Although January’s Q3 update raised FY 2025 profit guidance, April’s Q4 update revealed a sudden sensitivity to the global economy alongside ominous revenue performances from Test Your Ad, the United States and ‘data-led’ consultancy.
  • The shares trade on an estimated 15x P/E, which seems to adequately reflect SYS1’s anticipated “strong revenue growth” for FY 2026 mixed with a greater “downside risk” to client budgets. I continue to hold.

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MOUNTVIEW ESTATES: New Non-Exec’s ‘Keen Focus On Governance’ Awaited As H1 2025 Discloses Another Sub-60% Property-Sales Gross Margin, Protest Votes Reach 33% And The £97 Shares Remain 6% Below NAV

20 May 2025
By Maynard Paton

H1 2025 results summary for Mountview Estates (MTVW):

  • Not the greatest of H1s, as “economic difficulties” and fewer property disposals combined to cut both revenue and profit by 5%, although the interim dividend was maintained and net asset value (NAV) crept to a record £103 per share.
  • Property sales delivered a sub-60% gross margin for the fourth consecutive H1, which increasingly suggests ‘reversionary’ gains from regulated tenancies have inherently reduced and/or MTVW has simply overpaid for many past purchases.
  • Properties bought and sold following the 2014 valuation continue to realise modest gains, with no obvious adverse trends concerning transaction costs and tenancy mix. The absence of another valuation has now left two non-execs ‘short-changed’ by selling shares below NAV.
  • A new non-exec with a “keen focus on governance, risk and compliance” provides hope the board may adopt some fresh thinking on shareholder engagement, estate valuations and director pay, especially as protest votes have reached a record 33% of the share count. 
  • Recent share purchases by the chief executive may have signalled a tantalising buying opportunity, while the £97 price now offers a 5.4% income, trades 6% below NAV and may be worth £169 if the group’s properties were all sold today at their ‘vacant possession’ value. I continue to hold.

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ANDREWS SYKES: Shareholders Left To Collect 5% Yield While Awaiting Beneficial/Extreme Weather After ‘Milder Winter Temperatures’ Create Standstill H1 2024 And Keep Interim Dividend At 11.9p Per Share For 11th Consecutive Year

29 April 2025
By Maynard Paton

H1 2024 results summary for Andrews Sykes (ASY):

  • A standstill performance, as “milder winter temperatures and a slow start to the summer cooling season” trimmed revenue by 1%, left profit unchanged and kept the dividend at 11.9p per share for the eleventh consecutive H1.  
  • Both the UK (revenue down 2%) and Europe (revenue down 4%) succumbed to the moderate weather, while fresh management continued the Middle East’s welcome turnaround (revenue up 38%).
  • Controlled cost of sales, lower depreciation plus disposal gains led to a healthy 25% operating margin — the highest for an H1 since 2008 — to underline the group’s premium 24/7/365 “emergency” service.
  • The very respectable accounts now showcase net cash at £21m, but the figure may have to reach £30m before the 91% Murray family shareholders declare another special dividend.   
  • A possible 12x P/E and 5.3% yield do not appear expensive as beneficial/extreme weather conditions are awaited, although the limited free float and distinctive corporate governance have rarely led to a premium rating. I continue to hold.

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M WINKWORTH: £350k One-Off Fee Helps H1 2024 Profit Gain 24% As Promising H2 2024 And Company-Owned Offices Targeting FY 2025 ‘Good Profitability’ Support 6%-Plus Dividend Yield

15 April 2025
By Maynard Paton

H1 2024 results summary for M Winkworth (WINK):

  • Greater “sales agreed” activity alongside a one-off £350k fee supported an improved H1, with franchise-network income up 6%, revenue up 20%, profit up 24% and the dividend up 3%. 
  • The targeting of “good profitability” at all four company-owned offices for FY 2025 is very encouraging, especially as three of the offices reported losses during FY 2023 and the returns from the fourth have been superb once a profit was achieved.
  • Although four branches were re-franchised to new agents and a further seven look set to follow, WINK’s franchise network continues to lose ground to rival Foxtons as progress seemingly becomes more dependent on higher sales values and rising property rents.
  • Dividend cover around 1.1x and net cash equivalent to a sizeable 41% of trailing twelve-month revenue continue to emphasise the board’s preference for income and the cautious approach to franchise-network expansion. 
  • Post-H1 statements indicating a promising H2 2024 and a possible bumper Q1 2025 support a 6%-plus dividend yield, accompanied perhaps by vague bid potential following last year’s appointments of two M&A non-execs. I continue to hold.

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S & U: Court of Appeal Ruling Overshadows 40% H1 2025 Profit Slump As £14 Shares At 0.73x NAV Imply Up To £63m Potential ‘Secret’-Commission Compensation Liability

29 March 2025
By Maynard Paton

H1 2025 results summary for S & U (SUS):

  • Yet more figures blighted by ongoing regulatory matters, with H1 profit slumping 40% and the dividend cut once again after “voluntary” motor-finance restrictions led to loan impairments surging 162%.
  • The H1 performance was overshadowed by the Court of Appeal deeming the FCA’s disclosure rules on car-loan commissions to be unlawful. The Supreme Court will hear the cases next week and the “definitive pronouncement” declared thereafter.
  • Given the £14 shares trade at 0.73x NAV — a rating last seen at the banking-crash lows — investors have seemingly decided SUS could be liable to repay ‘secret’ commissions of up to £63m… although the “appropriate compensation” could arguably be minimal.
  • Debt headroom of £88m, a shift towards “lower-risk” motor-finance customers alongside “sparkling” progress at the (unregulated) property-loan division (H1 profit up 42%!) may help SUS muddle through any “industry-wide redress scheme“. 
  • Then again, post-H1 updates did not bode well following another dividend cut and the motor-finance division curtailing lending by 33% and suffering a further 50% profit reduction. I continue to hold. 

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BIOVENTIX: £155k R&D Revenue And Commencement Of ‘Large-Scale Production’ Signal Increasing Alzheimer’s Success After Troponin Error Creates Below-Expectations FY 2024 And Leaves Dividend Yield Exceeding 5%

04 March 2025
By Maynard Paton

FY 2024 results summary for Bioventix (BVXP):

  • A record FY, showing revenue up 6% and profit up 5%, although the 3p per share reduction to the H2 dividend illustrated a below-expectations performance following an unfortunate troponin-royalty error.
  • Sales progress was very mixed, with best-seller vitamin D up just 1%, the now “mature” troponin up only 3%, the once-popular testosterone down 29%, 30-year-old T3 up 21% and general Chinese royalties becoming “more significant“.
  • R&D revenue of £155k, the commencement of “large-scale production“, promising snippets from scientific papers alongside ongoing Quanterix promotion suggest BVXP’s Alzheimer’s work has increasing potential to become a substantial commercial success.
  • The wonderful economics of the antibody portfolio continue, as this FY displayed a majestic 78% operating margin, a super £800k revenue per employee, net cash equivalent to a hefty 44% of revenue and capex of just £16k.
  • The £30 shares currently trade at their lowest P/E since 2016, offer a 5%-plus yield for the very first time and might value the Alzheimer’s R&D at a very pessimistic zero. I continue to hold.

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FW THORPE: FY 2024 Declares 22nd Consecutive Annual Dividend Increase After ‘Impressive’ Stock Procurement Improves Gross Margin To 49% While Subdued Outlook And Modest LTIP Targets Leave P/E At Lowest For 10 Years

18 February 2025
By Maynard Paton

FY 2024 results summary for FW Thorpe (TFW):

  • A 1% revenue decline was countered by a 9% profit advance, with H2 profit improving a remarkable 17% to help raise the ordinary dividend 5% and extend the run of annual payout advances to 22 years.
  • TFW’s gross margin improving to 49% through “impressive” stock procurement led to some welcome operating margins, including 20% for Thorlux, 23% for Lightronics/Famostar and 19% for Zemper’s H2, although profitability at the group’s Other subsidiaries remains poor.
  • Very satisfactory cash flow supported cash finishing £18m higher at £53m, which triggered the third special dividend in four years and almost certainly enhances the likelihood of further acquisition activity.  
  • The slimmed-down board with its M&A expertise may wish to consider the success of acquisition specialist Halma, which assesses its ‘capital allocation’ through return on total invested capital and includes the KPI as an LTIP measure.
  • The 15x P/E is the lowest rating for ten years, and seems more influenced by TFW’s subdued near-term prospects and modest LTIP targets rather than the group’s distinguished operating history and longer-term demand for energy-saving lighting. I continue to hold.

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CITY OF LONDON INVESTMENT: Subdued FY 2024 Admits $320m FuM Outflow, 5-7% Client CAGRs And KPI Failure To Reinforce ‘Value Trap’ Credentials With Barely Covered Dividend Yielding 9%

29 January 2025
By Maynard Paton

FY 2024 results summary for City of London Investment (CLIG):

  • Another very subdued performance, showing revenue up 1%, profit down 1% and the annual dividend unchanged for the third consecutive FY after client withdrawals of $320m left average funds under management (FuM) just 3% higher.
  • “Constructive meetings” continue with 31.5% shareholder George Karpus, who now carries “high hopes and high expectations” for CLIG — despite the group failing to achieve its sole KPI after client-fee rates dropped 3bps while salaries climbed an average 6%.
  • Long-term client CAGRs of just 5-7% may reflect the inherent limitations of CLIG “exploiting the discount volatility” of UK investment trusts, and raises awkward comparisons to cash/bonds, the S&P 500 and sector activist Saba Capital.
  • While new clients remain elusive, plans to reduce expenses by $2.5m — albeit mostly through non-staff costs — alongside a stronger USD should help sustain this FY’s barely covered GBP dividend.
  • The subsequent H1 2025 witnessing further client withdrawals of $564m reinforces CLIG’s ‘value trap’ credentials, underlined by a share price that is back to 2007 levels and currently paying a 9% yield. I continue to hold.

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My Portfolio: Year In Review 2024

03 January 2025
By Maynard Paton

Happy New Year!

I trust you enjoyed the festive break and are now ready to battle the market for another twelve months!

This post provides a ‘year in review’ of my current holdings. I recap how each business performed during 2024 as well as provide a few remarks about their attractions, drawbacks and valuations.

These reviews are very useful to write, not least because they help ensure I am still invested for the right reasons. I also hope the reviews help me avoid disappointing returns during the year ahead! I undertook the same review process at the start of 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

My portfolio gained 22.4% during 2024 and this other post explains that performance in more detail.

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TRISTEL: Record FY 2024 Discloses Impressive 32% UK Growth As Sudden US ‘Purchasing Bureaucracy’ Explains Leadership Change, Boilerplate LTIP Seeks Only 5.5% EPS CAGR And P/E Drops To Lowest Since 2018

23 December 2024
By Maynard Paton

FY 2024 results summary for Tristel (TSTL):

  • A record FY, showcasing revenue up 16%, profit up 32% and the dividend up 29%, with impressive 32% UK growth based upon 9% greater volumes and 23% higher pricing through a new NHS agreement.
  • The retirement of the previous chief executive now makes sense after “purchasing bureaucracy” suddenly beset North American progress, which left TSTL alarmingly “a year behind” schedule after US partner Parker Laboratories proved ineffective with sales.
  • The new chief executive has still to publish his financial targets, although the board has already re-committed to 5%-plus annual dividend growth while a new ‘boilerplate’ LTIP depressingly seeks only a 5.5% adjusted EPS CAGR to vest.  
  • The high-margin, cash-rich, low-tax accounts generally remain in good shape, but are let down by regular restatements alongside stagnant employee productivity that may be due to a 25% margin target limiting additional investment.
  • The trailing 25x PE is the lowest since 2018 and could be justified by further meaningful growth within established markets, the prospect one day of lucrative US royalties, the ongoing ability to raise prices and the possibility of bumper surface-disinfection sales. I continue to hold.

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SYSTEM1: New ‘Performance Culture’ Delivers FY 2024 Platform Revenue Up 43%, Record £208k Employee Productivity And Tantalising Illustrative £18m Ebitda Projection Supporting Possible £16 Share Price

30 November 2024
By Maynard Paton

FY 2024 results summary for System1 (SYS1):

  • The positive transition to data services continues, with a new “performance culture” delivering FY platform revenue up 43%, the highest reported FY profit for seven years and a reinstated annual dividend.
  • SYS1’s “unique selling proposition of predictiveness” keeps winning ad-testing clients, plaudits and attention, but remains frustratingly under-exploited for innovation testing that offers a 5x addressable market.
  • The bumper 87% gross margin, record £208k revenue per employee and near-£10m cash position were counterbalanced by one-off profit gains, mediocre bank interest and hefty bonuses obscuring margin progress.
  • The board’s true growth ambitions will be revealed through a revised LTIP, and I would trust the award-winning directors to retain the scheme’s £45m-£88m revenue range and reinstate a profit ‘underpin’.
  • A tantalising illustrative projection of revenue doubling to £60m should be very achievable given SYS1’s “3 Reasons to Believe“, and would support an adjusted Ebitda of £18m — and possible £16 share price — if the group’s margin target is met.

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MOUNTVIEW ESTATES: £90 Shares Trade 12% Below NAV — Steepest Discount For More Than 10 Years — After FY 2024 Admits Third Consecutive Sub-60% Gross Margin And Re-Emphasises Subpar Gains From Post-2014 Purchases

02 November 2024
By Maynard Paton

FY 2024 results summary for Mountview Estates (MTVW):

  • A reasonable FY performance, which showed revenue up 8%, profit up 22% and the final dividend up 10% after buyers looking for “improvement potential” paid “good prices” for a more normal “profile” of properties.
  • Sales by larger landlords allowed MTVW to spend a substantial £48m on new properties, but the advance to net asset value (NAV) was just 2% after MTVW took on greater debt, paid 6%-plus interest, incurred higher tax and sold properties for £59m.
  • The absence of another formal estate valuation remains frustrating, especially given properties purchased after a 2014 valuation continue to realise subpar ‘reversionary’ gains and the overall property-sales gross margin was less than 60% for the third consecutive year.
  • The board continues to be well paid, attract 30%-plus protest votes and enjoy entrenched support through a family concert party… although not every family member seems a die-hard shareholder and recent AGM remarks even hinted MTVW could one day undertake a trade sale.
  • The £90 shares offer a 5.8% income, trade 12% below NAV — the steepest discount for at least ten years — and may be worth £182 if the group’s properties were all sold today at their vacant possession value. I continue to hold.

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BIOVENTIX: Record H1 2024 Reveals Profit Up 15% Despite Slowing Troponin Growth As Encouraging Alzheimer’s Work Attracts ‘Significant Attention’ And Research-Test Availability Through Quanterix

22 October 2024
By Maynard Paton

H1 2024 results summary for Bioventix (BVXP):

  • A record H1, showing revenue up 13%, profit up 15% and the dividend up 10% as greater sales to China helped offset a “temporary” slowing of troponin growth.
  • Positive long-term progress continues to rest upon Alzheimer’s R&D, in which a study involving pTau212 suggests BVXP may enjoy a research edge beyond an increasingly crowded pTau217 field.
  • BVXP’s Alzheimer’s work on ‘brain-derived tau’ has attracted “significant attention” for helping identify significant, near-term “cognitive decline”, and is now available through Quanterix for wider research purposes.
  • The economics of successful antibodies remain superb, with this H1 displaying a terrific 77% operating margin, net cash equivalent to a hefty 40% of revenue and capex of just £5k.
  • The £37 shares yield a trailing 4.3%, trade at a possible 22x P/E and might — using some very basic assumptions — value the R&D pipeline at £23m. I continue to hold.

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TRISTEL: New Chief Exec’s Financial Targets Keenly Awaited After Record H1 2024 Announces 30% UK Growth, 100% Dividend Jump, Bumper 84% Gross Margin And ‘$100m Opportunity’ In North America

01 October 2024
By Maynard Paton

H1 2024 results summary for Tristel (TSTL):

  • A record H1, displaying revenue up 20%, profit up 28% and the dividend up 100% underpinned by remarkable 30% UK growth and notable price increases accepted by the NHS.
  • North America is now deemed a “$100m per annum opportunity” for TSTL’s initial FDA-approved foam, although competition now involves an FDA-approved UV-light machine that may strengthen the wider argument for automated disinfections. 
  • The new chief exec ticks a lot of boxes for marketing healthcare products in the US, but his stint at LiDCO was unspectacular and shareholders keenly await his strategic ambitions, financial targets and details of his LTIP package.
  • Although employee productivity has flat-lined, the financials remain in good shape with a bumper 84% gross margin and net cash approaching £12m that could lead to another special dividend.
  • A near-term 32x P/E is not an obvious bargain, but a premium rating could be justified by further meaningful growth within established markets, the prospect of lucrative US royalties, the ongoing ability to raise prices and the possibility of successful R&D. I continue to hold.

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