abrdn UK Smaller Companies Growth Trust plc

Half Yearly Report for the Six Months Ended 31 December 2024

Legal Entity Identifier (LEI):  213800UUKA68SHSJBE37

Investment Objective

The Company's objective is to achieve long-term capital growth by investment in UK-quoted smaller companies.

Reference Index

The Company's reference index is the Deutsche Numis Smaller Companies including AIM (ex investment companies) Index.

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS AND FINANCIAL CALENDAR

Financial Calendar

Financial Highlights

Chairman's Statement

Dear Shareholders

I am pleased to report that your Company delivered positive share price and net asset value ("NAV") total returns during the first six months of its financial year, delivering modest outperformance over its reference index and enabling it to build on the substantial outperformance that it achieved in the previous year. I set out some details on this below.

Performance

The political landscape was a significant feature of the second half of 2024 when, among others, the electorates of the UK and the US both voted for change, the impact of which is very much in evidence.  In the UK there was early optimism in the wake of the UK General Election. This drove the UK smaller companies asset class up almost 6% in July, as measured by the Deutsche Numis Smaller Companies including AIM (ex Investment Companies) Index, which is the Company's "reference index". This was not sustained as rumours as to what might be in the Budget on 30 October started to dominate the media and affected confidence. One of the big threats was the suggestion that the Inheritance Tax concession which has historically applied to some AIM listed companies might be removed. Although these concerns were only partially correct, the changes to Employer National Insurance thresholds and rates which will come in on 5 April 2025 have acted to dampen the outlook for UK plc, particularly where operations are predominantly onshore. Over the last couple of months of 2024, the market was largely flat.

The net asset value ("NAV") total return for the six month period was 1.9% while the share price delivered a total return of 4.9%. The difference between these returns is reflected in the movement in the discount, which narrowed from 12.5% on 30 June 2024 to 10.1% at the end of the period. The Company outperformed the reference index, which produced a total return of 0.8%.

The Investment Manager's Review provides further information on individual stock performance and portfolio activity during the period, as well as the Investment Manager's outlook for the portfolio and the wider smaller companies sector.

Earnings and Dividend

The headline numbers on the Statement of Comprehensive Income are significantly affected by the share buy back activity during the period, which is described in more detail in the section below. The share buy backs have reduced the size of the portfolio and thus its earnings capacity.  However, while the net revenue after tax was down 15.3% to £4.3 million, revenue earnings per share ("EPS") for the six months to 31 December 2024 only declined by 1.2% to 5.93p (2023: 6.00p).

Against this backdrop, the Board is declaring a maintained interim dividend of 3.70p per share which will be paid on 18 April 2025 to shareholders on the register on 21 March 2025, with an associated ex-dividend date of 20 March 2025.

Gearing

The Company has a £40 million revolving credit facility ("RCF") with The Royal Bank of Scotland International which matures in November 2025. At the end of the period, the level of gearing, net of cash, was 6.6% (30 June 2024: 5.8%), with £40 million drawn down under the RCF at an interest rate of 6.25%. The Board will review proposals for the renewal of the facility prior to its maturity.

Discount Control and Share Buy Backs

As stated above, the Company's shares were trading at a discount of 10.1% to the NAV per share at the end of December, comparing to 12.5% at the start of the period. Although there was some narrowing in the discount towards the end of the period, it remained at a level where the Board felt it was in the best interests of shareholders as a whole to continue to buy back shares. Consequently, the Company was active in the market on most days and bought back 4.7 million shares (6.3% of the opening issued share capital) worth £23.5 million at an average discount of 11.1%. The buybacks acted to enhance the NAV per share by 0.7%.  

The Board has a policy of using buybacks to target a maximum discount of the share price to the cum-income net asset value of 8% under normal market conditions. It considers that this policy helps provide investors with a degree of reassurance that the Board will endeavour to limit any widening of the discount beyond the target level and to reduce the volatility of the discount. This in turn should help increase demand for the shares, which should have a net positive effect on the discount, particularly when coupled with strong performance. 

The Board considers that, given investor sentiment has remained negative towards the UK smaller companies sector as a whole, evidenced by outflows in the open ended sector, it is to be expected that the Company would face discount pressure in common with most of the peer group. As a result, the discount has been wider than the target level. Whilst the Board takes into account the wider investment trust sector discount levels when implementing its buyback policy, it remains committed to its long-term target of 8% and will continue to be active in the market when it believes it to be in the best interests of shareholders.

Outlook

After the political changes that dominated the news in 2024, we do now have visibility as to who is leading the agendas in the UK and the US. These are the two most important markets for your Company, the former because it is where most of the operations of the investee companies are based and the latter because decisions made in the US frequently impact on global businesses both directly and through fluctuations in the US Dollar. This removes one element of uncertainty, so disliked by markets. Having said that, there remain concerns about the outlook for the UK with the possibility of mild stagflation back in the frame despite the UK Government's avowed focus on growth. Indeed the Bank of England's interest rate cut in early February is against a backdrop of a likely increase in inflation over the next six months caused principally by high energy costs. With inflation now expected to peak by the autumn, reaching the Bank of England's target level of 2% seems to have been pushed out to 2027. Whilst further interest rate cuts are still expected this year, against this overall landscape, the economic outlook cannot be described as bright.

At the same time, the impact of President Trump's various pronouncements, in particular with respect to tariffs on global trade but also on expanding US influence and control in various geographies, have yet to be seen.

Notwithstanding the difficult investment environment, the portfolio managers have demonstrated that they have the processes and experience to navigate choppy waters. They put a great deal of effort in getting to know the management of the companies in which the portfolio is invested in order to gain an understanding of their ability to position their companies to adapt to the changing economic landscape. It is important to remember that the Company invests in companies, not markets, and the portfolio's holdings are frequently in companies which are market leaders in their particular specialism. There are investment opportunities out there, but the economic conditions and numerous other uncertainties indicate a challenging time ahead.

Liz Airey
Chairman
5 March 2025

Interim Management Report

Directors' Responsibility Statement

The Directors are responsible for preparing the Half Yearly Financial Report in accordance with applicable law and regulations. The Directors confirm that to the best of their knowledge:

-       The condensed set of financial statements has been prepared in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 104 'Interim Financial Reporting';

-       The Interim Board Report (constituting the interim management report) includes a fair review of the information required by DTR 4.2.7R of the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules, being an indication of important events that have occurred during the first six months of the financial year and their impact on the condensed set of financial statements, and a description of the principal risks and uncertainties for the remaining six months of the year; and

-       The financial statements include a fair review of the information required by DTR 4.2.8R of the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules, being related party transactions that have taken place in the first six months of the financial year and that have materially affected the financial position or performance of the Company during that period, and any changes in the related party transactions described in the last Annual Report that could do so.

Principal and Emerging Risks and Uncertainties

The Board regularly reviews the principal and emerging risks and uncertainties faced by the Company together with the mitigating actions it has established to manage the risks. These are set out within the Strategic Report contained within the Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2024 and comprise the following risk categories:

-       Strategy

-       Investment performance

-       Key person risk

-       Share price

-       Financial instruments

-       Financial obligations

-       Regulatory

-       Operational

-       Geopolitical

There are a number of other risks which, if realised, could have a material adverse effect on the Company and its financial condition, performance and prospects. These include the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as continuing tensions between the US and China. The Board is also conscious of the impact of higher than forecast inflation and the implications for interest rates, and also the potential impact on economic growth of recently announced US trade tariffs. Other than these factors, the Company's principal risks and uncertainties have not changed materially since the date of the Annual Report and no material change is foreseen in the principal risks over the remainder of the financial year.

Going Concern

The Company's assets consist mainly of equity shares in companies listed on recognised stock exchanges and are considered by the Board to be realisable within a short timescale under normal market conditions. The Board has set overall limits for borrowing and reviews regularly the Company's level of gearing, cash flow projections and compliance with banking covenants. The Board has also reviewed stress testing analysis and considered the liquidity of the portfolio. 

As at 31 December 2024, the Company had a £40 million unsecured revolving credit facility with The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited which matures on 1 November 2025.  The facility was fully drawn down at the end of the period. The Board will review proposals for the renewal of the facility prior to its maturity.

The Directors are mindful of the Principal Risks and Uncertainties summarised above and they believe that the Company has adequate financial resources to continue in operational existence for a period of not less than 12 months from the date of approval of this Report. They have arrived at this conclusion having confirmed that the Company's diversified portfolio of realisable securities is sufficiently liquid and could be used to meet short-term funding requirements were they to arise, as well as share buy back commitments. The Directors have also reviewed the revenue and ongoing expenses forecasts for the coming year and considered the Company's Condensed Statement of Financial Position as at 31 December 2024 which shows net current liabilities of £27.5 million at that date, and do not consider this to be a concern due to the liquidity of the portfolio which would enable the Company to meet any short term liabilities if required.

Taking all of this into account, the Directors believe that it is appropriate to continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

On behalf of the Board
Liz Airey
Chairman
5 March 2025

Investment Manager's Review

The net asset value ("NAV") total return for the Company for the six months to 31 December 2024 was 1.9% while the share price total return was 4.9%. By comparison, the UK smaller companies sector as represented by the Deutsche Numis Smaller Companies including AIM (ex investment companies) Index (the "reference index") delivered a total return of 0.8%.

Overview

The second half of 2024 was a busy period for macro news, with the results of the UK and US elections removing the incumbents and replacing them with new leaders making new promises. In October, the UK government promised growth in its budget but, despite its pro-growth agenda, some of the tax and regulatory measures announced are widely considered to be anti-growth. Yet, the UK equity and bond markets have largely moved sideways since the Budget, suggesting no major surprise in the policy overall.  In the near-term, UK businesses are working though the implications of the proposed tax rises and changes to Employers' National Insurance rates and will have to do much to contain cost inflation. Automation programmes to improve productivity are set to become more of a focus for UK businesses.

2024 proved to be a year of two halves, with optimism in the first half rapidly evaporating in the second half, and recovery in certain sectors has been slower to materialise than the market expected, leading to profit warnings. While savers have been benefiting from elevated savings rates, an expected recovery in big ticket discretionary consumer spending that is linked to lower interest rates remains subdued. We sense that replacement cycles for these types of items are lengthening, not helped by a slow housing transaction market. Having said that, holiday spending has remained a sacrosanct as households continue to prioritise spending in this area. The Industrials sector had a tough six months, taking longer than expected to rebuild order books. There have been a range of macro data points and manager surveys to scrutinise since the Budget, but it is too early to determine how the economy will progress and the pace at which interest rates fall or if inflation will creep back into the system. We will take our lead directly from engagement with the management teams of the companies in the portfolio and regular meetings with them enable us to take the temperature of UK businesses across a range of sectors.

We are bottom-up, not top-down, investors and 2024 was a more normal year for the economy and stock markets in the sense that there was not a disturbance caused by large and unusual external shocks. In this environment, markets were more rational and good stock picking was rewarded. Our focus on Quality served us well and the companies held in the portfolio have delivered operationally and earnings have been resilient. We have backed new ideas with conviction, and portfolio turnover has been slightly higher than average driven by two factors. Firstly, our stock screening tool, the Matrix, has helped us be nimble and to identify an appealing array of new Quality, Growth & Momentum ("QGM") ideas which we have added to the portfolio. Our new ideas have been found across a range of sectors, with no themes dominating. Secondly, the recovery has been more drawn out than the market expected for some holdings and, faced with sluggish momentum in some of these, we exited. Stocks that we exited in the first half of 2024 suffered continued weakness in the second half of the year, reassuring us that it was right to move on from those. We have maintained a high level of engagement with management teams, including site visits and meetings with new executive teams and Chairs.

Performance

The period under review lacked momentum as investors awaited the outcome of the Budget. A key aspect of the Budget for UK smaller companies was the reduction in the tax benefit of investing in AIM-listed companies for Inheritance Tax purposes. Whilst not as bad as worst fears, we still believe this reduces the attractiveness of the AIM market for investors, particularly for companies coming to this market in the future. Quality stocks performed well, and we believe that is largely due to earnings resilience - companies achieving and exceeding expectations. Profit warnings have been prevalent across the market and, while the portfolio hasn't been immune to them, avoiding many of them was crucial as even shares of companies on lower ratings sharply underperformed on warnings. The portfolio's relative out-performance was consistent throughout the period, with limited monthly volatility and the Matrix strength and consistency of performance in factors were notable.

The five top contributors to performance during the period were as follows:

Morgan Sindall (1.56% contribution, closing weight 4.8%) - had strong operational delivery and solid financial performance which has driven an exceptionally strong run in the shares, boosted by a high level of activity in fit out and construction.

Cairn Homes (0.92% contribution, closing weight 3.2%) - delivered an excellent first half, driven by scaling its output of highly efficient new homes in Ireland, and its strong order book drove upgrades to outer years.

Raspberry Pi (0.58% contribution, closing weight 1.5%) - has made solid progress, demonstrating both commercial and technology progress with its channel strategy, improving the supply chain position, traction with custom products and new product launches despite muted updates from the wider industry.

XPS Pensions (0.58% contribution, closing weight 4.0%) - delivered strong growth and upgrades to earnings driven by strong client demand and a supportive regulatory backdrop.

Volution (0.56% contribution, closing weight 2.6%) - produced another period of impressive delivery as the business continues to benefit from its focus on the structurally attractive ventilation category and its broad geographic platform. The shares reacted well to the acquisition of the Fantech group, a provider of commercial and residential ventilation solutions in the Australian and New Zealand markets, a strategically relevant deal at a good price.

The five biggest detractors to performance during the period were as follows:

Ashtead Technology (-0.91% contribution, closing weight 2.6%) - despite solid half year results which demonstrated ongoing strong demand and good organic growth, meeting expectations and providing in-line guidance were not enough to support the shares after a strong run over the past 18 months. Its shares are AIM listed and so were also impacted by changes to AIM tax benefits detailed in the Budget.

Hunting (-0.79% contribution, closing weight 1.9%) - despite US headwinds, the non-US business and its diversification over recent years was fuelling significant growth. That growth continues but, with the US slowdown tougher than had been expected, the company has reined its guidance back in towards the bottom of its initial guided range for the year.

Mortgage Advice Bureau (-0.63% contribution, closing weight 1.9%) - the shares have been held back by an FCA market study into pure protection products despite being well positioned for good customer outcomes in this area. Its shares are AIM listed. 

Next 15 (-0.60% contribution, closing weight 0.8%) - the shares reacted badly to downgrades to earnings reflecting a softer macro backdrop and loss of a significant contract. Its shares are AIM listed.

Bytes Technology (-0.37% contribution, closing weight 1.2%) - the shares weakened on concerns around IT spend and Microsoft exposure despite good management communication about the short term factors that impact the share price.   

Portfolio Activity

Seven new holdings were added to the portfolio during the period.

Savills is a globally diverse real estate agent, predominantly focused on commercial property markets, with leading positions in the UK and Asia. Savills undertakes transactional services (capital markets/leasing), property management, consultancy and investment management. Profits have been depressed as transactions have slowed and, in contrast to its peers, management has continued to invest in the business since Covid. We expect macro headwinds to progressively abate, in response to improved price transparency in commercial markets and a moderation in interest rate expectations. The key catalyst will be a recovery in capital market transactions and leasing volumes in the global real estate market. Savills' different geographies will recover at different times/rates and factors such as debt maturities and higher property yields should prompt progressively higher volumes going forward.

Trustpilot is the world's largest open review-management platform by number of reviews and consumer engagement. It has a huge addressable market across the UK, North America and Europe & Rest of World. Product suite, vertical end-market and global geographic expansion increase Trustpilot's opportunities, and the business is forecast to grow revenues substantially in the coming years. Given the strong network effects of the model, which drive higher growth as penetration rises, this supports long-term revenue growth. As a platform business, there is strong operational leverage and there is margin improvement to enjoy. Trustpilot has demonstrated its ability to deliver profitable growth. Cash generation is strong, as is the balance sheet, and the business benefits from organic growth as well as an ability to do bolt-on M&A and/or return excess cash to shareholders.

ME Group is a high-quality UK-based designer, manufacturer and operator of automated vending machines in high-footfall locations. Photo.ME is a market leader in the automated vending machines segment, with a dominant market share. The business has a newer Wash.ME division which is high growth and high margin. There is potential for further estate expansion in existing geographies, as well as moving into new ones. Further expansion should contribute favourably to the product mix and improve group level margins.

Applied Nutrition is a leading sports nutrition, health and wellness brand, which formulates and creates nutrition products targeted at a wide range of consumers in over 80 countries via a business to business ("B2B") model, The founder has built a strong global disruptive brand with a lean operating base with vertically integrated manufacturing in a market with structural growth dynamics. The B2B model, where distributors control the relationships with end customers in their local markets, is unique in this industry and is a differentiator underpinning future success.

Bloomsbury Publishing is unique both in its independence as a medium-sized publisher and its combination of both general and academic publishing. A strategy focussed on building a 'portfolio of portfolios' ensures good diversification by channel (e.g. digital products, print, eBooks, audio), territory, and markets (academic and consumer publishing). Such diversification means there is more than one way of monetising an asset, thereby adding value and longevity to its portfolio. The Bloomsbury virtuous circle sees investment in quality content driving demand and strong cash flows, which can then be reinvested in further content.

Avon Technologies has a market-leading respirator and helmet portfolio. The business is enjoying good momentum with recent new contract wins and opportunities for operational improvement. The business has a relatively new CEO, Jos Sclater (appointed January 2023) who is executing well and improving financial performance. Avon enjoys strong positions (sole source in many cases) on several multi-year contracts, providing a helpful underpinning and predictability to sales.

Breedon supplies a range of quarried materials and related products/services in the UK, Ireland, and, most recently, the US Midwest (through the 2024 acquisition of BMC). Looking forward, we believe the business is well-placed given its asset-backing, exposure to infrastructure activity, and decentralised local model. These factors alongside management's track record of under-promising and over-delivering are key elements of the investment case. We are positive on Breedon's prospects, driven by a macro recovery in due course, margin normalisation to target/historical levels, and a continuation of its successful M&A track record.

We exited seven holdings during the period.

Big Technologies has been through a period of slower momentum, having missed out on a large bid in the UK, losing a Colombian contract and the business is facing a litigation claim. The combination of this and increased organic investment in the US, has led to downgrades and a loss of investor confidence.

Liontrust Asset Management. The franchise remains competitive and highly geared to an improvement in the operating environment, yet it is currently difficult to gauge when conditions might turn positive.

Robert Walters. Recruitment consultants are facing a prolonged period of challenging conditions, against a backdrop of fee income declines across all regions. Whilst management reiterated its assertion that any material improvement in confidence levels will be gradual, and not likely to commence until calendar year 2025, the business suffered a weaker than anticipated September trading period which compounds pressure on near term forecasts.

YouGov issued an unexpected profit warning in June, driven by tough trading conditions, operational miss steps and increased competition. After profit warnings of this magnitude, the time taken for managements to rebuild credibility with investors can be considerable. With growth prospects severely downgraded we exited the position.

We also exited the positions in Midwich and Marlowe due to uncertainty over their future prospects and Alpha Financial Markets Consulting following a bid from Bridgepoint.

Top Ups for the period included Cairn Homes, Paragon Banking, AJ Bell, Trustpilot, Raspberry Pi, Alpha Group International and Coats. All are trading well and producing positive Matrix scores.

We reduced exposure to GlobalData, JTC, Bytes Technology, 4imprint and Diploma to control the position sizes.

Revenue Account

Revenue earnings per share for the six month period were 5.93p, compared to 6.00p for the comparable period last year. The level of investment income generated from the portfolio was 14.4% lower, due principally to the impact of share buy backs conducted during 2024 which reduce the Company's capital base.

Dividends paid by investee companies were generally in line with expectations. It is worth noting that buy backs have been a feature in the market which has limited the cash that would have been available for dividends.

Outlook

Equity markets have been volatile since the period end, with share-price fluctuations driven by macroeconomic concerns that have ranged from the likely paths for inflation and interest rates, to international trade and the value of Sterling as well as the UK employment market and household expenditure. Policy will be determined by the trajectory of inflation in the coming months as well as the wider growth outlook.

Our investment process has worked well in the current interest rate environment, proving that we do not need interest rates to be at or near zero for quality smaller companies to perform. We saw strong earnings updates in January from a number of companies in the portfolio, accompanied with positive share-price reactions. Earnings resilience and avoiding profit warnings in the portfolio is particularly important against the volatile market backdrop.

The undervaluation of the UK market has been a persistent theme for a number of years, and this remains the case. While UK equities advanced over the course of 2024, they remain undervalued versus history as well as other major markets, providing a foundation on which to build over the course of 2025. Through this uncertainty, we are sticking to our tried and-tested investment process, and backing quality companies that demonstrate earnings momentum and resilience.

Abby Glennie and Amanda Yeaman
abrdn
5 March 2025

Investment Portfolio

Condensed Statement of Comprehensive Income (unaudited)

Condensed Statement of Financial Position (unaudited)

Condensed Statement of Changes in Equity (unaudited)

Condensed Statement of Cash Flows (unaudited)

Notes to the Financial Statements (unaudited)

For the year ended 31 December 2024

Alternative Performance Measures

By order of the Board

abrdn Holdings Limited

Company Secretary

5 March 2025

Please note that past performance is not necessarily a guide to the future and the value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise.  Investors may not get back the amount they originally invested