A £70m fundraising last October by Palace Capital (PCA) diluted adjusted net asset value (NAV) to 389p a share, from 443p at the March 2017 year-end. However, this had recovered to 415p by the March 2018 year-end.
The new funds were used to buy regional property investment group RT Warren, which helped to boost the portfolio value by more than half on the prior year, to £276.7m. Acquisitions totalled £88m, with newly acquired buildings chosen for their potential to raise rental income through refurbishment or redevelopment.
Significantly, the company is working towards carrying out its own refurbishment work rather than using a joint-venture partner. So the Hudson House site in York will be developed to erect 127 apartments and 34,000 sq ft of office space, as well as 5,000 sq ft of other commercial space.
Net rental income grew by more than a fifth to £14.9m, but there is considerable reversionary value to be unlocked. Typically, at Solaris House in Milton Keynes, a refurbishment meant it was let after the year-end at £16.55 per sq ft; that’s £6 per sq ft more than on the adjacent buildings, which the company also owns.
Analysts at house broker Arden Partners have upgraded their forecast for adjusted NAV at the March 2019 year-end to 421p a share.
| PALACE CAPITAL (PCA) | ||||
| ORD PRICE: | 362p | MARKET VALUE: | £166m | |
| TOUCH: | 350-362p | 12-MONTH HIGH: | 391p | LOW: 315p |
| DIVIDEND YIELD: | 5.2% | TRADING PROPERTIES: | £21.7m | |
| DISCOUNT TO NAV: | 10% | NET DEBT: | 45% | |
| INVESTMENT PROPERTIES: | £254m | |||
| Year to 31 Mar | Net asset value (p) | Pre-tax profit (£m) | Earnings per share (p) | Dividend per share (p) |
| 2014* | 357 | 21.2 | 432 | 4.5 |
| 2015 | 396 | 13.9 | 82.4 | 13 |
| 2016 | 414 | 11.8 | 43.9 | 16 |
| 2017 | 436 | 12.6 | 36.6 | 18.5 |
| 2018 | 400 | 13.3 | 35.9 | 19 |
| % change | -8 | +6 | -2 | +3 |
| Ex-div: | 5 Jul | |||
| Payment: | 31 Jul | |||
| *14-month period | ||||
