Overview
BlackRock Smaller Companies tries to achieve long term capital growth for shareholders through investment mainly in smaller UK quoted companies. The manager tries to achieve the objective by focusing on good quality growth companies that are trading well; stock selection is the primary focus but consideration is also given to sector weightings and underlying themes. Whilst there are no set limits on individual sector exposures against the Company’s benchmark, a schedule of sector weightings is presented at each Board meeting for review.
You can access BlackRock Smaller Companies website here
Fundamentals
Price
Research History
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07 Dec 2022 64 min read
QuotedData’s Economic and Political Monthly Roundup December 2022
Economic and Political Monthly Roundup Investment companies | Monthly | December 2022 A collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairs and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage […]
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07 Jul 2020 8 min read
QuotedData’s Economic Roundup – July 2020
Economic & Political Roundup Kindly sponsored by Allianz A collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you to buy or sell […]
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06 Dec 2019 5 min read
QuotedData’s economic roundup – December 2019
Economic & Political Roundup Kindly sponsored by Polar Capital and Allianz A collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you […]
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13 Nov 2018 1 min read
QuotedData’s economic roundup – November 2018
QuotedData’s economic roundup – November 2018 is a collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you to buy or sell any […]
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18 Jul 2018 2 min read
Quarterly Investment Companies Roundup – Second Quarter 2018
QUARTERLY INVESTMENT COMPANIES ROUNDUP – SECOND QUARTER 2018 Global equities markets rose in the second quarter of 2018, Markets were volatile, as positive economic data and encouraging company performances played off against geopolitical concerns. Yields from bond markets rose early in the quarter but fell back as investors turned to ‘safer’ investments. The threat of […]
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11 May 2018 1 min read
QuotedData’s Economic round up – May 2018
QuotedData’s economic round up – May 2018 is a collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you to buy or […]
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1 min read
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – May 2018
QuotedData investment companies roundup – May 2018 – is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of April 2018. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. India Capital Growth has experience a rebound in performance in the past month, as […]
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18 Apr 2018 1 min read
QuotedData’s Economic round up – April 2018
QuotedData’s economic round up – April 2018 is a collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you to buy or sell […]
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18 Jan 2018 1 min read
QuotedData – 2017 review of the year
QuotedData – 2017 review of the year – Many commentators, including us, were wary going into 2017. In the event, economic growth and markets surprised on the upside: US markets hit new highs despite three interest rate rises. Perceived low/no growth areas such as Europe and Japan burst into life. Asia’s technology stocks surged. India’s […]
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10 Nov 2017 2 min read
QuotedData’s economic round up – November 2017
QuotedData’s economic round up – November 2017 – is a collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you to buy or […]
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14 Jun 2017 1 min read
QuotedData’s economic round up – June 2017
QuotedData’s economic round up – June 2017 – is a collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you to buy or […]
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16 May 2017 2 min read
QuotedData investment companies roundup – May 2017
QuotedData investment companies roundup: Our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of April 2017. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. Money in: The only new launch in April was EJF Investments, a £69m fund trying to take advantage of […]
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10 Apr 2017 1 min read
QuotedData investment companies roundup – April 2017
Our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of February 2017. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. April Investment Companies Roundup
News
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22 Jan 2025 3 min read
BlackRock Trusts off limits for Saba until at least 2027
Separately, the boards of BlackRock World Mining (BRWM), BlackRock Energy and Resources Income (BERI), BlackRock American Income (BRAI) and BlackRock Smaller Companies (BRSC) have all issued statements this morning that say they have entered into agreements with Saba Capital Management LP, under which Saba has given a number of undertakings to each trust as follows: […]
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14 May 2024 4 min read
Outperformance but still a down year for BlackRock Smaller Companies
BlackRock Smaller Companies (BRSC) announced its annual report for the 12 months to 29 February 2024. The company’s NAV total return was -3.6% while shares fell 0.8%, outperforming the benchmark Deutsche Numis Smaller Companies plus AIM (excluding Investment Companies) Index which was down 5.8% Commenting on the performance, investment manager Roland Arnold noted; “For the […]
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08 Dec 2023 5 min read
QD view – your vote will count in Arb fight
Discounts in the investment trust sector are almost double their average[1], with the combination of cost disclosure rules and rising interest rates creating widespread selling pressure. It is perhaps not surprising that this has caught the attention of activist investors who spot an opportunity. Saba Capital is the latest arbitrageur on the block, thought to […]
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03 May 2022 4 min read
Growth sell off hits BlackRock Smaller Companies
BlackRock Smaller Companies (BRSC) lagged its benchmark over the12 months ended 28 February 2022, returning 16.7% to the Numis Smaller Companies plus AIM excluding investment companies Index’s 24.9%. 35p of dividends were 5.1% higher than the previous year as revenue recovered from the effects of the pandemic – the revenue return for the year was […]
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03 Nov 2021 2 min read
QuotedData’s morning briefing 3 November 2021
In QuotedData’s morning briefing 3 November 2021: Riverstone Credit Opportunities Income (RCOI) has exited its holding in Project Mirror Realisation. RCOI committed $6.9m on 28 December 2020 to the first-lien community solar development company, before fully refinancing this loan with a new source of financing, resulting in a 36% realised IRR and 1.27x realised MOIC. […]
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10 May 2021 4 min read
BlackRock Smaller Companies reports on challenging year
BlackRock Smaller Companies (BRSC) reported annual results to 28 February 2021, with an NAV of 13.5% and return to shareholders of 14.4%. This represented an underperformance of the benchmark (Numis Smaller Companies plus AIM (excluding Investment Companies) Index) return of 23.1%. Returns shown are without the re-investment of dividends and with debt at par value. […]
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25 Jun 2020 2 min read
BlackRock Smaller Companies reports on strong year
BlackRock Smaller Companies reports on strong year – Over the year ended 29 February 2020, BlackRock Smaller Companies reported a 14.1% return on NAV and a 14.0% return to shareholders, both of which compare favourably with a 1.4% return on the trust’s benchmark, the Numis Smaller Companies plus AIM (excluding Investment Companies) Index. The dividend was increased […]
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04 Jun 2020 1 min read
QuotedData’s morning briefing 4 June 2020
In QuotedData’s morning briefing 4 June 2020: Securities Trust of Scotland served notice on Martin Currie after it found out that Mark Whitehead (the portfolio manager) had resigned from Martin Currie – he leaves on 1 December 2020. “The board will be undertaking a review of its management arrangements, which process will include Martin Currie, and […]
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03 Dec 2019 1 min read
QuotedData’s other news 3 December 2019
In QuotedData’s other news 3 December 2019 – BlackRock Smaller Companies (BRSC) has agreed to issue £20m in senior unsecured GBP denominated fixed rate private placement notes at an annualised coupon of 2.41% with a 25-year bullet maturity. The funding date for the Notes is today, 3rd December 2019 and the notes will be due for […]
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03 May 2019 2 min read
BlackRock Smallers extends outperformance record
BlackRock Smallers extends outperformance record – BlackRock Smaller Companies reports that its NAV return for the year to the end of February 2019 was -4.8%. However, the share price rose a little over the period, giving shareholders a return of 2.4%, and the dividend was increased by 20% to 31.2p. The benchmark (Numis Smaller Companies plus […]
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30 Apr 2018 2 min read
BlackRock Smaller Companies’ 15 years record of strong performance continues
BlackRock Smaller Companies’ 15 years record of strong performance continues – in its final report to 28 February 2018, the NAV of BlackRock Smaller Companies (BRSC) increased by 20.8% to 1,506.78 pence per share, compared with its benchmark, the Numis Smaller Companies plus AIM (excluding Investment Companies) Index, which increased by 8.3%. During the financial year, the share […]
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12 Feb 2018 4 min read
Dan Whitestone sole manager of BlackRock Throgmorton
Dan Whitestone sole manager of BlackRock Throgmorton – alongside the publication of its results, BlackRock Throgmorton has announced some changes to its management arrangements. During the year ended 30 November 2017 the fund’s NAV returned 33.9% on a total return basis, compared with a total return of 21.3% from the benchmark index, the Numis Smaller Companies excluding […]
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20 Jun 2017 1 min read
Investment Trust Insider on UK Small Cap
From an economic standpoint recent news in the UK has been worrying. House prices are falling and so are retail sales. Inflation has exceeded the Bank of England’s target and so the monetary policy committee is edging closer to raising interest rates. We have a hung parliament and we are just about to embark on […]
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05 Apr 2017 1 min read
BlackRock Smaller Companies lifts restriction on AIM listed stocks
BlackRock Smaller Companies Trust, managed by Mike Prentis (pictured), has announced that, following consultation with the Company’s largest shareholders it is amending its restriction that AIM listed stocks should not exceed 40% of the Company’s portfolio by value is being raised to 50%. The Trust’s board says that, as the amendment does not constitute a material […]
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17 Mar 2017 1 min read
BlackRock Smaller Companies considers removing 40% restriction on AIM-listed stocks
BlackRock Smaller Companies Trust, managed by Mike Prentis (pictured), has announced that its board is considering the removal of the current restriction that the value of AIM-listed stocks should not exceed 40 per cent. of the Company’s portfolio. The board says that the proposal comes in the light of the development and evolution of the AIM […]
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25 Oct 2016 1 min read
BlackRock Smaller just fails to match benchmark
During the six months ended 31 August 2016, BlackRock Smaller Company’s net asset value increased by 8.8% to 1079.28p per share, marginally underperforming its benchmark by 0.7%. The fund’s share price increased by 3.8% to 895.5p per share over the same period. The FTSE 100 Index rose by 11.2% over the period, the FTSE 250 Index […]
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26 Apr 2016 2 min read
A good year for BlackRock Smaller Companies
During the year to 29 February 2016, BlackRock Smaller Companies’ net asset value increased by 4.0% to 992.18p per share, compared with its benchmark, the Numis Smaller Companies plus AIM (excluding Investment Companies) Index, which fell by 4.4%. The company’s share price increased by 6.3% to 863.00p per share. Small capitalisation stocks outperformed mid and large […]
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27 Oct 2015 1 min read
Good first half for BlackRock Smallers
Over the six months to the end of August 2015 BlackRock Smaller Companies’ net asset value increased by 9.0% to 1039.98p per share, outperforming its benchmark (the Numis Smaller Companies plus AIM (excluding Investment Companies) Index) by 6.6%. The Company’s share price increased by 14.0% to 925.5p per share over the same period. The FTSE […]
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20 Jul 2015 1 min read
UK smaller companies trusts dominate Q2 best-performers
UK small-caps has emerged as the stand-out sector for investment trusts in Q2 2015, according to statistics from QuotedData. The report, published 16 June, showed that UK smaller companies-focused mandates accounted for the majority of best-performing funds in NAV terms for the quarter. http://www.portfolio-adviser.com/news/1023811/uk-companies-trusts-dominate-q2-performers
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16 Jul 2015 1 min read
Small company investment trusts got election boost
Investment trusts specialising in smaller companies were among the top performers of the past few months after a decisive election result improved confidence in the sector, new research shows. But commodity and Asia-focused investment trusts were among the stragglers as investors shunned stocks exposed to an economic slowdown in China or a US rate rise, […]
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28 Apr 2015 1 min read
BlackRock Smaller Companies discount offsets strong stock selection
BlackRock Smaller Companies results for the year ended 28 February 2015 show the fund generated a return on net assets of -1.8%, much better than the 8.5% fall recorded by the Numis Smaller Companies plus AIM (excluding Investment Companies) Index. However the company’s discount widened leaving shareholders with a return of -9.2%. The dividend was increased […]
In The Press
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22 Jan 2025 1 min read
Blackrock trusts agree peace deal with Saba Capital
By: Elliot Gulliver-Needham, Investment Reporter, CityAM, 22 January 2025: A host of Blackrock-run investment trusts have made a peace deal with US hedge fund Saba Capital, amid its activist campaign to take over the boards of several UK trusts. In a series of stock exchange announcements, the Blackrock trusts said that they had made an […]
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15 Jan 2025 1 min read
Investment trust insider on rising bond yields
Investment trust insider on rising bond yields – James Carthew: Higher bond yields deal blow to small-cap recovery Sliding sterling and elevated gilt yields have made for a painful month for small-cap and renewables trusts, and investors now need to be patient. I am going to press pause on the Saba saga this week (although […]
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14 Oct 2024 1 min read
Stocks that investment trust managers are backing for a UK recovery
By James Carthew, QuotedData for Trustnet, 14 October 2024: After a long period in the doldrums, there are glimmers of hope that investors might start to favour UK small-caps once again. Small-caps tend to outperform large-caps over the long term and the UK market is still very much cheaper than the US. With that in […]
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27 Jun 2023 1 min read
Are ‘dividend hero’ investment trusts keeping up with inflation?
by Kyle Caldwell from interactive investor, 27 June 2023: Research for interactive investor examined whether 19 investment trusts have beaten inflation over the past five years in terms of dividend growth, share price and net asset value (NAV) returns. The minimum aim of every investor should be to ensure that over the long term the […]
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08 Jun 2023 1 min read
The Dividend Heroes that grew their pay-outs the most
By Tom Aylott, Reporter, Trustnet, 8 June 2023: Dividend growth is an appealing attribute that those investing in trusts for income often look out for, but Trustnet found that seeking dividend growth alone can be littered with irregularities. However, the AIC’s 19 Dividend Heroes have increased their pay-outs for a minimum of 20 years, providing […]
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20 Jan 2023 2 min read
Investment trust bargains: how to find them and where to look in 2023
by Kyle Caldwell from interactive investor, 19th January 2023: We explain the tricks of the trade to find potential discount opportunities, and name the three areas where analysts are finding plenty of value in 2023… The first thing to point out is that while investment trust discounts offer opportunities to buy a basket of investments […]
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16 Jan 2023 1 min read
Investment trusts are going cheap in the stockpicker sales
David Brenchley, The Sunday Times, January 15 2023 The January sales are still on but you might find it more profitable to go shopping in the stock market instead. When share prices fall as sharply as they have since mid-2021, investors will inevitably be on the lookout for bargain opportunities. Investment trusts are trading at […]
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03 Oct 2022 1 min read
The UK trusts trading on the widest discounts relative to their recent history
By Tom Aylott, Reporter, Trustnet, 30 September 2022: Those holding UK trusts over the past decade could have seen a sizable return on their investment, with the IT UK Equity Income and IT UK All Companies sectors up 83.8% and 69.5% respectively, according to data from QuotedData. But it is the trusts in the IT […]
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23 May 2022 1 min read
Trusts that have reigned longer than the Queen
By ROSIE MURRAY-WEST, FINANCIAL MAIL ON SUNDAY, 21 May 2022: Any investment that has generated wealth since before the Coronation must have firm foundations. That is true for the 36 investment trusts that predate the Queen’s accession to the throne. They have survived the stock market crashes that peppered the early 1970s, October 1987 (Black […]
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22 Nov 2021 1 min read
What is the future of trust dividend heroes following consolidation?
Kathleen Gallagher, Investment Week, 17 November 2021• 2 min read In the past 18 months, four trusts have fallen off the Association of Investment Companies’s (AIC) dividend hero list for various different reasons. However, investment trust experts are cautiously optimistic the list will grow over the next few years, with the main barrier to that […]
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29 Mar 2021 1 min read
How to spot smaller companies winners
How to spot smaller companies winners There’s additional risk with small-cap funds but the good ones pay off March 23, 2021, Investors Chronicle, By Mary McDougall Funds that focus on smaller companies tend to outperform their benchmark indices by a greater proportion than their large-cap peers over time. The average share price and net asset value (NAV) total […]
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25 Aug 2020 1 min read
Small stocks could help you sail through
Small stocks could help you sail through the increasingly choppy waters of investments opportunities By ROSIE MURRAY-WEST, FINANCIAL MAIL ON SUNDAY PUBLISHED: 22:00, 15 August 2020 | UPDATED: 12:41, 16 August 2020 Some say small is beautiful, but if you have ever been on a yacht in a big storm, you will know it can be stomach-churning as well. That […]
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07 May 2019 1 min read
Investment trust insider on BlackRock Smaller and Downing Strategic Micro Cap
Investment trust insider on BlackRock Smaller and Downing Strategic Micro Cap – James Carthew: BlackRock and Downing show the two sides to small-cap investing Both BlackRock Smaller Companies (BRSC) and Downing Strategic Micro-Cap (DSM) reported results last Friday. The two UK small-cap trusts had very different years. Both lost money – it would have been quite […]
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07 Feb 2019 1 min read
Investment Trust Insider on the past decade
Investment Trust Insider on the past decade – James Carthew: the constant evolution of investment trusts A decade ago, when we were emerging from the global financial crisis, I was managing Advance UK Trust and Citywire was just 10 years old. All of this seems like a long time ago now. Recently, I found a Winterflood […]
