FDA approves BB Biotech backed Agios’ AML drug Tibsovo Agios Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AGIO), a top 10 holding for Switzerland’s BB Biotech (BBB), has received US FDA approval for Tibsovo for relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia (r/r AML) with a specific IDH1 mutation. Agios, which has seen its shares rise by ~50% this year, accounted for […]
MINI fails to keep up with AIM index – Miton UK Micro Cap has published results for the year ended 30 April 2018. Over the year, the NAV returned 8.4%. This compares with the AIM All-Share Index, which returned 10.7% (AIM stocks account for three quarters of the portfolio). This performance is somewhat higher than the returns on other […]
Investment Trust Insider on how to grow trusts James Carthew: imponderable questions in quest for scale Last week I addressed the uphill battle Ashoka India Equity (AIE) faces if it wants to expand, having raised just £46.5 million in its flotation. It is by no means the smallest fund out there, however. Many of the very smallest funds […]
Regional REIT plans bond issue – Regional REIT has launched an offer of 4.5% sterling bonds due 6 August 2024. The Bonds will pay a fixed rate of interest of 4.5% per annum. Interest will be payable semi-annually in arrears in equal instalments. The Bonds have a minimum initial subscription amount of GBP2,000 and are available in […]
Supermarket Income REIT buys Sheffield Morrisons store – Supermarket Income REIT has acquired a Morrisons’ supermarket in Sheffield from Opus North for GBP51.7 million (excluding acquisition costs), reflecting a net initial yield of 4.9%. The supermarket is located on an 8.4-acre site in the historic and prominent Hillsborough Barracks. It comprises a 113,000 sq ft Morrisons’ […]
NB Private Equity sets new dividend target – NB Private Equity Partners Limited has just declared its second semi-annual dividend for 2018. The payment of $0.28 per share is a $0.03 increase from the company’s prior dividend and, on an annualised basis, this dividend payment represents a dividend yield of 4.1%. Going forward, NBPE has announced a target yield of 3.0% […]
FDA accepts HBM investee Immunomedics’ breast cancer drug filing US biotech Immunomedics (Nasdaq:IMMU), a top 10 holding for Swiss-listed HBM Healthcare (2.5% of NAV), has reported that the US FDA has accepted its regulatory application for the antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan and granted priority review with an action date of 18 January 2019. The application […]
Trust favourite Biogen preps for detailed Alzheimer’s trial results Trust favourite Biogen (Nasdaq: BIIB), the largest single holding for Biotech Growth Trust (BIOG, 11.7% of NAV) and widely held stock among other sector specialist collective vehicles – will with its joint venture partner Eisai shortly disclose detailed results from a Phase II study of the […]
Polar Capital Healthcare rejigs portfolio Polar Capital Global Healthcare Trust (PCGH) has disclosed a significant portfolio rejig in its end June monthly update, noting that it had sold a number of positions and increased its cash holdings partly on concerns about increased volatility in the equity markets and the potential for a market correction over the summer. […]
HBM-backed Argenx gets Shire as partner Dutch antibody company Argenx (Euronext & Nasdaq:ARGX), a top ten holding for Swiss-listed HBM Healthcare (HBMN, 2.9% of NAV), has gained a new licensing partner with the exercise by Shire Pharmaceuticals of an option held under a 2012 discovery alliance. The license covers a a preclinical stage antibody discovered and […]
Polar Capital Tech beats its benchmark again – Polar Capital Technology Trust has reported another year of outperformance. In the year to 30 April 2017, NAV rose by just over 56.0%, over the year to end April 2018, it rose by another 22.7%, taking NAV per share to 1,159.69p and the net assets of the company to £1,551.6m. The share price […]
Chelverton UK Dividend hit by Conviviality and Fairpoint – Chelverton UK Dividend Trust has published results for the year ended 30 April 2018. The net asset value as at 30 April 2018 was 249.61p (2017: 248.35p), an increase over the year of 0.51%. The shares benefited from a narrowing of the discount and, at the end of […]
BBGI buys stake in Canadian hospital – BBGI SICAV has acquired a 25% equity interest in the Stanton Territorial Hospital PPP Project. This project is one where BBBGI’s revenues will depend on whether the hospital is available for use rather than being linked to anything like the volume of patients using it. Stanton is a new 27,000 […]
Residential Secure Income buys flats in Luton – Residential Secure Income has announced the acquisition of four freehold residential buildings in Luton for a total consideration of GBP13.0 million. The buildings benefit from a 9.2 year lease to the local authority (with an option for the local authority to extend by 10 years) and are used to provide […]
Cash offer for John Laing Infrastructure – The board of John Laing Infrastructure and a consortium which comprises Dalmore Capital Limited and Equitix Investment Management Limited confirm they are engaged in discussions regarding a possible cash offer for John Laing Infrastructure, to be made by a new company to be jointly owned by funds managed or advised by […]
CIP Merchant Capital makes its second investment – CIP Merchant Capital has announced an investment in Orthofix International NV, a global medical device corporation focused on musculoskeletal healing products and value-added services traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. The company has bought, in aggregate, 85,000 common stock in Orthofix for a total consideration of approximately US$5 million. […]
Caledonia buys Cooke Optics – Caledonia Investments has acquired a majority stake in Cooke Optics Group, the UK manufacturer of premium-end cinematography lenses for the film, television and advertising industries, in a transaction which values the business at GBP96.5m. Founded as a lens manufacturer in 1886, Cooke has been at the centre of the film making business […]
Genmab commits to new bispecific cancer immunotherapy programme Danish biotech Genmab (Nasdaq Copenhagen: GEN) has paid $54m upfront and committed to pay up to $1.65bn in R&D, regulatory and commercial milestones to the private German biotech Immatics as part of a deal to discover and develop three next-generation bispecific cancer immunotherapies. Genmab, which is Europe’s […]
EC approves Ionis’ amyloidosis drug Ionis Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: IONS) has received marketing authorisation from the European Commission for Tegsedi (inotersen), its RNA-targeted therapeutic for stage 1 or 2 polyneuropathy in adults with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR). This is the first approval for the drug and unusually EU approval has come through ahead of the US, with the outcome of […]
No dramas for aircraft leasing funds – Doric Nimrod Air One through Three published their annual reports last night and Amedeo Air Four published its quarterly report. Doric Nimrod Air One is the simplest of the four funds. It purchased one asset, an Airbus A380-861, in December 2010 which it leased to Emirates. A $122m senior secured finance facility provided by […]
Primary Health Properties makes its fifth acquisition in Eire – Primary Health Properties (PHP) has contracted to fund and acquire a purpose built primary care centre in the Republic of Ireland. The company, which is doing this with its Irish investment vehicle Primary Health Properties ICAV, will provide development funding for the construction of the centre in Bray, County Wicklow, for […]
River and Mercantile Micro Cap to return more cash – The Board of River and Mercantile UK Micro Cap intends to undertake another compulsory redemption of its redeemable ordinary shares. The company has a redemption mechanism in place, which is used periodically to return capital to shareholders, so as to return the company’s net asset value to around GBP100 […]
GCP Infrastructure on First Priority Housing – Civitas Social Housing was not the only fund with exposure to First Priority Housing, the housing association that got itself into difficulties when it ended up with a lot of empty properties. On 22 February 2018 the Board of GCP Infrastructure announced that the directors and the investment adviser, Gravis Capital Management, were monitoring […]
Funding Circle SME Income report a solid set of results – Funding Circle SME Income Fund (FCIF) delivered its annual financial report for the 12 month period to 31 March 2018. Highlights The NAV per ordinary share rose by 14.9% (total return) over the report period. The share price remains at a premium to NAV of 4.8% and is little changed […]
Hipgnosis Songs Fund buys into The-Dream – Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited has reached agreement to acquire its first music catalogue from Terius Youngdell Nash, better known by his stage name The-Dream. Hipgnosis Songs will acquire a 75% interest in the catalogue for up to US$23.75m. The remaining 25% interest in the catalogue will be retained by The-Dream. The […]
NewRiver REIT buys Hollywood – Retail & Leisure Park (Barrow in Furness) – not California! NewRiver has acquired Hollywood Retail & Leisure Park, Barrow-in-Furness, from an institutional investor for GBP15.3 million. They say that the deal offers NewRiver a number of opportunities to extract further value, including the immediate conversion of two existing units to introduce a 20,000 […]
Hibernia sells Dublin office for €65.3m – Hibernia REIT (HBRN ID) has exchanged contacts to sell New Century House in Dublin for €65.3m. The buyer is a fund managed by Credit Suisse Asset Management Global Real Estate. Completion is expected to occur in September 2018. Hiberia report that the price is modestly ahead of the March 2018 […]
Target Healthcare REIT buys in Yorks and Lancs – Target Healthcare has completed the acquisition of two properties for a total value of GBP13.9 million (including acquisition and forward funding costs): Target acquired the freehold of Cantley Grange, a modern purpose-built care home in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The 40-bed home, which opened in 2007, has full en suite […]
LondonMetric Property swaps Odeon for shed – LondonMetric Property has exchanged on the sale of an Odeon Cinema in Warrington for GBP13.7 million, reflecting a NIY of 4.8%, and acquired an urban logistics asset in Milton Keynes for GBP12.0 million, reflecting a deemed NIY of over 5.0%. At Warrington, the 10 screen, 36,000 sq ft cinema formed part of […]
Celgene claims win for luspatercept in Believe trial Specialist trust favourite Celgene (Nasdaq: CELG) has reported positive result in a Phase III trial with the drug candidate luspatercept for treatment of anaemia associated with beta-thalassemia. This follows the company’s success in the Medalist Phase III trial win with the same drug in anaemia associated with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The unambiguous […]
