Keybridge Capital’s net profit after tax for the year to 30 June 2008 was $20.8 million. Profit in the
second half of the year was $13.6 million, an 89% increase on the first half.
The proposed final dividend is 7.6 cents per share. This dividend will be fully franked. The ex
dividend date will be 21 August and the dividend will be paid on 25 September. This dividend
continues the Company’s policy of fully distributing net profit to shareholders. Together with the
interim dividend paid in March 2008, it brings total dividends for the year to 11.6 cents.
Managing Director of Keybridge Capital, Mark Phillips, said: “We are pleased with the final result for
2008. The investment portfolio delivered exceptional returns, tempered only by the write-downs we
took in the first half of the year on one set of investments. The Company has a solid platform from
which to grow earnings per share in 2009.”
Highlights
Key components of the Company’s performance in 2008 were as follows:
- The investment portfolio grew from $264 million to $418 million.
- The growth in investments was spread across the Company’s key asset classes of property,
aviation, shipping and infrastructure.
- The average level of investments through the year was $372 million and the average return on
investments, pre provisions against US securitisations, was over 19% per annum.
- Income was well covered by cashflow, with cash income representing 75% of total income and
the remainder being accrued income to be received over the life of investments, which is 3 to 4
years on average.
Investments
As at 30 June 2008, Keybridge Capital’s investment portfolio totalled $418 million, split by asset class
as follows:
|
Investment Balance AUD |
Share of Portfolio |
Property |
98m |
23% |
Aviation |
118m |
28% |
Shipping
|
73m |
18% |
Infrastructure
|
54m |
13% |
Other |
75m |
18% |
|
418 |
100% |
The Company has 31 individual investments, for an average investment size of $13.5 million.
By asset class, the Company’s investments are comprised as follows:
- In Property, the majority of investments are mezzanine loans secured by commercial and
residential projects located on the Australian eastern seaboard.
- In Aviation, the investments are predominantly mezzanine loans secured by approximately 60
individual passenger jet aircraft.
- In Shipping, the Company’s transactions are mezzanine loans and equity investments secured by
25 vessels in the wet and dry bulk cargo sectors.
- In Infrastructure, the Company has invested predominantly in solar projects in Spain and a wind
project in Germany.
- The Other segment of the investment portfolio comprises seven transactions, predominantly
senior and some subordinated loans, spread across a range of industries, including natural
resources, equipment leasing and financial services.
Capital Management
The Company currently has $476 million of available capital. This comprises contributed equity of
$261 million and committed debt facilities of $215 million provided by Commonwealth Bank,
BankWest, St.George Bank and National Australia Bank. The maturity of the debt facilities was
extended during the year to June 2011.
At 30 June 2008, the Company had cash and undrawn debt of $70 million.
Outlook
Whilst the prevailing market environment remains challenging, the balance of supply and demand in
the property, aviation, shipping and infrastructure markets in which Keybridge Capital participates is,
in general, sound. This, together with the risk mitigants that the Company has structured into its
investments, provides confidence that the investment portfolio can continue to deliver solid earnings.
Our current outlook is for the Company’s profit to increase in 2009 and for earnings to be around 15 to
16 cents per share. We are conscious, however, that uncertainty must attach to any current outlook
and we remain alert to possible further changes in market conditions.
The present economic environment will, in due course, provide a financier such as Keybridge Capital
with an increased flow of transactions with attractive risk-adjusted returns. Given this likelihood, the
Company has begun developing a funds management platform for its activities. The Company has
been successful in obtaining a wholesale funds management license and is progressing discussions
with investors to ensure optimal fund design.
The Company expects to continue growing earnings per share over the next 2 to 3 years. Beyond
that, we are confident of developing the Keybridge Capital business so that it will grow further in both
size and profitability.
Keybridge Capital is a financial services company that invests in, or lends to, transactions backed by real assets, financial assets or cashflow. Its core asset classes are property, infrastructure, shipping and aviation. The Company’s objective is to build a diversified portfolio of investments that delivers high returns to shareholders. |