LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE
ANNOUNCEMENT
JPMORGAN GLOBAL CORE REAL
ASSETS LIMITED
QUARTERLY NET ASSET VALUE AND
PORTFOLIO UPDATE
Legal Entity Identifier:
549300D8JHZTH6GI8F97
JPMorgan Global Core Real Assets
Limited ("JARA" or the "Company") announces its unaudited Net Asset
Value ("NAV") as at 31st May 2024 of 91.96 pence per share (29th
February 2024: NAV 93.92 pence per share). During the quarter, the
Company paid a dividend of 1.05 pence per share on 31st May 2024,
bringing the NAV total return for the quarter to -1.0% and to -2.4%
for the preceding 12 months, while the total share price return for
the 12 months to 31st May 2024 was -12.2%.
The Company repurchased 1,655,000
shares in the quarter to 31st May 2024. The shares were repurchased
at a weighted average discount of c. 17% and these repurchases
added approximately 0.1 pence per share to NAV performance. The
programme is ongoing.
A snapshot of the components to this
NAV and the relevant date for their valuation is provided below.
The Company currently has outstanding redemption requests in
respect of the US Real Estate Equity and Asia Pacific Real Estate
Equity strategies. As more redemptions are received, this would
further reduce the allocation towards the strategic target of 15.0%
for each Real Estate Equity fund.
Strategies
Name
|
Date of
price for Strategy
|
% of
JARA's NAV as at 31st May 2024
|
Infrastructure
|
31st
March 2024
|
20.9%
|
Transportation
|
31st
December 2023
|
20.7%
|
US Real Estate Equity
|
31st
March 2024
|
18.2%
|
Asia-Pacific Real Estate
Equity
|
31st
March 2024
|
15.8%
|
US Real Estate Debt
|
31st
March 2024
|
7.5%
|
Liquid Strategy
|
31st May
2024
|
16.9%
|
Private infrastructure and
transportation were significant contributors during the period,
adding +1.4% in local currency terms, with
private real estate debt flat. The private real
estate equity sleeve was the most significant detractor,
contributing -1.1% to performance, while liquid strategies
contributed +0.4% in local currency. Sterling1 strengthened against the underlying
currencies in the portfolio, including USD, resulting in a net
negative currency impact over the Company's
quarter to 31st May 2024.
1 The GBP/USD
exchange rate was 1.27320 as at 31st May 2024, versus 1.26495 as at
29th February 2024
Dividends
The most recent quarterly dividend
of 1.05 pence per share was paid to
shareholders on 31st May 2024. The Board
continues to expect the yield to be within the target range of 4 to
6% on issue price, as set out in the Company's IPO prospectus. The
current year's expected total dividends for the financial year
ending 28th February 2025 of 4.20 pence per share represents a
yield of 5.5% on the current market price2.
2 Based on
JARA's closing share price as at 31st May 2024.
Issued Share Capital
As at 31st May 2024, there were
208,790,138 shares in issue, excluding 10,617,814 shares held in
Treasury.
Valuations
The Board notes that across the
investment companies sector the accuracy of private market
valuations is a key investor concern. To this end, the portfolio
management team has reviewed historical transactional data in
relation to the appraisal (carrying) NAVs for JARA's indirect
investments in private real assets. This review was conducted on 20
transactions since the second quarter of 2022 across US real
estate, APAC real estate, and global infrastructure. It showed that
exit valuations were largely aligned with the appraisal values at
the time of disposal, with an average difference of approximately
2%.
Both the Board and the Investment
Manager believe this affirms the quality and resilience of JARA's
NAV. This is an indication of the rigour of the valuation process
which is undertaken for each of JARA's strategies and their
underlying assets. It is important to highlight that this has
occurred during a period of significant market uncertainty, most
notably in the real estate sector. The Board receives regular
reporting on realised gains/losses of any underlying asset disposal
against its carrying value as part of its work to oversee and
validate the Company's reported NAV.
Portfolio Construction
As at 31st May 2024, the Company's
portfolio was valued at £188.6 million.
Sector exposure percentage of
NAV3
|
Total
Exposure
|
Private Asset
Exposure
|
Public Asset
Exposure
|
Real
Estate Equity
|
38%
|
33%
|
5%
|
Transportation
|
26%
|
22%
|
4%
|
Infrastructure
|
24%
|
20%
|
4%
|
Real
Estate Debt
|
25%
|
22%
|
4%
|
Total
|
100%
|
83%
|
17%
|
3 As at 31st
May 2024. Numbers may not sum due to rounding. Cash level at
quarter end was ~2%.
Geographical exposure percentage of
NAV4
|
30.11.23
|
29.02.24
|
31.05.24
|
North America
|
56%
|
55%
|
55%
|
Asia Pacific
|
26%
|
26%
|
26%
|
Europe
|
16%
|
16%
|
17%
|
UK
|
2%
|
2%
|
2%
|
Other
|
~0%
|
~0%
|
~0%
|
Total
|
100%
|
100%
|
100%
|
4 As at 31st
May 2024. Numbers may not sum due to rounding.
Private Asset Portfolio Metrics
Please see below for the metrics of
JARA's private investments. As at 31st May 2024, private asset
exposure represented 83% of JARA's NAV, stable compared to the
previous quarter.
Investments
· 352 private investments and, at a more granular individual
asset level, look through exposure to 1,437 individual assets (29th
February 20245: 348 private investments and 1,410
individual assets).
|
30.11.23
|
29.02.24
|
31.05.24
|
Investments
|
348
|
348
|
352
|
Assets
|
1,402
|
1,410
|
1,437
|
5 The count
of investments and assets as at 29th February 2024 has been
restated from 352 and 1,414, respectively, to reflect updated data
that has since become available.
Private Portfolio Operating Metrics
Discount Rates
The blended average discount rate is
8.2%6. The asset level discount rate will vary by
strategy as detailed below. The average discount rate remained
roughly unchanged from the previous quarter7. This was
driven by an increase in the real estate discount rate and a
decrease in the infrastructure and transport discount rate combined
with a marginally higher allocation.
|
30.11.23
|
29.02.24
|
31.05.24
|
Portfolio discount rate
|
8.0%
|
8.2%
|
8.2%
|
Real Estate Equity
|
6.6%
|
6.8%
|
6.9%
|
Infrastructure & Transport
|
9.4%
|
9.6%
|
9.3%
|
6 Includes
U.S. real estate mezzanine debt, which is not broken out separately
given its minor contribution to the portfolio discount
rate.
7 The
infrastructure and transport discount rate as at 29th February 2024
has been restated from 9.5% to reflect updated data that has since
become available. This in turn impacted the portfolio discount
rate.
Lease Duration
· average lease duration of 5.1 years in real estate and
transportation, with approximately 15% expected to expire in
2024.
|
30.11.23
|
29.02.24
|
31.05.24
|
Weighted Lease Duration (years)
|
5.4
|
5.0
|
5.1
|
Occupancy
· 96% occupancy of leased assets in real estate and
transportation, with Q1 2024 collections being in line with
expectations. At an overall portfolio level, occupancy and income
receipts are in line with the Investment
Manager's expectations.
|
30.11.23
|
29.02.24
|
31.05.24
|
Occupancy
|
96%
|
96%
|
96%
|
Loan To Value (LTV)
· 40% portfolio weighted average LTV across private
assets. Asset level LTVs will vary by strategy,
with the real estate average LTV of 35% and infrastructure
and transport blended LTV of 49%. The underlying strategies
continue to take a conservative view on overall leverage
use.
|
30.11.23
|
29.02.24
|
31.05.24
|
LTV
|
38%
|
39%
|
40%
|
Debt
· 4.6% blended average cost of debt across the strategies, with
70.5% being fixed and 29.5% floating and a weighted average
maturity of 5.1 years.
|
30.11.23
|
29.02.24
|
31.05.24
|
Debt Cost
|
4.5%
|
4.4%
|
4.6%
|
|
Fixed
|
65.7%
|
65.6%
|
70.5%
|
|
Floating
|
34.3%
|
34.4%
|
29.5%
|
|
Average Maturity (years)
|
5.3
|
5.2
|
5.1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Development Profile
A number of the underlying private
strategies have the capacity to engage in a small degree of
development, with the private asset portfolio having a relatively
minimal exposure to development assets. This small allocation
allows the Investment Manager, where appropriate, to capitalise on
areas where construction is a more effective way to gain access to
assets or sectors less accessible in the secondary market. The
development pipeline has moderated more recently, especially in
real estate. We would expect construction exposure across JARA's
portfolio to remain relatively low on an aggregate
basis.
Currency
The main currency
exposures8 of the portfolio (including liquidity funds)
are as follows:
Currency
|
|
|
30.11.23
|
29.02.24
|
31.05.24
|
USD
|
|
|
60%
|
58%
|
59%
|
GBP
|
|
|
20%
|
21%
|
22%
|
JPY
|
|
|
6%
|
6%
|
6%
|
AUD
|
|
|
4%
|
4%
|
4%
|
SGD
|
|
|
3%
|
3%
|
3%
|
RMB
|
|
|
2%
|
2%
|
2%
|
NZD
|
|
|
2%
|
2%
|
1%
|
8 Other currencies represent approximately 4% in aggregate.
Numbers may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
25th June 2024
For
Further Information
JPMorgan Funds Limited - Company Secretary
Emma Lamb
Telephone 0800 20 40 20 or +44 1268
44 44 70
Buchanan Communications - Financial PR
JARA@buchanancomms.co.uk
0207 466 5000
Notes
The Company aims to provide holders
of the Ordinary Shares with a stable income and capital
appreciation, measured on a constant currency basis, through
exposure to a globally diversified portfolio of Core Real Assets in
accordance with the Company's investment policy. The Company
obtains exposure to Core Real Assets through various real asset
strategies, namely: Global Infrastructure, Global Real Estate,
Global Transport and Global Liquid Real Assets. J.P. Morgan's
Alternative Solutions Group has the primary responsibility for
managing the Company's portfolio.