Report

HgCapital Trust - NAV resilient, but near-term outlook uncertain

HgCapital Trust (HGT) posted a 2.3% increase in NAV per share total return (TR) in Q322, as positive earnings growth across the portfolio over the last 12 months (LTM) again outweighed multiple contraction. Despite the latter, the average EV/LTM EBITDA across HGT’s top 20 holdings stands at 28.8x vs 27.4x at end-2021 (see our previous note for a discussion on HGT’s valuations). The weaker global economy and tightening credit conditions weigh on both HGT’s near-term portfolio performance outlook and private equity deal activity. Still, the secular digitalisation trend remains intact with, as Gartner forecasted in October 2022, growth in global software and IT services spending of 11.3% and 7.9% in 2023, respectively. HGT’s shares trade at a 18% discount to NAV, while they traded close to NAV in 2021.
Underlying
HG Capital Trust PLC

Hgcapital Trust is an investment trust company. The policy of Co. is to invest, directly or indirectly, in a portfolio of unlisted companies. Hg Pooled Management Limited and HgCapital LLP (collectively, Hg) primarily invest in companies whose operations are headquartered or substantially based in Europe. These companies operate in a range of countries, but there is no policy of making allocations to specific countries or markets. Investments are made across a range of sectors. Co. may, from time to time, invest directly in private equity funds managed by Hg. Hg Pooled Management Limited has been appointed as Co.'s Alternative Investment Fund Manager.

Provider
Edison Investment Research
Edison Investment Research

Edison is an investment research and advisory company, with offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East and AsiaPac. The heart of Edison is our world renowned equity research platform and deep multi-sector expertise. At Edison Investment Research, our research is widely read by international investors, advisors and stakeholders. Edison Advisors leverages our core research platform to provide differentiated services including investor relations and strategic consulting.

.

Analysts
Pedro Fonseca

Other Reports on these Companies
Other Reports from Edison Investment Research

ResearchPool Subscriptions

Get the most out of your insights

Get in touch