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Brian Moretta ...
  • Mark Thomas
  • Martin Hall
  • Mike Foster
  • Nigel Hawkins

The Hardman & Co Monthly: August 2022

Feature article: Utility regulation – Changes afoot - Patching up a tainted model

While the gas supply crisis – and its price implications – have dominated the UK price regulated sectors in recent months, other issues have arisen that have seriously tainted the price regulation system itself. Indeed, it is fair to ask whether it is ‘’fit for purpose’’.

Back in 1984, price regulation, via an unsophisticated RPI-x formula, was introduced to prevent the privatised British Telecom (BT) from abusing its market power. A similar price regulatory formula applied to British Gas, which was privatised in 1986. In the latter’s case, a full “cost pass through” (CPT) mechanism was permitted so that end users directly bore the cost of higher gas input prices.

More than 35 years later, we have turned full circle, with a new energy price cap being set at £1,971 for households on a default tariff – some 22m consumers. By October 2022, that figure is expected to exceed a shocking £3,200. Admittedly, for a regulatory regime to absorb such a massive turnaround in input costs, is unprecedented; in time, the cap should fall back.
Underlyings
Appreciate Group

Park Group is a provider of prepaid gift cards, multi-retailer gift vouchers and digital rewards services to corporate and consumer markets. Co.'s brands include: Love2shop, a multi-retailer gift voucher and prepaid gift card brand; Park Christmas Savings, which helps families prepare and budget for Christmas in a controlled and careful manner; flexecash®, which issues e-money; Love2shop Business Services, which provides solutions from Co.'s own multi-retailer vouchers and prepaid cards to single store vouchers and cards, gift experiences, holidays and travel; and Evolve, which is a digital rewards platform that provides commercial organizations with a means to reward individuals.

Arbuthnot Banking Group

Arbuthnot Banking Group is primarily involved in banking and financial services. Co. is organized into three main operating segments: Retail banking (associate), which incorporates household cash management, personal lending and banking and insurance services; U.K. Private banking, which incorporates private banking, commercial banking and wealth management; and Group Centre, which is comprised in Co.'s Group Centre management. As of Dec 31 2016, Co.'s total assets were £1.27 billion.

BBGI Global Infrastructure

Bilfinger Berger Global Infrastructure SICAV is a closed-ended, diversified investment company. Co.'s primary investment objective is to invest in a diversified portfolio of operational (or near operational) Public Private Partnership / Private Finance Initiative infrastructure assets or similar assets.

Chesnara PLC

Chesnara is a holding company, engaged in the management of life assurance and pension policies. Co.'s segment are CA, S&P, Movestic, and Waard Group. The CA segment is part of Co.'s U.K. life insurance and pensions run-off portfolio. The S&P segment is responsible for conducting both unit-linked and non-linked business, including a with-profits portfolio. The Movestic segment is responsible for conducting both unit-linked and pensions and savings business and providing some life and health product offerings. The Waard Group segment provides life policies, although also includes unit-linked policies and some non-life policies, covering risks such as occupational disability and unemployment.

City Of London Investment Group

City of London Investment Group is the holding company for a number of subsidiaries. The principal operating subsidiary is City of London Investment Management Company Limited, which acts as an investment manager on 38 accounts with a total of £3.58 billion under management as at June 30 2017. Co. is an asset management group with an institutional client focus specializing in Emerging Market closed-end fund investments. Co.'s range also include Developed, Frontier and Global Tactical Asset Allocation closed-end fund strategies.

CIZZLE BIOTECHNOLOGY HLDGS PLC

Diurnal Group

Diurnal Group is a pharma company developing products for the life-long treatment of chronic endocrine conditions. Co. is focused on addressing clinical and patient needs in hormone replacement, initially by developing and marketing products for the rare orphan diseases congenital adrenal hyperplasia and adrenal insufficiency. Co.'s products include Infacort®, an immediate-release hydrocortisone preparation targeting Adrenal Insufficiency (including Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia) in children under six years of age in Europe and 16 years of age in the U.S.; and Chronocort®, a modified-release hydrocortisone preparation, initially targeting Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia in adult patients.

Fidelity Asian Values PLC

Fidelity Asian Values is an investment company. Co. invests in a diversified portfolio of securities and instruments issued by or related to companies listed on the stock markets in the Asian Region excluding Japan. Co. may invest directly in the shares of companies or indirectly through equity related instruments and in debt instruments. Co. may also invest in quoted securities and in other investment funds. Co. invests across a range of sectors, including consumer discretionary, financials, information technology, consumer staples, industrials, health care, utilities, energy, materials, and telecommunication services. Co.'s investment is managed by FIL Investments International.

Fidelity China Special Situations PLC

Fidelity China Special Situations is an investment trust. Co.'s investment objective is to attain long-term capital growth from a managed portfolio made up primarily of securities issued by companies listed in China or Hong Kong and Chinese companies listed elsewhere. Co. may also invest in listed companies with interests in China and Hong Kong.

Fidelity European Values PLC

Fidelity European Values operates as an investment company with a managed portfolio of investments, consisting primarily of continental European securities. Co.'s Portfolio Manager focuses on attaining a total return on Co.'s total assets over the longer term in excess of the Benchmark Index, the FTSE World Europe (ex UK) Index. Co. may utilize derivative instruments, including index-linked notes, futures, contracts for difference, covered call options, put options and other equity-related derivative instruments as a tool to meet its investment objective.

Fidelity Japan Trust

Fidelity Japan Trust is an investment trust company. Co.'s investment objective is to attain long term capital growth from a managed portfolio of securities primarily of small and medium sized Japanese companies listed or traded on Japanese stockmarkets.

ICG Enterprise Trust

ICG Enterprise Trust is an investment trust. Co. is a private equity investment company focused on buyouts in developed markets. Co. invests in private equity funds and also directly in private companies. As of Jan 31 2017, Co.'s total investment portfolio amounted to £594.3 million.

International Biotechnology Trust PLC

International Biotechnology Trust is an independent investment trust company. Co. invests primarily in biotechnology and other life science companies. The portfolio is split between large, mid and small capitalisation companies, primarily quoted on stock exchanges in North America, though investments will also be made in Europe, Asia and Australia. Investments may also be made into unquoted companies and into funds not quoted on a stock exchange, including venture capital funds. Co. has delegated responsibility for day-to-day investment of its assets to the Alternative Investment Fund Manager, SV Health Managers LLP.

Oakley Capital Investments

Palace Capital

Palace Capital is a property investment company that focuses on commercial real estate outside London. Co. invests in refurbishment and capital development programmes within the existing portfolio to unlock capital growth, as well as invests in commercial real estate in the U.K. Co.'s property portfolio includes investment properties located throughout England, predominantly regional investments outside London and comprises a diverse portfolio of commercial buildings.

Pantheon Resources

Pantheon Resources is engaged in the investment in oil and gas exploration and development. Co. operates in the U.K. through its parent undertaking and in the U.S. through subsidiary companies. Co. operates in two reportable segments: USA and Head Office. Non-current assets, income and operating liabilities are attributable to the USA, whilst most of the corporate administration is conducted through Head Office. As of June 30 2017, Co. held 58% working interest in the VOBM#1 & VOBM#2H wells in Polk County. Co. also held 75% working interest in VOBM#4 in Tyler County.

Real Estate Credit Investments

Shield Therapeutics

Shield Therapeutics is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of late stage, hospital-focused pharmaceuticals which address areas of high unmet medical need. Co.'s key products are Feraccru®, commercially available for the treatment of Iron Deficiency Anaemia, and PT20, for the treatment of systemic phosphate accumulation (otherwise known as hyperphosphatemia). Co. has an additional pipeline of three prescription pharmaceutical assets (PT20, PT30 and PT40) with commercial synergies.

Tissue Regenix Group

Tissue Regenix Group is a medical technology company. Co. is engaged in the development of regenerative products to create replacement native tissue using biological (human and animal) materials. With its platform technology dCELL®, Co. is focusing on the treatment of patients with wound care, orthopaedic and cardiac applications. The dCELL® technology allows Co. to process both human and animal tissues, removing DNA and cellular material but leaving intact an acellular matrix within which the patient's own cells can repopulate and regenerate, creating like for like tissue.

Volta Finance (GBP)

Volta Finance is a closed-ended investment company with the objective of investing, among other asset types, in the following main asset classes: Collateralized Loan Obligation, Synthetic Corporate Credit, Cash Corporate Credit and ABS. Co. has appointed AXA Investment Managers Paris S.A., as its Alternative Investment Fund Manager to manage the investments of Co.

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Analysts
Brian Moretta

Mark Thomas

Martin Hall

Mike Foster

Nigel Hawkins

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