Barramundi Limited/Announcement
Barramundi Limited logo

BRM – November 2024 monthly update

Operational Update17 November 2024BRMFinancials

1
A WORD FROM THE MANAGER

Barramundi’s gross performance return for October was down

-0.7% and the Adjusted NAV return was down -0.9%. This

compares to the S&P/ASX200 Index (70% hedged into NZ$)

which was down -0.9% over the month.

October proved to be a modestly softer month for Australian

equities, with eight of the eleven market sectors falling in

the month. Financials (+3.3%), Healthcare (+0.9%) and

Communication Services (+0.8%) rose modestly. Favourable

economic data including stronger credit growth, better

inflation data (lower than the market expected) and stable

interest rates assisted the performance of the banks and the

financials sector. Utilities (-7.2%), Consumer Staples (-7.0%)

and Materials (-5.2%) weighed the most on the ASX200

Index’s return.

Portfolio News

REA (+13%) rallied in the month after it abandoned its

attempts to acquire Rightmove, the leading UK-based online

property portal. REA’s Australian business continues to

perform strongly, supported by high listing volumes which

were up +7% for the September quarter.

Credit Corp (+12%) held its AGM late in the month. The

company reiterated its guidance for after tax profit growth

of +11-23% for FY25. There were a number of encouraging

signals on trading for the year to date. Consumer Lending

volumes remain solid, further Australian and NZ debt ledger

purchases have been locked in and US debt ledger collection

productivity has continued to improve.

Resmed (+6%) reported earnings for Q1 FY25 that showed

very solid growth on the prior year, and which were ahead of

expectations. Revenue grew by +11% in constant currency

terms, with over 10% rises being recorded across all of

devices, masks and residential care software. The company’s

underlying gross profit increased +18% reflecting both the

lift in revenue and further expansion in its gross margin.

Operating cost growth lagged revenue growth, so the net

result was after tax earnings were up by +35% versus a

year ago. All-in-all, Resmed’s Q1 performance was beyond

reproach and the business looks to have good momentum for

the balance of the year.

After a strong few months Ansell’s share price fell modestly

(-2%). This despite lifting the bottom end of its FY25 earnings

guidance range at its AGM trading update. However it left

the top end unchanged. Underlying FY25 earnings growth

is now forecast at +32-47% compared to FY24. Boosted by

earnings from an acquisition. Earnings per share growth for

the year is expected to be +4-20% after allowing for the

new equity raised to fund the acquisition. Q1 FY25 trading

was described as providing a “strong” start to the year. End

market conditions are broadly in line with the company’s

expectations. The acquisition is performing modestly ahead of

targets, and delivery of projected cost savings for the year is

on track.

Brambles (-4%) delivered its Q1 FY25 trading update.

Revenue for the quarter was up by +3% in constant currency

(“CC”) terms. This run rate is below the company’s FY25

revenue guidance but all guidance targets (rev +4-6% CC,

EBIT +8-11% CC) have been reaffirmed. Overall, Brambles

has indicated that Q1 performance was “broadly in line with

expectations”. The increase in Q1 revenue was driven by a

3% increase in price. Volume for the quarter was flat with

like-for-like volume down -1% and net wins up +1%. The

like-for-like performance reflects the soft macro environment.

The positive outturn in net wins is mildly encouraging, and we

hope to see this strengthen over the balance of the year as

Brambles now has the pallets available to enable it to chase

new business.

Audinate’s (-4%) share price subsided further following a

soft trading update. The company flagged that its customers

still hold a lot of inventory of Audinate audio chips. This

continues to weigh on customer order backlogs. This implies

that the rebound in revenues is taking longer than initially

expected for Audinate and has led analysts to downgrade

near-term earnings expectations.

Woolworths (-10%) provided a disappointing 1Q25 update.

While comparable sales growth in its core Australian Food

division of +2.3% was in line with market expectations,

operating pre-tax profit guidance for 1H25 was circa 9%

below market expectations. Management attributed this to a

higher proportion of sales coming from online sales. Online

1

Share Price Discount to NAV (using the net asset value per share, after expenses, fees and tax, to four decimal places).

MONTHLY UPDATE

November 2024

$

0.68

SHARE PRICE

as at 31 October 2024

DISCOUNT

1

11.0

%


BRM NAV

$

0.76

SECTOR SPLIT
as at 31 October 2024

KEY DETAILS

as at 31 October 2024

FUND TYPE

Listed Investment Company

INVESTS IN

Growing Australian companies

LISTING DATE

26 October 2006

FINANCIAL YEAR END

30 June

TYPICAL PORTFOLIO SIZE

20-35 stocks

INVESTMENT CRITERIA

Long-term growth

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE

Long-term growth of capital and

dividends

TAX STATUS

Portfolio Investment Entity (PIE)

MANAGER

Fisher Funds Management Limited

MANAGEMENT FEE RATE

1.25% of gross asset value

(reduced by 0.10% for every 1%

of underperformance relative to

the change in the NZ 90 Day Bank

Bill Index with a floor of 0.75%)

PERFORMANCE FEE

HURDLE

Changes in the NZ 90 Day Bank

Bill Index + 7%

PERFORMANCE FEE

10% of returns in excess of

benchmark and high water mark

HIGH WATER MARK

$0.72

PERFORMANCE FEE CAP

1.25%

SHARES ON ISSUE

334m

MARKET CAPITALISATION

$227m

GEARING

None (maximum permitted 20%

of gross asset value)

4

%

18

%

19

%


INDUSTRIALS

15

%

COMMUNICATION

SERVICES

23

%

2

%

3

%


FINANCIALS

CONSUMER

STAPLES

MATERIALS

8

%

sales increased +24% during the quarter and grew to 15%

of Australia Food sales (from 13% a year ago). Online sales,

while profitable, is lower margin than bricks and mortar sales.

In addition, the political and media scrutiny on supermarket

pricing has seen Woolworths, and its competitor Coles,

reduce shelf prices. There were some green shoots in the NZ

business, where comparable sales increased +3.4%. Stores

rebranded from Countdown to Woolworths New Zealand are

outperforming the network, with another 10 rebranded in the

quarter.

Wisetech’s (-14%) share price was buffeted by the decision

by CEO and founder Richard White to step down as CEO

of the company. This followed a period of negative press

headlines related to his personal life by the Australian press.

This scrutiny crossed over into the company domain, and

ultimately culminated in the decision by Richard White (with

the agreement of the Board of Directors). The share price,

which had fallen a lot more than 14% in the wake of the

publicity, rebounded sharply on the news. The market reacted

favourably to the fact that Richard White will continue with

the company and be involved in product development. He

is the visionary of the business and driving force of its great

success over the years.

Robbie Urquhart

Senior Portfolio Manager

Fisher Funds Management Limited

James Hardie (JHX) (-15%) has released no material

information of its own in the month, but it has been impacted

by negative house builder sentiment in its core US market.

Uncertainty from interest rate volatility and the US election

has weighed on the results of some large US builders. They

have referenced a softer September Quarter for earnings

and have also adopted a more cautious stance when looking

out to the rest of the FY25 year. JHX reports its September

Quarter result in November, and we will be meeting with

management to talk through the various themes and issues

influencing its near-term earnings. Longer term, we think its

outlook remains bright.

Portfolio Changes

We reduced our weighting in Wisetech following the

management changes during the month.

2

8

%

CONSUMER

DISCRETIONARY

INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY


HEALTH CARE


CASH &

DERIVATIVES

OCTOBER’S SIGNIFICANT RETURNS IMPACTING
THE PORTFOLIO

during the month in Australian dollar terms

REA GROUP

+13

%

CREDIT CORP

+12

%

WOOLWORTHS

-10

%

JAMES HARDIE

-15

%

WISTECH

-14

%

5 LARGEST PORTFOLIO POSITIONS as at 31 October 2024

WISETECH

8

%

CSL LIMITED

10

%

SEEK

6

%

AUB GROUP

5

%

MACQUARIE GROUP

5

%

The remaining portfolio is made up of another 20 stocks and cash.

1 Month3 Months1 Year3 Years

(annualised)

5 Years

(annualised)

Company Performance

Total Shareholder Return+2.3%(4.8%)+8.5%(2.1%)+11.2%

Adjusted NAV Return(0.9%)+2.0%+29.7%+5.7%+11.6%

Portfolio Performance

Gross Performance Return(0.7%)+2.7%+33.0%+7.8%+14.3%

Benchmark Index^(0.9%)+2.3%+26.2%+9.2%+8.9%

PERFORMANCE to 31 October 2024

3

TOTAL SHAREHOLDER RETURN to 31 October 2024

^Benchmark Index: S&P/ASX 200 Index (hedged 70% to NZD)

Non–GAAP Financial Information

Barramundi uses non–GAAP measures, including adjusted net asset value, adjusted NAV return, gross performance return and total shareholder return. The rationale for using such non–GAAP measures is as follows:

»adjusted net asset value – the underlying value of the investment portfolio adjusted for dividends (and other capital management initiatives) and after expenses, fees and tax,

»adjusted NAV return – the percentage change in the adjusted NAV,

»gross performance return – the Manager’s portfolio performance in terms of stock selection and currency hedging before expenses, fees and tax, and

»total shareholder return – the return combines the share price performance, the warrant price performance, the net value of converting any warrants into shares, and the dividends paid to shareholders. It

assumes all dividends are reinvested in the company’s dividend reinvestment plan, and that shareholders exercise their warrants, (if they were in the money), at warrant expiry date.

All references to adjusted net asset value, adjusted NAV return, gross performance return and total shareholder return in this monthly update are to such non–GAAP measures. The calculations applied to non–GAAP

measures are described in the Barramundi Non–GAAP Financial Information Policy. A copy of the policy is available at barramundi.co.nz/about-barramundi/barramundi-policies.

Share Price/Total Shareholder Return

$4.00

$3.50

$3.00

$2.50

$2.00

$1.50

$1.00

$0.50

$0.00

Oct

2006

Oct

2007

Oct

2011

Oct

2013

Oct

2014

Oct

2015

Oct

2008

Oct

2009

Oct

2010

Oct

2016

Oct

2020

Oct

2012

Oct

2022

Share Price Total Shareholder Return

Oct

2017

Oct

2018

Oct

2019

Oct

2021

Oct

2023

Oct

2024

Disclaimer: The information in this update has been prepared as at the date noted on the front page. The information has been prepared as a general summary of the matters covered only, and it is by
necessity brief. The information and opinions are based upon sources which are believed to be reliable, but Barramundi Limited and its officers and directors make no representation as to its accuracy or

completeness. The update is not intended to constitute professional or investment advice and should not be relied upon in making any investment decisions. Professional financial advice from a financial

adviser should be taken before making an investment. To the extent that the update contains data relating to the historical performance of Barramundi Limited or its portfolio companies, please note that

fund performance can and will vary and that future results may have no correlation with results historically achieved.

Barramundi Limited

Private Bag 93502, Takapuna, Auckland 0740

Phone: +64 9 489 7074

Email: enquire@barramundi.co.nz | www.barramundi.co.nz

4

Computershare Investor Services Limited

Private Bag 92119, Auckland 1142

Phone: +64 9 488 8777

Email: enquiry@computershare.co.nz | www.computershare.com/nz

ABOUT BARRAMUNDI

Barramundi is an investment

company listed on the New Zealand

Stock Exchange. The company

gives shareholders an opportunity

to invest in a diversified portfolio

of between 20 and 35 quality

growing Australian companies

through a single, professionally

managed investment. The aim of

Barramundi is to offer investors

competitive returns through capital

growth and dividends.

CAPITAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Regular Dividends

»Quarterly distribution policy introduced in

August 2009

»Under this policy, 2% of average NAV is targeted to be

paid to shareholders quarterly

»Dividends paid by Barramundi may include dividends

received, interest income, investment gains and/or

return of capital

»Shareholders who prefer to have increased capital rather

than a regular income stream have the opportunity to

participate in the company’s dividend reinvestment plan

(DRP)

»Shares issued to DRP participants are at a 3% discount

to market price

»Barramundi became a portfolio investment entity on

1 October 2007. As a result, dividends paid to New

Zealand tax resident shareholders have not been subject

to further tax

MANAGEMENT

The Manager has authority delegated

to it from the Board to invest according

to the Management Agreement and

other written policies. Barramundi’s

portfolio is managed by Fisher Funds

Management Limited. Robbie Urquhart

(Senior Portfolio Manager), Terry Tolich

and Delano Gallagher (Senior Investment

Analysts) have prime responsibility for

managing the Barramundi portfolio.

Together they have significant combined

experience and are very capable of

researching and investing in the quality

Australian companies that Barramundi

targets. Fisher Funds is based in

Takapuna, Auckland.

BOARD

The Board of Barramundi

comprises independent

directors Andy Coupe (Chair),

Carol Campbell, David

McClatchy and Fiona Oliver.

Share Buyback Programme

»Barramundi has a buyback programme in place allowing

it (if it elects to do so) to acquire its shares on market

»Shares bought back by the company are held as treasury

stock

»Shares held as treasury stock are available to be utilised

for the dividend reinvestment plan

Warrants

»Warrants put Barramundi in a better position to grow

further, operate efficiently, and pursue other capital

structure initiatives as appropriate

»A warrant is the right, not the obligation, to purchase an

ordinary share in Barramundi at a fixed price on a fixed

date

»There are currently no Barramundi warrants on issue

Data sourced from publicly available filings. Our datasets may not be complete. Automated analysis can produce errors. If you believe any data on this page is incorrect, please contact us at hello@nzxplorer.co.nz. For informational purposes only. Not investment advice.