Fund Information / Factsheet • Apr 19, 2021
Fund Information / Factsheet
Open in ViewerOpens in native device viewer
Portfolio Manager
Trevor M. Polischuk Sven H. Borho
To invest in the global healthcare sector with the objective of achieving a high level of capital growth. In order to achieve its investment objective, the Company invests worldwide in a diversified portfolio of shares in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and related securities in the healthcare sector. It uses gearing, and derivative transactions to enhance returns and mitigate risk. Performance is measured against the MSCI World Health Care Index (net total return, sterling adjusted).
Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise and is not guaranteed; an investor may receive back less than the original amount invested.
Share Price (total return) +124.6%
Benchmark: MSCI World Health Care Index (net total return; sterling adjusted) +80.5%
Source: Morningstar, Benchmark - Bloomberg
In March, the NAV per share was unchanged, the share price was down 0.7%, and the MSCI World Health Care Index was up 3.5%%.
Global equities reached all-time highs in March. Whilst volatility to start the month was moderate, the Volatility Index (the "VIX") ended the month at a 52-week low. Technology stocks led U.S. indices higher whilst European equities advanced even more than their U.S. counterparts. Global healthcare stocks also moved higher but lagged the broader markets. For the third consecutive month thus far in calendar year 2021, macro factors largely dictated trading dynamics and performance. The Company's returns in March underperformed the benchmark for one primary reason: allocation effect in both newer, emerging Biotechnology stocks and Emerging Market stocks. Both are strategic overweight sectors for the Company, but both experienced significant drawdowns in the period that resulted in approximately 150 basis points of underperformance apiece.
For emerging Biotechnology stocks, the large shift in the factor trade from momentum to value created significant selling pressure for this sub-sector. To note, the SPDR Biotech ETF (aka the "XBI") declined by more than 8% (local currency) in the month. Overall weakness in the Emerging Markets healthcare segment in March was mainly due to some rotational profit taking. Mixed full year earnings results also led to the weak sentiment in the period as some blue-chip names generally reported solid earnings while others saw a slower-than-expected operational recovery from COVID-19.
The top contributor to performance were, collectively, Managed Care stocks (a sub-set of the Healthcare Providers/Services sector), such as UnitedHealth, Anthem, and Humana. These stocks had a strong March as companies noted in various conference presentations/investor days that healthcare utilization was trending better than expected. Additionally, the group was regarded as a beneficiary of a rising interest rate environment and market rotation into value stocks.
Looking ahead – once again – we hope for a return of investor interest in industry fundamentals as healthcare valuations continue to compress and look very compelling to us. April will bring a new quarterly reporting period which could rekindle interest.
Any opinions on individual stocks are those of the Company's Portfolio Manager and no reliance should be given on any such views. Any research in this document has been procured and may have been acted upon by OrbiMed Capital LLC for its own purposes. The results are being made available to you only incidentally. The views expressed herein do not constitute investment or any other advice and are subject to change. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Frostrow Capital LLP and no assurances are made as to their accuracy.
This document is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer or invitation to purchase shares in the Company and has not been prepared in connection with any such offer or invitation. Before investing in the Company, or any other investment product, you should satisfy yourself as to its suitability and the risks involved, and you may wish to consult a financial adviser.
Any return you receive depends on future market performance and is uncertain. The Company does not seek any protection from future market performance so you could lose some or all of your investment. For information on the principal risks the Company is exposed to please refer to the Company's Annual Report or Investor Disclosure Document available at www.worldwidewh.com.
Shares in the Company are bought and sold on the London Stock Exchange. The price you pay or receive, like other listed shares, is determined by supply and demand and may be at a discount or premium to the underlying net asset value of the Company. Usually, at any given time, the price you pay for a share will be higher than the price you could sell it.
The Company has increased its exposure to investments via the use of an overdraft facility and derivatives, and this could potentially magnify any losses or gains made by the Company. The Annual Report and Investor Disclosure Document, available on the Company's website, include further details on the use of, and exposure to, derivatives.
Sven H. Borho, CFA, is a founder and Managing Partner of OrbiMed. Sven heads the public equity team and is the portfolio manager for OrbiMed's public equity and hedge funds. He has been a portfolio manager since 1993 and has played an integral role in the growth of OrbiMed's asset management activities. Sven started his career in 1991 when he joined OrbiMed's predecessor firm as a Senior Analyst covering European pharmaceutical firms and biotechnology companies worldwide. He studied business administration at Bayreuth University in Germany and received a M.Sc. (Econs.), Accounting and Finance, from The London School of Economics; he is a citizen of both Germany and Sweden.
Trevor M. Polischuk, Ph.D., is a Partner at OrbiMed focused on the global pharmaceutical industry. Trevor joined OrbiMed in 2003 and became a Partner in 2011. Previously, he worked at Lehman Brothers as a Senior Research Analyst covering the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. Trevor began his career at Warner Lambert as a member of the Global Marketing Planning team within Parke-Davis. Trevor holds a Doctorate in Neuropharmacology & Gross Human Anatomy and an M.B.A. from Queen's University, Canada.
OrbiMed Capital LLC (OrbiMed) is owned by six principals, including Sven Borho who have between them many years' experience of investing in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and healthcare sectors. The U.S. based company has over 80 investment professionals who carry out extensive research, involving company visits and evaluating the commercial and scientific prospects for individual drugs. OrbiMed is registered as an investment adviser under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). SEC registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
The Company offers a superior UK-listed opportunity for capital appreciation through a diversified portfolio of worldwide pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare equipment, and healthcare services companies. The Portfolio Manager seeks to reduce risk through extensive fundamental research, worldwide exposure, position limits, and balanced market capitalisations. The Company's investment policy allows gearing, through borrowing, of up to 20% of net assets and a net exposure to derivative investments (excluding swaps) of up to 5% of the portfolio. Equity swaps may also be used, counterparty exposure here is limited to 12% of the portfolio at the time of acquisition. Unquoted securities will not exceed 10% of the portfolio at the time of acquisition.
The Directors have adopted an active discount management policy to establish and support an improved rating in the Company's shares through the use of share buybacks, with a view to limiting the discount to the ex income NAV per share at which the shares trade to no more than 6%. Shares bought back may be held in treasury for reissue at later dates at not more than the discount at which they were purchased, and in any event at a discount no greater than 5% to the prevailing cum income net asset value per share. Any shares left in treasury are cancelled around the time of the AGM. In order to stop the share price trading at a significant premium to the NAV per share, the Company has the ability to issue new shares at a 0.7% premium to the cum income NAV per share.
Worldwide Healthcare Trust PLC conducts its affairs so that its shares can be recommended by independent financial advisers ("IFAs") to retail private investors. The shares are excluded from the Financial Conduct Authority's ("FCA's") restrictions which apply to non-mainstream investment products because they are shares in a UK-listed investment trust.
| 10 Largest Holdings as at 31 March 2021* | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- | -- | ------------------------------------------ | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Name | Region | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol-Myers Squibb | North America | 5.7 |
| Merck & Co | North America | 5.6 |
| Boston Scientific | North America | 4.8 |
| AstraZeneca | United Kingdom | 4.2 |
| Horizon Therapeutics | North America | 3.9 |
| Vertex Pharmaceuticals | North America | 3.2 |
| Mirati Therapeutics | North America | 3.1 |
| Natera | North America | 3.1 |
| AbbVie | North America | 2.9 |
| UnitedHealth | North America | 2.8 |
| Total | 39.3 |
| Pharmaceutical | 30.1 | North America | 66.8 | Equities | 89.7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biotechnology | 29.6 | Emerging Markets | 17.9 | Equity Swaps | 5.7 |
| Healthcare Providers/Services | 16.3 | Europe | 13.6 | Unquoteds | 4.6 |
| Healthcare Equipment/Supplies | 16.0 | Asia | 1.7 | Total | 100.0 |
| Life Sciences/Tools & Services | 7.4 | Total | 100.0 | ||
| Variable Interest | 0.4 | ||||
| Healthcare Technology | 0.2 | ||||
| Total | 100.0 |
*Calculation based on economic exposure and expressed as a % of the total economic exposure. This includes all derivatives as an economically equivalent position in the underlying holding.
**Geographical analysis based on country of primary listing.
***Unquoted securities will not exceed 10% of the portfolio at the time of acquisition.
Source: All portfolio information sourced from Frostrow Capital LLP. Analysis excludes cash and cash equivalents, including liquidity funds.
| Percentage Growth | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | YTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAV | 5.2 | 16.5 | -3.8 | 31.9 | 20.0 | -0.1 |
| Share Price | 10.1 | 20.7 | -5.0 | 32.3 | 19.9 | -0.8 |
| Benchmark | 11.2 | 9.4 | 8.8 | 18.4 | 10.3 | -0.4 |
| Percentage Growth 12 Month Return |
Mar 16- Mar 17 |
Mar 17- Mar 18 |
Mar 18- Mar 19 |
Mar 19- Mar 20 |
Mar 20- Mar 21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAV | 29.0 | 2.8 | 13.7 | 6.5 | 28.9 |
| Share Price | 35.5 | 5.3 | 14.3 | 8.0 | 27.4 |
| Benchmark | 24.5 | -2.4 | 21.1 | 5.7 | 16.0 |
Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise and is not guaranteed. An investor may receive back less than the original amount invested.
Source: NAV (total return; fully diluted) & share price (total return) – Morningstar. Benchmark - Bloomberg.
Worldwide Healthcare Trust PLC (the Company) is a public limited company whose shares are premium listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and is registered with HMRC as an investment trust.
The Company has an indeterminate life, although shareholders consider and vote on the continuation of the Company every five years (the next such vote will be held in 2024).
This financial promotion is issued by Frostrow Capital LLP which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA").
The MSCI information (relating to the Benchmark) may only be used for your internal use, may not be reproduced or redisseminated in any form and may not be used as a basis for or a component of any financial instruments or products or indices. None of the MSCI information is intended to constitute investment advice or a recommendation to make (or refrain from making) any kind of investment decision and may not be relied on as such. Historical data and analysis should not be taken as an indication or guarantee of any future performance analysis, forecast or prediction. The MSCI information is provided on an "as is" basis and the user of this information assumes the entire risk of any use made of this information. MSCI, each of its affiliates and each other person involved in or related to compiling, computing or creating any MSCI information (collectively, the "MSCI Parties") expressly disclaims all warranties (including, without limitation, any warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, non-infringement, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose) with respect to this information. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall any MSCI Party have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, punitive, consequential (including, without limitation lost profits) or any other damages. (www.msci.com).
| Fast Facts | as at 31 March 2021 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIC Sector | Biotechnology & Healthcare | ||||
| Launch Date & appointment of Portfolio Manager |
April 1995 | ||||
| Annual Management Fee (payable by the Company): 0.65% of net assets plus 0.30% of market cap. up to £150m; in the range £150m to £500m 0.2%; in the range £500m to £1bn 0.15%; in the range £1bn to £1.5bn 0.125%; over £1.5bn 0.075% plus £57,500 |
|||||
| Performance Fee | See Annual Report for details |
||||
| Ongoing charges* | 0.9% | ||||
| Continuation Vote | th 2024 AGM and every 5 AGM thereafter |
||||
| Year / Half Year | 31 March / 30 September |
||||
| Capital Structure | 64,310,255 shares |
*Calculated at the financial year end, includes management fees and all other operating expenses, and excludes performance fees.
| Number of Holdings | 80 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Net Assets (£m) | 2,361.4 | ||
| Market Capitalisation (£m) | 2,376.3 | ||
| Dividends | Provisional payment dates: January & July |
||
| Indicative Yield | 0.7% | ||
| Gearing | 1.8% | ||
| Leverage** | Gross 109.2% Commitment 107.5% |
||
| Share Price (p) | 3695.00 | ||
| NAV(p) (cum income) 3671.91 |
|||
| 0.6% Premium / (Discount) |
|||
| ** The Board has set the maximum leverage limit for both the Gross and the Commitment basis at 140% of the Company's Net Asset Value. |
| Sedol | 0338530 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISIN | GB0003385308 | ||||
| Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) 5493003YBCY4W1IMJU04 |
|||||
| Global Intermediary Identification Number | |||||
| (GIIN) | FIZWRN.99999.SL.826 | ||||
| Bloomberg | WWH LN | ||||
| EPIC | WWH |
Frostrow Capital LLP 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC2A 1AL Tel.: 0203 0084910 Fax: 0203 0438889 Website: www.frostrow.com Email: [email protected]
Building tools?
Free accounts include 100 API calls/year for testing.
Have a question? We'll get back to you promptly.