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REG-The Diverse Income Trust Plc: Annual Financial Report

THE DIVERSE INCOME TRUST PLC

 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR TO 31 MAY 2025

 

AND

 

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

 

The Diverse Income Trust plc (the “Company”, “Diverse” or the
“Trust”) announces its annual results for the year ended 31 May 2025 and
the publication of its annual report and accounts for the same period (the
“Annual Report”), which includes the notice of Annual General Meeting.

 

THE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

 

 Net Asset Value – Year to 31 May 2025 *14    2025%  2024%  
 NAV Total Return                             12.8   16.5   
 Deutsche Numis All Share (Comparator Index)  9.7    15.6   
 Peer Group 2                                 8.8    15.6   

 

 Average discount to NAV +14  Period                       %      
                              Year to 31 May 2025          (7.1)  
                              Year to 31 May 2024          (7.1)  
                              Since launch to 31 May 2025  (1.2)  

 

 Dividend growth +1 ↑5.9%    Period               p     
                             Year to 31 May 2025  4.50  
                             Year to 31 May 2024  4.25  

 

 Ongoing charges +14 ↓(0.01)%    Period               %     
                                 Year to 31 May 2025  1.13  
                                 Year to 31 May 2024  1.14  

 

 NAV per ordinary share + ↑7.9%    Period               p       
                                   Year to 31 May 2025  106.69  
                                   Year to 31 May 2024  98.87   

 

 Net Asset Value Total Return – Since launch to 31 May 2025 *    %      
 NAV total return                                                264.6  
 Deutsche Numis All Share (Comparator Index)                     140.1  
 Peer Group 2                                                    210.4  

 

 Share price total return *3 ↑8.1%    Period               %     
                                      Year to 31 May 2025  20.8  
                                      Year to 31 May 2024  12.7  

 

 Revenue return per ordinary share +4 ↑11.4%    Period               p    
                                                Year to 31 May 2025  4.9  
                                                Year to 31 May 2024  4.4  

 

 

* Source: Morningstar.

† Source: Company.

1 KPI, defined in the Glossary.

2 Defined in the Glossary.

3 Defined in the Glossary.

4 Alternative performance measure.

 

CHAIR’S STATEMENT

 

“The Company delivered a net asset value total return of 12.8%, ahead of the
UK market’s total return of 9.7%, alongside a 5.9% rise in the total
dividend, which exceeded the 3.4% rise in UK consumer price inflation.”

 

Introduction

 

The past year has seen 2024’s limited green shoots in the UK economy wilt
under the influences of tax increases and other confidence-sapping policy
initiatives by the Labour government, allied to uncertainties on the world
stage centred on the US government’s planned or imagined changes in import
tariffs.

 

The overall effect has been to put a brake on companies’ plans to hire and
invest, owing to the lack of clarity over government attitudes to business and
the uncertainties affecting global trade. Repeated policy gyrations have
encouraged equity markets to put aside much of the bluster in the tariff
debate, with a degree of rotation out of the hitherto dominant US market,
allied to weakness in the US dollar, enabling the UK and other European
markets to deliver more competitive total returns. Declining interest rates
have improved financial conditions, while a sharp rise in the UK consumer’s
saving rate offers potential for an improvement in domestic growth, assuming
the increase is not eaten up by further tax rises.

 

Returns to shareholders and performance

 

The Company delivered a net asset value total return of 12.8%, strong in
absolute terms and ahead of the UK market’s total return (as measured by the
Deutsche Numis All Share index) of 9.7% and that of the Company’s peer group
(the Morningstar UK Equity Income sector) which returned 8.8%. The share price
total return of 20.8% was also better than the peer group’s (12.4%).

 

The Trust’s Revenue Earnings per Share increased by 12.0% this year to
4.87p. The Trust increased its dividend to shareholders by 5.9% this year from
4.25p to 4.50p, which includes the three interim payments already declared and
a recommended final dividend of 1.35p to be approved at the AGM. The rise is
well ahead of the 3.4% rate of UK consumer price inflation to May 2025.

 

This return was achieved despite smaller companies and AIM stocks, in which
much of the Company’s portfolio is typically invested, continuing to lag the
wider market and underlines the importance of stock selection even in the more
positive conditions that have begun to characterise the UK market’s absolute
and relative performance during the second half of the reporting period.

 

Smaller capitalisation stocks delivered only half as much (+5.0%), while AIM
stocks continued to be sidelined, the Deutsche Numis AIM index seeing a
decline of 6.4%.

 

Twelve month total returns of the Trust and various Deutsche Numis indices

 

                                                    %      
 NAV Total Return                                   12.8   
 Deutsche Numis All Share Index                     9.7    
 Deutsche Numis Small Cap Index ex ICs**            5.0    
 Deutsche Numis Alternative Markets Index ex ICs**  (6.4)  

 

** Investment
Companies                                  
Source: Morningstar

 

Market valuation and share redemptions

 

Although the disinvesting trend from UK equities by domestic investors has not
materially improved, increases in UK allocations by international investors
have contributed to an improved relative performance by the UK market,
spreading beyond the main internal sectors dominant in the top 100 index.
Some, at least, are beginning to see opportunity in the UK’s laggard status,
rather than chasing the momentum available elsewhere.

 

With the improved sentiment towards UK equities, together with a number of
shareholder activists taking advantage of prevailing wide discounts in the
investment trust sector, discounts narrowed somewhat from the wide levels seen
in mid-2024. The Company’s annual redemption opportunity means that
shareholders have been protected from the more extreme widening seen elsewhere
but the improving overall trend saw the Trust’s discount* narrow from 9.6%
to 3.5% over the year to 31 May 2025, helped by a strong performance.

 

Each year the board offers shareholders a voluntary redemption opportunity.
This year, the date was moved from a redemption point at the end of May to the
end of August, in order to avoid accounting and administrative complications
over the Company’s year-end. At 29th July 2025, 72,822,392 shares were
offered for redemption, representing 30.8% of the Trust’s equity. A further
announcement setting out the redemption details will be made shortly after the
redemption point, being 29th August 2025.

 

Since the Trust was launched in 2011, the voluntary redemption mechanism has
worked effectively, with the Trust’s share price on average trading at a
1.6% discount to its NAV.

 

*Alternative performance measure

 

Board succession

 

Calum Thomson, the Chair of the Audit Committee, will reach nine years as a
Director during the Trust’s current financial year and will stand down at
the AGM in October 2026. Accordingly, the Board expects to initiate a formal
search process for a successor early in 2026.

 

Prospects

 

The initial market reaction to President Trump’s April 2nd announcement of
widespread tariffs on imports from its trading partners was sharply negative.
This reflected the rational view that precipitately changing the rules of
international trade would be disruptive to trade patterns and individual
businesses in unpredictable ways, as well as increasing inflation in the US.
The subsequent recovery in equity markets has been in reaction to the US
concluding deals with a number of trading partners as well as rowing back on
the extent and timing of the proposed tariffs.

 

The recovery in markets is broadly rational, with the significant caveat that
misjudgements may be made by the US or others in treating international
diplomacy as a game of bluff and negotiating tactics. A recession or a rise in
inflation could be the result.

 

The rise in defence spending and the general global decline in interest rates
are tailwinds for economic activity and risk-taking, while recent US policy
changes appear to have encouraged investors to diversify their investments
more widely beyond the expensively rated US equity market and, within it, the
premium rated major technology companies. This has been to the benefit of
non-US global markets, including the UK (and, more recently, the smaller
companies within it).

 

From launch in April 2011 to the end of May 2025, Diverse Income Trust has
delivered a NAV total return of 264.6% and a share price total return of
239.9%, while by comparison the UK equity market’s total return was 140.1%
over the same period and UK consumer prices rose 48.5%. The Company would be a
particular beneficiary of a revival in UK small cap, and particularly AIM,
stocks, both markets where valuations have fallen to historically low levels.
Whilst everyone should do their own research, our managers believe that
valuation, fund flows and fundamentals are particularly well aligned to reward
our investors in coming years, with outperformance resuming more recently,
after the uncertainties spanning the Brexit process, the Covid crisis and the
peak in the US tech boom, all of which led investors to focus elsewhere.

 

Andrew Bell

Chair

12 August 2025

 

 

MANAGER’S REPORT

 

Who are the fund managers that have day-to-day responsibility for the makeup
of the Trust’s portfolio?

 

Gervais Williams

Gervais joined Miton in March 2011 and is now Head of Equities in Premier
Miton. He has been an equity fund manager since 1985, including 17 years at
Gartmore. He was named Fund Manager of the Year by What Investment? in 2014.
Gervais is also the President of the Quoted Companies Alliance member of the
AIM Advisory Council.

 

Martin Turner

Martin joined Miton in May 2011. Martin and Gervais have had a close working
relationship since 2004, with complementary expertise that led them to back a
series of successful companies. Martin qualified as a Chartered Accountant
with Arthur Anderson and had senior roles and extensive experience at Merrill
Lynch and Collins Stewart.

 

Market trends over the past decade

 

Over the last ten years, global stock markets may have risen, but their
returns look rather pedestrian when compared with the returns of very large US
technology stocks. The seven largest, known as the Magnificent Seven, ‘Mag
7’, have risen by a giant 2,589.6% in Sterling terms over the period.
Returns of this magnitude have depressed the returns of all comparators, as
investors have withdrawn capital from all other global equities to participate
in this rise.

 

In addition, in rapidly rising markets, the returns from equity income stocks
often appreciate less rapidly than the more volatile share prices of
growth-oriented companies, with the result that the UK stock market, as
measured by the Deutsche Numis All Share Index, has risen only 78.3% over the
last ten years. With capital being withdrawn to participate in the Mag7, the
returns from UK-quoted small caps were even more modest, with the Deutsche
Numis Mid Cap and Small Cap Indices rising by only 64.9% and 71.1%
respectively, and the Deutsche Numis Alternative Markets Index up just 9.7%
(all indices quoted in total return terms).

 

Market trends over the year to May 2025

 

Over the 12 months to May 2025, the return from the Mag7 was 21.4% but
followed a return of 26.1% in the first six months to November 2024. In other
words, Mag7 returns have been much weaker since ‘Liberation Day’ on 2
April when President Trump set out the trade tariffs he intended to charge on
US imports.

 

Even as US stock market returns became less buoyant over the last few months
of the Trust’s financial year, UK OEIC redemptions have persisted. Hence,
over the period under review, the Deutsche Numis Small Cap plus AIM Index ex
ICs Index appreciated by only 1.1%, with the Deutsche Numis All Share Index up
9.7%.

 

Changes to the portfolio

 

During the year, with the number of UK takeovers increasing, the holdings in
I3 Energy, Inspired Energy and wealth manager STM Group were sold from the
portfolio. In addition, significant profits were taken from positions in BAE
Systems, IG Group - an online financial trading company - Mears Group (local
authority housing maintenance), packaging group Smurfit Kappa, and System1, a
global market research provider.

 

The largest new holding bought in the period was Greatland Gold, a UK listed,
Australian gold miner, together with Lloyds Bank, and OSB Group, formerly
known as One Savings Bank. Other significant new holdings were Aberdeen Group,
(owners of interactive investor), B&M European Value Retail, Gaming Realms,
Natwest Group, and Thor Exploration, a gold exploration company operating in
West Africa.

 

The portfolio was made up of 97 stocks at the year end, compared to a total of
117 holdings twelve months earlier.

 

Changes to the portfolio industry sector weightings

 

Over the year to May, the weighting in the Financial Industry sector rose from
35% to 41%, in part as a result of the strong performance of a number of
individual stocks. The change was also due to an increase in the weighting of
the Banks sub sector from 1% to 5%. Interestingly, the global industry
classification standard, “GICS”, includes neither the new OSB holding nor
the holding in Vanquis Banking Group, a credit card and loan provider, both of
which we consider to be Banks, so the portfolio’s weighting in Banks may be
considered to have increased to 7%. The weightings in the other Financial
industry sector categories - Financial Services and Insurance - were only
modestly higher.

 

Consumer Discretionary weightings also increased from 6% to 9%, as many small
holdings started in the previous year were built up into full holdings.
Examples include AO World, which sells home appliances, the radiator
manufacturer, Stelrad, Victorian Plumbing and Wickes.

 

The portfolio weighting in Energy fell from 11% to 8% in part due to
disappointing returns from oil and gas company Savannah Energy, which failed
in its attempt to make an acquisition that had been expected to greatly
enhance earnings.

 

The Real Estate weighting fell from 5% to 3% as holdings in LondonMetric,
Property Franchise and Helical were sold.

 

The Trust’s returns

 

As highlighted above, over the year to May 2025, UK-quoted small caps have
underperformed the UK majors. Had the large proportion of Trust’s portfolio
invested in UK-quoted small caps performed in line with the small cap indices,
then its return would have considerably lagged behind that of the Peer Group.

 

As it was, over the year to May 2025, the NAV total return of the Trust bucked
this trend and rose 12.8%, which compares favourably with the Deutsche Numis
All Share Index total return of 9.7%, the Deutsche Numis Smaller Companies
Plus AIM Index return of 1.1% and the UK Equity Income Peer Group, return of
8.8%.

 

The underperformance of UK-quoted small caps in the main over the last few
years has built up to a point where, since the Trust’s launch in April 2011,
the Deutsche Numis Smaller Companies Plus AIM Index has generated a total
return of only ex ICs 113.2%, compared with the Deutsche Numis All Share total
return of 140.1%.

 

As with the year under review, since launch the Trust’s portfolio has
generated considerable added value, and hence its return since April 2011 has
been 264.6%. This also compares favourably with the 210.4% return from the
Peer Group. As their portfolios, in general, have many fewer small cap
holdings, their added value would appear to have been considerably less.

 

What were the principal contributors and detractors to the Trust’s
performance during the 2025 financial year?

 

 Largest 5 contributors to performance  %       
 Pan African Resources Plc              1.86    
 Greatland Gold Plc                     1.62    
 Galliford TryHoldings Plc              1.51    
 Concurrant Technologies Plc            1.49    
 XPS Pensions Group Plc                 1.49    
                                                
 Largest 5 detractors from performance  %       
 Savannah Energy Plc                    (1.75)  
 Zotefoams Plc                          (0.70)  
 Conygar Investment Company Plc         (0.64)  
 CT Automotive Group Plc                (0.57)  
 Man Group Plc/Jersey                   (0.56)  
 Source: Premier Miton                          

 

Outlook

 

Traditionally, global economies have periods of expansion, with intervening
periods of recession. Investment in productivity improvement is tested during
recessions, such that only the genuinely productive survive. The cycle of
expansion and setback usually favours better managed corporates and in doing
so drives long-term improvement. Importantly, ongoing long-term productivity
improvements are then reflected in wage growth that exceeds inflation.

 

The economic pattern has been different during globalisation. In general, the
near unlimited surge of low-cost imports has offset local service price
inflation, such that in many developed economies inflation has been benign for
decades.

 

During economic setbacks, for instance the Global Financial Crisis in 2008,
and Covid in 2020, inflationary pressures were not generally feared, and
central banks resolved these crises by injecting substantial financial
stimulus, with the result that relatively few corporates failed. The net
effect was that during globalisation, global productivity improvement was
sub-normal. Furthermore, following the widespread introduction of the policy
of Quantitative Easing in 2009, the additional distortion this brought to
market prices may explain why productivity has generally flatlined
subsequently.

 

Furthermore, given the absence of meaningful productivity improvements since
2008, the wages of many staff have not increased ahead of inflation. In our
view it is the absence of wage improvement that explains why, even prior to
Covid, many of the electorate started voting against the status quo. Over
recent years, with the surge in inflationary pressures, many voters now
believe that a major change in government policy is even more urgent.

 

Given this background, we believe that the economic trends that drove the
outstanding returns of the US technology megacaps have come to an end.
Furthermore, we also believe there will be weighty consequences to come from
the introduction of US trade tariffs. Indeed, given the scale of the
proposals, we anticipate equally meaningful unintended consequences.

 

Whilst the timings of specifics are somewhat unknowable, we believe that in
the absence of near-unlimited deflating goods, central banks will routinely
have to address periods of both excess inflation and deflation. These will
lead either to a major setback in corporate profit margins or a derating of
equities, possibly both. From a business perspective this implies a much more
severe period of corporate insolvency, with even some of the survivors
potentially delivering poor returns.

 

Equity income stocks have a disproportionate advantage when equity market
liquidity is tight. Whilst most corporates need to focus on cashflow survival,
companies generating surplus cashflow can acquire overindebted, but otherwise
solvent companies, debt-free from the receiver, for almost nothing. As a
result, during recessions we anticipate many quoted equity income stocks will
accelerate their earnings growth via acquisition. And as the maths works so
much better down the market capitalisation range, certain small caps will make
relatively substantial acquisitions at almost no cost, potentially delivering
transformational upgrades in their earnings.

 

The bottom line is that in contrast to much of the period to date, we believe
the Trust’s strategy will be the beneficiary of a strong market tailwind in
future. Furthermore, if we can continue to add further value via careful stock
selection, then the Trust’s investment case appears to be immensely strong.
We believe it is the best we have seen for thirty years.

 

“As globalization fades, Trusts that deliver a major proportion of their
return via cash dividends, such as Diverse, appear set to outpace those with
greater reliance on buoyant stock markets and NAV appreciation.”

 

The Investment Managers’ view of benefits and opportunities in the UK

 

Q. Why was the Trust set up with a focus on equity income stocks?

 

Stock market share prices fluctuate all the time. Hence, over an annual
reporting cycle, the NAV of a trust may increase by a large percentage, or
suffer a setback, with rises in some years offset in part by falls in others.

 

Importantly in this context, the return provided by the Trust’s stream of
dividend payments provides a sustained and - to date - an ever-increasing
stream of dividend cashflow, helping to ensure both strength and consistency
of total return.

 

Q. Given your focus on the Trust’s dividend income, how has its trajectory
compared with that of the UK stock market?

 

The Trust’s ordinary dividends have grown steadily since launch. In
2020-2021, when many portfolio companies cut their dividends as a result of
the pandemic leading to a decline in the Trust’s annual

revenue, this temporary setback was countered by drawing upon reserves built
up in prior years, enabling the Trust to continue to pay increased dividends.
Since that date the Trust’s revenue has fully recovered, and its annual
revenue and dividends have continued to grow. This is in contrast to dividend
income paid by the UK stock market, which, having fallen in 2020, has not yet
recovered to its 2019 peak.

 

Q. To what degree might the Trust’s potential long-term total return be
compromised by pursuing a good and growing income strategy?

 

During recessions companies often run short of ready cash, which may force
them to sell parts of the group at distressed valuations. In the most indebted
cases, insolvency may result, leading them to be sold debt-free, often for a
nominal sum, by the receiver. Companies with an abundance of surplus cash with
which to acquire such businesses may see their own growth rates accelerate,
leading in turn to strong outperformance.

 

During periods of economic expansion, and the benign inflation that prevailed
during globalisation, central banks and governments were able to shelter
corporates deploying more aggressive tactics during economic setbacks, such
that relatively few ran short of cash. We would argue that the potential
downside risks that come with these more aggressive strategies have not been
apparent for many years.

 

With the resurgence in nationalism, however, more testing economic downturns
may once more become a regular feature.

 

In this environment, we believe that the benefits of an equity income strategy
will become better appreciated, especially if it outperforms those with more
aggressive characteristics by a wide margin.

 

We believe that the success of an investment strategy can only be properly
assessed following a testing economic setback as well as during periods of
growth, and that as such the full advantages of the Trust’s strategy have
yet to become apparent. Nonetheless, since issue the Trust has been one of the
best performers in its Peer Group, but with the advent of nationalism we are
now even more upbeat about its potential.

 

Q. What do you think are the key benefits of the Trust’s multi cap strategy?

 

The Trust’s strategy allows us to consider potential investments in large
quoted companies as well as medium-sized and smaller ones, including many
listed on the Alternative Investment Market. This broad investment universe
includes many younger, immature companies that we expect will succeed in
growing their dividends more rapidly than the market overall.

 

We believe that the Trust’s multicap strategy has enhanced the growth of its
dividend stream and hence helped it to outperform its Peer Group since issue.

 

When corporate expansion is prolific, the risks of restricting the investment
portfolio to a limited universe of quoted companies may not be particularly
evident. If global growth becomes less stable however, then fewer equity
income stocks will be able to continue to pay out good and growing income.
Against such a background we believe that employing a multicap approach has
conspicuous advantages not just in terms of generating a stronger dividend
outcome but also delivering a better total return.

 

Q. So is that why you also consider the industry sector diversification of the
Trust’s portfolio to be important?

 

There are major risks in relying on a small number of very large holdings to
fund a good and growing stream of dividends. Were even a limited number of
individual stocks to cut their dividends, then the Trust might be forced to do
the same in turn. Investing across the full range of industry sectors
typically results in a broader list of portfolio holdings, helps dilute stock
specific risk, and in turn drives greater resilience in the trust’s revenue
stream and dividends.

 

All the industry sectors are usually represented in the portfolio. During the
pandemic for example, the Trust’s holdings in industry sectors such gold
mining and financial asset transactional companies greatly boosted its revenue
and dividend income. A principal reason why the Trust was able to continue to
pay growing dividends was in other words its unusually broad portfolio
diversification by industry sector.

 

Q. With large and mega cap stocks outperforming small caps by such a wide
margin over recent years, do you worry that the Trust’s portfolio holds too
large a weighting in quoted small caps?

 

Over the ten years to May 2025, global stock market indices have risen around
three-fold, which is not unusual. What has been unusual is the supernormal
growth of a small number of global technology mega caps, the Magnificent
Seven. Further boosted by a rise in valuations as capital has flooded into
them, this group has outperformed global stock markets dramatically.

 

Capital flows into the mega caps have typically been funded by withdrawing
capital from other parts of the global stock market. This has depressed the
returns of many mid and large caps, but it has been the valuations of small
caps that have suffered the most.

 

Brexit uncertainties also led many local investors to reallocate UK equity
capital overseas. The combined effect of major capital flows out of small
caps, and out of UK listed equities has consistently weakened the returns of
UK-quoted small caps over recent years.

 

Persistent small cap underperformance of this magnitude is highly unusual.
Whilst the returns of small caps may be outpaced by larger companies at times,
over the longer term it has usually been the case that the smaller a
company’s market capitalisation, the greater its return. Given the scale of
small cap underperformance, some question whether past stock market patterns
have permanently broken down.

 

We argue not. We are greatly reassured by the fact that many small cap stocks
have continued to generate good and growing dividend growth, at odds with the
drawdown of their share prices. We are currently meeting companies whose share
prices we believe could easily rise by three- or five-fold. In our view, small
caps are overdue a giant performance catch-up, and with a majority of the
Trust’s portfolio so invested it should outperform in scale when that
occurs.

 

Q. But does a Trust that principally invests in UK equities really have the
capacity to outperform global stock markets on a long-term basis?

 

While recent returns from the UK stock market have been greatly outpaced by
international stock markets, especially those with technology growth mega
caps, leaving it standing on an unusually low valuation, in our view, it has
the potential to become one of the best performing global stock markets
globally. This is due to the dominance of good and growing income stocks.

 

Prior to globalisation it was the UK stock market’s equity income bias that
in our view led it to outperform the US. Better still, during these
economically unsettled years, UK smallcaps also greatly outperformed
mainstream stocks.

 

So as economic patterns evolve beyond globalisation, we believe that markets
are likely to return to this earlier trend. If so, we believe the Trust has
the potential to greatly outpace the returns of most international
comparatives, including the US.

 

For the avoidance of doubt, our confidence is not based on belief that the
prospects for the UK economy or the UK Government are significantly better,
but is due to the different makeup of the UK stock exchange. It is this factor
that we believe will enhance its returns in a new stock market trend that
could, in our view, last for decades.

 

“We believe that the Trust’s multicap strategy has enhanced the growth of
its dividend stream and hence helped it to outperform the Peer Group since
issue.”

 

Q. Finally, why is meeting company management so important to you in terms of
the make-up of portfolio? You say it has very real benefits.

 

We allocate a huge amount of our time to face-to-face meetings with company
management. Large companies often meet professional investors in group
meetings, which do not facilitate real insight. Posing and noting how
management react to uncomfortable questions – difficult to do in a group
meeting - can add real understanding. Fortunately, further down the market
capitalisation range one-to-one meetings are readily available, and often
therefore yield greater insight as a result.

 

Meetings with our current holdings provide an opportunity to test our
conviction in the light of events that have occurred since purchase. Meetings
with other management teams may offer extra insight into current market
conditions, prompting adjustments to existing holdings. We also meet companies
operating in industry sectors with prospects that are less correlated with the
rest of portfolio, providing a different perspective, and further enhancing
portfolio diversification.

 

We also place considerable emphasis on helping management teams to better
explain the upside potential of their businesses. If successfully
communicated, this can drive improved valuations, in turn making it easier to
accelerate expansion plans through share issues.

 

By pursuing an intensive meeting programme and gathering as much information
about the portfolio holdings as we do, sometimes we are comfortable taking a
risk that others may perceive as excessive, a risk that based on our
additional insight, we consider to be only moderate. And vice versa. We
believe that it is a deeper appreciation of absolute risk that helps us to
scale back unnecessary systemic uncertainty from the portfolio. This is why we
place such a high priority on face-to-face company meetings. It is also why we
have such deep conviction that the Trust has a far stronger chance of
continuing to deliver a return well ahead of its Peer Group, as it has done in
the past.

 

“We believe that the best opportunity for adding value is via listening and
then questioning corporate management teams directly. We therefore seek to
maximise the time we engage with quoted company leadership teams.”

 

Gervais Williams and Martin Turner

 

12 August 2025

 

PORTFOLIO INFORMATION

 

As at 31 May 2025

 

 Rank Company                           Sector & main activity  Valuation £000   % of net assets  Yield * %  
 1 Galliford Try                        Industrials             8,341            3.4              4.1        
 2 TP ICAP                              Financials              7,252            3.0              6.1        
 3 CMC Markets                          Financials              7,060            2.8              3.7        
 4 Concurrent Technologies**            Technology              6,549            2.6              0.5        
 5 AVIVA                                Financials              6,342            2.5              5.8        
 6 XPS Pensions                         Financials              6,151            2.4              2.7        
 7 PayPoint                             Financials              6,113            2.4              5.4        
 8 Pan African Resources**              Basic Materials         5,967            2.4              2.1        
 9 Secure Trust Bank                    Financials              5,350            2.1              4.8        
 10 Plus500                             Financials              4,853            1.9              5.1        
 Top 10 investments                                             63,978           25.5                        
 11 Phoenix                             Financials              4,796            1.9              8.5        
 12 NewRiver REIT                       Real Estate             4,775            1.9              7.8        
 13 Kenmare Resources                   Basic Materials         4,616            1.8              6.3        
 14 H&T**                               Financials              4,527            1.8              2.8        
 15 BT                                  Telecommunications      4,360            1.7              4.5        
 16 Sainsbury (J)                       Consumer Staples        4,133            1.6              7.8        
 17 Greatland Gold**                    Basic Materials         4,129            1.6              -          
 18 Diversified Energy                  Energy                  4,046            1.6              8.5        
 19 Legal and General                   Financials              3,911            1.6              8.6        
 20 Victorian Plumbing**                Consumer Discretionary  3,897            1.5              0.7        
 Top 20 investments                                             107,168          42.5                        
 21 Yu Group**                          Utilities               3,788            1.5              3.9        
 22 Ithaca Energy                       Energy                  3,745            1.5              18.5       
 23 ME Group International              Consumer Discretionary  3,717            1.5              3.7        
 24 Lloyds Banking                      Financials              3,656            1.4              2.7        
 25 Sabre Insurance                     Financials              3,627            1.4              8.7        
 26 AO World                            Consumer Discretionary  3,534            1.4              -          
 27 M&G                                 Financials              3,526            1.4              8.5        
 28 TruFin**                            Financials              3,494            1.4              -          
 29 Personal Group**                    Financials              3,429            1.4              5.7        
 30 MAN                                 Financials              3,316            1.3              8.3        
 Top 30 investments                                             143,000          56.7                        
 31 National Grid                       Utilities               3,309            1.3              11.9       
 32 McBride                             Consumer Staples        3,176            1.3              -          
 33 Tesco                               Consumer Staples        3,094            1.2              3.5        
 34 Hunting                             Energy                  3,045            1.2              3.4        
 35 Stelrad                             Industrials             2,986            1.2              5.4        
 36 Zotefoams                           Basic Materials         2,840            1.1              2.5        
 37 OSB Group                           Financials              2,811            1.1              4.7        
 38 Norcos                              Industrials             2,801            1.1              4.0        
 39 Admiral                             Financials              2,656            1.1              5.7        
 40 Vanquis Banking                     Financials              2,600            1.0              -          
 Top 40 investments                                             172,318          68.3                        
 Balance held in 57 equity investments                          74,161           29.4                        
 Total investment portfolio                                     246,479          97.7                        
 Other net current liabilities                                  5,738            2.3                         
 Net assets                                                     252,217          100.0                       

 

A copy of the full portfolio of investments as at 31 May 2025 is available on
the Company’s website, www.diverseincometrust.com.

 

* Based on historical yields and therefore not representative of future
yields. Includes special dividends where applicable.

** AIM/AQUIS listed.

 

 Portfolio exposure by sector (%)  £246.5 million   
 Financials                        41.2             
 Industrials                       11.7             
 Basic Materials                   10.4             
 Consumer Discretionary            9.1              
 Energy                            8.6              
 Technology                        4.9              
 Consumer Staples                  4.2              
 Utilities                         3.4              
 Telecommunications                3.0              
 Real Estate                       2.7              
 Health Care                       0.8              
                                                    
 Income by sector (%)              £12.0 million    
 Financials                        44.2             
 Energy                            11.4             
 Industrials                       11.3             
 Basic Materials                   7.5              
 Utilities                         5.1              
 Consumer Discretionary            5.0              
 Telecommunications                4.9              
 Real Estate                       3.8              
 Consumer Staples                  3.7              
 Technology                        1.6              
 Health Care                       1.5              

 

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

 

The thirteenth Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held on
Wednesday, 8 October 2025 at 11.30 am at the offices of Stephenson Harwood
LLP, 1 Finsbury Circus, London EC2M 7SH. The formal Notice of AGM can be
found within the Annual Report.

 

FURTHER INFORMATION

 

The Diverse Income Trust Plc’s annual report and accounts for the year ended
31 May 2025 (which includes the notice of meeting for the Company's AGM) will
be available today on www.diverseincometrust.com.

 

It will also be submitted shortly in full unedited text to the Financial
Conduct Authority's National Storage Mechanism and will be available for
inspection at data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism
(https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism) in accordance with
DTR 6.3.5(1A) of the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure Guidance and
Transparency Rules.

 

ENDS

 

Neither the contents of the Company's website nor the contents of any website
accessible from hyperlinks on this announcement (or any other website) is
incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.

 

LEI: 2138005QFXYHJM551U45



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