THE giant UK Commercial Property Trust, which is managed in Glasgow by Ignis Asset Management, saw its share price total return rise by 20% in the first half of 2013 as sentiment improved sharply across the sector.
The £920 million trust is the biggest UK-focused, Guernsey-registered, investment trust in the sector and it has the most conservative borrowing policy, with gross gearing at under 22%, and a void rate of 5.6% compared to a benchmark figure of 10%.
It also has a dividend yield currently 6.9%, which is almost twice the all-share index yield of 3.5% and the REIT index yield of 3.7%.
Net asset value total return was 2.8% in the period, underpinned by strong income from the portfolio.
NAV per share however fell by 1.2%, due largely to a decline in the portfolio's value.
The share price performance was ahead of the IPD benchmark, the REIT index and the all-share.
The trust boasts a five-year share price return and NAV total return comfortably ahead of the IPD benchmark.
Its biggest sale in the period was 2-8 Buchanan Street in Glasgow, the building let to HSBC, in a £10.45m deal with the Cordea Savills European Retail Fund, and it only has one remaining Scottish investment in Edinburgh's George Street.
Robert Boag, senior investment director at Ignis, commented: "The first half of the year has seen our continued focus on actively managing our portfolio bear fruit, as broader market sentiment has begun to show signs of improvement.
"We have also made progress in repositioning the portfolio through disposals of lower yielding assets and acquisitions in our core target sectors."
He added: "Though we are still at an early stage in any economic recovery, the outlook is now more positive than it has been for several years, and we anticipate making further progress against our strategy."
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