Increased focus on the trust’s ‘digital winners’
While Train is very disappointed by FGT’s performance, evidenced by a current share
price that is similar to the level in 2019, he rightly says that what happens going
forward is the important thing. The manager likens the trust’s portfolio to a coiled
spring, in which he surely has a high level of conviction given his substantial and
increasing personal holding.
Train explains that, in recent years, there has been a material shift in FGT’s portfolio.
Since 2019, London-listed ‘digital winners’ have increased from 40% to 62%. There
has been a conscious reduction in exposure to consumer brands from 49% to 29%, although
the manager stresses that he is happy with the remaining consumer companies in the
portfolio. Non-UK listed companies made up 18% of the portfolio in 2019 and have now
been sold (note that there is an overlap between consumer and non-UK listed stocks,
so the 2019 numbers add up to more than 100%). The portfolio is now 100% committed
to the UK stock market, due to Train’s frustration about the prolonged period of it
being overlooked by global investors, which has led to disappointing returns from
UK shares; he notes that investors can buy world-class UK companies in London for
a fraction of the valuation of similar businesses listed overseas.
The manager says that for FGT to outperform, because of their high concentration in
the fund, the ‘digital winners’ need to outperform, and to provide some context, these
companies represent just c 8% of the benchmark. The manager explains that because
of changing technology, for example, the growth in AI, having proprietary information
makes these companies’ data even more valuable.
Looking at some of the trust’s ‘digital winners’, Experian is a leading data and analytics
company, with financial information on c 200m individuals, predominantly in the United
States. None of its competitors have such a rich source of data. Clarkson generates
more data per day about the $2tn global maritime industry than any other entity. RELX’s
acquired LexisNexis business is one of the first in the world to demonstrate profitability
from a large language model of professional data. Train quotes FGT’s deputy manager
who suggests that investors may be underestimating the acceleration in revenue and
earnings growth for London-listed data and software companies as they roll out new
products and services to their customers. London Stock Exchange Group’s Q125 revenues
exceeded expectations, in part due to new products from its joint venture with Microsoft,
while Rightmove’s revenue is accelerating helped by 250m client contacts every single
day.
Train highlights that using the US Nasdaq Composite Index as a guide, digital businesses
that experience accelerating revenue growth tend to be afforded a higher valuation.
The manager hopes this is true for FGT’s holding in Sage. The stock is trading on
5x revenues, which is a lower valuation than those of its peers. In recent meetings
with the company, Sage’s management team have said that the business may get to the
rule of 40, whereby operating margins plus revenue growth equal 40% or more. If this
does happen, Sage deserves a higher valuation, opines Train. The manager says that
Sage started to ‘get its act together’ in 2019 and since then has moved up the rankings
of the UK’s top 100 index. If its current business momentum continues and Sage becomes
one of the largest 10 UK companies, Train comments that there is significant further
upside in this stock.
RELX has been in the portfolio for more than 20 years; in 2000, it was the 68th largest
UK company, and it is now the fifth. There has been an acceleration in growth in its
legal publishing division helped by AI. RELX’s scientific publishing business generates
three times the profits of the legal division and AI adoption is much slower; hence,
the manager wonders if RELX could end up being the largest company in the UK.