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VALUE INVESTING
Happy Birthday to the HYP

By Stephen Bland (TMFPyad)
November 16, 2001

The high yield portfolio is now one year old, having commenced 13 November 2000. We therefore have the figures for the first year's dividend income which will form the base level so as to compare the income for future years and see if it lives up to my expectation of delivering increases ahead of inflation. This was always the primary aim of the HYP idea, the secondary one being the protection of the capital value in the long run by similarly growing this above inflation.

Here are the latest figures. At this point I would like to thank our reader Gengulphus who has taken the trouble to work out all the dividend income figures which he published on the HYP board.

                              £  orig   no. price   val  move   inc 
                         invest price  shs.   now   now     %   rec

Un. Utilities (LSE: UU.)   5000   690   718   630  4523  –9.5   331
Gallaher (LSE: GLH)        5000   416  1190   448  5331  +6.6   289
Scot. & New. (LSE: SCTN)   5000   490  1010   516  5212  +4.2   284
Royal & Sun (LSE: RSA)     5000   498   994   386  3837 –23.3   258
All. & Leic. (LSE: AL.)    5000   645   768   762  5852 +17.0   262
Britannic (LSE: BRT)       5000  1020   485   801  3885 –22.3   268
Lloyds TSB (LSE: LLOY)     5000   705   702   708  4970  –0.6   221
Six Continents (LSE: SXC)  5000   723   685   706  4836  –3.3   230
Boots (LSE: BOOT)          5000   575   861   580  4994  -0.1   229
Land Sec. (LSE: LAND)      5000   771   642   830  5329  +6.6   209
Ass. Br. Ports (LSE: ABP)  5000   321  1542   420  6476 +29.5   204
Hilton (LSE: HG.)          5000   232  2275   215  4891  –2.2   189
Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO)       5000  1120   442  1310  5790 +15.8   178
Anglo American (LSE: AAL)  5000   942   526  1054  5544 +10.9   171
Shell (LSE: SHEL)          5000   572   865   456  3944 –21.1   128
----- ----- ---- Totals 75000 75414 +0.6 3451
FTSE 100 6274.8 5238.2 –16.5

The total income of £3,451 in the first year represents a yield of 4.6% on the capital invested of £75,000, around double that available on the FTSE100. Note that all purchase costs have been provided for in the calculations. In addition the capital value has performed very well in the market circumstances, actually showing a marginal gain of 0.6% against a fall in the index of 16.5%. Gengulphus informs us also that the dividend income in year one is in fact 7.9% higher than that of the previous year which is way ahead of inflation of around 2.5% or so in that time. Every single share in the portfolio increased its dividend over the previous year.

There continues to be large individual swings in the share prices making up the portfolio, ranging from a fall of 23.3% by Royal & Sun to a rise of 29.5% by AB Ports. This kind of individual movement is to be expected in a diversified portfolio as sectors go in and out of fashion. In fact it is the very reason why sector diversification is so important in a planned long term portfolio like this, so that balance is maintained in the overall value of the fund and dividend income is stabilised.

Of the fifteen shares, only three underperformed the FTSE100 being Royal & Sun, Britannic and Shell. In total, eight are down and seven are up.

A satisfactory first year then, and one which gives me no cause at all to change my views as to the value of this concept which is simply hold forever and enjoy the income. Alternatively as a growth portfolio, hold forever and reinvest the dividends. Ideal for those investors who can simply ignore the market and all the gossip that surrounds it constantly. In consequence, because such investors are unlikely to be reading TMF or any other financial publications, it may be a good idea for those advising others such as people investing family trust funds or perhaps just having to invest a lump sum for a relative in need of income for example, provided they can live with the equity risk.