Register For Our Mailing List

Register to receive our free weekly newsletter including editorials.

Home / 242

A checklist for buying LICs at a discount

As a rational value investor, it makes sense to buy an asset at a price less than the tangible value of the asset with an expectation that over time, the value will be realised. Listed Investment Companies (LICs) trading at discounts to their net tangible assets per share (NTA) may present a value opportunity but if these discounts persist over time, then this value may never be released. Some LICs remain at a discount to their NTA for years.

Here is a very simple illustration of a discount and premium to NTA.

You have $10,000 to invest in the stock market and you’ve decided to use a LIC to gain exposure to a particular equities strategy.

LIC opportunity 1 with discount to NTA

LIC 1 offers a basket of listed stocks, and 10,000 shares with an underlying market value of $10,000 and NTA of $1 per share are available for a 10% discount of 90 cents. You pay $9,000 for $10,000 worth of underlying stocks.

LIC opportunity 2 with premium to NTA

LIC 2 offers a basket of listed stocks, and 10,000 shares with an underlying market value of $10,000 and NTA of $1 per share are available for a 10% premium of $1.10. You pay $11,000 for $10,000 worth of underlying stocks.

What causes this disparity?

These differences occur despite the NTA being readily identifiable from the issuer’s website or ASX announcements.

For example, a LIC premium to NTA can exist when there is a lot of demand for the LIC for various reasons, or if the company is issuing more shares at a price greater than the NTA. However, if there is little demand for a LIC, selling activity can place downward pressure on the share price causing it to trade at a discount. If a company issues more shares at a share price lower than the NTA, this can further exaggerate the discount. The management and boards of LIC need to closely watch the relationship between NTA and the price of new shares.

On first look, it seems the rational investor could take advantage of the discount opportunity, but the following is a list of the key items investors should consider to gauge whether a LIC trading at a discount could move towards trading at NTA or even a premium.

It’s not an exact science but in our view, a LIC trading at a discount exhibiting many of the positive attributes mentioned above could present an opportunity to unlock value via the narrowing of the discount over time.

 

Julia Stanistreet is a Business Development Manager at NAOS Asset Management. This content has been prepared without taking account of the objectives, financial situation or needs of any individual. It does not constitute formal advice. 

5 Comments
Andrew
March 12, 2019

If there is a substantial discount, why doesn't the management buy back the company shares by selling off some NTA, enhancing the NTA per share for the remaining shareholders?

Graham Hand
March 12, 2019

Hi Andrew, they often do. LICs regularly run capital management programmes where they buyback their own shares at a discount. Of course, some are reluctant to do it because a smaller fund means less fees.

Graeme
March 01, 2018

I would generally agree with Ashley’s assertions of LIC’s trading at discounts at market tops and bottoms, though the former is not as reliable. I disagree with his view that it is necessarily a problem. Obviously if one panic sells any stock at the bottom, you are going to do poorly. However buying LICs in 2009 meant you were going to do very well. WIL (now WAX) and PET around 50c, CDM and MFF around 60c were a major factor in my early retirement. And if you get the buying right there is often no need to sell, so discounts at tops also cease to be a problem.

Mike
March 01, 2018

I've been invested in LIC's since the start of the 1980's and its been a good way to build wealth through that period. The trick is to get a good board who are the managers.. The trouble now is that some funds are so big they need to broaden their focus to find growth because their Australian Assets are not growing. The other issue is that once your portfolio is big enough you can replicate what the LIC is doing in any event. But for people starting out I think this is great place to get a bit of diversity and safety in not having all eggs in a single basket. I think some of the board members of the LIC are charging too much for their services particularly where the portfolio does not change all that much from year to year. However, the LIC will generally follow the general market but as with all markets there are times where this becomes over or under valued and that is the point of the article.

Ashley
February 28, 2018

Problem is most LICs tend to trade at discounts near the peak of boom markets (late dot com boom, late credit/China boom, etc) when more retail investors pluck up the courage and shift from LICs to trying to play the market themselves. The market then crashes. So discounted LICs at or near the top doesn’t help. Then in the crashes (tech wreck, GFC) LIC discounts get even wider, so if investors panic sell at the bottom, they get clobbered worse when they finally capitulate and give up at the bottom – eg early 2009 when you couldn’t even give LICs away.

 

Leave a Comment:

     

RELATED ARTICLES

Managing LIC discounts and premiums

Why LIC discount harvesting is a buy-and-hold decision

LIC discounts widening with the market sell-off

banner

Most viewed in recent weeks

Australians unprepared for $3.5 trillion wealth transfer

A new report suggests that Australians are ill prepared for the largest intergenerational wealth handover in history. It's estimated $3.5 trillion in assets will be transferred from Baby Boomers to their children by 2050.

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 534 with weekend update

Many people in the Firstlinks community have been reading my articles and editorials for 10 years or more, and worked with me for decades before that, and deserve an explanation for why I have suddenly stopped writing each week.

  • 9 November 2023

18 rules for ageing well

The rules to age successfully include, 'the unexamined life lasts longer', 'change no more than one-eighth of your life at a time', 'nobody is thinking about you', and 'pursue virtue but don’t sweat it'.

Why the ASX 200 has gone nowhere in 16 years

The ASX 200 is around the same price that it was 16 years ago. The poor long-term performance can be largely blamed on our taxation system, which encourages companies to pay out most of their earnings as dividends.

The challenges of building a lazy portfolio

John Bogle famously advocated a two-fund portfolio of US stocks and bonds. Recently, I tried to create an Australian version of the Bogle portfolio and found that what seems simple can quickly turn complicated.

SAPTO and LITO, or do you really need an SMSF?

Money withdrawn from super after age 60 is tax-free but less understood are arrangements that allows a couple over the age of 67 to earn up to $57,948 per year outside super and pay no tax with LITO and SAPTO.

Latest Updates

Investment strategies

Two proven ways to make big money in markets

Many ASX success stories – like JB Hi-Fi, Lovisa, and AUB – have followed one of two strategies: rolling out single store formats nationwide or consolidating fragmented industries. Here are the secrets behind these business models.

Investment strategies

The bank is still a terrible place to put your money

With the RBA having lifted interest rates by 4.25% over 18 months, many investors now see cash as an attractive investment option. That ignores the silent tax of inflation, which makes other assets better investment alternatives.

Little to fear from APRA's hybrids review

APRA's objections to hybrids are misplaced. If the regulator wants more safety in our banking system, it will come at the expense of effectiveness, and that's why wholesale changes to the hybrid market are unlikely.

Investment strategies

Rates higher = shares lower… is it that simple?

Typically, higher interest rates are associated with lower share market valuations, but not always and the relationship hasn’t been that strong over the long term. Company fundamentals will matter more over the next few years.

Investment strategies

Diversification is not a free lunch

Harry Markowitz said that “diversification is the only free lunch in investing” as holding a broader range of assets can result in better returns without assuming more risk. This has become accepted wisdom - but it isn't true.

Economy

Why Asia remains one of the world's best growth stories

China’s economic slowdown and the resilience of the US dollar have dimmed the lustre of many Asian economies’ strong growth momentum in the past year. But heading into 2024, Asia's growth story should reignite.

Podcast: Property picks, PE update, and Warnes on Michelle Bullock

Charter Hall's Steven Bennett talks through commercial property's challenges and opportunities, Schroders' Rainer Ender on private equity's bright spots, and Peter Warnes on how RBA hawkishness will impact rates and the economy.

Sponsors

Alliances

© 2023 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer
The data, research and opinions provided here are for information purposes; are not an offer to buy or sell a security; and are not warranted to be correct, complete or accurate. Morningstar, its affiliates, and third-party content providers are not responsible for any investment decisions, damages or losses resulting from, or related to, the data and analyses or their use. To the extent any content is general advice, it has been prepared for clients of Morningstar Australasia Pty Ltd (ABN: 95 090 665 544, AFSL: 240892), without reference to your financial objectives, situation or needs. For more information refer to our Financial Services Guide. You should consider the advice in light of these matters and if applicable, the relevant Product Disclosure Statement before making any decision to invest. Past performance does not necessarily indicate a financial product’s future performance. To obtain advice tailored to your situation, contact a professional financial adviser. Articles are current as at date of publication.
This website contains information and opinions provided by third parties. Inclusion of this information does not necessarily represent Morningstar’s positions, strategies or opinions and should not be considered an endorsement by Morningstar.