Listed investment company Aberdeen Leaders has posted a 3.8 per cent lift in annual net profit after tax to $11.7 million, up from $11.3 million last year.
The company, which delivered a net profit before tax for 2006-07 of $14.9 million, invests in companies within the S&P/ASX 200 index, which the company said delivered its best performance in 20 years during the year.
Gross return from its portfolio in the 12 months to June 30 was 29.6 per cent. Key contributors to this year’s profit were Leighton Holdings, QBE Insurance, Qantas, ASX and BHP Billiton, while pre-tax net tangible assets rose by 24 per cent to $2.06 per share.
Aberdeen Leaders director Charlie Macrae said the year “saw significant corporate activity allowing us to take profits from positions where we considered prices had run up, and topping up positions where we were comfortable with existing fundamentals”.
He said the company would “remain focused on our proprietary research to stand us in good stead for the period ahead when volatility and market weakness may well deliver attractive buying opportunities”.
“Markets globally are set for a period of volatility with risk and reward once again featuring in investors’ vocabulary.”
Aberdeen declared a fully franked, final dividend of 3.5 cents per share, bring the total dividend to 9 cents, up 12.5 per cent.
