The MFF Capital Investments Ltd (ASX: MFF) share price is higher after the ASX-listed investment company (LIC) announced some preliminary numbers about its FY23 result.
If you haven’t heard of this one before, it’s managed by Chris Mackay, one of the co-founders of Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG).
FY23 numbers
The business revealed that it intends to keep going with its share buyback program during July 2023 in advance of the scheduled release date of the MFF annual result for the year to June 2023.
For FY23, the ASX LIC’s estimated unaudited net profit after tax (NPAT) is approximately $323.6 million and $462.24 million of before tax profit. In FY22 it made a net loss of $171 million, while in FY21 it made a net profit of $217.5 million.
It’s important for investors to note that it’s better to think of investment returns in percentage terms rather than dollar terms. Changes in value of the portfolio can cause big swings of profit.
With around 580 million shares on issue at the financial year end, the $462.24 million of net profit before tax suggests a good year of growth of underlying value for investors.
Dividend growth
MFF’s board revealed that it plans to pay a $0.05 per share dividend for the six month period ending June 2023, a $0.055 per share dividend for the six months to December 2023 and a $0.06 per share dividend for the six months to June 2024.
That means the two payments from the ASX LIC for FY24 could amount to $0.115 per share, which would be a fully franked dividend yield of 4.3%, or 6.2% with the franking credits included.
Great valuation for the ASX LIC
Every month, MFF tells investors about its portfolio. I’m not going to make a prediction about what US shares are going to do in the near term, but the biggest holdings are quality businesses including MasterCard, Visa, Amazon, Home Depot, Alphabet, Microsoft, American Express, Meta Platforms (Facebook and Instagram), and Bank of America.
The MFF’s operating expenditure, including management fees, is quite low compared to other active managers, as well as some globally-focused ETFs.
The current MFF share price is $2.65, yet the ASX-listed LIC had pre-tax net tangible assets (NTA) of $3.40 at the end of June 2023, so there’s a 22% discount, which is large.
This seems like a pretty good time to invest in MFF shares, if we say we’re happy with the underlying valuations of the portfolio for the long-term.
