The Merchants Trust - Higher gearing to take advantage of opportunities

The Merchants Trust (MRCH) is managed by Simon Gergel, chief investment officer of UK equities at Allianz Global Investors (AllianzGI). He highlights that the remaining £16m of the trust’s £42m credit facility has recently been drawn down, taking gearing from c 13% to c 15%. This indicates that the manager, and MRCH’s board, see good value in the UK market, particularly in the type of stocks that fit Gergel’s disciplined investment criteria. The manager continues to seek undervalued companies with solid fundamentals, aiming to generate a high and growing level of income and long-term capital growth. MRCH has a commendable performance track record, outperforming the broad UK market over the short, medium and longer term. It also ranks highly versus its peers in the 22-strong AIC UK Equity Income sector. The trust’s annual dividend has grown for the last 40 consecutive years.