International Biotechnology Trust: Dual Portfolio Drives Outperformance

 | Dec 13, 2015 05:04AM ET

Dual portfolio drives recent outperformance
International Biotechnology Trust (L:IBT) is an established investor in the high-growth area of biotechnology. It is differentiated from peers by including unquoted companies (<10% of assets) alongside quoted holdings. The biotech sector seems largely to have shrugged off recent criticism over excessive pricing in some areas and long-term performance has been impressive, with the benchmark NASDAQ Biotech Index up 304% over five years compared with a return of 45% for the FTSE All-Share. IBT has outperformed the benchmark over one and two years under new manager Carl Harald Janson and is top of its peer group for one-year NAV total returns; the discount to NAV, while in line with averages, remains wider than peers, suggesting a relative valuation opportunity.