Dividend

The company expects to pay a dividend once a year, in July.

Recognising that tax rates for some of our shareholders would increase from 6 April 2010, the board decided to pay an interim dividend of 3.70p per share on 1 April rather than its traditional final dividend in July. This payment represented our best estimate at the time of a full distribution of net revenue for the year to the end of February 2010 and substitutes for a final dividend. Now that the earnings calculations have been completed it is clear that earnings exceeded this payment by 0.59p. It is proposed to adjust next year's dividend to take account of this sum. At present the board expects that it will revert to paying a final dividend in July 2011.



Note: Shares must be held on the ex-date to become eligible to the dividend.


Net asset value and dividend history

As at 28/29 February Share
price		 NAV
per share		 Discount/
(premium)		 Dividend
per share
2010 236.5p 291.1p 18.8% 3.70p
2000 178.8p 210.9p* 15.20% 0.90p
2001 133.8p 161.0p 16.90% 1.00p
2002 112.0p 140.6p 20.30% 1.50p
2003 87.5p 105.1p 16.70% 1.00p
2004 145.0p 155.6p 6.80% 1.40p
2005 165.5p 175.1p 5.50% 1.10p
2006 244.3p 239.5p -2.00% 1.40p
2007 246.0p 265.6p 7.40% 2.80p
2008 271.3p 300.8p 9.80% 3.10p
2009 169.5p 209.3p 19.00% 3.30p

*This is the diluted net asset value until 30 June 2000 when the warrants expired. From 2001 the net asset value is represented.