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Palace Capital PLC on Thursday held its dividend despite reporting a half-year loss and a drop in net asset value which reflected a ‘painful and disappointing’ portfolio valuation. The London-based property investor reported an IFRS pretax loss of £5.4 million in the six months ended March 31, swung from a £2.3 million profit the year prior. This was predominantly due to the fair value loss on investment properties of £5.5 million versus a £400,000 gain a year ago, while impairment losses on trading properties contributed a further £500,000 compared to £100,000 the year before. Net asset value per share declined 14% to 210 pence at March 31 from 244p at September 30, reflecting a 16% decrease in like-for-like portfolio valuation. In April, the firm announced a portfolio valuation of £31.1 million as at March 31, down 16% when compared to September 30. While the portfolio valuation was ‘equally painful and disappointing, we believe the valuation is a more realistic reflection of the realisable value of the assets,’ Palace Capital on Thursday said. Non-Executive Chair Christian Kappelhoff-Wulff, who joined the board in January, said ‘a number’ of shareholders have ‘asked us to examine in detail the conduct of the previous board. We continue to work on this task and will update shareholders as soon as practicable.’ The interim dividend was maintained at 7.5p per share. In addition, the company said it is seeking shareholder approval to use the company’s share buyback authority. ‘We believe utilising that on-market buyback authority to be the most efficient means of returning capital to shareholders at the current time,’ it said. Shares in the firm were down 1.2% at 167.00p each in London on Thursday. Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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