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Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc (ASL) Fair Value & Analysis

Financial Services · GB · Market cap 1.3B GBX

AS Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc ASL · LSE
Price£17.40
Fair Value£21.14
Upside+21.5%
Quality58/100
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Weak Growth
Highly profitable · 84.3% net margin
Low debt · generates free cash flow
2.72% dividend yield
Mixed vs. peers (6/14)
Wide moat 67/100
Evidence: High Range £15.86 – £26.43 Share as image

Fair value as of: Jul 15, 2026

From 12 valuation models · updated 25 days ago

Fair value updated Jul 15, 2026, revised from £20.96 to £21.14 (+0.9%) since Jun 26, 2026. Share price +3.1% over the past month.

A solid business, screening 21% undervalued on our models.

What matters now

  • Solid quality (58/100) at a price below fair value, the discount is the argument here, not the business quality.
  • For a financial, book-value and earnings-based methods matter more than a cash-flow DCF, which fits banks and insurers poorly.
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Price vs Fair Value (5 years)

£17.64 £9.39 Fair Value £21.14 May 2021 Aug 2026

White line = price, green steps = our fair value per fiscal year, dashed = 300-day average. As of Jul 15, 2026.

How to read this chart

60‑month range £9.39 – £17.64 · fair‑value band £15.86 – £26.43 · the £17.40 price screens below the £21.14 fair value. Green steps = our fair value per fiscal year (point-in-time, no hindsight). Dashed = 300-day average. As of Jul 15, 2026.

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Analysis

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc (ASL) currently trades at £17.40, while our model-based Fair Value estimate is £21.14, implying the stock looks roughly 21.5% undervalued today. The Quality Score stands at 58/100 (solid quality), in the Financial Services sector. Bull case: trading below our estimate, it may offer upside if the fundamentals hold. Bear case: a low price can be a value trap when quality is weak or the data is thin (evidence: high), always confirm before acting.

Over the trailing twelve months, Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc generated revenue of £114M at a net margin of 84.3%. Revenue declined 50.2% year over year. It earns a return on equity of 6.9%. Net debt stands at £69.8M. Fundamentals as of Jul 15, 2026

Our scenario range runs from £15.86 (bear case) to £26.43 (bull case); at £17.40, the current price sits within that range. Bear and bull are the same models run on conservative and optimistic assumptions (margins, growth, valuation multiples), so a plausible valuation range, not a price target. For context, the median of 10 Financial Services peers we cover trades at -12% fair-value upside, at 21%, ASL screens cheaper than that median.

Fair Value models

Each model estimates fair value its own way; the Fair Value above is the evidence-weighted blend. Evidence (0–100) measures how completely this model’s inputs are available: well-fed models carry more weight in the blend. The spread across models is intentional, each one stresses a different value driver; dividend models, for instance, come out structurally low when payout is small.

Model BearBaseBull Evidence
Highest evidence
Growth DCF £6.77 £12.46 £21.42 80
Residual Income £13.72 £14.12 £14.03 76
Rev-Margin DCF £3.53 £6.10 £11.54 74
All 12 models by family
DCF Models
5Y P/E Exit £10.00 £24.09 £43.35 38
10Y P/E Exit £9.14 £22.13 £43.59 35
Earnings-Based
Graham-Dodd £8.46 £58.97 £82.76 54
Lynch FV £30.47 £43.53 £56.58 50
Dividend Discount
Gordon GGM £4.18 £7.52 £10.36 70
DDM Multi-Stage £4.18 £6.87 £8.04 61
Multiples
P/E Multiple £12.13 £16.17 £20.21 63
P/B Multiple £15.86 £21.14 £26.43 55
Asset-Based
NCAV (Graham) £8.99 £12.05 £17.98 50
Growth DCF
Growth DCF £6.77 £12.46 £21.42 80
Rev-Margin DCF £3.53 £6.10 £11.54 74
Economic Profit
Residual Income £13.72 £14.12 £14.03 76

Widest divergence: Earnings-Based (£43.53) versus Growth DCF (£6.10). Highest evidence: Growth DCF (80).

Key figures & financial health

Revenue (TTM) 114M GBX
Revenue growth (YoY) -50.2%
Net margin 84.3%
Return on equity 6.9%
Free cash flow 47.5M GBX FY2025
P/E ratio 13.1
More key figures
Operating margin 73.7%
EPS (TTM) £1.18
Dividend yield 2.9%
EPS growth (YoY) -51.5%
Net debt 69.8M GBX FY2025

Figures from reported company fundamentals · as of Jul 15, 2026. TTM = trailing twelve months.

Quality Score breakdown

Overall quality 58/100

Of which business quality 55 · Market factors (momentum, volatility) 67

Profitability 39
Margins and returns on capital today
Quality Growth 9
Are margins and returns improving?
Cashflow 50
Earnings quality: real cash, not paper profit
Fin. Strength 75
Balance sheet, leverage, solvency risk
Investment 55
Disciplined investing over empire-building
Low Volatility 83
Calm price path (market factor)
Momentum 52
Price trend over the last 3–12 months (market factor)
52W Momentum 74
Distance to the 52-week high (market factor)
Net Issuance 100
Buybacks instead of dilution

Non-valuation factor families (profitability, growth, cashflow, financial strength, momentum …), each academically grounded. Valuation itself sits in the Fair Value and is deliberately excluded here to avoid double-counting.

About the company

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Aberforth Partners LLP. The fund invests in public equity markets of the United Kingdom. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. The fund primarily invests in value stocks of small-cap companies.

Full company description

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Aberforth Partners LLP. The fund invests in public equity markets of the United Kingdom. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. The fund primarily invests in value stocks of small-cap companies. It employs fundamental analysis with both bottom-up and top-down stock picking approaches with the focus on factors like businesses financial statements and assessment of their market positions to create its portfolio. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Numis Smaller Companies Index (Excluding Investment Companies). Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc was formed on December 10, 1990 and is domiciled in the United Kingdom.

Company description, as reported by the company or data provider.

Revenue & earnings trend

FY2021 – FY2025 · reported fiscal years

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc reported revenue of £114M in FY2025 versus £371M in FY2021, a compound −25.5%/yr. Reported net income was £96.2M in FY2025, compounding −28.5%/yr from FY2021.

Growth Quality 33/100
Revenue growth is weak, negative or inconsistent.
Latest Revenue (FY 2025)
£114M
Latest YoY
−32.5%
Avg. growth/yr (3Y)
+1.2%
Avg. growth/yr (22Y)
+0.4%
Revenue −25.5%/yr
FY21 £371M
FY22 £110M
FY23 £102M
FY24 £169M
FY25 £114M
Net income −28.5%/yr
FY21 £368M
FY22 −£157M
FY23 £99.0M
FY24 £152M
FY25 £96.2M

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Cite: Fair Value Calculator (2026). "Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc Fair Value". https://www.fairvalue-calculator.com/stock/ASL

Peer Group

Asset Management · 973 stocks

How this stock ranks against its industry: the green marker is this stock, the band is the typical 25–75% peer range, and the tick is the median.

Quality Score 57 · Below median
Fair Value upside +22% · Above median
Return on equity (TTM) 7% · Above median
Return on assets 4% · Above median
Net margin (TTM) 84% · Top 25%
Operating margin (TTM) 74% · Above median
Revenue growth -50% · Bottom 25%
Dividend yield (TTM) 2.7% · Below median
Debt / equity 0.06× · Lower than median

Valuation Multiples vs Asset Management median · lower = cheaper

P/E (TTM) 14.7× · Pricier than median
P/B 1.30× · Pricier than median
P/S (TTM) 15.89× · Pricier than 75% of peers
P/FCF 38.2× · Pricier than 75% of peers
EV/EBITDA 18.8× · Pricier than 75% of peers

Snowflake

Five quick dimensions, each 0 to 100: VALUE (fair-value potential), FUTURE (revenue growth), PAST (return on equity), HEALTH (low debt), DIVIDEND (yield). Green = this stock, grey = typical sector peer.

VALUE 62 · sector 37
FUTURE 0 · sector 6
PAST 28 · sector 26
HEALTH 97 · sector 95
DIVIDEND 54 · sector 69

Values & ESG

Does this company touch areas you may want to avoid? The classification is inferred from sector and industry.

None of the checked exposures detected

ESG scores are not available for this stock yet. Values and ESG data are contextual and can differ between providers.

Similar stocks

10 more Asset Management stocks, each showing price versus our Fair Value estimate (as of Jul 15, 2026).

Stock Price Fair Value vs Fair Value
Fondul Proprietatea SA FP $0.0420 $0.0800 +90%
BlackRock, Inc BLK $1,136 $465.75 -59%
Blackstone Inc BX $124.56 $16.35 -87%
Investor AB INVEB kr 423.70 kr 847.40 +100%
Brookfield Corporation BN C$62.45 C$10.12 -84%
KKR & Co KKR $100.94 $44.88 -56%
AB Industrivärden INDUA kr 532.50 kr 1,065 +100%
Jio Financial Services Limited JIOFIN ₹242.98 ₹40.19 -83%
Hedef Holding HEDEF 267.25 TRY 320.98 TRY +20%
Bajaj Holdings BAJAJHLDNG ₹10,398 ₹9,202 -12%

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Frequently asked questions

Is Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc (ASL) overvalued or undervalued?
As of Jul 15, 2026, our model estimates a fair value of £21.14 versus a price of £17.40, about +21% (undervalued).
What is the fair value of ASL?
Our model-based fair value for Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc is £21.14 (as of Jul 15, 2026), built from audited fundamentals. The current price is £17.40.
What is the quality score of ASL?
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc has a Quality Score of 58/100. It measures business quality (profitability, growth, cash flow, balance-sheet strength, investment discipline, share issuance). Market factors such as price momentum and volatility do not enter the number; they are shown separately in the detail view.
What is the revenue of Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc (ASL)?
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc reported trailing-twelve-month revenue of about £114M (latest available figure, as of Jul 15, 2026).
What is the net profit margin of ASL?
The net profit margin of Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc is about 84.3%, meaning it keeps roughly 84.3% of revenue as net income. Based on the latest reported figures.
Does Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc pay a dividend?
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc currently shows a dividend yield of about 2.88% relative to its recent price (as of Jul 15, 2026).

How we calculate Fair Value

Each company is valued through a stack of independent intrinsic-value models (DCF variants, residual-income, multiples and more), blended into one family-balanced consensus and weighted by how much trustworthy data backs it. A separate quality layer scores the fundamentals. Every input is real reported data, nothing guessed.

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