Henderson Global Investors has confirmed it is looking at raising additional capital for the Diversified Income fund through a C share offer.

The closed-ended fund’s managers – John Pattullo and Jenna Barnard have enjoyed a sustained period of strong performance, outperforming their target of at least 3 month sterling LIBOR plus 1.25 per cent.

According to Morningstar, the yield as at the end of June stood at 3.71 per cent while the managers’ performance target was 2.08 per cent based on the current 3 month LIBOR rate of 0.83 per cent.

Speaking to What Investment.co.uk, James de Sausmarez, head of investment trusts at Henderson Global Investors, said recent investment performance and the current economic climate has let to the investment trust trading at a premium.

He explained, ‘We are considering it (a C share offer) now because there has been a lot of demand in the market. The trust has gone to a considerable premium.

‘For a lot of retail investors, there is the huge attraction of having a managed portfolio of bonds and loans with asset allocation between the two as market circumstances change.

‘Secured loans have floating rate coupons, so as LIBOR goes up, so does the yield. For a retail investor, this is attractive.’

The closed-ended fund is the top performer in the AIC’s Global High Income sector and would have turned £1,000 into £1,320 over the 12 months to the end of June (with the income reinvested).

It was launched as a £40 million fund in July 2007 and had a subsequent fund raising for another £40 million once before.

The fund’s asset breakdown as at the end of May 2011 was 53.7 per cent in secure loans, 21.1 per cent in high yield corporate bonds, 21.1 per cent in investment grade bonds and just 4.1 per cent in equities. It has a gearing level of eight per cent.