One of the most diverse companies by sector on the JSE, HCI is unfashionable in an era of focus on core competence. Its interests range from media and gambling to textiles and a bus company. The firm says recent results were skewed by fair value losses and consolidation of the battling Seardel Group. It says it has structured its exposure to Seardel "on the basis of limiting its downside to R50m while retaining 80% of the upside".