Ninety One, the $170.9 billion (AU$ 246.3bn as at 30.09.24) active global asset manager, is expanding its Australian presence with the launch of the Global Franchise Fund to a wholesale investors.
Managed by Clyde Rossouw, Head of Quality, the Global Franchise Strategy, has $22.4billion ($AU32.2 billion) assets under management and aims to achieve long-term outperformance primarily through investment in a concentrated number of high quality, attractively valued, well-run companies that have strong balance sheets and dominant market positioning, such as Visa, ASML and Microsoft. The investment team focuses on fundamental research to identify companies offering these characteristics. This results in a resilient portfolio with a low carbon footprint, characterised by durable, defensive and differentiated alpha.
Ninety One has offered a range of strategies across equities, emerging markets, fixed income, multi asset and sustainable investing to Australian institutions since 2008. This will be the firms second offering to the wholesale market, creating access for professional investors such as endowments and foundations, family offices and high net worth individuals to the Global Franchise Fund.
Justin Cowper, Head of Institutional, Asia Pacific and Middle East, Ninety One says: “The market undervalues the ability of quality companies with enduring competitive advantages, disciplined capital allocation and a focus on sustainability to deliver persistently high or improving cash flows and returns on invested capital. Global Franchise seeks to invest in a concentrated portfolio of high-quality businesses with exceptional characteristics which enable them to compound free cash flows over long periods.
“The launch of Global Franchise to the Australian wholesale market will be beneficial to professional investors because we believe that an active quality approach, driven by proprietary fundamental analysis and engagement, is best placed to compound shareholder value over the long term, while reducing the risk of a permanent loss of capital.”