01Invests in high quality international companies with dominant market positions and durable advantages. |
02Is a high-conviction portfolio of 25–401 stocks of companies which typically have high customer loyalty, strong brands, low debt and are more resilient in times of economic uncertainty. |
03Avoids capital intensive and/or leveraged businesses so holds no resource stocks, utilities or banks. |
04Seeks long term outperformance, with lower volatility.2 |
05Is managed by an experienced team with a long history of employing the Quality investment style. |
1 This is an internal parameter and subject to change without prior notification to investors.
2 Versus MSCI AC World NDR ex-US.
We believe the Ninety One International Franchise Fund has the right attributes to withstand most economic conditions. In managing the Fund we will seek long-term outperformance by striving to achieve:
Investment objective
The Ninety One International Franchise Fund (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital growth.
Principle Investment Strategies
Under normal circumstances, the Adviser seeks to achieve the Fund’s investment objective by investing primarily in equity securities of non-U.S. companies located throughout the world that the Adviser believes have rare and exceptional qualities that create enduring competitive advantages and strong international brands or franchises. Such qualities may include unique intellectual property, dominant market positions, well capitalized balance sheets, and attractive reinvestment opportunities. The Fund may invest in companies located in both developed and emerging market countries.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests in at least three countries, and invests at least 40% of its total assets in securities of non-U.S. companies. If conditions are not favorable, the Fund will invest at least 30% of its total assets in securities of non-U.S. companies. The Fund considers a company to be a non-U.S. company if: (i) at least 50% of the company’s assets are located outside of the U.S.; (ii) at least 50% of the company’s revenue is generated outside of the U.S.; (iii) the company is organized or maintains its principal place of business outside of the U.S.; or (iv) the company’s securities are traded principally outside of the U.S.
The equity securities in which the Fund invests are primarily common stocks, but may also include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs” and, together with ADRs and EDRs, “Depositary Receipts”). Although the Fund may invest in securities of companies with any market capitalization, the Fund generally invests in medium and large capitalization companies. The Fund typically invests in securities of approximately 25-50 companies.
From time to time, the Fund may invest a significant amount of its assets in a particular country, such as the People’s Republic of China (“China”). The Fund may invest in A Shares of companies incorporated in China (“China A Shares”) that trade on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange through the Shanghai – Hong Kong and Shenzhen – Hong Kong Stock Connect programs (“Stock Connect”). Stock Connect is a mutual stock market access program designed to, among other things, enable foreign investments in China. The Fund may also invest in China through H Shares, which are shares of companies incorporated in China that are traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
In selecting investments to buy for the Fund, the Adviser combines a systematic screening process with qualitative and quantitative fundamental research to seek to identify attractively valued companies that, in its opinion, represent strong long-term investment opportunities considering the company’s quality, growth and valuation. The Adviser seeks to maintain a portfolio with consistent long-term returns at below average levels of risk. The Adviser will consider whether to sell an investment using the same systematic model it uses to identify potential purchases. The Adviser may sell a security for a variety of reasons such as because it becomes overvalued or shows deteriorating fundamentals, or to invest in a company believed by the Adviser to offer superior investment opportunities.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified,” which means that it may invest a larger percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.