Fiera Capital Provides Operational Update on its Fiera Atlas Global Companies Strategy; Team Posts Substantial Growth
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Strategy's assets under management have more than doubled since the team joined in March 2021
Team has maintained top decile investment performance since inception 5 years ago
Completion of UCITS fund merger finalizes the acquisition from AMP Capital
MONTREAL, Feb. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fiera Capital Corporation ("Fiera Capital" or the "Company") (TSX: FSZ), a leading independent asset management firm, is pleased to announce that its Fiera Atlas Global Companies ("Fiera Atlas") team, which the Company onboarded in March 2021, reported total assets under management ("AUM") of C$1.5 billion globally as of December 31, 2021, of which C$1.2 billion is invested in the team's UCITS vehicle.
The Fiera Atlas team, which was rated AA by Citywire for January 2022, has more than doubled its AUM since joining Fiera Capital less than a year ago, in March 2021, and has delivered strong absolute and relative performance through a highly differentiated and proprietary approach. Since its inception on March 31, 2017, the Fiera Atlas strategy has generated an annualized return of 26.2%, adding value of 13.9% per year relative to its benchmark1.
"The team's philosophical alignment to the Company's culture and values makes them an excellent fit within our organization," said Jean-Philippe Lemay, Global President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our clients are showing strong interest for this investment strategy, evidenced by the substantial growth of the AUM in the last months and we are extremely excited to report the successful integration of the team within Fiera Capital's investment platform. More so, their complementarity to our existing offering further reinforces our presence in the global equities space in markets where we see opportunities for growth, as well as the competitiveness of our investment platform."
Furthermore, the Company announced the successful completion of the merger of the associated AMP Capital fund into one of Fiera Capital's funds. This merger is the final step of the integration announced in March 2021 and of Fiera Capital's onboarding of the entire portfolio management team of the associated AMP Capital fund, comprised of four highly experienced investment professionals: Simon Steele, Lead Portfolio Manager and portfolio managers Neil Mitchell, David Naughtin and Andy Gardner. Harald Karlsson has recently joined the organization as an Associate Investment Analyst, and the team is supported by dedicated Distribution resources, including Marcia Irwin, Senior Vice President, Capability Specialist, Global Equities.
"Just a few weeks shy of the strategy's 5-year track record, we are excited to finalize this merger," says Simon Steele, Lead Portfolio Manager of the Fiera Atlas team. "The Company shares our long-term perspective and has the reputation and infrastructure to help us build on the continued momentum in the asset base and to support the strategy's growth ambitions in and outside of North America. I am also very thankful for the support and commitment of our clients throughout this year-long transition – all of whom have remained invested."
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1 Source: MSCI ACWI Index (net returns, in CAD) – Figures are shown in Canadian dollars as of December 31, 2021. |
The team's investment approach is fundamentally driven and anchored around a four-pillared shareholder wealth creation framework founded on identifying companies that demonstrate a competitive advantage, strong capital allocation, runway for growth and cashflow predictability. This approach aims to yield a focused portfolio of 25 to 35 best-in-class global companies, which is expected to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns over a full market cycle. Their investment process seeks to generate highly concentrated, quality style, low turnover portfolios, and derives its primary source of added return from security selection. The associated fund recently earned a 5-star rating by Morningstar UK.
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations are inextricably linked into the Fiera Atlas team's process, with their stated investment objectives of stable, long-term wealth creation. The UCITS fund is now classified as Article 8 under the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), as are all other Fiera Capital Irish UCITS funds.
About Fiera Capital Corporation
Fiera Capital is a leading independent asset management firm with a growing global presence and approximately C$188.3 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2021. The Company delivers customized and multi-asset solutions across public and private market asset classes to institutional, financial intermediary and private wealth clients across North America, Europe and key markets in Asia. Fiera Capital's depth of expertise, diversified investment platform and commitment to delivering outstanding service are core to our mission of being at the forefront of investment management science to create sustainable wealth for clients. Fiera Capital trades under the ticker FSZ on the Toronto Stock Exchange. www.fieracapital.com
Headquartered in Montreal, Fiera Capital, with its affiliates in various jurisdictions, has offices in over a dozen cities around the world, including New York (U.S.), London (UK), and Hong Kong (SAR).
Fiera Capital Corporation does not provide investment advisory services, or offer investment funds, in the United States or to U.S. persons. Investment advisory services for U.S. persons are provided by Fiera Capital Inc., a Delaware corporation registered as an investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In connection with providing services to certain U.S. clients, Fiera Capital Inc. uses the resources of Fiera Capital Corporation acting in its capacity as Fiera Capital Inc.'s participating affiliate. Please refer to Important Disclosures for information regarding the participating affiliate arrangement. For details on the particular registration of, or exemptions therefrom relied upon by, any Fiera Capital entity, please consult this webpage.
Additional information about Fiera Capital Corporation, including the Company's annual information form, is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
For More Information: Analysts and investors: Marie-France Guay, Senior Vice President, Treasury and Investor Relations, Fiera Capital Corporation, 514 294-5878, mguay@fieracapital.com; Mariem Elsayed, Director, Investor Relations, Fiera Capital Corporation, 514 954-6619, melsayed@fieracapital.com; Media inquiries – Global: Alex-Anne Carrier, Senior Advisor, External Communications, Fiera Capital Corporation, 514 262-5668, acarrier@fieracapital.com
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