After a tough couple of years for ESG investing and small-caps, several funds still backing the strategies leapt ahead of their peers in the first quarter.
The High Conviction Equities fund was a concentrated, ethically-screened portfolio which held around 20 Australian and global companies, with a particular focus on IT, healthcare and materials.
Pengana chief executive, Russel Pillemer, said: “Since the fund’s inception in 2014, the fund has significantly outperformed its benchmark across all time periods, having returned an average to 32.8% per annum to investors.
“It is a highly sought-after product from Pengana’s high net worth investors and private wealth offices.”
According to FE Analytics, the Pengana High Conviction Equities fund had returned 40.3% over one year to 30 June, 2021, versus returns of 28.3% by the global equity sector within the Australian Core Strategies universe.