The fund seeks capital appreciation by investing in companies in developed international markets outside the United States.
The fund invests in a relatively small number of individual stocks, normally between 25 and 35 companies and let stock selection drive portfolio returns. The fund also normally invests in companies above the market capitalizations of $2 billion, generally considered as mid- and large-size companies.
The fund combines macro-economic review in identifying countries and sectors to invest with the bottom-down stock analysis in picking companies that are likely to offer the most attractive risk-reward profiles.
The fund starts with a list of companies in the benchmark index and then narrows the investable list to a smaller number that meet earnings, growth and return on equity criteria.
The research team then calculates intrinsic valuation for companies using qualitative analysis and future growth outlook. The team selects companies with attractive business models, proven track earnings record and trading at attractive discounts to intrinsic valuation.
The fund favors companies that are priced low in relation to their perceived long-term earnings power and are attractive compared to their peers and broad spectrum of available stocks.