The fund seeks capital appreciation in the long term by investing in small-and mid-size companies outside the United States.
The investment process starts with a list of companies in the benchmark index and the research team utilizes quantitative techniques and fundamental analysis to identify investment opportunities.
Next, the research team looks for quality growth companies trading at reasonable valuations.
The team prefers companies that are innovative, operate within a favorable market structure with high barriers to entry and enjoy structural growth tailwinds.
In addition, the team focuses on companies with a superior business franchise that offers growth potential.
The team assesses if the company’s products and services have a competitive advantage.
Then the manager constructs a portfolio of stocks from a list of companies favored by the research team and allocates capital based on its conviction level.
The portfolio holds between 30 and 60 companies offering the potential to provide above-average growth over time.
The fund invests in foreign companies in developed markets such as Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Additionally, the fund may invest up to 35% of its net assets in companies in emerging markets such as China, India and Brazil.
The fund generally invests in at least three countries other than the United States but may invest up to 25% of its net assets in securities of U.S. issuers.
Also, the fund may invest in larger-sized companies.