iM Global Partner has launched the US Small and Mid Company Growth fund as part of the OYSTER range. The fund is managed by Polen Capital, which has more than 31 years of experience investing in high-quality growth companies. The strategy targets high-quality small and medium-sized companies with attractive growth characteristics, predictable cash flows, and sustainable high returns on capital. The strategy seeks to benefit from both the inherent growth advantage of investing early in a company’s lifecycle and long-term compounding. The OYSTER US Small and Mid Company Growth fund replaces the OYSTER US Selection fund on the platform, allowing European investors to access a new strategy focusing on small- and mid-size US equities almost at the same time as it is made available to US investors.
iM Global Partner entrusts Polen Capital with the management of the OYSTER US Small and Mid Company Growth fund based on Polen’s new strategy launched at the beginning of Q2 2020 and made available to US investors. The portfolio is composed of companies that Polen believes can deliver sustainable growth and high returns on capital over a long-term time horizon. Companies are selected through a meticulous fundamental research process, historically part of Polen’s DNA. This process seeks to identify companies with durable earnings profiles driven by sustainable revenue growth, high returns on capital, proven management teams and powerful products/services. Polen Capital holds the view that such exceptional companies not only have the potential to contribute outsized returns to the portfolio, but are also inherently less risky—a company with greater earnings stability and financial strength may offer a “margin of safety” that typically results in less volatility in down markets. The strategy is managed by a dedicated team established in 2017 and based in Boston.
Philippe Uzan, CIO Asset Management of iM Global Partner, says: “Polen Capital’s unique concentrated approach makes it one of the strongest global equity managers in the world, and their strategy dovetails with their ability to identify tomorrow’s leaders. This partnership will offer clients the opportunity to invest early in the lifecycle of US SMID cap companies where, if chosen carefully, growth potential can be very strong.”
Rayna Lesser Hannaway, CFA – Portfolio Manager & Analyst at Polen Capital, says: “We invest in companies that we believe have strong competitive advantages, repeatable sales processes, robust business models, effective management teams, and good long-term strategies. The reason why we own so few companies is because the types of businesses that we look for can be hard to find. We believe we add value through our experience in finding financially strong companies that we think exhibit these characteristics, in an effort to seek high returns on investments to iM Global Partner’s clients.”
