This is the second time we have met the management of the Davy Discovery Equity Fund. Chantal Brennan took over the fund in May 2015 and since then it has returned 58.29% against the benchmark of 24.61%. The model focuses on quality companies often with a strong franchise.
ESG is also part of the process and has been an embedded part of the company for many years. The focus on ESG is to minimise exposure to persistent business risks. Within this they are looking to avoid pollutants and potential litigation.
The quality part is centred around four pillars; profitability, persistence (profitability over time), protection (low leverage and volatility) and people (how capital is allocated).
The fund tends to provide downside protection and they believe the focus in quality assists this part of the process. Although this is not a thematic fund it does to invest in those companies which are investing in things that we cannot do without. This will be things like data security, robotics, AI etc….read more