Vontobel Fund - European Equity

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Monthly commentary / 31.10.2020 Vontobel Asset Management Vontobel Fund - European Equity

Approved for institutional investors in: AT, CH, DE, ES, FI, FR, GB, IT, LI, LU, NL, NO, PT, SE, SG (Professional Investors only)

Market developments Global equities diverged in October as the escalation of COVID-19 cases, particularly in Europe, shook markets. As the month drew to a close, France entered a new nationwide lockdown, while Germany closed restaurants and bars to curb the virus’s spread. The MSCI Europe Index fell, underperforming other regions, as investors digested the possibility of renewed wide- spread disruption. The US fell to a lesser degree as the looming election also weighed on markets. President Trump was in- fected by COVID-19, but was quickly back out on the campaign trail. Underperformance from the two major regions pulled the MSCI ACWI down for the month and back into negative territory for the year. In contrast, the MSCI Emerging Markets and MSCI Asia Pacific ex Japan Indices continued to make gains. The main driver was China’s accelerating recovery as it reported GDP growth of 4.9% in the third quarter.

Portfolio review PURCHASES

EXPERIAN ORD USD0.10

Experian is the largest credit bureau in the world. The company also provides analytics software and services. In most markets, the credit bureau industry is an oligopoly, with very high barriers to entry. We believe Experian’s adjusted EBITDA margin of 35% reflects the fact that it is an attractive business. Its capital intensity is low, leading to high ROEs and high free-cash-flow conversion. The company also tends to be resilient during recessions, as additional credit monitoring tends to partially offset falling volumes of credit report requests for loan origination purposes.

SALES

BANKINTER SA EUR0.30(REGD) - We reallocated capital to better opportunities.

SVENSKA HANDELSBANKEN SER'A'NPV (P/S) - We reallocated capital to better opportunities.

Performance analysis The Health Care and Consumer Discretionary sectors were positive contributors to relative performance over the month. The Information Technology and Financials sectors detracted from relative performance. On a country basis, France and Switzer- land contributed to relative performance, while Germany and the United Kingdom detracted from performance.

TOP3 Contributors:

FLUTTER ENTERTAINMENT PLC ORD EUR0.09

From a fundamental standpoint, there is nothing to report. We believe the strong share performance over the past month is a reflection of our investment thesis playing out. The stock price has benefitted from recent market chatter regarding inclusion in the EURO STOXX 50 index, and in our view the market is also beginning to indicate that FLTR may be a long-term winner following the Covid-19 pandemic. Paddy Power Betfair announced a name change to Flutter Entertainment in March 2019 to re- flect its portfolio of brands after shareholders overwhelmingly backed the name change. The company was formed in 2016 through the combination of two fast-growing online gaming and betting operators in the UK: Paddy Power and Betfair. The Group runs a dual brand strategy targeting multiple audiences through various channels. With above 20% market share, we believe the company is well positioned to capitalize on the rapid change to online and mobile betting and gaming.

CELLNEX TELECOM SA EUR0.25

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From a fundamental standpoint, there is nothing company-specific to report. Cellnex is the largest independent tower company in Europe. Historically, European telecommunications companies owned their own tower infrastructure, as a way to differentiate the quality of their network. The needs of the incumbent telcos have changed, however. Control of tower infrastructure is not only less relevant, but also capital inefficient. The telcos need to invest now in 5G technology, and many are considering selling their tower assets to finance these capex requirements. Leading the market by a wide margin, we believe Cellnex is in a prime position to lead the consolidation in the tower infrastructure space. Excluding M&A, we estimate the stock is potentially yielding a total return of 8%-13% depending on the terminal multiple assumption. We believe this is a predictable business with long- term contracts of 20 years, predictable growth in tower capacity, inflation linked price adjustment and moderate increase in ten- ants per tower. On top of that, there are opportunities for incremental revenues per tower from small cells, fiber capacity and equipment sharing. We estimate EPS compounding in the high teens (15%-18% per year).

PROSUS N.V. EUR0.05

From a fundamental standpoint, there is nothing company-specific to report. Prosus is a Netherlands based technology company with the majority of revenue derived from emerging markets including China (particularly Tencent Holdings Ltd.) and Rus- sia (mail.ru). It also owns outright, or has stakes in, businesses across gaming, social media, and e-commerce. In e-commerce it focuses on classifieds, payments, food delivery, fin-tech and retail. Previously these businesses were owned by the South African Naspers. Naspers grew to be too large for its market, as many local funds couldn't fully own a position which repre- sented north of 10% of various South African benchmarks. This caused the valuation gap between Naspers and its underlying holdings to grow to over 40%. Additionally a discount was applied due to tax leakage if and when holdings were sold or distributions were made to Naspers shareholders. The value of the underlying holdings grew from 2002-2019 over 40% a year, and from 2008-2019 around 20% annually. Prosus, of which Naspers still owns more than 70%, is listed in Netherlands, where there is a dearth of fast growing technology companies. In Europe, it will not represent a huge portion of the indices in which it will join. And in the re-listing in Amsterdam, Prosus' holdings have been revalued to current market values, so distributions (up to $120B) can be given tax free. Our belief is that Prosus should trade at a smaller discount to its underlying holdings than Naspers did. Additionally, we believe that the value of the underlying holdings should continue to grow at a double digit annual rate.

TOP3 Detractors:

SAP SE

During the quarterly earnings release, management guided that they will invest more aggressively to move towards a software- as-a-service payment model. We believe this will have a negative financial impact upfront but should yield a greater growth in cashflows once the investment is completed. SAP is a German based global Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software company. Within large organizations around the world SAP has a near monopoly position. ERP runs core operations and hence is difficult and expensive to replace which leads to very high renewal rates. As the industry moves to a cloud and software-as-a- service (SaaS) model revenues will become even more predictable. The company reported quarterly results where they showed strong indications that they are following through with the promise that the previous heavy investment in cloud and SaaS will start to trend down. Hence margins and cash flow are improving. Additionally dilution from stock options is declining as well.

DCC ORD EUR0.25

DCC’s stock de-rated due to the lack of news on acquisitions, particularly in the energy segment. Buy-side consensus is expect- ing lower long-term growth ahead. DCC Plc is an international sales, marketing, distribution and business support services group. The company operates through four segments: DCC Energy, DCC Healthcare, DCC Technology and DCC Environmen- tal. The DCC Energy segment supplies, transport fuels, heating oils and fuel oils to commercial, retail, domestic, agricultural, industrial, aviation and marine customers in Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark and Austria. The DCC Healthcare segment provides marketing and distribution of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The DCC Technology segment provides sales, marketing, distribution and supply chain services. The DCC Environmental division provides broad range of recycling, waste management and resource recovery services. The company is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland and employs over 10,000 people across 14 countries.

NESTLE SA CHF0.10(REGD)

From a fundamental standpoint, there is nothing company-specific to report. Nestle is one of the largest food companies in the world with an vast product and geographic sales mix. The company delivers low to mid-single-digit constant currency organic sales growth consistently, driven by its focus on health and wellness, its diversified geographic exposure, and its wide product range from value to super premium. Under its new CEO it is also more quickly focused on margin improvement and focusing on its faster growing categories and disposing those that grow slower.

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Outlook In volatile and unpredictable markets, it is important to seek a balance across regions and between high-growth and more de- fensive sectors. At Vontobel Quality Growth, we look for quality companies with differentiated growth drivers. We seek out businesses with long-term structural growth prospects and strong balance sheets that are trading at reasonable valuations, as we believe quality companies can grow, regardless of the environment.

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Performance (in %)

Net returns Rolling 12-month net returns EUR Fund Index Start date End date Fund Index MTD -3.6 -5.0 01.11.2019 30.10.2020 -1.6 -13.1 YTD -4.9 -17.1 01.11.2018 31.10.2019 14.9 12.6 2019 28.6 26.1 01.11.2017 31.10.2018 -5.9 -5.8 3 years p.a. 2.1 -2.7 01.11.2016 31.10.2017 14.7 19.5 5 years p.a. 2.6 0.5 01.11.2015 31.10.2016 -6.9 -6.8 10 years p.a. 8.3 5.1 Index: MSCI Europe Index TR net Since launch 4.3 1.8 p.a. Launch Date 03.04.2007 Share class: I ISIN: LU0278085062

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of current or future performance. Performance data does not take into account any commissions and costs charged when shares of the fund are issued and redeemed, if applicable. The return of the fund may go down as well as up due to changes in the rates of exchange between currencies.

Disclaimer This marketing document was produced by one or more companies of the Vontobel Group (collectively "Vontobel") for institutional clients, for distribution in AT, CH, DE, ES, FI, FR, GB, IT, LI, LU, NL, NO, PT, SE, SG (Professional Investors only). This document is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer, solicitation or recommendation to buy or sell shares of the fund/fund units or any investment instruments, to effect any transactions or to conclude any legal act of any kind whatsoever. Subscriptions of shares of the fund should in any event be made solely on the basis of the fund’s current sales prospectus (the “Sales Prospectus”), the Key Investor Information Document (“KIID”), its articles of incorporation and the most recent annual and semi-annual report of the fund and after seeking the advice of an independent finance, legal, accounting and tax specialist. This document is directed only at recipients who are institutional clients, such as eligible counterparties or professional clients as defined by the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive 2014/65/EC (“MiFID”) or similar regulations in other jurisdictions, or as qualified investors as defined by Switzerland’s Collective Investment Schemes Act (“CISA”). In particular, we wish to draw your attention to the following risks: Investment universe may involve investments in countries where the local stock exchanges may not yet qualify as recognized stock exchanges. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of current or future performance. Performance data does not take into account any commissions and costs charged when shares of the fund are issued and redeemed, if applicable. The return of the fund may go down as well as up due to changes in rates of exchange between currencies. The value of the money invested in the fund can increase or decrease and there is no guarantee that all or part of your invested capital can be redeemed. Interested parties may obtain the above-mentioned documents free of charge from the authorized distribution agencies and from the offices of the fund at 11-13 Boulevard de la Foire, L-1528 Luxembourg, the paying agent in Austria Erste Bank der oes- terreichischen Sparkassen AG, Graben 21, A-1010 Vienna, the representative in Switzerland: Vontobel Fonds Services AG, Gotthardstrasse 43, 8022 Zurich, the paying agent in Switzerland: Bank Vontobel AG, Gotthardstrasse 43, 8022 Zurich, the paying agent in Germany: B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. KGaA, Grosse Gallusstrasse 18, 60311 Frankfurt/Main, the paying agent in Liechtenstein: Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG, Städtle 44, FL-9490 Vaduz. Refer for more information on the fund to the latest prospectus, annual and semi-annual reports as well as the key investor information documents (“KIID”). These documents may also be downloaded from our website at vontobel.com/am.In Spain, funds authorized for distribution are recorded in the register of foreign collective investment companies maintained by the Spanish CNMV (under number 280). The KIID can be obtained in Spanish from Vontobel Asset Management S.A., Spain Branch, Paseo de la Castellana, 95, Planta 18, E-28046 Madrid or electronically from [email protected]. The KIID is available in Finnish. The KIID is available in French. The fund is authorized to the commercialization in France since 09-JAN-04. Refer for more information on the funds to the Doc- ument d’Information Clé pour l’Investisseur (DICI). The funds authorized for distribution in the United Kingdom can be viewed in the FCA register under the Scheme Reference Number 466625. This information was approved by Vontobel Asset Manage- ment SA, London Branch, which has its registered office at Third Floor, 22 Sackville Street, London W1S 3DN and is authorized by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Au- thority (FCA). Details about the extent of regulation by the FCA are available from Vontobel Asset Management SA, London

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Branch, on request. The KIID can be obtained in English from Vontobel Asset Management SA, London Branch, Third Floor, 22 Sackville Street, London W1S 3DN or downloaded from our website vontobel.com/am. Refer for more information regarding subscriptions in Italy to the Modulo di Sottoscrizione. For any further information: Vontobel Asset Management S.A., Milan Branch, Piazza degli Affari 3, 20123 Milano, telefono: 0263673444, e-mail [email protected]. The Fund and its subfunds are included in the register of Netherland's Authority for the Financial Markets as mentioned in article 1:107 of the Financial Markets Supervision Act (“Wet op het financië le toezicht”). The KIID is available in Norwegian. Please note that certain subfunds are exclusively available to qualified investors in Andorra or Portugal. The KIID is available in Swedish. The fund and its subfunds are not available to retail investors in Singapore. Selected subfunds of the fund are currently recognized as restricted schemes by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. These subfunds may only be offered to certain prescribed persons on certain conditions as provided in the “Securities and Futures Act”, Chapter 289 of Singapore. The fund is not authorized by the Securi- ties and Futures Commission of Hong Kong. It may only be offered to those investors qualifying as professional investors under the Securities and Futures Ordinance. The contents of this document have not been reviewed by any regulatory authority in Hong Kong. You are advised to exercise caution and if you are in any doubt about any of the contents of this document, you should obtain independent professional advice. This information was approved by Vontobel Asset Management Asia Pacific Ltd., which has its registered office at 1901 Gloucester Tower, The Landmark 15 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong. This document is not the result of a financial analysis and therefore the “Directives on the Independence of Financial Research” of the Swiss Bankers Association are not applicable. Vontobel Asset Management AG, its affiliates and/or its board of directors, executive management and employees may have or have had interests or positions in, or traded or acted as market maker in relevant securities. Furthermore, such entities or persons may have executed transactions for clients in these instruments or may provide or have provided corporate finance or other services to relevant companies. The MSCI data is for internal use only and may not be redistributed or used in connection with creating or offering any securities, financial products or indices. Neither MSCI nor any other third party involved in or related to compiling, computing or creating the MSCI data (the “MSCI Parties”) makes any express or implied warranties or representations with respect to such data (or the results to be obtained by the use thereof), and the MSCI Parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to such data. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall any of the MSCI Parties have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages. Although Vontobel believes that the information provided in this document is based on reliable sources, it cannot assume re- sponsibility for the quality, correctness, timeliness or completeness of the information contained in this document. Except as permitted under applicable copyright laws, none of this information may be reproduced, adapted, uploaded to a third party, linked to, framed, performed in public, distributed or transmitted in any form by any process without the specific written consent of Vontobel. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Vontobel will not be liable in any way for any loss or damage suffered by you through use or access to this information, or Vontobel’s failure to provide this information. Our liability for negligence, breach of contract or contravention of any law as a result of our failure to provide this information or any part of it, or for any problems with this information, which cannot be lawfully excluded, is limited, at our option and to the maximum extent permitted by law, to resupplying this information or any part of it to you, or to paying for the resupply of this information or any part of it to you. Neither this document nor any copy of it may be distributed in any jurisdiction where its distribution may be restricted by law. Persons who receive this document should make themselves aware of and adhere to any such restrictions. In particular, this document must not be distributed or handed over to US persons and must not be distributed in the USA. Vontobel Asset Management AG Gotthardstrasse 43, 8022 Zürich Switzerland T +41 58 283 71 11, [email protected] vontobel.com/am

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