Ausbil Australian Active Equity Fund (ARSN 089 996 127) (Fund)
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Contactus@ ausbil.com.au Ausbil Investment Management Limited Ausbil Australian Active ABN 26 076 316 473 AFSL 229722 Level 27 Equity Fund 225 George Street Sydney NSW 2000 Monthly performance update GPO Box 2525 Sydney NSW 2001 Phone 61 2 9259 0200 April 2021 Fax 61 2 9259 0222 ‘We are expecting a multi-year earnings growth Fund Characteristics cycle before inflation becomes a problem, and we Returns1 as at 30 April 2021 maintain the position that investors are compelled Period Fund Bench- Out/Under to participate’ Return1 mark2 performance % % % Performance Review 1 month 4.23 3.70 0.53 Fund performance for April 2021 was +4.23% (net of fees) versus the benchmark return of +3.70%, as measured by the S&P/ASX 300 3 months 10.34 7.64 2.70 Accumulation Index. 6 months 26.62 20.62 6.00 At a sector level, the Fund’s overweight positions in the Materials and FYTD 32.95 22.83 10.12 Industrials sectors contributed to relative performance. The underweight CYTD 11.02 8.00 3.01 exposures to the Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples, Information 1 year 43.34 31.58 11.76 Technology, Communication Services, Utilities and Real Estate sectors also 2 years pa 13.77 9.39 4.38 added value. Conversely, the overweight positions in the Energy, Health Care 3 years pa 10.90 9.70 1.20 and Financials sectors detracted from relative performance. 5 years pa 11.84 10.40 1.45 At a stock level, the overweight positions in Galaxy Resources, IGO, 7 years pa 8.86 8.07 0.79 Afterpay, Boral, BlueScope Steel, Aristocrat Leisure, Rio Tinto and 10 years pa 9.32 8.28 1.04 NextDC contributed to relative performance. The nil positions in Woodside 15 years pa 7.13 6.36 0.77 Petroleum and Telstra also added value. Conversely, the overweight 20 years pa 9.63 8.26 1.37 positions in Lynas, Qantas, Santos, Webjet, Nuix and Lendlease detracted Since inception pa 10.38 8.37 2.01 from relative performance. The nil holdings in Fortescue Metals, Mineral Date: July 1997 Resources, Xero and Cleanaway Waste Management also detracted value. Top 10 Stock Holdings Market Review Name Fund Index2 Tilt The market delivered another positive month with a return of +3.7% as % % % measured by the S&P/ASX 300 Accumulation Index, building further on the BHP 9.73 6.88 2.85 +4.2% return delivered in the March quarter. Commonwealth Bank 8.14 7.73 0.41 Looking across the sectors for the S&P/ASX 300, Information Technology National Australia Bank 7.15 4.30 2.85 (+9.8%) and Materials (+7.5%) delivered outstanding performance, with solid CSL 7.13 6.04 1.09 results achieved across Industrials (+4.1%), Consumer Discretionary (+3.4%) and Financials (+3.2%). Only Energy (-4.7%), Consumer Staples (-2.4%) and Westpac Bank 5.40 4.48 0.91 Utilities (-1.2%) showed negative returns. ANZ Bank 4.96 4.00 0.96 World markets also delivered positive returns across the board, apart from Macquarie Group 4.03 2.67 1.36 Japan (Nikkei 225: -1.3%) and India (Nifty: -0.4%), as illustrated in Chart Santos 3.88 0.64 3.24 1. Global developed markets (MSCI World: +4.7%) outperformed both Rio Tinto 3.67 2.20 1.47 Australian equities (S&P/ASX 300: +3.7%) and emerging markets (MSCI EM: Aristocrat Leisure 3.57 1.16 2.41 +2.5%). Outlook Sector Tilts April has seen further improvement in the earnings outlook for Australian Sector Fund Index2 Tilt listed companies, particularly since the historic reversal in consensus across % % % the February reporting season that saw the FY21 consensus earnings Energy 3.88 3.44 0.44 outlook for the broad market rebound. Materials 27.82 20.71 7.12 This multi-year growth outlook is tempered by the risk of some inflation and Industrials 9.41 7.44 1.98 the ongoing risks around COVID-19, new variants, and a slowing down Consumer Discretionary 4.68 8.43 -3.76 of vaccinations due to complications, Further unquantifiable risks remain Consumer Staples 2.13 4.98 -2.84 around China trade relations and the potential for geopolitical instability in the Health Care 10.49 9.94 0.55 Pacific region. At this stage in the recovery, the house view remains that while there might be some unanticipated higher reads on inflation, it is not in our Financials 32.46 29.28 3.18 view that inflation will become a problem in the short to medium term such Information Technology 4.56 5.19 -0.64 that it warrants central banks to move. Communication Services 0.00 2.55 -2.55 Ausbil’s portfolios have been positioned for a clear path to recovery, but with Utilities 0.00 1.21 -1.21 some volatility and uncertainty along the way. We are expecting a multi-year Real Estate 4.43 6.82 -2.39 earnings growth cycle before inflation becomes a problem, and we maintain Cash 0.13 0.00 0.13 the position that investors are compelled to participate. While we maintain a Total 100.00 100.00 0.00 positive outlook on earnings, this is still a time to invest in only the best quality companies, which exhibit superior underlying earnings growth and strength, 1.Fund returns are net of fees but before taxes. in order to achieve longer-term outperformance. 2.The benchmark is S&P/ASX 300 Accumulation Index. 1 Ausbil Investment Management Limited Level 27 225 George Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia Toll Free 1800 287 245 Unless otherwise specified, any information contained in this publication is current as at the date of this report and is prepared by Ausbil Investment Management Limited (ABN 26 076 316 473 AFSL 229722) (Ausbil). Ausbil is the issuer of the Ausbil Australian Active Equity Fund (ARSN 089 996 127) (Fund). This report contains general information only and the information provided is factual only and does not constitute financial product advice. It does not take account of your individual objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on it, you should seek independent financial and tax advice about its appropriateness to your objectives, financial situation and needs. Securities and sectors mentioned in this monthly report are presented to illustrate companies and sectors in which the Fund has invested and should not be considered a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold any particular security. Holdings are subject to change daily. The value of an investment and the income from it can fall as well as rise and you may not get back the amount originally invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Unless otherwise stated, performance figures are calculated net of fees and assume distributions are reinvested. Due to rounding the figures in the holdings, breakdowns may not add up to 100%. No guarantee or warranty is made as to the accuracy, adequacy or reliability of any statements, estimates, opinions or other information contained herein (any of which may change without notice) and should not be relied upon as a representation express or implied as to any future or current matter. You should consider the Product Disclosure Statement which is available at www.ausbil.com.au before acquiring or investing in the fund. Source: MSCI. The MSCI information may only be used for your internal use, may not be reproduced or disseminated in any form and may not be used as a basis for or a component of any financial instruments or products or indices. None of the MSCI information is intended to constitute investment advice or a recommendation to make (or refrain from making) any kind of investment decision and may not be relied on as such. Historical data and analysis should not be taken as an indication or guarantee of any future performance analysis, forecast or prediction. The MSCI information is provided on an “as is” basis and the user of this information assumes the entire risk of any use made of this information. MSCI, each of its affiliates and each other person involved in or related to compiling, computing or creating any MSCI information (collectively, the “MSCI Parties”) expressly disclaims all warranties (including, without limitation, any warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, non-infringement, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose) with respect to this information. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall any MSCI Party have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, punitive, consequential (including, without limitation, lost profits) or any other damages. Further information is available at www.msci.com. A short notice on the COVID-19 public health event, and how it can impact investments Given the currently evolving issues around the Coronavirus (or Covid-19) globally, which has officially been designated a pandemic by the World Health Organisation, we wish to notify that, as with many firms, business may be disrupted. A public health crisis, pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of a contagious disease, such as the recent outbreak of Coronavirus (or Covid-19) in Australia, Italy, China, South Korea, the United States and other countries, could have an adverse impact on global, national and local economies, which in turn could negatively impact investment returns in any of Ausbil Investment Management Limited’s registered managed investment schemes (the Funds). Disruptions to commercial activity relating to the imposition of quarantines or travel restrictions (or more generally, an inability on behalf of authorities to contain this pandemic) may adversely impact any investment, including by delaying or causing supply chain disruptions or by causing staffing shortages.