European Sustainability

European Sustainability

The strategy was launched in June 2021 and invests in 30-45 companies that we consider to be the very best sustainability companies in Europe (including the UK). 

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This document is a financial promotion for the Stewart Investors European Sustainability Strategy intended for professional clients only in Switzerland, the EEA and elsewhere where lawful.

Investing involves certain risks including:

  • The value of investments and any income from them may go down as well as up and are not guaranteed. Investors may get back significantly less than the original amount invested.
  • Currency risk: the Fund invests in assets which are denominated in other currencies; changes in exchange rates will affect the value of the Fund and could create losses. Currency control decisions made by governments could affect the value of the Fund's investments and could cause the Fund to defer or suspend redemptions of its shares.
  • Specific region risk: investing in a specific region may be riskier than investing in a number of different countries or regions. Investing in a larger number of countries or regions helps spread risk.
  • Smaller companies risk: investments in smaller companies may be riskier and more difficult to buy and sell than investments in larger companies

Where featured, specific securities or companies are intended as an illustration of investment strategy only, and should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

For a full description of the terms of investment and the risks please see the Prospectus and Key Investor Information Document.

If you are in any doubt as to the suitability of our funds for your investment needs, please seek investment advice.

Our European Sustainability strategy invests in companies that we consider to be the very best sustainability companies in Europe. These businesses have strong and competitive franchises, exceptional people and distinctive cultures, and resilient financials. Individually and collectively they are solving difficult problems, meeting critical needs, and helping bring about a more sustainable future.

By focusing on the highest quality and best sustainability companies in Europe, we believe we can offer an exciting portfolio that stands out from the crowd.

Why invest in European companies?

World-leading sustainability companies

  • Europe has a large listed universe, including world-leading health care, clean energy, manufacturing and IT companies
  • Many of these companies have large and growing end-markets, including in many emerging economies, and a strong presence globally and locally

Exceptional people and cultures

  • Many companies are run by outstanding management teams and are often controlled by long-term stewards – foundations, families and entrepreneurs
  • Europe has a high concentration of companies with strong cultures, great franchises, and healthy balance sheets and financial characteristics

Sustainability tailwinds

  • Social norms, policies and regulations are often favourable for companies advancing sustainable technologies and solutions
  • European companies are known and respected for setting high standards

Strategy highlights: a focus on quality and sustainability

  • Companies must contribute to sustainable development and make a net-positive impact to a more sustainable future. Portfolio Explorer >

  • We invest in high-quality companies with exceptional cultures, strong franchises and resilient financials. How we pick companies >

  • We avoid companies linked to harmful activities and engage and vote for positive change. Our position on harmful products >

  • Our approach is long-term, bottom-up, high conviction and benchmark agnostic

  • We focus on capital preservation as well as capital growth – we define risk as the permanent loss of client capital

Latest insights

Strategy update: Q2 2023

European Sustainability strategy update: 1 April - 30 June 2023

In order to gauge a company’s performance prospects, we must try to grasp the context in which it operates. Seen through the abstract lens of news, the world usually seems profoundly chaotic, hostile, erratic and unfathomable. The world may be all these things, but all these things are not the singular context in which companies operate. We need a different, better frame of reference.

The more uncertain the political economy context and market conditions get, the harder and closer we look at what we can best make sense of: companies, and how well they deal with the particular contextual challenges they face and foresee. Companies are of course impacted by developments in the political economy and financial markets, but company leaders deal with the manifestations of these things in amongst the practical realities of employees, customers, supply chains, production facilities, distribution channels, and regulatory environments.

Performance over the quarter was mixed. Encouraging results and positive outlooks boosted the share prices of Jerónimo Martins (Portugal: Consumer staples), the leading supermarket operator in Poland; Judges Scientific (UK: Industrials), a serial acquirer of specialised scientific instruments businesses; and Atlas Copco (Sweden: Industrials), a maker of compressors, vacuums, and industrial assembly technologies.

Companies that dragged most on performance included Carl Zeiss Meditec (Germany: Health Care) – a maker of ophthalmic devices and microsurgery visualisation technologies – which fell after the company confirmed slower growth in China due to covid infection waves and lockdowns earlier in the year; Sartorius (Germany: Health Care) – a provider of laboratory and drug development technologies – which issued a profit warning due to falling sales as biopharma customers run off inventories built up during the pandemic; and ALK-Abelló (Denmark: Health Care) – the global leader in allergen immunotherapy treatments – which fell when first quarter data showed softer European tablet sales growth.

Two new companies were brought into the portfolio. Assa Abloy (Sweden: Industrials) is a global leader in locks, doors and intelligent security systems. It operates in fragmented end-markets where success depends on winning and maintaining trust. Its electromechanical, digital and automated access systems are helping save energy and regulate airflow and temperature in buildings. Although sales are linked to the property cycle, significant revenues from after-market upgrades and other services help smooth the overall revenue and margin profile.

EPAM Systems (US: Information Technology) is a founder-controlled, Eastern European IT services company that is helping accelerate digital transformation and productivity gains for its clients. EPAM is known in its field as the developers’ developer. The exceptional platform engineering and software development skills of its workforce, most of whom are based in Eastern Europe, and a full consult-design-engineer-operate model, have enabled it to establish long-term relationships with leading companies in over 35 countries worldwide.

We continued building positions in companies bought during the first quarter, including DiscoverIE (UK: Industrials) a serial acquirer of electronics design and manufacturing businesses; and Teqnion (Sweden: Industrials), a serial acquirer of a wide range of specialised industrial and technology businesses. We also added to several holdings as they became more attractively valued, including Alfen (Netherlands: Industrials), a provider of electric vehicle charging stations as well as smart grid and energy storage solutions; and Infineon Technologies (Germany: Information Technology), a provider of semiconductors for the auto, industrial and power management sectors.

We sold out of Tomra Systems (Norway: Industrials), which makes automated recycling, sorting and reverse vending technologies. These technologies could slide down lists of spending priorities if economies slip into recession. At current valuations we believe Tomra may struggle to generate an adequate return over the next decade. It seems wise to deploy capital to other portfolio companies.

Valuation concerns were the main reason for trimming positions in Tecan (Switzerland: Health Care), a maker of laboratory automation devices; Elisa (Finland: Communication Services), the market leader in telecommunications and digital services in Finland; and Inficon (Switzerland: Information Technology), a maker of niche gas detection equipment and sensors.

We seek out exceptional leaders of companies with adaptable franchises and solid balance sheets – companies that can thrive in good times as well as bad. We strive to hold companies which, in combination, can help make the portfolio resilient across a range of fast-fluctuating market environments. The goal of consistently good performance in all circumstances can never be attained, but we aim for consistency in as many different market environments as possible. We believe this is the best way to deliver good overall performance over the long term.

Source for company information: Stewart Investors investment team and company data. This stock information does not constitute any offer or inducement to enter into any investment activity. Portfolio data shown is from representative strategy accounts of the strategy shown above. Named new investments disclosed relate to holdings with a portfolio weight over 0.5%. It is not a recommendation or solicitation to purchase or invest in any fund. Differences between the representative account-specific constraints, currency or fees and those of a similarly managed fund or mandate would affect results.

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Stewart Investors Quarterly Client Update Q2 2023

1 April - 30 June 2023

Risk factors

This material is a financial promotion for the Stewart Investors Sustainable Funds Group strategies – Asia Pacific and Japan Sustainability, Asia Pacific Leaders Sustainability, Asia Pacific Sustainability, European Sustainability, European (ex UK) Sustainability, Global Emerging Markets Sustainability, Global Emerging Markets Leaders Sustainability, Indian Subcontinent Sustainability, Worldwide Sustainability and Worldwide Leaders Sustainability – and is intended for professional clients only in the UK, Switzerland and EEA and professional clients elsewhere where lawful.

Within the EU/EEA and Switzerland, the European (ex UK) strategy is only available to investors via a segregated mandate account.

Investing involves certain risks including:

  • The value of investments and any income from them may go down as well as up and are not guaranteed. Investors may get back significantly less than the original amount invested.
  • Emerging market risk: Emerging markets tend to be more sensitive to economic and political conditions than developed markets. Other factors include greater liquidity risk, restrictions on investment or transfer of assets, failed/delayed settlement and difficulties valuing securities.
  • Indian Subcontinent risk: although India has seen rapid economic and structural development, investing there may still involve increased risks of political and governmental intervention, potentially limitations on the allocation of the strategy’s capital, and legal, regulatory, economic and other risks including greater liquidity risk, restrictions on investment or transfer of assets, failed/delayed settlement and difficulties valuing securities.
  • Specific region risk: investing in a specific region  may be riskier than investing in a number of different countries or regions. Investing in a larger number of countries or regions helps spread risk.
  • Currency risk: the strategies invest in assets which are denominated in other currencies; changes in exchange rates will affect the value of the strategies and could create losses. Currency control decisions made by governments could affect the value of the strategies’ investments and could cause the strategies to defer or suspend redemptions of shares.
  • Concentration risk: the European Sustainability and Worldwide Leaders Sustainability strategies referred to in this material invest in a relatively small number of companies which may be riskier than a strategy that invests in a large number of companies.
  • Smaller companies risk: investments in smaller companies may be riskier and more difficult to buy and sell than investments in larger companies.

Where featured, specific securities or companies are intended as an illustration of investment strategy only, and should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

If you are in any doubt as to the suitability of our strategies for your investment needs, please seek investment advice.

Investment philosophy

  • We are stewards: Our role is to allocate society’s capital to productive uses, in accordance with our Hippocratic Oath
  • We are long term: Our time horizon is measured in years, not weeks, and we value companies accordingly
  • We invest only in companies contributing to a more sustainable future: We engage constructively as owners to help companies on their sustainability journeys
  • We invest only in high-quality companies: We seek out companies with exceptional cultures, strong franchises and resilient financials
  • We believe capital preservation is important for capital growth: We define risk as the possibility of the permanent loss of client capital

Investment objective

To generate attractive long-term, risk-adjusted returns by investing in the shares of high-quality companies that are particularly well positioned to contribute to, and benefit from sustainable development.

Important information

This material is for general information purposes only. It does not constitute investment or financial advice and does not take into account any specific investment objectives, financial situation or needs. This is not an offer to provide asset management services, is not a recommendation or an offer or solicitation to buy, hold or sell any security or to execute any agreement for portfolio management or investment advisory services and this material has not been prepared in connection with any such offer. Before making any investment decision you should conduct your own due diligence and consider your individual investment needs, objectives and financial situation and read the relevant offering documents for details including the risk factors disclosure. Any person who acts upon, or changes their investment position in reliance on, the information contained in these materials does so entirely at their own risk.

We have taken reasonable care to ensure that this material is accurate, current, and complete and fit for its intended purpose and audience as at the date of publication but the information contained in the material may be subject to change thereafter without notice.

No assurance is given or liability accepted regarding the accuracy, validity or completeness of this material.

To the extent this material contains any expression of opinion or forward-looking statements, such opinions and statements are based on assumptions, matters and sources believed to be true and reliable at the time of publication only. This material reflects the views of the individual writers only. Those views may change, may not prove to be valid and may not reflect the views of everyone at First Sentier Investors.

Past performance is not indicative of future performance. All investment involves risks and the value of investments and the income from them may go down as well as up and you may not get back your original investment. Actual outcomes or results may differ materially from those discussed. Readers must not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as there is no certainty that conditions current at the time of publication will continue. 

References to specific securities (if any) are included for the purpose of illustration only and should not be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell the same. Any securities referenced may or may not form part of the holdings of First Sentier Investors’ portfolios at a certain point in time, and the holdings may change over time.

References to comparative benchmarks or indices (if any) are for illustrative and comparison purposes only, may not be available for direct investment, are unmanaged, assume reinvestment of income, and have limitations when used for comparison or other purposes because they may have volatility, credit, or other material characteristics (such as number and types of securities) that are different from the funds managed by First Sentier Investors.

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Not all First Sentier Investors products are available in all jurisdictions.

This material is neither directed at nor intended to be accessed by persons resident in, or citizens of any country, 

or types or categories of individual where to allow such access would be unlawful or where it would require any registration, filing, application for any licence or approval or other steps to be taken by First Sentier Investors in order to  comply with local laws or regulatory requirements in such country.

About First Sentier Investors

References to ‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’ are references to First Sentier Investors, a global asset management business which 

is ultimately owned by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG). Certain of our investment teams operate under the trading names FSSA Investment Managers, Stewart Investors and Realindex Investments, all of which are part of the First Sentier Investors Group.

This material may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part, and in any form or by any means circulated without the prior written consent of First Sentier Investors.

We communicate and conduct business through different legal entities in different locations. This material is communicated in:

  • United Kingdom by First Sentier Investors (UK) Funds Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (reg. no. 2294743; reg office Finsbury Circus House, 15 Finsbury Circus, London EC2M 7EB).
  • European Economic Area by First Sentier Investors (Ireland) Limited, authorised and regulated in Ireland by the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI reg no. C182306; reg office 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland; reg company no. 629188).
  • Other jurisdictions, where this document may lawfully be issued, by First Sentier Investors International IM Limited, authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority (reg. no. 122512; reg office 23 St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 1BB; regcompany no. SC079063).

To the extent permitted by law, MUFG and its subsidiaries are not liable for any loss or damage as a result of reliance on any statement or information contained in this document. Neither MUFG nor any of its subsidiaries guarantee the performance of any investment products referred to in this document or the repayment of capital. Any investments referred to are not deposits or other liabilities of MUFG or its subsidiaries, and are subject to investment risk, including loss of income and capital invested.

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Strategy update: Q1 2023

European Sustainability strategy update: 1 January - 31 March 2023

The geopolitical and macro environment has been lurching from one crisis to the next.

This time last year, it seemed covid might be coming under control and supply chain bottlenecks were easing. Then war broke out in Europe, energy and food prices rose sharply, and different supply chain issues emerged. We entered a new era of rising interest rates and inflation, which ushered in considerable market turbulence. This quarter’s ‘macro shock’ has come from banking failures (and bailouts - again) in both the US and Europe.

Against this backdrop, the strategy’s performance over the quarter was satisfactory – helped, in part, by limited exposure to banking stocks. We have long been unconvinced about the prospects for most traditional developed market banks, and the strategy only has modest positions in smaller, country or regionally-focused banks with strong financial quality. These include Ringkjøbing Landbobank, a niche Danish bank, Handelsbanken, a conservative Swedish bank, and Komerční banka, the third-largest bank in the Czech Republic. Positions in these banks have been relatively small since the inception of the strategy, and we substantially trimmed our holding in Ringkjøbing Landbobank earlier this year due to valuation concerns.

Performance over the quarter was boosted by strong results from Spectris (UK: Information Technology), a maker of precision instruments and controls; Infineon Technologies (Germany: Information Technology), a producer of semiconductors for the auto, industrial and power management sectors; and Deutsche Post DHL Group (Germany: Industrials), the world’s largest logistics provider.

Companies which dragged on performance included Roche (Switzerland: Health Care), a maker of biologic drugs for cancer and rare diseases which struggled with a couple of failed drug trials; and DiaSorin (Italy: Health Care), a maker of immuno and molecular diagnostics equipment which was weaker due to a greater-than-expected pullback in covid-related sales and delays to new product releases.

We added three new companies to the portfolio. Nexans (France: Industrials), makes electrical cabling and provides services used in the generation and transmission of wind and solar energy. Nexans is the largest vertically integrated cable manufacturer in the world and has direct access to copper cathodes and the ability to recycle copper more effectively. This competitive advantage will become increasingly important if global copper shortages persist.

We also initiated positions in two relatively small companies that are serial acquirers of niche private businesses, namely DiscoverIE (UK: Industrials), and Teqnion (Sweden: Industrials). DiscoverIE focuses on acquiring electronics design and manufacturing businesses, whereas Teqnion acquires a variety of industrial and technology companies. We tend to like serial acquirer companies because they offer exposure to a broad range of specialised businesses and they provide attractive risk/return characteristics due to their diversified revenue streams.

We sold out of Diploma (UK: Industrials), Beijer Ref (Sweden: Industrials) and NIBE Industrier (Sweden: Industrials) all due to valuation reasons. Beijer Ref distributes HVAC and refrigeration technologies, and NIBE Industrier sells heat pumps and other sustainable solutions. Both have been beneficiaries of positive sentiment around green incentives, and valuations became increasingly uncomfortable. Diploma is a distributor of seals, controls and other components, and its valuation also became stretched. The introduction and concurrent sale of three industrial companies was purely coincidental. We do not take top-down sector or benchmark-related decisions; every investment decision is based upon a bottom-up assessment of the quality of each individual company and its valuation.

During the quarter, we added to a number of holdings that became more reasonably valued. These included Alfen (Netherlands: Industrials), a maker of electric vehicle charging stations and smart grid technologies; and Roche and DiaSorin, both mentioned above. We also trimmed Tecan (Switzerland: Health Care), a maker of laboratory automation devices; Vitec Software (Sweden: Information Technology), a collection of leading software companies, and Ringkjøbing Landbobank (Denmark: Financials), all for valuation reasons.

As ever, we remain focused on the long term, and on ensuring the portfolio is as resilient as possible. We believe the best way to accomplish this aim is by running a diversified portfolio of high-quality companies with strong and conservative financials, exceptional stewardship, and sustainability tailwinds.

Source for company information: Stewart Investors investment team and company data. This stock information does not constitute any offer or inducement to enter into any investment activity. Portfolio data shown is from representative strategy accounts of the strategy shown above. Named new investments disclosed relate to holdings with a portfolio weight over 0.5%. It is not a recommendation or solicitation to purchase or invest in any fund. Differences between the representative account-specific constraints, currency or fees and those of a similarly managed fund or mandate would affect results.

Strategy update: Q4 2022

European Sustainability strategy update: 1 October - 31 December 2022

We entered 2022 with a portfolio of high-quality, leading sustainability companies, with strong management teams, resilient cash flows and safe balance sheets.

However, this was not enough to protect against a challenging investment environment, marred by geopolitical uncertainty, an energy crisis, rapidly rising inflation, and a devastating war.

Many investors exited quality healthcare, technology and small and mid-cap companies and rotated into companies in the traditional energy, resources and banking sectors. This was painful for the strategy and performance in 2022 was disappointing. With the clairvoyance of hindsight, the portfolio should have been more diversified, with less exposure to companies on expensive valuation multiples.

Our main preoccupation throughout the year was on improving portfolio diversification and defensiveness. To this end, we:

  1. Initiated and built positions in three new financial services companies (Admiral Group: United Kingdom, Handelsbanken: Sweden and Komerční Banka: Czech Republic); two consumer companies (Beiersdorf: Germany and Unilever: United Kingdom); a communication services company (Elisa: Finland); a utility (Energiedienst: Switzerland); an information technology company (Bechtle: Germany); and a materials company (Sika: Switzerland).
  2. Sold out of two higher-rated technology companies (Alphawave IP: United Kingdom and ASML: Netherlands); three industrial companies (Kardex: Switzerland, Schindler: Switzerland and Vestas: Denmark); a consumer discretionary company (Mister Spex: Germany); a healthcare company (Philips: Netherlands); and a utility company (Ørsted: Denmark).
  3. Reduced exposure on a precautionary basis to other higher-rated companies that we thought were susceptible to a correction, including Infineon Technologies (Germany: Information Technology), Nemetschek (Germany: Information Technology), Spirax-Sarco Engineering (United Kingdom: Industrials), Tomra (Norway: Industrials), Adyen (Netherland: Information Technology), Rational (Germany: Industrials) and SFS (Switzerland: Industrials).
  4. Took profits in certain companies following good runs of performance and valuations becoming stretched, including NIBE Industrier (Sweden: Industrials), Vitec Software (Sweden: Information Technology), Alfen (Netherlands: Industrials), Beijer Ref (Sweden: Industrials), and Jerónimo Martins (Portugal: Consumer Staples).

In quarter four, we took advantage of attractive valuation opportunities to increase exposure to several holdings, including Deutsche Post DHL Group (Germany: Industrials), Beiersdorf (Germany: Consumer Staples), Inficon (Switzerland: Information Technology), Indutrade (Sweden: Industrials), Sartorius (Germany: Health Care), Roche (Switzerland: Health Care), Alcon (Switzerland: Health Care), Carl Zeiss Meditec (Germany: Health Care), and Unilever (United Kingdom: Consumer Staples). We trimmed some of our diagnostics exposure by reducing positions in Tecan (Switzerland: Health Care) and bioMérieux (France: Health Care), and some of our more expensive industrial exposure via Nibe, Tomra and Beijer Ref.

As a result of these changes, we believe the portfolio is more robust. The overall (sector-level) exposure to technology and industrial companies is lower than 12-18 months ago, healthcare exposure roughly similar, and exposure to financial and consumer companies slightly higher.

We are becoming steadily more excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. We are fortunate to have slightly elevated cash levels and look forward to increasing positions in some of the highest-quality, best sustainability companies in Europe, at more reasonable valuations.

Strategy update: Q3 2022

European Sustainability strategy update: 1 July - 30 September 2022

It has been painful seeing the share prices of most portfolio constituents decline this year.

We hold a good variety of high-quality, great sustainability companies, with strong cash flow capabilities, ample liquidity, and safe balance sheets. If the portfolio were a collection of boats, we believe the view below the surface of the roiling sea would be of sturdy hulls and safe anchors and lines.

The economies of most European countries seem to be heading into a recession. Geopolitical tensions are mounting. Decades of short-sighted energy policies are catching up with most European nations. The cost of most things is rising. Interest rates are rising. Debt burdens are rising. Financial liquidity squeezes look increasingly likely. Pressures are mounting on company earnings. There are no miracles in the central bank box of magic tricks.

Though the quarter began with a classic bear-market rally, it was no surprise that share prices retraced in September. Our main preoccupation was the same as the previous quarter: trying to improve portfolio diversification and defensiveness. We replaced two companies, reduced exposure to twelve, and added to eight holdings. As a result of these changes the portfolio cash position ended lower than last quarter, but still elevated; this may well continue to be the case in the months ahead.

We sold the remaining portions of holdings in Vestas (Denmark: Industrials) and Ørsted (Denmark: Utilities). Both investments were mistakes. Both are well-run, but difficult, order-book businesses. Both ought to have a bright future, yet are highly sensitive to regulatory dynamics and fluctuating input costs. The longer we held them, the longer our list of unknown-unknowns became. Other investment ideas seem more likely to deliver a satisfactory return over the coming decade.

Unilever (United Kingdom: Consumer Staples) and Handelsbanken (Sweden: Financials) were brought into the portfolio. Unilever is a reasonably-valued, cash-generative, dividend-paying, global consumer goods giant. It owns over 400 brands. Its products are used daily by almost 3.5 billion people across 190 countries. The company has not fared especially well since fending off a takeover attempt by Kraft-Heinz in 2017. Although we’re generally sceptical of activist interventions, we think the involvement of Nelson Peltz’s Trian group could create opportunities for helpful changes at Unilever.

Handelsbanken is a full-service bank with a decentralised, customer-focused operating model. It has survived four major banking crises in its 150-year history. During the severe Swedish banking crisis in the early-1990s, it was the only bank not to be either bailed out or nationalised. During the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, it was a net lender to peer banks and to the Swedish (Central) Riksbank.

Handelsbanken has emerged stronger and leaner from a difficult period of restructuring and reorganisation over the last five-odd years. We believe it will continue to improve under the leadership of CEO Carina Åkerström.

We trimmed positions in Tomra (Norway: Industrials), Tecan (Switzerland: Health Care), NIBE Industrier (Sweden: Industrials) and Diploma (United Kingdom: Industrials), among others, during the spell of relative share price buoyancy in the early part of the quarter. We built positions in the companies we recently introduced into the portfolio – Admiral (United Kingdom: Financials), Elisa (Finland: Communication Services), Beiersdorf (Germany: Consumer Staples), Energiedienst (Switzerland: Utilities) and Komerční Banka (Czech Republic: Financials) – and also added to Judges Scientific (United Kingdom: Industrials) and ALK-Abelló (Denmark: Health Care).

We are long-term investors. We understand patience pays off in a number of different ways. We are also trained to invest into crises. As valuations become more attractive, we become more excited about adding to our favourite companies. We will do our best to balance enthusiasm and patience as we take opportunities ahead of us.

Source for company information: Stewart Investors investment team and company data. This stock information does not constitute any offer or inducement to enter into any investment activity. Portfolio data shown is from representative strategy accounts of the strategy shown above. Named new investments disclosed relate to holdings with a portfolio weight over 0.5%. It is not a recommendation or solicitation to purchase or invest in any fund. Differences between the representative account-specific constraints, currency or fees and those of a similarly managed fund or mandate would affect results.

Proxy voting: Q2 2023

European Sustainability proxy voting: 1 April - 30 June 2023

Proxy voting by country of origin

Proxy voting by proposal category

During the quarter there were 455 resolutions from 26 companies to vote on. On behalf of clients, we voted against eight resolutions.

We voted against Alcon’s remuneration report as well as the Board and Executive remuneration, as we believe it is excessive and the company has signalled that they want to keep ratcheting. (three resolutions)

We voted against the appointment of the auditor at Beiersdorf, bioMérieux, Elisa and SFS Group as they have been in place for over 10 years and the companies have given no information on intended rotation. We believe rotating an auditor on a relatively frequent basis (e.g. every 5-10 years) helps to ensure a fresh pair of eyes are examining the accounts, and follows best practice. (four resolutions)

We voted against Unilever’s remuneration report as we have concerns about the magnitude of the increase in the base salary being offered to the new CEO and the lower performance hurdles being set. (one resolution) 

Source for company information: Stewart Investors investment team and company data. This stock information does not constitute any offer or inducement to enter into any investment activity. Portfolio data shown is from representative strategy accounts of the strategy shown above. Proxy voting chart numbers may not add to 100 due to rounding. SHP means: Shareholder Proposal.

Proxy voting: Q1 2023

European Sustainability proxy voting: 1 January - 31 March 2023

Proxy voting by country of origin

Proxy voting by proposal category

During the quarter, there were 240 resolutions from eleven companies to vote on. On behalf of clients, we voted against five resolutions.

We voted against the appointment of the auditor at Indutrade, Infineon Technologies and Ringkjobing Landbobank as they have been in place for over 10 years and the companies' have given no information on intended rotation. We believe rotating an auditor on a relatively frequent basis (e.g. every 5-10 years) helps to ensure a fresh pair of eyes are examining the accounts and follows best practice. (three resolutions)

We voted against two shareholder proposals requesting Handelsbanken change their IT management software, as well as allocate funds and participate in the formation of an integration institute with operations in the Öresund region. We believe management are best placed to decide the day-to-day operations of the business. (two resolutions)

Source for company information: Stewart Investors investment team and company data. This stock information does not constitute any offer or inducement to enter into any investment activity. Portfolio data shown is from representative strategy accounts of the strategy shown above. Proxy voting chart numbers may not add to 100 due to rounding. SHP means: Shareholder Proposal.

Proxy voting: Q4 2022

European Sustainability proxy voting: 1 October - 31 December 2022

Proxy voting by country of origin

Proxy voting by proposal category

During the quarter there were 38 resolutions from six companies to vote on. On behalf of clients, we voted against two resolutions.

We voted against the appointment of the auditor at Chr. Hansen and Coloplast, as they have been in place for over 10 years and the companies have given no information on intended rotation. We believe rotating an auditor on a relatively frequent basis (e.g. every 5-10 years) helps to ensure a fresh pair of eyes are examining the accounts, and follows best practice. (two resolutions)

Source for company information: Stewart Investors investment team and company data. This stock information does not constitute any offer or inducement to enter into any investment activity. Portfolio data shown is from representative strategy accounts of the strategy shown above. Proxy voting chart numbers may not add to 100 due to rounding. SHP means: Shareholder Proposal.

Proxy voting: Q3 2022

European Sustainability proxy voting: 1 July - 30 September 2022

Proxy voting by country of origin

Proxy voting by proposal category

During the quarter there were 23 resolutions from one company to vote on. On behalf of clients, we did not vote against any resolutions.

Source for company information: Stewart Investors investment team and company data. This stock information does not constitute any offer or inducement to enter into any investment activity. Portfolio data shown is from representative strategy accounts of the strategy shown above. Proxy voting chart numbers may not add to 100 due to rounding. SHP means: Shareholder Proposal.

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For illustrative purposes only. Reference to the names of example company names mentioned in this communication is merely for explaining the investment strategy and should not be construed as investment advice or investment recommendation of those companies. Companies mentioned herein may or may not form part of the holdings of Stewart Investors. Holdings are subject to change.

Certain statements, estimates, and projections in this document may be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon Stewart Investors’ current assumptions and beliefs, in light of currently available information, but involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual actions or results may differ materially from those discussed. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. There is no certainty that current conditions will last, and Stewart Investors undertakes no obligation to correct, revise or update information herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Source: Stewart Investors investment team and company data. Securities mentioned are all investee companies* from representative Asia Pacific Sustainability Strategy, Asia Pacific & Japan Sustainability Strategy, Asia Pacific Leaders Sustainability Strategy, European Sustainability Strategy, European (ex UK) Sustainability Strategy, Global Emerging Markets Leaders Sustainability Strategy, Global Emerging Markets Sustainability Strategy, Indian Subcontinent Sustainability Strategy, Worldwide Sustainability Strategy and Worldwide Leaders Sustainability Strategy accounts as at 30 June 2023. *Assets that the strategies may hold which an active decision has not been made, and sustainability assessment does not apply, include cash, cash equivalents, short-term holdings for the purpose of efficient portfolio management and holdings received as a result of mandatory corporate actions. Holdings of such assets will not appear on Portfolio Explorer.

The Stewart Investors supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The full list of SDGs can be found on the United Nations website.

Source for Climate Solutions and impact figures: © 2014–2023 Project Drawdown (drawdown.org). Source for Human Development Pillars: Stewart Investors investment team.

Source for climate solutions and human development analysis and mapping: Stewart Investors investment team. Contributions are defined by the team as demonstrable contributions to any solution, either direct (directly attributable to products, services or practices provided by that company), or enabling (supported or made possible by products or technologies provided by that company).

Investment terms

View our list of investment terms to help you understand the terminology within this document.

Fund data and information

Fund prices and details

Click on the links below to access key facts, literature, performance and portfolio information for the funds and share classes available in this jurisdiction:

Stewart Investors European Sustainability Fund

Overview of Stewart Investors European Sustainability Fund performance

Fund name Fund type Currency Price Daily change Price date Factsheet
Stewart Investors European Sustainability Class E (Acc) Irish UCITs EUR 8.91 -0.53 26 Sep 2023
Stewart Investors European Sustainability Class E (Acc) Irish UCITs GBP 8.98 -0.55 26 Sep 2023
Stewart Investors European Sustainability Class E (Acc) Irish UCITs USD 7.76 -0.89 26 Sep 2023
Stewart Investors European Sustainability Class VI (Acc) Irish UCITs EUR 8.88 -0.53 26 Sep 2023

Share prices are calculated on a forward pricing basis which means that the price at which you buy or sell will be calculated at the next valuation point after the transaction is placed. Where a fund price is marked XD, this means that the fund is currently Ex-Dividend. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. The value of shares and income from them may go down as well as up and is not guaranteed. Please note that the yield quoted above is not the historic yield. It is considered that the yield quoted represents the current position of investments, income and expenses in the fund and that this is a more accurate figure. Investors may be subject to tax on their distribution. The yield is not guaranteed or representative of future yields. You should be aware that any currency movements could affect the value of your investment. The Funds within the First Sentier Investors Global Umbrella Fund plc (Irish VCC) are denominated in USD or EUR.

Following the UK departure from the European Union, the First Sentier Investors ICVC, an open ended investment company registered in England and Wales ("OEIC") has ceased to qualify as a UCITS scheme and is instead an Alternative Investment Fund ("AIF") for European Union purposes under the terms of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (2011/61/EU). Accordingly, no marketing activities relating to the OEIC are being carried out by Stewart Investors in the European Union (or the additional EEA states) and the OEIC is not available for distribution in those jurisdictions. We have made documents available for existing EU investors in the ICVC which can be accessed here