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Quarterly Client Update: First Quarter 2025

Quarterly Client Update: First Quarter 2025

We provide regular strategy updates including portfolio changes and proxy voting, and links to our investment rationales, latest articles, statements, webcasts and videos which explore our thinking on sustainable investment, including the challenges and issues we grapple with in our search for high-quality companies.

Strategy updates: portfolio changes & proxy voting

Find out the latest updates on the strategies we manage including significant portfolio changes and proxy voting.

You can also build your own report by selecting individual strategies of interest.

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Select the strategies you are interested in. Strategy update and Proxy voting can also be split out. You can then download a copy of the report by clicking on the button.

Stewart Investors Quarterly Client Update Q1 2025

1 January - 31 March 2025

Quarter update

Risk factors

This material is a financial promotion for the Stewart Investors strategies – Asia Pacific and Japan All Cap, Asia Pacific Leaders, Asia Pacific All Cap, European All Cap, European (ex UK) All Cap, Global Emerging Markets All Cap, Global Emerging Markets Leaders, Indian Subcontinent All Cap, Worldwide All Cap and Worldwide Leaders – 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.

Selling restrictions

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.

© First Sentier Investors Group

News from the quarter

Industry initiative update: Future Asset’s ‘Growing Future Assets Investment Competition’

Supported by Stewart Investors since its founding in 2017, Future Asset is an initiative with a long-term mission to enhance inclusion in the financial industry in Scotland by improving gender diversity and breaking down existing stereotypes and barriers.

As part of this initiative, Future Asset hosts an annual Growing Future Assets Investment Competition. The competition allows girls in Scottish schools to experience the role of an investment analyst by working with investment professionals over a 10-week period to pitch a company with investment potential.

In its inaugural year in 2020, the competition featured 17 teams from 13 schools, with 71 girls participating. In the recent 2025 competition there were 209 teams from 100 schools, with over 900 girls registered. Our investment team members, Lorna Logan and Sarah Sheard were coaches and judges for the competition.

Congratulations to all participants, especially the junior winners from Mearns Castle High School near Glasgow and the senior winners from Fortrose Academy in the Scottish Highlands. Special mention to Marr College from Troon, coached by Lorna, who won the senior category for Best ESG pitch of the year.

We are thrilled to support this competition and inspire high school girls in Scotland to explore the investment world and consider careers in the industry.

To find out more about Future Asset, the competition and the ongoing opportunities they provide please follow them here - Future Asset on LinkedIn.

Human Development Pillars update

We first showed how our investee companies align with our 10 human development pillars in the third quarter of 2021 and we have been disclosing company assessments on Portfolio Explorer since that time. The pillars serve as the reference framework for assessing how companies contribute to positive social outcomes. All investee companies should contribute in a direct or enabling way to at least one of the pillars. 

Updated human development pillars

In 2024, we reviewed our human development pillars. The result was some minor adjustments to how we will evaluate, disclose, and report on how our companies align with them. Our aim is to provide better balance across the categories, provide clearer distinction between some of the previous pillars that were perhaps too broad, and highlight solutions that could stand out more effectively in their own dedicated pillars. We now have 12 pillars, organised within the same four overarching categories. 

Health and wellbeing Physical infrastructure Economic welfare Opportunity and empowerment
Nutrition Energy Livelihoods Education & training
Healthcare Housing Financial services Information technology
Hygiene & personal care Water & sanitation Material necessities Transport & connectivity
Find out more

The company mappings on Portfolio Explorer reflect the updated human development pillars shown here. Reporting and fund documents and disclosures, where applicable, will be updated during their next cycle.

Latest insights

  • How we select companies

    We are frequently asked how we narrow down a universe of 15,000 Asian and emerging market companies to about 50 in our portfolio. This question is especially relevant now that we invest globally, expanding our universe to 65,000 companies, making the challenge even greater.

    28 Feb 2025
    Image for: How we select companies
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