The addition of the fund to Asgard comes on the heels of Lonsec bumping up its rating for SGH ICE to “highly recommended” earlier this year. In a report, the financial research group said the SGH ICE fund portfolio manager, Callum Burns, is a “high-calibre investment professional”.
“As an architect of the strategy, he has a significant tie-in to the investment philosophy,” Lonsec reported.
In a statement released yesterday, Mr Callum said the move reflects a growing interest in funds that look outside the mainstream ASX100 for Australian equities and who adopt the franchise investing style.
“We believe that the fund is well placed to perform in a variety of market conditions and offers a unique way to gain exposure to a truly diverse portfolio of quality companies with growing franchises,” he said.
The SGH ICE fund, which launched in 2006, has $200 million under management and is distributed by Equity Trustees. The fund typically invests in “mid- to small-cap industrial franchise companies listed on the ASX that deliver robust earnings growth”.
