AXA Framlington UK Smaller Companies Z

Investment Process

The investable universe consists of around 1500 stocks from the FTSE Small Cap, Numis Smaller Companies, FTSE Fledgeling index and Alternative Investment Market indices with market caps of up to £1bn. The manager's strategy is to invest in quality growth companies trading on attractive valuations. The investment process combines some top-down sector analysis and identification of key investment themes, including cyclical and industry trends, economic cycle, interest rates and currency fluctuations, which are combined with bottom-up stock selection. The manager favours companies with experienced management teams able to grow their businesses over the medium-term, companies with pricing power, high barriers to entry and diverse customer base. Lowson applies a valuation overlay, screening on earnings and yield growth, dividend growth, free cash flow and return on equity factors. The portfolio will typically include between 70 and 90 companies.