Harbour named top manager - again

Harbour Asset Management was, last night, crowned Fund Manager of the Year for the second consecutive time.

Thursday, March 2nd 2017, 6:00AM

Fund researcher Morningstar, which handed out the award, said that Harbour was one of the best stewards of money in New Zealand.

Harbour has more than $3 billion of funds under management and it was a finalist in the domestic equities and fixed interest categories of the awards.

"The shop applies a detailed, well-thought-out investment process to all its funds, has an open and transparent approach, and has consistently delivered market-leading longer-term returns."

Harbour narrowly missed out on winning the fixed interest category, which was instead awarded to AMP Capital.

Morningstar head of research, Chris Douglas, lavished praise on AMP Capital for its rich history of delivering for good returns to investors. "The fund remains the pre-eminent vehicle for New Zealand fixed income investing. Head of Fixed Income Grant Hassell (pictured) and Senior Portfolio Managers Vicky Hyde-Smith and Warren Potter are an impressive trio, which they demonstrated yet again in 2016 when they navigated renewed bond market volatility with aplomb and were one of the few options to trump the local market index."

"The stability, depth of insight, and portfolio management skills on offer here remain outstanding."

Devon Funds Management topped domestic equities and Elevation Capital won the international equities category.

Elevation Capital chairman Craig Stobo said the award comes 10 years after the fund started. Douglas paid tribute to Elevation's value-oriented investment philosophy, a style which has been out of vogue for a number of years. The award was also recognition of the fund's performance, which has been good as it was carrying cash of up to 20%.

Douglas said Elevation's "sharp stockpicking talents really came to the fore in 2016. Founder and Portfolio Manager Chris Swasbrook's approach of judiciously selecting companies that have built ‘brand moats' around their businesses and trade at discounts to intrinsic value enabled the firm to deliver a banner year, all the more impressive given the relatively high cash hoard."

"Also noteworthy are the firm's commitment to transparency and to future fee reductions as assets grow. These characteristics all make Elevation Capital a worthy option for Kiwis looking to diversify their investments overseas."

ASB bank won the KiwiSaver award.

Tags: AMP Capital Devon FM Harbour Asset Management Morningstar