Smaller Companies Fund

Why invest in the Smaller Companies Fund?

The Smaller Companies Fund is a specialist fund. It seeks to invest in developed market companies with above average long-term growth prospects, which do not form part of the leading market indices, and may have been overlooked or dismissed as too small by institutional investors.

The fund has a long, public track record and – like all our investments – is managed according to our ethical principles.

PRICE

  • Acc

    £63.905
  • Inc

    £61.499
  • DIVIDEND YIELD

    1.45%
  • ONGOING CHARGES

    1.13%

Preserving and growing capital over time

The investment objective of the Smaller Companies Fund is to grow the real value of investors’ capital and income. Investments will be in global smaller companies, which do not form part of the leading market indices. An equal emphasis will be placed on the generation of income and on capital growth. Real value is defined as the value of capital and income after adjusting for the impact of inflation.

You should intend to invest for a minimum of 3 years, although you can access your capital at any time. The fund is only suitable for investors who are prepared to accept the risk of loss of their capital.

Composition

Asset allocation

Geographic allocation

Top 10 equity holdings

%
Technology One (Australia) 3.5
FLSmidth & Co (Denmark) 3.3
Kadant (USA) 3.1
Xero (Australia) 3.0
Belimo (Switzerland) 2.9
Robertet (France) 2.9
Watsco (USA) 2.9
Energy Recovery (USA) 2.8
Sonova (Switzerland) 2.8
Paylocity (USA) 2.8

Target portfolio allocations as at 30th September 2024. Actual allocations may vary.

Top 10 equity holdings are accurate as at 30th September 2024.

Total return on investment to 30th November 2024

Source: McInroy & Wood other than the UK RPI (Office of National Statistics).

The graph shows the growth in an initial investment of £1,000 over the time period selected assuming reinvestment of income on the xd date. The table shows total return as a percentage in UK sterling including the reinvestment of income on the XD date.

XD (Ex-Dividend Date) is the date on which the fund begins trading without the value of its next dividend payment. If you buy the fund on or after XD, you won’t receive the upcoming dividend. If you own the fund before XD, you will receive the dividend, even if you sell the stock later.

1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years Inception
Cumulative Return 11.4% -14.6% 13.7% 111.7% 832.8%
Cumulative RPI 3.4% 25.2% 34.5% 51.6% 127.2%
Annualised Return 11.4% -5.1% 2.6% 7.8% 9.9%
Annualised RPI 3.4% 7.8% 6.1% 4.2% 3.5%
YTD to 30/11/2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Discrete annual returns 3.8% 5.4% -23.6% 13.0% 19.2% 22.9% -4.1% 18.7% 21.3% 10.7%

The Annualised Return represents the average annual return of the fund over a set number of years. It is calculated using a geometric average which means that it captures the effects of compounding over the years.

Please note that the returns shown are historic and should not be taken as a guide to or guarantee of likely future returns. Please be aware that the value of investments and the income they generate may go down as well as up.

Our approach

We manage the Smaller Companies Fund on the same rigorous principles as our private client portfolios. This simple and straightforward approach seeks to identify quality businesses that we can hold for the long term. We do not use market benchmarks to guide our investment allocations. Instead, we focus on making the right decisions to meet the fund’s objectives, without having to follow the herd.

We draw on our team’s collective experience to evaluate the merit of every investment. Allocations are regularly reviewed and actively managed to adjust the fund’s exposure to different themes, countries, and risks, so they are tailored for prevailing market conditions. We have chosen to invest directly to ensure we keep control over every investment.

For more details see our Investment approach or contact us.

Portfolio commentary

The fund’s portfolio strategy is based on the selection of individual smaller companies with outstanding growth prospects. This is accompanied by a broad degree of geographic diversification. We aim to select well-financed companies with defensible market positions and enduring business models. Many of these are high quality specialists supplying goods or services for wider markets. Particular areas that we have identified include environmental activities, industrial automation and health care for ageing populations.

Recent returns from financial markets have been mixed. The US equity market rose after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates, and again following Donald Trump’s election. However Japanese and European share prices have been weaker, and UK equities were affected by the government’s budget.

To date, the world economy has proved more resilient than anticipated, but the pace of growth has reduced and there is considerable divergence across different regions. While investors expect Donald Trump’s presidency will be positive for corporate prospects, recent gains in US share prices have left many companies, particularly some of the larger technology stocks, looking fully valued. More generally, there are concerns that global trade will be impacted by Trump’s enthusiasm for high tariffs.

In these circumstances, sensible diversification and careful equity selection based on fundamental analysis remain the key elements of our investment strategy.

Commentary updated on 30th November 2024.

Other details

We offer income and accumulation class units. The decision whether to buy income or accumulation units will depend on whether you would prefer to receive the income as cash or would like it to be automatically reinvested.

The fund is a UK UCITS authorised unit trust. As such there are tax considerations: individuals can defer incurring capital gains tax until units in the fund are sold, and the portfolio of underlying investments are managed without tax constraints.

The fund can be held in ISAs, JISAs and SIPPs.

Risk warnings

The value of an investment, and any income from it, may go down as well as up and you may get back less than you originally invested. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. You should always seek appropriate advice from their financial adviser before committing funds for investment. Further information is available in the Key Investor Information Document (KIID), the risk section of the Fund’s prospectus and the Fund Factsheet. Please read the KIID before making any investment decision.

Confirm your location

The McInroy & Wood Funds (i.e. the McInroy & Wood Balanced Fund, the McInroy & Wood Income Fund, the McInroy & Wood Smaller Companies Fund, and the McInroy & Wood Emerging Markets Fund) are not marketed outside of the UK and the information regarding the McInroy & Wood Funds on this website is not intended to be used by, or to be available to, persons accessing the website from outside the United Kingdom. We do not accept applications by, or on behalf of, US Persons (being a national, citizen, or resident of the United States of America or a corporation or partnership organised under the laws of the United States of America or having a principal place of business in the United States).

The distribution of the information and documentation on this website may be restricted by law in certain countries. This website, and the information and documentation on it, are not addressed to any person resident in the territory of any country or jurisdiction where such distribution would be contrary to local law or regulation. All persons accessing this website should check their local regulations before considering investment.

By clicking ‘Agree’ below you:

  • represent and warrant that you are not resident in the United States of America and are not a US Person (as defined above); and
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The information on this website is for information purposes only and information contained on it is not intended to be an offer to buy or sell securities and this website should not be regarded as an offer or solicitation to conduct investment business as defined in section 21 of the UK Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA).

By clicking ‘Agree’ you agree to be bound by the terms of this notice.

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Fund facts

Size1
£126m
Current price per unit1
Acc2 £63.905
Inc3 £61.499
Historic dividend yield4
1.45%
Minimum initial investment

£500

Regular saving facility

£100

Additional investment availability

ISA, JISA, SIPP

Fund launch date

26th March 2001

Structure

UK UCITS authorised unit trust

1

at 12 noon on 24/12/2024

2

Income will be automatically reinvested and retained within the fund, increasing the unit price.

3

Income from the fund will be paid directly to you.

4

Historic dividend yield reflects distributions declared over the past 12 months as a percentage of the unit price. You should remember that the price of units and the income from them may go down as well as up. Past performance should not be used as a guide to future performance.

Fees and charges

Initial charge

Nil

Ongoing charges figure
1.13%
Exit charge

Nil

Performance fee

Nil

Calculate your fund holding value

Unit class

Number of units held

Your fund holding value based on the current price1 is:

£

1 at 12 noon on

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Speak to one of our team

Call
+44 (0)1620 825 867
Email
enquiry@mcinroy-wood.co.uk