Zenith recently released its 2018 Australian Shares – Small Companies Sector Review, providing an overview of the Australian small cap equities asset class and performance review of funds within the sector.

In establishing a ‘Recommended’ rating for the Fund, report author Jacob Smart commented that “Zenith has confidence in the ability of Ophir to deliver on the Fund’s objectives given the high calibre of its investment team and attractiveness of the underlying investment philosophy and process”.

The report added that “Zenith draws comfort from the impressive track record Ophir has built managing small cap strategies.”

Established in 2015, the Ophir High Conviction Fund is the second investment strategy launched by Ophir Asset Management and follows the success of the asset manager’s original fund, The Ophir Opportunities Fund, launched in 2012.

Both Funds have returned in excess of 25% per annum since their inception after all fees.

Commenting on the report, Ophir Investment Director Rob Saunders said: “We’re delighted that Zenith has recognized the strength and repeatability of the Ophir investment process, alongside the team’s long track record in identifying attractive investment opportunities in small and mid-cap equities.”

The Ophir High Conviction Fund offers investors a concentrated and benchmark unaware exposure to Australian and New Zealand companies listed outside the S&P/ASX 50 Index. It seeks to identify high quality companies that are in, or about to enter, a structural growth phase.

Saunders added: “The ‘Recommended’ research rating caps off a great year for the fund and its evolution towards increased accessibility for financial advisors and their clients. The research rating follows on from the appointment last year of Perpetual as Responsible Entity for the Fund, alongside the issue of a PDS and recent addition to investment wrap platforms.”

“Where both Ophir Funds had historically been available only to wholesale investors, we’re very pleased to be in a position to now offer the High Conviction Fund more broadly. This is the first of the Ophir Funds to do so.”

From its inception in August 2015 to January 31 2018, the Ophir High Conviction Fund has returned 26.0% per annum after all fees, outperforming the S&P/ASX Mid-Small Index by 10.0% per annum.

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Josh joins Ophir with a strong background in smaller company research, following recent stints at Ausbil Microcap Fund and, more recently, Bennelong Australian Equity Partners. Joshua will work across both the Ophir Opportunities and Ophir High Conviction strategies alongside Senior Portfolio Managers Andrew Mitchell and Steven Ng and Portfolio Manager Tim Masters.

Senior Portfolio Manager and Ophir Co-Founder Steven Ng said: “We’re very excited to welcome Josh to the Ophir team. Given his pedigree in previously working within high performing, small-cap funds management teams, Josh will be an excellent addition to our existing investment capability.”

Josh joins Ophir most recently from his previous role as Senior Investment Analyst at Bennelong Australian Equity Partners. Prior to this, Josh was an Equities Analyst within the Ausbil Microcap team, following previous roles at Bell Potter Securities and Colonial First State. Josh graduated from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Applied Finance and is a CFA charterholder.

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Andrew Mitchell

Australian small and mid-cap equities manager Ophir Asset Management (Ophir) has announced the addition of the Ophir High Conviction Fund (Fund) to HUB24’s IDPS platform.

Launched in 2015, the Fund provides investors with a concentrated exposure to a high quality portfolio of Australian companies listed outside the ASX 50. The Fund recently reached its two-year track record, having delivered 21.5% per annum after fees.

This ranks the Fund as the top performing fund in Australia in its category over the time period.

“Investor demand for high performing, capacity-constrained small and mid-cap equity funds continues to grow” said Ophir Investment Director and Head of Sales Rob Saunders. “We’re excited to have the Ophir High Conviction Fund added to the HUB24 platform, the first Ophir fund to be made available to retail investors.”

The High Conviction Fund is the second investment strategy launched by Ophir, following the closure of the Ophir Opportunities Fund to new investors after reaching capacity limits. The Opportunities Fund recently reached its five-year anniversary, delivering 28.2% per annum after fees since inception.

Ophir Asset Management co-founder and Senior Portfolio Manager Andrew Mitchell said the Fund’s strong historical performance was a testament to the firm’s investment process and team.

“We operate a very extensive investment process that combines a rigorous company visitation schedule with fundamental, bottom-up analysis. We really pride ourselves on the amount of work we do around the company’s in which we invest.”

“Having two investment strategies at Ophir that both have returned in excess of 20% per annum after fees since inception is a great testament to that process”

The addition of the Fund to HUB24’s platform follows the recent appointment of Perpetual as Responsible Entity to the Fund. The High Conviction Fund is the first Ophir fund to be made available to retail investors via platforms.

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