On its 30th anniversary, the AAA Actions Agro Alimentaire fund boasts a performance of 9.6% per annum since inception
Created in 1985, AAA Actions Agro Alimentaire, a Fonds Commun de Placement (French mutual fund) managed by Natixis Asset Management, is celebrating its 30th anniversary and has turned in an annualised performance of 9.6%1 with lower volatility than the major equity indices2. Invested in the food and consumer sectors,
AAA Actions Agro Alimentaire benefits from a conviction-driven active management in a defensive universe made up of predominantly European, as well as international, companies to take advantage of the various global dynamics.
A buoyant theme: food and consumption
Traditionally defensive, the food and consumer sectors offer particularly attractive opportunities:
- By past standards, these companies are less sensitive to economic cycles - they generate steady results and are often referred to as “safe-haven stocks”;
- These companies are boosted by product innovation and investment;
- Placing emerging countries at the heart of their strategy, these companies benefit from dynamic domestic consumption resulting from the growth of the middle classes and improvement of their purchasing power.
A conviction-driven active management
AAA Actions Agro Alimentaire has been managed for 20 years by Françoise Lafitte, who has in-depth knowledge of each company in the food and consumer sectors as well as a thorough understanding of the growth dynamics of these sectors. To this end, the investment management team holds close to 100 meetings each year with company leaders. The fund benefits from a conviction-driven active management, without any benchmark replication. The portfolio of AAA Actions Agro Alimentaire is comprised of around 60 stocks out of roughly 820 “food and consumer” stocks listed mainly in Europe but also internationally. AAA Actions Agro Alimentaire is invested in companies3 such as: Anheuser Bush Inbev, Danone, Carrefour, Inditex, Sodexo and Unilever.
“We are confident that AAA Actions Agro Alimentaire will continue to offer investors attractive long-term return prospects. Consumer brands worldwide have significant growth potential. Our scenario is notably underpinned by the development of an emerging middle class that should express growing consumption needs,” comments Françoise Lafitte, fund manager of AAA Actions Agro Alimentaire at Natixis Asset Management.
Marketed by the Banque Populaire and Caisse d'Epargne networks, AAA Actions Agro Alimentaire is eligible for the French Equity Savings Plan (PEA), life insurance policies and securities accounts. The fund is designed for all types of investors (institutional, corporate and retail).
1 As at 30 April 2015. R Share. Source: Natixis Asset Management. Figures mentioned refer to past years. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
2 Since the fund’s inception, volatility has been 25% lower on average than that of major equity indices.
3 As at 30 April 2015. Source: Natixis Asset Management.
With assets under management of €333.5 billion and 648 employees (1), Natixis Asset Management ranks among the leading European asset managers.
Natixis Asset Management offers its clients (institutional investors, companies, private banks, retail banks and other distribution networks) tailored, innovative and efficient solutions organized into 6 investment divisions: Fixed Income, European Equities, Investment and Client Solutions, Structured and Volatility (developed by Seeyond(2)), Global Emerging Equities, and Responsible Investing (developed by Mirova(3)).
(1) Source: Natixis Asset Management – as at 31 March 2015.
(2) Seeyond is a brand of Natixis Asset Management.
(3) Mirova is a subsidiary of Natixis Asset Management.