Ismitz Matthew De Alwis
KUCHING: Kenanga Investors Bhd (Kenanga Investors) won three awards at the FSMOne Recommended Unit Trusts Awards 2020-2021 recently, marking the 11th consecutive year the group has been awarded under the Core Equity – Malaysia category.
The Fund Manager’s flagship funds, Kenanga Growth Fund (KGF) and Kenanga Syariah Growth Fund (KSGF) were awarded under the Core Equity – Malaysia and Core Equity – Malaysia (Islamic) categories respectively.
Meanwhile, the Kenanga Balanced Fund (KBF), which aims to provide a portfolio of investments with lower risk and lower volatility for investors, was awarded under the Balanced – Malaysia category.
“We are glad to be recognised for the performances of our funds once again at
FSMOne’s esteemed Awards,” Kenanga Investors executive director and chief executive officer Ismitz Matthew De Alwis said.
“The recognition of KGF under the Core Equity – Malaysia category for the 11th consecutive year is especially significant.
“KGF continues to stand out in the industry with its proven track record in delivering consistent performance for our investors over the years and we aim to continue doing so to ensure sustained value for all of our stakeholders.”
Kenanga Investors attributes its consistent fund performance to its long-term investment strategy of bottom-up stock picking which hinges on extensive qualitative and quantitative research, all of which are subjected to stringent risk management procedures.
De Alwis said that this has been essential under current global market conditions in order to identify attractive, off-benchmark stocks that may be undervalued relative to their peers, without taking on unnecessary risk.
Lee Sook Yee
“Aside from the success of KGF, we are also proud to have KSGF and KBF win for the sixth and second time respectively,” chief investment officer Lee Sook Yee said.
“Especially in times such as these, investors are constantly on edge in anticipation of the next market upheaval.
“This recognition is a testament to our capabilities as solid fund managers.”
Despite the impact of the pandemic worldwide, Lee expected to see improved sentiment in the third quarter due to fiscal support and various liquidity programmes from governments and central banks, as more economies, including Malaysia, are coming out of lockdown.
Lee said that the team will continue to remain selective on sectors which are less affected by the crisis.
“We prefer defensive sectors such as utilities, consumer staples and healthcare
while maintaining an overweight in technology and internet names due to decent earnings growth.”
As of May 31, 2020, KGF outperformed its benchmark with performances of 12.85 per cent (five years) and 200.09 per cent (10 years) while KSGF delivered returns of 10.89 per cent (five years) and 126.8 per cent (10 years).
Meanwhile, KBF’s performance came in at 19.45 per cent (five years) and 71.48 per cent (10 years).
The annual Awards honours the unit trusts which have made it to the FSMOne’s Recommended Unit Trusts list for the year.
The unit trusts are evaluated based on Performance, Risk and Expense Ratio and other factors such as consistency in the fund manager’s investment approach, the departure of key personnel as well as the stability of the management team.