Objective
Seeks maximum long-term capital appreciation through investments in smaller-capitalization companies based in emerging markets.Investment Strategy
The Oberweis Emerging Markets strategy invests principally in the common stocks of small-cap companies in developing markets that Oberweis believes have the potential for significant long-term growth in market value. The team believes that companies in emerging markets positioned to generate significant market-value growth exhibit four key attributes: strong balance sheets, durable sales growth driven by secular tailwinds, robust competitive advantages and seasoned, prudent management teams. Oberweis seeks to invest in companies with those attributes when they trade at attractive valuations, which the team determines by estimating future earnings, margins and free cash flows in a proprietary valuation model. We believe that patient ownership of growing, resilient firms with ample opportunities to reinvest capital at high returns generates attractive risk-adjusted results over a full market cycle. Our goal is to provide our investors an all-weather approach to emerging markets small-cap.Benefits
The potential key benefits of the Emerging Markets strategy are:- Opportunity to capture growth — Emerging markets are estimated to grow 50% and 20% faster than developed nations in 2021 and 2022, respectively, and a rapidly growing middle class is expected to increase spending and consumption.
- Diversification — Emerging markets represent almost one-quarter of international markets outside of the United States and provide further opportunity to find quality companies.
- Potential for higher returns — Emerging markets have outperformed the broad global equity market in 13 of the last 20 calendar years.
- Access to active portfolio management — Less efficient markets may create opportunities for active managers.
- A long-term, disciplined investment approach — The strategy focuses on high-quality, well-capitalized companies with sustainable competitive advantages and secular growth tailwinds.
- All-weather approach to emerging markets small-cap.