MONTREAL, June 13, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - As manager of FÉRIQUE (Fonds d'épargne et de retraite des ingénieurs du Québec) Funds, Gestion FÉRIQUE announced today that Hexavest will become one of the three portfolio advisers for FÉRIQUE EQUITY Fund. This change, effective on or about June 29, 2012, will result in the termination of the mandate of Fiera Capital Corporation, which had recently acquired Natcan Investment Management.
The responsibility for managing FÉRIQUE EQUITY Fund will be shared equally between Hexavest Inc. and the two other portfolio advisers, BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited and Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc., which have managed the Fund since, respectively, 2002 and 2007.
"Our EQUITY Fund was the first of our 10 funds to adopt a multi-management structure that aims to combine the expertise of several portfolio advisers with complementary styles. This is a recipe that has served us well in the past and has been applied to most of our investment products," explained Fabienne Lacoste, CFA, President and CEO of Gestion FÉRIQUE. "Our goal is to better diversify the risk of our funds through market cycles to protect capital and maximize returns." added Ms. Lacoste.
Founded in 2004, Hexavest (www.hexavest.com) is an independent, Montreal-based firm that specializes in the investment management of equities and tactical asset allocation. The company manages over $10 billion in assets for more than 100 clients in Canada, the United States, Asia and Europe. Hexavest uses a top-down management approach that takes into account macroeconomic conditions, with a favourable bias to a more defensive positioning.
"Hexavest was unanimously selected from a list of 180 candidates, mainly due to the complementary style that it will bring to our trio of managers," said Louis Lizotte, Director of Investments at Gestion FÉRIQUE. "This choice also allows us to encourage a Quebec-based company, a factor that we always consider in our selection process," added Mr. Lizotte. "Hexavest has an experienced team that has developed a rigorous approach over time and proven itself in every economic environment, particularly in difficult markets," concluded Mr. Lizotte.
As at May 31, 2012, FÉRIQUE EQUITY Fund's assets stood at more than $460 million. Launched in 1974, the Fund was recognized by the industry for the second year in a row in 2012, winning the Lipper Award for Best Canadian Equity Fund over five years. FÉRIQUE EQUITY Fund has a management expense ratio of 0.84%, compared to 2.42% for the average Canadian fund in the same class.
About the Lipper Awards
The Lipper Fund Awards are formally announced each year at ceremonies which take place in 23 countries in Asia, Europe, MENA, and the Americas. The Lipper Fund Awards are part of the Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence, a global family of awards that celebrate exceptional performance throughout the professional investment community. The Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence recognize the world's top funds, fund management firms, sell-side firms, research analysts and investor relations teams. The Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence include the Extel Survey, StarMine Analyst and StarMine Broker Ranking Awards. For more information, please contact [email protected] or visit excellence.thomsonreuters.com.
Manon Duhamel, Gestion FÉRIQUE, 514-840-9206 (Ext. 450), [email protected]
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