Interactive Investor

ii ACE 40 investments:
Liontrust UK Ethical Fund

ii Ace 40
Asset GroupAsset Sub-GroupInvestment Category
EquitiesUK equitiesAdventurous

Why we recommend it

Peter Michaelis and Martyn Jones are the named co-managers on this strategy. Jones took over from previous co-manager Neil Brown, who left the firm in November 2020 and had run the strategy since April 2011. Jones joined Liontrust as an analyst in 2012 before being promoted to co-manager alongside Brown in November 2019. Jones manages the portfolio on a day-to-day basis with the oversight of Michaelis, which provides additional comfort as he boasts more than two decades of experience in sustainable investing. He also heads Liontrust’s 17-strong sustainable investment team, which is split into a group managing equity strategies and another focusing on fixed-income products.   

Michaelis first developed and implemented the approach in 2001 while at Aviva Investors and has applied it consistently and successfully since then. The investment approach is anchored around the team’s thematic framework and its belief that sustainably managed businesses will show better and more resilient growth prospects over time. The thematic framework guides idea generation and has three main sustainable trends (better resource efficiency, improved health, and greater safety and resilience), divided into 20 sub-themes. The focus is on identifying high-quality firms exposed to and benefiting from one of these areas of growth and where the team can build reliable long-term forecasts. Typically, these businesses will exhibit high return on equity, defendable margins, and an ability to maintain their competitive advantages. Additionally, the approach requires companies to offer core products or services that are making a positive contribution to society or the environment. The valuation approach is flexible and the team’s longer-term thinking results in a low portfolio turnover, with holding periods typically exceeding five years.

The resultant portfolio is concentrated and tends to have a mid- and small-cap bias and sector bets which deviate significantly from the FTSE All Share Index. The fund typically also has growth style bias and these factors all contribute to a return profile that can deviate significantly from the index from time-to-time. The fund benefits from an experienced team and a long-standing strong investment process that has been executed successfully through time. The fund’s mid- and small- cap bias results in a higher risk, more volatile return profile.

Ethical criteria

ii ACE sustainable style: Considers. This means the fund carefully considers an often wide range of ethical and/or environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues or themes when balancing positive and negative factors.

Fund EcoMarket category: Ethical. Ethical Funds consider 'values based' issues like tobacco, gambling and armaments, typically alongside a wide range of environmental and social issues Some funds have strict screening criteria and avoid a significant nuber of companies. Others invest in most sectors, focusing on companies with the highest standards. Strategies vary. 

The risks

Ethical screening: In certain market conditions the performance of the fund may differ significantly from others in the peer group that do not exclude specific sectors or companies from a comparable investment universe.

Above-average volatility: The volatility profile is slightly higher than the average fund in the peer group.

Portfolio concentration: The fund has a concentrated portfolio compared with the UK FTSE All-Share index, typically investing in around 40 holdings.

Information and data compiled to March 2023.

Risk warnings

The information we provide in the ACE 40 investments list does not constitute a "personal recommendation". You should ensure that any investment decisions you make are suitable for your personal circumstances and that the ethical style of the investment reflects your personal beliefs.

Past performance of the underlying constituents is not a guarantee of future performance. Remember, the value of investments, and any income from them, can fall as well as rise so you could get back less than you invest.

Annual performance can be found on the factsheet of each fund, trust or ETF. Simply click on the asset’s name and then the performance tab.

If you are unsure about the suitability of a particular investment or think that you need a personal recommendation, you should speak to a suitably qualified financial advisor.

Any changes to the ii ACE 40 investments list and the rationale behind those decisions will be communicated through the Quarterly Investment Review.

Details of all recommendations issued by ii during the previous 12 month period can be found here.

ii adheres to a strict code of conduct. Members of ii staff may hold shares in companies mentioned in the ii ACE 40 investments list, which could create a conflict of interest. Any member of staff intending to complete some research about any financial instrument in which they have an interest are required to disclose such interest to ii. We will at all times consider whether such interest impairs the objectivity of the recommendation.

In addition, staff involved in the production of this ii ACE 40 list are subject to a personal account dealing restriction. This prevents them from placing a transaction in the specified instrument(s) for five working days before and after an investment is included or amended and made public within the list. This is to avoid personal interests conflicting with the interests of the recipients of this ii ACE 40 investments list.