SWIP Pan European Small Cap fund awarded S&P ‘AA' rating

The SWIP Pan-European Smaller Companies fund has been awarded an AA rating by Standard & Poors (S&P) Fund Management Ratings.

The fund, managed by Rory Hammerson, was rated on its consistent above-average returns compared with parallel funds.

Rory Hammerson, investment director and lead manager of the ‘AA' rated SWIP Pan European Smaller Companies Fund comments: "Being awarded an AA rating by S&P is testament to both the European equities team at SWIP and our in house fundamental research based investment process. Our Pan European Smaller Companies fund is run on a bottom up basis with high conviction stocks. Our philosophy is to identify valuation anomalies through finding stocks whose long term earnings power is not reflected in today's share price."

S&P specialises in qualitative investment research and ratings and is recognised as the pre-eminent accolade in the fund management industry throughout the world.

Rory Hammerson continues: "It is particularly rewarding to receive this rating by S&P in the current economic volatility. Our bottom-up, five-year forecasting process at SWIP allows us to identify companies during every part of the economic cycle. It is these opportunities that will drive performance going forward for our investors."

Tony Maddock, Head of Retail Sales at SWIP, adds: "We are delighted that S&P have further acknowledged the strength of our European Equities team. This achievement underlines the team's strength and effective stock-picking skills in difficult conditions."