Premier Miton Diversified Growth
Premier Diversified Growth fund invests in a combination of fixed income, equities, property and alternative assets from across the globe. It is one of four funds within the Premier Diversified fund range, each of which has a different risk profile in mind. This fund can hold between 40-85% in equities.
Previously Premier Diversified Growth
Our Opinion
Fund Manager
Fund Manager
Neil Birrell is the Chief Investment Officer at Premier Miton and manages the Premier Miton Diversified fund range. He joined the company in January 2013, having previously worked at Elcot Capital, where he was involved in managing multi-strategy investments. Before that, Neil served as Chief Investment Officer at Framlington Investment Management, bringing extensive experience to his current role.
Fund Performance
Risk
Quote from the Fund Manager
I believe the best way to ensure that a fund like this delivers on its objective is to surround myself with smart people, so I have.
Neil Birrell
Lead Manager
Investment process
This is a well-diversified portfolio typically with 80 to 150 holdings. The principal aim behind the process is that every asset allocation and individual investment decision must contribute to the long-term growth of the fund. The investment process is three-fold. After analysing the economic and market environment, Neil sets his asset allocation decisions in conjunction with the specialist investment teams on each desk at Premier. These teams then have responsibility for a detailed analysis of their own asset class and then for selecting specific investments for the portfolio. The team will then look to see if there are any factor or thematic risks to address and this will continue on an ongoing basis.
Equity exposure will account for the majority of the portfolio and will typically cover all major global regions. The fixed income exposure will vary from government and corporate bonds, to debt instruments secured on various asset types and convertible bonds. The alternative investment holdings are typically via specialist investment companies, while property exposure will be through REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) and specialist property companies. The fund can hold up to 2.5% in an underlying equity holding.
Risk
Premier Diversified Growth fund aims to produce long-term capital growth, with lower volatility than equities - something it has achieved in the past few years. The team look to manage risk at the asset allocation, underlying holdings/fund selection and thematic levels to spot any unquantified major risk exposures which may appear throughout the investment process. Despite the diverse number of holdings, the fund can hold up to 85% in equities, which can make it more risky, especially during bouts of stockmarket volatility.
ESG
ESG - Integrated
The team aims to meet, or be in contact with, company management at least annually and engage with them on ESG matters. The team believes achieving good financial returns is aligned with ESG analysis, supported by third party ESG data. For the Premier Miton Diversified fund range, this is applied across all asset classes.
Each investment team is encouraged to follow its own investment philosophy and processes in the respective asset class – therefore each has a unique approach to considering ESG factors in investment decision making and undertaking stewardship activities as appropriate for the asset class and universe.
When making investment decisions the investment teams will consider an investee company’s management of ESG risk factors, such as the suitability of board structures or employee policies. They also utilise third party ESG research alongside broker ESG and financial research together with their own knowledge from meeting companies. Rather than apply sustainability at the asset allocation level, this team focuses on considering the ESG risks at the individual investment level.