United StatesPerformance and Portfolio Update
- The Pax Global Environmental Markets Fund outperformed the MSCI ACWI in the second quarter. Year-to-date, the Fund has now recovered a substantial portion of its 2018 relative underperformance against the MSCI ACWI.
- Stock selection was the key driver to strong performance in the second quarter. Against a backdrop of continued market volatility, due to trade friction and global macro headlines, the Fund’s long-term secular drivers and more defensive positioning served the portfolio well.
- Industrials delivered the strongest returns, with contributions also from Utilities and Information Technology companies. In contrast to the broader market, the portfolio’s companies saw a solid first quarter earnings season, particularly for Industrial holdings where the portfolio has significant exposure. From an environmental sub-sector perspective, Water Infrastructure, Power Network Efficiency and Sustainable & Efficient Agriculture contributed most to returns.
- Health Care holdings detracted from performance, as companies active in environmental testing announced disappointing results and reduced guidance. Consumer Discretionary underperformed as the Fund’s exposure within this sector is oriented toward the theme of the transition to electric vehicles and the broader automotive market lagged during the quarter.
- Schneider Electric (Power Network Efficiency, France) saw good results across most business divisions, improving margins, and issued positive guidance. Ingersoll Rand (Buildings Energy Efficiency, U.S.) announced improved earnings and continued positive guidance, based on robust demand for efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment.
- Following a period of strong performance, the Pollution Control sub-sector lagged during the second quarter as Waters Corporation faced a temporary slow-down in China’s food testing market and soft demand in pharmaceutical end markets. Stock specific underperformance came from Umicore (Transport Energy Efficiency, Belgium), which issued a downgraded outlook reflecting lower electric vehicle subsidies in China and energy storage delays.
- Geopolitical issues including Brexit and the U.S.-China trade negotiations remain, as do concerns about the global economic outlook, with equity markets watching central banks closely. In this context, sources of reliable earnings growth are attractive differentiators and companies with innovative environmental solutions continue to demonstrate pricing power. This view is reflected in consensus earnings growth expectations for the Fund that are persistently ahead of global equity markets for the coming twelve months.
- The portfolio managers retain their preference for more defensive and diversified holdings. Current themes of interest include the accelerating shift to electric vehicles and the increasing smart and connected factory initiatives due to the rise of internet-enabled machinery and falling cloud computing costs. Industrial design software presents opportunities, as research and development budgets see a secular shift away from spending on hardware and physical simulation toward virtual simulation, with significant resource and cost savings.
Performance(as of 6/30/19) | Returns (%) | Average Annual Returns (%) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Month | Quarter | YTD | 1 Year | 3 Year | 5 Year | 10 Year | Since Inception1 | |
| Global Environmental Markets Fund - Investor Class | 8.24 | 4.76 | 20.06 | 8.49 | 11.49 | 5.99 | 9.81 | 5.90 |
| Global Environmental Markets Fund - Class A | 8.25 | 4.76 | 20.01 | 8.41 | 11.48 | 5.98 | 9.81 | 5.90 |
| Global Environmental Markets Fund - Institutional Class | 8.23 | 4.77 | 20.22 | 8.71 | 11.75 | 6.24 | 10.10 | 6.16 |
| MSCI ACWI (Net) Index | 6.55 | 3.61 | 16.23 | 5.74 | 11.62 | 6.16 | 10.15 | 5.47 |
| FTSE Environmental Opportunities Index Series | 8.70 | 5.46 | 19.58 | 8.18 | 13.77 | 7.45 | 11.45 | - |
Performance data quoted represent past performance, which does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. To obtain performance for the most recent month-end call 800.767.1729 or visit paxstaging.wpengine.com
Figures include reinvested dividends, capital gains distributions and changes in principal value.
1The inception date for the Pax Global Environmental Markets Fund Institutional Class and the Investor Class is March 27, 2008. The Class A shares inception date is May 1, 2013.
Total annual Global Environmental Markets Fund operating expenses, gross of any fee waivers or reimbursements, for Institutional Class, Investor Class and Class A shares are 0.99%, 1.24%, and 1.24%, respectively, as of 5/1/2019 prospectus. Total annual Global Environmental Markets Fund operating expenses, net of any fee waivers, reimbursements and acquired fund fees and expenses, for Institutional Class, Investor Class, and Class A shares were 0.99%, 1.24% and 1.24%, respectively.
The performance information shown for Class A represents the performance of the Investor Class shares for the period prior to Class A inception. Expenses have not been adjusted to reflect the expenses allocable to Class A shares. Class A inception date return since May 1, 2013 is 8.71% (annualized). A 1.00% CDSC (contingent deferred sales charge) may be charged on any shares sold within 18 months of purchase over $1 million. POP (public offering price) reflects the maximum sales load for the Fund’s Class A Shares of 5.50%.
Performance(as of 6/30/19) | Returns (%) | Average Annual Returns (%) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Month | Quarter | YTD | 1 Year | 3 Year | 5 Year | 10 Year | Since Inception1 | |
| Global Environmental Markets Fund - Class A (Load) | 2.27 | -0.98 | 13.42 | 2.46 | 9.39 | 4.79 | 9.20 | 5.37 |
Performance AttributionGlobal Industry Classification Standard† Sectors(as of 6/30/19) Average Active Weights (%) | Total Relative Contribution (%) |
|---|---|
 |  |
†The Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) is a standardized classification system for equities developed jointly by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) and Standard & Poor’s. The GICS methodology is used by the MSCI indexes, which include domestic and international stocks, as well as by a large portion of the professional investment management community.
‡Other: ETFs (for short-term cash mgmt. purposes) and Cash & Equivalents.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance AttributionEnvironmental Markets Classification | Total Relative Contribution (%) |
|---|---|
 |  |
XThe Environmental Markets Classification System (EMCS) is a comprehensive global classification system for environmental markets. Environmental market companies are defined as providing products and services that deliver solutions to environmental challenges, and include environmental technology. Relative results of the Fund compared to the FTSE Environmental Opportunities All Shares Index. Source: FTSE.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Portfolio Characteristics(as of 6/30/19) | Fund | MSCI ACWI |
|---|---|---|
| Market Cap (weighted avg.)∱ | $27,757M | $158,380M |
| Forward Price/Earnings∼ | 17.32 | 15.77 |
| ROE∘ | 17.43 | 18.94 |
| Beta∞ | 1.02 | 1.00 |
| Number of Securities | 48 | 2,846 |
Top 10 Holdings
(as of 6/30/19)
Schneider Electric SE 3.7%, Linde PLC 3.6%, Waste Management, Inc. 3.3%, Siemens AG 3.2%, Suez 3.2%, TE Connectivity, Ltd. 3.1%, Xylem, Inc. 3.1%, Danaher Corp. 2.9%, Ingersoll-Rand PLC 2.9% and American Water Works Co., Inc. 2.8%. Holdings are subject to change.
Definitions
ƒWeighted Average is an average in which each quantity to be averaged is assigned a weight. These weightings determine the relative importance of each quantity on the average.
~Forward Price-Earnings Ratio or P/E FY1 ratio is a ratio for valuing a company that measures its current share price relative to its per-share earnings over the next 12 months.
°Return on Equity: The amount of net income returned as a percentage of shareholders’ equity. Return on equity measures a corporation’s profitability by revealing how much profit a company generates with the money shareholders have invested.
∞A historical Beta is used for Funds with greater than two years of performance history under the same mandate. Three year Beta is used. Beta reflects the sensitivity of a Fund’s return to fluctuations in its benchmark; A beta for a benchmark is 1.00: A beta greater than 1.00 indicates above-average volatility and risk.
The statements and opinions expressed are those of the author as of the date of this report. All information is historical and not indicative of future results and subject to change. This information is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
PAX008707 (10/19)