Wealth & Finance International - February 2017

Wealth & Finance International 52 A Bright Future on the Horizon ancock Horizon Investments is an unincorporated department of Whitney Bank (established 1899) which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hancock Holding Company (HBHC). Hancock Horizon Investments (HHI) manages assets for institutional and high net worth clients including pension plans, endowments, founda- tions, government entities, corporations, trusts, and estates. Hancock Horizon’s Chief Investment Officer, David Lundgren, tells us more about the firm and its recent successes. “With over $5B AUM, including a $1.8B complex of10 mutual funds, we deliver 12 investment strategies to clients of the Gulf South USA market directly through a banking network and nationwide indirectly via many different investment platforms including the wirehouses. At this time they are not yet distributed internationally or through offshore vehicles. Recent Successes within the Firm “December 31, 2016 marked the 15th anniversary of our regional small cap core fund, the Hancock Horizon Burkenroad Small Cap Fund, HHBUX/HIBUX, which Lipper has ranked #1 in its universe of 268 small cap core funds dating from its inception. The success of this $780M fund has inspired us to launch several more small cap funds including US Small Cap, HSCAX/HSCIX, Microcap, HMIAX/HMIIX, and International Small Cap, HISAX/HICIX, such that we are fast becoming a specialist in the small cap space. “We’ve also had great success in the transparent liquid alt space with our Hancock Horizon Quantitative Long Short Fund, HHQAX/HHQTX, which at more than eight years is one of the oldest in its category and consistently has been ranking five or four stars with Morningstar cur- rently and in recent years.” Client Services Delivered through a Team Approach David’s role as CIO is to direct the firm’s investment approach, models, and portfolio management; manage a platform of client-focused internal and external money managers, and ensure the firm meets regulatory requirements that protect its clients. “I am also responsible for managing the Hancock Horizon Burkenroad Small Cap Fund, HHBUX/HIBUX, mentioned previously, which also has the highest Morningstar rating of 5 stars for the 10-year time period.” However David is quick to praise the hardworking team of staff who help him run the business on a daily basis. “Teamwork between the 21 investment management professionals at our firm is key to the success of our strategies,” he enthuses. “Final stock selections are determined by our quantitative models comple- mented by qualitative research performed by many of our team mem- bers. Additionally, our trading team ensures that we receive outstanding execution. “A good number of our current clients have been with us since our inception in 1998, which we view as quite a success given this com- petitive business, and we continue to gain new clients and acceptance onto a greater number of national platforms. They like the transparency, quality, consistency and success of our investment processes.” One Strong Future With regards to the future, David foresees a very bright 2017 and be- yond for Hancock Horizon Investments. “We’re excited about the continued growth of our business as a small cap strategy specialist, but understand that it is a very competitive world as well. “The current market environment is great for actively managed small cap and long short strategies. The debate continues about the typical invest- ment cycle success of actively managed strategies versus passive, ETFs and robo techniques. We’ve studied this issue thoroughly and remain com- mitted to the value of active management for our strategies and clients. Our equity strategies typically score in the 80s and 90s for Active Share.” Company: Hancock Horizon Investments Name: David Lundgren Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.hancockhorizon.com Address: One Hancock Plaza, 3d Floor, Gulfport, MS 39501 Telephone: + 1 800 990 2434 David Lundgren, CIO of Hancock Horizon Investments, speaks to us about the firm, its ongoing strategy, and how teamwork plays a vital role in its success. H 1702WF31