The Prime Value Growth Fund gained +4.9% in April, in a month where the Fund's cash holdings held back overall return in another month of market rallies.
Overall sector allocation was positive, the Fund underweight in financial stocks and overweight in industrials and consumer staples. The biggest individual contributor to performance was ABB Grain, which was up +45.8% after a takeover proposal from Viterra, while Mondelphous and Wesfarmers also up over 20% each. Commodity and energy stocks offset these positive returns, with Newcrest (-8.5% on lower production for 3Q), Lihir Gold and Oil Search the largest negative contributors. Although the manager remains cautious regarding the length and sustainability of the current market rally, they have gradually been adding positions to the Fund and reducing cash levels.
Prime Value's other Fund, the Imputation Fund, was up +7.8% in April and outperformed the market benchmark by 2.1%. The manager has continued to consolidate the portfolio, with core stocks now comprising approximately 50% of assets.
