UK smaller companies: a focus on liquidity...

24 Jun 2024

  Artemis

Artemis: UK smaller companies: a focus on liquidity...

A key risk of investing in smaller companies is that they may be harder to sell at times than might be the case with larger, more established and better-known companies. This ‘liquidity’ risk is something that the managers of the Artemis UK Smaller Companies Fund give much attention to.

FOR PROFESSIONAL INVESTORS AND/OR QUALIFIED INVESTORS AND/OR FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES ONLY. NOT FOR USE WITH OR BY PRIVATE INVESTORS. CAPITAL AT RISK. All financial investments involve taking risk and the value of your investment may go down as well as up. This means your investment is not guaranteed and you may not get back as much as you put in. Any income from the investment is also likely to vary and cannot be guaranteed.


We define liquidity as the ability to buy and sell shares easily, and without affecting unduly the shares’ underlying price. We recognise that we offer investors daily liquidity (the ability to buy and sell units in the Artemis UK Smaller Companies Fund every working day), while holding company shares which, in relation to normal daily trading volumes, do not necessarily trade every day.

So how do we think about it; how do we manage it; and do the rewards justify this liquidity risk?

Unquoted holdings

The fund’s minimal unquoted holdings are valued at zero; so they make up 0% of the fund’s value. We hold a diversified portfolio of holdings – typically between 60 and 90 companies – with the largest holding never making up much more than 3% of the fund.

A broad investor base

The fund has been established for over 25 years; has not experienced a recent period of rapid inflows; and has a broad investor base – all of which help to reduce, though not of course to eliminate, the risk of a period of very rapid outflows.

A broad range of holdings

We diversify the fund’s holdings by size. Currently we have slightly less than 3%* of the fund invested in ‘micro-cap’ companies* (those whose market capitalisations are less than £100m).

That is given some balance by having approximately half of the fund in companies whose market capitalisations are more than £500m*.

A long-term view

We continue to run the fund with a long-term perspective: each investment decision is taken with a view to that company’s prospects over at least three to five years. Any investments in equities will be subject to volatility. We would expect our approach, favouring companies with strong balance sheets and good cash generation, to help to lessen this volatility over time.

Strong governance

Added to the above, the fund benefits from Artemis’ robust framework for governance. It includes an investment risk team, reporting to Artemis’ Chief Risk Officer and responsible for monitoring the liquidity profile of the fund. It is there to ensure that potential redemptions (investors seeking to sell their investments in the fund) can be handled adequately; and within the principle of TCF (Treating Customers Fairly).

Do the rewards justify this liquidity risk?

To the final part of the question – ‘do the rewards justify this liquidity risk?’ From a historical perspective, the answer is ‘yes’ – in spades.

Over the last 60 years, the UK’s smaller companies have outperformed large-cap companies (the FTSE 100 Index) by 4% per annum**. The smallest companies – ‘micro-caps’ – have performed even better, outperforming large-cap stocks by 6% per annum**.

Optimising the prospects of capturing the ‘small-cap premium’, and further mitigating the liquidity risk, requires a long-term approach – from us and our clients.

* Source Artemis as at 30 April 2024

** Source Numis Smaller Companies Index Annual Review 2020 by Scott Evans, Paul Marsh & Elroy Dimson


FOR PROFESSIONAL INVESTORS AND/OR QUALIFIED INVESTORS AND/OR FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES ONLY. NOT FOR USE WITH OR BY PRIVATE INVESTORS.

Capital at risk. All financial investments involve taking risk and the value of your investment may go down as well as up. This means your investment is not guaranteed and you may not get back as much as you put in. Any income from the investment is also likely to vary and cannot be guaranteed.

This is a marketing communication. Before making any final investment decisions, and to understand the investment risks involved, refer to the fund prospectus (or in the case of investment trusts, Investor Disclosure Document and Articles of Association), available in English, and KIID/KID, available in English and in your local language depending on local country registration, available in the literature library.

Investment in a fund concerns the acquisition of units/shares in the fund and not in the underlying assets of the fund.

Reference to specific shares or companies should not be taken as advice or a recommendation to invest in them.

For information on sustainability-related aspects of a fund, visit the relevant fund page on this website.

For information about Artemis’ fund structures and registration status, visit artemisfunds.com/fund-structures

Any research and analysis in this communication has been obtained by Artemis for its own use. Although this communication is based on sources of information that Artemis believes to be reliable, no guarantee is given as to its accuracy or completeness.

Any forward-looking statements are based on Artemis’ current expectations and projections and are subject to change without notice.

Third parties (including FTSE and Morningstar) whose data may be included in this document do not accept any liability for errors or omissions. For information, visit artemisfunds.com/third-party-data.

Important information

The intention of Artemis’ ‘investment insights’ articles is to present objective news, information, data and guidance on finance topics drawn from a diverse collection of sources. Content is not intended to provide tax, legal, insurance or investment advice and should not be construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any security or investment by Artemis or any third-party. Potential investors should consider the need for independent financial advice. Any research or analysis has been procured by Artemis for its own use and may be acted on in that connection. The contents of articles are based on sources of information believed to be reliable; however, save to the extent required by applicable law or regulations, no guarantee, warranty or representation is given as to its accuracy or completeness. Any forward-looking statements are based on Artemis’ current opinions, expectations and projections. Articles are provided to you only incidentally, and any opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. The source for all data is Artemis, unless stated otherwise. The value of an investment, and any income from it, can fall as well as rise as a result of market and currency fluctuations and you may not get back the amount originally invested.


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