Polen Capital

Polen Capital is an American investment management firm headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. The firm's main strategy is growth investing in a limited number of growth equities. In recent years, the firm has expanded into investments in the credit market.

Polen Capital Management, LLC
TypePrivate
IndustryInvestment Management
Founded1979 (1979)
FounderDavid Polen
HeadquartersBoca Raton, Florida, U.S.
Key people
  • Stan Moss (CEO)
AUMUS$61 billion (March 2023)
Number of employees
250 (2023)
Websitewww.polencapital.com

Outside the U.S., the firm has offices in London and Hong Kong.

Background

In 1979, Polen Capital was founded in New York by David Polen.[1][2][3]

In 1989, Polen Capital launched its flagship fund, the Focus Growth Strategy, which invested in growth equities based in the U.S. It was developed by Polen to follow a high-conviction, low-turnover approach where only between 100 and 150 stocks are invested in and are held for a long period of time. It would focus only on companies with strong sustainable growth potential. Thousands of stocks are observed and a filter is applied where only a small selection is bought. From 1989 to 2020, the fund had a compounded average annual return of 15%.[1][2][3][4][5]

In 2002, Polen Capital moved its headquarters to Boca Raton in Florida due to it having a more affordable cost of living.[2]

In 2012, Polen died and was succeeded by his co-manager, Damon Ficklin, and CEO Stan Moss.[1][4]

In 2014, Polen Capital explored the idea of making a global version of its US-focused flagship fund and in 2015, launched the Global Growth Strategy fund.[2][5][6]

In 2016, London-based investment company, iM Square (now iM Global Partner), acquired a 20% stake of Polen Capital.[1][3][7]

In December 2021, Polen Capital diversified into the credit market business after it acquired DDJ Capital Management a Boston-based high-yield credit investment firm. It was rebranded to Polen Capital Credit.[8][7][9]

In March 2023, Polen Capital acquired LGM's emerging markets equities team as well as their funds from Columbia Threadneedle Investments so it could expand into the Asia market. The LGM funds were rebranded under the Polen name. At the same time, the firm opened an office in Hong Kong.[8][10]

As of May 2023, the firm's asset allocation was stated to be 85% in growth equities and 15% in credit. There are long-term goals to have a more balanced asset allocation as well to move away from a US focus.[11]

In June 2023, Polen Capital established a strategic partnership with Income Partners, a Hong Kong-based investment firm focusing on Asian Credit. It involved Polen Capital investing an unspecified sum into Income Partners.[12]

Although Polen Capital has demonstrated strong returns, due to its high-conviction investment strategy, it has also suffered from significant underperformance several times. From 2003 to 2006, the firm's performance lagged the S&P 500. Due to the 2007–2008 financial crisis, in 2008 the firm's assets under management shrunk to less than one seventh of its size from 2004. In 2013, the firm also underperformed the S&P 500 by 10.2%.[1][5]

Polen Capital is majority-owned by its employees.[3]

References
  1. "Comment battre l'indice des actions américaines sur quatre ans - Le Temps" (in French). 2021-03-10. ISSN 1423-3967. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  2. "Graham & Doddsville - Winter 2019" (PDF). Columbia Business School. 2019.
  3. ""Alphabet on the right side of two secular trends", says Polen Capital". InternationalInvestment. 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  4. Max, Sarah. "Why a Winning Growth Fund Likes PayPal and Autodesk Stock". barrons. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  5. "Polen Capital Gets Big Results with High-Conviction Equity Strategy". Institutional Investor. 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  6. Comtois, James (March 7, 2014). "Polen Capital wants to go global with its large-cap growth equity strategy". Pensions & Investments.
  7. "This Small Growth Manager Used Flexible Work to Compete With Brand-Name Peers — Long Before the Pandemic". Institutional Investor. 2022-07-28. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  8. "Polen Capital - Asset Management Company | Morningstar". 2023-10-22. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  9. Schmitt, Will (January 5, 2022). "Polen Capital buys $8bn high yield boutique". citywire.com. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  10. Steger, Alex (March 1, 2023). "Polen recruits five emerging market PMs, adds office in Hong Kong". citywire.com. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  11. Ruiz, Daniel (May 25, 2023). "Polen CEO: 'We'd like to increase our exposure to credit'". citywire.com. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  12. "Polen Capital invests unspecified sum in Income Partners | Asia Asset Management". www.asiaasset.com. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
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