Aston Announces 10-Year Performance Record for the Aston/TAMRO Small Cap Fund and the Aston/TAMRO Diversified Equity Fund

CHICAGO, Jan. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Aston Asset Management, LP (Aston) is pleased to announce that both the Aston/TAMRO Small Cap Fund (ATASX) and the Aston/TAMRO Diversified Equity Fund (ATLVX) have reached 10-year performance records with the small cap fund in the 1st percentile and the large cap fund in the 3rd percentile of their respective Morningstar Categories.  TAMRO Capital Partners, a majority employee-owned investment adviser specializing in U.S. equities, is the subadviser to both Funds.

"Aston congratulates TAMRO on reaching its 10-year anniversary with favorable performance in its equities strategies," said Stuart D. Bilton, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aston. "TAMRO's opportunistic approach to equities seeks to identify undervalued companies with a sustainable competitive advantage and a potential upside to potential downside ratio of 3:1 at the time of purchase."

The Aston/TAMRO Diversified Equity Fund is a bottom-up large-cap strategy that opportunistically dips down the market-cap spectrum in order to identify the potential large-cap leaders of tomorrow in select niches and companies that are undervalued due to significant industry headwinds that have begun to abate.  As of December 31, 2010, the Fund ranks in the top two deciles of the Morningstar Large Growth Category trailing total returns for the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods. In addition, the Fund has a 4-star Overall Morningstar Rating.    

The Aston/TAMRO Small Cap Fund, which adheres to the same opportunistic approach within the small-cap market, has a 5-star Overall Morningstar Rating as of December 31, 2010.  The Fund is closed to new investors.  

"TAMRO strives to protect capital in down markets while participating in up markets, with flexibility to find mispriced companies across a diverse range of sectors and sizes," said Philip Tasho, CEO and CIO of  TAMRO.  "We look forward to continuing to partner with our clients to help them achieve their long-term financial goals."

Aston is the investment adviser to the Funds, while TAMRO is the subadviser responsible for the Funds' day-to-day management.

To speak with Aston, please contact Amiee Watts at (973) 784-0025 or [email protected]. To speak with TAMRO, please contact Jaime Doyle at (973) 400-1341 or [email protected].

About Aston Asset Management, LP

Aston Asset Management, LP, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, is a diversified institutional investment management firm. Aston offers investment management services to the mutual fund and separately managed account markets. Aston is the advisor to twenty-four mutual funds with total net assets of approximately $8.4 billion as of December 31, 2010.  For more information on the funds managed by Aston please call 800-597-9704 or visit www.astonfunds.com.

About TAMRO Capital Partners

TAMRO capitalizes on mispricing in the U.S. equities markets and has delivered core investment strategies with excellent performance across the market-cap spectrum. TAMRO's opportunistic approach seeks to identify undervalued companies with a sustainable competitive advantage. The company's strategies are available through separately managed accounts and mutual fund vehicles, including the Aston/TAMRO Diversified Equity and Aston/TAMRO Small Cap Funds.

TAMRO is a majority employee-owned boutique that has been consistently recognized as a leading investment management firm for ten years. For more information, please visit www.tamrocapital.com.

As of December 31, 2010 the Aston/TAMRO Diversified Equity Fund N-Class returned 20.53% for the 1-Year, 1.11% for the 3-Years, 4.77% for the 5-Year and 4.52% for the 10-Years.  Gross expense 2.18%, Net expense 1.20%.  The Aston/TAMRO Small Cap Fund returned 31.26% for the 1-Year, 5.08% for the 3-Year, 8.27% for the 5-Year and 10.44% for the 10-Year.  Gross expense N-Class 1.38%, Net expense 1.37%.        

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, upon redemption, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Some of the returns quoted reflect fee waivers or expense reimbursements that are no longer in effect. Returns for certain periods would have been lower without the waivers/reimbursements. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, please visit our website at www.astonfunds.com.

As of 12/31/10. The Aston/TAMRO Diversified Equity Fund N Class was rated 4 stars Overall, 3-year period, and 5-year period and 5 stars for the 10-year period against 1504, 1286 and 787 US-domiciled Large Growth funds respectively.  The Aston/TAMRO Small Cap Fund N Class was rated 5 stars Overall, 3-year period, 5-year period and 10-year period against 670, 563 and 341 US-domiciled Small Growth funds respectively. For each fund with at least a three-year history, Morningstar calculates a Morningstar Rating based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a fund's monthly performance (including the effects of sales charges, loads, and redemption fees), placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of funds in each category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating is derived from a weighted-average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. © Morningstar, Inc.

The highest or most favorable Morningstar percentile rank is 1 and the lowest percentile rank is 100. The top-performing fund in a category will always receive a rank of 1. Various rating agencies categorize funds differently.

Note: This Fund may invest in growth stocks that are generally more sensitive to market moves and thus may be more volatile than other stocks.  Small- and mid-cap stocks are considered riskier than large-cap stocks due to greater potential volatility and less liquidity.  Parameters set by the subadviser are not a fundamental policy of the Fund and are subject to change at any time.

Before investing, carefully consider the fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. Please call 800 992-8151 for a prospectus containing this and other information. Read it carefully before investing.  Aston Funds are distributed by BNY Mellon Distributors Inc.

SOURCE Aston Asset Management, LP