Schroders marks 10-year anniversary of out-performing U.S. equity fund

NEW YORK, April 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. marks the 10-year anniversary of the Schroder US Small and Mid-Cap Opportunities Fund (SMDIX).

The Schroder US Small and Mid-Cap Opportunities Fund, which holds a 5-star Morningstar rating, has generated a performance track record ranked in the top 10% of its peer group over the three-, five- and ten-year periods (based on total return, Investor Shares of the Fund achieved rankings of 4/423, 1/386, 8/331 and 4/217 for the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods ended 3/31/16 in the Morningstar U.S. Mid-Cap Blend category). The Fund is up +8.4% per annum (as of March 31, 2016) since its launch on March 31, 2006.

Managed by Jenny Jones since inception, the Fund employs a bottom-up, fundamental research-based approach. It seeks to identify small and mid-cap companies with compelling business models, strong management and attractive valuations. The Fund is also supported by seven research analysts and a small product management team. The seven analysts have an average of 21 years of investment experience.

The Fund has achieved a more favorable risk profile compared to the benchmark (the Russell 2500 Index, as measured by standard deviation) by investing a significant portion of the portfolio in defensive stocks with stable revenue streams. The Fund also invests in mispriced growth opportunities and turnarounds with a clear potential for return to growth.

Jenny Jones, Head of US Small and Mid-Cap Equity, said:
"The small and mid-cap arena attracted me early in my career because it offers opportunities to learn things about stocks that are not widely known. However, it also requires the fortitude to withstand the volatility inherent in the small and mid-cap portion of the market. During my formative years, I developed an approach to business analysis informed by the concept of return on invested capital and risk mitigation through the inclusion of stocks likely to hold up relatively well in difficult markets."

Karl Dasher, CEO of Schroders North America, said:
"The small and mid-cap segments offer unique opportunities for attractive risk-adjusted returns. These segments offer growth potential and diversification, and they appear well positioned to take advantage of technological innovation and rising consumer spending. The strong performance of the Schroder US Small and Mid-Cap Opportunities Fund reflects the value of the rigorous investment discipline Ms. Jones has cultivated over her 36 years of experience. We congratulate Jenny and her team on the fund's impressive first decade."

For further information, please contact:
Lev Janashvili of JConnelly at 646-922-7762 or [email protected]
Jennifer Manser of Schroders at 212-632-2947, [email protected] or www.schroders.com/smid

About Schroder Investment Management North America Inc.
Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Schroders plc (SDR.L), a global asset management company with approximately $462.1 billion under management as of December 31, 2015. Schroder's clients include major financial institutions including banks and insurance companies, as well as local and public authorities, public and private pension funds, endowments and foundations, intermediaries and advisors, as well as high net worth individuals and retail investors. The firm has built one of the largest networks of offices of any dedicated asset management company with more than 400 portfolio managers and analysts covering the world's investment markets, offering a comprehensive range of products and services.

Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. is an investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It provides asset management products and services to clients in the U.S. and Canada including Schroder Capital Funds (Delaware), Schroder Series Trust and Schroder Global Series Trust, investment companies registered with the SEC (the "Schroders Funds"). Schroder open-end mutual funds are distributed by Schroder Fund Advisors LLC, a member of FINRA.

Important Information

Please consider a mutual fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. For access to the prospectus, please click the following link: prospectuses. To obtain any further information on any Schroders fund, please read the prospectus, call your financial advisor or call Schroder Mutual Funds at (800) 464-3108 for Individual Investors or (800) 730-2932 for Intermediaries/Financial Consultants. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Schroders has expressed its own views and opinions in this document and these may change.

The views and forecasts contained herein are those of Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. and are subject to change. The information and opinions contained in this document have been obtained from sources we consider to be reliable. No responsibility can be accepted for errors of facts obtained from third parties. Reliance should not be placed on the views and information in the document when taking individual investment and/or strategic decisions.

Risks: All investments involve risks including the risk of possible loss of principal. The market value of a portfolio may decline as a result of a number of factors, including adverse economic and market conditions, prospects of stocks in the portfolio, changing interest rates, and real or perceived adverse competitive industry conditions. Investments in small and medium capitalization companies generally carry greater risk than is customarily associated with larger capitalization companies, which may include, for example, less public information, more limited financial resources and product lines, greater volatility, higher risk of failure than larger companies, and less liquidity.

Morningstar: The Investor Shares of Schroder US Small and Mid Cap Opportunities Fund were rated 5 stars for the 3 year period (out of 383 funds), 4 stars for the 5 year period (out of 328 funds) and 5 stars for the 10 year period (out of 215 funds); The Advisor Shares of Schroder US Small and Mid Cap Opportunities Fund were rated 5 stars for the 3 year period (out of 383 funds) 4 stars for the 5 year period (out of 328 funds) and 5 stars for the 10 year period (out of 215 funds); The R6 Shares of Schroder US Small and Mid Cap Opportunities Fund were rated 5 stars for the 3 year period^‡ (out of 383 funds), 4 stars for the 5 year period^‡ (out of 328 funds) and 5 stars for the 10 year period^‡ (out of 215 funds) within the Mid-Cap Blend category as of March 31, 2016. For each fund with at least a 3-year history, Morningstar calculates a Morningstar Rating^TM 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 five stars, the next 22.5% receive four stars, the next 35% receive three stars, the next 22.5% receive two stars and the bottom 10% receive one star. Each share class is counted as a fraction of one fund within this scale and rated separately, which may cause slight variations in the distribution percentages. Morningstar Rating^TM is for individual share classes only. Other classes may have different performance characteristics. ^‡ denotes Morningstar Extended Performance Ratings: Morningstar provides adjusted historical returns and an Extended Performance Rating for some mutual funds in its universe. This means that any share class that doesn't have a 1, 3-, 5-, or 10-year performance history may receive a hypothetical Morningstar Rating based on the oldest surviving share class of the fund. First, Morningstar computes the funds' new return stream by appending an adjusted return history of the oldest share class. Next, the Extended Performance Rating is determined by comparing the adjusted-historical returns to the current open-end mutual fund universe to identify placement in the bell curve used to assign the Morningstar Rating. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. ©2016 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Morningstar, Inc. has not granted consent for it to be considered or deemed an "expert" under the Securities Act of 1933.

Performance: Performance is Investor shares, net of fees in USD. Inception was March 31, 2006 for Investor and Advisor shares. Performance shown is past performance. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of investments can go down as well as up and is not guaranteed. Principal value and investment returns will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance for less than one year is not annualized. For the most recent month-end performance, visit www.schroders.com/us or call (800) 730-2932.

Index: The Russell 2500 Index is an unmanaged index that tracks the performance of the 2,500 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index. Investors cannot invest directly in an index.

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SOURCE Schroder Investment Management North America Inc.

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