Villere Balanced Fund Wins Two 2012 Lipper Best Fund Awards

NEW ORLEANS, March 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Denis J. Villere & Company, LLC, is pleased to announce that the Villere Balanced Fund (VILLX) has been honored with two 2012 Lipper Fund Awards at the annual Lipper awards banquet in New York. The fund was awarded best mixed-asset target allocation growth fund for superior performance based on risk-adjusted, consistent returns for both the 3- and 5-year periods ended November 30, 2011 among 139 and 134 funds respectively.

The Villere Balanced Fund seeks to achieve long-term capital growth consistent with preservation of capital and balanced by current income. Using a disciplined approach, the fund looks for undervalued and largely undiscovered companies that its managers believe have the potential to provide above-average returns in favorable market conditions while preserving capital during times of market weakness. Launched in 1999, the fund has grown to more than $135 million as of December 31, 2011.

"We are delighted to have earned these prestigious awards for the Villere Balanced Fund," said George V. Young, fund portfolio manager and partner, Villere & Co., advisor to the fund. "The fund is really a reflection of our firm's one hundred-year tradition of stability, innovation, research and teamwork."

A true family-run business, Villere is headquartered in New Orleans, where it was founded by St. Denis J. Villere in 1911. The advisor has been operated continuously since then by four generations of the Villere family. Its four current principals, including two brothers, a son and a cousin, have a combined total of over 130 years with the firm. The firm manages approximately $1.4 billion in separately managed accounts. See www.villere.com for additional information.

A Lipper Fund Award is awarded to one fund in each Lipper classification for achieving the strongest trend of consistent risk-adjusted performance against its classification peers over a three, five or ten-year period.

Although Lipper makes reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained herein, the accuracy is not guaranteed by Lipper. Users acknowledge that they have not relied upon any warranty, condition, guarantee, or representation made by Lipper. Any use of the data for analyzing, managing, or trading financial instruments is at the user's own risk. This is not an offer to buy or sell securities. Lipper Analytical Services, Inc. is an independent mutual fund research and rating service.

The Lipper Fund Awards are part of the Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence, a global family of awards that celebrate exceptional performance throughout the professional investment community. The Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence recognize the world's top funds, fund management firms, sell-side firms, research analysts and investor relations teams. The Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence also include the Extel Survey Awards, the StarMine Analyst Awards, and the StarMine Broker Rankings. For more information, please contact [email protected] or visit excellence.thomsonreuters.com.

Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
Mutual fund investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.

Investments in smaller and medium sized companies involve additional risks such as limited liquidity and greater volatility. Investments in debt securities typically decrease in value when interest rates rise. This risk is usually greater for longer-term debt securities. Investments in lower rated and non-rated securities present a great risk of loss to principal and interest than higher rated securities.

The Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information are described in the prospectus or summary prospectus, which must be read and considered carefully before investing. You may obtain a hard copy by calling 866-209-1129.

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SOURCE Villere & Company