Eaton Vance Management has announced the launch of a series of separate account equity strategies, the Calvert ESG Leaders Strategies, which would invest in common stocks of selected companies with environmental, social and governance (ESG) characteristics.
The new strategies, which would be co-managed by Calvert vice presidents and portfolio managers Jade Huang and Chris Madden. The portfolios would be available for institutional and professional investors which would be offered by Calvert Research and Management, a subsidiary of Eaton Vance.
The investment process would comprise three key components: stock selection, portfolio optimisation, and corporate engagement.
The strategies would also employ a dynamic investment approach that leveragee quantitative and qualitative analysis and a risk-managed portfolio construction process, while seeking to effect positive change, the firm said.
“In developing the strategies, we conducted a quantitative review of ESG leaders’ past performance. The results indicate that companies that achieved top ESG scores in financially material factors have historically produced stronger financial performance than those with weaker ESG scores,” Huang said.
According to the firm, its research system enabled identification of companies that were leading their peers in managing financially material ESG risks and which might help take advantage of business opportunities.
“Additionally, we found that by optimising the portfolios, we could position the strategies to achieve positive environmental and societal impact by increasing exposure to companies with healthier environmental footprints and better gender diversity,” Huang said.
Calvert ESG Leaders Strategies included:
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