As of September 5, 2023, Australian Retirement Trust (ART), one of Australia's largest superannuation funds, received an upgraded Morningstar Medalist RatingTM for four of its Super Savings diversified investment options (Growth, Balanced, Retirement, and Conservative) from ‘Bronze’ to ‘Silver’.
The Morningstar Medalist Rating is a five-tier scale running from Gold to Negative. For actively-managed funds, Morningstar assigns Gold, Silver, and Bronze ratings to vehicles expected to add value, or “positive alpha,” over the long term when compared with a relevant Morningstar Category index after accounting for fees and risk.
For passive strategies, Morningstar assigns gold, silver, and bronze ratings to vehicles expected to deliver alpha that exceeds the lesser of the category median net alpha, or zero, over the long term (Morningstar defines “long term” as periods lasting at least five years.).
The Medalist Ratings indicate which investments Morningstar believes are likely to outperform a relevant index or peer group average on a risk-adjusted basis over time. Investment products are evaluated on three key pillars (people, parent, and process) which, when coupled with a fee assessment, form the basis for Morningstar’s conviction in those products’ investment merits and determine the Medalist Rating they’re assigned.
ART’s Chief Investment Officer, Ian Patrick said the updated ratings recognise the Fund’s continued focus on delivering retirement outcomes to its members in line with set investment objectives.
“Australian Retirement Trust is a fund that works for its more than 2.3 million members to deliver strong returns to enable a more confident retirement. Our promotion from Bronze to Silver in multiple investment options recognises how the Fund continues to use our scale and expertise to do just that,” Mr Patrick said.
“It’s not every day you get promoted, so we’re very proud to have been acknowledged in this way. It’s a reflection of the hard work and dedication of the whole team and truly a testament to the world-class investment capability of Australian Retirement Trust’s investment team.”
ART received a higher rating than its peers in the people pillar which, according to Morningstar, is unique across multi-sector funds. This pillar assesses the investment managers’ talent, tenure and resources.
Another area where ART received an above average rating was the parent pillar which highlight what priorities prevail at the fund such as stewardship.