KB ESG Growth Leaders Fund Surpasses 100 Billion KRW in Net Assets

KB Asset Management announced on August 7 that the net asset value of the 'KB ESG Growth Leaders Fund' has surpassed 100 billion KRW.

Launched in 2008, the KB ESG Growth Leaders Fund is an active equity fund that uses ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factors as core criteria for investment decisions, investing in domestic companies expected to achieve sustainable long-term growth.

The fund conducts a comprehensive analysis based on a weighting of 50% for Environment (E), 20% for Social (S), and 30% for Governance (G), focusing on evaluating the fundamental competitiveness of companies rather than following simple trends.

KB Asset Management operates the KB ESG Growth Leaders Fund based on its proprietary ESG evaluation system. Instead of relying on external assessments, its internal ESG research team directly analyzes companies to construct the investment universe. This approach is effective in identifying high-quality companies early and securing stable returns in volatile markets.

In terms of management strategy, the fund has established a structure where research and management work closely together, enhancing both the precision of individual stock selection and the portfolio's risk management capabilities. A total of 11 research experts support fund management through thorough analysis of the investment market, industries, and investment universe stocks. The actual portfolio is regularly rebalanced by comparing and reviewing it against the ESG model portfolio, considering each stock's ESG score and position within its industry.

The fund's holdings are centered on large-cap domestic stocks. Currently, it is focusing on sectors such as industrials, defense, machinery, and cosmetics, which are expected to benefit from the recovery in global demand and changes in industrial structure.

The main investment holdings include SK Hynix (9.39%), Samsung Electronics (6.87%), Samyang Foods (5.87%), KB Financial Group (4.62%), Hyosung Heavy Industries (3.86%), Isu Petasys (3.55%), and Hyundai Motor 2PB (3.04%).

The fund's performance has also been strong. Over the past three months and six months, it recorded returns of 33.5% and 38.9%, respectively. The cumulative return for this year is 53.7%, exceeding the KOSPI by more than 20 percentage points. Over the past one, three, and five years, the fund has also delivered returns 20 to 35 percentage points higher than the KOSPI, attracting attention for its excellent performance in the medium to long term.

Shin Minjae, Head of Equity Management Division 2 at KB Asset Management, stated, "The KB ESG Growth Leaders Fund has earned strong trust from investors seeking stable returns based on ESG evaluation capabilities," and added, "We will continue to strengthen the fund’s medium- to long-term competitiveness by proactively investing in companies pursuing sustainable growth."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.