AKRE: A Hold As Performance Surprises On The Upside, Yet Concerns Remain

Vasily Zyryanov 2.26K Followers Follow Summary I maintain the Hold rating on the Akre Focus ETF. AKRE has surprised on the upside since my May article, outperforming the S&P 500 against a rather challenging backdrop, chiefly thanks to its application software picks. AKRE's portfolio of 17 stocks has demonstrated slight improvements in terms of growth, GARP, and quality characteristics, which is encouraging but insufficient for a rating upgrade. Despite recent outperformance, AKRE's YTD total return is deeply negative at -12.2%, and I do not expect it to beat IVV into the year-end. MJ_Prototype/iStock via Getty Images In investing, overly pessimistic stance is as dangerous as overconfidence, and that is why in May, I initiated coverage of the Akre Focus ETF ( AKRE ), an actively managed vehicle with an ultra-concentrated portfolio, with This article was written by Vasily Zyryanov 2.26K Followers Follow Vasily Zyryanov is an individual investor and writer.He uses various techniques to find both relatively underpriced equities with strong upside potential and relatively overappreciated companies that have inflated valuation for a reason.In his research, he pays much attention to the energy sector (oil & gas supermajors, mid-cap, and small-cap exploration & production companies, the oilfield services firms), while he also covers a plethora of other industries from mining and chemicals to luxury bellwethers.He firmly believes that apart from simple profit and sales analysis, a meticulous investor must assess Free Cash Flow and Return on Capital to gain deeper insights and avoid sophomoric conclusions.While he favors underappreciated and misunderstood equities, he also acknowledges that some growth stocks do deserve their premium valuation, and its an investor's primary goal to delve deeper and uncover if the market's current opinion is correct or not. Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.