Global Listed Infrastructure
The strategy provides access to infrastructure assets through a global portfolio of publicly traded companies, many of which feature relatively stable cash flows and monopolistic market positions.
WHY COHEN & STEERS
Experienced global investment team
Our investment team is one of the largest dedicated to listed infrastructure investing, with leadership that has overseen our infrastructure investing since 2004
Disciplined and rigorous investment process
Blends proprietary top-down, macro-level framework with rigorous bottom-up, company-level research
Performance
Strong 17-year+ track record, outperforming in both up and down markets
WHY LISTED INFRASTRUCTURE
Differentiated performance profile
Historically strong total returns, reduced volatility and inflation hedging
Access to critical forces driving economic change
Including infrastructure modernization, digital transformations of economies, decarbonization and improvements in supply chain logistics
Attractive complement to private infrastructure
Offering diversified exposure with access to assets and industries that may be less available to private investors
The Cohen & Steers Global Listed Infrastructure Strategy employs a total-return, relative-value approach to investing in global listed infrastructure. The strategy seeks to achieve attractive risk-adjusted total returns over the long term and to outperform its benchmark over a full market cycle (approximately 3–5 years).
Our global listed infrastructure team’s experience positions us to better navigate market risks and identify superior investment opportunities. The team comprises 11 professionals (with an average 13 years of investment experience) whose sole or primary responsibility is to the Global Listed Infrastructure Strategy.
FEATURED INSIGHT
Macro factor sensitivities in listed infrastructure
We examine performance characteristics across various market environments, providing a framework for understanding how listed infrastructure may fit into a broader asset allocation strategy and offering insight into the role of macroeconomic research in Cohen & Steers’ active investment process.
September 2022 | 30 mins
WHY INVEST WITH US
Delivering value to our clients
Cohen & Steers has been investing in listed infrastructure since we launched our flagship Global Listed Infrastructure Strategy in 2004. Based on our commitment to global listed infrastructure and our drive for excellence, we have built a platform positioned to outperform our peers and deliver compelling returns for our clients.
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Benjamin Morton
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
An experienced team
+7 analysts and associates
PORTFOLIO SPECIALIST GROUP
Supporting our investment team and clients
We believe listed infrastructure offers attractive long-term growth potential and inflation protection through favorable pricing mechanisms and predictable, often inflation-linked, cash flows. The philosophy that guides our Global Listed Infrastructure Strategy is underpinned by the following principles:
Global listed infrastructure markets are inherently inefficient
due to regulation, industry fundamental cycles, securitization of the asset class and a lack of dedicated specialist coverage, which provides opportunities for active investment managers to add value.
A strict definition of the investment universe is critically important to manage global listed infrastructure portfolios.
A disciplined investment process
that combines top-down industry/sector research with bottom-up company specific analysis can deliver a sustainable advantage because of the range of infrastructure subsectors with varying business models and economic sensitivities.
Experience and local, on-the-ground research are critical
to understanding local regulatory precedents, local languages and the prevailing political environment.
The delivery of superior risk-adjusted returns demands an embedded, comprehensive and multidimensional approach to risk management.
We seek to take advantage of the following inefficiencies in the global listed infrastructure markets:
- The discounting mechanism of public markets whereby price movements typically occur ahead of changes in fundamentals
- The variations in infrastructure subsector fundamentals that result from changing macroeconomic conditions
- The opaqueness, lack of history and limited investor experience
APPROACH
Our investment process
The strategy employs a total-return, relative-value approach, and we adhere to a strict definition of the listed infrastructure universe that focuses on core owners and operators of infrastructure assets.
Investment universe
We begin by identifying the core global infrastructure investment universe, with a strict focus on owners and operators of infrastructure assets with stable cash flows that tend to be regulated, in monopolistic or oligopolistic sectors that have high barriers to entry. Although the universe is global and well diversified on regional and sector bases, as an active manager we may choose not to invest in a particular country, subsector or company.
Fundamental research
Analysts are responsible for conducting detailed bottom-up research, developing high-conviction views on fundamentals and valuations on the companies they cover. We continually reassess management’s capabilities to add value and deliver on its goals. In addition, we integrate ESG factors into our research and valuation models.
Subsector overlay
A proprietary macroeconomic overlay ranks the attractiveness of infrastructure subsectors based on our view of key macro factors and drives subsector allocations in our portfolio.
Portfolio construction
After we have determined subsector positioning, outputs from security-level models quantify relative value within each subsector. As valuations change, we rotate capital among individual securities. Risk management, diversification, liquidity and other factors are also key considerations.
View: Performance Vehicles
Vehicles
The strategy is available to investors through the following vehicles:
Separately Managed Accounts
For a more personalized approach to investing, Cohen & Steers’ separately managed accounts (SMAs) allow for greater customization of portfolios and enhanced tax efficiency.
Institutional Separate Accounts
Cohen & Steers provides customized investment strategies to institutional investors, including some of the world’s largest pension funds, endowments and foundations.
Collective Investment Trusts
Cohen & Steers offers CITs for qualified defined benefit and defined contribution plans.
SICAV Funds
Our investment strategies are available through our Luxembourg domiciled SICAV funds and are offered through many leading platforms.
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Find your Cohen & Steers contactWe consider the information in this communication to be accurate, but we do not represent that it is complete or should be relied upon as the sole source of suitability for investment. Investors should consult their own investment professional with respect to their individual circumstances.
Past performance does not predict future returns. Risks involved with investment, including potential loss of capital, are substantial and should be carefully considered. The views and opinions are as of the date of publication and are subject to change without notice. There is no guarantee that any historical trend illustrated above will be repeated in the future, and there is no way to predict precisely when such a trend will begin. There is no guarantee that a market forecast made above will be realized. Active management is not guaranteed to outperform the broader market index.
Important Risk Considerations: Investing involves risk, including entire loss of capital invested. There can be no assurance that the investment strategy will meet its investment objectives. Diversification is not guaranteed to ensure a profit or protect against loss. Since the strategy concentrates its assets in global infrastructure securities, the strategy will be more susceptible to adverse economic or regulatory occurrences affecting global infrastructure companies than a portfolio that is not primarily invested in global infrastructure companies. Infrastructure issuers may be subject to regulation by various governmental authorities and may also be affected by governmental regulation of rates charged to customers, operational or other mishaps, tariffs and changes in tax laws, regulatory policies and accounting standards. Foreign securities involve special risks, including currency fluctuation and lower liquidity. Some global securities may represent small and medium-sized companies, which may be more susceptible to price volatility than larger companies. Concentrated strategies may present a higher degree of risk.