Hansa Inv. Company Research (HAN)

Hansa Investment Company (HICL) offers investors a portfolio of best-in-class managers that are often hard to access for retail investors, including country and thematic funds, a portfolio of direct value-biased global equities and a defensive allocation. The manager has also recently started a private asset programme. Historically, investors have been wary of HICL’s illiquid exposure to Brazil, and its complex structure, and this has seen the company trade at a substantial ‘double discount’ of around 50%. However, recent developments are transforming HICL’s structure. Its holding in Ocean Wilson Holdings (OWHL) sold its Brazilian asset, Wilson Sons, and HICL is currently seeking to combine with OWHL. This will greatly simplify its structure and accelerate its private asset programme, while also delivering significant benefits to its shareholders and clearing the way for a potential narrowing in the discount.