Hennessy Cornerstone Mid Cap 30 Fund is likely to concern sustainability-focused investors given certain substandard ESG attributes.
The ESG risk of Hennessy Cornerstone Mid Cap 30 Fund's holdings is comparable to its peers in the US Equity Small Cap category, thus earning an average Morningstar Sustainability Rating of 3 globes. Funds in the same category rated 4 or 5 globes tend to hold securities less exposed to ESG risk. ESG risk measures the degree to which material environmental, social, and governance issues, such as climate change and inequalities, could affect valuations. ESG risk differs from impact, which is about driving positive environmental and social outcomes for society’s benefit.
No companies held by Hennessy Cornerstone Mid Cap 30 Fund are recognized as being involved in controversies at a high or severe level. From bribery and corruption to workplace discrimination and environmental incidents, controversies can have significant financial repercussions, ranging from legal penalties to consumer boycotts. In addition, controversies can damage the reputation of both companies themselves and their shareholders.
One potential issue for a sustainability-focused investor is that Hennessy Cornerstone Mid Cap 30 Fund doesn’t have an ESG-focused mandate. Funds with an ESG-focused mandate would have a higher probability to drive positive ESG outcomes. One area to watch is the fund’s carbon risk exposure. Its Carbon Risk Score of 22.86 is situated at the higher end of the medium carbon risk band, indicating the fund's investee companies are in a vulnerable position in the transition to a low-carbon economy. The score represented the asset-weighted carbon risk score of the portfolio's equity or corporate bond holdings, averaged over the trailing 12 months. These funds invest in companies that tend to operate in sectors less exposed to the transition (such as healthcare and IT) and/or companies in more carbon-intensive sectors (such as industrials and utilities) but that consider climate change in their business strategy and products, and therefore are positively aligned with the transition. The fund's current involvement in fossil fuels reaches 20.06%, surpassing 8.72% for its average category peer. Companies are considered involved in fossil fuels if they derive some revenue from thermal coal, oil, and gas.