Company News

  • November 21st, 2022 Naperville, IL - PSN Top Guns Press Release

    Ballast Equity Awarded PSN Top Guns Designations for Q3 2022

    Quarterly PSN Top Guns List published by Zephyr identifies best-in-class separate accounts,
    managed accounts, and managed ETF strategies

    Naperville, IL – November 21, 2022 – Ballast Equity Management announced today it has been
    named to the celebrated PSN Top Guns List of best performing separate accounts, managed
    accounts, and managed ETF strategies for Q3 2022. The list, published by Zephyr, remains one of
    the most important references for investors and asset managers. Ballast was honored with 5 Star
    Top Gun ratings for its Select Value strategy in the Small-Mid Value Universe and its Quality Value
    Midcap strategy in the Mid Value Universe for Q3 2022, highlighting risk-adjusted results over the
    trailing three-year periods.

    “With the growing interest in separately managed accounts, the PSN Top Guns List has attracted
    greater attention,” says Margaret Tobiasen, SVP of Data Distribution who cites PSN’s pioneering
    efforts as the first SMA database as the reason for the list’s popularity. “Ballast Equity
    Management has done remarkable work and we are pleased to include them as a top performer.”

    “Markets had a stellar quarter ending September 30, but risks persist, and we believe an emphasis
    on quality businesses with strong balance sheets and free cash flows is prudent,” noted Ballast cofounder and CEO Jeff Kautz. “These Top Guns ratings from Informa Financial Intelligence highlight
    the long-term competitiveness and risk management of Ballast’s strategies that we continually
    seek to deliver.”

    Through a combination PSN’s proprietary performance screens, the PSN Top Guns List ranks
    products in six proprietary categories in over 75 universes based on continued performance over
    time.

    Select Value, a portfolio of Ballast’s “best ideas” from its small and mid-cap strategies, and Quality
    Value Midcap each received 5 Star ratings. To attain the 5 Star rating, products had an r-squared
    of 0.80 or greater relative to the style benchmark for the recent five-year period. Moreover, the
    strategy’s returns exceeded the style benchmark for the three latest three-year rolling periods.
    Products are then selected which have a standard deviation for the five-year period equal or less
    than the median standard deviation for the peer group. The top ten returns for the latest threeyear period then become the 5 Star Top Guns.

    Ballast manages three fundamental strategies, Quality Value Smallcap, Quality Value Midcap and
    Select Value, all of which seek to reward clients with performance that is above their benchmarks
    and peers over a full market cycle with less volatility. Ballast’s investment team invests alongside
    its clients in small and mid-cap businesses they believe can sustain high returns on invested capital
    through durable competitive advantages. Markets currently present investors with elevated levels
    of risk and Ballast believes that selectively owning durable businesses purchased at reasonable
    valuations will be key to preserving and growing wealth.

    The complete list of PSN Top Guns and an overview of the methodology can be located at
    https://psn.fi.informais.com/. Registration is required.
    For more details on the specific performance and characteristics of Ballast’s strategies, including
    a fully GIPS compliant presentation, please visit www.ballastequity.com.

    About Ballast Equity Management, LLC

    Ballast Equity Management is an employee-owned asset management firm that invests alongside
    its clients in high conviction portfolios of quality small and mid-capitalization businesses. Ballast
    manages these portfolios of publicly traded companies for individuals, family offices and
    institutions. Based in Naperville, Illinois, Ballast was founded in 2016 by Jeff Kautz and Randy
    Hughes, investment professionals who previously held senior roles at Perkins Investment
    Management and have invested together for 25 years.

    About PSN

    For nearly four decades, PSN has been a top resource for investment professionals. Asset
    managers rely on Zephyr’s PSN to effectively reach institutional and retail investors rely. Over
    2,800 firms, 285 universes, and more than 21,000 products comprise the PSN SMA database
    showing asset breakdowns, compliance, key personnel, ownership diversity, ESG, business
    objectives and strategy, style, fees, GIC sectors, fixed income ranges and full holdings. Unique to
    PSN is its robust historical database of nearly 40 Years of Data Including Net and Gross-of-Fee
    Returns. For more details on the methodology behind the PSN Top Guns Rankings or to purchase
    PSN Top Guns Reports, contact Margaret Tobiasen at Margaret.tobiasen@informa.com. Visit PSN
    online to learn more.

     

     

  • March 21, 2023- Naperville, IL- Ballast Equity Management Rebrands to QSV Equity Investors

    Ballast Equity Management Rebrands to QSV Equity Investors

    New brand highlights firm’s focus on the qualities delivered to clients and
    differentiates from competitors.

    Naperville, IL – March 21, 2023 – Ballast Equity Management announced today it will rebrand
    immediately to QSV Equity Investors, LLC. This rebranding serves two purposes: highlighting the
    attributes of quality, stability, and value the firm instills in each of its investment strategies and
    setting the firm apart from competitors with brand names like its own. Commenting on this
    change, Ballast CEO and Co-Founder Jeff Kautz noted “Our skillset is in researching, valuing, and
    building portfolios of small and mid-cap stocks and not in branding, thus we find ourselves with a
    corporate name, Ballast Equity Management, which is quite like that of other investment firms.
    Our people, philosophy and process will not change, only our name will.”

    Ballast Partner and Head of Business Development, Dave Mertens, added “We are fortunate to
    have a loyal and growing client base and we listen to their input on our services and our corporate
    image. Hearing their thoughts on how we might position our brand has been valuable as we
    continue to differentiate our firm and our investment products.”

    About Ballast Equity Management, LLC

    QSV Equity Investors, LLC (formerly Ballast Equity Management, LLC) is an employee-owned asset
    management firm that invests alongside its clients in high conviction portfolios of quality small and
    mid-capitalization businesses. QSV manages these portfolios of publicly traded companies for
    individuals, family offices and institutions. Based in Naperville, Illinois, QSV was founded in 2016
    by Jeff Kautz and Randy Hughes, investment professionals who previously held senior roles at
    JanusHenderson subsidiary Perkins Investment Management and have invested together for 25
    years. For more details on the specific performance and characteristics of QSV’s strategies,
    including a fully GIPS compliant presentation, please contact Dave Mertens at dmertens@qsvequity.com.

     

  • August 21, 2022- Oakbrook, IL- Ballast Equity Awarded Multiple PSN Top Guns Designations for Q2 2022

    Ballast Equity Awarded Multiple PSN Top Guns Designations for Q2 2022

    Quarterly PSN Top Guns List published by Zephyr identifies best-in-class separate accounts,
    managed accounts, and managed ETF strategies

    Oakbrook, IL – August 21, 2022 – Ballast Equity Management announced today it has been named
    to the celebrated PSN Top Guns List of best performing separate accounts, managed accounts,
    and managed ETF strategies for Q2 2022. The highly anticipated list, published by Zephyr, remains
    one of the most important references for investors and asset managers. Ballast was honored with
    6 Star Top Gun ratingsfor its Quality Value Midcap strategy in the Mid Value Universe for Q2 2022,
    highlighting risk-adjusted results over the trailing five-year periods. Ballast also received 1 Star Top
    Gun ratings for both its Quality Value Smallcap and Select Value strategies, recognized for attaining
    top ten returns in Q2 2022 within the Small Cap Value and Small-Mid Cap Value universes,
    respectively.

    “With the growing interest in separately managed accounts, the PSN Top Guns List has attracted
    greater attention,” says Margaret Tobiasen, SVP of Data Distribution who cites PSN’s pioneering
    efforts as the first SMA database as the reason for the list’s popularity. “Ballast Equity
    Management has done remarkable work and we are pleased to include them as a top performer.”

    “Markets have clawed back some of the losses from the first half of 2022, but risks persist, and we
    believe an emphasis on quality businesses with strong balance sheets and free cash flows is
    prudent,” noted Ballast co-founder and CEO Jeff Kautz. “These Top Guns ratings by Informa
    Financial Intelligence highlight the near- and long-term competitiveness of Ballast’s strategies as
    we work to manage risk and deliver returns for our clients.”

    Through a combination PSN’s proprietary performance screens, the PSN Top Guns List ranks
    products in six proprietary categories in over 75 universes based on continued performance over
    time.

    Quality Value Midcap received the 6 Star rating. To attain this rating, the strategy had an r-squared
    of 0.80 or greater relative to the style benchmark for the recent five-year period. Moreover, the
    strategy’s returns exceeded the style benchmark for the three latest three-year rolling periods.
    Products are then selected which have a standard deviation for the five-year period equal or less
    than the median standard deviation for the peer group. The top ten information ratios for the
    latest five-year period then become the 6 Star Top Guns.

    Ballast manages three fundamental strategies, Quality Value Midcap, Quality Value Smallcap and
    Select Value, all of which seek to reward clients with performance that is above their benchmarks
    and peers over a full market cycle with less volatility. Ballast’s investment team invests alongside
    its clients in small and mid-cap businesses they believe can sustain high returns on invested capital
    through durable competitive advantages. Markets currently present investors with elevated levels
    of risk and Ballast believes that selectively owning durable businesses purchased at reasonable
    valuations will be key to preserving and growing wealth.

    The complete list of PSN Top Guns and an overview of the methodology can be located at
    https://psn.fi.informais.com/. Registration is required.

    For more details on the specific performance and characteristics of Ballast’s strategies, including
    a fully GIPS compliant presentation, please visit www.ballastequity.com.

    About Ballast Equity Management, LLC

    Ballast Equity Management is an employee-owned asset management firm that invests alongside
    its clients in high conviction portfolios of quality small and mid-capitalization businesses. Ballast
    manages these portfolios of publicly traded companies for individuals, family offices, and
    institutions. Based in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, Ballast was founded in 2016 by Jeff Kautz and
    Randy Hughes, investment professional who previously held senior roles at Perkins Investment
    Management and have invested together for 25 years.

    About PSN

    For nearly four decades, PSN has been a top resource for investment professionals. Asset
    managers rely on Zephyr’s PSN to effectively reach institutional and retail investors rely on. Over
    2,800 firms, 285 universes, and more than 21,000 products comprise the PSN SMA database
    showing asset breakdowns, compliance, key personnel, ownership diversity, ESG, business
    objectives and strategy, style, fees, GIC sectors, fixed income ranges, and full holdings. Unique to
    PSN is its robust historical database of nearly 40 Years of Data Including Net and Gross-of-Fee
    Returns. For more details on the methodology behind the PSN Top Guns Rankings or to purchase
    PSN Top Guns Reports, contact Margaret Tobiasen at Margaret.tobiasen@informa.com. Visit PSN
    online to learn more.

  • May 24, 2022- Oakbrook, IL– PSN Top Guns Press Release May 2022

    Ballast Equity Management Awarded Top Guns Designation
    by Informa Financial Intelligence

    Oakbrook, IL – May 24, 2022 – Ballast Equity Management has been awarded multiple PSN Top Guns
    distinctions by Informa Financial Intelligence’s PSN manager database, North America’s longest running
    database of investment managers. Ballast was honored with 6 Star, 5 Star and 4 Star Top Gun ratings for
    its Quality Value Midcap strategy in the Mid Value Universe for Q1 2022, highlighting risk-adjusted results
    over the trailing three- and five-year periods.

    “Volatile markets are currently a fact of life,” noted Ballast co-founder and Chief Investment Officer Randy
    Hughes. “Ongoing Top Guns recognition by Informa Financial Intelligence is gratifying, as it highlights the
    competitive risk-adjusted returns that Ballast has delivered for our clients.”

    Through a combination of Informa Financial Intelligence’s proprietary performance screens, *PSN Top Guns
    (*free registration to view Top Guns) ranks products in six proprietary categories in over 50 universes. This
    is a well-respected quarterly ranking and is widely used by institutional asset managers and investors.
    Informa Financial Intelligence is part of Informa PLC, a leading provider of critical decision-making solutions
    and custom services to financial institutions.

    Quality Value Midcap received the 4 Star rating, which is awarded to strategies with an r-squared of 0.80
    or greater relative to the style benchmark for the recent five-year period. Moreover, the strategy’s returns
    must exceed the style benchmark for the three latest three-year rolling periods. The top ten returns for the
    latest three-year period then become the 4 Star Top Guns. The Quality Value Midcap strategy received 5
    Star recognition, awarded to those strategies that had an r-squared of 0.80 or greater relative to the style
    benchmark for the recent five-year period. Additionally, the strategy’s returns must have exceeded the
    style benchmark for the three latest three-year rolling periods. Products are then selected which have a
    standard deviation for the five-year period equal or less than the median standard deviation for the peer
    group. The top ten returns for the latest three-year period then become the 5 Star Top Guns. Lastly, the
    Quality Value Midcap strategy received the 6 Star rating. To attain this rating, the strategy had an r-squared
    of 0.80 or greater relative to the style benchmark for the recent five-year period. Moreover, the strategy’s
    returns exceeded the style benchmark for the three latest three-year rolling periods. Products are then
    selected which have a standard deviation for the five-year period equal or less than the median standard
    deviation for the peer group. The top ten information ratios for the latest five-year period then become
    the 6 Star Top Guns.

    Ballast manages three fundamental strategies, Quality Value Midcap, Select Value, and Quality Value
    Smallcap, all of which seek to reward clients with performance that is above their benchmarks and peers
    over a full market cycle with less volatility. Ballast’s investment team invests alongside its clients in small
    and mid-cap businesses they believe can sustain high returns on invested capital through durable
    competitive advantages. Markets currently present investors with elevated levels of risk and Ballast
    believes that selectively owning durable businesses purchased at reasonable valuations will be key to
    preserving and growing wealth.

    “Congratulations to Ballast Equity Management for being recognized as a PSN Top Gun,” said Ryan Nauman,
    Market Strategist at Informa Financial Intelligence’s Zephyr. “This highly esteemed designation allows us to
    recognize success, excellence and performance of leading investment managers each quarter.”

    The complete list of PSN Top Guns and an overview of the methodology can be found on
    https://psn.fi.informais.com/

    For more details on the methodology behind the PSN Top Guns Rankings or to purchase PSN Top Guns
    Reports, contact Margaret Tobiasen at Margaret.tobiasen@informa.com.

    For more details on the specific performance and characteristics of Ballast’s strategies, including a fully
    GIPS compliant presentation, please visit www.ballastequity.com.

    About Ballast Equity Management, LLC

    Ballast Equity Management is an employee-owned asset management firm that invests alongside its clients
    in high conviction portfolios of quality small and mid-capitalization businesses. Ballast manages these
    portfolios of publicly traded companies for individuals, family offices and institutions. Based in Oakbrook
    Terrace, Illinois, Ballast was founded in 2016 by Jeff Kautz and Randy Hughes, investment professionals who
    previously held senior roles at Perkins Investment Management and have invested together for 25 years.

    About Informa Financial Intelligence’s Zephyr

    Financial Intelligence, part of the Informa Intelligence Division of Informa plc, is a leading provider of
    products and services helping financial institutions around the world cut through the noise and take
    decisive action. Informa Financial Intelligence’s solutions provide unparalleled insight into market
    opportunity, competitive performance and customer segment behavioral patterns and performance
    through specialized industry research, intelligence, and insight. IFI’s Zephyr portfolio supports asset
    allocation, investment analysis, portfolio construction, and client communications that combine to help
    advisors and portfolio managers retain and grow client relationships. For more information about IFI, visit
    https://financialintelligence.informa.com. For more information about Zephyr’s PSN Separately Managed
    Accounts data, visit https://financialintelligence.informa.com/products-and-services/data-analysis-andtools/psn-sma.

  • February 22, 2022- Oakbrook, IL– PSN Top Guns Press Release February 2022

    Ballast Equity Management Awarded Top Guns Designation
    by Informa Financial Intelligence

    Oakbrook, IL – February 22, 2022 – Ballast Equity Management has been awarded multiple PSN Top Guns
    distinctions by Informa Financial Intelligence’s PSN manager database, North America’s longest running
    database of investment managers. Ballast was honored with 5 Star, 4 Star, and 3 Star Top Gun ratings for
    its Quality Value Midcap strategy in the Mid Value Universe for Q4 2021.

    “Top Guns ratings provide a proof statement of the smoother ride we seek to offer investors through
    volatile markets,” noted Ballast co-founder and CEO Jeff Kautz. “Ongoing recognition by Informa
    Financial Intelligence for multiple time periods is gratifying, as it underscores the consistency with which
    Ballast seeks to deliver results for its clients.”

    Through a combination of Informa Financial Intelligence’s proprietary performance screens, *PSN Top
    Guns (*free registration to view Top Guns) ranks products in six proprietary categories in over 50
    universes. This is a well-respected quarterly ranking and is widely used by institutional asset managers
    and investors. Informa Financial Intelligence is part of Informa PLC, a leading provider of critical decisionmaking solutions and custom services to financial institutions.

    Ballast’s Quality Value Midcap received the 3 Star rating, noting the strategy’s standing as one of the top
    ten returns for the three-year period in its respective universe. Quality Value Midcap also received the 4
    Star rating, which is awarded to strategies with an r-squared of 0.80 or greater relative to the style
    benchmark for the recent five-year period. Moreover, the strategy’s returns must exceed the style
    benchmark for the three latest three-year rolling periods. The top ten returns for the latest three-year
    period then become the 4 Star Top Guns. Lastly, the Quality Value Midcap strategy received 5 Star
    recognition, awarded to those strategies that had an r-squared of 0.80 or greater relative to the style
    benchmark for the recent five-year period. Additionally, the strategy’s returns must have exceeded the
    style benchmark for the three latest three-year rolling periods. Products are then selected which have a
    standard deviation for the five-year period equal or less than the median standard deviation for the peer
    group. The top ten returns for the latest three-year period then become the 5 Star Top Guns.

    Ballast manages three fundamental strategies, Quality Value Midcap, Select Value, and Quality Value
    Smallcap, all of which seek to reward clients with performance that is above their benchmarks and peers
    over a full market cycle with less volatility. Ballast’s investment team invests alongside its clients in small
    and mid-cap businesses they believe can sustain high returns on invested capital through durable
    competitive advantages. Markets currently present investors with elevated levels of risk and Ballast
    believes that selectively owning durable businesses purchased at reasonable valuations will be key to
    preserving and growing wealth.

    “Congratulations to Ballast Equity Management for being recognized as a PSN Top Gun,” said Ryan
    Nauman, Market Strategist at Informa Financial Intelligence’s Zephyr. “This highly esteemed designation
    allows us to recognize success, excellence and performance of leading investment managers each
    quarter.”

    The complete list of PSN Top Guns and an overview of the methodology can be found on
    https://psn.fi.informais.com/

    For more details on the methodology behind the PSN Top Guns Rankings or to purchase PSN Top Guns
    Reports, contact Margaret Tobiasen at Margaret.tobiasen@informa.com.

    For more details on the specific performance and characteristics of Ballast’s strategies, including a fully
    GIPS compliant presentation, please visit www.ballastequity.com.

    About Ballast Equity Management, LLC

    Ballast Equity Management is an employee-owned asset management firm that invests alongside its
    clients in high conviction portfolios of quality small and mid-capitalization businesses. Ballast manages
    these portfolios of publicly traded companies for individuals, family offices and institutions. Based in
    Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, Ballast was founded in 2016 by Jeff Kautz and Randy Hughes, investment
    professionals who previously held senior roles at Perkins Investment Management and have invested
    together for over 20 years.

    About Informa Financial Intelligence’s Zephyr

    Financial Intelligence, part of the Informa Intelligence Division of Informa plc, is a leading provider of
    products and services helping financial institutions around the world cut through the noise and take
    decisive action. Informa Financial Intelligence’s solutions provide unparalleled insight into market
    opportunity, competitive performance and customer segment behavioral patterns and performance
    through specialized industry research, intelligence, and insight. IFI’s Zephyr portfolio supports asset
    allocation, investment analysis, portfolio construction, and client communications that combine to help
    advisors and portfolio managers retain and grow client relationships. For more information about IFI, visit
    https://financialintelligence.informa.com. For more information about Zephyr’s PSN Separately Managed
    Accounts data, visit https://financialintelligence.informa.com/products-and-services/data-analysis-andtools/psn-sma.

  • December 20, 2021- Oakbrook Terrace, IL - Ballast Vestmark Launch Press Release- December 2021

    Ballast Equity Management, LLC Investment Strategies
    Offered on the Vestmark Manager Marketplace

    Oakbrook Terrace, IL – December 20, 2021 – Ballast Equity Management, LLC, a registered
    investment advisor, today announced their investment strategies are now available on Vestmark
    Manager Marketplace.

    The relationship will offer Ballast’s Quality Value Smallcap, Select Value and Quality Value Midcap
    strategies to wealth advisors utilizing the Vestmark Manager Marketplace. The mission of
    Vestmark, Inc., a leading provider of portfolio management tools and trading software, is to
    provide personalized investment solutions to retail investors, equipping wealth management
    firms to address individual preferences and to help improve financial outcomes for investors
    across the wealth spectrum.

    “The Ballast investment team has a core competency of serving advisors and their clients through
    the management of small and mid-cap equity portfolios. Vestmark enables us to deliver our
    investment strategies to those investors in a way that lowers their costs and administrative
    burdens” said Jeff Kautz, CEO of Ballast.

    With over 20 years of investment experience, Ballast has helped its clients navigate a wide variety
    of market environments. In that time, its investment team has come to believe that opportunities
    exist in the market for small- and mid-cap value equities that allow patient investors to
    experience risk-adjusted returns that outperform the market over a full market cycle. Ballast
    serves these clients by building portfolios of quality businesses that possess durable competitive
    advantages. In today’s environment, with inflationary pressures and global uncertainty, Ballast
    believes these businesses are best positioned to meet the needs of equity investors.

    The addition of Ballast Equity Management on the Vestmark Manager Marketplace positions the
    firm to continue its path of significant recent growth. Ballast’s assets under management and
    administration have experienced a twofold increase during 2021, with significant growth in
    institutional client assets.

    About Ballast Equity Management, LLC

    Ballast Equity Management is an employee-owned asset management firm that invests alongside
    its clients in high conviction portfolios of quality small and mid-capitalization businesses. Ballast
    manages these portfolios of publicly traded companies for individuals, family offices and
    institutions. Based in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, Ballast was founded in 2016 by Jeff Kautz and
    Randy Hughes, investment professionals who previously held senior roles at Perkins Investment
    Management and have invested together for over 20 years. More information may be found at
    www.ballastequity.com.

    About Vestmark

    Headquartered outside of Boston, MA and founded in 2001, Vestmark is a leading provider of
    portfolio management/trading solutions and outsourced services for financial institutions and
    their advisors, enabling them to efficiently manage and trade customized client portfolios
    through an innovative SaaS platform. Supporting over $1.5 trillion in assets and 5.5 million
    accounts, Vestmark is a trusted partner to some of the largest and most respected wealth
    management firms. For more information about Vestmark’s solutions, call (781) 224-3640 or
    visit www.vestmark.com.