We’re thrilled to welcome Noel Webster to our Blackwattle Investment Council and as a Senior Mentor.

Noel Webster is an accomplished Australian fund manager with nearly two decades at Pendal (formerly BT Investment Management), he retired in 2021.

Noel co-led the Smaller Companies Fund from 2004, achieving an annualized return of +11.55% after fees, and oversaw the Pendal Microcap Opportunities Fund, which delivered 23.87% since 2006.

We look forward to working with Noel into the future.

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Michael Teran, Portfolio Manager and Partner, recently shared his insights with The Australian Financial Review, discussing his stock picks and expectations for the February reporting season.

Michael commented:
‘It feels more like a contrarian’s stock market. We are expecting heightened volatility given the bifurcated market over the past 12 months; with growth and quality stocks outperforming through multiple expansion while value and resource stocks have been forgotten about’.

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Hear from Ray David our Large Cap Portfolio Manager speaking with the Australian Financial Review of why he considered Transurban a takeover target.

“Their roads are typically local monopolies … pretty much there’s no competition,” said Mr David, whose fund counts Transurban as one of its biggest holdings. “Toll roads are also defensive assets, with non-cyclical characteristics, which are getting more expensive to replace.”

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Hear from Ray David, Portfolio Manager for our Large Cap Fund, discuss with the Australian Financial Review his optimistic view of the changes announced by Woolworths.

“Internal appointments are good news, as new appointments are familiar with the business and culture, most likely leading to less workplace disruption,” 

“I would expect more details … on how they will improve brand perception, getting a return on investment in terms of capital expenditure and any restructuring around underperforming assets.”

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Portfolio Manager and Partner, Ray David, discusses with Australian Financial Review, Wesfarmers decision to shut Catch amid growing competition.

Ray highlights the challenges faced by many pure-play online retailers in achieving sustained profitability due to reliance on Google for customer acquisition, intense price competition, and the difficulty of delivering the same level of customer service as in-store staff.

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