Ave Maria Mutual Funds Surpasses $1 Billion In Assets Under Management

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., June 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ave Maria Mutual Funds, the largest family of Catholic mutual funds in the U.S., now manages more than $1 billion in assets. In addition, two of its six funds, the Ave Maria Growth Fund (AVEGX) and Ave Maria Bond Fund (AVEFX), marked the 10-year anniversary of their inception on May 1, 2013.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130612/NY30948LOGO)

Ave Maria Mutual Funds are specifically designed for long-term investors interested in morally responsible investing. Portfolio managers place equal emphasis on moral criteria and investment performance. All potential investments are screened according to the standards established by the Funds' Catholic Advisory Board to ensure they do not violate core teachings of the Catholic Church.

"Investors who share the Catholic Church's pro-life and pro-family beliefs should not have to sacrifice their values to achieve a well-diversified portfolio," said George P. Schwartz, CFA, President of Schwartz Investment Counsel, Inc., the investment adviser to the Funds.

The Ave Maria Growth Fund is an equity mutual fund, which seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing in large- and mid-cap companies that have above-average growth potential and adhere to pro-life and pro-family values. The Fund has a four-star rating from Morningstar as of March 31, 2013.

The Ave Maria Bond Fund is a fixed-income mutual fund that seeks to preserve principal while generating a reasonable level of current income. It primarily invests in investment-grade debt of domestic corporations that do not violate the moral screens. The Fund has not experienced negative investment performance in any calendar year since its inception in 2003.

Ave Maria Mutual Funds will celebrate its success with a cocktail reception on June 25, 2013 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Inn at St. John's in Plymouth, Mich.  The featured speaker will be Hall of Fame Coach Lou Holtz, the former Head Football Coach of University of Notre Dame, who is a member of the Funds' Catholic Advisory Board.  To reserve a seat, please contact Pam Gould at 248-203-5335 or [email protected].

About Ave Maria Mutual Funds

Ave Maria Mutual Funds is the largest family of Catholic mutual funds in the U.S. The six Funds invest in companies that do not violate the pro-life, pro-family values of the Catholic Church. Ave Maria Mutual Funds launched its first fund, the Ave Maria Catholic Values Fund (Ticker: AVEMX), on May 1, 2001. Since then it has added four additional stock funds and one bond fund. For more information about Ave Maria Mutual Funds, please call 1-866-AVE-MARIA (866-283-6274) or visit avemariafunds.com.

With respect to other time periods the Ave Maria Growth Fund received the following Morningstar Ratings in Morningstar's Mid-Cap Growth category; 3 yr. 4 stars among 645 funds and 5 yr. 4 stars among 564 funds.  Source: Morningstar 3-31-13.  For each fund with at least a 3-year history, Morningstar calculates a risk-adjusted measure that accounts for variation in a fund's monthly performance (including the effects of all sales charges), placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance.  The top 10% of each category receive a Morningstar Rating™ of 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. 2013, ©Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.  The information contained herein is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers, may not be copied or distributed and is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely.  Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. 

Schwartz Investment Counsel, Inc., a registered investment adviser established in 1980, serves as investment adviser for Ave Maria Mutual Funds and invests only in securities that meet the Funds' investment and religious requirements. The returns may be lower or higher than if decisions were based solely on investment considerations. The method of security selection may or may not be successful and the Funds may underperform or outperform the stock market as a whole. All mutual funds are subject to market risk, including possible loss of principal. The Funds' investments in small and mid-capitalization companies could experience greater volatility than investments in large capitalization companies. AVEFX invests primarily in fixed income securities and as a result the Fund is also subject to the followings risks: interest rate risk, credit risk, credit rating risk, prepayment and extension risk and liquidity risk. Request a prospectus, which includes investment objectives, risks, fees, expenses and other information that you should read and consider carefully before investing. The prospectus can be obtained by calling 1‐866‐283‐6274 or it can be viewed at www.avemariafunds.com. Distributed by Ultimus Fund Distributors, LLC.

200-38-071513

CONTACT:  
Jami Schlicher
Jennifer Connelly Public Relations
973-850-7309
[email protected]

SOURCE Ave Maria Mutual Funds