Villere Balanced Fund Earns Lipper Best Fund Awards for Third Consecutive Year

NEW ORLEANS, March 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Denis J. Villere & Company, LLC, is pleased to announce that the Villere Balanced Fund (VILLX) has been awarded two 2014 Lipper Fund Awards at the annual Lipper awards banquet in New York for the third consecutive year. The fund was awarded best mixed-asset target allocation growth fund for superior performance based on risk-adjusted, consistent returns for both the 3 and 5 year periods ended November 30, 2013 among 505 and 467 funds respectively.

"Winning a Lipper award three years in a row is an honor that highlights our team's dedication to our strategy. The fund is managed according to the same discipline and values that our firm has followed in managing separate accounts for our clients for more than 100 years." said George Young, partner and portfolio manager for Villere & Co., advisor to the fund. "This achievement reflects the long-term growth and stability we seek to offer our investors," he added.

Villere & Co., advisor to the fund was founded by St. Denis J. Villere in 1911 and has been operated continuously by four generations of the Villere family. The management team includes two brothers, two sons and a cousin.  

The Villere Balanced Fund's objective is to deliver long-term capital growth consistent with preservation of capital balanced by current income. While a multi-cap fund, the managers tend to favor companies with a small to mid-cap focus, seeking financially sound companies with the potential to dominate their market niche. The team often visits with company management to better understand their approach and product set.

The fund identifies opportunities in both stocks and bonds they deem undervalued and undiscovered. Specifically, the managers believe these investments have the potential to deliver above-average returns in favorable market conditions while potentially preserving capital during times of market weakness. The fund launched in 1999 and has grown to over $1.15 billion in assets as of December 31, 2013.

On May 31, 2013, the firm introduced the Villere Equity Fund (VLEQX) which is managed according to the same process, but focuses only on equities. To learn more about Villere, visit http://www.villere.com/

To learn more about the Lipper Fund Awards, visit http://www.lipperweb.com/Awards/FundAwards.aspx

About Villere & Co.

Founded over 100 years ago, Villere & Co. remains a family-run business. It is headquartered in New Orleans, where it was founded by St. Denis J. Villere in 1911. The advisor has been operated continuously since then by four generations of the Villere family. Its management team, includes two brothers, two sons and a cousin, and have a combined total of more than 130 years with the firm. The firm manages approximately $2.1 billion in separately managed accounts. See www.villere.com for additional information.

A Lipper Fund Award is awarded to one fund in each Lipper classification for achieving the strongest trend of consistent risk-adjusted performance against its classification peers over a three, five or ten-year period.

Although Lipper makes reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained herein, the accuracy is not guaranteed by Lipper. Users acknowledge that they have not relied upon any warranty, condition, guarantee, or representation made by Lipper. Any use of the data for analyzing, managing, or trading financial instruments is at the user's own risk. This is not an offer to buy or sell securities. Lipper Analytical Services, Inc. is an independent mutual fund research and rating service. The Lipper Fund Awards are part of the Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence, a global family of awards that celebrate exceptional performance throughout the professional investment community. The Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence recognize the world's top funds, fund management firms, sell-side firms, research analysts and investor relations teams. The Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence also include the Extel Survey Awards, the StarMine Analyst Awards, and the StarMine Broker Rankings. For more information, please contact [email protected] or visit excellence.thomsonreuters.com

Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

Mutual fund investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.

Investments in smaller and medium sized companies involve additional risks such as limited liquidity and greater volatility. Investments in debt securities typically decrease in value when interest rates rise. This risk is usually greater for longer-term debt securities. Investments in lower rated and non-rated securities present a great risk of loss to principal and interest than higher rated securities.

The Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information are described in the prospectus or summary prospectus, which must be read and considered carefully before investing. You may obtain a hard copy by calling 866-209-1129.

Quasar Distributors, LLC

SOURCE Villere & Co.