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Basis of Financial Statement Presentation (Policies)
9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Revenue Recognition

The accompanying condensed balance sheet as of September 30, 2015, which has been derived from audited financial statements, and the unaudited interim condensed financial statements as of June 30, 2016, have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and include the accounts of Hennessy Advisors, Inc. (the “Company”). Certain information and footnote disclosures in these unaudited interim condensed financial statements, normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, have been condensed or omitted pursuant to rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission for Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. In the opinion of management, the unaudited interim condensed financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting only of normal, recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial position at June 30, 2016, the Company’s operating results for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, and the Company’s cash flows for the nine months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. These unaudited interim condensed financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended September 30, 2015, which are included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2015.

The Company’s operating activities consist primarily of providing investment advisory services to 16 open-end mutual funds branded as the Hennessy Funds. The Company serves as the investment advisor to all classes of the Hennessy Cornerstone Growth Fund, the Hennessy Focus Fund, the Hennessy Cornerstone Mid Cap 30 Fund, the Hennessy Cornerstone Large Growth Fund, the Hennessy Cornerstone Value Fund, the Hennessy Large Value Fund, the Hennessy Total Return Fund, the Hennessy Equity and Income Fund, the Hennessy Balanced Fund, the Hennessy Core Bond Fund, the Hennessy Gas Utility Fund, the Hennessy Small Cap Financial Fund, the Hennessy Large Cap Financial Fund, the Hennessy Technology Fund, the Hennessy Japan Fund, and the Hennessy Japan Small Cap Fund. The Company also provides shareholder services to Investor Class shares of the entire family of Hennessy Funds. Prior to March 1, 2015, the Company only earned shareholder service fees from Investor Class shares of some of the Hennessy Funds.

The Company’s operating revenue consists of contractual investment advisory and shareholder service fees paid to it by the Hennessy Funds. The Company earns investment advisory fees from each Hennessy Fund by, among other things:

 

    acting as portfolio manager for the fund or overseeing the sub-advisor acting as portfolio manager for the fund, which includes managing the composition of the fund’s portfolio (including the purchase, retention, and disposition of portfolio securities in accordance with the fund’s investment objectives, policies, and restrictions), seeking best execution for the fund’s portfolio, managing the use of soft dollars for the fund, and managing proxy voting for the fund;

 

    performing a daily reconciliation of portfolio positions and cash for the fund;

 

    monitoring the fund’s compliance with its investment objectives and restrictions and federal securities laws;

 

    performing activities such as maintaining a compliance program, conducting ongoing reviews of the compliance programs of the fund’s service providers (including its sub-advisor, as applicable), conducting on-site visits to the fund’s service providers (including its sub-advisor, as applicable), monitoring incidents of abusive trading practices, reviewing fund expense accruals, payments, and fixed expense ratios, evaluating insurance providers for fidelity bond coverage and D&O/E&O insurance coverage, conducting employee compliance training, reviewing reports provided by service providers, maintaining books and records, and preparing an annual compliance report to the Board of Trustees of Hennessy Funds Trust (the “Funds’ Board of Trustees”);

 

    overseeing the selection and continued employment of the fund’s sub-advisor, if applicable, monitoring such sub-advisor’s adherence to the fund’s investment objectives, policies, and restrictions, and reviewing the fund’s investment performance;

 

    overseeing service providers that provide accounting, administration, distribution, transfer agency, custodial, sales and marketing, audit, information technology, and legal services to the fund;

 

    maintaining in-house marketing and distribution departments on behalf of the fund;

 

    overseeing an ongoing and wide-ranging public relations campaign on behalf of the fund;

 

    being actively involved with preparing all regulatory filings for the fund, including writing and annually updating the fund’s prospectus and related documents;

 

    preparing or reviewing a written summary of the fund’s performance for the most recent six-month or twelve-month period, as applicable, for each semi-annual and annual report of the fund;

 

    monitoring and overseeing the accessibility of the fund on third party platforms;

 

    paying the incentive compensation of the fund’s compliance officers and employing other staff such as management executives, legal personnel, marketing personnel, national accounts and distribution personnel, sales personnel, administrative personnel, and trading oversight personnel;

 

    providing a quarterly certification to Hennessy Funds Trust; and

 

    preparing or reviewing materials for the Funds’ Board of Trustees, presenting or leading discussions to or with the Funds’ Board of Trustees, preparing or reviewing meeting minutes, and arranging for training and education of the Funds’ Board of Trustees.

The Company earns shareholder service fees from Investor Class shares of the Hennessy Funds by, among other things, maintaining an “800” number that the current investors of the Hennessy Funds may call to ask questions about the Hennessy Funds or their accounts, or to get help with processing exchange and redemption requests or changing account options. These fee revenues are earned and calculated daily by the Hennessy Funds’ accountants at U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC. The fees are computed and billed monthly, at which time they are recognized in accordance with Accounting Standard Codification 605 “Revenue Recognition.”