N-CSRS 1 d690004dncsrs.htm ADVISORS INNER CIRCLE FUND II Advisors Inner Circle Fund II

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-CSRS

 

 

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED

MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number 811-07102

 

 

The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

 

SEI Investments

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, PA 19456

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

 

SEI Investments

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, PA 19456

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 1-877-446-3863

Date of fiscal year end: July 31, 2019

Date of reporting period: January 31, 2019

 

 

 


Item 1.

Reports to Stockholders.

A copy of the report transmitted to stockholders pursuant to Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act or 1940, as amended (the “Act”) (17 CFR § 270.30e-1), is attached hereto.


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II

CHAMPLAIN SMALL COMPANY FUND

CHAMPLAIN MID CAP FUND

CHAMPLAIN EMERGING MARKETS FUND

SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT

01.31.19

INVESTMENT ADVISER:

CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT PARTNERS, LLC

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Funds’ shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from the Funds or from your financial intermediary, such as a broker-dealer or bank. Instead, the reports will be made available on a website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and with a website link to access the report.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Funds electronically by contacting your financial intermediary, or, if you are a direct investor, by calling 1-866-773-3238.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can follow the instructions included with this disclosure, if applicable, or you can contact your financial intermediary to inform it that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports. If you invest directly with the Funds, you can inform the Funds that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports by calling 1-866-773-3238. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held with your financial intermediary if you invest through a financial intermediary or all Champlain Investment Partners, LLC Funds if you invest directly with the Funds.


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

Table of Contents      

Shareholders’ Letters

    1  

Top Ten Common Stock Holdings

    21  

Schedules of Investments

    25  

Statements of Assets and Liabilities

    37  

Statements of Operations

    39  

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

    41  

Financial Highlights

    44  

Notes to Financial Statements

    49  

Board Considerations in the Advisory Agreement

    65  

Disclosure of Fund Expenses

    69  

 

 

The Funds file their complete schedules of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q within 60 days after the end of the period. The Funds’ Forms N-Q are available on the Commission’s website at http://www.sec.gov, and may be reviewed and copied at the Commission’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.

A description of the policies and procedures that the Funds use to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities, as well as information relating to how the Funds voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, is available (i) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-866-773-3238; and (ii) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

 

     CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER

CIRCLE FUND II

  CHAMPLAIN SMALL COMPANY FUND &
  CHAMPLAIN MID CAP FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

Dear Fellow Shareholders,

Please find below the recent and long-term performance of the Advisor Shares for both the Champlain Small Company Fund (CIPSX) and the Champlain Mid Cap Fund (CIPMX).

 

Performance for the periods ending January 31, 2019

 

                        Since Fund’s Inception†
    6 months   1-year   3-year *   5-year *   10-year *   Annualized   Cumulative**

CIPSX

  (7.50)%   4.44%   18.04%   9.89%   15.09%   10.31%   301.57%

Russell 2000

  (9.62)%   (3.52)%   14.70%   7.26%   14.51%   7.70%   186.25%

CIPMX

  3.11%   8.82%   19.81%   12.70%   16.29%   11.72%   223.10%

Russell Midcap

  (3.95)%   (2.90)%   13.28%   8.88%   16.08%   9.47%   160.73%

 

 

Champlain Mid Cap Fund inception date: 06/30/08

    

Champlain Small Company Fund inception date: 11/30/04

  *

Return has been annualized.

  **

Return is cumulative and has not been annualized.

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost, and current performance may be higher or lower than the performance quoted. For performance data current to the most recent month end, please call 1.866.773.3238.

As investors retreated from equities and other risk assets in late 2018 on fears of a global recession, healthy discounts to our estimate of Fair Value provided the opportunity for us to put your Funds’ cash reserves to work and increase the exposure to some of our favorite franchises as well as start some new positions. As patient long-term investors who typically favor reliable, high return on capital companies – including some innovative growth companies that are not yet profitable on the bottom line but still present relatively high Gross Profitability – we have found our investment process and its valuation discipline to be a reliable tool for guiding our actions during periods of uncertainty and volatility.

During the past 6 months, both Funds benefitted from strong stock selection in the food products industry. The Small Company Fund also experienced strong stock selection within the insurance industry while a lack of energy exposure also contributed meaningfully. The Mid Cap Fund continued to have a meaningful positive contribution from favorable stock selection within the software industry.

 

1   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER

CIRCLE FUND II

  CHAMPLAIN SMALL COMPANY FUND &
  CHAMPLAIN MID CAP FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

The weighted average characteristics of each Fund’s holdings indicate that both continue to be invested in companies which have in aggregate delivered a much better trailing 3-year growth rate of revenue and book value on a per share basis, as well as higher historical profitability and higher business returns than the companies in their respective Russell benchmarks – as measured by Gross Profitability and EVA Margin. While the Mid Cap Fund still compares favorably on the above growth metrics using 5-year growth rates, due to the increased number of companies that do not have 5-year data available, the Small Company Fund no longer looks meaningfully better than its benchmarks based on 5-year growth rates.

Technology

Over the past six months, the Small Company Fund’s technology holdings returned a bit of the strong relative gains from the prior period. We eliminated the position in Guidewire Software, Inc. (GWRE) due to its nearly $8 billion market capitalization and proximity to our Fair Value estimate. While it is not often that we quickly change our minds about a new position, we eliminated the entire MINDBODY position as we anticipated the company was struggling to integrate a recent acquisition and faced growing competition from a well-managed private company. Subsequent to our sale, the company delivered disappointing results. It was then announced at the end of December that Vista Equity would acquire MINDBODY for $36.50/share, a price below our average cost to exit the holding.

We initiated a position in BlackLine, Inc. for the Small Company Fund during this period. BlackLine’s cloud-based platform enables intercompany transaction accounting and management of the financial close process; which addresses a critical problem for medium-sized businesses and large enterprises in an environment of increasingly complex global operations and regulatory burden. We are particularly encouraged by the terms of their reworked distribution agreement with SAP. The Fund also reengaged with Envestnet after the acquisition of FolioDynamix as this is expected to drive scale as well as broaden the company’s product portfolio and end-market reach and be immediately accretive. The late November 0f 2018 announcement that Blackrock would acquire a 4.9% equity stake in Envestnet and that the two companies would accelerate their efforts to integrate Blackrock’s Digital Wealth technologies into Envestnet’s platform was encouraging. Sharp price declines late in 2018 caused us to add to Pure Storage and Yext.

Although we did not eliminate any technology holdings in the the Mid Cap Fund, we did trim Tableau for valuation reasons. We also trimmed some RedHat after the acquisition by IBM was announced, but we have been reluctant to eliminate the holding while there was still a sizable discount to IBM’s acquisition price. Since IBM reported a strong quarter and the high yield bond market has firmed up, we have trimmed the RedHat position more aggressively as the discount to the deal price substantially closed.

 

2   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER

CIRCLE FUND II

  CHAMPLAIN SMALL COMPANY FUND &
  CHAMPLAIN MID CAP FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

We also started three new positions in the Mid Cap Fund. Nutanix, a leading provider of hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) software solutions which aims to simplify an enterprise’s on-premise infrastructure and allow for an agile, dynamic scalable and elastic cloud-like infrastructure environment typically found in the large, public cloud providers. We also expect Nutanix’s competitive position to be meaningfully improved once RedHat becomes part of IBM and is no longer seen as a neutral provider of open-source software. We have long coveted ServiceNow. Provided with a modest discount in late December, we started a modest position in this leading provider of cloud-based services that automate (electronically track) service issues as they arise within the enterprise. The company began as an IT Service Management (ITSM) tool primarily around its automated “help desk” ticketing in the IT department, but the company also now offers other applications to help large enterprises manage IT assets, cyber security, customer service, human resources, and compliance. New Relic, a favorite holding in the Small Company Fund also was introduced into the Mid Cap Fund. New Relic provides cloud-architected software on a subscription basis that helps businesses monitor their Web and mobile applications on a real-time basis.

The decent relative performance during December and sharp rebound off of the Christmas Eve lows for most leading cloud-architected software companies and some exceptionally strong 4Q earnings reports were noteworthy. The idea that regardless of the industry, enterprises must also become software companies to remain competitive is starting to take root. We sense the enterprises adoption of cloud computing and cloud-architected software is now on the slope of enlightenment and likely to enjoy several to many years of steady growth. Importantly, our estimates of Fair Value for many of your Funds’ cloud-architected holdings have increased almost commensurately with their share price gains in recent years as our confidence in the overall industry growth has grown and companies reach important milestones such as key account wins, key acquisitions to expand the addressable market and/or widen the moat, the onboarding of more experienced new management, and the cycling off venture capital representatives on the Board for highly experienced executives with close ties to customers and/or strategic partners. What a few years ago had been venture capital’s starter pack of software vendors (Workday, Service Now, Splunk, Palo Alto Networks, New Relic, and Okta) for their portfolio companies now seems to be table stakes for the large enterprises that want to remain competitive.

Industrials and Materials

As mentioned above, our valuation modeling suggested many industrial holdings have at least partially priced in a recession while some already may have substantially discounted one. Our ability to risk being too early with the decision to increase your Funds exposure to industrials is aided by our long-term investment horizon and the expectation that the cash

 

3   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER

CIRCLE FUND II

  CHAMPLAIN SMALL COMPANY FUND &
  CHAMPLAIN MID CAP FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

flows of our less-cyclical, higher-returning industrials & materials holdings will be impacted noticeably less by a global economic downturn than the average industrial company. As one of our mentors liked to say, “value is where you find it.” Toward the end of 2018, we found very attractive valuations among high quality industrials.

In the Small Company Fund, Welbilt and John Bean Technologies both reported weaker-than-expected 3rd Quarter 2018 results and caused a meaningful relative headwind for this Fund’s industrials over the past six months. While rising input costs have weighed on margins and trade tariffs have caused hesitation by customers to order new equipment, we expect both issues to be transitory. Though early, we are encouraged by our initial meeting with Welbilt’s new CEO and his objective view of where the company stands as well as his confidence in material margin improvement over time. At JBT, recent executives hired to help optimize their business model and become a much leaner, more efficient organization are positive signs. Of note, the indications and insights from both companies’ 4th Quarter earnings reports were encouraging.

Large discounts to our estimate of Fair Value encouraged us to initiate four new industrial holdings for the Small Company Fund. Altra Industrial Motion Corp. has been on our focus list for years, and we remained on the sidelines given the cyclicality of their end markets and the lower margin products they manufacture. In March of 2018, it was announced that Fortive Corp. (FTV) would be merging their Automation & Specialty businesses (motors, controls, and software for robotics, factory automation, material handling, and health care equipment) with Altra for shares and a board seat. This merger meaningfully reduced Altra’s cyclicality and improved their margin profile as the A&S businesses from Fortive derive more than half of their sales from attractive end markets such as medical, robotics, and factory automation and generate 25% EBITDA margins. Our enthusiasm for Altra is bolstered knowing that the managers coming into Altra were originally from Danaher, and they will bring with them the Fortive Business System which was derived directly from the Danaher Business System. Importantly, we also expect Altra to bring meaningful value to the A&S businesses particularly around how they operate their factories. Furthermore, the combined company will be making growth investments at the A&S segment, something Fortive and Danaher had not done. We started the position in Altra this past fall as anticipation of Fortive’s distribution of its newly acquired Altra’s shares created material price weakness and a large discount to our estimate of the Fair Value. We continued to build that position and start the following three other new positions through the rest of 2018 as the industrial sector came under intense selling pressure. Evoqua Water Technologies provides services and manufactures products to deliver their customers worry-free, high-quality water with a unique, diversified business model that has a high percentage of recurring/predictable revenue. Barnes Group is a

 

4   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER

CIRCLE FUND II

  CHAMPLAIN SMALL COMPANY FUND &
  CHAMPLAIN MID CAP FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

diversified manufacturer of precision parts for both the general industrial and aerospace markets. The company recently completed the largest acquisition in their history – Gimatic, a manufacturer of end-of-arm-tooling for robotics used in automotive, factory automation, and food & beverage applications. Given management’s success in building-out their Molding Solutions platform, we have high confidence in their ability to repeat the playbook in the fast growing, high-margin robotic tooling market. Finally, Novanta is a leading supplier of components and subsystems to Original Equipment Manufacturer’s in the advanced industrial and medical markets. We view Novanta as an obvious Champlain-type industrial portfolio manager with an exceptionally strong management team and highly diversified revenue base.

Long-term holding Actuant was eliminated early in this period before investors became anxious about a recession as part of our ongoing discipline to cull weak links on strength or at least before real stock market turmoil and panic develops. While a short-term perspective makes this exit look timely, we acknowledge our long-term patience with this holding and our enthusiasm for the company’s tool segment was a mistake.

In the Mid Cap Fund, while we added to most of our industrial holdings in the back half of this period, we increased the weight more materially for IDEX and Fortive. IDEX continues to execute well with industry leading organic growth and a solid balance sheet with plenty of “dry powder” to deploy towards strategic acquisitions. Importantly, we anticipate the IDEX will continue to demonstrate discipline around what they acquire and how much they pay for acquisitions. Fortive had a busy 2018 – selling their Automation & Specialty businesses to Altra Industrial Motion and deploying almost $5.5 billion on three acquisitions. Through these portfolio actions, management estimates they have cut their cyclicality in half by diversifying away from industrial end markets and adding over $800 million in recurring/software revenue. The position in Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. (WABTEC) was substantially reduced after the shares surged to within close proximity to our revised Fair Value estimate on the news they would acquire GE’s rail transportation business. While this large acquisition or merger presented meaningful near-term accretion (which we accounted for in our valuation model), we also anticipated meaningful integration challenges and increased cyclicality and therefor greater business model risk. The position was subsequently eliminated as the competition for the capital from less cyclical and better positioned holdings intensified.

Consumer

The Small Company Fund’s consumer holdings have outperformed somewhat during this period as a result of favorable stock selection. During this period we eliminated the Papa John’s position in August with a modest loss. While we typically take advantage of price

 

5   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER

CIRCLE FUND II

  CHAMPLAIN SMALL COMPANY FUND &
  CHAMPLAIN MID CAP FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

declines in our holdings that create large discounts to our estimate of Fair Value, this situation became too speculative for us and our capital preservation instincts won out over the appearance of a large discount. We also exited the small position in sporting goods retailer Hibbett Sports significantly below your cost basis. While we do not view our initial decision to buy Hibbett as a mistake; with hindsight, it was a mistake not to sell out of the position earlier in 2018 when expectations were high and our discount to Fair Value was much smaller. We re-allocated most of the Hibbett capital from that sale to Sally Beauty, a relatively new holding for this Fund that represents a better business model and whose shares presented a similar discount to our estimate of Fair Value as well as a comparable multiple of estimated cash flow.

A new position was started in MGP Ingredients, the largest U.S. supplier of rye whiskey, distilled gin, and specialty wheat proteins and starches. CEO Gus Griffin, a 24-year veteran of Brown-Forman, joined MGP in July 2014 and has supported a strategy to aggressively build MGP’s aged whiskey inventory, which we believe will create a positive step-function change in operating margin and cash flow when the company begins selling the aged inventory this year. Another new position was started in Freshpet, Inc., a producer of fresh human grade food for pets. You can find their products in refrigerated cases at leading club, grocery, and pet chains under the brand names Freshpet Select, Deli Select, Dog Joy, Dognation, Homestyle Creations, Homestyle Mixers, Nature’s Fresh, and Vital.

The Mid Cap Fund’s consumer names outperformed meaningfully during this period. While valuations warranted reductions in position size for McCormick & Co. and Hormel Foods, a modest new position was started in Brown-Forman Corporation, a premium spirits company best known for its Jack Daniel’s, Woodford Reserve, and Old Forester brands of whiskey. Because American whiskey is underdeveloped globally, it is one of the fastest growing spirits categories, and Brown-Forman enjoys the number one position. Shares of this enviable franchise have been pressured to a modest discount to our estimate of Fair Value by retaliatory import tariffs in key international markets including Mexico, the European Union and China. While we have no insight into trade negotiations, we anticipate this issue will eventually resolve itself.

Financials and Real Estate

Over the past six months, both Funds benefitted from strong relative gains against their benchmarks.

The Small Company Fund benefitted particularly from The Hartford Group’s decision to acquire The Navigators Group, a specialized property and casualty insurance company. With Texas community banking franchise First Financial Bankshares trading relatively close to our

 

6   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER

CIRCLE FUND II

  CHAMPLAIN SMALL COMPANY FUND &
  CHAMPLAIN MID CAP FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

estimate of Fair Value, we eliminated that small position and put some of that capital into more shares of UMB Financial, Independent Bank, and to a lesser extent Stock Yards Bancorp which presented much greater discounts to our estimate of their Fair Value.

In the Mid Cap Fund, we added back weight to SVB Financial at a large discount. We continue to think SVB is one of the most differentiated banks in the country, and we appreciate management’s commitment to invest and become a stronger competitor. We were also pleased to see the board announce a new $500 million share buyback and complete the purchase of healthcare focused investment banking firm Leerink Holdings. Leerink will partner with SVB’s health care teams to support clients more completely through their growth cycles.

Health Care

The health care holdings in both Funds outperformed their sector for this period, though not nearly at the same pace as over the past year.

For the Small Company Fund, valuation warranted the complete sale of both ICU Medical and HealthEquity as well as the reduction in position size for Omnicell, Insulet, and Penumbra. We also began to rebuild the position in Cantel Medical and continued to increase the position size of Avanos Medical. Our enthusiasm for CONMED, one of our largest health care holdings in the Fund persists, especially after they announced the acquisition of Buffalo Filter LLC, a manufacturer of products used in laparoscopic surgery. The acquisition is encouraging, if solely for the reason that it is expected to improve organic growth and operating margins almost immediately. More importantly, Buffalo Filter makes products that remove smoke related to tissue ablation from operating room to provide a safer environment for nurses and doctors. We expect to see more legislation and/or regulations address this very real threat and drive strong demand for products like Buffalo Filter’s. Our enthusiasm for Integra Life Sciences (also held in the Mid Cap Fund) also persists, and we were encouraged by their strong late February earnings report.

In the Mid Cap Fund, we initiated a position in Cantel Medical as we see this company developing into a high quality, industrial-like “portfolio manager” focused on infection prevention and control. We are especially enthusiastic about the company’s new proprietary sterilization technology, Revox, which addresses the $1 billion post-manufacture medical device sterilization market. We added slightly to our position in Dentsply Sirona after management announced an all-encompassing restructuring program that targets over $250mm in cost savings and a 6-8% headcount reduction by 2020. While it remains a tall task, we are encouraged by CEO Don Casey’s integration plan and strategy for rekindling growth at Dentsply Sirona. A sharp pullback for BioTechne created an opportunity for us to

 

7   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER

CIRCLE FUND II

  CHAMPLAIN SMALL COMPANY FUND &
  CHAMPLAIN MID CAP FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

increase the Fund’s exposure at an attractive discount to our estimate of Fair Value. BioTechne’s Protein Sciences segment remains a leading manufacturer of chemistries and reagents that are the backbone of life science research and protein analytics. We think the company’s acquisition of ExosomeDx is a novel and scientifically validated way to address several aspects of the liquid biopsy / clinical oncology diagnostics market. The company’s currently marketed prostate cancer test, while early days, has been met with strong demand from those physicians who want to further evaluate a patient’s prostate condition beyond the ambiguous score for a basic Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test.

We suspect the high cost of health insurance in the U.S. for substantially lesser overall outcomes than realized in other developed economies is unsustainable over the long-term. Accordingly, we keep both our attention and the bulk of the Funds’ health care exposure focused on companies that produce high value products which meaningfully improve outcomes and/or reduce costs or products mostly purchased by individuals. We remain quite reluctant to be directly exposed to government reimbursement or health insurance companies.

Final Thoughts

After the Federal Reserve and other central banks blinked in early 2019 and ushered in one of the stock market’s best recent starts to a year, the meaningful weighted average discount to our estimate of Fair Value for each Fund that was presented at the late December lows has since been reduced by about half as we write this letter. Already we have had to start rebalancing away from a few holdings which have rebounded meaningfully in price and now trade in close proximity to our estimate of Fair Value. Though we are neither anxious nor eager to trade, we will continue to follow our investment process and let valuation determine the vast majority of our buy and sell decisions outside of those driven by Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A). Even as we work to improve on our sell discipline so as to not sell our best ideas too early, we cannot forget that valuation matters a lot. Indeed, being sensitive about valuation is a big part of the craft that separates active investment management from passive as this is the primary influence on timing and position size.

If the market correction in late 2018 was only a growth scare like early 2016, our recent investment actions will, in the near-term, likely be helpful from an absolute and relative return perspective. If we are in fact headed into a recession, we likely will have an opportunity to shift even more capital away from the most economically resilient holdings into our favorite industrial holdings if they trade back to steep absolute discounts. They also might present greater relative value as compared to the strategy’s more defensive holdings in such a scenario. Given the political climate in Washington D.C., the Brexit situation, the

 

8   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER

CIRCLE FUND II

  CHAMPLAIN SMALL COMPANY FUND &
  CHAMPLAIN MID CAP FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

trade friction between China and the U.S., the condition of European banks as well as the European economy, and global sovereign debt levels; it is not easy to act like a patient long-term investor, but this is what our investment process and the vast majority of our clients require of us.

While a recession will no doubt make our forecasted near-term cash flow estimates look too optimistic, there likely will be some offset to that negative influence on our valuation estimates if our assumed 4% risk-free rate is proven to be too high. We have been using a 4% risk-free rate for the past 10 years or so as this was about where the 10-year Treasury bond traded before the Great Financial Crisis unfolded. We have been reluctant to use a lower risk-free rate until we develop confidence the term structure of interest rates has shifted lower on a secular and relatively less-managed basis. However, we anticipate that the next recession will cause the Federal Reserve to cut its discount rate and perhaps set a lower high water mark for the 10-year Treasury bond. Thus, we expect to change our risk-free rate assumption to around where the yield is on the 10-year Treasury bond when the Federal Reserve next cuts the discount rate. (We also will change our risk-free rate if the 10-year Treasury bond yield goes above 4%.) If we change our risk-free rate assumption to something substantially less than 4%, it would have a positive influence on our estimates of Fair Value, especially for the secular growth stocks that likely would not experience much if any degradation in estimated near-term cash flows. Furthermore, we do not anticipate a need to make drastic changes to company specific equity risk premiums as they already reflect our sense of the relative cyclicality among other risks. Importantly, because of our investment process’ sector factors and our due diligence on business model, management and governance; we do not expect this strategy to experience the same level of earnings and cash flow degradation as the overall benchmarks during the next recession.

While not a high conviction forecast, we still worry that investors might someday face a shortage of dependable income or yield if the global economy cannot achieve enough velocity to escape from renewed policy maker induced financial repression. While inflation, which is always a monetary phenomenon, might well be resurrected someday and compress equity valuations; many of our holdings would likely be able to earn their way back to their pre-inflationary market capitalizations over time. However, if we end up in a world filled with negative interest rates, the scarcity of yield could prove to be an existential risk for those with long-term liabilities. Said more directly, a lack of yield may be catastrophic for some investors, while inflation would likely prove to be an intermediate inconvenience by comparison. Interestingly, we do not yet see a consensus from investors and policy makers on this issue. At the same time, we also anticipate larger companies will continue to hunt for growth (and in some cases relevancy) through acquisitions and/or share repurchases, though

 

9   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER

CIRCLE FUND II

  CHAMPLAIN SMALL COMPANY FUND &
  CHAMPLAIN MID CAP FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

neither is likely to be at the heady pace we have seen over the past 3-4 years. Accordingly, as both investors and portfolio managers, we remain reluctant to part with the reliable or consistent, growing, and long-duration cash flow streams produced by most of your Funds’ holdings unless excessive valuation warrants such action.

We greatly appreciate the transfer of trust you have made by placing some of your wealth into one or both of these funds. Because of that trust, we feel a duty to be transparent and stick out our necks and discuss any threats or trends that we sense could meaningfully impact investors.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Scott T. Brayman, CFA

The above commentary represents management’s assessment of the Funds and market environment at a specific point in time and should not be relied upon by the reader as research or investment advice regarding the funds or any stock in particular, nor should it be construed as a recommendation to purchase or sell a security.

Holdings are subject to change. Current and future holdings are subject to risk.

Mutual fund investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. There can be no assurance that the Funds will achieve their stated objectives. In addition to the normal risks associated with investing, investments in smaller companies typically exhibit higher volatility. Diversification does not protect against market loss. A company may reduce or eliminate its dividend, causing losses to the fund.

 

10   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II   CHAMPLAIN EMERGING
  MARKETS FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

Dear Fellow Shareholders,

Please find below the recent and long-term performance for the Champlain Emerging Markets Fund.

 

Performance for the periods ending January 31, 2019

 

                      Since Fund’s Inception†  
    6 months     1-year     3-year*     Annualized     Cumulative**  

CIPDX

    (9.85)%       (17.19)%       7.88%       (1.58)%       (6.74)%  

MSCI Emerging Markets Index

    (2.60)%       (14.24)%       14.88%       1.32%        5.93%  

 

 

Champlain Emerging Markets Fund inception date: 09/08/14

  *

Return has been annualized.

  **

Return is cumulative and has not been annualized.

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost, and current performance may be higher or lower than the performance quoted. For performance data current to the most recent month end, please call 1.866.773.3238.

Champlain’s Emerging Markets strategy declined by -9.85%, net of fees, during the reporting period of August 1, 2018 to January 31, 2019. The benchmark, MSCI Emerging Markets index, declined -2.60% during the same period.

A stronger U.S. dollar, the prospect of continued interest rate increases from the U.S. Federal Reserve, concerns over slowing global economic activity especially in China, and the ongoing trade war, were all factors that broadly pressured emerging market equities in the latter half of 2018. The strategy meaningfully underperformed during the six-month period due to a confluence of factors including the preference for value over growth, underperformance in China and India, the strategy’s two largest country weights, and idiosyncratic risk, particularly in several of our China holdings. Notably, the MSCI Emerging Markets Value Index outperformed MSCI Emerging Markets Growth Index in the second half of 2018 by the most in any two consecutive quarters since 2001. As a result, the strategy’s holdings in growth-oriented sectors like consumer discretionary and information technology were headwinds to performance but were somewhat offset by our underweight positioning in the more cyclical materials sector. Stock selection was also challenged, especially in communication services and industrials, which were meaningful detractors to performance while stock selection in health care was a positive contributor.

 

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THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II   CHAMPLAIN EMERGING
  MARKETS FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

From a geographic perspective, our overweight positioning in China was a detractor given the slowing economy and negative impacts of tariffs and the ongoing trade war with the U.S. The strategy’s other big exposure, India, also weighed on performance during the period. India’s weakness can be linked to its current account deficit, which in times of U.S. dollar strength results in higher inflation, and consequently tighter monetary conditions that act to slow economic activity. Given the long-term investment opportunities within both China and India, we are willing to tolerate the bouts of volatility caused by country-specific risk. Both countries are building strong domestic economies that are becoming less trade-dependent and more reliant on technology, innovation, and domestic consumption; however, despite these similarities, the opportunities therein vary greatly. Together, China and India account for nearly 40% of the world’s population, but they have distinct population profiles and are in very different stages of their economic life-cycles.

China is in the early stages of its first technological revolution. Technology and innovation are rapidly transforming the country’s economy and the digital migration is being driven by increasing computational power, an abundance of capital to fund new business models, and a massive influx of young entrepreneurs. The deployment of 5G technology will increase download speeds by 100x and result in a wave of new business models that we cannot even imagine today, and according to VentureSource Data and the WSJ, Chinese venture capital funding increased 15x from 2013 to 2017, accounting for a quarter of global venture capital funding. Many of these well-capitalized businesses are run by China’s young entrepreneurs and benefit from a large addressable market domestically, enviable infrastructure, and state-dominated sectors that are woefully inefficient, thereby allowing agile business models easy market share gains. All of this points to the disruptive forces taking shape in a country moving from replicator to innovator and with long-term aspirations of dominating new technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, quantum computing, and alternative energy.

Contrast this with India, whose economic growth is faster than China but whose development lags for several key reasons including its rate of urbanization and poor infrastructure. Despite similar population sizes, most of India’s people live rurally, with only a 35% urbanization rate compared to China’s 55%. And in a country with over 4,000 cities, only 50 have a population that exceeds a million and just three cities top ten million people; China, by comparison, has 650 cities, of which 160 break the million mark and 15 surpass ten million people. While urbanization alone does not always lead to faster economic growth, when combined with supportive policies, open markets, and proper infrastructure, the probability improves notably. China spends about $116 USD per capita on infrastructure while India spends only $17 USD per capita – so it should come as no surprise that Indian

 

12   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II   CHAMPLAIN EMERGING
  MARKETS FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

e-commerce, payment technology, and other consumer technologies (e.g., online travel agents, ride sharing) are in nascent stages and, in some cases, are cost-prohibitive. Consequently, our focus on consumer-oriented brands that are dominant in their product categories and financial institutions gaining market share from state-owned financial banks are where we tend to find the most attractive high-quality opportunities.

Consumer Discretionary & Staples

The strategy’s exposure to consumer discretionary companies, particularly Chinese growth-oriented consumer companies, was the largest detractor to the strategy’s performance during the six-month review period. Several economic indicators suggested tighter credit conditions and the ongoing trade war pressured retail sales throughout the second half of 2018 and into early 2019. Although growth rates have slowed, we took advantage of the larger discount to Fair Value from these macro concerns to add weight to Alibaba (China), the strategy’s largest holding. We also used the volatility to start a position in Foshan Haitian Flavoring & Food Company (China). Foshan has over 300 years of history as a trusted brand of sauces and dressings indispensable to traditional Chinese cuisine. We are forecasting continued growth in this business as management continues executing on the premiumization of its existing product portfolio as well as product range expansion.

Several of our consumer holdings experienced significant volatility caused by political and regulatory uncertainty and idiosyncratic factors, particularly in China. JD.com shares were under pressure due to its Chairman, Richard Liu, being accused of sexual assault during a trip to the U.S. While charges were ultimately not filed, deteriorating fundamentals and investor questions around corporate governance and key man risk limited share gains more recently. In response to investor concerns, management announced a major internal reorganization plan that includes shifting key strategic and operational responsibilities to Xu Lei who has been with the company since 2009. We view this development positively and believe delegating authority to other senior managers bodes well longer-term for the organization. Also negatively impacting performance was a food scare that was ultimately disproved at restaurant operator Xiabuxiabu (China). In addition, a significant regulatory change combined with a series of reports accusing management of aggressive accounting practices at TAL Education (China) impacted shares of the company. Ultimately, we decided to exit our TAL Education position as we viewed the longer-term growth prospects as challenging given the regulatory changes.

In India we added to existing holding Maruti Suzuki (India) on price weakness related to short-term softness in the domestic auto market and exited Ayurvedic-based consumer products company Dabur (India) as shares were trading near our Fair Value estimate. We also

 

13   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II   CHAMPLAIN EMERGING
  MARKETS FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

started a position in Page Industries (India), a branded apparel company that is in the early stages of leveraging its core innerwear apparel business by expanding into athleisure, a category which is underpenetrated in India. Elsewhere in developed Asia, we exited Techtronic (Hong Kong) and Gourmet Master (Taiwan). Although Techtronic has navigated the trade war well, its exposure to the U.S. housing market combined with its narrow discount to our Fair Value estimate left little margin of safety. Gourmet Master is facing increasing competition in China, its largest market, where baked goods and coffee consumption is quickly becoming delivery-based, benefiting well-capitalized local competitors. We initiated a modest position in Vitasoy (Hong Kong) due to the company’s attractive longer-term opportunity of expanding its plant-based beverage business in China. In South East Asia, we exited Thai Beverage (Thailand), due to its recent overseas acquisitions that place significant burden on the balance sheet without the value accretion we require.

In Latin America, we used price weakness to initiate a new position in Walmex (Mexico), the country’s premier consumer business, after currency, equities, and bonds all came under heavy selling pressure post the election of Mexico’s new president. Leveraging the strong DNA inherited from its parent company and the relentless focus on operational excellence and disciplined execution, Walmex has already positioned itself as one of Mexico’s most dominant consumer-facing businesses, and has multiple avenues to further expand its reach in both traditional and digital retailing. We also took advantage of price weakness to add weight to Heineken (Netherlands), which appears to be gaining momentum in Brazil (the world’s third largest beer market) and recently formalized a joint venture in China, providing access to the largest beer market in the world. Existing holding MercardoLibre (Argentina) was added to on price weakness related to the ongoing logistics challenges in Brazil and looming threat of Amazon more aggressively competing in Brazil. We exited Gruma (Mexico) during the period due to narrow discount to Fair Value relative to other opportunities.

Information Technology & Communication Services

The strategy’s information technology and communication services holdings were negative contributors to performance in the six-month period. Although the strategy’s underweight position in information technology, primarily driven by our preference for software and services over hardware, was a positive contributor to performance, stock selection more than offset the allocation benefit. Despite this, we added weight to existing holding Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) (Taiwan) on price weakness. We like TSMC’s diversified, platform-like business model and global technology leadership, as it provides downside support and should position the company well for the next semiconductor cycle. Moreover, its competitive positioning strengthened recently after two of its largest competitors announced plans to shutter leading

 

14   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II   CHAMPLAIN EMERGING
  MARKETS FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

edge capacity. We also added to our testing and inspection holdings, Chroma ATE (Taiwan) and Koh Young Technology (South Korea), on price weakness due to soft smartphone demand. Testing companies tend to have a diverse set of end-customers selling products in a variety of end-markets, thereby minimizing the risk associated with any one product or end-market.

Our positioning in the communication services sector was also a headwind as Baidu (China) and iQiyi (China) were detractors to relative performance. Both companies rely heavily on advertising, which tends to be tied to the Chinese economy, and both were negatively impacted by regulatory changes that slowed advertising spending in the gaming, health care, and education industries. We added modestly to Baidu on weakness and added more meaningfully to social media platform and online games publisher Tencent (China). Tencent was negatively impacted by the Chinese gaming regulator halting all new game licenses, but we expect this to be a short-term stoppage that, once resumed, should benefit Tencent’s gaming business. Meanwhile, our lack of exposure to the more defensive-oriented telecommunications companies also contributed to our underperformance. The strategy has limited exposure to telecommunications because these businesses tend to be highly-regulated, capital-intensive, and face persistent price deflation. We do own Safaricom (Kenya), which we trimmed during the period as shares approached our estimate of Fair Value, and Safaricom’s payment business, M-PESA, continues to have an attractive growth outlook as it adds complementary services to its core payments business.

Health Care

Most of the health care sector was under pressure during the six-month period but solid stock selection provided a small tailwind to relative performance. China’s drive toward lower drug prices negatively impacted the entire Chinese health care sector including holding Wuxi Biologic (China), which we added to on price weakness. The Chinese government is incentivizing innovation by participating in tender offers, effectively lowering prices of generic drugs while providing price protection for innovative ones. Given generic manufacturers typically have little pricing power, are constantly pressured to launch new products, and often sell into markets that are heavily scrutinized, we prefer a business model like Wuxi’s, which provides a platform of services from drug discovery, to clinical trials, to manufacturing geared toward innovators. Considering our preference for innovators, we initiated a position in Wuxi AppTec (China), the parent company of Wuxi Biologics, which recently listed new shares in Hong Kong. Whereas Wuxi Biologic focuses on biologics, or large-molecules, Wuxi AppTec focuses on research, development, and manufacturing outsourced services for small-molecule drugs. As Asia’s largest one-stop platform for new drug research and development, we believe Wuxi is uniquely positioned to benefit from its success based revenue drug discovery model and pipeline of late-stage drugs that will help

 

15   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II   CHAMPLAIN EMERGING
  MARKETS FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

support its outsourced manufacturing business. In order to fund the purchase of Wuxi AppTec, we trimmed Syngene International (India).

Financials

Our positioning within the financial sector was a small detractor from relative performance during the period with the greatest headwinds being Brazilian financial companies that we did not own. Brazilian financials rallied strongly after newly-elected President Jair Bolsonaro introduced a series of market-friendly reforms that stirred animal spirits. We trimmed the strategy’s lone Brazilian financial, Itau Unibanco (Brazil), which was the largest contributor to positive performance during the six-month period, as shares traded close to our estimate of Fair Value. Within Mexico we initiated a new position in regional bank, Banco del Bajio. Large corporate borrowers in the country have plenty of banking options while small and medium-sized enterprises tend to be underbanked; as a regional bank focused on local markets, Bajio enables faster and more effective lending decisions while simultaneously providing exemplary client service. Moreover, several of the company’s characteristics – including credit quality, net interest margins, and returns on equity – support our view of Bajio as a disciplined and well-managed bank.

Indian financials were volatile during the period but ended up having a negligible impact on performance. We used the volatility to trim existing holdings Bajaj Finance (India) and HDFC (India) on price strength and initiated a position in Kotak Mahindra Bank (India) on price weakness related to the Indian Central Bank’s decision to force CEO and Founder Uday Kotak to reduce his stake from 30% to 20%. Despite this near-term overhang, we like Kotak’s focus on digital banking and its efforts to build out its deposit base through innovative and highly-effective customer acquisition strategies, and believe it is well-positioned to continue taking market share from the state-owned banking sector.

Elsewhere in Asia, we added to AIA (Hong Kong) on macro-related weakness and continue to believe that the company is the best-positioned pan-Asian insurance company in a market where life insurance is structurally underpenetrated. Capitalizing on volatility, we rotated capital out of Noah Holdings (China) and began a position in Bank Central Asia (Indonesia). We believe Bank Central Asia is Indonesia’s highest-quality bank supported by the long-tenured management team’s track record of maintaining stellar asset quality through multiple business cycles, as well as its formidable deposit franchise and strong balance sheet.

Industrials, Materials, & Energy

The strategy’s positioning in the industrial and energy sectors were headwinds during the period, while our materials exposure was the largest sector contributor to positive relative

 

16   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II   CHAMPLAIN EMERGING
  MARKETS FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

performance. Shenzhen Inovance Technology (China), a manufacturer of servomechanisms and controllers used in robotics, electric vehicles, and factory automation, was weak due to a slowing Chinese economy and ongoing trade and tariff uncertainty. Despite the near-term challenges, we continue to believe in the opportunities ahead for China’s homegrown industrial automation companies. We started a new position in former holding Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste SA de CV (ASR) (Mexico), an airport operator that manages airports in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Colombia. Within the Latin American region, ASR has the highest percentage of non-regulated revenue, the highest concentration of tourist travelers, and the most diversified currency mix. The company has maintained a high degree of profitability, consistency, and valuation amongst its industrial peers.

In the materials sector, International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) (U.S.) – a specialty chemical producer of key sensory ingredients used in foods and cosmetics – was a key contributor to relative performance during the sixth-month period. We remain confident in the consistency and high profitability of IFF, particularly when viewed against other constituents in the sector that tend to be more volatile in demand, pricing, and profitability.

In the energy sector, we established a new position in Reliance Industries (India), a highly-diversified and vertically-integrated conglomerate with a 60-year operating history and key market positions in refining, petrochemical, telecom, and retail. Reliance’s courage to reinvest in its business combined with its diligence in owning its value chain, are key characteristics of management teams with the long-term perspective that we prefer. While most profits are currently generated from its refining and petrochemical segments, Reliance is creating an enviable consumer-oriented ecosystem that includes telecom, broadband, physical retail, e-commerce, and other ancillary technologies such as payments and social media. The fast-growing consumer business provides a buffer to the more cyclical refining and petrochemical segments, and we consider the prospect of accessing the Indian internet/consumer ecosystem at an attractive valuation as the compelling long-term investment opportunity. Over time, we expect investors to award a higher multiple to what we believe will be a less cyclical, more diverse business model geared toward the Indian consumer. Capital for this new position was sourced from exiting our position in Prosegur Cash (Spain) whose long-term investment outlook was less compelling than that of Reliance.

Final Thoughts

The headwinds experienced during the period – tighter credit conditions across most emerging markets, and ongoing trade uncertainty – may turn to tailwinds in 2019. China will likely continue to face growth challenges in the near-term as the government focuses on deleveraging the economy and enacts more restrictive regulations impacting growth-oriented

 

17   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II   CHAMPLAIN EMERGING
  MARKETS FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

sectors such as education, gaming, and pharmaceuticals. Valuations have adjusted downward, a likely reflection of at least some of the ongoing macroeconomic risk. As the fiscal stimulus rolls off in the U.S., economic activity slows, and investors begin to question the upward trajectory in interest rates, the pressure of a stronger U.S. dollar will likely fade and stronger local currencies will likely result in easier credit conditions in emerging markets, especially in those countries with current deficits, such as India.

Historically, currencies and interest rates have served as automatic stabilizers capable of resetting growth expectations, but President Trump’s push to dismantle the globalization regime of the last thirty years impairs that ability. The ongoing trade war creates uncertainty as we do not believe any economic model can reliably and accurately assess the collateral damage of a trade war between the world’s two largest economies. What we do know is that tariffs create economic distortions, and distortions can be damaging to investor confidence. Regardless of what the economic indicators tell us, there are enough warning signs that the U.S. Federal Reserve faces a daunting task of balancing its desire to reverse its decade-long policy of low interest rates without causing a recession in its haste to do so.

As credit conditions begrudgingly tighten in the U.S., we expect pressure to build on the U.S. administration to seek out a trade truce with China. And although China will likely make concessions at the margin, we doubt structural and philosophical differences underlying this dispute can be resolved. As such, we expect China to continue down its path of increasing self-reliance and silently play the long game, which ultimately favors its domestically-focused companies. Given this backdrop, our focus continues to be striving to own a portfolio of high-quality, durable businesses run by sincere and capable management teams that are trading below our estimate of Fair Value as we believe holding these businesses over a long-term horizon is the best path to wealth creation for shareholders.

 

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THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II   CHAMPLAIN EMERGING
  MARKETS FUND
  SHAREHOLDERS’ LETTER
  (Unaudited)

 

 

 

As always, we remain grateful for the privilege of managing assets on behalf of our shareholders.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Russell E. Hoss, CFA

The above commentary represents management’s assessment of the Funds and market environment at a specific point in time and should not be relied upon by the reader as research or investment advice regarding the funds or any stock in particular, nor should it be construed as a recommendation to purchase or sell a security.

Holdings are subject to change. Current and future holdings are subject to risk.

Mutual fund investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its stated objectives. Foreign investments present risks due to currency fluctuations, economic and political factors, lower liquidity, government regulations, differences in securities regulations and accounting standards, possible changes in taxation, limited public information and other factors. The risks are magnified in countries with emerging markets, since these countries may have relatively unstable governments and less established markets and economies. Small-cap stocks also are subject to substantial risks such as market, business, size volatility, management experience, product diversification, financial resource, competitive strength, liquidity, and potential to fall out of favor that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. The fund is non-diversified.

 

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THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
  
  

 

 

 

DEFINITION OF THE COMPARATIVE INDICES & KEY TERMS

Earnings before Interest Tax Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) is a measure of a company’s operating performance to evaluate without having to factor in financing decisions, accounting decisions or tax environments.

Economic Value Added (EVA) is a measure of a company’s financial performance based on the residual wealth calculated by deducting its cost of capital from its operating profit, adjusted for taxes on a cash basis. EVA can also be referred to as economic profit, and it attempts to capture the true economic profit of a company.

Intrinsic Value is the actual value of a company or an asset based on an underlying perception of its true value including all aspects of the business, in terms of both tangible and intangible factors.

MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure equity market performance of emerging markets. It consists of the following 21 emerging market country indices: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey.

Return On Equity (ROE) is the amount of net income returned as a percentage of shareholders equity. Return on equity measures a corporation’s profitability by revealing how much profit a company generates with the money shareholders have invested.

Russell Midcap Index measures the performance of the mid-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes approximately 800 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership.

Russell 2000 Index is an unmanaged index comprised of 2,000 stocks of U.S. companies with small market capitalization.

Standard Deviation is a measure of the dispersion of a set of data from its mean. It is calculated as the square root of variance by determining the variation between each data point relative to the mean.

 

20   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   SMALL COMPANY FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

TOP TEN COMMON STOCK HOLDINGS *

 

New Relic

     2.74

Sensient Technologies

     2.63

Integra LifeSciences Holdings

     2.55

Argo Group International Holdings

     2.51

John Wiley & Sons, Cl A

     2.43

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers

     2.37

CONMED

     2.34

Avanos Medical

     2.32

UMB Financial

     2.23

H.B. Fuller

     2.11

*Percentages are based on total investments. Cash equivalents are not shown in the top ten chart.

 

21   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   MID CAP FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

TOP TEN COMMON STOCK HOLDINGS *

 

Splunk

     3.15

Everest Re Group

     2.76

Waters

     2.72

Palo Alto Networks

     2.45

Workday, Cl A

     2.44

Nordson

     2.43

Red Hat

     2.30

Arthur J Gallagher

     2.28

AptarGroup

     2.25

Fortive

     2.22

*Percentages are based on total investments. Cash equivalents are not shown in the top ten chart.

 

22   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   EMERGING MARKETS FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

TOP TEN COMMON STOCK HOLDINGS *

 

Alibaba Group Holding

     6.79

Tencent Holdings

     5.60

AIA Group

     4.41

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

     4.16

Unilever ADR

     3.40

Heineken

     3.24

Clicks Group

     2.76

Foshan Haitian Flavouring & Food, Cl A

     2.71

MercadoLibre

     2.46

HDFC Bank

     2.42

*Percentages are based on total investments. Cash equivalents are not shown in the top ten chart.

 

23   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   EMERGING MARKETS FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

COUNTRY ALLOCATION **

 

China

     30.13

India

     17.27

Hong Kong

     7.38

Netherlands

     6.72

Mexico

     5.79

Taiwan

     5.54

South Korea

     5.17

South Africa

     5.00

Brazil

     4.00

United States

     3.15

Argentina

     2.49

Vietnam

     2.15

Peru

     2.03

Kenya

     1.77

Indonesia

     1.41

**Percentages are based on total investments.

 

24   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   SMALL COMPANY FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

LOGO

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

 COMMON STOCK — 96.2%                
       Shares      Value  

COMMUNICATION SERVICES — 2.4%

 

John Wiley & Sons, Cl A

       785,000      $ 40,647,300  
       

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY — 4.1%

 

El Pollo Loco Holdings *

       176,465        2,909,908  

Helen of Troy *

       130,000        15,085,200  

Sally Beauty Holdings *

       1,430,000        24,624,600  

Wolverine World Wide

       745,000        25,560,950  
       

 

 

 
          68,180,658  
       

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES — 10.8%

 

B&G Foods

       1,125,000        29,992,500  

Boston Beer, Cl A *

       55,000        13,703,800  

elf Beauty *

       1,365,000        11,466,000  

Freshpet *

       43,485        1,564,155  

Hostess Brands, Cl A *

       3,010,055        34,585,532  

J&J Snack Foods

       65,000        10,032,750  

MGP Ingredients

       335,000        24,049,650  

Simply Good Foods *

       1,000,000        19,790,000  

TreeHouse Foods *

       580,000        33,848,800  
       

 

 

 
                      179,033,187  
       

 

 

 

FINANCIALS — 15.1%

 

Argo Group International Holdings

       630,000        42,046,200  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

25   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   SMALL COMPANY FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

 COMMON STOCK — continued                
       Shares      Value  

FINANCIALS — continued

 

Bryn Mawr Bank

       375,000      $ 13,871,250  

Community Bank System

       315,000        18,884,250  

CVB Financial

       860,000        18,842,600  

German American Bancorp

       400,000        11,700,000  

Independent Bank

       370,000        29,518,600  

James River Group Holdings

       350,000        13,499,500  

Navigators Group

       200,000        13,960,000  

Prosperity Bancshares

       335,000        23,831,900  

Stock Yards Bancorp

       336,600        11,636,262  

UMB Financial

       580,000        37,328,800  

Washington Trust Bancorp

       290,000        15,091,600  
       

 

 

 
          250,210,962  
       

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE — 22.6%

 

Avanos Medical *

       850,000        38,717,500  

Cantel Medical

       185,430        15,097,711  

Cardiovascular Systems *

       1,010,000        31,441,300  

Catalent *

       630,000        23,265,900  

CONMED

       555,000        39,044,250  

Insulet *

       240,000        19,485,600  

Integra LifeSciences Holdings *

       900,000        42,624,000  

Masimo *

       125,000        15,548,750  

Medidata Solutions *

       450,000        31,932,000  

NuVasive *

       500,000        25,070,000  

Omnicell *

       235,000        15,305,550  

Penumbra *

       105,000        15,278,550  

Prestige Consumer Healthcare *

       805,000        22,475,600  

Supernus Pharmaceuticals *

       615,000        23,449,950  

Teladoc Health *

       245,000        15,729,000  
       

 

 

 
                      374,465,661  
       

 

 

 

INDUSTRIALS — 15.9%

 

Altra Industrial Motion

       755,000        23,110,550  

Barnes Group

       390,325        23,060,401  

Evoqua Water Technologies *

       500,000        5,405,000  

John Bean Technologies

       400,000        31,776,000  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

26   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   SMALL COMPANY FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

 COMMON STOCK — continued                
       Shares      Value  

INDUSTRIALS — continued

 

Lydall *

       500,000      $ 13,260,000  

MSA Safety

       290,000        29,052,200  

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers

       1,100,000        39,556,000  

Standex International

       275,000        20,509,500  

TriMas *

       425,000        12,320,750  

Welbilt *

       2,400,000        33,648,000  

Woodward

       350,000        31,797,500  
       

 

 

 
          263,495,901  
       

 

 

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY — 18.6%

 

Blackbaud

       475,000        34,010,000  

Blackline *

       532,930        25,356,809  

Envestnet *

       255,000        13,833,750  

LogMeIn

       300,000        27,906,000  

New Relic *

       450,000        45,742,500  

Novanta *

       63,160        4,400,989  

Okta, Cl A *

       400,000        32,972,000  

Pure Storage, Cl A *

       1,855,000        33,223,050  

Q2 Holdings *

       500,000        29,715,000  

Qualys *

       355,000        30,718,150  

Talend ADR *

       290,000        10,788,000  

Yext *

       1,280,000        19,955,200  
       

 

 

 
                      308,621,448  
       

 

 

 

MATERIALS — 6.7%

 

Chase

       60,000        6,049,200  

H.B. Fuller

       715,000        35,313,850  

Innospec

       360,000        25,297,200  

Sensient Technologies

       700,000        43,946,000  
       

 

 

 
          110,606,250  
       

 

 

 

TOTAL COMMON STOCK
(Cost $1,285,072,766)

          1,595,261,367  
       

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

27   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   SMALL COMPANY FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

 CASH EQUIVALENTS — 4.6%**                
       Shares      Value  

Fidelity Investments - Money Market Treasury Only, Cl I, 2.250%

       26,909,979      $ 26,909,979  

Fidelity Treasury Portfolio, Cl I, 2.270%

       49,785,923        49,785,923  
       

 

 

 

TOTAL CASH EQUIVALENTS
(Cost $76,695,902)

                      76,695,902  
       

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS — 100.8%
(Cost $1,361,768,668)

        $ 1,671,957,269  
       

 

 

 

Percentages are based on Net Assets of $1,658,529,771.

*   Non-income producing security.

** Rate reported is the 7-day effective yield as of January 31, 2019.

ADR — American Depositary Receipt

Cl — Class

As of January 31, 2019, all of the Fund’s investments were considered Level 1, in accordance with the authoritative guidance on fair value measurements and disclosure under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.

For the period ended January 31, 2019, there have been no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 and Level 3 securities. For the period ended January 31, 2019, there were no Level 3 securities.

For more information on valuation inputs, see Note 2 in the Notes to Financial Statements.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

28   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   MID CAP FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

LOGO

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

 COMMON STOCK — 97.0%                
       Shares      Value  

COMMUNICATION SERVICES — 1.3%

 

John Wiley & Sons, Cl A

       770,000      $ 39,870,600  
       

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY — 6.3%

 

Advance Auto Parts

       270,000        42,984,000  

Sally Beauty Holdings *

       1,785,000        30,737,700  

Tractor Supply

       640,000        54,656,000  

Ulta Beauty *

       200,000        58,384,000  
       

 

 

 
          186,761,700  
       

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES — 11.8%

 

Brown-Forman, Cl B

       770,000        36,382,500  

Campbell Soup

       790,000        27,989,700  

Flowers Foods

       2,500,000        49,150,000  

Hormel Foods

       1,050,000        44,436,000  

JM Smucker

       520,000        54,537,600  

McCormick

       285,000        35,237,400  

Molson Coors Brewing, Cl B

       770,000        51,289,700  

TreeHouse Foods *

       830,000        48,438,800  
       

 

 

 
                      347,461,700  
       

 

 

 

FINANCIALS — 12.0%

 

Arthur J Gallagher

       895,000        66,865,450  

Commerce Bancshares

       510,000        30,498,000  

Cullen/Frost Bankers

       395,000        38,425,600  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

29   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   MID CAP FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

 COMMON STOCK — continued                
       Shares      Value  

FINANCIALS — continued

 

Everest Re Group

       370,000      $ 81,048,500  

Morningstar

       120,000        14,898,000  

Northern Trust

       720,000        63,691,200  

Prosperity Bancshares

       480,000        34,147,200  

SVB Financial Group *

       105,000        24,504,900  
       

 

 

 
          354,078,850  
       

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE — 21.1%

 

Bio-Techne

       300,000        52,338,000  

Cantel Medical

       287,555        23,412,728  

Catalent *

       940,000        34,714,200  

Cooper

       165,000        45,995,400  

DENTSPLY SIRONA

       1,205,000        50,549,750  

Edwards Lifesciences *

       275,000        46,865,500  

Henry Schein *

       250,000        19,425,000  

Integra LifeSciences Holdings *

       1,285,000        60,857,600  

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings *

       295,000        41,108,250  

Masimo *

       200,000        24,878,000  

Medidata Solutions *

       530,000        37,608,800  

NuVasive *

       550,000        27,577,000  

Veeva Systems, Cl A *

       480,000        52,348,800  

Waters *

       345,000        79,770,900  

West Pharmaceutical Services

       235,000        25,443,450  
       

 

 

 
          622,893,378  
       

 

 

 

INDUSTRIALS — 15.3%

 

AMETEK

       715,000        52,123,500  

Fortive

       870,000        65,241,300  

Gates Industrial PLC *

       2,310,000        34,442,100  

IDEX

       360,000        49,629,600  

Nordson

       550,000        71,302,000  

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers

       1,150,000        41,354,000  

Rockwell Automation

       310,000        52,551,200  

Stericycle *

       625,000        27,550,000  

Verisk Analytics *

       480,000        56,356,800  
       

 

 

 
                      450,550,500  
       

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

30   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   MID CAP FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

 COMMON STOCK — continued                
       Shares      Value  

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY — 24.0%

 

Akamai Technologies *

       329,380      $ 21,442,638  

ANSYS *

       165,000        27,117,750  

Blackbaud

       500,000        35,800,000  

Guidewire Software *

       415,000        35,972,200  

LogMeIn

       310,000        28,836,200  

New Relic *

       285,035        28,973,808  

Nutanix, Cl A *

       1,144,355        58,625,307  

Okta, Cl A *

       575,000        47,397,250  

Palo Alto Networks *

       335,000        71,964,700  

Pure Storage, Cl A *

       1,805,000        32,327,550  

Red Hat *

       380,000        67,579,200  

ServiceNow *

       145,000        31,902,900  

Splunk *

       740,000        92,381,600  

Synopsys *

       365,000        34,072,750  

Tableau Software, Cl A *

       160,000        20,454,400  

Workday, Cl A *

       395,000        71,704,350  
       

 

 

 
          706,552,603  
       

 

 

 

MATERIALS — 5.2%

 

AptarGroup

       665,000        65,914,800  

International Flavors & Fragrances

       355,000        50,331,900  

Valvoline

       1,625,000        35,928,750  
       

 

 

 
          152,175,450  
       

 

 

 

TOTAL COMMON STOCK
(Cost $2,401,444,205)

          2,860,344,781  
       

 

 

 
CASH EQUIVALENTS — 2.5%**                

Fidelity Investments - Money Market Treasury Only, Cl I, 2.250%

       7,682,698        7,682,698  

Fidelity Treasury Portfolio, Cl I, 2.270%

       65,138,647        65,138,647  
       

 

 

 

TOTAL CASH EQUIVALENTS
(Cost $72,821,345)

                      72,821,345  
       

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS — 99.5%
(Cost $2,474,265,550)

        $ 2,933,166,126  
       

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

31   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   MID CAP FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

Percentages are based on Net Assets of $2,948,056,101.

*   Non-income producing security.

** Rate reported is the 7-day effective yield as of January 31, 2019.

Cl — Class

PLC — Public Limited Company

As of January 31, 2019, all of the Fund’s investments were considered Level 1, in accordance with the authoritative guidance on fair value measurements and disclosure under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.

For the period ended January 31, 2019, there have been no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 and Level 3 securities. For the period ended January 31, 2019, there were no Level 3 securities.

For more information on valuation inputs, see Note 2 in the Notes to Financial Statements.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

32   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN EMERGING
   MARKETS FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

LOGO

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

 COMMON STOCK — 98.2%                
       Shares      Value  

ARGENTINA — 2.5%

 

MercadoLibre

       245      $ 89,180  
       

 

 

 

BRAZIL — 4.0%

 

Ambev ADR

       13,600        65,416  

Itau Unibanco Holding ADR

       7,305        77,725  
       

 

 

 
          143,141  
       

 

 

 

CHINA — 30.0%

 

Alibaba Group Holding ADR *

       1,460        245,996  

Baidu ADR *

       505        87,178  

Ctrip.com International ADR *

       2,000        66,600  

Foshan Haitian Flavouring & Food, Cl A

       9,100        98,118  

iQIYI ADR *

       1,800        36,216  

JD.com ADR *

       2,585        64,237  

Shenzhen Inovance Technology, Cl A

       17,000        55,040  

Tencent Holdings

       4,600        202,837  

WuXi AppTec, Cl H *

       4,000        40,781  

Wuxi Biologics Cayman *

       8,500        73,066  

Xiabuxiabu Catering Management China Holdings

       28,520        40,926  

Yum China Holdings

       1,855        67,615  
       

 

 

 
                      1,078,610  
       

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

33   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN EMERGING
   MARKETS FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

 COMMON STOCK — continued                
       Shares      Value  

HONG KONG — 7.3%

 

AIA Group

       17,800      $ 159,927  

Shenzhou International Group Holdings

       5,400        63,554  

Vitasoy International Holdings

       10,000        40,654  
       

 

 

 
          264,135  
       

 

 

 

INDIA — 17.2%

 

Bajaj Finance

       1,805        65,349  

Britannia Industries

       1,050        47,210  

Godrej Consumer Products

       6,755        67,370  

HDFC Bank

       3,000        87,737  

Housing Development Finance

       2,705        73,115  

Kotak Mahindra Bank

       4,615        81,486  

Maruti Suzuki India

       665        62,097  

Page Industries

       105        34,503  

Reliance Industries

       3,800        65,568  

Syngene International

       4,180        33,983  
       

 

 

 
          618,418  
       

 

 

 

INDONESIA — 1.4%

 

Bank Central Asia

       25,000        50,412  
       

 

 

 

KENYA — 1.8%

 

Safaricom PLC

       267,000        63,205  
       

 

 

 

MEXICO — 5.8%

 

Banco del Bajio

       31,355        65,748  

Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste ADR

       410        74,599  

Wal-Mart de Mexico

       25,400        67,050  
       

 

 

 
          207,397  
       

 

 

 

NETHERLANDS — 6.7%

 

Heineken

       1,305        117,368  

Unilever ADR

       2,300        123,073  
       

 

 

 
          240,441  
       

 

 

 

PERU — 2.0%

 

Credicorp

       300                    72,834  
       

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

34   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN EMERGING
   MARKETS FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

 COMMON STOCK — continued                
       Shares      Value  

SOUTH AFRICA — 5.0%

 

Clicks Group

       6,740      $ 100,008  

Discovery

       6,595        79,130  
       

 

 

 
          179,138  
       

 

 

 

SOUTH KOREA — 5.2%

 

Amorepacific *

       300        48,937  

Koh Young Technology *

       985        72,593  

NAVER

       520        63,560  
       

 

 

 
          185,090  
       

 

 

 

TAIWAN — 5.5%

 

Chroma ATE

       12,000        47,797  

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

       20,600                    150,603  
       

 

 

 
          198,400  
       

 

 

 

UNITED STATES — 1.7%

 

International Flavors & Fragrances

       440        62,383  
       

 

 

 

VIETNAM — 2.1%

 

Vietnam Dairy Products JSC

       13,248        77,093  
       

 

 

 

TOTAL COMMON STOCK
(Cost $3,014,802)

          3,529,877  
       

 

 

 
CASH EQUIVALENT — 1.4%**                

Fidelity Treasury Portfolio, Cl I, 2.270%
(Cost $50,407)

       50,407        50,407  
       

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS — 99.6%
(Cost $3,065,209)

        $ 3,580,284  
       

 

 

 

Percentages are based on Net Assets of $3,593,886.

*   Non-income producing security.

** Rate reported is the 7-day effective yield as of January 31, 2019.

ADR — American Depositary Receipt

Cl — Class

JSC — Joint Stock Company

PLC — Public Limited Company

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

35   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN EMERGING
   MARKETS FUND
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

Investments in Securities    Level 1      Level 2‡      Level 3      Total  

Common Stock

           

Argentina

   $ 89,180      $      $             —      $ 89,180  

Brazil

     143,141                      143,141  

China

     1,078,610                      1,078,610  

Hong Kong

     264,135                      264,135  

India

     618,418                      618,418  

Indonesia

     50,412                      50,412  

Kenya

     63,205                      63,205  

Mexico

     207,397                      207,397  

Netherlands

     240,441                      240,441  

Peru

     72,834                      72,834  

South Africa

     179,138                      179,138  

South Korea

     185,090                      185,090  

Taiwan

            198,400               198,400  

United States

     62,383                      62,383  

Vietnam

     77,093                      77,093  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Common Stock

         3,331,477            198,400                   3,529,877  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Cash Equivalent

     50,407                      50,407  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

   $ 3,381,884      $ 198,400      $      $ 3,580,284  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
  Represents securities trading primarily outside the United States, the values of which were adjusted as a result of significant market changes subsequent to the closing of the exchanges on which these securities trade. Changes in the classifications between Levels 1 and 2 occurred throughout the period when foreign equity securities were fair valued using other observable market based inputs provided by MarkIt in place of the closing exchange price due to events occurring after the close of the exchange or market on which the investment was principally traded. As of January 31, 2019, securities with a total value $198,400 were classified as Level 2 due to the application of the fair value provided by MarkIt. All transfers, if any, are recognized by the Fund at the end of the period. As of January 31, 2019, there were no Level 3 securities.

For more information on valuation inputs, see Note 2 in the Notes to Financial Statements.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

36   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)
  

 

 

 

STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

 

    Champlain
Small
Company
Fund
    Champlain
Mid Cap
Fund
    Champlain
Emerging
Markets
Fund
 
Assets:      

Investments, at value (Cost $1,361,768,668, $2,474,265,550 and $3,065,209, respectively)

  $ 1,671,957,269     $ 2,933,166,126     $ 3,580,284  

Foreign Currency, at Value (Cost $—, $— and $12,766 and respectively)

                12,766  

Receivable for Capital Shares Sold

    35,132,155       23,051,526        

Receivable for Investment Securities Sold

    1,232,918              

Receivable for Dividends

    225,955       611,927       1,593  

Reclaim Receivable

                12  

Receivable from Advisor

                4,474  

Prepaid Expenses

    35,111       56,447       12,075  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Assets

    1,708,583,408       2,956,886,026       3,611,204  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
Liabilities:      

Payable for Investment Securities Purchased

    47,531,289       3,901,725        

Payable due to Investment Adviser

    1,059,921       1,655,486        

Payable due to Transfer Agent

    574,148       402,552       4,702  

Payable for Capital Shares Redeemed

    569,987       2,399,224        

Payable due to Distributor — Advisor Shares

    170,348       173,987       1,901  

Payable due to Administrator

    82,452       148,261       186  

Payable to Custodian

    22,548       37,717       3,915  

Payable due to Trustees

    3,597       5,654       8  

Chief Compliance Officer Fees Payable

    1,113       2,176        

Accrued Foreign Capital Gains Tax on Appreciated Securities

                6,273  

Other Accrued Expenses

    38,234       103,143       333  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

    50,053,637       8,829,925       17,318  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Assets

  $     1,658,529,771     $     2,948,056,101     $            3,593,886  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
NET ASSETS CONSIST OF:      

Paid-in Capital

  $ 1,334,567,584     $ 2,471,612,822     $ 3,528,394  

Total Distributable Earnings

    323,962,187       476,443,279       65,492  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Assets

  $ 1,658,529,771     $ 2,948,056,101     $ 3,593,886  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
Amounts designated as “—” are $0.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

37   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)
  

 

 

 

STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES — concluded

 

    Champlain
Small
Company
Fund
    Champlain
Mid Cap
Fund
    Champlain
Emerging
Markets
Fund
 
ADVISOR SHARES:      

Net Assets

  $ 584,377,327     $ 819,530,211     $            3,593,886  

Shares Issued and Outstanding
(unlimited authorization — no par value)

    31,430,421       44,969,816       392,714  

Net Asset Value, Offering and Redemption Price Per Share

  $ 18.59     $ 18.22     $ 9.15  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
INSTITUTIONAL SHARES:      

Net Assets

  $     1,074,152,444     $     2,128,525,890       N/A  

Shares Issued and Outstanding
(unlimited authorization — no par value)

    57,331,653       114,463,077       N/A  

Net Asset Value, Offering and Redemption Price Per Share

  $ 18.74     $ 18.60       N/A  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
N/A - Not Applicable

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

38   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   SIX MONTHS ENDED
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

     Champlain
Small
Company
Fund
     Champlain
Mid Cap
Fund
     Champlain
Emerging
Markets
Fund
 
Investment Income         

Dividends

   $ 7,845,439      $ 12,764,786      $ 19,401  

Less: Foreign Taxes Withheld

     (80,900      (73,575      (1,549
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investment Income

     7,764,539        12,691,211        17,852  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
Expenses         

Investment Advisory Fees

     7,115,107        9,577,801        17,490  

Distribution Fees — Advisor Shares

     775,395        958,930        4,372  

Administration Fees

     553,819        856,088        1,109  

Trustees’ Fees

     6,998        10,388        14  

Chief Compliance Officer Fees

     1,953        2,642        34  

Transfer Agent Fees

     888,912        919,415        14,720  

Printing Fees

     61,733        80,313        2,357  

Registration Fees

     47,148        94,175        11,463  

Custodian Fees

     40,757        55,356        5,131  

Professional Fees

     26,610        40,089        54  

Insurance and Other Expenses

     19,459        27,730        3,679  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Expenses

     9,537,891        12,622,927        60,423  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Recovery of Investment Advisory Fees Previously Waived(1)

     191,983                

Less: Advisory Fees Waived

                   (17,490

Reimbursement from Advisor

                   (16,685

Fees Paid Indirectly(2)

     (101,336      (78,679      (19
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Expenses

     9,628,538        12,544,248        26,229  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Investment Income (Loss)

     (1,863,999      146,963        (8,377
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Realized Gain (Loss) on Investments

     67,990,262        35,543,725        (6,620

Net Realized Loss on Foreign Currency Transactions

                   (3,895
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Realized Gain (Loss)

   $     67,990,262      $     35,543,725      $           (10,515
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
(1) See Note 5 in Notes to Financial Statements.

 

  
(2) See Note 4 in Notes to Financial Statements.

 

  
Amounts designated as “—” are $0.

 

  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

39   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   SIX MONTHS ENDED
   JANUARY 31, 2019
   (Unaudited)

 

 

 

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS — concluded

 

     Champlain
Small
Company
Fund
     Champlain
Mid Cap
Fund
     Champlain
Emerging
Markets
Fund
 

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation
(Depreciation) on Investments

   $ (209,361,815    $ 48,148,903      $ (365,165

Net Change in Appreciation on Translation of Assets and Liabilities Denominated in Foreign Currencies

                   291  

Foreign Capital Gains Tax on Appreciated Securities

                   3,016  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

     (209,361,815      48,148,903        (361,858
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments

     (141,371,553      83,692,628        (372,373
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

   $     (143,235,552    $     83,839,591      $           (380,750
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
Amounts designated as “—” are $0.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

40   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN SMALL
   COMPANY FUND
  
  

 

 

 

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

 

    Six Months
Period
Ended
January 31,
2019
(Unaudited)
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2018
 
Operations:    

Net Investment Loss

  $ (1,863,999   $ (6,724,754

Net Realized Gain on Investments

    67,990,262       141,381,961  

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) on Investments

    (209,361,815     162,322,319  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

    (143,235,552     296,979,526  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 
Distributions:(1)    

Advisor Shares

    (63,621,049     (57,468,436

Institutional Shares

    (110,980,612     (79,340,703
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Distributions

    (174,601,661     (136,809,139
 

 

 

   

 

 

 
Capital Share Transactions(2)    

Advisor Shares:

   

Issued

    61,215,673       72,603,026  

Reinvestment of Distributions

    61,251,905       55,730,008  

Redeemed

    (72,393,918     (230,411,573
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Increase (Decrease) from Advisor Shares Capital Share Transactions

    50,073,660       (102,078,539
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Institutional Shares:

   

Issued

    245,182,157       426,148,078 (3) 

Reinvestment of Distributions

    107,042,134       77,270,951  

Redeemed

    (240,711,408     (151,028,478
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Increase from Institutional Shares Capital Share Transactions

    111,512,883       352,390,551  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Increase in Net Assets from Capital Share Transactions

    161,586,543       250,312,012  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

    (156,250,670     410,482,399  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 
Net Assets:    

Beginning of Period

    1,814,780,441       1,404,298,042  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

End of Period(4)

  $     1,658,529,771     $     1,814,780,441  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 
(1)    Current year presentation of distributions conform with S-X Disclosure Simplification. Prior year distributions have been consolidated to conform with S-X Disclosure Simplification (see Note 13).
(2)    For share transactions, see Note 6 in the Notes to Financial Statements.
(3)    Includes issuances as a result of an in-kind transaction, see Note 12 in the Notes to Financial Statements.
(4)    Includes distributions in excess of net investment income of $(3) as of the year ended July 31, 2018. The SEC eliminated the requirement to disclose distributions in excess of net investment income on November 5, 2018.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

41   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   MID CAP FUND
  
  

 

 

 

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

 

     Six Months
Period
Ended
January 31,
2019
(Unaudited)
     Year
Ended
July 31, 2018
 
Operations:      

Net Investment Income (Loss)

   $ 146,963      $ (1,929,694

Net Realized Gain on Investments

     35,543,725        181,815,607  

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation on Investments

     48,148,903        169,779,868  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

     83,839,591        349,665,781  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
Distributions:(1)      

Advisor Shares

     (45,428,826      (29,164,743

Institutional Shares

     (113,591,171      (63,172,201
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Distributions

     (159,019,997      (92,336,944
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
Capital Share Transactions(2)      

Advisor Shares:

     

Issued

     287,387,317        157,928,991  

Reinvestment of Distributions

     43,515,970        27,182,077  

Redeemed

     (150,236,329      (205,416,806
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Increase (Decrease) from Advisor Shares Capital Share Transactions

     180,666,958        (20,305,738
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Institutional Shares:

     

Issued

     499,948,786        848,018,149  

Reinvestment of Distributions

     88,209,042        62,486,641  

Redeemed

     (225,099,633      (216,963,750
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Increase from Institutional Shares Capital Share Transactions

     363,058,195        693,541,040  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Increase in Net Assets from Capital Share Transactions

     543,725,153        673,235,302  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Increase in Net Assets

     468,544,747        930,564,139  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
Net Assets:      

Beginning of Period

     2,479,511,354        1,548,947,215  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

End of Period(3)

   $     2,948,056,101      $     2,479,511,354  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
(1)    Current year presentation of distributions conform with S-X Disclosure Simplification. Prior year distributions have been consolidated to conform with S-X Disclosure Simplification (see Note 13).
(2)    For share transactions, see Note 6 in the Notes to Financial Statements.
(3)    Includes distributions in excess of net investment income of $(1) as of the year ended July 31, 2018. The SEC eliminated the requirement to disclose distributions in excess of net investment income on November 5, 2018.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

42   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN EMERGING
   MARKETS FUND
  
  

 

 

 

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

 

     Six Months
Period
Ended
January 31,
2019
(Unaudited)
     Year
Ended
July 31, 2018
 
Operations:      

Net Investment Loss

   $ (8,377    $ (7,829

Net Realized Gain (Loss) on Investments and Foreign Currency Transactions

     (10,515      362,019  

Net Change in Unrealized Depreciation on Investments, Translation of Assets and Liabilities Denominated in Foreign Currencies and Foreign Capital Gains Tax on Appreciated Securities

     (361,858      (68,288
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

     (380,750      285,902  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Distributions(1)

            (42,880

Return of Capital

            (4,982
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Distributions

            (47,862
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
Capital Share Transactions:(2)      

Advisor Shares:

     

Issued

     249,877        738,659  

Reinvestment of Distributions

            47,862  

Redeemed

     (205,806      (1,381,149
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Capital Share Transactions

     44,071        (594,628
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total (Decrease) in Net Assets

     (336,679      (356,588
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
Net Assets:      

Beginning of Period

     3,930,565        4,287,153  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

End of Period(3)

   $     3,593,886      $     3,930,565  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
(1)    Current year presentation of distributions conform with S-X Disclosure Simplification. Prior year distributions have been consolidated to conform with S-X Disclosure Simplification (see Note 13).
(2)    For share transactions, see Note 6 in the Notes to Financial Statements.
(3)    Includes distributions in excess of net investment income of $(88,499) as of the year ended July 31, 2018. The SEC eliminated the requirement to disclose distributions in excess of net investment income on November 5, 2018.
Amounts designated as “—” are $0.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

43   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN SMALL
   COMPANY FUND
  
  

 

 

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Selected Per Share Data & Ratios

For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Year or Period

 

    Advisor Shares  
    Six Months
Ended
January 31,
2019

(Unaudited)
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2018
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2017
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2016
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2015
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2014
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

  $ 22.83     $ 20.89     $ 17.74     $ 17.08     $ 16.05     $ 16.82  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (Loss) from Operations:

           

Net Investment Loss(1)

    (0.04     (0.12     (0.04     (0.06     (0.09     (0.09

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments

    (1.95     4.01       3.73       1.14       2.15       1.06  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from Operations

    (1.99     3.89       3.69       1.08       2.06       0.97  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Dividends and Distributions from:

           

Net Investment Income

                                   

Net Realized Gains

    (2.25     (1.95     (0.54     (0.42     (1.03     (1.74
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Dividends and Distributions

    (2.25     (1.95     (0.54     (0.42     (1.03     (1.74
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Asset Value, End of Period

  $ 18.59     $ 22.83     $ 20.89     $ 17.74     $ 17.08     $ 16.05  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Return†

    (7.50)% ††      19.94%       20.92% ††      6.68% ††      13.04%       5.70%  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
Ratios and Supplemental Data            

Net Assets, End of Period (Thousands)

  $ 584,377     $ 647,592     $ 693,776     $ 1,118,317     $ 1,510,996     $ 1,288,252  

Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets
(including waivers and reimbursements/excluding fees paid indirectly)

    1.26%     1.30% (2)      1.31%       1.40%       1.38%       1.36%  

Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets
(excluding waivers, reimbursements and fees paid indirectly)

    1.24%     1.29%       1.33%       1.41%       1.38%       1.36%  

Ratio of Net Investment Loss to Average Net Assets

    (0.37)%     (0.58)%       (0.23)%       (0.36)%       (0.54)%       (0.55)%  

Portfolio Turnover Rate

    19% **      35%       40%       27%       37%       36%  
  The return shown does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.
††   Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived and assumed by the Adviser during the period.
(1)    Per share amount calculated using average shares.
(2)    Ratio includes previously waived investment advisory fees recovered. The impact of the recovered fees may cause a higher net expense ratio.
*   Annualized
**   Not annualized.
Amounts designated as “—” are $0 or round to $0.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

44   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN SMALL
   COMPANY FUND
  
  

 

 

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Selected Per Share Data & Ratios

For a Share Outstanding Throughout each Period

 

    Institutional Shares  
    Six Months
Ended
January 31,
2019

(Unaudited)
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2018
    Period
Ended
July 31, 2017(1)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

  $ 22.96     $ 20.95     $ 18.36  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (Loss) from Operations:

     

Net Investment Income (Loss)(2)

    (0.01     (0.07     0.03  

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on
Investments

    (1.96     4.03       3.10  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from Operations

    (1.97     3.96       3.13  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Dividends and Distributions from:

     

Net Investment Income

                 

Net Realized Gains

    (2.25     (1.95     (0.54
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Dividends and Distributions

    (2.25     (1.95     (0.54
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Asset Value, End of Period

  $ 18.74     $ 22.96     $ 20.95  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Return†

    (7.36)% ††      20.23%       17.17% †† 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
Ratios and Supplemental Data      

Net Assets, End of Period (Thousands)

  $ 1,074,153     $ 1,167,188     $ 710,522  

Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets
(including waivers and reimbursements/excluding fees paid indirectly)

    1.01%     1.05% (3)      1.05%

Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets
(excluding waivers, reimbursements and fees paid indirectly)

    0.99%     1.04%       1.06%

Ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets

    (0.13)%     (0.32)%       0.18%

Portfolio Turnover Rate

    19% **      35%       40% ** 
(1)    Institutional Shares commenced operations on August 31, 2016.
(2)    Per share amount calculated using average shares.
(3)    Ratio includes previously waived investment advisory fees recovered. The impact of the recovered fees may cause a higher net expense ratio.
  The return shown does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.
††   Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived and assumed by the Adviser during the period.
*   Annualized.
**   Portfolio turnover rate is for the period indicated and has not been annualized.
Amounts designated as “—” are $0 or round to $0.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

45   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   MID CAP FUND
  
  

 

 

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Selected Per Share Data & Ratios

For a Share Outstanding Throughout each Year or Period

 

    Advisor Shares  
    Six Months
Ended
January 31,
2019

(Unaudited)
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2018
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2017
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2016
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2015
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2014
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

  $ 18.88     $ 16.65     $ 14.85     $ 14.89     $ 14.92     $ 14.29  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (Loss) from Operations:

           

Net Investment Loss(1)

    (0.02     (0.05                 (0.01     (0.03

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain on Investments

    0.47       3.13       2.44       1.06       1.54       1.90  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from Operations

    0.45       3.08       2.44       1.06       1.53       1.87  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Dividends and Distributions from:

           

Net Investment Income

                                   

Net Realized Gains

    (1.11     (0.85     (0.64     (1.10     (1.56     (1.24
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Dividends and Distributions

    (1.11     (0.85     (0.64     (1.10     (1.56     (1.24
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Asset Value, End of Period

  $ 18.22     $ 18.88     $ 16.65     $ 14.85     $ 14.89     $ 14.92  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Return†

    3.11%       18.98%       16.85%       8.22%       10.65%       13.65%  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
Ratios and Supplemental Data            

Net Assets, End of Period (Thousands)

  $ 819,530     $ 667,021     $ 609,025     $ 614,998     $ 526,649     $ 568,782  

Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets
(including waivers and reimbursements/excluding fees paid indirectly)

    1.11%     1.15%       1.17%       1.28%       1.29% (2)      1.30% (2) 

Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets
(excluding waivers, reimbursements and fees paid indirectly)

    1.11%     1.15%       1.17%       1.28%       1.28%       1.29%  

Ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets

    (0.17)%     (0.26)%       0.02%       0.03%       (0.09)%       (0.21)%  

Portfolio Turnover Rate

    8% **      33%       33%       40%       46%       52%  
  The return shown does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.
(1)    Per share amount calculated using average shares.
(2)    Ratio includes previously waived investment advisory fees recovered. The impact of the recovered fees may cause a higher net expense ratio.
*   Annualized
**   Not Annualized
Amounts designated as “—” are either $0 or round to $0.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

46   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   MID CAP FUND
  
  

 

 

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Selected Per Share Data & Ratios

For a Share Outstanding Throughout each Year or Period

 

    Institutional Shares  
    Six Months
Ended
January 31,
2019

(Unaudited)
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2018
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2017
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2016
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2015
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2014
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

  $ 19.21     $ 16.92     $ 15.05     $ 15.07     $ 15.05     $ 14.37  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (Loss) from Operations:

           

Net Investment Income(1)

    0.01             0.05       0.04       0.02       0.01  

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain on Investments

    0.49       3.17       2.47       1.06       1.56       1.91  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from Operations

    0.50       3.17       2.52       1.10       1.58       1.92  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Dividends and Distributions from:

           

Net Investment Income

          (0.03     (0.01     (0.02            

Net Realized Gains

    (1.11     (0.85     (0.64     (1.10     (1.56     (1.24
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Dividends and Distributions

    (1.11     (0.88     (0.65     (1.12     (1.56     (1.24
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Asset Value, End of Period

  $ 18.60     $ 19.21     $ 16.92     $ 15.05     $ 15.07     $ 15.05  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Return†

    3.32%       19.20%       17.17%       8.45%       10.91%       13.94%  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
Ratios and Supplemental Data            

Net Assets, End of Period (Thousands)

  $ 2,128,526     $ 1,812,490     $ 939,922     $ 390,408     $ 152,537     $ 129,515  

Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets
(including waivers and reimbursements/excluding fees paid indirectly)

    0.86%     0.90%       0.93%       1.03%       1.04% (2)      1.05% (2) 

Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets
(excluding waivers, reimbursements and fees paid indirectly)

    0.86%     0.90%       0.93%       1.03%       1.03%       1.04%  

Ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets

    0.08%     (0.02)%       0.33%       0.26%       0.16%       0.04%  

Portfolio Turnover Rate

    8% **      33%       33%       40%       46%       52%  
  The return shown does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.
(1)    Per share amount calculated using average shares.
(2)    Ratio includes previously waived investment advisory fees recovered. The impact of the recovered fees may cause a higher net expense ratio.
*   Annualized
**   Not Annualized
Amounts designated as “—” are either $0 or round to $0.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

47   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN
   EMERGING MARKETS FUND
  
  

 

 

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Selected Per Share Data & Ratios

For a Share Outstanding Throughout each Year or Period

 

    Advisor Shares  
    Six Months
Ended
January 31,
2019

(Unaudited)
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2018
    Year
Ended
July 31, 2017
    Ten  Month
Period
Ended
July 31,
2016(1)(2)
    Year
Ended
September 30,
2015(1)
    Period
Ended
September 30,
2014(3)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

  $ 10.15     $ 9.50     $ 8.29     $ 7.36     $ 9.79     $ 10.00  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income from Operations:

           

Net Investment Loss(4)

    (0.02     (0.02                 (0.07     (0.01

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments

    (0.98     0.81       1.25       0.93       (2.35     (0.20
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from Operations

    (1.00     0.79       1.25       0.93       (2.42     (0.21
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Dividends and Distributions from:

           

Net Investment Income

          (0.13     (0.04           (0.01      

Return of Capital

          (0.01                        
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Dividends and Distributions

          (0.14     (0.04           (0.01      
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Asset Value, End of Period

  $ 9.15     $ 10.15     $ 9.50     $ 8.29     $ 7.36     $ 9.79  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Return†

    (9.85)%       8.25%       15.16%       12.64% ††      (24.75)%       (2.10%) †† 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
Ratios and Supplemental Data            

Net Assets, End of Period (Thousands)

  $ 3,594     $ 3,931     $ 4,287     $ 3,441     $ 2,443     $ 2,027  

Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets
(including waivers and reimbursements/excluding fees paid indirectly)

    1.50%     1.50%       1.51%       1.63%     1.85%       1.85%

Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets
(excluding waivers, reimbursements and fees paid indirectly)

    3.45%     3.43%       4.04%       6.86%     14.00%       34.14%

Ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets

    (0.48)%     (0.20)%       (0.01)%       (0.07)%     (0.79)%       (1.82)%

Portfolio Turnover Rate

    17% **      35%       37%       66% ††      104%       0% †† 
  Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived and assumed by the Adviser during the period. The return shown does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.
††   Portfolio turnover and total return is for the period indicated and has not been annualized.
(1)     On November 16, 2015, the New Sheridan Developing World Fund (the “Predecessor Fund”) was reorganized into The Advisors’ Inner Circle II Fund Champlain Emerging Markets Fund. Information presented prior to November 16, 2015 is that of the Predecessor Fund. See Note 1 in Notes to Financial Statements.
(2)     Effective November 16, 2016, the Fund changed its fiscal year end to July 31st.
(3)     Commenced operations on September 9, 2014.
(4)     Per share amount calculated using average shares.
*   Annualized.
**   Not Annualized
Amounts designated as “—” are either $0 or round to $0.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

48   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)

 

1. ORGANIZATION:

The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II (the “Trust”) is organized as a Massachusetts business trust under an Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated July 24, 1992. The Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, as an open-end management investment company with twenty-eight funds. The financial statements herein are those of the Champlain Small Company Fund, Champlain Mid Cap Fund and Champlain Emerging Markets Fund (each a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”). The investment objective of the Funds is capital appreciation. Each of the Champlain Funds is classified as a “diversified” with the exception of the Champlain Emerging Markets Fund which is classified as “non-diversified” investment company under the 1940 Act. The Champlain Small Company Fund invests in small companies with market capitalization of less than $2.5 billion, the Champlain Mid Cap Fund invests primarily (at least 80% of its net assets) in equity securities of issuers who are economically tied to an emerging market country. The financial statements of the remaining funds within the Trust are presented separately. The assets of each Fund of the Trust are segregated, and a shareholder’s interest is limited to the fund in which shares are held. The Funds currently offer Advisor Shares; the Champlain Small Company Fund and the Champlain Mid Cap Fund offer Institutional Shares, which commenced operations on August 31, 2016 and January 3, 2011, respectively. The Champlain Emerging Markets Fund commenced operations on September 9, 2014 as the New Sheridan Developing World Fund (the “Predecessor Fund”), a series of ALPS Series Trust, which reorganized through a transfer of all assets and liabilities to the Champlain Emerging Markets Fund on November 16, 2015. Investor Class Shares of the Predecessor Fund were exchanged on a tax-free basis for Advisor Shares of the Fund. The Predecessor Fund had substantially similar investment objectives, investment strategies, policies and restrictions as those of the Fund. For financial reporting purposes, the Predecessor Fund’s financial and performance history prior to the reorganization has been carried forward and is reflected in the Champlain Emerging Markets Fund’s financial statements and financial highlights.

Effective November 16, 2015, the Champlain Emerging Markets Fund changed its fiscal year end to July 31.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES:

The following are significant accounting policies, which are consistently followed in the preparation of the financial statements of the Funds. The Funds are investment companies

 

49   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

that apply the accounting and reporting guidance issued in Topic 946 by the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”).

Use of Estimates — The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets from operations during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates and such differences could be material.

Security Valuation — Securities listed on a securities exchange, market or automated quotation system for which quotations are readily available (except for securities traded on NASDAQ), including securities traded over the counter, are valued at the last quoted sale price on the primary exchange or market (foreign or domestic) on which they are traded, or, if there is no such reported sale, at the most recent quoted bid price. For securities traded on NASDAQ, the NASDAQ Official Closing Price will be used. Investment companies are valued at Net Asset Value.

Securities for which market prices are not “readily available” are valued in accordance with Fair Value Procedures established by the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”). The Trust’s Fair Value Procedures are implemented through a Fair Value Committee (the “Committee”) designated by the Board. Some of the more common reasons that may necessitate that a security be valued using Fair Value Procedures include: the security’s trading has been halted or suspended; the security has been de-listed from a national exchange; the security’s primary trading market is temporarily closed at a time when under normal conditions it would be open; the security has not been traded for an extended period of time; the security’s primary pricing source is not able or willing to provide a price; or trading of the security is subject to local government-imposed restrictions. When a security is valued in accordance with the Trust’s Fair Value Procedures, the Committee will determine the value after taking into consideration relevant information reasonably available to the Committee.

For securities that principally trade on a foreign market or exchange, a significant gap in time can exist between the time of a particular security’s last trade and the time at which the Fund calculates its net asset values. The closing prices of such securities may no longer reflect their market value at the time the Fund calculates net asset value if an event that could materially affect the value of those securities (a “Significant Event”) has occurred between the time of the security’s last close and the time that the Fund calculates net asset value. A Significant Event may relate to a single issuer or to an entire market sector. If Champlain Investment Partners, LLC (the “Adviser”), of the Fund

 

50   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

becomes aware of a Significant Event that has occurred with respect to a security or group of securities after the closing of the exchange or market on which the security or securities principally trade, but before the time at which the Fund calculates net asset value, it may request that a Committee meeting be called.

The Champlain Emerging Markets Fund uses MarkIt Fair Value (“MarkIt”) as a third party fair valuation vendor. MarkIt provides a fair value for foreign securities in the Fund based on certain factors and methodologies (involving, generally, tracking valuation correlations between the U.S. market and each non-U.S. security) applied by MarkIt in the event that there is a movement in the U.S. market that exceeds a specific threshold established by the Committee. The Committee establishes a “confidence interval” which is used to determine the level of correlation between the value of a foreign security and movements in the U.S. market before a particular security is fair valued when the threshold is exceeded. In the event that the threshold established by the Committee is exceeded on a specific day, the Fund values its non-U.S. securities that exceed the applicable “confidence interval” based upon the fair values provided by MarkIt. In such event, it is not necessary to hold a Committee meeting. In the event that the Adviser believes that the fair values provided by MarkIt are not reliable, the Adviser contacts SEI Investments Global Fund Services (the “Administrator”) and may request that a meeting of the Committee be held.

If a local market in which the Fund owns securities is closed for one or more days, the Fund shall value all securities held in that corresponding currency based on the fair value prices provided by MarkIt using the predetermined confidence interval discussed above.

In accordance with the authoritative guidance on fair value measurements and disclosure under U.S. GAAP, the Funds disclose the fair value of their investments in a hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure the fair value. The objective of a fair value measurement is to determine the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (an exit price). Accordingly, the fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:

 

   

Level 1 – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities that the Funds have the ability to access at the measurement date;

 

   

Level 2 – Quoted prices which are not active, or inputs that are observable (either directly or indirectly) for substantially the full term of the asset or liability; and

 

51   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

 

other significant observable inputs (includes quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment spreads, credit risk, referenced indices, quoted prices in inactive markets, adjusted quoted prices in active markets, etc.); and

 

   

Level 3 – Prices, inputs or exotic modeling techniques which are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable (supported by little or no market activity).

Investments are classified within the level of the lowest significant input considered in determining fair value. Investments classified within Level 3 whose fair value measurement considers several inputs may include Level 1 or Level 2 inputs as components of the overall fair value measurement.

For details of investment classifications, reference the Schedules of Investments. The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

For the period ended January 31, 2019, there have been no significant changes to the Funds’ fair value methodologies.

Federal Income Taxes — It is each Fund’s intention to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code and to distribute all of their taxable income. Accordingly, no provision for Federal income taxes has been made in the financial statements.

The Funds evaluate tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of preparing the Funds’ tax returns to determine whether it is “more-likely-than-not” (i.e., greater than 50-percent) that each tax position will be sustained upon examination by a taxing authority based on the technical merits of the position. Tax positions not deemed to meet the more-likely-than-not threshold are recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current year. The Funds did not record any tax provision in the current period. However, management’s conclusions regarding tax positions taken may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to, examination by tax authorities (i.e., the last 3 tax year ends, as applicable), on-going analysis of and changes to tax laws, regulations and interpretations thereof.

As of and during the period ended January 31, 2019, the Funds did not have liabilities for any unrecognized tax benefits. The Funds recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense on the Statement of Operations. During the period ended January 31, 2019, the Funds did not incur any interest or penalties.

 

52   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

Security Transactions and Investment IncomeSecurity transactions are accounted for on trade date for financial reporting purposes. Costs used in determining realized gains and losses on the sales of investment securities are based on specific identification. Dividend income is recognized on the ex-dividend date and interest income is recognized on an accrual basis.

Foreign Currency Translation The books and records of the Funds are maintained in U.S. dollars. Investment securities and other assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency are translated into U.S. dollars on the date of valuation. The Funds do not isolate that portion of realized or unrealized gains and losses resulting from changes in the foreign exchange rate from fluctuations arising from changes in the market prices of the securities. These gains and losses are included in net realized and unrealized gains and losses on investments on the Statements of Operations. Net realized and unrealized gains and losses on foreign currency transactions represent net foreign exchange gains or losses from foreign currency exchange contracts, disposition of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between trade and settlement dates on securities transactions and the difference between the amount of the investment income and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the Funds’ books and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually received or paid.

Classes — Class specific expenses, such as distribution fees, are borne by that class of shares. Income, realized and unrealized gains/losses and non-class specific expenses are allocated to the respective class on the basis of relative net assets.

ExpensesMost expenses of the Trust can be directly attributed to a particular fund. Expenses that cannot be directly attributed to a particular fund are apportioned among the funds of the Trust based on the number of funds and/or relative net assets.

Dividends and Distributions to Shareholders — Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid annually by the Funds. Any net realized capital gains are distributed to shareholders at least annually.

3. TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES:

Certain officers and a trustee of the Trust are also officers of SEI Investments Global Funds Services (the “Administrator”), a wholly owned subsidiary of SEI Investments Company, and/or SEI Investments Distribution Co. (the “Distributor”). Such officers and the trustee are paid no fees by the Trust for serving as officers and trustee of the Trust.

The services provided by the Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) and his staff, who are the employees of the Administrator, are paid for by the Trust as incurred. The services include regulatory oversight of the Trust’s Advisors and service providers as required by SEC regulations. The CCO’s services have been approved by and are reviewed by the Board.

 

53   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

 

4.   ADMINISTRATION, DISTRIBUTION, TRANSFER AGENT AND CUSTODIAN AGREEMENTS:

The Funds and the Administrator are parties to an Administration Agreement, under which the Administrator provides administrative services to the Fund. For these services, the Administrator is paid an asset-based fee, which will vary depending on the number of share classes and the average daily net assets of the Fund. For the period ended January 31, 2019, Small Company Fund, Mid Cap Fund and Emerging Markets Fund were charged $553,819, $856,088, and $1,109 for these services, respectively.

The Funds have adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) for the Advisor Shares. Under the Plan, the Distributor, or third parties that enter into agreements with the Distributor, may receive up to 0.25% of the Funds’ average net assets attributable to the Advisor Shares as compensation for distribution services.

DST Systems, Inc. serves as the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent for the Funds under a transfer agency agreement with the Trust. The Funds may earn cash management credits which can be used to offset transfer agent expenses. During the period ended January 31, 2019, the Small Company Fund earned credits of $101,336, the Mid Cap Fund earned credits of $78,679, and the Emerging Markets Fund earned credits of $19 which were used to offset transfer agent expenses. These amounts are listed as “Fees Paid Indirectly” on the Statements of Operations.

U.S. Bank, N.A. acts as custodian (the “Custodian”) for the Small Company Fund and Mid Cap Fund. MUFG Union Bank, N.A. acts as Custodian for the Emerging Markets Fund. The Custodian plays no role in determining the investment policies of the Funds or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Funds.

5. INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT:

Champlain Investment Partners, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser to the Funds. For its services, the Adviser is entitled to a fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at the following annual rates based on the average daily net assets of each fund:

 

Fund    Advisory Fee

Small Company Fund

   0.90% on the first $250 million in assets; 0.80% on assets over $250 million

Mid Cap Fund

   0.80% on the first $250 million in assets; 0.70% on assets over $250 million

Emerging Markets Fund

   1.00% on the first $250 million in assets; 0.85% on assets over $250 million

The Adviser has contractually agreed to limit the total expenses of the Small Company Fund – Advisor Shares, Small Company Fund – Institutional Shares, Mid Cap Fund – Advisor Shares, Mid Cap Fund – Institutional Shares, and Emerging Markets Fund – Advisor Shares

 

54   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

(excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired Fund fees and extraordinary expenses) to 1.30%, 1.05%, 1.20%, 0.95% and 1.50% of the Funds’ respective average daily net assets through November 30, 2019. Prior to September 1, 2016 the Adviser contractually agreed to limit the total expenses of the Small Company Fund – Advisor Shares, Small Company Fund – Institutional Shares, Mid Cap Fund – Advisor Shares, Mid Cap Fund – Institutional Shares and Emerging Markets Fund – Advisor Shares to 1.40%, 1.05%, 1.30%, 1.05% and 1.60%, respectively. To maintain these expense limitations, the Adviser may waive a portion of its advisory fee and/or reimburse certain expenses of the Funds. If at any point it becomes unnecessary for the Adviser, Administrator, or shareholder service agent to make expense limitation reimbursements, the Adviser may retain the difference between the “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses” and the aforementioned expense limitations to recapture all or a portion of its prior expense limitation reimbursements made during the preceding three year period.

At January 31, 2019, the amount the Adviser may seek as reimbursement of previously waived fees and reimbursed expenses is as follows:

 

 Period              

  Subject to
Repayment until
January 31:
    Small
Company
Fund
    Mid
Cap
Fund
    Emerging
Markets
Fund
 

 1/31/16-1/31/17

    2020         $      191,983           $        92,160           $      108,581    

 1/31/17-1/31/18

    2021       —         122,221         88,872    

 1/31/18-1/31/19

    2022       —         —         72,610    
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
        $      191,983           $      214,381           $      270,063    
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Amounts designated as “—” are $0.

 

55   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

6. SHARE TRANSACTIONS:

 

Champlain Small Company Fund    Six Months Ended
January 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
    Year Ended July 31,
2018
 

Advisor Shares

    

Issued

     3,063,618          3,433,870     

Reinvestment of Distributions

     3,696,562          2,790,686     

Redeemed

     (3,692,522)         (11,069,455)    
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Advisor Shares Capital Share Transactions

     3,067,658          (4,844,899)    
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Institutional Shares

    

Issued

     12,452,011          20,193,976(1)   

Reinvestment of Distributions

     6,413,545          3,853,924     

Redeemed

     (12,370,357)         (7,130,648)    
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Institutional Shares Capital Share Transactions

     6,495,199          16,917,252     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Increase in Shares Outstanding

            9,562,857                 12,072,353     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

(1) Includes issuances as a result of an in-kind transfer (See Note 12).

 

Champlain Mid Cap Fund    Six Months  Ended
January 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
    Year Ended July 31,
2018
 

Advisor Shares

    

Issued

     14,976,635          8,861,884     

Reinvestment of Distributions

     2,681,145          1,583,116     

Redeemed

     (8,023,405)         (11,684,884)    
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Advisor Shares Capital Share Transactions

     9,634,375          (1,239,884)    
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Institutional Shares

    

Issued

     27,015,917          47,213,638     

Reinvestment of Distributions

     5,326,633          3,576,797     

Redeemed

     (12,215,898)         (12,018,416)    
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Institutional Shares Capital Share Transactions

     20,126,652          38,772,019     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Increase in Shares Outstanding

            29,761,027                 37,532,135     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

56   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

 

Champlain Emerging Markets Fund    Period Ended
January 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
    Year Ended July 31,
2018
 

Advisor Shares

    

Issued

     28,304          72,397     

Reinvestment of Distributions

     —          4,651     

Redeemed

     (22,886)         (141,257)    
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding

                 5,418                      (64,209)    
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

7. INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS:

For the period ended January 31, 2019, the purchases and sales of investment securities other than long-term U.S. Government and short-term investments were:

 

     Purchases     Sales  

Champlain Small Company Fund

   $ 370,839,846   $ 312,654,176  

Champlain Mid Cap Fund

         595,807,972         213,440,614  

Champlain Emerging Markets Fund

     749,993     579,050  

There were no purchases or sales of long-term U.S. Government securities for any of the Funds.

8. FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION:

The amount and character of income and capital gain distributions, if any, to be paid, are determined in accordance with Federal income tax regulations, which may differ from U.S. GAAP. As a result, net investment income (loss) and net realized gain (loss) on investment transactions for a reporting period may differ significantly from distributions during such period. These book/tax differences may be temporary or permanent. To the extent these differences are permanent in nature, they are charged or credited to undistributed net investment income (loss), accumulated net realized gain (loss) or paid-in capital, as appropriate, in the period that the differences arise.

The tax character of dividends and distributions declared during the fiscal years or periods ended July 31, 2018 and July 31, 2017 were as follows:

 

     Ordinary Income     Long-Term
Capital Gain
    Return of Capital     Total  

Small Company Fund

 

     

2018

   $     20,740,374     $     116,068,765     $             —     $     136,809,139  

2017

           32,838,292             32,838,292  

 

57   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

     Ordinary Income     Long-Term
Capital Gain
    Return of Capital     Total  

Mid Cap Fund

 

     

2018

   $     34,520,210     $       57,816,733     $     $        92,336,943  

2017

     12,696,327       37,976,068             50,672,395  

Emerging Markets Fund

 

     

2018

   $ 42,880     $     $             4,982     $ 47,862  

2017

     16,207                   16,207  

For tax purposes, short term gains are considered ordinary income.

As of July 31, 2018, the components of Distributable Earnings (Accumulated Losses) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

    Small
Company Fund
    Mid Cap Fund     Emerging
Markets Fund
 

Undistributed Ordinary Income

  $ 18,263,721     $ 32,311,063     $  

Undistributed Long-Term Capital Gain

    107,571,326       110,695,984        

Late-Year Loss Deferral

                (3,057

Capital Loss Carryforwards

                (335,930

Post-October Losses

                 

Unrealized Appreciation

    515,964,353       408,616,638       785,229  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Distributable Earnings

  $     641,799,400     $     551,623,685     $             446,242  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Post-October capital losses represent capital losses realized on investment transactions from November 1, 2017 through July 31, 2018, that, in accordance with Federal income tax regulations, the Funds may elect to defer and treat as having arisen in the following fiscal year.

Deferred late-year losses represent ordinary losses realized on investment transactions from January 1, 2018 through July 31, 2018 and specified losses realized on investment transactions from November 1, 2017 through July 31, 2018, that, in accordance with Federal income tax regulations, the Funds may elect to defer and treat as having arisen in the following fiscal year.

For Federal income tax purposes, capital losses incurred may be carried forward and applied against future capital gains. All capital losses carried forward by the Funds were incurred after the enactment of the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010. Under the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010, the Funds are permitted to

 

58   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

carry forward capital losses incurred in taxable years beginning after December 22, 2010 for an unlimited period. Additionally, post-enactment capital losses that are carried forward will retain their character as either short-term or long-term. Capital loss carryforwards, all of which are not subject to expiration, are as follows:

 

    

Short-Term

Loss

   

Long-Term

Loss

    Total  

Emerging Markets Fund

   $             335,930     $             —     $             335,930  

For Federal income tax purposes, the cost of securities owned at July 31, 2016 and net realized gains or losses on securities sold for the period were different from the amounts reported for financial reporting purposes. These differences were primarily due to wash sales, which cannot be used for Federal income tax purposes in the current year and have been deferred for use in future years, return of capital distributions received and investments in passive foreign investment companies.

The Federal tax cost and aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation on investments held by the Funds at January 31, 2019 were as follows:

 

    Federal
Tax Cost
    Aggregate
Gross
Unrealized
Appreciation
    Aggregate
Gross
Unrealized
Depreciation
    Net
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Small Company Fund

  $     1,361,768,668     $  393,468,539     $  (83,279,938   $  310,188,601  

Mid Cap Fund

    2,474,265,550       551,960,875       (93,060,299     458,900,576  

Emerging Markets Fund

    3,065,209       719,731       (204,656     515,075  

9. CONCENTRATION OF RISKS:

As with investing in all mutual funds, investing in the Fund involves risk, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve the Fund’s investment goals. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, just as you could with other investments. As described in the Fund’s Prospectus, the Fund is subject to the following risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value and ability to meet the Fund’s investment objective:

MARKET RISK – The prices of and the income generated by the Fund’s securities may decline in response to, among other things, investor sentiment, general economic and market conditions, regional or global instability, and currency and interest rate fluctuations.

ACTIVE MANAGEMENT RISK – The Fund is subject to the risk that the Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the Fund’s investments may

 

59   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

prove to be incorrect. If the investments selected and strategies employed by the Fund fail to produce the intended results, the Fund could underperform in comparison to other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.

EQUITY RISK – Since it purchases equity securities, the Fund is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund’s equity securities may fluctuate drastically from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. These factors contribute to price volatility, which is the principal risk of investing in the Fund.

SMALL-CAPITALIZATION COMPANY RISK – The Fund is also subject to the risk that small-capitalization stocks may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. The small-capitalization companies that the Fund invests in may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies. In particular, investments in these small-sized companies may pose additional risks, including liquidity risk, because these companies tend to have limited product lines, markets and financial resources, and may depend upon a relatively small management group. Therefore, small-cap stocks may be more volatile than those of larger companies. These securities may be traded over-the-counter or listed on an exchange.

MID-CAPITALIZATION COMPANY RISK – The Fund is also subject to the risk that medium-capitalization stocks may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. The medium-sized companies the Fund invests in may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies. In particular, investments in these medium-sized companies may pose additional risks, including liquidity risk, because these companies tend to have limited product lines, markets and financial resources, and may depend upon a relatively small management group. Therefore, mid-capitalization stocks may be more volatile than those of larger companies. These securities may be traded over-the-counter or listed on an exchange.

LARGE-CAPITALIZATION COMPANY RISK – The large-capitalization companies in which the Fund invests may not respond as quickly as smaller companies to competitive challenges, and their growth rates may lag the growth rates of well-managed smaller companies during strong economic periods.

FOREIGN COMPANY RISK – Investing in foreign companies, including direct investments and through American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), which are traded on U.S. exchanges and represent an ownership in a foreign security, poses additional risks since political and economic events unique to a country or region will affect those markets and their issuers.

 

60   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

These risks will not necessarily affect the U.S. economy or similar issuers located in the United States. In addition, investments in foreign companies generally are denominated in a foreign currency. Securities of foreign companies may not be registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and foreign companies are generally not subject to the regulatory controls imposed on U.S. issuers and, as a consequence, there is generally less publically available information about foreign securities than is available about domestic securities. Income from foreign securities owned by the Fund may be reduced by a withholding tax at the source, which tax would reduce income received from the securities comprising the portfolio. The Fund may also be subject to taxes on trading profits or on transfers of securities in some countries. Foreign securities may also be more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers. While ADRs provide an alternative to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their respective national markets and currencies, investments in ADRs continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities.

EMERGING MARKETS RISK – Many of the risks with respect to foreign investments are more pronounced for investments in issuers in emerging market countries. Emerging market countries tend to have fewer government exchange controls, more volatile interest and currency exchange rates, less market regulation, and less developed economic, political and legal systems than do more developed countries. In addition, emerging market countries may experience high levels of inflation and may have less liquid securities markets and less efficient trading and settlement systems.

As a consequence, issuers in emerging market countries may be susceptible to increased political or social instability, economies based on only a few industries, unstable currencies, runaway inflation, highly volatile securities markets, unpredictable shifts in policies relating to foreign investments, lack of protection for investors against parties that fail to complete transactions, and the potential for government seizure of assets or nationalization of companies. Changes in the price of oil have a direct and significant effect on the economies of Gulf countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE, i.e., if the price of oil increases, these countries benefit, and if the price of oil declines, these countries would be adversely affected.

FOREIGN CURRENCY RISK – As a result of the Fund’s investments in securities or other investments denominated in, and/or receiving revenues in, foreign currencies, the Fund will be subject to currency risk. Currency risk is the risk that foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, in which case, the dollar value of an investment in the Fund would be adversely affected. These currency movements may occur separately from, and in response to, events that do not otherwise affect the value of the security in the issuer’s home country.

 

61   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS RISK – ETFs are pooled investment vehicles whose shares are listed and traded on U.S. stock exchanges. To the extent the Fund invests in ETFs, the Fund will be subject to substantially the same risks as those associated with the direct ownership of the securities held by such ETFs. As a shareholder of an ETF, the Fund relies on that ETF to achieve its investment objective. If the ETF fails to achieve its objective, the value of the Fund’s investment could decline, which could adversely affect the Fund’s performance. By investing in an ETF, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses of the ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses that Fund shareholders directly bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. The shares of certain ETFs may trade at a premium or discount to their intrinsic value (i.e., the market value may differ from the net asset value of an ETF’s shares). For example, supply and demand for shares of an ETF or market disruptions may cause the market price of the ETF to deviate from the value of the ETF’s investments, which may be emphasized in less liquid markets.

Inverse ETFs seek to provide investment results that match a negative multiple of the performance of an underlying index. To the extent that the Fund invests in Inverse ETFs, the Fund will indirectly be subject to the risk that the performance of such ETF will fall as the performance of that ETF’s benchmark rises. Inverse ETFs often “reset” daily, meaning that they are designed to achieve their stated objectives on a daily basis. Due to the effect of compounding, their performance over longer periods of time can differ significantly from the inverse of the performance of their underlying index or benchmark during the same period of time. These investment vehicles may be extremely volatile.

NON-DIVERSIFIED FUND RISK – The Fund is non-diversified, meaning that it may invest a large percentage of its assets in a single issuer or a relatively small number of issuers. Because the Fund is non-diversified, it may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or political occurrence affecting one or more of the issuers, and may experience increased volatility due to its investments in those securities.

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RISK – The Fund is subject to portfolio turnover risk since it may buy and sell investments frequently. Such a strategy often involves higher expenses, including brokerage commissions, and may increase the amount of capital gains (in particular, short term gains) realized by the Fund. Shareholders may pay tax on such capital gains.

10. OTHER:

At January 31, 2019, 59% of the total shares outstanding of the Small Company Fund Advisor Shares were held by two shareholders, 47% of the total shares outstanding of the Small Company Fund Institutional Shares were held by four shareholder; 22% of the total shares outstanding of the Mid Cap Fund Advisor Shares were held by two shareholders, 71% of the total shares outstanding of the Mid Cap Fund Institutional Shares were held by five

 

62   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

shareholders; and 91% of the total shares outstanding of the Emerging Markets Fund Advisor Shares were held by two shareholders. These shareholders were comprised of omnibus accounts that were held on behalf of various individual shareholders.

In the normal course of business, the Funds enter into contracts that provide general indemnifications. The Funds’ maximum exposure under these arrangements is dependent on future claims that may be made against the Funds and, therefore, cannot be established; however, based on experience, the risk of loss from such claim is considered remote.

11. LINE OF CREDIT:

The Mid Cap Fund and Small Company Fund entered into agreements which enable them to participate in lines of credit with the Custodian. The Mid Cap Fund participates in a $95 million uncommitted, senior secured lines of credit and the Small Company Fund participates in a $65 million committed, senior secured line of credit, which have expiration dates of February 13, 2019. The proceeds from the borrowings shall be used to provide temporary liquidity to the Funds as necessary in order to meet redemption needs. Interest is charged to the Funds based on the outstanding principal balance of the borrowings at an annual rate equal to the Custodian’s then-current prime-lending rate. These fees are included as “Other Expenses” on the Statements of Operations. From December 18, 2018 through December 26, 2018, the Small Company Fund borrowed $23,160,000 at the interest rate of 5.50%. From December 21, 2018 through December 26, 2018, the Mid Cap Fund borrowed $1,748,000 at the interest rate of 5.50%. During the period ended January 31, 2019, there were no borrowings outstanding.

12. IN-KIND TRANSFER OF SECURITIES:

The Small Company received a contribution in-kind of investment securities and cash. These securities were exchanged tax free at their current fair value on the date of the transaction and did not have unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) at the time of transfer. As a result of this contribution, the following units of the Fund were issued for assets valued:

 

Transaction

Date

    

Institutional

Shares

Issued

    

Investment

Securities

     Cash      Value  
  10/13/17        95,815      $     1,907,924      $     156,884      $     2,064,808  

13. REGULATORY MATTERS:

On August 17, 2018, the SEC adopted amendments to Regulation S-X. These changes are effective for periods after November 5, 2018. The updates to Registered Investment Companies were mainly focused on simplifying the presentation of distributable earnings by eliminating the need to present the components of distributable earnings on a book basis in

 

63   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

the Statement of Assets & Liabilities. The update also impacted the presentation of undistributed net investment income and distribution to shareholders on the Statement of Changes in Net Assets. The amounts presented in the current Statement of Changes in Net Assets represent the aggregated total distributions of net investment income and realized capital gains, except for distributions classified as return of capital which are still presented separately. The disaggregated amounts from the prior fiscal year are broken out below if there were both distributions from net investment income and realized capital gains. Otherwise, the amount on the current Statement of Changes for the prior fiscal year end represents distributions of net investment income:

 

     Net
Investment
Income
    Net
Realized
Gains
    Total  

Small Company Fund

      

Advisor Shares

   $     $         (57,468,436   $ (57,468,436

Institutional Shares

           (79,340,703     (79,340,703

Mid Cap Fund

      

Advisor Shares

                     —       (29,164,743     (29,164,743

Institutional Shares

     (1,891,391     (61,280,810             (63,172,201

14. NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENT:

In August 2018, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820). The new guidance includes additions and modifications to disclosures requirements for fair value measurements. For public entities, amendments are effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. At this time, management is currently evaluating the impact of this new guidance on the time, management is currently evaluating the impact of this new guidance on the financial statements and disclosures.

15. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS:

The Funds have evaluated the need for additional disclosures and/or adjustments resulting from subsequent events. Based on this evaluation, no additional disclosures and/or adjustments were required to the financial statements as of January 31, 2019.

 

64   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

BOARD CONSIDERATIONS IN THE ADVISORY AGREEMENT (Unaudited)

 

Pursuant to Section 15 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), the Funds’ advisory agreement (the “Agreement”) must be renewed at least annually after its initial two-year term: (i) by the vote of the Board of Trustees (the “Board” or the “Trustees”) of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II (the “Trust”) or by a vote of a majority of the shareholders of the Funds; and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Agreement or “interested persons” of any party thereto, as defined in the 1940 Act (the “Independent Trustees”), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such renewal.

A Board meeting was held on August 21, 2018 to decide whether to renew the Agreement for an additional one-year term. In preparation for the meeting, the Trustees requested that the Adviser furnish information necessary to evaluate the terms of the Agreement. Prior to the meeting, the Independent Trustees of the Funds met to review and discuss the information provided and submitted a request for additional information to the Adviser, and information was provided in response to this request. The Trustees used this information, as well as other information that the Adviser and other service providers of the Funds presented or submitted to the Board at the meeting and other meetings held during the prior year, to help them decide whether to renew the Agreement for an additional year.

Specifically, the Board requested and received written materials from the Adviser and other service providers of the Funds regarding: (i) the nature, extent and quality of the Adviser’s services; (ii) the Adviser’s investment management personnel; (iii) the Adviser’s operations and financial condition; (iv) the Adviser’s brokerage practices (including any soft dollar arrangements) and investment strategies; (v) the Funds’ advisory fees paid to the Adviser and overall fees and operating expenses compared with peer groups of mutual funds; (vi) the level of the Adviser’s profitability from its relationship with the Funds, including both direct and indirect benefits accruing to the Adviser and its affiliates; (vii) the Adviser’s potential economies of scale; (viii) the Adviser’s compliance program, including a description of material compliance matters and material compliance violations; (ix) the Adviser’s policies on and compliance procedures for personal securities transactions; and (x) the Funds’ performance compared with peer groups of mutual funds and the Funds’ benchmark indices.

Representatives from the Adviser, along with other Fund service providers, presented additional information and participated in question and answer sessions at the Board meeting to help the Trustees evaluate the Adviser’s services, fees and other aspects of the Agreement. The Independent Trustees received advice from independent counsel and met in executive sessions outside the presence of Fund management and the Adviser.

 

65   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

BOARD CONSIDERATIONS IN THE ADVISORY AGREEMENT (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

At the Board meeting, the Trustees, including all of the Independent Trustees, based on their evaluation of the information provided by the Adviser and other service providers of the Funds, renewed the Agreement. In considering the renewal of the Agreement, the Board considered various factors that they determined were relevant, including: (i) the nature, extent and quality of the services provided by the Adviser; (ii) the investment performance of the Funds and the Adviser; (iii) the costs of the services provided and profits realized by the Adviser from its relationship with the Funds, including both direct and indirect benefits accruing to the Adviser and its affiliates; (iv) the extent to which economies of scale are being realized by the Adviser; and (v) whether fee levels reflect such economies of scale for the benefit of Fund investors, as discussed in further detail below.

NATURE, EXTENT AND QUALITY OF SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE ADVISER

In considering the nature, extent and quality of the services provided by the Adviser, the Board reviewed the portfolio management services provided by the Adviser to the Funds, including the quality and continuity of the Adviser’s portfolio management personnel, the resources of the Adviser, and the Adviser’s compliance history and compliance program. The Trustees reviewed the terms of the Agreement. The Trustees also reviewed the Adviser’s investment and risk management approaches for the Funds. The most recent investment adviser registration form (“Form ADV”) for the Adviser was available to the Board, as was the response of the Adviser to a detailed series of questions which included, among other things, information about the investment advisory services provided by the Adviser to the Funds.

The Trustees also considered other services provided to the Funds by the Adviser such as selecting broker-dealers for executing portfolio transactions, monitoring adherence to the Funds’ investment restrictions, and monitoring compliance with various Fund policies and procedures and with applicable securities laws and regulations. Based on the factors above, as well as those discussed below, the Board concluded, within the context of its full deliberations, that the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Funds by the Adviser were sufficient to support renewal of the Agreement.

INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE OF THE FUNDS AND THE ADVISER

The Board was provided with regular reports regarding the Funds’ performance over various time periods. The Trustees also reviewed reports prepared by the Funds’ administrator comparing the Funds’ performance to their benchmark indices and peer groups of mutual funds as classified by Lipper, an independent provider of investment company data, over various periods of time. Representatives from the Adviser provided information regarding and led discussions of factors impacting the performance of the Funds, outlining current market

 

66   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

BOARD CONSIDERATIONS IN THE ADVISORY AGREEMENT (Unaudited) (Continued)

 

conditions and explaining their expectations and strategies for the future. The Trustees determined that the Funds’ performance was satisfactory, or, where the Funds’ performance was materially below their benchmarks and/or peer groups, the Trustees were satisfied by the reasons for the underperformance and/or the steps taken by the Adviser in an effort to improve the performance of the Funds. Based on this information, the Board concluded, within the context of its full deliberations, that the investment results that the Adviser had been able to achieve for the Funds were sufficient to support renewal of the Agreement.

COSTS OF ADVISORY SERVICES, PROFITABILITY AND ECONOMIES OF SCALE

In considering the advisory fees payable by the Funds to the Adviser, the Trustees reviewed, among other things, a report of the advisory fees paid to the Adviser. The Trustees also reviewed reports prepared by the Funds’ administrator comparing the Funds’ net and gross expense ratios and advisory fees to those paid by peer groups of mutual funds as classified by Lipper. The Trustees reviewed the management fees charged by the Adviser to other clients with comparable mandates. The Trustees considered any differences in management fees and took into account the respective demands, resources and complexity associated with the Funds and other client accounts as well as the extensive regulatory, compliance and tax regimes to which the Funds are subject. The Board concluded, within the context of its full deliberations, that the advisory fees were reasonable in light of the nature and quality of the services rendered by the Adviser.

The Trustees reviewed the costs of services provided by and the profits realized by the Adviser from its relationship with the Funds, including both direct benefits and indirect benefits, such as research and brokerage services received under soft dollar arrangements, accruing to the Adviser and its affiliates. The Trustees considered how the Adviser’s profitability was affected by factors such as its organizational structure and method for allocating expenses. The Trustees concluded that the profit margins of the Adviser with respect to the management of the Funds were not unreasonable. The Board also considered the Adviser’s commitment to managing the Funds and its willingness to continue its expense limitation and fee waiver arrangements with the Funds.

The Trustees considered the Adviser’s views relating to economies of scale in connection with the Funds as Fund assets grow and the extent to which the benefits of any such economies of scale are shared with the Funds and Fund shareholders. The Board considered the existence of any economies of scale and whether those were passed along to the Funds’ shareholders through a graduated advisory fee schedule or other means, including fee waivers. The Trustees recognized that economies of scale are difficult to identify and quantify and are rarely identifiable on a fund-by-fund basis. Based on this evaluation, the

 

67   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

BOARD CONSIDERATIONS IN THE ADVISORY AGREEMENT (Unaudited) (Concluded)

 

Board concluded that the advisory fee was reasonable in light of the information that was provided to the Trustees by the Adviser with respect to economies of scale.

RENEWAL OF THE AGREEMENT

Based on the Board’s deliberations and its evaluation of the information described above and other factors and information it believed relevant in the exercise of its reasonable business judgment, the Board, including all of the Independent Trustees, with the assistance of Fund counsel and Independent Trustees’ counsel, unanimously concluded that the terms of the Agreement, including the fees payable thereunder, were fair and reasonable and agreed to renew the Agreement for another year. In its deliberations, the Board did not identify any absence of information as material to its decision, or any particular factor (or conclusion with respect thereto) or single piece of information that was all-important, controlling or determinative of its decision, but considered all of the factors together, and each Trustee may have attributed different weights to the various factors (and conclusions with respect thereto) and information.

 

68   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

DISCLOSURE OF FUND EXPENSES (Unaudited)

 

All mutual funds have operating expenses. As a shareholder of a mutual fund, your investment is affected by these ongoing costs, which include (among others) costs for portfolio management, administrative services, and shareholder reports like this one. It is important for you to understand the impact of these costs on your investment returns.

Operating expenses such as these are deducted from the mutual fund’s gross income and directly reduce your final investment return. These expenses are expressed as a percentage of the mutual fund’s average net assets; this percentage is known as the mutual fund’s expense ratio.

The following examples use the expense ratio and are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and to compare these costs with those of other mutual funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period shown and held for the entire period from August 1, 2018 to January 31, 2019.

The table on the next page illustrates your Fund’s costs in two ways:

 

 

Actual Fund Return. This section helps you to estimate the actual expenses after fee waivers that your Fund incurred over the period. The “Expenses Paid During Period” column shows the actual dollar expense cost incurred by a $1,000 investment in the Fund, and the “Ending Account Value” number is derived from deducting that expense cost from the Fund’s gross investment return. You can use this information, together with the actual amount you invested in the Fund, to estimate the expenses you paid over that period. Simply divide your actual account value by $1,000 to arrive at a ratio (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply that ratio by the number shown for your Fund under “Expenses Paid During Period.”

 

 

Hypothetical 5% Return. This section helps you compare your Fund’s costs with those of other mutual funds. It assumes that the Fund had an annual 5% return before expenses during the year, but that the expense ratio (Column 3) for the period is unchanged. This example is useful in making comparisons because the Securities and Exchange Commission requires all mutual funds to make this 5% calculation. You can assess your Fund’s comparative cost by comparing the hypothetical result for your Fund in the “Expense Paid During Period” column with those that appear in the same charts in the shareholder reports for other mutual funds.

 

69   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND II    CHAMPLAIN FUNDS
   JANUARY 31, 2019
  

 

 

 

DISCLOSURE OF FUND EXPENSES (Unaudited) (Concluded)

 

Note: Because the hypothetical return is set at 5% for comparison purposes — NOT your Fund’s actual return — the account values shown may not apply to your specific investment.

 

    Beginning
Account
Value 08/01/18
    Ending
Account
Value 01/31/19
    Annualized
Expense
Ratios
  Expenses
Paid During
Period*

Small Company Fund

       
Actual Fund Return        

Advisor

  $ 1,000.00     $ 925.00     1.26%   $6.11

Institutional

  $ 1,000.00     $ 926.40     1.01%   $4.90
Hypothetical 5% Return        

Advisor

  $ 1,000.00     $ 1,018.85     1.26%   $6.41

Institutional

  $ 1,000.00     $ 1,020.11     1.01%   $5.14

Champlain Mid Cap Fund

       
Actual Fund Return        

Advisor

  $ 1,000.00     $ 1,031.10     1.11%   $5.68

Institutional

  $ 1,000.00     $ 1,033.20     0.86%   $4.41
Hypothetical 5% Return        

Advisor

  $ 1,000.00     $ 1,019.61     1.11%   $5.65

Institutional

  $ 1,000.00     $ 1,020.87     0.86%   $4.38

Emerging Markets Fund

       
Actual Fund Return   $ 1,000.00     $ 901.50     1.50%   $7.19
Hypothetical 5% Return   $ 1,000.00     $ 1,017.64     1.50%   $7.63

* Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 184/365 (to reflect one-half year period).

 

70   CHAMPLAIN INVESTMENT   PARTNERS


Champlain Funds

P.O. Box 219009

Kansas City, MO 64121-9009

866-773-3238

Adviser:

Champlain Investment Partners, LLC

180 Battery Street

Burlington, VT 05401

Distributor:

SEI Investments Distribution Co.

Oaks, PA 19456

Administrator:

SEI Investments Global Funds Services

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, PA 19456

Legal Counsel:

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

1701 Market Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103-2921

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm:

Ernst & Young LLP

One Commerce Square

2005 Market Street, Suite 700

Philadelphia, PA 19103

This information must be preceded or accompanied by a current prospectus for the Funds.

CSC-SA-001-1500


Item 2.

Code of Ethics.

Not applicable for semi-annual report.

 

Item 3.

Audit Committee Financial Expert.

Not applicable for semi-annual report.

 

Item 4.

Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

Not applicable for semi-annual report.

 

Item 5.

Audit Committee of Listed Registrants.

Not applicable to open-end management investment companies.

 

Item 6.

Schedule of Investments.

Schedule of Investments is included as part of the Report to Shareholders filed under Item 1 of this form.

 

Item 7.

Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

Not applicable to open-end management investment companies.

 

Item 8.

Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

Not applicable to open-end management investment companies. Effective for closed-end management investment companies for fiscal-years-ending on or after December 31, 2005.

 

Item 9.

Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Company and Affiliated Purchasers.

Not applicable to open-end management investment companies.

 

Item 10.

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

There have been no changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the Registrant’s Board of Trustees during the period covered by this report.

 

Item 11.

Controls and Procedures.

(a) The Registrant’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, have concluded that the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Act (17 CFR § 270.30a-3(c)), as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of the report, are effective based on the evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the Act (17 CFR § 270.30a-3(b)) and Rules 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act, as amended (17 CFR § 270.30a-15(b) or § 240.15d-15(b)).

(b) There has been no change in the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Act (17 CFR § 270.3a-3(d)) that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.


Items 12.

Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

Not applicable to open-end management investment companies.

 

Items 13.

Exhibits.

(a)(1) A copy of the Registrant’s Code of Ethics, as required by Item 2 of this Form, accompanies this filing as an exhibit.

(a)(2) A separate certification for the principal executive officer and the principal financial officer of the Registrant, as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Act (17 CFR § 270.30a-2(a)), is filed herewith.

(b) Officer certifications, as required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the Act (17 CFR § 270.30a-2(b)), also accompany this filing as an exhibit.


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

(Registrant)       The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II
By (Signature and Title)      

/s/ Michael Beattie

     

Michael Beattie, President

Date: April 10, 2019*

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

By (Signature and Title)      

/s/ Michael Beattie

      Michael Beattie, President

Date: April 10, 2019*

 

By (Signature and Title)      

/s/ Stephen Connors

      Stephen Connors
      Treasurer, Controller, & CFO

Date: April 10, 2019*

 

*

Print the name and title of each signing officer under his or her signature.