Ariel Discovery Fund

Our patient approach focuses on the long term, allowing us to take advantage of great buying opportunities that arise from Wall Street’s excessive focus on the short term and from the institutional neglect common with small cap stocks.


Ariel Discovery Fund searches for sound businesses trading below intrinsic value, which we believe is best determined by two factors: asset value and/or earnings power.


Asset Value

  • A company’s assets as defined by tangible assets, unrecognized assets or franchise value are key to determining a margin of safety.
  • In analyzing a company’s assets the following tools are most often used: price/tangible book value, price/net current assets and price/cash.

Earnings Power

  • Earnings power, as evaluated by price/earnings, price/cash flow and EV/EBITDA, typically represent upside to the investment opportunity. For example, a common investment would be the purchase of a company trading below its liquid asset value, which is currently operating at roughly break-even. Expected improvement in operations then provides an inexpensive or even free "call option," with assets providing a margin of safety.

The portfolio managers bring a unique expertise in evaluating which metric is most useful in measuring a company’s value.


In addition to the above quantitative factors, we may also evaluate a company qualitatively by examining its product positioning, new product potential, quality of and ownership by the management team, as well as turnaround and/or takeover potential.


In the end, the intent is to make a sound investment which allows for a margin of safety.




Margin of Safety: Attempting to purchase with a margin of safety on price cannot protect investors from the volatility associated with stocks, incorrect assumptions or estimations on our part, declining fundamentals or external forces.



Social Screens: The responsibility factor

We believe ethical business practices make good investment sense.


We do not invest in corporations whose primary source of revenue is derived from:

  • the production or sale of tobacco products or
  • the manufacture of handguns.


Additionally, we consider a company’s environmental record which includes reviewing research from outside vendors that provide such services, and we encourage portfolio companies to have proactive diversity practices.


For more information, read The Responsibility Factor.





Fund Facts
Market Cap Range: under $2 billion
Inception:
Investor Class: 01/31/2011
Institutional Class: 12/30/2011
Number of holdings: 30-40
Turnover: 25-45%
Ticker Symbol:
Investor Class: ARDFX
Institutional Class: ADYIX
Fund Assets (all classes):
$15.4 million as of 3/31/2013
Portfolio Managers
David Maley
David M. Maley
Lead Portfolio Manager
View Full Bio
Kenneth E. Kuhrt
Kenneth E. Kuhrt, CPA
Portfolio Manager
View Full Bio
Fund Spotlight
The Verdict is In
Find out why Ariel Discovery Fund, our small-cap, deep value fund is grabbing headlines
Maley’s Deep-Value Strategy
[video] David Maley discusses his unique approach to selecting stocks with Morningstar

The four-part process we follow emphasizes our disciplined philosophy, focusing on what matters most through independent thought and research.


The Idea: We screen more than 10,000 securities on size, valuation and industry parameters to yield roughly 2,000 issues. Of those we follow approximately 50 closely.


The Science: We quickly move to determine whether or not an idea is cheap enough via a deep value strategy focusing on book value (often 1x or below), tangible book value, cash and so forth. There are no rigid criteria to our analytical process; we are trying to determine that a margin of safety exists between price and intrinsic value.


The Art: We surround companies to paint a long-term picture and identify what others are missing. One key tool is our extensive independent verification network—the many outside experts we know well. Another tool is deciding the best methodology to determine whether a margin of safety exists.


The Decision: Once we have measured the gap between stock price and intrinsic value, we hold an informal discussion with any research members who are experts in the industry. After consultation with his portfolio manager, the lead portfolio manager makes the final decision on whether or not to initiate a position.


 
Process-Flow-Chart.png

Margin of Safety: Attempting to purchase with a margin of safety on price cannot protect investors from the volatility associated with stocks, incorrect assumptions or estimations on our part, declining fundamentals or external forces.
> Investor Class
> Institutional Class
Quarter End
Month End

Ariel Discovery Fund Performance as of April 30, 2013

Inception date: January 31, 2011 Annualized
  One
Month
Three
Months
Year To
Date
One
Year
Since
Inception
Ariel Discovery Fund -0.17% 6.49% 13.34% 18.10% 7.70%
Russell 2000® Value Index -0.10% 5.25% 11.52% 19.71% 10.20%
S&P 500® Index 1.93% 7.18% 12.74% 16.89% 12.58%

Ariel Discovery Fund Performance as of March 31, 2013

Inception date: January 31, 2011 Annualized
  One
Month
Three
Months
Year To
Date
One
Year
Since
Inception
Ariel Discovery Fund 7.55% 13.54% 13.53% 17.95% 8.08%
Russell 2000® Value Index 4.16% 11.63% 11.63% 18.09% 10.65%
S&P 500® Index 3.75% 10.61% 10.61% 13.96% 12.09%

> Compare Performance for all our Funds
> View Historical Quarter-by-Quarter Performance

Net Expense Ratio as of the fiscal year ended 9/30/12: 1.50%*
Gross Expense Ratio as of the fiscal year ended 9/30/12: 5.18%*

*Ariel Investments, LLC, the Adviser, is contractually obligated to waive fees or reimburse expenses in order to limit Ariel Discovery Fund’s total annual operating expenses to 1.50% of net assets for the Investor Class through the end of the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014. No termination of this agreement by either the Board of Trustees or the Adviser may be effective until, at the earliest, October 1, 2014.


Investing in small-cap stocks is more risky and volatile than investing in large-cap stocks. Performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All performance assumes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. 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. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted.


The Russell 2000® Value Index measures the performance of the small-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 2000 companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. Russell® is a trademark of Russell Investment Group, which is the source and owner of the Russell Indexes’ trademarks, service marks and copyrights. The S&P 500® Index is the most widely accepted barometer of the market. It includes 500 blue chip, large cap stocks, which together represent about 75% of the total U.S. equities market.


Investors should consider carefully the investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses before investing. For a current summary prospectus or full prospectus which contains this and other information about the funds offered by Ariel Investment Trust, call us at 800-292-7435 or click here. Please read the summary prospectus or full prospectus carefully before investing. Distributed by Ariel Distributors, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ariel Investments, LLC.

Sector Weightings (%) as of March 31, 2013

  Ariel Discovery Fund Russell 2000 Value S&P 500
Consumer Discretionary 20.80 12.61 13.61
Financial Services 18.98 37.86 17.19
Producer Durables 16.17 12.86 10.57
Technology 15.55 9.95 15.65
Energy 10.56 6.02 10.93
Materials and Processing 8.94 7.09 3.78
Health Care 5.44 4.67 12.37
Utilities 3.56 6.75 6.33
Consumer Staples 0.00 2.21 9.56

Represents percentage of total equity holdings in the portfolio


> View Historical Sector Diversification

Portfolio Characteristics as of March 31, 2013

  Market Capitalization Ariel Discovery Fund Russell 2000 Value S&P 500
Market Capitalization (In billions)      
Large Capitalization 64.31 & Above 0.0 0.0 48.1
Medium/Large Capitalization 18.65 -- 64.31 0.0 0.0 31.4
Medium Capitalization 6.39 -- 18.65 0.0 0.0 18.1
Medium/Small Capitalization 2.39 -- 6.39 7.9 12.5 2.4
Small Capitalization 2.39 & Below 92.1 87.5 0.0
Dollar-Weighted Average (BIL)*   $0.35 $1.04 $58.72
Valuation Metrics  
Price/Book   1.4 1.4 2.3
Price/Sales   1.1 1.2 1.6
Trailing Price/Earnings   65.0 23.3 17.0
P/E Excluding Negative Earnings   15.1 17.1 16.5
Discount to Private Market Value   -32.2 n/a n/a
Fundamentals  
Debt/Equity   0.3 0.9 1.3
Portfolio Construction  
Number of Holdings   37 1,403 500
Turnover   23.8 n/a n/a
Historical R-Squared vs. S&P 500   0.70 n/a n/a
Historical R-Squared vs. Russell 2000 Value   0.79 n/a n/a

> View Historical Portfolio Characteristics

Market Capitalization data, Valuation Metrics, Fundamentals and Number of Holdings are obtained from BNY Mellon. Portfolio Turnover is generated internally through Fiserv APL.

*Market Capitalization is a dollar-weighted average natural log. Using the natural log of each stock’s market capitalization reduces the weight given to the largest companies in a simple averaging process.
**This measure is not a forecast of the fund’s performance.


The Russell 2000® Value Index measures the performance of the small-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 2000 companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. Russell® is a trademark of Russell Investment Group, which is the source and owner of the Russell Indexes’ trademarks, service marks and copyrights. The S&P 500® Index is the most widely accepted barometer of the market. It includes 500 blue chip, large cap stocks, which together represent about 75% of the total U.S. equities market.

Monthly Commentary: Perspectives on the current market
> Open the most recent Market Commentary

Quarterly Report: Quarterly performance update and communication to investors
> Open the most recent Ariel Investments Quarterly Report

Fact Sheets: Quarterly overview of fund objectives and performance summary
> Open the most recent Ariel Discovery Fund Fact Sheet

Morningstar Analyst Report: Independent fund report published by Morningstar
> Open the most recent Ariel Discovery Fund Morningstar Analyst Report

Schedule of Holdings as of March 31, 2013

Shares Security Description CUSIP Ticker Current Value ($) % of
Net
Assets
50,600 Mitcham Industries, Inc. 606501104 MIND 856,152 5.6
743,574 Fixed Income Clearing Corporation 85748R009   743,574 4.8
17,225 Contango Oil & Gas Co. 21075N204 MCF 690,550 4.5
26,800 First American Financial Corp. 31847R102 FAF 685,276 4.5
75,086 Market Leader, Inc. 57056R103 LEDR 672,771 4.4
20,000 International Speedway Corp. 460335201 ISCA 653,600 4.2
88,080 PCTEL, Inc. 69325Q105 PCTI 625,368 4.1
38,900 Rosetta Stone Inc. 777780107 RST 598,282 3.9
210,800 Cowen Group, Inc. 223622101 COWN 594,456 3.9
141,100 Vical Inc. 925602104 VICL 561,578 3.6
134,000 Imation Corp. 45245A107 IMN 511,880 3.3
48,700 XO Group Inc. 983772104 XOXO 487,000 3.2
20,000 MB Financial, Inc. 55264U108 MBFI 483,400 3.1
8,100 Madison Square Garden Co. 55826P100 MSG 466,560 3.0
28,297 Erickson Air-Crane, Inc. 29482P100 EAC 460,109 3.0
31,099 Landec Corp. 514766104 LNDC 450,003 2.9
103,800 Gaiam, Inc. 36268Q103 GAIA 435,960 2.8
153,594 Rentech, Inc. 760112102 RTK 360,946 2.3
12,300 Brink's Co. 109696104 BCO 347,598 2.3
25,700 AV Homes, Inc. 00234P102 AVHI 342,581 2.2
73,800 Ballantyne Strong, Inc. 058516105 BTN 312,174 2.0
57,600 Spartan Motors Inc. 846819100 SPAR 305,856 2.0
7,400 Team, Inc. 878155100 TISI 303,918 2.0
119,334 Orion Energy Systems, Inc. 686275108 OESX 295,948 1.9
30,600 Astro-Med, Inc. 04638F108 ALOT 293,148 1.9
166,300 Pendrell Corp. 70686R104 PCO 276,058 1.8
3,650 Littelfuse, Inc. 537008104 LFUS 247,652 1.6
47,100 ORBCOMM Inc. 68555P100 ORBC 245,391 1.6
12,800 Tessera Technologies, Inc. 88164L100 TSRA 240,000 1.6
78,900 ARC Document Solutions Inc. 00191G103 ARC 235,122 1.5
35,100 Furmanite Corp. 361086101 FRM 234,819 1.5
44,500 POZEN Inc. 73941U102 POZN 234,515 1.5
32,400 Callaway Golf Co. 131193104 ELY 214,488 1.4
43,700 Sigma Designs, Inc. 826565103 SIGM 212,819 1.4
6,600 Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. 829073105 SSD 202,026 1.3
18,095 JAKKS Pacific, Inc. 47012E106 JAKK 189,817 1.2
10,200 Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc. 62541B101 MFLX 157,386 1.0
29,700 American Electric Technologies, Inc. 025576109 AETI 155,034 1.0
  Cash, Other Assets and Liabilities     36,977 0.2
Grand Total   $15,420,792 100.0%  

Past performance does not guarantee future results. © Ariel Investments, LLC. The mutual funds offered by Ariel Investment Trust are distributed by Ariel Distributors, LLC. Use of this website is subject to our Terms & Conditions of use. Each of the investment products, mutual funds or services referred to in this site may be offered only to persons in the United States. This web site should not be considered a solicitation or offering of any investment products, funds or services to investors outside the United States. Original illustrations © Omar Rayyan 2007.