Nine Rivers Capital aims to generate sustainable, long-term wealth for its clients through its focus on investing in high-quality small cap companies supported by robust fundamentals and capable leadership. The company’s tagline, “private equity approach to small cap investing,” reflects Nine Rivers’ commitment to a meticulous, disciplined process and extended investment horizon when identifying potential opportunities.
1. This approach centers on the ability to anticipate long-term structural growth themes and drivers that are anticipated to unfold over a span of five years or more. By adhering to this strategy, Nine Rivers endeavours to capture the benefits of early investment in such themes, distinct from short-term momentum-focused investing strategies.
2. Despite its small cap specialization, Nine Rivers is acutely aware of the inherent risks within this space and takes diligent measures to minimize and mitigate these risks. This is achieved through the implementation of a rigorous “price guard rail” framework, which guides Nine Rivers to acquire stocks at reasonable valuations, deviating from conventional model portfolio approaches.
3. At the individual company level, Nine Rivers seeks to identify entities that exhibit growth potential while maintaining a favorable margin and cash flow profile. An essential criterion is the capacity of the business to generate substantial free cash, which in turn facilitates future growth initiatives. Nine Rivers maintains a cautious stance towards leveraging, avoiding investment in entities with fragile balance sheets.
4. The company holds a strongly bullish outlook on small caps for the forthcoming decade, driven by the macroeconomic prospects in India. These prospects indicate the emergence of a manufacturing renaissance alongside growth in the services sector, contributing to a favorable environment for small cap investments.