About Us
Lawson Kroeker Investment Management, advisor to the LK Balanced Fund, is a Midwest-based, SEC registered advisory firm founded in 1986. The firm manages the LK Balanced Fund and separately managed accounts for high net worth families, endowments, foundations, and corporations. We are long-term investors, employing a rigorous fundamental evaluation process focused on quality, value and growth to build well-diversified portfolios. At all times, our decision making is guided by the best interest of our shareholders and clients.
Philosophy
We believe a traditional fundamentals-based approach to investing serves the best interests of our clients. In our view, preservation of capital is every bit as important as growth of capital and we, therefore, invest in high quality companies that we believe will perform well over time. By investing for the long-term, we seek to avoid the whims of the market. We believe following the crowd, often isn't the best plan for achieving financial success.
Process
We select potential investments based on an in-depth research process we've fine-tuned for nearly 30 years.
We seek solid companies that we believe possess...
- Competitive advantages and high profit margins
- Little or no debt, free cash flow, and deploy capital wisely
- Superior management teams; leaders who are honest, ethical, energetic, and have historically increased the value of their organizations
- A margin of safety: can be purchased at a discount to our estimate of value
We sell a company's stock when our research tells us...
- Valuation has grown so high that the expected return falls below alternatives and is well above long-term historical average multiples
- Economics of the business are deteriorating
- The security is not performing as we originally believed it would
Margin of safety (safety margin) is the difference between the intrinsic value of a stock and its market price.
Free cash flow (FCF) is a measure of how much cash a business generates after accounting for capital expenditures such as buildings or equipment. This cash can be used for expansion, dividends, reducing debt, or other purposes.
Portfolio Managers
Thomas J. Sudyka, Jr., CFA
Mr. Sudyka began his career as a portfolio manager with several large Midwest-based investment management companies. He served as a managing director and founding partner of BPI Global Asset Management prior to joining Lawson Kroeker in 1999. His investment decisions are guided by his 30+ years of investment management experience.
M.B.A. Finance, University of Nebraska
B.A. Finance, Creighton University
Bruce H. Van Kooten, CFA
Mr. Van Kooten was a portfolio manager and analyst with several Omaha-based investment management companies before moving to Wells Fargo Private Client Services as vice president and senior investment manager. He brought his talents to the Lawson Kroeker firm in 2006, and clients have benefitted from his 35+ years of investment management experience.
B.A., Economics and Finance, Iowa State University
| FUND FACTS as of 12/31/22 | |
|---|---|
| Ticker: | LKBLX |
| Inception Date: | 12/31/86 |
| Total Net Assets (mil): | $28.7 |
| Sales Charges: | None |
| Redemption Charges: | None |
| Minimum Investment: | $50,000 |
| Minimum IRA Investment: | $5,000 |
| Gross Expense Ratio: | 1.38% |
| Net Expense Ratio:1 | 1.00% |