Hennessy Select SPARX Japan Smaller Companies Fund Named 2012 Lipper Fund Award Winner

^{Published on 2012-03-09 10:36:23 - Market Wire}
 

Hennessy Select SPARX Japan Smaller Companies Fund Named 2012 Lipper Fund Award... -- NOVATO, Calif., March 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

NOVATO, Calif., March 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hennessy Advisors, Inc. (OTCBB:HNNA) today announced that the Hennesy Select SPARX Japan Smaller Companies Fund (symbol:SPJSX) has been named a 2012 Lipper Fund Award winner.  Lipper, a leading global research firm, presented this year's awards at a ceremony held in New York City on March 8th.  The Lipper Fund Award honors funds that have excelled in delivering consistently stronger performance than their peers, and this award specifically recognizes the best three-year risk-adjusted performance among 12 Japanese funds for the period ended 11/30/11.                                                                  

"This Lipper award is a testament to the quality of our investment management team and reflects our disciplined money management approach," said Neil Hennessy, President, Chairman and CEO of Hennessy Advisors, Inc. "In my opinion, Japan is undervalued and offers an excellent investment opportunity. As investors begin to notice and appreciate this, I believe that our Select SPARX Japan Smaller Companies Fund is an excellent choice to gain exposure to this relatively undiscovered and under-appreciated market," he noted.

This Lipper Award winning Fund is sub-advised by SPARX Asset Management Co. Ltd., based in Tokyo, Japan. "Our location in Tokyo coupled with our long-standing relationships and research track record allow us access to meet with thousands of companies annually, personally getting to know the executives driving growth within Japanese companies," said Tadahiro Fujimura, lead portfolio manager for the Hennessy Select SPARX Japan Smaller Companies Fund.  "We have built a portfolio of what we believe are the best Japanese small-cap companies, including those that were heavily beaten down after the 2011 earthquake and those leading the reconstruction efforts here in Japan," he added.

About Hennessy Advisors, Inc.
Hennessy Advisors, Inc. is a publicly traded investment manager of a wide range of both domestic and international equity mutual funds, including a full line up of quantitatively managed portfolios as well as a series of sub-advised, actively managed strategies. Hennessy Advisors, Inc. is committed to its consistent and repeatable investment process, combining time-tested stock selection strategies with a highly disciplined, team-managed approach, and to superior service to shareholders.

About SPARX Asset Management Co., Ltd.
Since its founding in 1989, SPARX Asset Management Co. Ltd. has grown to become one of the largest and most respected independent money managers in Asia. SPARX's extensive experience in Japan and throughout Asia over the past two decades offers investors keen insights into opportunities throughout the region. SPARX is headquartered in Tokyo and manages approximately $6.7 billion in assets across SPARX Group.

Mutual fund investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible. Small and medium-capitalization companies tend to have limited liquidity and greater price volatility than large-capitalization companies.  Investments in foreign securities involve greater volatility and political, economic and currency risk and differences in accounting methods.

A Lipper Fund Award is awarded to one fund in each Lipper classification for achieving the strongest trend of consistent risk-adjusted performance against its classification peers over a three, five or ten-year period. Although Lipper makes reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained herein, the accuracy is not guaranteed by Lipper. Lipper Analytical Services, Inc. is an independent mutual fund research and rating service. © 2012, All Rights Reserved
The Hennessy Funds are distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC, Distributor.

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Neil J. Hennessy
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SOURCE Hennessy Advisors, Inc.

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