- Business
- Otter Creek Focus Strategy ETF (OCFS) is an actively managed exchange-traded fund that seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in U.S.-listed equity securities of 20 to 35 small- and mid-capitalization companies selected through a fundamental, business-model-focused approach; the strategy targets durable businesses with differentiated products or services, higher profitability, attractive growth profiles, and high free cash flow relative to the Russell Midcap Index benchmark, including capital compounders and opportunistic mispricings such as those undergoing industry growth inflections, management changes, or undervaluation. The Fund, with a net expense ratio of 0.85%, typically holds positions of 3-5% each with expected annual turnover below 25%, and maintains sector allocations in areas like energy power transition, infrastructure modernization, digital infrastructure, and enterprise digitization; top holdings as of early 2025 have included Vertiv Holdings Co., Quanta Services Inc., LPL Financial Holdings Inc., CompoSecure Inc., and Parsons Corp. Launched on May 17, 2024, and listed on NYSE Arca, Inc. (ticker: OCFS), the ETF converted a separately managed account strategy originally established in May 2020, enabling tax-deferred compounding benefits and broadening access through the active ETF structure distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC. Otter Creek Advisors, LLC, a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission-registered investment adviser founded in 1991 and based at 11300 US Highway 1, Suite 500, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, serves as the investment advisor, with principals Tyler Walling and Cory Reed managing the portfolio; the Fund operates within the U.S. equity market, focusing on developed North American small- and mid-cap segments for institutional and retail investors seeking active strategies independent of growth-value style buckets. In 2024, OCFS delivered a 21.82% return, outperforming the Russell Midcap Index's 15.34% gain, driven by long positions in AI-related infrastructure and industrials like Coherent Corp., Vertiv Holdings, and Corning Inc., though detracted by holdings such as Super Micro Computer and RH; entering 2025 amid elevated volatility, the Adviser dynamically reallocated capital to new opportunities aligned with multi-year themes including U.S. power demand growth from data centers, global industrial reshoring, and AI-enabled enterprise digitization. The strategy has since inception nearly matched S&P 500 performance without exposure to the Magnificent Seven stocks, with total net assets around $8-9 million as of mid-2025 and a high active share of approximately 95% versus its benchmark.