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Industry Survey 2017 Private Markets Investor & Consultant Due Diligence March 2017 Summary eVestment’s survey draws on a cross-section of the institutional investor and consultant market to explore their private markets allocations plans and manager due diligence practices in 2017. Overall, our findings shed light on the increasingly sophisticated nature of those allocating to, and advising on, private markets investments as well as the strategies most attractive in current market conditions. Highlights • Participants reported total institutional assets under management of USD 2.2 trillion and private markets assets under management of over USD 316 billion. • Team, Strategy and Track Record were the top three most important factors to respondents when evaluating a manager. ESG was of less importance. • A higher percentage of respondents found it “easy to compare manager performance on a fair and consistent basis” than compared to 2016 results, but the majority of respondents still find this difficult. More data, standardization and transparency from fund managers was cited as a solution. • Respondents are increasingly sophisticated in their approach to due diligence and, more specifically, Public Market Equivalent (PME) analysis. Contents Foreword 3 Respondent Profile 4 2017 Private Markets Investor and Consultant Due Diligence Survey Findings 5 - Valuations, dry powder top list of private markets’ concerns 5 - Where are investors and consultants looking for returns? 6 - FoFs lead the shift to private debt 7 - Allocations to private markets strong across LPs 8 - Public pensions outpace others in diversification 8 - Team far outweighs cost and social responsibility in manager selection 9 - How important are relationships now? 9 - Do investors “trust the numbers”? 10 - “Trust but verify” – why 75% of private market investors recalculate performance 10 - What do investors and consultants really think? 11 - Size, region and institution type all impact due diligence 12 - Majority still find performance comparison a difficult and complex issue 13 - What could make comparison easier still? 13 - What is most important in track record analysis? 14 - Public market equivalent analysis – highly used and still growing 15 Breakdown of Results 16 - The Effect of AUM/AUA 16 - The Effect of Region 17 - The Effect of Institution Type 18 Foreword Graeme Faulds, Director – Private Equity Solutions “I have always viewed private markets as a people business and the results of the 2017 Private Markets Investor and Consultant Due Diligence Survey show the majority of investors share this belief. Nearly all respondents to the survey stated that the most important aspect of due diligence is the people. Of course people are only part of the equation. The other P’s of private markets, Performance and Process, also feature highly. Track record and strategy were deemed the second and third most important factors respectively. This year’s survey saw a considerable increase in respondents and, for the first time, the inclusion of consultants. As a result, the survey respondents covered private market assets under management or advisory of $316 billion. Across the different respondent types and geographies it was clear that investors continue to increase their sophistication in how they conduct due diligence. 3 The use of Public Market Equivalents (PME) was up from 69% last year, to 81% in this year’s survey. Furthermore, the majority of respondents are using multiple PME methodologies and a variety of indices to better identify alpha. There was some improvement in the number of investors who trust the track record numbers supplied by fund managers, but 43% still said they always re-calculate the performance numbers for themselves and a further 33% said they often re-calculate them. A common theme in the findings was the need for fund managers to supply more detailed information to facilitate this re-calculation, but also to allow investors to dig deeper and make cross manager comparisons easier. The issue of fees, although still important, featured lower on the list of key factors in due diligence. Yet the most important aspect of track record analysis was examining the net to investors cash flows. This suggested a greater focus on the impact of fee structures rather than the fee structure itself. Finally, there were a number of recurring themes when respondents were asked about their concerns for the future, with elevated valuations being the most common. The findings from this year’s survey once again confirm the importance of high quality information flow during the due diligence process.” Respondent Profile eVestment surveyed investors and consultants across the Americas, EMEA and APAC regions in late 2016 to investigate their private markets manager research and due diligence practices. Respondents to the online survey included some of the world’s largest investment consultants, pensions, endowments and private equity fund of funds. Respondents’ institutional assets under management/administration totalled over USD 2.2 trillion and their aggregated private markets assets under management/administration totalled over USD 316 billion. Respondents’ Total AUM/AUA (USD) Respondents’ Private Markets AUM/AUA (USD) $2.2 trillion $316 billion Respondents by Region Figure 1: Respondents by institution type North America 79% 15% 7% EMEA ROW 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Respondents by Institution Type Figure 2: Respondents by institution type LPs 60% 23% 17% Fund of Funds Investment Consultant 0% 4 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 2017 Private Markets Investor and Consultant Due Diligence Survey Findings Valuations, dry powder top list of private markets’ concerns Respondents were polled on their top concerns in 2017 for private markets and answers were grouped into various themes. Consistent with answers in other questions, fees proved to be a lesser concern for respondents, with only 5% stating this. Valuations, dry powder and future performance ranked as the top three on average, with valuations the most notable with close to half of respondents stating this as a concern. These factors are inextricably linked: record past performance and distributions due to sales at elevated valuations have been a reason for an influx of capital into private markets, which has created dry powder. This is pushing up valuations further as there is more competition for deals and is putting future performance under threat. Managers are becoming wary of paying high sums for deals which is again contributing to the levels of dry powder in the industry. With these as the foremost concerns of investors and consultants, managers should be prepared to answer questions on these topics and display how they will navigate their way to success in a challenging environment. 5 Figure 3: Investor and consultants' top concerns in 2017 Theme % of Respondents Marked as Concern Valuations 48% Dry Powder 26% Future Performance 14% Competition 12% Regulation 10% Political Instability 10% Access to Managers 5% Fees 5% Interest Rates 5% Deal Flows 2% Liquidity 2% Public Perception 2% Where are investors and consultants looking for returns? When asked about their expected change of current allocations within private markets strategies, private debt stood out to be the asset class to expect the most positive flows, followed by private equity and infrastructure. Private debt is still a small part of respondents’ private markets portfolios (7% on average from our findings), compared to more established holdings of private equity, venture capital and private equity real estate. The shift to private debt is likely driven by the emergence of opportunities, and demand for higher yielding and less correlated replacements to traditional fixed income instruments. At the expense of increased exposure to private debt, both private equity real estate and venture capital are expected to have smaller roles in respondents’ portfolios in 2017. The reduction in VC exposure could suggest concerns over valuations have made their way from merely concerns, to actual investment decisions. It should be noted that respondents presented their expected allocations data as a percentage of their private markets AUM/AUA, not institutional AUM/AUA, and so this does not represent a year-on-year change in the actual dollar amounts allocated. Figure 4: Respondents’ expected changes in private markets allocations in 2017, as percentage of private markets portfolio 20.0% 17.4% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 3.8% 3.7% 0.0% -5.0% -6.2% -6.7% -10.0% Private Debt 6 Private Equity Infrastructure Private Equity Real Estate Venture Capital FoFs lead the shift to private debt When split by respondents’ institution type, broken down into limited partners (“LP”, which includes public and corporate pension funds, family offices, insurance companies, endowments and foundations), fund of funds (FoFs) and investment consultants (consultants), it was identified that FoFs and LPs (to a lesser degree) are driving the increased allocations to private debt. With FoFs looking to diversify their offerings, a number have been raising debt-focused products which is the likely driver behind the expected increase in allocations. Consultants will appear to be a driving force behind an increase in allocations to infrastructure. It is interesting, however, to note the anticipated difference between consultants’ expectations for infrastructure and those of LPs. The relative decline in private equity real estate that consultants expect to see in 2017 could be both a reflection of the increased allocation to this strategy in previous years and perhaps a move towards more conservative infrastructure-like assets. Figure 5: Respondents’ expected changes in private markets allocations in 2017, by institution type. 50.0% 40.0% 37.5% 30.0% 20.0% LP 16.7% 14.3% 10.0% 7.7% FoFs 9.2% 2.6% 2.2% Consultant 5.0% 0.0% -3.5% -3.3% -3.7% -10.0% -6.0% -7.6% -7.7% -14.9% -20.0% 7 Private Debt Private Equity Infrastructure Private Equity Real Estate Venture Capital Allocations to private markets strong across LPs Institutional investors’ (LP’s) allocations to private markets as a percentage of their total institutional AUM was also gathered from respondents. Figure 6: LP’s average allocation to private markets as % of total institution assets. Endowment/Foundation 14% The results indicate doubledigit allocations to private markets are the norm, with Insurance public pension funds reporting the largest average allocation to the segment. Insurance companies stated they are on Public Pension Fund the lower-end of the spectrum, with an average 8% allocated. While this group formed a smaller portion of survey respondents, the Corporate Pension Fund differing, shorter-term liquidity needs of insurers is one potential reason for the slower 0% adoption of private markets products within portfolios. 8% 16% 13% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18% Public pensions outpace others in diversification Responses from institutional investors indicate public pensions are heaviest into private equity and private equity real estate as a percentage of their total institutional AUM. Public pensions also have the highest allocations to private debt and infrastructure. Continuing funding concerns could be driving this group to look for new return enhancement strategies more eagerly than other groups, especially against a backdrop of declining yields in traditional asset classes. Figure 7: Institutional investors’ average private markets allocations, as percentage of total institutional assets 7.0% 6.4% 6.0% 5.4% 5.0% 4.2% 3.9% 4.0% Private Equity Venture Capital Private Debt 3.0% 2.0% Private Equity Real Estate 1.9% 1.4% 1.0% 0.0% 0.6% 0.8% 1.6% 1.2% 0.9% 0.5% 0.0% 0.0% Corporate Pension 8 Infrastructure 2.0%1.9% 1.9% Public Pension Endowment/Foundation 1.4% 1.0% 0.2% Insurance Team far outweighs cost and social responsibility in manager selection Private equity is often regarded as a people business, and respondents seem to overwhelmingly agree with this: team was identified by 96% of respondents as being an extremely important consideration when evaluating a manager, the highest compared to other factors. A key finding was that despite gaining regular coverage in the industry media, environmental, social and governance (ESG) was seen as an extremely important factor to only 6% of respondents. Another industry hot topic, fees, was only thought of as extremely important by 38% of respondents. Figure 8: Extremely important factors to investors and consultants in manager due diligence. 100% 90% 80% Our findings highlight that investors and consultants still dedicate a significant amount of time on due diligence for a re-up with an existing manager relationship, compared to an opportunity with a new relationship. While relationships are important in successful fundraising, they will not mean managers are exempt from a formal or stringent due diligence process. Managers need to be prepared for this and factor investor and consultants’ due diligence hours into their fundraising timeline. 9 79% 77% 70% 62% 60% 50% 38% 40% 30% 30% 20% 6% 10% Track record performance was highlighted as being extremely important to respondents, with 77% classifying it as such and ranking it third overall, closely behind strategy. How important are relationships now? 96% 0% Figure 9: Average number of days spent on manager due diligence by respondents, by relationship type. 50 45 45 40 35 30 25 25 20 15 10 5 0 A new relationship A re-up with an existing relationship Do investors “trust the numbers”? Figure 10: How often respondents trust the high-level performance numbers provided by fund managers. Good news for private markets fund managers is that the majority of respondents do always or often trust the high-level performance numbers provided by fund managers, as Figure 10 outlines: 78% say they often or always trust them. This is a small increase on 2016’s results and shows perhaps managers are doing a better job at being transparent to gain trust. 80% “The devil is in the detail. When only high-level performance is shown, there is generally something that the GP would prefer the LP not to see. ” 30% $12bn North American Insurance Co. Survey respondents said there was still room for improvement, however. 21% rarely or never trust high-level numbers. When we investigated why, it was clear that not all respondents believed highlevel performance is a true representation of overall manager value. “Trust but verify” – why 75% of private market investors recalculate performance Even though the majority of respondents trust manager performance, just over three-quarters said they “always” or “often” recalculate performance during due diligence. Interestingly, for the 78% of investors and consultants that stated they “always” or “often” trust performance shown in Figure 10, 35% of this group said they will still “always” recalculate performance. Furthermore, for those that “rarely” or “never” recalculate performance, it wasn’t necessarily due to a lack of appreciation of the importance of this work. Resourceconstraints was a re-occurring theme when respondents were asked to elaborate on their reasons. 10 74% 70% 60% 50% 40% 19% 20% 10% 4% 2% 0% Always Often Rarely Never Figure 11: Do you recalculate fund managers’ track records when carrying out due diligence? 50% 45% 43% 40% 35% 33% 30% 25% 20% 15% 15% 9% 10% 5% 0% Always Often Rarely Never What do investors and consultants really think? Why do even those who always trust manager performance always recalculate it, or at least frequently? “We recalculate as often as we can, and have found numbers almost always materially identical. However, managers will certainly cherry pick elements of their track record. So the issue isn't inaccuracy or misrepresentation as it is selective representation. Getting the entire attributable track record is key.” >$2bn North American State Pension “It is always critical to recreate the track record of a manager to fully ensure you understand their performance. It can often also lead to insights in the due diligence process (e.g. is strong performance concentrated to a few good investments).” >$2bn Family Office “Trust but verify.” $1.5bn Endowment “By recalculating you can determine the impact that bridge loans or credit facilities can have on the numbers.” “I don’t trust the hyperbole – top quartile. I always test that against benchmarks.” “Little differences in timing and qualification of cash flows add up to meaningfully influence the performance figures.” $12bn Insurance Co. “To independently verify the manager's performance figures, perform cross-sectional analyses, etc.” $3.5bn Consultant $1.5bn North American State Pension 11 $3bn Investment Consultant Size, region and institution type all impact due diligence By Institution Size Institutions with more assets under management are more diligent in always recalculating manager-provided performance. This suggests there are more formal policies and processes in place, along with the necessary resources to devote to the task. This is not to suggest those with fewer assets under management are not carrying out this work frequently, however. More than 70% of all groups will always or often recalculate performance. Figure 12: Frequency of recalculation of manager-provided performance, by private markets AUM (USD) 90% 80% 8% 70% 60% 50% 44% 40% Often 40% 75% Always 30% 20% 10% 28% 33% 0% <1bn By Institution Geography While respondents in both EMEA and North America both reported high percentages (>70%) of “always” or “often” recalculating performance, institutions in North America were significantly more likely to “always” recalculate compared to their EMEA peers. 1bn - 5bn >5bn Figure 13: Frequency of recalculation of manager-provided performance, by institution geography 90% 80% 70% 33% 60% 50% 43% Often 40% Always 30% 47% 20% 29% 10% 0% EMEA North America By Institution Type When split by institution type, FOFs were by far most likely to always recalculate manager performance. Of the three respondent types, FoFs’ business model is most dependent on the performance of the underlying funds in question, so the financial incentive to be precise may be higher. Though they act as advisors to institutional investors, investment consultants had the lowest number of respondents stating they always or often recalculate managerprovided performance. This still equated to over 60%, however. It is worth noting that consultants and LPs did report similar rates of “always” recalculating. 12 Figure 14: Frequency of recalculation of manager-provided performance, by institution type 90% 80% 9% 70% 60% 44% 25% 50% 40% Always 73% 30% 20% 38% 33% 10% 0% LPs FoFs Often Consultants Majority still find performance comparison a difficult and complex issue Along with an increased level of trust among respondents, shown in Figure 10, there was an improvement in how easy they feel it is to compare manager performance on a fair and consistent basis. 40% of this year’s respondents agreed it is easy to compare manager performance compared to just 22% last year. This result may be attributed to continuing efforts from industry bodies in creating and driving adoption of standardized reporting guidelines. Managers may also be increasing efforts to service investors’ requests for completion of their specific templates. Private markets is maturing as away from the “alternatives” label and into a more mainstream asset management mind-set and with this brings a focus on client service. Figure 15: “It is easy to compare one fund manager's performance numbers with another on a fair and consistent basis.” 2017 40% 2016 60% 22% 0% 78% 20% 40% 60% Agree Disagree 80% 100% What could make comparison easier still? 16%the majority (60%) of respondents do not Even with an increase compared to our 2016 survey findings, believe it is easy to carry out “apples-to-apples” comparisons across fund managers. Solution themes ranged from access to more data, better transparency, standardization in reporting methodologies, and better benchmarks, including public market comparisons. The key take away is that fund managers should expect demand for more transparency and detail. 55% 29% “There is no easy way to analyze a fund. The more information the fund provides, the better.” “Use several metrics: PME, TVPI, rankings.” “Greater transparency into the constituents within peer indices/databases.” “ILPA Reporting template, industry consistent rules, public market comparable standards.” $12bn North American Insurance Co. <$1bn South American FoFs $3.5bn North American OCIO “More standardized reporting, consistent benchmarks, and consistent performance methodologies.” $5bn North American State Pension 13 <$1bn North American State Pension What is most important in track record analysis? Figure 16: Factors extremely important to investors and consultants in track record analysis. 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 85% 30% 55% 49% 20% 38% 38% 26% 10% 0% Net to LP Performance Value Creation Analysis Deal Attribution by Individual Public Market Equivalent Performance Daily Cash Flows Modelling Expected Returns of Unrealized Investments 16% Interestingly, in Figure 8 earlier in our findings, which relates to the most important factors in manager evaluation, fees (while important) was identified by respondents as one of the less important factors. However, when asked what is extremely important in track record analysis, 85% of respondents said “Net to LP Performance.” This suggests that while investors understand the nature of fees at the outset, the 55% the impact of these fees on focus on net to LP performance shows they are keen to exactly understand 29% performance. Another hot topic driving this focus may be the increasingly common use of long term credit facilities. When used, investor performance on an IRR-basis can be enhanced and so investors may be looking at gross vs. net performance to assess where value has been created. On this topic, the general theme of what was driving value and performance (Value creation, Deal attribution, Public Market Equivalent performance) were the next three highest ranking factors across respondents. 14 Public market equivalent analysis – highly used and still growing Is PME Broadly Used? Yes, 81% use PME analysis. (Figure 17) Will its Use Continue to Widen? Yes, 53% expect to increase their use. (Figure 18) Are more than one methods used? Yes, 57% use more than one. (Figure 19) Are more than one indices used? Yes, 73% use more than one. (Figure 20) Which methods are preferred? Kaplan-Schoar, then PME+ are the two primary methods. (Figure 21) Figure 19: Number of PME methodologies used by respondents 50% 45% 44% 40% 35% 28% 30% 25% 20% 16% 13% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1 2 3 4 Figure 17: Respondents’ use of PME analysis. Figure 20: Number of indices used by investors in PME analysis 100% 80% 90% 70% 80% 70% 60% 60% 50% 50% 40% 30% 69% 81% More than 1 40% 73% 30% 20% 20% 10% 27% 10% 0% 2016 2017 Figure 18: Respondents planning to increase their use of PME analysis. 0% Figure 21: PME Methodologies used by respondents 50% 70% 60% 63% 60% 50% 50% 40% 40% 48% 53% 20% 10% 0% 10% 0% 2016 15 50% 38% 34% 30% 30% 20% 1 2017 19% Breakdown of Results: Factors Affecting Due Diligence The effect of AUM/AUA on: Trust Across all sizes of investors and consultants, a consistent percentage rarely or never trust the high-level performance numbers provided by managers. Figure 22: How often respondents trust high-level performance numbers provided by managers, by Private Markets AUM/AUA. 0% >5bn 13% 7% 1bn - 5bn Rarely 0% <1bn 22% 0% Recalculating Performance Investors and consultants with AUM/AUA of more than $5bn are more likely to always recalculate manager performance compared to the other AUM/AUA groups. Never 25% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% Figure 23: Frequency of recalculating manager performance, by Private Markets AUM/AUA. >5bn 75% 1bn - 5bn 8% 33% Always 40% Often <1bn 28% 0% PME Use Use of more than one index in PME analysis was common for the majority of investors and consultants across all AUM/AUA sizes. 44% 20% 40% 60% 80% Figure 24: Number of respondents using more than one index in PME analysis, by Private Markets AUM/AUA. >5bn 80% 1bn - 5bn 64% <1bn 70% 0% 16 100% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Breakdown of Results: Factors Affecting Due Diligence The effect of region on: Trust EMEA respondents were less trusting of manager-provided performance than their North American counterparts, with 43% of EMEA investors and consultants stating they rarely trust this data. Figure 25: How often respondents trust high-level performance numbers provided by managers, by institution region. 3% North America 16% Never Rarely 0% EMEA 43% 0% Recalculating Performance Even though North American respondents stated higher levels of trust to manager-provided data, this group was the most likely to always recalculate performance. This highlights the findings of all respondents that even though they may trust performance, they will recalculate it for their own validation purposes. 20% 30% 40% 50% Figure 26: Frequency of recalculation of manager-provided performance data. North America 47% 33% Always Often EMEA 29% 0% 17 10% 20% 43% 40% 60% 80% 100% Breakdown of Results: Factors Affecting Due Diligence The effect of institution type on: Trust Surprisingly, investment consultants were the group that stated they are more likely to trust manager performance. 100% said they often trust performance. Conversely, more than a quarter of LPs and FoFs rarely or never trust performance. Figure 27: How often respondents trust high-level performance numbers, by institution type. 0% LP 25% 9% FoF Even though investment consultants in our survey often trust high-level performance numbers, 63% will always or often recalculate manager-provided performance. PME Use LPs were the group with the highest percentage using more two or more indices in their PME analysis. With their institutions’ total portfolios being made up of a range of asset classes, internal requests for different benchmarking could be a reason driving the use of more indices. Rarely 0% Consultant 0% 0% Recalculating Performance FoFs were identified as the group most likely to always recalculate manager performance. As advisors to institutional investors, stronger processes that include always recalculating performance may be a focus due to their fiduciary duty. Never 18% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% Figure 28: Frequency of recalculation of manager-provided performance data, by institution type. Consultant 38% FoF 25% 73% Always 9% Often LP 33% 0% 20% 44% 40% 60% 80% 100% Figure 29: Number of indices used by respondents, by institution type Consultant 57% FoF 57% 2+ LP 83% 0% 18 30% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Breakdown of Results: Factors Affecting Due Diligence The effect of institution type on: Manager Evaluation Factors A notable finding was that consultants were the group that put the most focus on “Back Office Operations”, with 63% stating it to be extremely important in manager evaluation. This is a relatively new area of focus in manager due diligence and consultants are more likely to have the resources to probe these areas in more depth, and even employ dedicated operational due diligence teams. Consultants were also the group to place the highest level of importance on a manager’s track record, placing it second in their considerations. Figure 30: Extremely important factors in manager evaluation, by institution type. 100% 100% 100% 93% 88% 90% 86% 79% 80% 73% 70% 64% 73% 63% 63% 63% 57% 60% Consultant 50% 40% LP 27% 30% 21% 18% 20% 10% 4% 0% Team 19 FoF 39% 36% 38% Track Record Strategy Market Opportunity Back Office Operations Fees 0% ESG Company Description Locations & Contacts eVestment provides a flexible suite of easy-to-use, cloudbased solutions to help global investors and their consultants select investment managers, enable asset managers to successfully market their funds worldwide and assist clients to identify and capitalize on global investment trends. Atlanta (Headquarters) [email protected] +1 (877) 769 2388 Sydney [email protected] +61 (0) 2 8211 2717 New York [email protected] +1 (212) 661 6050 Hong Kong [email protected] +852 2293 2390 Edinburgh [email protected] +44 (0)203 514 7691 Dubai [email protected] +971 561380679 To find out more about eVestment’s solutions for private markets fund managers and limited partners visit: www.evestment.com.com/ For more eVestment research visit: www.evestment.com/resources/research-reports London [email protected] +44 (0) 20 7651 0800 Research Group Graeme Faulds Director – Private Equity [email protected] Peter Laurelli Global Head of Research [email protected] Cameron Nicol Marketing Lead - Private Equity [email protected] Media Contacts 20 Mark Scott Corporate Communications [email protected] +1 (678) 238 0761 Jamie Letica Cognito (US) [email protected] +1 (646) 395 6305 Natalie Chan Ryan Communication (Asia) [email protected] +852 3655 0539 Francesa Bliss Cognito (UK) [email protected] +44 207 426 9419