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Edgepoint

What is Cymbria?

Cymbria provides a way for you to participate in the growth potential of a concentrated portfolio of global securities and private businesses, including an investment in EdgePoint Wealth.

A belief system, not a brand

Cymbria started as a simple sketch scrawled in the corner of a newspaper. We knew we loved investing. In fact, we were passionate about it. And we hated that our industry had devolved into an asset-gathering, sales- and marketing-driven machine at the expense of investors’ best interests. True investment-led companies were hard to find so we decided to create one ourselves.

Fall 2008 was a bleak time for global equity markets as investors struggled with the impact of the credit crisis, numerous bank failures and one of the worst recessions in recent memory.

Armed with a proven investment approach and the belief that one of the best times to invest is when failure is taken for granted, four founding partners, Tye Bousada, Patrick Farmer, Robert Krembil and Geoff MacDonald, created Cymbria. They committed their savings to the company and asked others to do the same. By the time Cymbria launched on November 4, 2008, many more partners had joined the company and Cymbria had raised $234 million in assets under management.

From a single small desk in the corner of someone else’s office, we built the foundations of what we are today. We raised initial capital. Worked hard to understand our clients and then worked even harder to deliver against their needs. All the while upholding the core commitments that united us in the first place: to be genuine, act honourably and keep “it” simple.

We adhere to a time-tested approach that our portfolio managers have practiced throughout their investment careers.

The Cymbria Option

The Cymbria Option

Looking for a buyer for your exceptional business? Partnering with Cymbria may be an option.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Cymbria is an investment corporation created with the objective of providing shareholders with long-term capital appreciation via a concentrated portfolio of global equities and an investment in EdgePoint. Cymbria is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

  • Cymbria owns 20.7% of EdgePoint, giving Cymbria the opportunity to participate in EdgePoint’s growth. Cymbria’s original $509,585 investment in EdgePoint has grown to $254,981,520. In addition to this growth, to date Cymbria has received $159,077,493 in dividends from EdgePoint.

  • Cymbria’s adjusted net asset value (aNAV), just like a mutual fund’s, is calculated daily based on the closing market prices of the securities in Cymbria’s portfolio. Unlike a mutual fund, where buy and sell orders are processed using trade date aNAV, Cymbria is bought and sold based on its stock price, a market-determined figure that fluctuates throughout the day. Cymbria may trade at a premium or discount to its aNAV.

    Previously NAV, aNAV represents the fair value of net assets of Cymbria, which differs from IFRS shareholders’ equity in that it excludes deferred taxes.

  • In certain circumstances where i) Cymbria’s portfolio has experienced growth in the previous fiscal year, ii) Class A shares are trading, on average, at a price less than 97% of aNAV over a fiscal quarter, and iii) on the Manager’s recommendation, the LRO provides an opportunity for Cymbria shareholders to dispose of shares close to aNAV. The purpose of this feature is to potentially increase Cymbria’s attractiveness as an investment by enhancing liquidity and flexibility.

  • Cymbria receives its proportionate share of EdgePoint-distributed dividends that may be reinvested in existing or new investments, or be used to buy back shares of Cymbria in the open market. The same applies to any other company Cymbria owns. We believe this provides investors with the best return on their investment.

  • At the right price, share buybacks can be an important driver of wealth for shareholders. They reduce the number of shares in circulation, increasing remaining shareholders’ ownership stake.

    Cymbria’s Normal-Course Issuer Bid (NCIB) allows a repurchase of up to 10% of outstanding shares per year. We’ll buy back shares if Cymbria’s stock price trades at a meaningful discount to its aNAV.

  • Ways in which Cymbria and mutual funds differ include:

    Investment flexibility
    Cymbria has greater investment flexibility. It’s an investment corporation that can buy (or short) publicly traded companies, purchase privately held businesses or use leverage. This provides Cymbria with a much bigger universe of investment choices.

    Fixed pool of assets
    Cymbria raised $234 million through its initial public offering. This fixed pool of assets will grow (or shrink) as a result of changes in investment value. Cymbria’s asset size may also decrease due to share repurchases under the NCIB and LRO. In contrast, investors can purchase and redeem units of a mutual fund, affecting the size of its investment pool.

    Buy/sell price determined by the market
    Funds are typically bought and sold at their aNAV, which reflects the underlying prices of their securities. Since Cymbria trades on a stock exchange, its price reflects market-determined value.

    Liquidity
    Cymbria shares are bought and sold in the open market, and investors should consider potential liquidity constraints. Small-capitalization companies like Cymbria tend to be much less liquid than their larger-cap counterparts. Transacting a sizeable volume of shares without moving their price can prove difficult. As a result, it may take several days or even weeks to buy or sell a large number of shares.

    Comparatively, liquidity isn’t an issue for mutual funds that allow investors to redeem their units at aNAV. Cymbria’s LRO aims to diminish liquidity constraints by giving shareholders the option of disposing of their shares from time to time at a price close to aNAV.

    Share buybacks
    Cymbria can buy back shares if its valuation warrants it. We believe buying back Cymbria shares at an attractive discount to its aNAV makes sense for our shareholders.

    Distributions
    A mutual fund’s income and realized capital gains are typically distributed to unitholders annually so that unitholders (and not the fund) pay the associated income taxes. As a taxable corporation, Cymbria doesn’t currently pay annual distributions or dividends. Investors can hold Cymbria in a non-registered account, receiving no taxable income during the year. Since Cymbria’s corporate tax rate is currently lower than Canada’s highest marginal personal tax rate, having Cymbria incur taxes could be more tax efficient than owning a comparable fund in a non-registered account.

    Ownership stake in EdgePoint
    Cymbria has a 20.7% stake in privately held EdgePoint. Cymbria initially received this ownership stake at book value (approximately $500,000) to allow Cymbria investors to participate in EdgePoint’s growth. This opportunity is only available to Cymbria investors and EdgePoint’s internal partners.

    Benefits to owning EdgePoint include:

    Dividends: Cymbria receives dividends from EdgePoint (currently semi-annually)
    Value: Cymbria participates in EdgePoint’s growth

    To date, EdgePoint has been the single-largest contributor to Cymbria’s performance.

  • Reasons for performance differences include:

    Differences in holdings

    Performance differences arise primarily from portfolio composition, most notably Cymbria’s ownership of EdgePoint Wealth. No matter the current overlap between the two investments, variances in portfolio holdings and weights may impact individual performance.

    Launch date

    Cymbria launched November 3, 2008, and EdgePoint Global two weeks later, on November 17. Their performance since inception can’t be compared and the market’s negative return between inception dates has led to further performance differences.

    aNAV versus share price

    EdgePoint Global’s performance is measured by its aNAV while some measure Cymbria’s performance by its stock price, a figure influenced by market sentiment. We believe Cymbria’s investment results are best measured by its aNAV.

    Fee structure

    Cymbria pays no trailer fee and charges a management fee based on a aNAV that excludes the value of EdgePoint Wealth.

    Corporate taxes

    Cymbria pays taxes just like any other publicly traded Canadian corporation. EdgePoint Global is a mutual fund trust. Provided EdgePoint Global Portfolio distributes all of its annual taxable income, such taxes are paid by unitholders and not by the mutual fund trust. Cymbria’s aNAV is reported after tax and EdgePoint Global’s before tax.

All figures as at March 13, 2024.