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Strategy

Small & Mid Cap Opportunities

Overview

The Small and Mid Cap Opportunities (SMCO) portfolio uses a disciplined, bottom-up process grounded in fundamental analysis, valuation, and risk awareness. The strategy invests opportunistically across the small- and mid-cap universe, with no required stocks, industries, or sectors. SMCO provides diversified exposure to small- and mid-cap equities in a single, professionally managed portfolio.

  • Active Management: Experienced active management in less efficient small- and mid-cap markets can create opportunities for excess returns. The portfolio typically holds 50–75 stocks, allowing for alpha generation while managing risk.
  • Risk-Aware Approach: Portfolio volatility is managed through valuation, business fundamentals, position sizing, sector and industry exposure, and factor-based considerations.
  • Diversification: SMCO can help diversify equity exposure by market capitalization and style, as small- and mid-cap returns are often less aligned with large-cap returns.

Inception Date: February 1, 2019

Benchmark: Russell 2500

Vehicles: Separately Managed Account (SMA), ETF

Portfolio Management Team:
Thomas B. Maher
Jason T. Mastronardi, CFA®

Small and Midcap Opportunities 

Implementation

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Core SMID-Cap Allocation

Provides essential exposure beyond large-cap equities through a diversified small- and mid-cap portfolio with a lower-risk profile than the broader small-cap universe.

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Diversification Beyond Large Caps

Complements large-cap allocations by expanding exposure across market capitalizations, helping build a more balanced equity portfolio.

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Adaptive Market Exposure

Actively flexes across value and growth and between small- and mid-cap companies to pursue stronger risk-adjusted returns and capitalize on market leadership rotation.

Portfolio

As of June 30, 2026

Characteristics
Number of Holdings 62
Average Market Cap ($Bill) 15.8
P/E (12M FWD) 20.7x
EV/EBITDA 12.3x
P/Cash Flow 12.5x
P/Book 3.9x
Total Debt to Common Equity 104.7%
1 Year Turnover 28.8%

Source: Bloomberg & INDATA

Performance

As of June 30, 2026

Metric Current YTD 1 Year 3 Year 5 Year Since Inception
SMCO Gross 13.8% 15.8% 22.5% 16.5% 9.2% 13.2%
SMCO Net 13.7% 15.5% 21.8% 15.9% 8.5% 12.5%
Russell 2500** 20.3% 22.7% 36.7% 18.4% 8.3% 12.5%

*Preliminary & Unaudited

** Annualized | Inception Date: February 1, 2019

Source: Bloomberg & INDATA

Explore More

Additional Resources

Videos

Small & Mid Cap Opportunities Strategy Overview

In this video Hilton's Investment Team discusses the Small and Mid Cap Opportunities ...

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Letter

Small & Mid Cap 2Q26 Letter: Win, Lose or Draw.

Check out SMCO’s 2Q 2026 commentary on strong absolute returns, narrow market leadership, ...

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Decks and Factsheets

Small and Mid Cap Opportunities Strategy

Take a deep dive into HCM's Small and Mid Cap Opportunities Strategy with a factsheet on ...

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Letter

SMCO 1Q26 Letter: Close to the Edge

In SMCO’s Q1 2026 letter, we share how the SMID-cap portfolio navigated volatility and ...

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Letter

SMCO Year-End 2025 Letter

In SMCO’s Q4 2025 review, the team discusses 2025's policy uncertainty and volatility—and ...

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Letter

Small and Mid Cap Q3 25 Recap

Take a bow for the new revolution – Side Two of Who’s Next

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Letter

Small and Mid Cap Q2 25 Recap

Have a cigar … or is it a CIGar…

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Letter

Small and Mid Cap Q1 25 Recap

SMCO Portfolio Manager Tom Maher discusses Q1 2025's “crossfire hurricane” market, ...

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Letter

Small and Mid Cap Q4 24 Recap

Tom Maher, SMCO portfolio manager, recaps 2024’s market highs and lows and shares ...

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Videos

Where does SMCO fit in a portfolio?

Discover how Hilton’s Small & Mid Cap Opportunities (SMCO) strategy can enhance your ...

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Letter

Small and Mid Cap Q3 24 Recap

Portfolio Manager Tom Maher breaks down SMCO 3Q24 performance, including market analysis ...

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