Skip to main content
Menu

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

bar graph

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.

squares

Diversification Beyond Large Caps

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

graph

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 ...

View Resource

Letter

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

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

View Resource

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 ...

View Resource

Letter

SMCO 1Q26 Letter: Close to the Edge

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

View Resource

Letter

SMCO Year-End 2025 Letter

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

View Resource

Letter

Small and Mid Cap Q3 25 Recap

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

View Resource

Letter

Small and Mid Cap Q2 25 Recap

Have a cigar … or is it a CIGar…

View Resource

Letter

Small and Mid Cap Q1 25 Recap

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

View Resource

Letter

Small and Mid Cap Q4 24 Recap

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

View Resource

Videos

Where does SMCO fit in a portfolio?

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

View Resource

Letter

Small and Mid Cap Q3 24 Recap

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

View Resource