GULFPORT, Miss., June 13, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Hancock Holding Company (Nasdaq:HBHC) announced today that the Hancock Horizon Burkenroad Fund Class D -- inspired by a recognized educational program in equities research at Tulane University -- has received a five-star overall rating from Morningstar. The Burkenroad Fund joins the Hancock Horizon Value Fund with this distinguished honor. A five-star rating is the highest rating Morningstar issues and is given to the top 10 percent of funds in a similar group. The ratings are objective and based entirely on mathematical evaluation of past performance (after adjusting for risk and accounting for all sales charges).
Hancock Horizon Fund Portfolio Manager and Director of Equities David Lundgren added, "We are very proud to have our Value Fund and now our Burkenroad Fund both receive five-star ratings from Morningstar. We are also excited to say that the Burkenroad Fund Class A and Class D are respectively ranked 1 and 2 by Lipper out of 309 Small-Cap Value Funds (as of 4/30/08). The success of our funds is a testament to our disciplined investment strategy that over the long-term has provided superior returns while taking less risk."
The Hancock Horizon Strategic Income Bond Fund Trust Class has also had a good year and is ranked 9 out of 171 Corporate Debt Funds A Rated by Lipper (as of 4/30/08).
Hancock Horizon Fund Portfolio Manager and Director of Fixed Income Jeffery Tanguis had this to say about the fund, "The fixed income markets have had some very turbulent times lately, which makes the Strategic Income Bond Fund's success even more impressive. Our strategy of investing in high quality fixed income instruments has served our fund and clients well during this volatile time."
The Hancock Horizon Burkenroad Fund is a small-cap fund that invests in companies that are located or doing business in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Since inception, the Hancock Horizon Burkenroad Fund has had strong performance compared to the benchmark, returning 13.29 percent versus the Russell 2000's 7.54 percent. The fund utilizes Tulane University's BURKENROAD REPORTS and its own fundamental research and analysis.
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1st
Quarter One Three Five Since
YTD 2008 Year Year Year Inception
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Hancock Horizon
Burkenroad Fund Class D*
(12/31/01 Inception) 4.15% -2.25% 1.82% 12.67% 17.45% 13.29%
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Russell 2000 -6.12% -9.90% -10.96% 8.62% 13.77% 7.54%
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*Other share classes available. Performance listed as of 4/30/08.
The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost and current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. As of March 31, 2008, The Burkenroad Fund Class D had a one year return of -1.22%, a five year return of 17.4%, and a since inception return of 12.33%. The gross total expense ratio for the Burkenroad Fund, Class D, is 1.96 percent; the net total expense ratio is 1.65 percent.
To determine if this Fund is an appropriate investment for you, carefully consider the Fund's investment objectives, risk factors, and charges and expenses before investing. This and other information can be found in the Fund's prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-888-346-6300 or visiting www.hancockhorizonfunds.com. Please read it carefully before investing.
The Russell 2000 index is a capitalization weighted index which is comprised of 2000 of the smallest stocks. The Russell 2000 Index returns do not reflect any management fees, transaction costs or expenses. Individuals cannot invest directly in the Russell 2000 Index.
(c) 2008 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
The Hancock Horizon Burkenroad Fund received an overall rating of 5 stars for the period ending 4/30/08 out of 541 Small Blend Funds. Morningstar rankings are based on risk adjusted returns and the Overall Morningstar Rating for the fund is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three- and five-year Morningstar rating metrics.
For each fund with at least a three year history, Morningstar calculates a Morningstar Rating based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a fund's monthly performance (including the effects of sales charges, loads, and redemption fees), placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of funds in each category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receives 2 stars and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a fund is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five- and ten-year (if applicable) Morningstar Ratings metrics. The Hancock Horizon Burkenroad Fund was rated against the following numbers of U.S.-domiciled small blend funds over the following time periods: 541 funds in the last three years and 421 funds in the last five years. With respect to these small blend funds, the Hancock Horizon Burkenroad Fund received a Morningstar Rating of 4 stars and 5 stars for the three and five-year periods, respectively. Morningstar Rating is for the D share class only; other classes may have different performance characteristics. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
The Hancock Horizon Value Fund received an overall rating of 5 stars for the period ending 4/30/08 out of 1183 Large Value Funds. Morningstar rankings are based on risk adjusted returns and the Overall Morningstar Rating for the fund is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three- and five-year Morningstar rating metrics.
For each fund with at least a three year history, Morningstar calculates a Morningstar Rating based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a fund's monthly performance (including the effects of sales charges, loads, and redemption fees), placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of funds in each category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receives 2 stars and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a fund is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five- and ten-year (if applicable) Morningstar Ratings metrics. The Hancock Horizon Value Fund was rated against the following numbers of U.S.-domiciled large value funds over the following time periods: 1183 funds in the last three years and 932 funds in the last five years. With respect to these Large Value funds, the Hancock Horizon Value Fund received a Morningstar Rating of 5 stars and 5 stars for the three and five-year periods, respectively. Morningstar Rating is for the Trust share class only; other classes may have different performance characteristics. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Lipper, a Reuters company, is a global leader in supplying mutual fund information, analytical tools, and commentary. With 30 years of funds analysis experience, bolstered by the resources and knowledge of Reuters, the world's largest financial information and news provider, Lipper provides unparalleled expertise and insight to the funds industry. The Hancock Horizon Funds received the following one year rankings from Lipper as of 4/30/08: Hancock Horizon Burkenroad Fund Class A (load waived) was ranked 1 and Hancock Horizon Burkenroad Fund Class D was ranked 2 out of 309 small-cap value funds. The Hancock Horizon Strategic Income Bond Fund Trust Class was ranked 9 out of 171 corporate debt funds A rated for the same time period.
For more information about the Burkenroad Fund or other Hancock Horizon funds, investors can visit www.hancockhorizonfunds.com. More information about the BURKENROAD REPORTS program at Tulane University is accessible online at www.burkenroad.org.
About Hancock Bank
Hancock Holding Company -- parent company of Hancock Bank Mississippi, Hancock Bank of Louisiana, Hancock Bank of Florida, and Hancock Bank of Alabama -- has assets of approximately $6.4 billion. Bank subsidiaries include Hancock Investment Services, Inc., Hancock Insurance Agency, and Harrison Finance Company. Founded October 9, 1899, Hancock Bank consistently ranks as one of the country's strongest, safest financial institutions according to Veribanc, Inc., and BauerFinancial Services, Inc. Additional corporate information and online banking are available at www.hancockbank.com.
The Hancock Holding Company logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2758
Not FDIC insured. No bank guarantee. May lose value.