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azvalor Asset ManagementArticle4 Feb 2026Source: azvalor.com

Letter to inverstors 2H2025

azvalor Asset Management is a Madrid deep-value boutique founded in 2015 by Álvaro Guzmán de Lázaro and Fernando Bernad, formerly the core of Bestinver's investment team in the Graham tradition. It is known for contrarian concentration in unloved cyclical assets — gold and silver miners, oil services, uranium — buying into panic and exiting once value is realized. Its flagship international fund is about 70% of firm AUM and has more than tripled since inception a decade ago; letters were quarterly from 2016-2022 and semiannual since 2023.

Álvaro Guzmán de Lázaro、Fernando Bernad · 2015 · 西班牙马德里Deep value / Cyclical contrarian

In plain words

This report from Azvalor explains their contrarian strategy: instead of chasing AI or gold, they buy high-quality companies that are temporarily out of favor and priced far below their true worth. Their portfolio has almost no overlap with major US indexes and trades at about a 50% discount, implying potential upside of 54–71%. In 2025, their funds returned 14–31%. For ordinary investors, it shows a different path: focus on undervalued assets rather than hot trends. Worth reading because Azvalor has proven this approach works through market shocks, offering a way to protect and grow savings.

AI SummaryAI-generated · may contain errors · verify against the original

In 2025, Azvalor's international product grew approximately +20%, the Iberian fund grew +31% (NAV EUR 196, cumulative +96%), and the international fund (NAV EUR 281) has more than tripled in value since inception. The core strategy is not to predict headline themes such as AI or geopolitics, but to

~7 min full read · 10 sections
Deep Analysis

Theme and Background

This chapter reviews Azvalor's performance and portfolio adjustment logic in 2025. The author emphasizes that while the market focuses on headline themes such as AI, geopolitics, and gold/silver prices, the firm refrains from forecasting short-term trends. Instead, it seeks returns by purchasing assets that are overlooked by the market, under short-term pressure but of long-term quality.

Core Views

  • Does not rely on macroeconomic forecasts, but instead uses a core strategy of "good businesses + good management + low prices," positioning when others exit and exiting when assets become popular (e.g., fully liquidated gold and silver mining stocks, realizing substantial capital gains).
  • Azvalor's portfolio has almost no overlap with major U.S. indices and trades at an overall discount of approximately 50%, resulting in relatively low downside risk and significantly greater potential upside compared to market indices.
  • The current portfolio still has clear upside: Iberia Fund estimated +54%, International Fund +69%, Blue Chip Fund +70%, International SICAV Lux +71%.

Key Arguments and Data

  • 2025 performance: International products up approximately +20%, Iberia Fund +31% (NAV EUR 196, cumulative +96%), International Fund +19.5% (NAV EUR 281, cumulative +181%), Blue Chip Fund +14.7% (cumulative +117%), Managers Fund +21.4% (cumulative +108%, annualized approx. +11%).
  • Earnings yield comparison: Azvalor International Fund's earnings yield per 100 units of investment is approximately 11%, while the U.S. stock market is only about 4%.
  • Portfolio concentration: Iberia Fund's top 10 holdings account for 57%; International Fund's top 15 holdings account for 53%.
  • Examples: Técnicas Reunidas rose +160% during the year; Catalana Occidente and Allfunds received takeover bids at prices well above market.
  • In the International Fund, new allocations to Vista Energy and Canadian Natural Resources; exited Barrick Mining and Sprott Silver Trust (the latter was among the best performers in the first half of 2025).
Metric Azvalor International Fund U.S. Stock Market
Average earnings yield ~11% ~4%
Portfolio discount (vs market) ~50%

Companies/Assets Covered

  • Técnicas Reunidas: Core holding of the Iberia Fund, up +160% in 2025, with partial profit-taking already executed.
  • Catalana Occidente and Allfunds: Holdings in the Iberia Fund, received takeover bids above market price, viewed positively.
  • Vista Energy and Canadian Natural Resources: New positions in the International Fund.
  • Barrick Mining and Sprott Silver Trust: Fully sold by the International Fund (Barrick Mining was among the top performers in the first half).
  • Azvalor Managers Fund: Over EUR 200 million in assets, 2,200+ investors, Morningstar five-star, Citywire "+" rating, approximately 30% emerging market (including China) exposure, over 70% small- and mid-cap.

Investment Insights

  • For investors, the current global market is concentrated in a small number of high-valuation stocks. Azvalor represents a contrarian path: buying assets with high discounts, significantly better earnings yields than the market, and no overlap with U.S. indices. Each fund still has upside potential of +54% to +71%, suitable for those seeking low-correlation, value-driven allocation opportunities.
  • Specific directions: Focus on exits and reallocations from holdings that have already received acquisition premiums (e.g., Técnicas Reunidas, Catalana Occidente, Allfunds), as well as newly added energy stocks (Vista Energy, Canadian Natural Resources) going forward.

Theme and Background

This chapter summarizes Azvalor's operational progress in 2025, growth in assets under management, rating recognition, and social project investments, while reiterating its investment philosophy — that in a macro environment of rising inflation, holding high-quality stocks is a necessary means to protect purchasing power, rather than chasing short-term trends.

Core Views

  • Azvalor believes that developed markets have a high probability of implementing inflationary policies, making equities "more necessary than ever" for preserving value.
  • The robustness of its portfolio has been proven during multiple major shocks (COVID-19 pandemic, Trump tariffs): the portfolio has grown fivefold since the pandemic and +60% since April 2025.
  • The company itself has been reclassified from the "umbrella fund" category to one that aligns with its actual operating model, reflecting that the research team has expanded to 14 people covering both Madrid and London, and that internal management capabilities have matured.
  • Contrarian stance: While the market focuses on headline news such as AI and geopolitics, Azvalor insists on not predicting the macro environment, instead buying undervalued high-quality companies, and has proven this strategy effective through its performance over the past five years.

Key Arguments and Data

  • Assets under management: Grew by over €630 million (+22%) in 2025, reaching a total of €3.556 billion; annual net inflows exceeded €90 million.
  • Client growth: Added nearly 3,000 co-investors in 2025, bringing the total to over 30,000.
  • Operational milestone: In October, launched a tokenized investment fund (in partnership with Allfunds Blockchain and BNP Paribas Securities Services), approved by the CNMV regulatory sandbox, providing an alternative distribution model for UCITS funds.
  • Industry recognition: In August, received the Citywire Fund Group rating "Gold", an honor granted to only 20% of asset management firms, requiring exceeding the industry average score by 33%.
  • Social projects: Through the Davalor project, donated over €620,000 to Africa, supporting 20 projects across more than 9 countries.

Companies/Assets Involved

  • Allfunds Blockchain: Partner, involved in the tokenized fund project. Azvalor received an acquisition offer from Allfunds in 2025 (as per the full-text overview), not repeated here.
  • BNP Paribas Securities Services: Serves as the custodian and fund administrator for the tokenized fund.
  • No specific portfolio holdings are mentioned in this chapter.

Investment Implications

  • Equity allocation direction: Against the backdrop of inflation expectations, investors should increase equity exposure, especially in undervalued high-quality companies, rather than cash or bonds, as inflationary policies erode purchasing power.
  • Fund selection perspective: Azvalor has proven its ability to recover during crises over the past five years (capital grew fivefold since the pandemic), and its portfolio has almost no overlap with major U.S. indices, trades at a discount of approximately 50%, and is estimated to have +54% upside, making it a viable allocation option with high alpha and low correlation.
  • Industry observation: The pioneering practice of tokenized funds could bring new changes to the distribution of European UCITS funds, and related asset management and blockchain infrastructure companies (such as Allfunds Blockchain) may benefit.