TORONTO, Jan. 26, 2023 /CNW/ - Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. ("Horizons ETFs") is proud to announce that eight of its exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") have been awarded Fundata FundGrade A+® Awards ("Fundata Awards") for 2022:

¹Canadian Investment Funds Standards Committee (CIFSC) 
²Used by Fundata to calculate the relevant time period. The end date for the FundGrade calculation is December 31, 2022.
³Number of peers in CIFSC Category

Created by Fundata Canada Inc., the FundGrade rating system uses risk-adjusted performance figures to rank and grade Canadian investment funds, which include ETFs. Based on up to 10 years of performance data, the 'A+ Grade' is strictly a quantitative calculation conducted on an annual basis, which results in a grade score ranking, according to the fund classification standards defined by the Canadian Investment Funds Standards Committee ("CIFSC").

"I'm happy to announce that we've received eight Fundata Awards for 2022, including for funds recognized for the first time, as well as for ETFs that have consistently been awarded by Fundata," said Jasmit Bhandal, interim President and CEO of Horizons ETFs. "As our list of ETFs with established track records continues to grow, they are earning an increasing amount of recognition for excellence in their respective Fundata categories, and we hope this trend will continue."

Five of Horizons ETFs' funds – HCRE, HURA, HEWB, HAZ and HFR – were recognized for the first time by the Fundata Awards for their achievements in their respective categories.

HCRE provides tax-efficient, equal-weight exposure to Canadian real estate through a diversified portfolio of real estate investment trust securities, which represent pools of money invested in office buildings, apartment complexes, warehouses and shopping centers. HCRE was recognized within the Real Estate Equity category.

HURA is the first ETF in Canada focused exclusively on the uranium sector and provides global exposure to companies involved in the uranium mining and exploration industry as well as exposure to the price of the physical uranium commodity. HURA was recognized within the Alternative Equity Focused category.

Recognized within the Financial Services Equity category, HEWB offers tax-efficient, equal-weight exposure to Canada's six largest banks: Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, and National Bank of Canada.

HXT and HXQ also earned Fundata Awards for their respective achievements in the Canadian and U.S. Equity categories. Both ETFs are a part of Horizons ETFs' corporate class ETF family, a structure that can help provide minimal tracking error and is potentially more tax-efficient for taxable Canadian investors. HXT has been recognized with a Fundata Award for five consecutive years now, while HXQ has now been recognized for four years in a row.

Sub-advised by Guardian Capital LP, HAL and HAZ are both actively managed dividend-focused ETFs. Focused on Canadian dividend-producing companies, HAL is celebrating four consecutive years of Fundata Award recognition within the Canadian Dividend & Fixed Income category, while HAZ, which takes a global approach to dividend-producing companies has earned its first Fundata Award within the Global Equity category, which included 1146 eligible funds.

Sub-advised by Fiera Capital Corporation, one of Canada's leading fixed income managers, HFR was recognized by the Fundata Awards within the Canadian Short Term Fixed Income category. HFR is an actively-managed high-grade corporate bond ETF that is designed to pay a higher yield as interest rates rise.

For more information on any of our Fundata Award-winning ETFs, please visit us at www.HorizonsETFs.com.

Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. is an innovative financial services company and offers one of the largest suites of exchange traded funds in Canada. The Horizons ETFs product family includes a broadly diversified range of solutions for investors of all experience levels to meet their investment objectives in a variety of market conditions. Horizons ETFs has approximately $23 billion of assets under management and 107 ETFs listed on major Canadian stock exchanges.

Commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with an investment in exchange traded products (the "Horizons Exchange Traded Products") managed by Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. The Horizons Exchange Traded Products are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. The prospectus contains important detailed information about the Horizons Exchange Traded Products. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing.

FundGrade A+® is used with permission from Fundata Canada Inc., all rights reserved. The annual FundGrade A+® Awards are presented by Fundata Canada Inc. to recognize the "best of the best" among Canadian investment funds. The FundGrade A+® calculation is supplemental to the monthly FundGrade ratings and is calculated at the end of each calendar year. The FundGrade rating system evaluates funds based on their risk-adjusted performance, measured by Sharpe Ratio, Sortino Ratio, and Information Ratio. The score for each ratio is calculated individually, covering all time periods from 2 to 10 years. The scores are then weighted equally in calculating a monthly FundGrade. The top 10% of funds earn an A Grade; the next 20% of funds earn a B Grade; the next 40% of funds earn a C Grade; the next 20% of funds receive a D Grade; and the lowest 10% of funds receive an E Grade. To be eligible, a fund must have received a FundGrade rating every month in the previous year. The FundGrade A+® uses a GPA-style calculation, where each monthly FundGrade from "A" to "E" receives a score from 4 to 0, respectively. A fund's average score for the year determines its GPA. Any fund with a GPA of 3.5 or greater is awarded a FundGrade A+® Award. For more information, see www.FundGradeAwards.com. Although Fundata makes every effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained herein, the accuracy is not guaranteed by Fundata.

HCRE seeks to replicate, to the extent possible, the performance of the Solactive Equal Weight Canada REIT Index (Total Return), net of expenses. The Solactive Equal Weight Canada REIT Index (Total Return) is an equal-weight index of Canadian-listed real estate investment trust equity securities.

Performance for HCRE for the period ending December 31, 2022, is as follows: -17.46% (1 year), 1.08% (3 years), and 5.40% (since inception on January 22, 2019). HCRE was awarded its FundGrade A+® Award for the two-year period ending December 31, 2022. In its award category – Real Estate Equity – HCRE was in competition with 73 other investment funds.

HURA seeks to replicate, to the extent possible, the performance of the Solactive Global Uranium Pure-Play Index, net of expenses. The Solactive Global Uranium Pure-Play Index is designed to provide exposure to the performance of a basket of issuers which (a) are primarily involved in the uranium mining and exploration industry, or (b) invest and participate directly in the physical price of uranium.

Performance for HURA for the period ending December 31, 2022, is as follows: -3.81% (1 year), 39.82% (3 years), and 25.68% (since inception on May 15, 2019). HURA was awarded its FundGrade A+® Award for the two-year period ending December 31, 2022. In its award category – Alternative Equity Focused – HURA was in competition with 53 other investment funds.

HEWB seeks to replicate, to the extent possible, the performance of the Solactive Equal Weight Canada Banks Index (Total Return), net of expenses. The Solactive Equal Weight Canada Banks Index (Total Return) is an equal weight index of equity securities of diversified Canadian banks.

Performance for HEWB for the period ending December 31, 2022, is as follows: -10.35% (1 year), 9.22% (3 years), and 9.01% (since inception on January 22, 2019). HEWB was awarded its FundGrade A+® Award for the two-year period ending December 31, 2022. In its award category – Financial Services Equity – HEWB was in competition with 54 other investment funds.

HXQ seeks to replicate, to the extent possible, the performance of the NASDAQ 100® Index (Total Return), net of expenses. The NASDAQ 100® Index (Total Return) includes 100 of the largest U.S. and international non-financial companies listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market.

Performance for HXQ for the period ending December 31, 2022, is as follows: -27.86% (1 year), 9.78% (3 years), 13.48% (5 years), and 15.72% (since inception on April 19, 2016). HXQ was awarded its FundGrade A+® Award for the five-year period ending December 31, 2022. In its award category – U.S. Equity – HXQ was in competition with 836 other investment funds.

HXT seeks to replicate, to the extent possible, the performance of the S&P/TSX 60™ Index (Total Return), net of expenses. The S&P/TSX 60™ Index (Total Return) is designed to measure the performance of the large-cap market segment of the Canadian equity market.

Performance for HXT for the period ending December 31, 2022, is as follows: -6.29% (1 year), 8.17% (3 years), 7.34% (5 years), 8.31% (10 years), and 7.32% (since inception on September 14, 2010). HXT was awarded its FundGrade A+® Award for the nine-year period ending December 31, 2022. In its award category – Canadian Equity – HXT was in competition with 371 other investment funds.

HAL seeks long-term total returns consisting of regular dividend income and long-term capital growth. HAL invests primarily in equity securities of North American companies with above-average dividend yields.

Performance for HAL for the period ending December 31, 2022, is as follows: 3.17% (1 year), 6.87% (3 years), 7.92% (5 years), 8.91% (10 years), and 8.78% (since inception on February 9, 2010). HAL was awarded its FundGrade A+® Award for the nine-year period ending December 31, 2022. In its award category – Canadian Dividend & Income Equity – HAL was in competition with 271 other investment funds.

HAZ seeks long-term returns consisting of regular dividend income and modest long-term capital growth. HAZ invests primarily in equity and equity-related securities of companies with operations located anywhere in the world.

Performance for HAZ for the period ending December 31, 2022, is as follows: -8.60% (1 year), 7.51% (3 years), 7.28% (5 years), 11.22% (10 years), and 11.15% (since inception on July 20, 2010). HAZ was awarded its FundGrade A+® Award for the nine-year period ending December 31, 2022. In its award category – Global Equity – HAZ was in competition with 1146 other investment funds.

HFR is to generate income that is consistent with prevailing Canadian short-term corporate bond yields while reducing the potential effects of Canadian interest rate fluctuations on HFR. HFR invests primarily in a portfolio of Canadian debt (including debt-like securities) directly, and hedges the portfolio's interest rate risk by maintaining a portfolio duration that is not more than one year. HFR may also invest directly in debt of U.S. companies, as well as indirectly through investments in securities of Listed Funds. HFR uses derivatives, including interest rate swaps, to deliver a floating rate of income.

Performance for HFR for the period ending December 31, 2022, is as follows: -0.55% (1 year), 1.21% (3 years), 1.76% (5 years), 1.86% (10 years), and 2.11% (since inception on December 10, 2010). HFR was awarded its FundGrade A+® Award for the nine-year period ending December 31, 2022. In its award category – Canadian Short Term Fixed Income – HFR was in competition with 162 other investment funds.

For more information on the rating system, visit www.Fundata.com/ProductsServices/FundGrade.aspx.

SOURCE Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc.