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Otter Creek Advisors

Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Long/Short Equity

Visit Otter Creek View on Dakota Pages
otterCreek

Our Partnership

Dakota began working with Otter Creek in December 2013, in conjunction with the launch of its mutual fund product. Dakota has raised over $400 million in assets for the fund and regards it as one of the truly distinct long/short alternative mutual funds in the market today.

You can visit Otter Creek’s website for more information or visit Otter Creek on Dakota Pages and view current and historical marketing and diligence documents.

Get to know our partners

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Otter Creek has been managing a long/short strategy since 1991. Tyler Walling has been Co-PM since 2012 and Cory Reed has been Co-PM since 2022. The firm manages $164.3 million (as of 9.30.2024) of which 10% of capital is partners of the firm.

The strategy's approach is to invest in roughly 30 - 35 long ideas and 30 - 35 short ideas, and the firm’s positions are primarily U.S. based. The strategy has the flexibility to invest across the capital structure, and throughout the history of the firm the net exposure has vacillated between -5% to 30% net long. The biggest annual drawdown since inception is -4%, and in times of distress in the markets the firm’s strategy has proven to generate positive returns.

The firm has five employees and is based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Strategy Overview

Otter Creek is a long/short mutual fund with a six-year track record, with only one down year since inception. The strategy targets "T-bills" plus 500 basis points in return. The strategy is approximately 25 long positions and 25 short positions. The long positions are selected through fundamental research which includes focusing on secular trends and a thematic macro overview.

In addition, the fund has invested in value-oriented and special situation ideas, which the investment team believes are undervalued or misunderstood by the markets, while the short positions are driven by what the team believes are mispriced securities based on balance sheets, income statements, and peer group analysis among other factors. The strategy has the flexibility to invest across the capital structure including senior debt, convertible and preferred securities.

The strategy is able to maintain a net short position, though it has rarely done so. In times when this kind of decision is made, the net short position has never exceeded -5%, delta adjusted. The short position includes a combination of common stock and put options positions on individual securities. The net long exposure rarely exceeds 30% net long delta adjusted. The strategy offers daily liquidity.

What We Like About Them

1

Research-Driven

OTTRX is a classic long/short alternative fund where the portfolio is driven by fundamental research which incorporates macro observations expressed through liquid securities such as common stock, fixed income, and options.

2

Low Correlation to Stock and Bond Indexes

The strategy has exhibited extremely low correlation to stock and bond indexes throughout the funds history. The return stream has historically lowered allocators’ portfolio standard deviation when added as a diversifying strategy.

3

Asset Size

Given Otter Creek’s asset size, the portfolio team has the ability to invest in opportunities as they arise due to changes in market sentiment and liquidity. For example, in the first quarter of 2020, the portfolio team was able to identify multiple opportunities in senior fixed income securities and invested approximately 30% the portfolio in such opportunities.

4

A Diverse Strategy

The strategy is designed to be a diversifier in either equity or fixed income portfolios with a degree of convexity which is rare in a historically net long strategy.

5

Positive Returns

Otter Creek has weathered an imperfect environment for their strategy which is defined as historically low bands of market volatility and interest rates, yet the strategy has generated positive returns.

Contact Information

If you would like to learn more about Otter Creek and/or speak with a Portfolio Manager, call Tim Dolan at (314) 853-0801 or email at tdolan@dakota.com.
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