Not all fund managers are created equal in the world of corporate finance.
And in Australia, FY25 belonged to Chester Asset Management's investment strategy.
As reported in the Australian Financial Review, the Melbourne-based fund manager beat 119 other strategies to top Mercer's investment performance survey.
All up, Chester delivered a 25.4% return for the financial year, before fees.
Not a bad outcome considering the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) returned 13.2% during the same period, when including dividends.
So, what drove Chester's standout performance?
Its approach is centred on identifying assets which it considers to be underappreciated, and that led to strong positions in several of FY25's top-performing stocks.
These included shipbuilder and defence contractor Austal Limited (ASX: ASB), copper developer Develop Global (ASX: DEV), as well as a collection of gold stocks.
But which unloved companies is Chester backing in FY26?
Let's meet three candidates tipped to shine.
Image source: Getty Images
CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL)
CSLis a global biotechnology business with a history dating back more than a century.
Today, the company specialises in developing and manufacturing medicines derived from human plasma, as well as vaccines and other biotherapies.
More specifically, CSL operates across three distinct business divisions.
Its Seqirus business is among the world's largest influenza vaccine providers.
The group's Behring division is centred on plasma-derived therapies for rare and serious diseases.
And the recently acquired Vifor business is focused on therapies for kidney-related conditions.
However, CSL has been making the news for less favourable reasons over the past few weeks.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said that pharmaceutical imports into the US could be subject to 200% tariffs starting next year.
Fears over the potential impact of such measures have caused some uncertainty for CSL's operations.
At the close of business on Friday, its shares were trading at $267.92 apiece.
This represents a 13% decline from the same time last year.
Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN)
Mineral Resourcesis a diversified resources business with its operations spanning lithium, iron ore, and gas production, in addition to providing mining services.
In recent times, the company has been hampered by a series challenges, including last year's closure of its Yilgarn iron ore hub in Western Australia.
More recently, the group has faced governance issues including an ASIC probe into founder Chris Ellison which prompted planned leadership changes.
And weakness in the lithium market has further weighed on the company's performance, contributing to a sharp decline in its share price.
Mineral Resources shares closed out last week at $32.32 apiece, down by 40% from twelve months ago.
Nufarm Ltd (ASX: NUF)
Nufarmis an agricultural chemicals and seed technology company.
Since its inception in 1956, the group has evolved into a major provider of herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and specialty seed platforms for global markets.
It operates under two business segments: crop protection and seed technologies.
In May, the company reported an underwhelming set of numbers for its seed technology division for the first half of FY25, including a 71% year-on-year drop in operating earnings (EBIT).
This muted outcome prompted the board of directors to initiate a strategic review of the business.
The market responded with a sharp sell-off in the company's shares.
Nufarm shares closed at $2.66 apiece on Friday, which marks a 40% decline over the past year.
