To learn more about Hennessy Advisors please visit the pages below:

Who We Are

Directors & Officers

History and Milestones

  • 1989 – Established Hennessy Advisors, Inc.
  • 1996 – Launched Hennessy Balanced Fund
  • 1998 – Launched Hennessy Total Return Fund
  • 2000 – Acquired Cornerstone Value and Cornerstone Growth Funds
  • 2002 – Hennessy Advisors, Inc. IPO
  • Sept. 2003 – Acquired $35 million Sym Select Growth Fund, launched Hennessy Focus 30 Fund
  • Dec. 2003 – Surpassed $1 billion in assets under management
  • Feb. 2004 – Acquired $300 million in assets under management from Lindner Asset Management
  • March 2005 - Three-for-two Hennessy Advisors, Inc. stock split
  • July 2005 - Acquired $299 million in assets under management from The Henlopen Fund
  • Jan. 2006 - Surpassed $2 billion in assets under management
  • March 2006 - Three-for-two Hennessy Advisors, Inc. stock split
  • March 2007 - Three-for-two Hennessy Advisors, Inc. stock split
  • March 2008 - Launched Institutional Share Class
  • March 2009 - Acquired $158 million in assets under management from Voyageur Asset Management, launched Hennessy Cornerstone Large Growth Fund and Hennessy Select Large Value Fund
  • March 2009 - Launched "Select Series" of funds
  • Sept. 2009 - Acquired $74 million in assets under management from SPARX USA and launched the Hennessy Select SPARX Japan and Hennessy Select SPARX Japan Smaller Companies Funds

In February 1989, Hennessy Advisors was founded as a broker-dealer, under the name Edward J. Hennessy, primarily serving individual investors. In 1996, Hennessy Advisors started their first mutual fund, the Hennessy Balanced Fund, based on the “Dogs of the Dow” investment philosophy. Hennessy was the first portfolio manager to utilize the “Dogs of the Dow” in a mutual fund format*. Two years later, in 1998, the company launched their second mutual fund, the Hennessy Total Return Fund, also based on the “Dogs of the Dow”. In June 2000, Hennessy Advisors acquired two mutual funds, the Cornerstone Growth and Cornerstone Value Funds, from O’Shaughnessy Capital Management. At that time, Hennessy Advisors managed only $20 million in assets, and the acquired funds had approximately $200 million in assets, so this acquisition allowed Hennessy to grow ten-fold.

In May 2002, Hennessy Advisors, which managed $350 million at that time, became a public company, with an initial public offering of $10 per share. In the next year, during a very volatile economic market environment, Hennessy Advisors was able to attract new investment into their funds, more than doubling their assets under management.

In September of 2003, Hennessy acquired $35 million in assets from SYM Financial Corporation and used those assets to create their fifth no-load mutual fund, the Hennessy Focus 30 Fund. This acquisition brought total assets under management to $835 million. In December 2003, Hennessy Advisors reached a very significant milestone, surpassing the $1 billion mark in assets. In March 2004, the firm acquired $300 million in assets from Lindner Asset Management, which was merged into exisiting funds. In March 2005, Hennessy Advisors, Inc. stock split three for two. In July 2005, Hennessy aquired $299 in assets from The Henlopen Fund and used those assets to create their sixth fund, Hennessy Cornerstone Growth Fund, Series II. (Please click on the Mutual Funds link at the top of the page for more specific fund information.)

In January 2006 Hennessy Advisors hit another milestone, surpassing $2 billion in assets under management. While the first billion in assets took 14 years to achieve (1989 to 2003), Hennessy Advisors raised their second billion in assets in just over two years. In March 2006, Hennessy Advisors, Inc. stock had another three for two split.

In March 2007, Hennessy Advisors, Inc. stock had its third three for two split.