Aquinas Investment Advisers Inc.

What Aquinas Investment Advisers Inc. does

Aquinas Investment Advisers Inc. is a Dallas-based private investment adviser that operates the LKCM Aquinas Catholic Equity Fund (ticker: AQEIX), a single mutual fund product targeting individual US-resident investors seeking to align portfolios with Catholic moral and ethical teachings. The fund, originally launched July 11, 2005 as the LKCM Aquinas Value Fund and rebranded August 1, 2016, invests in equities using screening criteria set forth by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and pursues long-term capital appreciation. Three portfolio managers — Paul W. Greenwell, Gary G. Walsh (CFA, CPA), and Scot C. Hollmann (CFA, CIC) — manage the fund under investment advisory arrangements with Luther King Capital Management Corporation, which acts as the parent investment adviser.

The firm's revenue model is fee-based on the mutual fund's net expense ratio of 1.00% (gross 1.47%), with Luther King Capital Management contractually waiving fees to maintain the 1.00% net level through May 1, 2027. Investors also pay a 1.00% redemption fee on shares held less than 30 days. Distribution occurs through Quasar Distributors, LLC as principal underwriter; directly through US Bancorp Fund Services as transfer agent; and through major retail brokerage platforms including Charles Schwab, Fidelity, E*TRADE, and TD Ameritrade. The firm employs 11-50 staff across mailing addresses in Kansas City, Missouri and website-referenced Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with no proprietary technology platform disclosed.

The LKCM Aquinas Catholic Equity Fund is restricted to United States residents, has produced a since-inception annualized return of 8.25% (as of March 31, 2026) with a ten-year annualized return of 10.54%, and screens portfolio securities against USCCB guidelines on issues such as contraception, abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and weapons manufacturing. The company's competitive positioning rests on a niche combination of faith-based values alignment and institutional Catholic endorsement rather than scale, product breadth, or technology differentiation.

Name

Aquinas Investment Advisers Inc.

Legal name

LKCM Aquinas Funds

Website

https://aquinasfunds.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aquinas Investment Advisers Inc. operates the LKCM Aquinas Catholic Equity Fund (AQEIX), a single equity mutual fund for US-resident Catholic investors, with securities selected under guidelines set by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-based Equity Mutual Fund Management

NAICS

Open-End Investment Funds (525910), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAAAEAE

Index Mutual Funds (Non-ETF)

Financial & Insurance/Asset & Wealth Management/Asset Management — Mutual Funds & UCITS

SECONDARYFSAAAJAA

Multi-Asset Mutual Funds & UCITS (Balanced/Allocation Funds)

Financial & Insurance/Asset & Wealth Management/Asset Management — Multi-Asset & Balanced

Keywords

• Faith-based mutual funds
• Catholic values investing
• Equity fund management
• Socially responsible investing
• Investment advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Mutual Fund Management Fees: The LKCM Aquinas Catholic Equity Fund generates revenue through a 1.00% Net Expense Ratio charged to investors, with a Gross Expense Ratio of 1.47%. Luther King Capital Management Corporation, the investment adviser, has contractually agreed to waive fees to maintain the 1.00% Net Expense Ratio through May 1, 2027. Additional revenue includes a 1.00% redemption fee on shares held less than 30 days.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Aquinas Investment Advisers Inc. manages the LKCM Aquinas Catholic Equity Fund (AQEIX), a US-only mutual fund that invests primarily in equities screened against moral guidelines issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation while screening out issuers whose business practices conflict with Catholic teachings.

Product overview

Aquinas Investment Advisers Inc. operates the LKCM Aquinas Catholic Equity Fund (ticker AQEIX), a single-core mutual fund product. The fund was renamed from LKCM Aquinas Value Fund effective August 1, 2016, to better reflect its Catholic values investing focus. Luther King Capital Management Corporation serves as the investment adviser, and the fund is distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC. The fund can be purchased through major brokerage platforms including Charles Schwab, Fidelity, E*Trade, and TD Ameritrade, as well as directly through the transfer agent US Bancorp Fund Services, LLC. The fund is managed by three portfolio managers: Paul W. Greenwell, Gary G. Walsh, CFA, CPA, and Scot C. Hollmann, CFA, CIC. Performance as of March 31, 2026 shows a year-to-date return of -2.37%, with a Gross Expense Ratio of 1.47% and Net Expense Ratio of 1.00%.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LKCM Aquinas Catholic Equity Fund (AQEIX) A US-domiciled mutual fund that seeks long-term capital appreciation through equity investments selected using moral guidelines issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Targeted at individual Catholic (and values-aligned) US-resident investors; available on Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and TD Ameritrade brokerage platforms, via Quasar Distributors, and directly through transfer agent US Bancorp Fund Services. Net expense ratio 1.00%, gross expense ratio 1.47%, and a 1.00% redemption fee on shares held less than 30 days.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10.54% annualized return over ten years (as of March 31, 2026)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Luther King Capital Management CorporationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLuther King Capital Management Corporation serves as the Fund's investment adviser, providing investment management services based on guidelines set forth by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The firm manages the LKCM Aquinas Catholic Equity Fund with the philosophy that investors should not sacrifice investment performance for their Catholic values.
• Quasar Distributors, LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorQuasar Distributors, LLC distributes the LKCM Aquinas Catholic Equity Fund as the fund's principal underwriter and distributor.
• US Bancorp Fund Services, LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS Bancorp Fund Services, LLC serves as the transfer agent, enabling direct purchases of fund shares through completion of the appropriate application.
• United States Conference of Catholic BishopscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe fund's investment guidelines are set forth by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, providing the framework for Catholic values-based screening and investment selection.
• Charles SchwabminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCharles Schwab is a brokerage platform where shares of the LKCM Aquinas Catholic Equity Fund can be purchased.
• FidelityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFidelity is a brokerage platform where shares of the LKCM Aquinas Catholic Equity Fund can be purchased.
• E*TRADEminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorE*TRADE is a brokerage platform where shares of the LKCM Aquinas Catholic Equity Fund can be purchased.
• TD AmeritrademinorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTD Ameritrade is a brokerage platform where shares of the LKCM Aquinas Catholic Equity Fund can be purchased.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• GuideStone Funds: GuideStone Funds is a faith-based mutual fund family historically serving Southern Baptist investors, directly competing for faith-aligned investors with values-screened equity and balanced strategies.
• Inspire Funds: Inspire Investing runs biblically-responsible mutual funds and ETFs screening companies against biblical values, directly comparable as a faith-based active equity competitor with overlapping target investors.
• Ave Maria Mutual Funds: Ave Maria Mutual Funds operates Catholic values-based equity and bond mutual funds, directly competing with LKCM Aquinas for the same US Catholic values-aligned investor segment with similar USCCB-style screens.
• Eventide Funds: Eventide Funds manages values-based, faith-aligned mutual funds integrating biblical principles with impact investing, comparable in mission and product type to Aquinas's faith-based equity strategy.
• Timothy Plan: Timothy Plan offers a family of faith-based mutual funds applying biblical values screens to equity and fixed income strategies, directly comparable in targeting faith-aligned investors with actively-managed mutual fund structures.

Broad incumbents

• American Century Values Funds: American Century offers values-screened equity mutual funds competing for the same retail values-aligned investor dollars as LKCM Aquinas, while bringing materially greater AUM and brand scale.
• Calvert Funds (Calvert Research and Management): Calvert is a long-established leader in ESG/impact-screened mutual funds and SMAs, providing broader values-based investing comparables against which Aquinas must compete for values-aligned retail assets.

Emerging players

• Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors: Knights of Columbus operates faith-aligned investment products targeting Catholic investors, representing both a competitor and potential strategic partner/channel for Catholic values-screened strategies.

Others

• Luther King Capital Management: Parent and investment adviser to the LKCM Aquinas Catholic Equity Fund; operates broader institutional and intermediary equity strategies and provides the operational substrate Aquinas depends on.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aquinas Investment Advisers Inc.