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by Jack Shannon
ClearBridge Aggressive Growth is getting rebranded as ClearBridge Growth effective May 1, 2024. In addition, its official benchmark is changing from the Russell 3000 Growth Index to the Russell Midcap Growth Index. However, these changes will not affect the day-to-day management of the portfolio, as it has virtually no index-relative constraints. Its Morningstar Medalist Rating remains unchanged. The “aggressive growth” moniker has not made sense in years, as there were periods under previous manager Richie Freeman’s tenure that the portfolio nearly landed in value waters. However, the strategy has a new direction under Aram Green’s watch. Green has a small- and mid-cap growth background, and while this fund currently sits in the large-blend Morningstar Category, it has been getting steadily growthier under Green’s command. This name change is supposed to reflect the reality that this portfolio is essentially an all-cap mandate. Green tends to invest in smaller-cap companies than peers, and its Morningstar Size Score ranks among the lowest in the category. While Green will own growth stocks up-and-down the market-cap ladder in this strategy, he likely will not own the dominant mega-cap technology companies, as he is looking for unique, emerging businesses that can grow into tomorrow’s behemoths. From that perspective, switching to the Russell Mid-Cap Growth Index makes some sense, as the Russell 3000 Growth is dominated by those mega-cap technology companies. This fund is still likely to have significantly more large-cap exposure than its new Russell Midcap Growth Index. Overall, investors should expect this strategy to settle near the large-growth and mid-cap-growth border, though it will likely be a tough one to benchmark owing to its non-cookie-cutter portfolio. In addition to the name change, Amanda Leithe will be named comanager on the portfolio effective May 1. Leithe has served as a portfolio analyst—effectively a portfolio-manager-in-waiting role—on this strategy for a couple of years, so she is well-versed in both the investment philosophy and the portfolio. |
ClearBridge Growth, recently rebranded from ClearBridge Aggressive Growth, is still in the early stages of a new strategic journey. It benefits from a capable group of comanagers that has transitioned the portfolio toward growthier and smaller-cap waters. While this fund currently sits in the large-blend Morningstar Category, investors should not expect it to stay there for much longer; instead it should be viewed as an all-cap growth portfolio going forward. Comanagers Aram Green, Evan Bauman, and Amanda Leithe oversee the portfolio, and Green is the de facto leader of ClearBridge’s SMID-cap growth team, which has generally produced good long-term results for investors. Given the team’s strength and expertise in small- and mid-cap investing, this stylistic shift was welcome, though this portfolio holds more large-cap companies than Green is typically used to, and there is still some uncertainty whether Green’s success can be easily ported over to a larger-cap portfolio. This portfolio owns companies up and down the market-cap spectrum, but investors should not expect the managers to hold much of the mega-cap growth stocks here. Green instead wants to find smaller companies with the potential to grow into that level. This will create a key performance differentiator at times, though. When mega-caps are in favor, this portfolio will likely produce lackluster relative results if benchmarked to a large-growth (or large-blend) index and peer group. This has largely been the case since Green took over in March 2021. It took some time to transition the portfolio, but over the trailing three years through September 2024, this fund’s I shares’ gained just 3.5% as the Russell 1000 Growth Index climbed 40.6%. Performance relative to the Russell Midcap Growth Index, though, was not nearly as stark, as that index gained just 6.5%. Over the long run, this portfolio will likely land between those indexes, and neither is a perfect fit, though the managers are officially benchmarked to the mid-cap growth index now. For the right price, this fund is a decent long-term option for an investor looking for a differentiated growth portfolio. |
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