ClearBridge Investments expands investment offerings in Australia with launch of the ClearBridge Global Growth Fund

ClearBridge Investments^[1] proudly announces the launch of its inaugural global equity strategy tailored for Australian investors – the ClearBridge Global Growth Fund.

The ClearBridge Global Growth Strategy has a close to 12-year track record and an experienced team who manage over US$15.8billion in International and Global Growth Strategies.

The Strategy employs a disciplined, risk-aware approach aimed at delivering above-market, growth-like returns with market-level volatility. By identifying companies where the market has mispriced either the magnitude or duration of growth, the portfolio invests in 60 to 100 equities across a spectrum of growth: emerging, secular and structural, thereby allowing the Strategy to deliver for investors across various market environments.

Matt Bushby, Head of APAC Business Development at ClearBridge Investments said “The launch of this Fund marks the next stage of our growth strategy for Australian investors.

“Our business is transforming. Today, in addition to our award-winning listed infrastructure strategies, we are expanding our investment capabilities to offer Australian investors access to this very successful Global Growth Strategy.

“The ClearBridge Global Growth Fund is the first global equity fund ClearBridge has launched in Australia, and we are looking at potential opportunities to launch other global equity strategies in the future.

“We believe that increased volatility over the past few years as economies experienced higher inflation and the end of ultra-low interest rates, combined with the increased concentration risk in global equity indices, is driving financial advisers and investors to rethink their growth-equity allocations.  Increasingly investors are seeking consistency that can anchor their growth allocations through different market environments to compound over the longer term,” said Bushby.

The Strategy is managed by a team of experienced Portfolio Managers, including ClearBridge Investments’ Head of Global Growth, Elisa Mazen, who brings nearly 40 years’ experience in the funds management industry. Other Portfolio Managers managing this Strategy include Michael Testorf, CFA, and Pawel Wroblewski, CFA who have 37 years and 28 years of industry experience respectively.^[2]

Elisa Mazen commented on the success of the Strategy, attributing it to various factors, including the firms extensive proprietary research team of experienced analysts and detailed fundamental industry and company research. “We focus on investment thesis, valuation, risk assessment, as well as ESG factors^[3], to select high-quality businesses, with sustainable growth characteristics but which are trading at a discount. We then diversify the portfolio along a spectrum of growth which allows us to perform in a variety of market regimes.”

Portfolio Manager, Michael Testorf, CFA, emphasised the firm’s commitment to ESG principles stating “As part of our fundamental research, we engage with our portfolio companies regularly on ESG issues relevant to their business model and profitability^[4.

As at 31 March 2024, the ClearBridge Global Growth Strategy has produced an average annual gross return of 17.5% since its inception^[5], outperforming its benchmark, the MSCI AC World (Net) Index by 3.0%.

The top five holdings in the Strategy as at 31 March 2024 include:

• Microsoft Corp
• Amazon.com Inc
• Eli Lilly and Company
• Apple Inc
• Nvidia

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Notes:
[1] “ClearBridge Investments” refers to ClearBridge Investments Limited (AFSL 307727) and its subsidiaries, its Authorised Representative ClearBridge Investments, LLC. (as well as parts of Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. in Canada), who are operationally integrated under the global brand, ClearBridge Investments.
[2] The Portfolio Managers are employed by ClearBridge Investments, LLC. an Authorised Representative of ClearBridge Investments Limited
[3] The Fund may hold investments where ESG factors are not considered, including cash, cash equivalents, exchange-traded funds and certain types of derivatives. Taking all factors relevant to the overall investment thesis into account, including non-ESG factors, a security with a relatively lower ESG rating may be acquired and retained, and, conversely, a security with a relatively higher ESG rating may be neither acquired nor retained, where ClearBridge Investments believes this is consistent with the overall investment objective and strategy of the Fund.
[4] We acknowledge that there may be limitations to the degree of influence that ClearBridge Investments may reasonably have.
[5] Performance inception date for the ClearBridge Global Growth Strategy is 30 June 2012. Past performance is not a reliable indicator for future performance. Please note that a comparison between the ClearBridge Global Growth Strategy and the ClearBridge Global Growth Fund may not always be appropriate due to differences between the investment vehicles, including differences in fees, how these vehicles are traded, consideration of ta impacts and other differences which may impact the outcome.