Stephen Message has run the Old Mutual UK Equity Income fund since December 2009, having joined Old Mutual in 2008. He forms part of the large-cap UK-equity team at Old Mutual Global Investors (OMGI), which is well-resourced and includes fund managers Simon Murphy, Errol Francis, and Ed Meier. Richard Buxton continues to head the UK-equity team and in August 2015 was promoted to CEO of OMGI.
The fund lags the category in falling markets, but has more than compensated during rising markets
We view this appointment on balance as a positive for the OMGI investment team. OMGI also has a strong UK small- and mid-cap equity capability upon which Message draws for more growth-oriented names.
The fund benefits from a process that we believe to be disciplined and repeatable, underpinned by a total return approach. The portfolio is constructed from the bottom up with Message selecting stocks that offer undervalued quality or are undergoing some form of change.
Stocks within the portfolio are classified into two buckets: core income stocks that offer premium yield and core growth stocks that ave no yield requirement but offer more growth potential. His approach is flexible, and thus far, this has led to higher exposure toward mid-cap and growth companies relative to the UK equity-income Morningstar Category average.
During Message's tenure, the fund has outperformed the category average and the broader FTSE All-Share Index. Performance relative to the category has been buoyed over recent years by both strong stock selection and good sector allocation, whilst exposure to mid-cap stocks has also provided a tailwind. 2011 was a challenging year as the fund suffered from being underexposed to the more stable mega-cap stocks.
During the manager's tenure, the fund has typically lagged the category in falling markets, and this was the case in 2015 to the end of September, although it has more than compensated investors during rising markets.
We continue to like Message's total-return approach, and his stock selection benefits from the input of a strong UK team at OMGI. The fund retains its Morningstar Analyst Rating of Bronze.