GROWTH Fund Second Quarter Results
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GROWTH fund Second Quarter Results June 30, 2016 FOCUSED INVESTING FOR THE LONG-TERM GROWTH fund (MPGFX) Second Quarter Market Overview - June 30, 2016 The market turned a page at the start of the several manufacturing indicators, including year and we are seeing a very different story employment, inventories, orders, and play out compared to a year ago. In 2015, the production, was also up. It looks like the worst consumer sectors were the only parts of the of the manufacturing slowdown is behind us. economy that seemed to work for investors The consumer side of the economy delivered as the market struggled with the impacts mixed signals, however. Weaker than of a rapid fall in oil prices and rapid rise of expected job growth in May and continued the dollar against most foreign currencies, moderate wage growth put a damper on hurting the energy sector and export-oriented consumer spending expectations as stocks in industrial companies in particular. the consumer discretionary sector remained With those rapid and dramatic price weak. On the other hand, housing remained adjustments now behind us, both factors surprisingly strong, mortgage applications are neutral to slight tailwinds on a year-over- were well ahead of expectations, auto sales year basis. In addition, the first half of 2016 remain at all-time highs and retail sales were saw broad participation across most sectors robust. accompanied by encouraging signs of The decision by British voters on June 23rd accelerating economic growth. In the second to leave the European Union within two years quarter of this year, forecasted Gross Domestic caused a sharp two day decline in the U.S. Product (GDP) growth was revised upward market with the S&P 500 down more than from 0.8% to an annual rate approaching 3%. 5%. It was followed by a quick recovery that The services sector remained fairly strong in brought the market nearly back to the level the second quarter and continues to be the where the decline started and up 2% for the primary driver of economic growth. Industrial quarter. The Federal Reserve once again and materials sector stocks, having risen took a pass on raising interest rates as the sharply in the first quarter as the market negative interest rates in Europe and Japan anticipated manufacturers would begin to on over $9 trillion in government issued debt feel less headwind from the strong dollar, are beginning to spill into our fixed income continued to benefit from positive economic markets. As the market searches for yield, news. Toward the end of the second quarter, a the overall corporate bond market has been survey of manufacturers reported new orders strong, with longer maturity instruments grew for the fifth consecutive month, the outperforming equities in the quarter. best streak for this survey since last summer. In addition, the composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which measures (MPGFX) Second Quarter Results June 30,30, 20162016 Future Outlook A look at valuations indicates a market that, while not overpriced, is near its long-- term average based on dividend yield and is slightly above its long-term averagee on a forward price per earnings (P/E) ratio. The market has been strong the first six months,onths, and while we remain positive on equities for the long run, we may be entering a periodperiod of lower returns in the near-term. In this environment, stock selection is increasinglygly important and we continue to find plenty of stock positions worth adding to. The historic Brexit vote has added a degree of uncertainty and volatility to the marketarket but the ultimate outcome and impacts are unknown. While the British pound weakenedakened after the vote, the Euro has come back near its pre-Brexit vote level. The biggest potential currency risk we see would result from Japan attempting to generate growthrowth by devaluing the yen relative to the dollar which would potentially impact companiess thatthat compete against Japanese exporters. We will continue to stay on top of developments,ments, but won’t make investment decisions based on day-to-day news. In this environment,ment, we may see short-term market displacements which present opportunities. Our focuss will continue to be on identifying strong companies with a durable competitive advantagentage that are well positioned to outperform their peers over the long-term. 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The S&P 500 Total Return (TR) benchmark was up 2.46% and 3.84% and the Lipper Multi-Cap Core Funds Index of peers gained 2.18% and 3.21% for the quarter and the first six months, respectively. On a sector basis, health care, industrials and materials were the leading contributors to performance while consumer discretionary was weak on a relative basis in both periods. Performance data quoted represents past performance and does not guarantee future results. The LQYHVWPHQWUHWXUQDQGSULQFLSDOYDOXHRIDQLQYHVWPHQWZLOOÀXFWXDWHVRWKDWDQLQYHVWRU¶VVKDUHV when redeemed, may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. For the most recent month- HQGSHUIRUPDQFH¿JXUHVYLVLWZZZPDLUVDQGSRZHUFRPRUFDOO6KDUHKROGHU6HUYLFHVDW ([SHQVH5DWLR The Fund’s strong performance year-to-date demonstrates the benefits of our long-term investment approach and reinforces the effectiveness of our disciplined investment process. As the market struggled last year with the rapid decline in oil prices and strengthening dollar against other major currencies, we used the weakness to increase positions selectively where we found attractive valuations, focusing, as always, on companies with a durable competitive advantage. In 2016, the market again began to recognize the attractiveness of these great companies, benefiting Fund performance. Despite market valuations near their long-term averages, we continue to find plenty of opportunity to put money to work and have been buying names such as U.S. Bancorp (USB), Hormel (HRL) and Disney (DIS) as well as establishing new positions in United Health Group (UNH) and Great Western Bank (GWB). Mairs & Power Growth Fund Performers TOP PERFORMERS SECOND QUARTER (3/31/16 - 6/30/16) YEAR TO DATE (12/31/15 - 6/30/16) St. Jude Medical, Inc. 39.36% Valspar Corp. 26.40% Bio-Techne Corporation 16.85% St. Jude Medical, Inc. 22.43% Pfizer Inc. 16.33% General Mills, Inc. 19.85% Medtronic, Inc. 13.23% Toro Co. 16.87% Johnson & Johnson 9.65% Johnson & Johnson 14.25% WEAK PERFORMERS SECOND QUARTER (3/31/16 - 6/30/16) YEAR TO DATE (12/31/15 - 6/30/16) Cray Inc. -31.07% MTS Systems Corp. -34.70% MTS Systems Corp. -30.41% Wells Fargo & Co. -16.77% Hormel Foods Corp. -17.82% Principal Financial Group -12.44% Target Corp. -17.60% Hormel Foods Corp. -11.28% Graco, Inc. -8.38% U.S. Bancorp -9.32% Past performance does not guarentee future results (MPGFX) Second Quarter Results June 30, 2016 We are not the only investors finding compelling values in some of these stocks. During the first half of the year, we saw announcements that two of our long time portfolio companies were being acquired for substantial premiums over their recent trading ranges, further contributing to the Fund’s performance. In the first quarter report, we mentioned that the paint and coatings company Valspar (VAL) is being bought by Sherwin Williams (SHW), with the transaction expected to close in the first quarter of next year. As we discussed last quarter, Valspar complements Sherwin Williams’ U.S. presence with a solid international footprint. In the second quarter, Minneapolis-based medical device maker St. Jude Medical (STJ) announced it is being bought by Abbott Laboratories (ABT), with the sale expected to close by the end of this year, creating a clear global leader in cardiac devices. Both of these strategic buyers recognized some of the same competitive strengths that had originally attracted our investment interest and over time continued to reinforce our conviction. In fact, St. Jude was one of the companies we were opportunistically buying on weakness prior to the acquisition announcement. Both transactions will result in large capital gains for the Fund. We have taken advantage of strength in Valspar to pare back our positions, allowing us to redeploy the funds elsewhere. Mark L. Henneman Andrew R. Adams Lead Manager Co-Manager The Fund’s investment objective, risks, charges and expenses must be considered carefully before investing. The summary prospectus or full prospectus contains this and other important information about the Fund and they may be obtained by calling Shareholder Services at (800) 304-7404 or by visiting www.mairsandpower.com. Read the summary prospectus or full prospectus carefully before investing. The stocks mentioned herein represent the following percentages of the total net assets of the Mairs & Power Growth