Morningstar Announces Nominees for 2016 U.S. Fund Manager of the Year Awards

CHICAGO, Jan. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, today announced the nominees for its 2016 U.S. Fund Manager of the Year awards. The awards acknowledge managers who not only delivered impressive performance in 2016, but have also generated excellent long-term risk-adjusted returns and have been good stewards of fund shareholders' capital. To recognize outstanding fund managers, Morningstar is selecting leaders in four categories this year: domestic stock, international stock, fixed income, and allocation/alternatives.

The nominees for the 2016 Fund Manager of the Year awards in the United States are:

Domestic-Stock Fund Manager of the Year:

• Phillip N. Davidson, Kevin Toney, Michael Liss, Dan Gruemmer, and Brian Woglom, American Century Equity Income (TWEIX), American Century Value (TWVLX), and American Century Mid Cap Value (ACMVX)
• Scott Brayman and team, Champlain Small Company (CIPSX)
• Jerome Dodson and team, Parnassus (PARNX)
• David Wallack, T. Rowe Price Mid-Cap Value (TRMCX)
• Primecap team, Vanguard Primecap (VPMCX), Vanguard Primecap Core (VPCCX), Vanguard Capital Opportunity (VHCOX), Primecap Odyssey Growth (POGRX), Primecap Odyssey Stock (POSKX), and Primecap Odyssey Aggressive Growth (POAGX)

International-Stock Fund Manager of the Year:

• David Samra and Daniel O'Keefe, Artisan International Value (ARTKX)
• International Investment Policy Committee, Dodge & Cox International Stock (DODFX)
• David Herro, Oakmark International (OAKIX)

Fixed-Income Fund Manager of the Year:

• Mary Ellen Stanek and team, Baird Core Plus (BCOIX)
• Fixed-Income Investment Policy Committee, Dodge & Cox Income (DODIX)
• Ford O'Neil and team, Fidelity Total Bond (FTBFX)
• Ray Kennedy, Mark Hudoff, Patrick Meegan, and Richard Mak, Hotchkis & Wiley High Yield Fund (HWHIX)
• Michael Hasenstab and Sonal Desai, Templeton Global Bond (TGBAX), Templeton Global Total Return (TTRZX), and Templeton Global Income (GIM)

Allocation/Alternatives Fund Manager of the Year:

• Robert Jones, Boston Partners Long/Short Equity (BPLSX)
• Equity and Fixed-Income Investment Policy Committees, Dodge & Cox Balanced (DODBX)
• Steven Romick, Brian Selmo, and Mark Landecker, FPA Crescent (FPACX)

"This year's crop of nominees not only managed to deliver strong returns to shareholders, but did so the right way—by sticking to their fundamental investing approach through thick and thin," Laura Pavlenko Lutton, Morningstar's director of manager research, North America, said. "During their long and distinguished tenures, these managers have exhibited the discipline and skill that successful investing demands. We think those same qualities, coupled with a strong commitment to shareholders, should pave the way to future success as well."

Morningstar plans to announce its 2016 U.S. Fund Manager of the Year award winners on Jan. 25 live on CNBC's "Power Lunch" program. Highlights about the Morningstar U.S. Domestic-Stock Fund Manager of the Year award nominees are available here. Morningstar will highlight the nominees for the other three categories on Morningstar.com during the next two weeks. Live updates from the award announcement on Jan. 25 will be available on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/MorningstarInc or through the event hashtag, #MstarAwards.

Established in 1988, the Morningstar Fund Manager of the Year award recognizes portfolio managers who demonstrate excellent investment skill and the courage to differ from the consensus to benefit investors. To qualify for the award, managers' funds must have not only posted impressive returns for the year, but the managers also must have a record of delivering outstanding long-term risk-adjusted performance and of aligning their interests with shareholders'. Nominated funds must be Morningstar Medalists—a fund that has garnered a Morningstar Analyst Rating™ of Gold, Silver, or Bronze. The Fund Manager of the Year award winners are chosen based on research and in-depth qualitative evaluation by Morningstar's Manager Research Group. The allocation and alternatives categories are now combined into one category to align the awards with the group's structure. For more information about Morningstar Awards, visit http://corporate1.morningstar.com/Morningstar-Awards/.

While all Fund Manager of the Year nominees were selected because of excellent performance and stewardship of fund shareholders' capital, forward-looking ideas for a diverse portfolio are available in a new report, "Where to Invest in 2017 and Beyond." The report is available here and a list of current Morningstar Medalists is available here.

About Morningstar, Inc.Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and retirement plan providers and sponsors. Morningstar provides data on nearly 540,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on approximately 18.5 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with more than $200 billion in assets under advisement and management as of Sept. 30, 2016. The company has operations in 27 countries.

Morningstar's Manager Research Group consists of various wholly owned subsidiaries of Morningstar, Inc. including, but not limited to, Morningstar Research Services LLC.

Analyst Ratings are subjective in nature and should not be used as the sole basis for investment decisions. Analyst Ratings are based on Morningstar analysts' current expectations about future events and therefore involve unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Morningstar's expectations not to occur or to differ significantly from what was expected. Morningstar does not represent its Analyst Ratings to be guarantees nor should they be viewed as an assessment of a fund's or the fund's underlying securities' creditworthiness. This press release is for informational purposes only; it should not be considered an offer or solicitation to buy or sell the mutual funds noted within.

©2017 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Media Contact:Nadine Youssef, +1 312 696-6601 or [email protected]

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SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.