MFS Investment Management took top honors and Delaware Management Company swept in three categories at the U.S. Lipper Fund Awards 2011, held yesterday in New York City.
In addition to the traditional award categories, Lipper also unveiled its Award for Excellence in Fund Management, presenting Clyde McGregor, co-manager of the Oakmark Global and Oakmark Equity & Income funds, with the inaugural honor. The award recognizes asset managers who deliver consistently strong risk-adjusted returns to their investors over the long-term, and who represent the best of the funds industry, according to Lipper.
The award went to McGregor "to honor his impressive total returns over five years and shareholder friendly expenses, an accomplishment that truly embodies the essence of investing excellence," said Jeff Tjornehoj, head of Lipper Americas Research.
Delaware Management Company had a strong showing in the group trophy awards this year, picking up three category wins: for the best overall small fund group-categorized as funds with less than $34.5 billion in assets-and the best fund group in the small bond and small mixed-asset categories.
MFS Investment Management was awarded the best overall large fund group, based on the firm's consistently strong risk-adjusted performance across asset classes between January 1, 2008, and December 31, according to Lipper.
The group trophy awards also saw three repeat winners from last year, with Loomis Sayles & Company winning the Best Bond Group-Large award, Pimco winning the Best Equity Fund Group-Large award and Janus Capital Management winning the Best Mixed-Assets Group-Large award. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC. won the Best Equity Fund Group-Small award.
T. Rowe Price won 11 awards, while Nuveen received six awards and John Hancock and Fidelity both won five awards.
The United States is among 23 countries whose funds are honored by Lipper awards, which are part of the Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence. The Thomson Reuters global family of awards include the Lipper Fund Awards, the Lipper Hedge Fund Awards, The Extel Survey Awards, the StarMine Analyst Awards and the StarMine Broker Rankings.