The fund seeks total return by investing in companies across any size in the United States.
The investment process starts with a list of companies in the benchmark index and the research team utilizes quantitative techniques and fundamental analysis to identify investment opportunities.
Next, the research team invests in companies that pay dividends or are estimated to begin paying dividends in the future.
The team favors companies that are estimated to grow their dividends over time.
The research process is driven by fundamental analysis of one stock at a time. In selecting securities for the portfolio, the research team focuses on companies that possess durable advantages, as well as dividend growth.
Then the manager constructs a portfolio of stocks from a list of companies favored by the research team and allocates capital based on its conviction level.
The fund may also invest in foreign stocks, fixed-income instruments, convertible securities, preferred stocks, and derivatives such as covered call options.