Read and review commentaries written by Morningstar experts. These observations and insights are specific to Mutual Funds.
This Small/Mid-Cap Fund Holds Promise
Bronze-rated LKCM Small-Mid Cap Equity features a veteran leader and a strong supporting cast.
by Nicholas Goralka | 2020-09-24 04:00:00
LKCM Small-Mid Cap Equity's LKSMX veteran leader and strong supporting cast support its Morningstar Analyst Rating of Bronze for its lone share class.The strategy has ample resources. Steve Purvis started the separate-account version in April 2005 (and the open-end vehicle in May 2011) and has led sibling LKCM Small Cap Equity since 1999. Purvis is backed by LKCM's 14-person equity analyst team, whose members average an impressive 17 years at the firm. Firm CEO and CIO Luther King and his son Mason King join Purvis as managers, though they aren't as involved in day-to-day operations--Purvis remains the driving force behind the strategy.Purvis relies on a sensible valuation-sensitive growth approach that is sometimes hampered by a top-down element. He looks for companies with strong market share and returns on capital, putting a prem… Full Story
A Better Way to Look at Investing in Equities for Income
The pros and cons of using dividend-paying stocks as bond replacements.
by Alec Lucas, Ph.D. | 2020-09-23 04:00:00
It's tempting for investors striving to live off their portfolios in the current interest-rate environment to consider dividend-paying stocks as bond replacements. While equities have historically been 4 to 5 times more volatile and lack the protection afforded fixed-income securities in the capital structure, their yields offer an enticing alternative.Stock yields are lower now than at the end of the financial crisis, but they're better than 10-Year Treasuries and competitive with corporate bonds. In fact, the relative advantage of the S&P 500 hit a more than 20-year high in July, when its 1.96% projected one-year yield was about 3.6 times the 10-Year Treasury's 0.55% yield and edged the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Corporate Bond Index's 1.91%.Full Story
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Mutual Funds: Commentary
Commentary
Read and review commentaries written by Morningstar experts. These observations and insights are specific to Mutual Funds.
This Small/Mid-Cap Fund Holds Promise
Bronze-rated LKCM Small-Mid Cap Equity features a veteran leader and a strong supporting cast.
A Better Way to Look at Investing in Equities for Income
The pros and cons of using dividend-paying stocks as bond replacements.
This Small/Mid-Cap Fund Holds Promise
A Better Way to Look at Investing in Equities for Income
3 ETFs for a Strong Economic Recovery From the Pandemic
2 ETF Upgrades Highlight Ratings Activity in August
A Better High-Dividend-Yield ETF
Foreign Stocks' Lost Decade
The Thrilling 36
A Framework for Evaluating Momentum ETFs
Bond ETFs Are on Track for a Banner Year
A Fine Inflation Hedge From Vanguard
3rd Party Research Disclosure /public-20:3:57
Market Data Disclosure