Measuring the strength and weakness of an investment team is one of the core responsibilities of Morningstar’s Manager Research team. Good investment teams are appropriately staffed for the strategies they manage, demonstrate good judgment over time, and act in the best interests of their clients. A poor investment team may be mis-staffed, misaligned, or misbehaving. The difference can have a material impact on investment outcomes.
Indeed, the People Pillar rating is an integral part of the Morningstar Analyst Rating. The score we assign to the People Pillar accounts for 45% of the overall Analyst Rating, equal in importance with the Process Pillar rating. The Parent Pillar receives a 10% weight, while performance is not scored at all.
The article was published in the March 2021 issue of Morningstar FundInvestor. Download a complimentary copy of FundInvestor by visiting the website.
In January, T. Rowe Price announced that manager Larry Puglia will retire from T. Rowe Price Blue Chip Growth (TRBCX) after a great run dating to 1993. After the announcement, we maintained our Above Average People and Process ratings and a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver.
No, we weren’t downplaying Puglia’s role or skill. Rather, we saw this coming and were comfortable with the situation. T. Rowe Price generally maps out manager transitions over a two-year period, so the new manager has time to get up to speed and investors have time to research the change.