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Total AUMAvg. PM Years ExperienceYears Since Inception
$17.8B 3456
As of September 30 2026

Strategy Average Annual Total Returns

(%)2
YTD1 Year3 Years5 Years7 Years10 Years
Gross of Fees 7.39 8.66 18.83 12.30 14.19 14.22
Net of Fees 6.91 8.02 18.13 11.64 13.51 13.52
S&P 500 Index 12.75 15.74 22.89 13.79 16.17 15.33
As of September 30 2026
  

Overview

The Appreciation Strategy seeks to balance upside return potential with downside risk protection by investing in high-quality large cap stocks.

Strategy OverviewPrimarily large cap growth and value stocks
BenchmarkS&P 500 Index
Total Strategy AUM $17.8B
Holdings Range 50-801
Objective Seeks long-term appreciation of capital3

Investment Philosophy

The managers seek to provide consistent and competitive risk-adjusted returns through a market cycle by balancing upside participation in good markets, while trying to limit downside risk during difficult markets.

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Strategy Facts

An active focus on risk management has led to lower levels of risk and volatility than the benchmark over the same time periods.

Literature & Perspectives

Momentum is Meeting Resistance
Appreciation 3Q26: Strong earnings growth continued to support equities, but sticky inflation, rising interest rates and deteriorating market breadth made the rally increasingly vulnerable.
Rally Leaves Room for Reversal
Appreciation 2Q26: We would view a correction, even a reasonably sharp one, as healthy for the long-term durability of the bull market.
Volatility Returns, Selectivity Matters
Appreciation 1Q26: Amid rotating market leadership and heightened inflation, policy and labor risks, a few positive trends urge selectivity and strong fundamentals in portfolio construction.
The Probability of a Correction Has Risen
Appreciation 4Q25: While stocks have a positive backdrop, speculative risks appear to be building especially around AI, and there is little valuation support to fall back on.
Focusing on Cash Flow Durability in White-Hot Market
Appreciation 3Q25: The market appears to be entering a more speculative phase, raising the risk of correction.
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Vehicles

This Strategy is available in other investment vehicles including the following:

Investment Process

  • Screen large cap stocks with an emphasis on identifying dominant, high-quality companies
  • Evaluate stocks through proprietary research, pinpointing  companies with dominant market positions, proven management teams and superior balance sheets
  • Construct portfolio of stocks with attractive growth characteristics relative to their valuation levels
  • Continuously review holdings, monitoring risk, valuation and potential buys and sells

Appreciation Strategy Performance

An emphasis on risk management has produced strong risk-adjusted returns.

Average Annual Total Returns (%)2

YTD1 Year3 Years5 Years7 Years10 Years
Gross of Fees 7.39 8.66 18.83 12.30 14.19 14.22
Net of Fees 6.91 8.02 18.13 11.64 13.51 13.52
S&P 500 Index 12.75 15.74 22.89 13.79 16.17 15.33
Created with Highcharts 9.3.36.91​6.918.02​8.0218.13​18.1311.64​11.6413.51​13.5113.52​13.527.39​7.398.66​8.6618.83​18.8312.3​12.314.19​14.1914.22​14.2212.75​12.7515.74​15.7422.89​22.8913.79​13.7916.17​16.1715.33​15.33Net of FeesGross of FeesS&P 500 IndexYTD1 Year3 Years5 Years7 Years10 Years

Characteristics

The Strategy has typically taken on less risk than its benchmark, as measured by beta.

Sector Weights1,2

Representative PortfolioS&P 500 Index
Information Technology34.0839.74
Financials11.2611.41
Communication Services9.709.96
Health Care8.569.26
Industrials8.068.05
Consumer Discretionary7.318.61
Energy6.563.40
Consumer Staples5.894.45
Materials4.221.54
Utilities1.691.88
Real Estate0.751.70
Cash1.920.00
Created with Highcharts 9.3.334.08​34.0811.26​11.269.70​9.708.56​8.568.06​8.067.31​7.316.56​6.565.89​5.894.22​4.221.69​1.690.75​0.751.92​1.9239.74​39.7411.41​11.419.96​9.969.26​9.268.05​8.058.61​8.613.40​3.404.45​4.451.54​1.541.88​1.881.70​1.700.00​0.00Representative PortfolioS&P 500 IndexInformation​TechnologyFinancialsCommunication​ServicesHealth CareIndustrialsConsumer​DiscretionaryEnergyConsumer StaplesMaterialsUtilitiesReal EstateCash
Portfolio Characteristics1,2
Characteristics Representative Portfolio S&P 500 Index
P/E Ratio (trailing 12 mos.)26.024.7
P/E Ratio (forward 12 mos.)22.321.2
Price/Book9.79.5
EPS Growth Next 3-5 Years (%)20.724.1
Weighted Median Market Cap ($ bn)825.3462.2
Weighted Average Market Cap ($ bn)1705.21552.1
ROE26.423.4
Dividend Yield1.01.1
Turnover (trailing 12 mos.)33.5-
Risk Statistics1
10 Year Risk Statistics Composite S&P 500 Index
Standard Deviation (%)14.06 15.36
Sharpe Ratio0.80 0.85
Tracking Error (%)3.24 --
R20.96 --
Alpha (%)-0.45 --
Beta0.90 --
Top 10 Holdings1
Characteristics % of Total Representative Portfolio
NVIDIA Corp9.69
Apple Inc8.38
Alphabet Inc7.28
Microsoft Corp4.69
Amazon.com Inc4.65
JPMorgan Chase & Co2.72
Eli Lilly & Co2.68
Johnson & Johnson2.33
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc2.32
Advanced Micro Devices Inc2.30
Total47.04
Total Number of Holdings 61
  • 1 Source: FactSet. Representative portfolio characteristics, holdings, sector weightings and market cap are based on a representative portfolio and are subject to change at any time. Holdings, sector weightings, market cap and portfolio characteristics of individual client portfolios may differ, sometimes significantly, from those shown. This information does not constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice or recommendations with respect to the securities and sectors listed. Statistics shown are net of fees.
    2 Past performance is no guarantee of future results. See GIPS endnotes. Performance is preliminary and subject to change.
    3 There is no guarantee that the Strategy's objective will be met.
    P/E ratios are weighted harmonic average. Price/Book is weighted average.
    * Data (excluding AUM and Market Cap) in GBP. 

  • Performance source: Internal. Benchmark source: Standard & Poor's.

  • ClearBridge Investments, LLC claims compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®). ClearBridge Investments, LLC ("ClearBridge") is a wholly- owned indirect subsidiary of Franklin Templeton, Inc. ("Franklin"), which acquired ClearBridge's former parent, Legg Mason, Inc., in July 2020. The firm's foundation and claim of GIPS compliance date back to January 1997 through predecessor firms associated with Citigroup Asset Management, which was acquired in 2005. Since combining its institutional and retail businesses into a single GIPS firm in June 2008, ClearBridge has expanded through the integration of Global Currents Investment Management (April 2013), ClearBridge, LLC ( January 2016), ClearBridge Investments Limited (May 2020), and the Equity Teams of Franklin Bissett Asset Management (January 2024). Most recently, the firm announced the integration of Martin Currie (MC) in 2025. For GIPS purposes, the business was organized into three distinct Strategies, MC Emerging Markets, MC Australian Equities, and MC UK Equities. MC Emerging Markets was completed in November 2025, MC UK Equities was completed in March 2026, and MC Australian Equities was completed in June 2026. GIPS compliance was claimed and ported individually for each MC team, where applicable.

  • The ClearBridge Appreciation Composite invests primarily in medium and large capitalization companies, but may also invest in small capitalization companies. The manager seeks investments among a strong core of growth and value stocks, consisting primarily of blue chip companies dominant in their industries. Results are calculated in U.S. dollars. The S&P 500 Index is a broad-based measurement of changes in stock market conditions based on the average performance of 500 widely held common stocks. To receive a complete list and description of ClearBridge composites and/or a presentation that adheres to the GIPS standards, please contact ClearBridge Institutional Marketing.

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