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Total AUMAvg. PM Years ExperienceYears Since Inception
$34.7B 2718
As of September 30 2026

Strategy Average Annual Total Returns

(%)2
YTD1 Year3 Years5 Years7 Years10 Years
Gross of Fees 6.85 8.21 16.25 11.14 12.18 12.78
Net of Fees 6.37 7.56 15.57 10.48 11.50 12.08
S&P 500 Index 12.75 15.74 22.89 13.79 16.17 15.33
As of September 30 2026
  

Overview

The Dividend Strategy portfolio targets a high level of current income, growth of income and capital preservation in challenging markets by owning high-quality large cap companies that pay an attractive dividend and have the potential to significantly grow their dividends.

Strategy OverviewPrimarily large cap strategy focused on dividend income
BenchmarkS&P 500 Index
Total Strategy AUM $34.7B
Holdings Range 40-601
Objective High current income, income growth and long-term capital appreciation3

Investment Philosophy

Total return portfolio focused on large cap, high-quality companies that pay an attractive dividend, have the potential to significantly grow their dividends and provide consistent and competitive risk-adjusted returns.

Meet Our Managers

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Strategy Facts

Portfolio managers John Baldi and Michael Clarfeld bring a long tenure of experience managing dividend-focused strategies.

The Strategy focuses exclusively on dominant, well-run businesses that pay a dividend or have the potential to do so.

The team does not deviate from a disciplined investment process focused on income growth.

Literature & Perspectives

Diversification More Important Than Ever
Dividend Strategy 3Q26: We are maintaining measured exposure to AI leaders while emphasizing diversification among attractively valued, durable businesses in overlooked sectors.
Tailwinds Forming for Health Care
Podcast: Improved biopharma funding is proving beneficial to CROs and life science tools companies while patent expirations are separating pharmaceuticals.
Narrow Market Full of Overlooked Value
Dividend Strategy 2Q26: With record market concentration despite uncertainty introduced by profound technological change, diversification is paramount.
Dividend Strategy 2Q26 Update
John Baldi reviews second-quarter performance, discussing recent moves in semiconductor-related holdings and why diversification, dividend growth and disciplined valuation remain central to the portfolio’s outlook.
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Vehicles

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

Investment Process

  • Maintain a strong focus on current income and income growth
  • Identify strong, well run businesses. Seek companies with predictable revenues and superior margins and return on investment
  • Avoid deep cyclicals, turnarounds and enterprises that cannot be reasonably analyzed

Dividend Strategy Performance

A dividend focus has led to competitive long-term returns.

Average Annual Total Returns (%)2

YTD1 Year3 Years5 Years7 Years10 Years
Gross of Fees 6.85 8.21 16.25 11.14 12.18 12.78
Net of Fees 6.37 7.56 15.57 10.48 11.50 12.08
S&P 500 Index 12.75 15.74 22.89 13.79 16.17 15.33
Created with Highcharts 9.3.36.37​6.377.56​7.5615.57​15.5710.48​10.4811.5​11.512.08​12.086.85​6.858.21​8.2116.25​16.2511.14​11.1412.18​12.1812.78​12.7812.75​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's stock selection process results in diversification across all sectors with overweights to those that have historically paid meaningful and growing dividends.

Sector Weights1,2

Representative PortfolioS&P 500 Index
Financials17.2611.41
Information Technology17.2239.74
Industrials11.578.05
Energy10.243.40
Communication Services10.229.96
Health Care8.949.26
Consumer Staples7.554.45
Materials5.291.54
Real Estate4.861.70
Consumer Discretionary2.778.61
Utilities1.751.88
Cash2.320.00
Created with Highcharts 9.3.317.26​17.2617.22​17.2211.57​11.5710.24​10.2410.22​10.228.94​8.947.55​7.555.29​5.294.86​4.862.77​2.771.75​1.752.32​2.3211.41​11.4139.74​39.748.05​8.053.40​3.409.96​9.969.26​9.264.45​4.451.54​1.541.70​1.708.61​8.611.88​1.880.00​0.00Representative PortfolioS&P 500 IndexFinancialsInformation​TechnologyIndustrialsEnergyCommunication​ServicesHealth CareConsumer StaplesMaterialsReal EstateConsumer​DiscretionaryUtilitiesCash
Portfolio Characteristics1,2
Characteristics Representative Portfolio S&P 500 Index
P/E Ratio (trailing 12 mos.)21.924.7
P/E Ratio (forward 12 mos.)17.621.2
Price/Book7.79.5
EPS Growth Next 3-5 Years (%)15.024.1
Weighted Median Market Cap ($ bn)131.7462.2
Weighted Average Market Cap ($ bn)806.41552.1
ROE25.823.4
Dividend Yield2.21.1
Turnover (trailing 12 mos.)28.8-
Risk Statistics1
10 Year Risk Statistics Composite S&P 500 Index
Standard Deviation (%)13.98 15.36
Sharpe Ratio0.71 0.85
Tracking Error (%)5.90 --
R20.85 --
Alpha (%)-1.01 --
Beta0.84 --
Top 10 Holdings1
Characteristics % of Total Representative Portfolio
ExxonMobil Holdings Corp4.47
Microsoft Corp4.21
Williams Cos Inc/The4.02
NVIDIA Corp3.66
Alphabet Inc3.43
Apollo Global Management Inc2.70
Unilever PLC2.68
Air Products and Chemicals Inc2.66
Marsh & McLennan Cos Inc2.63
Nestle SA2.57
Total33.05
Total Number of Holdings 47
  • 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 Dividend Strategy composite invests in large and mid cap U.S. equities across a wide variety of industries and sectors. The portfolio managers seek dividend income, growth of dividend income and long-term capital appreciation. Investments may also be made in targeted investments in preferred stock, convertible bonds and REITS. 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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