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Total AUMAvg. PM Years ExperienceYears Since Inception
$2.3B 2210
As of September 30 2025

Strategy Average Annual Total Returns

(%)2
YTD1 Year3 Years5 Years7 Years10 Years
Gross of Fees 10.31 11.13 16.77 11.44 13.07 13.69
Net of Fees 9.78 10.41 16.02 10.73 12.34 12.91
Russell 3000 Index 14.40 17.41 24.12 15.74 13.71 14.71
As of September 30 2025
  

Overview

The Sustainability Leaders Strategy invests in high-quality companies across market capitalizations with strong or improving environmental, social and governance (ESG) attributes and makes an impact through company engagement.

Strategy OverviewConcentrated all-cap portfolio of high-quality companies with outstanding ESG characteristics
BenchmarkRussell 3000 Index
Total Strategy AUM $2.3B
Holdings Range 40-601
Objective Long-term growth of capital3

Investment Philosophy

The portfolio managers believe companies with positive ESG attributes may likely outperform their peers over the long term.

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Strategy Facts

ClearBridge believes companies with positive ESG attributes are well positioned to outperform their peers over the long term.

Leverages the firm’s over 30 years of experience engaging with companies on ESG issues and its integration of ESG factors and ratings into a fundamental research approach that drives investment ideas.

Concentrated approach expresses the best ideas of portfolio managers Derek Deutsch and Mary Jane McQuillen.

 

Literature & Perspectives

Results Improving Despite Low-Quality Market
Sustainability Leaders 3Q25: We have observed improving relative results in 2025 compared to the prior two years, partly due to recent positioning moves.
Capitalizing When the Market Swoons
Sustainability Leaders 2Q25: The April selloff produced attractive opportunities in high-quality long-term compounders that helped the Strategy outperform in the second quarter.
Seizing Opportunities in a Volatile Market
Sustainability Leaders 1Q25: Churning markets formed the backdrop for recycling capital from strong performers into new opportunities, primarily in health care and industrials.
Maintaining Balance as Momentum Shifts
Sustainability Leaders 3Q24: Recent positioning attests to how we value portfolio balance and exposures to diverse drivers, complementing AI with heavier lifters in the industrials and materials sectors.
The Circular Economy Is a Growth Business
Sustainability Leaders 2Q24: We have been active in adding leaders in environmental stewardship, where circularity can create valuable efficiencies and serve growing end markets.
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Vehicles

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

 

Investment Process

  • Quantitative screening to identify companies with quality attributes of high returns on capital, strong balance sheets, efficient capital allocation and attractive valuations
  • Integrate fundamental research with proprietary analysis of environmental, social and governance factors to produce universe of companies displaying ESG leadership and compelling risk/reward attributes
  • Construct concentrated portfolio of high-conviction ideas with multi-year time horizon
  • Engage company managements to further ESG goals while continually monitoring portfolio using quantitative and fundamental tools

Sustainability Leaders Strategy Performance

A focus on best-in-class ESG practices enables the strategy to make a positive investment impact.

Average Annual Total Returns (%)2

YTD1 Year3 Years5 Years7 Years10 Years
Gross of Fees 10.31 11.13 16.77 11.44 13.07 13.69
Net of Fees 9.78 10.41 16.02 10.73 12.34 12.91
Russell 3000 Index 14.40 17.41 24.12 15.74 13.71 14.71
Created with Highcharts 9.3.39.789.7810.4110.4116.0216.0210.7310.7312.3412.3412.9112.9110.3110.3111.1311.1316.7716.7711.4411.4413.0713.0713.6913.6914.414.417.4117.4124.1224.1215.7415.7413.7113.7114.7114.71Net of FeesGross of FeesRussell 3000 IndexYTD1 Year3 Years5 Years7 Years10 Years

Characteristics

The Strategy's quality focus is reflected in return on equity (ROE) that is higher than its benchmark.

Sector Weights1,2

Representative PortfolioRussell 3000 Index
Consumer Discretionary11.0010.69
Consumer Staples3.924.67
Energy0.003.03
Financials14.1214.01
Health Care8.839.28
Industrials12.369.55
Information Technology31.8232.19
Materials4.612.20
Communication Services7.449.67
Utilities1.802.35
Cash1.720.00
Real Estate2.362.36
Created with Highcharts 9.3.311.0011.003.923.920.000.0014.1214.128.838.8312.3612.3631.8231.824.614.617.447.441.801.801.721.722.362.3610.6910.694.674.673.033.0314.0114.019.289.289.559.5532.1932.192.202.209.679.672.352.350.000.002.362.36Representative PortfolioRussell 3000 IndexConsumerDiscretionaryConsumer StaplesEnergyFinancialsHealth CareIndustrialsInformationTechnologyMaterialsCommunicationServicesUtilitiesCashReal Estate
Portfolio Characteristics1,2
Characteristics Representative Portfolio Russell 3000 Index
P/E Ratio (trailing 12 mos.)31.727.9
P/E Ratio (forward 12 mos.)26.524.2
Price/Book5.75.8
EPS Growth Next 3-5 Years (%)11.812.0
Weighted Median Market Cap ($ bn)254.1233.1
Weighted Average Market Cap ($ bn)1124.01155.6
ROE21.921.7
Dividend Yield1.01.1
Turnover (trailing 12 mos.)66.5-
Risk Statistics1
10 Year Risk Statistics Composite Russell 3000 Index
Standard Deviation (%)15.42 15.80
Sharpe Ratio0.73 0.82
Tracking Error (%)3.57 --
R20.95 --
Alpha (%)-1.03 --
Beta0.95 --
Top 10 Holdings1
Characteristics % of Total Representative Portfolio
Microsoft Corp7.51
NVIDIA Corp5.41
Apple Inc5.16
Amazon.com Inc5.05
Broadcom Inc4.15
Alphabet Inc3.23
JPMorgan Chase & Co2.91
Bank of America Corp2.64
Netflix Inc2.38
Morgan Stanley2.34
Total40.79
Total Number of Holdings 57
  • 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.
    There is no guarantee that the Strategy's objective will be met.
    P/E ratios are weighted harmonic average. Price/Book is weighted average.

  • Source: London Stock Exchange Group plc and its group undertakings (collectively, the “LSE Group”). © LSE Group 2025. FTSE Russell is a trading name of certain of the LSE Group companies. “Russell®” is a trade mark of the relevant LSE Group companies and is/are used by any other LSE Group company under license. All rights in the FTSE Russell indexes or data vest in the relevant LSE Group company which owns the index or the data. Neither LSE Group nor its licensors accept any liability for any errors or omissions in the indexes or data and no party may rely on any indexes or data contained in this communication. No further distribution of data from the LSE Group is permitted without the relevant LSE Group company’s express written consent. The LSE Group does not promote, sponsor or endorse the content of this communication.

  • ClearBridge Investments, LLC claims compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®) and has prepared and presented this report in compliance with the GIPS standards. ClearBridge Investments, LLC ("ClearBridge") is a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (“Franklin”). In July 2020 Legg Mason, Inc., its parent company, was purchased by Franklin. The investment advisory business now known as ClearBridge was registered in September 2005 to facilitate Legg Mason's acquisition of substantially all the equity asset management businesses known as Citigroup Asset Management. These former businesses serve as the foundation of ClearBridge and its claim of GIPS compliance for institutional accounts through predecessor firms, effective as of January 1997. In June 2008, ClearBridge combined this business with its retail business to form a single GIPS firm. As of April 1, 2013, January 1, 2016, May 1, 2020, and January 1, 2024 ClearBridge affiliates, Global Currents Investment Management, LLC, ClearBridge, LLC, ClearBridge Investments Limited (f/k/a RARE Infrastructure Limited), and Franklin Bissett Asset Management have become part of the ClearBridge GIPS firm.

  • The ClearBridge Sustainability Leaders Strategy will pursue its investment objective by investing in common stocks and other equity securities that meet the portfolio managers' financial and sustainability/environmental, social and governance ("ESG") criteria. The portfolio managers consider a sustainable company to be one that offers products and services that have a positive impact on society and has well-defined strategies in place to ensure longevity as an investment. Results are calculated in U.S. dollars. The Russell 3000® Index measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market. 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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