Janus Henderson Hrzn GlbTechLdrs A2USD | HENGLTI LX

Analyst Report
Morningstar's Take
|30/10/2024

by Harsh Jain
We have qualitatively reviewed this strategy and reaffirmed its pillar ratings. The following report was written on Nov. 16, 2023. Janus Henderson Horizon Global Technology Leaders is a reasonable lower-risk option for global technology sector exposure. Our tepid view here is attributed to the structure of the approach and the reduced size of the investment team. We maintain our Average People and Process ratings.

Since the departure of long-standing lead manager Stuart O'Gorman in September 2017, the strategy has been managed by Alison Porter, Graeme Clark, and Richard Clode. Each has more than 20 years of investment experience, and they are supported by another two analysts. The team had witnessed some people turnover in the past, and with the departure of one more member last year, the team has shrunk further. Although the resources allocated to the fund appear sufficient for the current size of the strategy, the team appears relatively small in comparison to similar strategies within the dynamic global technology sector, potentially reducing the ability to stay on top of swift developments. While sector coverage is split across the three portfolio managers, the decision-making process has evolved into a complex dynamic, with the three managers essentially vying for capital within the portfolio.

We have qualitatively reviewed this strategy and reaffirmed its pillar ratings. The following report was written on Nov. 16, 2023. The team aims to find tech-related stocks where the scale or persistence of earnings growth is underappreciated by the market. A focus on sustainable competitive advantages is a key part of the approach. The strategy also aims at navigating the hype cycle in technology stocks by keeping a close watch on the profitability of the firms. It looks to understand the nature of the barriers to entry and technology adoption to get clarity on the core long-term drivers of earnings. Since taking over the strategy, the managers have taken steps to increase conviction in the portfolio by reducing the number of holdings and increasing active weights on an individual stock level. Despite this, it remains a benchmark-aware strategy relative to other active peers in the sector that can take more active risk. This theoretically lessens the opportunity to outperform over the longer term, especially in a sector where a few giant-cap companies dominate. However, it should be noted that active funds in aggregate have struggled to beat the MSCI World Information Technology Index over the longer term, and this benchmark-aware strategy has outperformed peers, partly aided by its benchmark-aware feature.

The strategy's prospectus benchmark changed at the end of November 2018 to a custom benchmark, a weighted blend of the MSCI ACWI Information Technology and MSCI ACWI Communication Services indexes, reflecting the GICS reclassification of some tech stocks, which moved over to the communication-services sector. The strategy outperformed its Morningstar Category average peers over the past five years as well as under the current manager setup through October 2023, while also providing some downside protection partly because of its index-aware approach. The performance against the benchmark, however, has been challenging. In summary, this strategy has a sensible investment process run by an experienced team but may not deliver outsize long-term outperformance. That said, it remains a reasonable option for those seeking a relatively low-risk option in the risky technology space.

 
Morningstar Medalist Rating™A benchmark-aware approach to investing in the technology space.
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Morningstar Pillars
PeopleAverage
ParentAverage
ProcessAverage
 
Morningstar Medalist RatingMorningstar assigns the Medalist Rating to funds that are qualitatively and quantitatively assessed through manager research and algorithmic processes. The assessment turns on three key “pillars” – People, Process, and Parent – that yield an estimate of how well a fund will perform before fees but after adjusting for risk.
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