Fidelity Advisor Stock Selector Small Cap Fund
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
PORTFOLIO MANAGER Q&A | AS OF APRIL 30, 2021 Fidelity Advisor® Stock Selector Small Cap Fund Key Takeaways MARKET RECAP • For the semiannual reporting period ending April 30, 2021, the fund's The S&P 500® index gained 28.85% for Class I shares gained 46.47%, underperforming the 48.06% advance of the six months ending April 30, 2021, the benchmark, the Russell 2000® Index. with U.S. equities rising on the prospect of a surge in economic growth amid widespread COVID-19 vaccinations, fiscal • Small-cap equities rose dramatically the past six months, driven by the stimulus that included a third round of early-November announcement of an effective COVID-19 vaccine in relief payments and fresh spending the U.S. and optimism for a full economic reopening. programs. In November, stocks shrugged off a two-month retreat by gaining 11%, • Lead Portfolio Manager Morgen Peck emphasized buying shares of as investors digested results of the U.S. higher-quality companies at reasonable valuations, which held back elections. The momentum continued in the fund's performance versus the benchmark in a market advance December, with the approval of two dominated by lower-quality cyclical stocks. breakthrough COVID-19 vaccines and prospects for additional government • Stock selection in the consumer discretionary sector detracted the stimulus. As the calendar turned, most. On an individual basis, not owning high-flying benchmark investors saw reasons to be hopeful. The component GameStop hindered the fund's relative return. rollout of two COVID-19 vaccines was underway, the U.S. Federal Reserve pledged to hold interest rates near zero • A cash position of about 2% of fund assets, on average, also weighed until the economy recovered, and the on the fund's relative result. federal government would deploy trillions of dollars in aid to boost • Conversely, stock selection in financials added value, including a consumers and the economy. This non-benchmark stake in New York-based Signature Bank. backdrop fueled a powerful market rotation, with small-cap value stocks • Overweighting building materials and safety product manufacturer usurping long-standing leadership from and distributor Atkore International added more value than any other large growth shares. As part of the fund position. "reopening" trade, investors moved out of tech-driven mega-caps that had thrived due to the work-from-home trend • As of April 30, Morgen and the fund's management team remained in favor of cheap smaller companies they focused on bottom-up stock picking and on identifying companies believed stood to benefit from a broad that could benefit from a return to "normal," in which consumers once cyclical recovery. Reflecting this shift, the again take vacations and employees return to the office. energy sector gained 76% for the six months, boosted by a sharp rally in the price of oil. Financials (+54%) rode strength among banks (+69%). Conversely, notable "laggards" included the defensive utilities (+9%) and consumer staples (+13%) sectors. Not FDIC Insured • May Lose Value • No Bank Guarantee
PORTFOLIO MANAGER Q&A | AS OF APRIL 30, 2021 Q&A An interview with Lead Portfolio Manager Morgen Peck, with additional comments from Co-Manager Eirene Morgen Peck Eirene Kontopoulos Lead Manager Co-Manager Kontopoulos Fund Facts Q: Morgen, how did the fund perform for Trading Symbol: FCDIX the six months ending April 30, 2021 The fund's Class I shares rose 46.47%, underperforming the Start Date: June 28, 1993 48.06% gain of the benchmark, the Russell 2000® Index. The fund lagged its peer group average by a wider margin. Size (in millions): $2,120.44 Looking slightly longer term, the fund advanced 74.05% for the trailing 12 months, roughly in line with the benchmark and outpacing the peer group average. Investment Approach Q: Would you describe the market environment • Fidelity Advisor® Stock Selector Small Cap Fund is a for small-cap equities the past six months core U.S. small-cap equity strategy that seeks to exploit the inefficiencies among small-cap companies Small-cap equities, as measured by the Russell 2000® Index, through a fundamentally driven approach with a more rose dramatically, driven by the early-November modest active risk profile. announcement of an effective COVID-19 vaccine and optimism for a full economic reopening in the U.S. • The fund attempts to deliver an attractive risk- adjusted return profile for shareholders over a market Cyclical sectors, including energy, consumer discretionary cycle by employing a team of portfolio managers and materials, led the market advance, whereas more- focused on stock selection within a disciplined defensive sectors, such as utilities, health care and consumer portfolio-construction framework. staples, lagged the index. • The portfolio managers are overseen by a lead Lower-quality cyclical stocks led the way for much of the manager, who is responsible for portfolio period, especially in January, when a group of highly shorted construction and risk oversight. stocks gained materially. We maintained our focus on higher- • We focus our efforts on higher-quality companies with quality stocks, which we think gives the fund the best chance established and durable competitive "moats" that can to outperform over the longer term, even though this compound and become larger, more-profitable approach detracted for the six months. businesses over time. Q: Please remind us how the fund is managed. Beginning in June 2018, we divided the fund's assets into two separate subportfolios, diversified across 10 market sectors – excluding health care – and we moved away from sector-neutrality, based on the opportunities we identified. In addition to serving as lead manager of the fund, I manage one of these diversified subportfolios, while Co-Manager Shadman Riaz manages the other. Two co-managers focus on health care, given the complexity of this sector: Eirene Kontopoulos and Patrick Venanzi. We are now approaching three years under this new structure, and we remain pleased with how the team is 2 | For definitions, fund risks and other important information, please see the Definitions and Important Information section of this Q&A.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER Q&A | AS OF APRIL 30, 2021 working. We're also encouraged by the fund's performance transactions, as well as interest on Bitcoin deposits. We amid challenging market dynamics. trimmed our position in Signature Bank by period end. I'll also mention Atkore International (+280%), a Q: What specific factors detracted versus manufacturer and distributor of building materials and safety the benchmark this period products, which added more value than any other fund position. It gained as market participants became bullish on Stock selection in consumer discretionary hurt most. We the outlook for the commercial real estate market and on the underweighted many low-quality specialty retail and company's strong quarterly earnings. We trimmed the fund's restaurant stocks in this sector that performed very well on position in Atkore International as of April 30. hopes that the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines would result in improved consumer traffic. This positioning aligned with our long-held view that the structural shift to e- Q: Any final thoughts for shareholders commerce and the excess supply of casual-dining As of April 30, we remain focused on bottom-up stock restaurants serve as long-term headwinds that are likely to picking with an orientation toward higher-quality companies hamper any chance of sustained outperformance. trading at attractive valuations. From our standpoint, On an individual basis, the fund did not own benchmark focusing on these types of stocks will result in component GameStop, which hurt more than any other stock outperformance over time. decision. GameStop became the posterchild for a group of We are acutely aware of the numerous market crosscurrents "meme" stocks that gained due to massive retail investor at play, including the direction of interest rates, the risk of interest spurred on social media. Many retail investors rising inflation, the health of the U.S. consumer and the path believed the narrative that GameStop could become the of many end-markets as the U.S. reopens in the coming Netflix of the video-gaming world. Yet we saw little evidence months. These crosscurrents are providing us with an of GameStop's ability to transform from a failing mall-based opportunity to find companies across the small-cap universe retailer into a Netflix-like juggernaut. We avoided it due to its that fit our investment framework. very high stock multiple. We are envisioning what the investment landscape will look Elsewhere, choices in health care detracted, including the like as the COVID-19 vaccines become even more widely fund's non-benchmark stake in Sarepta Therapeutics (-48%). distributed globally, and we are working to identify This stock fell in January after the company's management companies we think will benefit from a return to "normal," team announced Sarepta's gene-therapy treatment for such as when consumers once again take vacations and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare genetic disorder that employees return to the office. ■ progressively weakens the muscles of children, failed to show a statistical improvement in patients compared with a placebo. We still held Sarepta at period end and looked forward to this drug's next clinical trial. Lastly, I'd like to mention the fund's cash position of about 2% of total assets, on average. As the market surged in late 2020 and into 2021, this positioning dragged on its relative result. By period end, we reduced the fund's cash holdings to 1% of assets. Q: What added value Stock selection in financials contributed on a relative basis, especially banking stocks, which gained on economic optimism and a growing belief that interest rates could rise going forward. Rising rates tend to help bank margins. A non-benchmark stake in New York-based Signature Bank (+212%) added particular value. We added this stock to the fund in the depths of the COVID-induced sell-off in early 2020 when its valuation became extremely attractive. The stock rose as management's outlook on potential bad loans improved dramatically. Also, the market began to recognize the value of the company's Signet division, which benefits from the increased size and volume of cryptocurrency 3 | For definitions, fund risks and other important information, please see the Definitions and Important Information section of this Q&A.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER Q&A | AS OF APRIL 30, 2021 Co-Manager Eirene Kontopoulos on managing the fund's health care investments amid COVID-19: "Our goal remains to do the comprehensive fundamental research that should guide us to which stocks we should own, and then to hold these stocks through whatever market volatility comes our way, knowing that, over time, we are likely to be rewarded if our research is accurate. "Recently, interest in COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics continued to fuel the market for biotechnology IPOs (initial public offerings), private placements and secondary stock offerings. This market has grown even more frothy than it was at this time a year ago. Given this dynamic, we are increasingly turning to private placements of companies that are on the verge of going public, where we see better valuations. "In health care, we continue to lean into high-quality small- and mid-cap stocks at period end. We are scrutinizing the fund's small-cap holdings to assess whether they have sufficiently strong fundamentals to take them to the next level of development. "In all cases, our focus remains on identifying companies that are building what we consider innovative therapies that offer benefits to society that far outweigh the cost to the health care system. Companies providing these therapies, we believe, are where the best investment opportunities are likely to be found. "Examples of fund holdings that fit this framework as of April 30 include Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage oncology company, and TG Therapeutics, which is developing a potentially best- in-class multiple sclerosis therapy. We added to the fund's stakes in each by period end." 4 | For definitions, fund risks and other important information, please see the Definitions and Important Information section of this Q&A.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER Q&A | AS OF APRIL 30, 2021 ASSET ALLOCATION Relative Change From Six Months Asset Class Portfolio Weight Index Weight Relative Weight Ago Domestic Equities 94.86% 99.01% -4.15% 1.69% International Equities 3.97% 0.99% 2.98% -1.17% Developed Markets 3.25% 0.84% 2.41% -1.01% Emerging Markets 0.72% 0.08% 0.64% -0.16% Tax-Advantaged Domiciles 0.00% 0.07% -0.07% 0.00% Bonds 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% Cash & Net Other Assets 1.17% 0.00% 1.17% -0.52% Net Other Assets can include fund receivables, fund payables, and offsets to other derivative positions, as well as certain assets that do not fall into any of the portfolio composition categories. Depending on the extent to which the fund invests in derivatives and the number of positions that are held for future settlement, Net Other Assets can be a negative number. "Tax-Advantaged Domiciles" represent countries whose tax policies may be favorable for company incorporation. MARKET-SEGMENT DIVERSIFICATION Relative Change From Six Months Market Segment Portfolio Weight Index Weight Relative Weight Ago Health Care 17.99% 19.27% -1.28% -0.08% Consumer Discretionary 17.34% 14.89% 2.45% 0.14% Financials 15.79% 15.96% -0.17% 2.78% Industrials 15.32% 15.94% -0.62% -3.48% Information Technology 14.03% 12.44% 1.59% -1.42% Materials 4.65% 4.46% 0.19% 0.70% Consumer Staples 4.40% 3.24% 1.16% -0.33% Real Estate 3.22% 6.16% -2.94% -0.74% Energy 2.63% 2.50% 0.13% 1.77% Communication Services 1.78% 2.39% -0.61% 0.55% Multi Sector 1.40% -- 1.40% 0.13% Utilities 0.28% 2.74% -2.46% 0.50% Other 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 5 | For definitions, fund risks and other important information, please see the Definitions and Important Information section of this Q&A.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER Q&A | AS OF APRIL 30, 2021 10 LARGEST HOLDINGS Portfolio Weight Market Segment Portfolio Weight Holding Six Months Ago Crocs, Inc. Consumer Discretionary 1.15% 1.19% Western Alliance Bancorp. Financials 1.10% 0.50% Novavax, Inc. Health Care 1.05% 0.34% Atkore, Inc. Industrials 1.02% 0.61% Synovus Financial Corp. Financials 0.97% 0.97% Sterling Bancorp Financials 0.95% -- EMCOR Group, Inc. Industrials 0.94% 0.89% Essent Group Ltd. Financials 0.93% 0.76% Darling Ingredients, Inc. Consumer Staples 0.92% 0.76% ASGN, Inc. Industrials 0.91% 0.72% 10 Largest Holdings as a % of Net Assets 9.94% 10.82% Total Number of Holdings 227 225 The 10 largest holdings are as of the end of the reporting period, and may not be representative of the fund's current or future investments. Holdings do not include money market investments. FISCAL PERFORMANCE SUMMARY: Cumulative Annualized Periods ending April 30, 2021 6 1 3 5 10 Year/ Month YTD Year Year Year LOF1 Fidelity Advisor Stock Selector Small Cap Fund - Class I 46.47% 16.93% 74.05% 18.74% 17.07% 11.57% Gross Expense Ratio: 1.01%2 Russell 2000 Index 48.06% 15.07% 74.91% 15.23% 16.48% 11.63% Morningstar Fund Small Blend 49.00% 18.70% 72.03% 12.97% 13.91% 10.64% % Rank in Morningstar Category (1% = Best) -- -- 47% 2% 6% 26% # of Funds in Morningstar Category -- -- 650 605 507 357 1 Lifeof Fund (LOF) if performance is less than 10 years. Fund inception date: 06/28/1993. 2 This expense ratio is from the prospectus in effect as of the date shown above and generally is based on amounts incurred during that fiscal year. It does not include any fee waivers or reimbursements, which would be reflected in the fund's net expense ratio. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate; therefore, you may have a gain or loss when you sell your shares. Current performance may be higher or lower than the performance stated. Performance shown is that of the fund's Class I shares. Class I shares are sold to eligible investors without a sales charge or 12b-1 fee as defined in the fund's Class I prospectus. Other share classes with these fees would have had lower performance. To learn more or to obtain the most recent month-end or other share-class performance, visit institutional.fidelity.com or 401k.com. Total returns are historical and include change in share value and reinvestment of dividends and capital gains, if any. Cumulative total returns are reported as of the period indicated. Please see the last page(s) of this document for most-recent calendar-quarter performance. 6 | For definitions, fund risks and other important information, please see the Definitions and Important Information section of this Q&A.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER Q&A | AS OF APRIL 30, 2021 Definitions and Important Information applicable loads, fees and expenses. % Rank in Morningstar Category is the fund's total-return Information provided in this document is for informational and percentile rank relative to all funds that have the same Morningstar educational purposes only. To the extent any investment information Category. The highest (or most favorable) percentile rank is 1 and in this material is deemed to be a recommendation, it is not meant to the lowest (or least favorable) percentile rank is 100. The top- be impartial investment advice or advice in a fiduciary capacity and is performing fund in a category will always receive a rank of 1%. % not intended to be used as a primary basis for you or your client's Rank in Morningstar Category is based on total returns which investment decisions. Fidelity, and its representatives may have a include reinvested dividends and capital gains, if any, and exclude conflict of interest in the products or services mentioned in this sales charges. Multiple share classes of a fund have a common material because they have a financial interest in, and receive portfolio but impose different expense structures. compensation, directly or indirectly, in connection with the management, distribution and/or servicing of these products or services including Fidelity funds, certain third-party funds and RELATIVE WEIGHTS products, and certain investment services. Relative weights represents the % of fund assets in a particular market segment, asset class or credit quality relative to the FUND RISKS benchmark. A positive number represents an overweight, and a Stock markets, especially foreign markets, are volatile and can negative number is an underweight. The fund's benchmark is listed decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, political, immediately under the fund name in the Performance Summary. regulatory, market, or economic developments. The securities of smaller, less well-known companies can be more volatile than those of larger companies. Foreign securities are subject to interest rate, currency exchange rate, economic, and political risks. IMPORTANT FUND INFORMATION Relative positioning data presented in this commentary is based on the fund's primary benchmark (index) unless a secondary benchmark is provided to assess performance. INDICES It is not possible to invest directly in an index. All indices represented are unmanaged. All indices include reinvestment of dividends and interest income unless otherwise noted. Russell 2000 Index is a market-capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity market. It includes approximately 2,000 of the smallest securities in the Russell 3000 Index. S&P 500 is a market-capitalization-weighted index of 500 common stocks chosen for market size, liquidity and industry group representation to represent U.S. equity performance. MARKET-SEGMENT WEIGHTS Market-segment weights illustrate examples of sectors or industries in which the fund may invest, and may not be representative of the fund's current or future investments. They should not be construed or used as a recommendation for any sector or industry. RANKING INFORMATION © 2021 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. The Morningstar information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or redistributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Fidelity does not review the Morningstar data and, for mutual fund performance, you should check the fund's current prospectus for the most up-to-date information concerning 7 |
PORTFOLIO MANAGER Q&A | AS OF APRIL 30, 2021 Manager Facts Morgen Peck is a portfolio manager in the Equity division at Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Investments is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and other financial products and services to institutions, financial intermediaries, and individuals. In this role, Ms. Peck is responsible for the Fidelity and Fidelity Advisor Stock Selector Small Cap Fund and the Real Estate, Financials, Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples, Information Technology and Telecommunication Services sleeves of Fidelity Series Small Cap Opportunities Fund. She is also responsible for the All-Sector Global sleeve as well as the Information Technology and Telecommunications Services sleeves of the Fidelity Low Priced Stock Fund. Prior to assuming her current position, Ms. Peck was a domestic equity analyst at Fidelity covering small cap domestic equities. She has been in the financial industry since joining Fidelity in September 2003. Ms. Peck earned her bachelor of arts degree in economics from Harvard University. She is also a CFA® charterholder. Eirene Kontopoulos is a research analyst and portfolio manager in the Equity division at Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Investments is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and other financial products and services to institutions, financial intermediaries, and individuals. In this role, Ms. Kontopoulos manages the Fidelity Advisor Biotechnology Fund, and co-manages the health care sub- portfolios of Fidelity Stock Selector Small Cap Fund and Fidelity Series Small Cap Opportunities Fund. Additionally, she is responsible for the coverage of biotechnology stocks within the health care sector. Ms. Kontopoulos has been in the financial industry since joining Fidelity as a research analyst in 2007. Ms. Kontopoulos earned her bachelor of science degree in biology from Haverford College, where she was the recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes research fellowship. She also earned her PhD in neuroscience from Harvard Medical School. 8 | For definitions, fund risks and other important information, please see the Definitions and Important Information section of this Q&A.
PERFORMANCE SUMMARY: Annualized Quarter ending June 30, 2021 1 3 5 10 Year/ Year Year Year LOF1 Fidelity Advisor Stock Selector Small Cap Fund - Class I 57.63% 16.41% 16.47% 12.03% Gross Expense Ratio: 1.01%2 1 Lifeof Fund (LOF) if performance is less than 10 years. Fund inception date: 06/28/1993. 2 This expense ratio is from the prospectus in effect as of the date shown above and generally is based on amounts incurred during that fiscal year. It does not include any fee waivers or reimbursements, which would be reflected in the fund's net expense ratio. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate; therefore, you may have a gain or loss when you sell your shares. Current performance may be higher or lower than the performance stated. Performance shown is that of the fund's Class I shares. Class I shares are sold to eligible investors without a sales charge or 12b-1 fee as defined in the fund's Class I prospectus. Other share classes with these fees would have had lower performance. To learn more or to obtain the most recent month-end or other share-class performance, visit institutional.fidelity.com or 401k.com. Total returns are historical and include change in share value and reinvestment of dividends and capital gains, if any. Cumulative total returns are reported as of the period indicated. Before investing in any mutual fund, please carefully consider Information included on this page is as of the most recent calendar the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. For quarter. this and other information, call or write Fidelity for a free S&P 500 is a registered service mark of Standard & Poor's Financial prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus. Read it Services LLC. carefully before you invest. Other third-party marks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All other marks appearing herein are registered or unregistered Views expressed are through the end of the period stated and do not trademarks or service marks of FMR LLC or an affiliated company. necessarily represent the views of Fidelity. Views are subject to change at Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC., 900 Salem Street, any time based upon market or other conditions and Fidelity disclaims any Smithfield, RI 02917. responsibility to update such views. These views may not be relied on as investment advice and, because investment decisions for a Fidelity fund Fidelity Distributors Company LLC, 500 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI are based on numerous factors, may not be relied on as an indication of 02917. trading intent on behalf of any Fidelity fund. The securities mentioned are © 2021 FMR LLC. All rights reserved. not necessarily holdings invested in by the portfolio manager(s) or FMR Not NCUA or NCUSIF insured. May lose value. No credit union guarantee. LLC. References to specific company securities should not be construed 706734.14.0 as recommendations or investment advice. Diversification does not ensure a profit or guarantee against a loss.
You can also read