Reasons the Independent Directors Approved Continuation of the Advisory Agreements − (Continued)
The Independent Directors noted that Davis Advisors employs a disciplined, company-specific, research-driven, businesslike, long-term investment philosophy. The Independent Directors considered the quality of Davis Advisors’ investment process as well as the experience, capability, and integrity of its senior management and other personnel.
The Independent Directors recognized Davis Advisors’ (a) efforts to minimize transaction costs by generally having a long-term time horizon and low portfolio turnover; (b) record of generally producing satisfactory results over longer-term periods; (c) efforts towards fostering healthy investor behavior by, among other things, providing informative and substantial educational material; and (d) efforts to promote shareholder interests by actively speaking out on corporate governance issues.
The Independent Directors assessed (a) comparative fee and expense information for other funds, as selected and analyzed by a nationally recognized independent service provider; (b) information regarding fees charged by Davis Advisors to other advisory clients, which includes other funds it advises, other funds which it sub-advises, private accounts, and managed money/wrap clients, as well as the differences in the services provided to such other clients; and (c) the fee schedule of the Fund, including an assessment of competitive fee schedules.
The Independent Directors reviewed the management fee schedule for the Fund, the profitability of the Fund to Davis Advisors, the extent to which economies of scale might be realized if the Fund's net assets increase, and whether the fee schedule should reflect those potential economies of scale at this time. The Independent Directors considered the nature, quality, and extent of the services being provided to the Fund and the costs incurred by Davis Advisors in providing such services. The Independent Directors considered various potential benefits that Davis Advisors may receive in connection with the services it provides under the Advisory Agreements with the Fund, including a review of portfolio brokerage practices. The Independent Directors noted that Davis Advisors does not use client commissions to pay for publications that are available to the general public or for research reports that are created by parties other than the broker-dealers providing trade execution, clearing and/or settlement services to the Fund.
The Independent Directors compared the fees paid to Davis Advisors by the Davis Funds with those paid by Davis Advisors’ advised and sub-advised clients, private account clients, and managed money/wrap clients. To the extent sub-advised, private account, or managed money/wrap fees were lower than fees paid by the Davis Funds, the Independent Directors noted that the range of services provided to the Davis Funds is more extensive, with greater risks associated with operating SEC registered, publicly traded mutual funds. Serving as the primary adviser for mutual funds is more work because of the complex overlay of regulatory, tax, and accounting issues, which are unique to mutual funds. In addition, the operational work required to service shareholders is more extensive because of the significantly greater number of shareholders, and managing trading is more complex because of more frequent fund flows. With respect to risk, not only has regulation become more complex and burdensome, but the scrutiny of regulators and shareholders has become more intense. The Independent Directors concluded that reasonable justifications existed for any differences between the fee rates for the Davis Funds and Davis Advisors’ other lines of business.
The Independent Directors noted that Davis Equity Portfolio outperformed its benchmark, the Standard & Poor’s 500® Index (the “S&P 500®”), over the one-year time period, but underperformed the S&P 500® over the three-, five-, ten-year, and since-inception time periods, all periods ended February 29, 2024.
Broadridge, an independent service provider, presented a report to the Independent Directors that compared the Fund to all Lipper large-cap value funds underlying variable insurance products (the “Performance Universe Average”), as well as the relevant Lipper Index. The report indicated that the Fund outperformed both the Performance Universe Average and the Lipper Index over the one-, five-, and ten-year time periods, underperformed both over the three-year time period, outperformed the Performance Universe Average and performed in line with the Lipper Index over the two-year period, and outperformed the Lipper Index and performed in line with the Performance Universe Average over the four-year time period, all periods ended December 31, 2023.
The Independent Directors also reviewed the Fund’s performance versus both the S&P 500® and the Morningstar U.S. Insurance Large Blend category when measured over rolling five- and ten-year time frames. The Fund outperformed the S&P 500® in 6 out of 21 rolling five-year time periods and outperformed the Morningstar U.S. Insurance Large Blend category in 8 out of 21 rolling five-year time periods, all periods ended December 31 for each year from 2003 through 2023. The Fund outperformed the S&P 500® in 3 out of 16 rolling ten-year time periods and outperformed the Morningstar U.S. Insurance Large Blend category in 4 out of 16 rolling ten-year time periods, all periods ended December 31 for each year from 2008 through 2023.