Performance Overview
Davis Appreciation & Income Fund underperformed the Standard & Poor’s 500® Index (“S&P 500®” or the “Index”) for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2023 (the “period”). The Fund’s Class A shares delivered a total return on net asset value of 22.98%, versus a 26.29% return for the S&P 500®.
The Fund ended the period with 79% of net assets invested in equities, 16% in fixed-income securities, and 5% in repurchase agreements and cash.
Index Overview
S&P 500®
•Strongest performing sectors1
-Information Technology (+58%), Communication Services (+56%), and Consumer Discretionary (+42%)
•Weakest performing sectors
-Utilities (-7%), Energy (-1%), and Consumer Staples (+1%)
Detractors2 from Performance
•Significantly overweight in Financials (Equities only) - (average weighting 41% vs 13%)
-AIA Group3 (-20%) - largest individual detractor
-Bank of America (-4%) - no longer a Fund holding
•Underweight in Information Technology (average weighting 13% vs 27%), Consumer Discretionary (average weighting 5% vs 10%), and Communication Services (average weighting 6% vs 8%), the three strongest performing Index sectors (Equities only)
•Health Care (Equities only) - underperformed the Index sector (-5% vs +2%)
-Cigna Group (-8%) and Quest Diagnostics (-10%)
•Individual Industrial equity holding - Johnson Controls (-8%)
•In a stronger market, the Fund’s performance was hindered relative to the S&P 500® from its position in fixed-income securities (+5%)
Contributors to Performance
•Financials (Equities only) - outperformed the Index sector (+17% vs +12%)
-Capital One Financial (+44%), Berkshire Hathaway (+15%), and Wells Fargo (+23%)
•Industrials (Equities only) - outperformed the Index sector (+46% vs +18%) and underweight (average weighting 4% vs 8%)
-Owens Corning (+77%)
•No equity exposure in Consumer Staples, Energy, Utilities, or Real Estate and underweight in Health Care (average weighting 10% vs 14%), the five weakest performing sectors of the Index
•Communication Services (Equities only) - outperformed the Index sector (+83% vs +56%)
-Alphabet (+59%) and Meta Platforms (+194%)
•Individual equity holdings from Information Technology and Consumer Discretionary
-Applied Materials (+68%) and Amazon (+81%) - two largest individual contributors
-Intel (+95%) and Microsoft (+58%)
Davis Appreciation & Income Fund’s investment objective is total return through a combination of growth and income. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its objective. Davis Appreciation & Income Fund’s principal risks are: stock market risk, common stock risk, headline risk, large-capitalization companies risk, manager risk, preferred stock risk, bonds and other debt securities risk, interest rate risk, variable current income risk, credit risk, convertible securities risk, changes in debt rating risk, extension and prepayment risk, foreign country risk, depositary receipts risk, fees and expenses risk, mid- and small-capitalization companies risk, and high-yield, high-risk debt securities risk. See the prospectus for a full description of each risk.
Past performance does not guarantee future results, Fund prices fluctuate, and the value of an investment may be worth more or less than the purchase price. Data provided in this performance overview is for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2023, unless otherwise noted. Return figures for underlying Fund positions reflect the return of the security from the beginning of the period or the date of first purchase if subsequent thereto through the end of the period or the date the position is completely liquidated. The actual contribution to the Fund will vary based on a number of factors (e.g., trading activity, weighting). Portfolio holding information is as of the end of the twelve-month period, December 31, 2023, unless otherwise noted.
1 The companies included in the Standard & Poor’s 500® Index are divided into eleven sectors. One or more industry groups make up a sector. For purposes of measuring concentration, the Fund generally classifies companies at the industry group or industry level. See the SAI for additional information regarding the Fund’s concentration policy.
2 A company’s or sector’s contribution to or detraction from the Fund’s performance is a product both of its appreciation or depreciation and its weighting within the Fund. For example, a 5% holding that rises 20% has twice as much impact as a 1% holding that rises 50%.
3 Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance discusses a number of individual companies. The information provided in this report does not provide information reasonably sufficient upon which to base an investment decision and should not be considered a recommendation to purchase, sell, or hold any particular security. The Schedule of Investments lists the Fund’s holdings of each company discussed.