Which public companies do the best rated fund managers want in their portfolios? Researchers at London-based data analysis firm Citywire on Monday released a new data set that shows in which equities the world’s portfolio managers prefer to invest with the highest degree of conviction.
A look a the first monthly edition of the new Citywire Elite Companies data makes clear that top investors, especially in Europe, have a clear preference for financial firms and oil companies, sectors that appeal because of their dividend policies. Shell, Ericsson and BP topped the list of favourites in Europe for September, while Wells Fargo, Alphabet and Meta lead the Top 10 for the Americas. Dutch financial services group ING has made it to the Top 10 for Europe. Italian oil producer Eni and German chipmaker Infineon are ranked as the two biggest risers in Europe for September.
Expanding the ‘Elite’ rating model
Citywire already is well known for its fund manager ratings. The firm tracks some 10,000 equity portfolio managers worldwide, monitors their performance and assigns the top 5 percent with an “elite” rating. To determine which stocks these elite managers hold in their portfolios, it now has added another level of review. This generates a list of about 6,000 global equities, out of a total of 56,000 companies.
Using a methodology that considers holding periods and the size of investments, Citywire then ranks these “elite companies” into four categories, ranging from a triple-A rating for the top 10 percent, double-A for the next 20 percent, single-A for the next 30 percent and a basic “+” rating for the final 40 percent. These lists are then updated monthly.
For the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, Citywire said oil giant Shell, telecoms firm Ericsson, oil producer BP, French healthcare firm Sanofi and Dubai-based real estate firm Emaar topped the list of 114 companies with a triple-A rating for September.
Citywire Elite Companies AAA-rating, EMEA Top 10
| 1 | Shell (GB:SHEL) |
| 2 | Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (SE:ERIC.B) |
| 3 | BP (GB:BP) |
| 4 | Sanofi (FR:SAN) |
| 5 | Emaar Properties (AE:EMAAR) |
| 6 | ING Groep (NL:INGA) |
| 7 | British American Tobacco (GB:BATS) |
| 8 | UniCredit SpA (IT:UCG) |
| 9 | GSK (GB:GSK) |
| 10 | Glencore (GB:GLEN) |
Citywire Elite Companies AAA-rating, EMEA Top 10 - biggest risers
| 1 | Eni SpA (IT:ENI) |
| 2 | Infineon Technologies (DE:IFX) |
| 3 | Discovery (ZA:DSY) |
| 4 | Prudential (GB:PRU) |
| 5 | AXA (FR:CS) |
| 6 | Koninklijke Philips (NL:PHIA) |
| 7 | Standard Chartered (GB:STAN) |
| 8 | 10% Wiener Walzer 2002/2008 2 Acc (DE:DBK) |
| 9 | Industria De Diseno Textil (ES:ITX) |
| 10 | Randstad (NL:RAND) |
Citywire Elite Companies AAA-rating, Americas Top 10
| 1 | Wells Fargo (US:WFC) |
| 2 | Alphabet (US:GOOGL) |
| 3 | Meta Platforms (US:META) |
| 4 | Builders FirstSource (US:BLDR) |
| 5 | Microsoft (US:MSFT) |
| 6 | F5 (US:FFIV) |
| 7 | Centene (US:CNC) |
| 8 | Sprouts Farmers Market (US:SFM) |
| 9 | Eagle Materials (US:EXP) |
| 10 | American International Group (US:AIG) |
For the Netherlands, financial services group ING, insurer Aegon, staffing group Randstad and consumer internet group Prosus are the top four favourites, while a total of 38 firms here have received a Citywire Elite Companies rating.
Citywire Elite Companies AAA-rating, The Netherlands Top 10
| 1 | ING Groep (NL:INGA) |
| 2 | Aegon (NL:AGN) |
| 3 | Randstad (NL:RAND) |
| 4 | Prosus (NL:PRX) |
| 5 | ABN AMRO Bank |
| 6 | Koninklijke Philips (NL:PHIA) |
| 7 | ASML Holding (NL:ASML) |
| 8 | Wolters Kluwer (NL:WKL) |
| 9 | Signify (NL:LIGHT) |
| 10 | Airbus (FR:AIR) |
For Luxembourg, the top favourite is Reinet Investments SCA, a closed-end fund that originated from the 2008 restructuring of Swiss luxury goods group Richemont. Reinet is the third largest component of the Luxx index. Satellite services firm SES is Luxembourg’s runner up. Two other Luxembourg-headquartered firms, Polish online retailer Allegro.EU and Ardagh Metal Packaging of the US, also obtained a Citywire Elite ranking.