Oakmark / Harris Associates (Bill Nygren)

Background

Founded 1976. Harris launched the Oakmark Fund in 1991 under Robert Sanborn; Bill Nygren took over Oakmark Select in 1996 and Oakmark Fund in 2000 and is the long-running public face. Owned by Natixis Investment Managers.

Key People

• Bill Nygren PM, Oakmark Fund and Oakmark Select

  Lead value PM at the firm since 2000.

• David Herro Chief Investment Officer, International Equity

  Long-running PM on Oakmark International.

Track Record / Style

Oakmark Select and Oakmark Fund have been long-running entries in their Morningstar categories. The 2007-2009 cycle was brutal — heavy financial exposure (Washington Mutual, AIG, Citigroup) drove deep drawdowns — and Nygren is unusually candid about that period in his commentaries. The post-2009 recovery and persistent ownership of names like Bank of America, Capital One, and Alphabet defines the more recent record.