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Mason Hawkins
Southeastern Asset Management, Inc.
6410 Poplar Avenue
Memphis, TN 38119
Mason Hawkins is the lead portfolio manager for the portion of the Fund's assets run by Southeastern Asset Management, Inc. (“Southeastern”). Hawkins has been in the investment business for more than 25 years and was one of the original founders in 1975 of Southeastern, of which he is now the majority owner. He has managed the Longleaf Partners Fund since its inception in 1987 and the Longleaf Partners International Fund since its inception in 1998. In total, as of December 31, 2004, Southeastern managed more than $31 billion in client and investment company assets. Southeastern has managed a portion of Masters’ Select Equity Fund assets since its inception in 1996 and a portion of Masters’ Select Value Fund since its inception in 2000.
Hawkins manages approximately 20% of the Masters' Select Equity fund and 25% of the Masters' Select Value fund.
The
Firm considers companies of all sizes, although most of its
portion of the Fund's assets are expected to be invested in
mid-sized and larger companies. Southeastern has the flexibility,
but not the requirement, to invest up to 50% of its portfolio
segment in the securities of foreign companies. Southeastern
focuses on securities of companies believed to have unrecognized
intrinsic value and the potential to grow their economic worth.
Southeastern believes that superior long-term performance
can be achieved when positions in financially strong, well-managed
companies are acquired at prices significantly below their
business value and are sold when they approach their corporate
worth. Corporate intrinsic value is determined through careful
securities analysis and the use of established disciplines
consistently applied over long periods of time. Securities
that can be identified and purchased at a price significantly
discounted from their intrinsic worth not only protect investment
capital from significant loss but also facilitate major rewards
when the true business value is ultimately recognized. Seeking
the largest margin of safety possible, Southeastern requires
at least a 40% market value discount from its appraisal of
an issuer's intrinsic value before purchasing the security.
To determine intrinsic value, current publicly available financial
statements are carefully scrutinized, and two primary methods
of appraisal are applied. The first assesses what he believes
to be the real economic value of the issuer's net assets;
the second examines the issuer's ability to generate free
cash flow after required or maintenance capital expenditures.
After free cash flow is determined, conservative projections
about its rate of future growth are made. The present value
of that stream of cash flow plus its terminal value is then
calculated using a discount rate based on expected interest
rates. If the calculations are accurate, the present value
would be the price at which buyers and sellers negotiating
at arm's length would accept for the whole company. In a concluding
analysis, the asset value determination and/or the discounted
free cash flow value are compared to business transactions
of comparable corporations. Other considerations used in selecting
potential investments include the following:
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Indications of shareholder-oriented management
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Evidence of financial strength |
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Potential earnings improvement |
References to other mutual funds should not be deemed an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy shares of such funds.
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