Separate Accounts: Data Definitions: Snapshot

 Growth of 10,000

The Growth of $10,000 graph shows a stock's performance based on how $10,000 invested in the stock would have grown over time. The growth of $10,000 begins on the date of the stock's IPO, or the first year listed on the graph, whichever is appropriate. Located alongside the stock's graph line is a line that represents the growth of $10,000 for the S&P 500 index. The third line represents the stock’s industry. These lines allow investors to compare the performance of the stock with the performance of the S&P 500 index and the stock’s industry. Both lines are plotted on a logarithmic scale, so that identical percentage changes in the value of an investment have the same vertical distance on the graph.

For example, the vertical distance between $10,000 and $20,000 is the same as the distance between $20,000 and $40,000 because both represent a 100% increase in investment value. This provides a more accurate representation of performance than would a simple arithmetic graph. The graphs are scaled so that the full length of the vertical axis represents a tenfold increase in investment value. For securities with returns that have exhibited greater than a tenfold increase over the period shown in the graph, the vertical axis has been compressed accordingly.  

 

 Performance History

Total Return

Morningstar collects gross and net returns (monthly and quarterly) for separate accounts and commingled pools from the asset management firm running that product.
Total returns for periods longer than one year are expressed in terms of compounded average annual returns (also known as geometric total returns), affording a more meaningful picture of separate account performance than non-annualized figures.

Morningstar calculates total returns, using the raw data (gross and net monthly and quarterly returns) collected from separate account companies.
 

+/- Category, +/- Index

These benchmarks give the investor a point of reference for evaluating a stock's performance. The +/- (Calendar Year) figure indicates the amount by which a stock over- or underperformed it's benchmark during a given calendar year.
 

% Rank in Category

This is the separate account’s total-return percentile rank relative to all separate accounts that have the same Morningstar Category. The highest (or most favorable) percentile rank is 1 and the lowest (or least favorable) percentile rank is 100. The top-performing separate account in a category will always receive a rank of 1.

Percentile ranks within Categories are most useful in those categories that have a large number of separate accounts. For small universes, separate accounts will be ranked at the highest percentage possible. For instance, if there are only two international hybrid separate accounts with 10-year average total returns, Morningstar will assign a percentile rank of 1 to the top-performing separate account, and the second separate account will earn a percentile rank of 51 (indicating the separate account underperformed 50% of the sample).

Std Deviation of Account

A statistical measurement of dispersion about an average, which, for a separate account, depicts how widely the returns varied over a certain period of time. Investors use the standard deviation of historical performance to try to predict the range of returns that are most likely for a given separate account. When a separate account has a high standard deviation, the predicted range of performance is wide, implying greater volatility.

Standard deviation is most appropriate for measuring risk if it is for a fund that is an investor’s only holding. The figure can not be combined for more than one fund because the standard deviation for a portfolio of multiple separate accounts is a function of not only the individual standard deviations, but also of the degree of correlation among the separate accounts' returns.

If a separate account’s returns follow a normal distribution, then approximately 68 percent of the time they will fall within one standard deviation of the mean return for the fund, and 95 percent of the time within two standard deviations. For example, for a separate account with a mean annual return of 10 percent and a standard deviation of 2 percent, you would expect the return to be between 8 and 12 percent about 68 percent of the time, and between 6 and 14 percent about 95 percent of the time.

Morningstar computes standard deviation using the trailing monthly total returns for the appropriate time period. All of the monthly standard deviations are then annualized. Standard deviation is also a component in the Sharpe Ratio, which assesses risk-adjusted performance.

Product Assets $mil

The product assets of the separate account, recorded in millions of dollars. Product-asset figures are useful in gauging a separate account’s size, agility, and popularity. They can help determine whether a separate account product focusing on small-company stocks, for example, can remain in its investment-objective category if its asset base reaches an ungainly size.

 

 Trailing Total Returns

3-month, Year To Date, 1 Year,  3-, 5-, 10-, year annualized
 

Morningstar collects gross and net returns (monthly and quarterly) for separate accounts and commingled pools from the asset management firm running that product.

Total returns for periods longer than one year are expressed in terms of compounded average annual returns (also known as geometric total returns), affording a more meaningful picture of separate account performance than non-annualized figures.

Morningstar calculates total returns, using the raw data (gross and net monthly and quarterly returns) collected from separate account companies.

 

 Historical Quarterly Returns

Quarterly returns break out separate account performance over successive quarters of the calendar year. This can be useful in examining how volatile a fund has been over fairly short time periods.

Note: Adding up a separate account's quarterly returns over the course of a year will not necessarily give you a number that equates with the account's calendar-year return for that year. This is because of the effects of compounding returns over the course of a year.

 

 Operations

Inception Date

The date on which the separate account began its operations. The inception year is followed by the month. A separate account with an inception date of February 1986, for example, would be listed as 1986-02. Separate accounts with long track records offer more history by which investors can assess overall separate account performance. However, another important factor to consider is the separate account manager and his or her tenure with the separate account. Often times a change in separate account performance can indicate a change in management. (Note: Even if a separate account's inception date is earlier, Workstation data only go back as far as 1976).

The commencement date indicates when a separate account began investing in the market. Many investors prefer separate accounts with longer operating histories. Separate accounts with longer histories have longer track records and can thereby provide investors with a more long-standing picture of their performance. Because of the explosion in the separate account industry over the past decade, the separate account universe now consists of thousands of investment offerings. Many of these new contenders have very little history by which an investor can hope to gauge their possible performance in various market climates.

This information is taken directly from the separate account’s annual report.

Separate accounts with long track records offer more history by which investors can assess overall separate account performance. However, another important factor to consider is the separate account manager and his or her tenure with the separate account. Often times a change in separate account performance can indicate a change in management.

Product Type

The product type explains the structure of the investment vehicle. The separate accounts database provides a choice of either a separate account composite or a commingled pool (CP).

Product Focus

The asset management firm managing the separate account product determines the separate account’s market focus—Retail (R)or Institutional (I).

Retail Minimum

The minimum amount of assets needed to invest in a retail separate account in this product, as provided to Morningstar by the asset management firm running the separate account.

Institutional Minimum

The minimum amount of assets needed to invest in an institutional separate account in this product, as provided to Morningstar by the asset management firm running the separate account.

Customization Minimum

The minimum amount of assets needed to customize the underlying holdings in a separate account in this product, as provided to Morningstar by the asset management firm running the separate account.

% Port Customized

The percent of accounts within a product where some degree of customization has occurred. A high number should not necessarily be interpreted such that the money manager is providing a relatively higher amount of customized services; in fact, many account holders may have chosen to not have any particular customization added on to their own account.

% Port Tax-Managed

The percent of accounts within a product where some degree of tax-management has occurred. A high number should not necessarily be interpreted such that the money manager is providing a relatively higher amount of tax-management services; in fact, many account holders may have chosen to not have any particular tax treatment for their own account.

Customization Features

This list outlines the available customizations and tax strategies available in a given separate account. The abbreviations listed beside each option include R- by Request, P- Proactive and N- No.

 

 Wrap Program Information

Account Size Breakdown

Number of total accounts run by the asset manager in this product, broken down by account size. This information is provided to Morningstar by the asset management firm running the separate account.

The Levels:

Less than $250,000

$250,000 - $1 million

$1 million - $10 million

More than $10 million

Platform Availability

This shows availability of a separate account product through third-party distribution platforms. This information is provided to Morningstar by the asset management firm running a separate account.

 

 Portfolio Managers

This section displays the name of the individual or individuals who are employed by the advisor or subadvisor who are directly responsible for managing the fund’s portfolio, as taken directly from the managing firm.

 

Risk Analysis

Alpha

A measure of the difference between a separate account’s actual returns and its expected performance, given its level of risk as measured by beta. A positive alpha figure indicates the separate account has performed better than its beta would predict. In contrast, a negative alpha indicates the separate account’s underperformance, given the expectations established by the separate account’s beta. All MPT statistics (alpha, beta, and R-squared) are based on a least-squared regression of the separate account’s return over Treasury bills (called excess return) and the excess returns of the separate account’s benchmark index.

Alpha can be used to directly measure the value added or subtracted by a separate account’s manager. Alpha depends on two factors: 1) the assumption that market risk, as measured by beta, is the only risk measure necessary and 2) the strength of the linear relationship between the separate account and the index, as it has been measured by R-squared.

Beta

A measure of a separate account’s sensitivity to market movements. The beta of the market is 1.00 by definition. Morningstar calculates beta by comparing a separate account’s excess return over Treasury bills to the market's excess return over Treasury bills, so a beta of 1.10 shows that the separate account has performed 10% better than its benchmark index in up markets and 10% worse in down markets, assuming all other factors remain constant. Conversely, a beta of 0.85 indicates that the separate account’s excess return is expected to perform 15% worse than the market’s excess return during up markets and 15% better during down markets.

Beta can be a useful tool when at least some of a separate account’s performance history can be explained by the market as a whole. Beta is particularly appropriate when used to measure the risk of a combined portfolio of separate accounts.

R-Squared

Reflects the percentage of a separate account’s movements that can be explained by movements in its benchmark index. An R-squared of 100 indicates that all movements of a separate account can be explained by movements in the index. Thus, index separate accounts that invest only in S&P 500 stocks will have an R-squared very close to 100. Conversely, a low R-squared indicates that very few of the separate account’s movements can be explained by movements in its benchmark index. An R-squared measure of 35, for example, means that only 35% of the separate account’s movements can be explained by movements in the benchmark index.

R-squared can be used to ascertain the significance of a particular beta. Generally, a higher R-squared will indicate a more reliable beta figure. If the R-squared is lower, then the beta is less relevant to the separate account’s performance.

Standard Deviation

A statistical measurement of dispersion about an average, which, for a separate account, depicts how widely the returns varied over a certain period of time. Investors use the standard deviation of historical performance to try to predict the range of returns that are most likely for a given separate account. When a separate account has a high standard deviation, the predicted range of performance is wide, implying greater volatility.

Standard deviation is most appropriate for measuring risk if it is for a fund that is an investor’s only holding. The figure can not be combined for more than one fund because the standard deviation for a portfolio of multiple separate accounts is a function of not only the individual standard deviations, but also of the degree of correlation among the separate accounts' returns.

If a separate account’s returns follow a normal distribution, then approximately 68 percent of the time they will fall within one standard deviation of the mean return for the fund, and 95 percent of the time within two standard deviations. For example, for a separate account with a mean annual return of 10 percent and a standard deviation of 2 percent, you would expect the return to be between 8 and 12 percent about 68 percent of the time, and between 6 and 14 percent about 95 percent of the time.

Mean

The mean represents the annualized average monthly return from which the standard deviation is calculated. The mean will not be exactly the same as the annualized trailing, three-year return figure for the same year. (Technically, the mean is an annualized arithmetic average while the total return figure is an annualized geometric average.)

Sharpe Ratio

Our Sharpe ratio is based on a risk-adjusted measure developed by Nobel Laureate William Sharpe. It is calculated using standard deviation and excess return to determine reward per unit of risk. First, the average monthly return of the 90-day Treasury bill (over a 36-month period) is subtracted from the fund's average monthly return. The difference in total return represents the fund's excess return beyond that of the 90-day Treasury bill, a risk-free investment. An arithmetic annualized excess return is then calculated by multiplying this monthly return by 12. To show a relationship between excess return and risk, this number is then divided by the standard deviation of the fund's annualized excess returns. The higher the Sharpe ratio, the better the fund's historical risk-adjusted performance.

 

 Up and Down Quarters

This information reflects the number of positive and negative quarters for the separate account.

 

 Equity Investment Style

Ownership Zone

Traditionally, Morningstar has used the Equity Style Box to classify funds based on their underlying holdings. However, to offer a more complete picture of how the fund’s holdings are distributed, Morningstar has developed Ownership Zones.

Ownership Zones are the shaded area of the Style Box, intended to be a visual measure of a fund's style scope - that is, the primary area of ownership on the Style Box. Some key points to remember are that it encompasses 75% of the stock holdings in the fund, and that it is centered around a centroid, using an asset-weighted calculation.

Observing where the Ownership Zone falls within the Equity Style box is useful because many funds which appear similar in size and style may actually include quite different security types. For example, it’s expected that a fund holding mainly large-cap growth stocks would behave differently than one containing both large-and mid-cap value stocks, yet both funds might be classified as large-cap growth.

Over a period of time, the shape and location of a fund’s Ownership Zone varies. This movement is a good indicator of how consistent a fund’s style is.

The fund centroid, appearing in the center of the Ownership Zone, represents the weighted average of all the fund’s holdings. The centroid’s position is used to assign a fund to one of the nine Style Box categories.

Calculating the Centroid

A fund's size (its y or vertical placement) is determined by calculating the asset-weighted size score of the size scores. Likewise, a fund's style (x or vertical placement) is determined by calculating the asset-weighted average of the stocks’ net value/growth scores determines a fund’s horizontal placement—value, growth, or blend.

The plot of the resulting style and size score on the Style Box grid is called the centroid. Here's the calculation for x and y (same for both):

y = sum(yi*wi)

Where:

yi= size score for ith stock

wi = style score for ith stock.

Geometric Average Capitalization ($Mil)

Morningstar defines the overall size of a stock fund's portfolio as the geometric mean of the market capitalization for all of the stocks it owns. It's calculated by raising the market capitalization of each stock to a power equal to that stock's stake in the portfolio. The resulting numbers are multiplied together to produce the geometric mean of the market caps of the stocks in the portfolio, which is reported as geometric average cap.

This number is different from the fund's median market cap—the capitalization of the median stock in its portfolio. The geometric average cap better identifies the portfolio's "center of gravity." That is, it provides more accurate insight into how market trends (as defined by capitalization) might affect the portfolio.

 

Asset Allocation

% Cash

This data point identifies the percentage of the fund’s net assets held in cash. Cash encompasses both actual cash and cash equivalents (fixed-income securities with a maturity of one year or less) held by the portfolio plus receivables minus payables. Negative percentages of cash indicate that the portfolio is leveraged, meaning it has borrowed against its own assets to buy more securities or that it has used other techniques to gain more than 100% exposure to the market.

% Stocks

The percentage listed under the heading Stocks incorporates only the portfolio’s straight common stock holdings.

% Bonds

This data point identifies the percentage of the fund’s net assets held in bonds. Bonds include everything from government notes to high-yield corporate bonds.

% Other

Other includes preferred stocks (equity securities that pay dividends at a specific rate) as well as convertible bonds and convertible preferreds, which are corporate securities that are exchangeable for a set amount of another form of security (usually common shares) at a prestated price. Other also may denote holdings in not-so-neatly-categorized securities, such as warrants and options.

% Foreign

When listed, this data point reflects only the percentage of a portfolio's stock holdings that are held in foreign stocks and is calculated from the fund's most recent portfolio. Foreign stocks includes bonds that are convertible into equity, as well as convertible preferreds.

 

Sector Weightings

Sector Weightings

Morningstar divides the economy into three super sectors and 11 sub-sectors. Read the global equity classification methodology.  

Cyclical

Sensitive

Defensive

 

Top 25 Holdings

Turnover

This is a measure of the separate account’s trading activity which is computed by taking the lesser of purchases or sales (excluding all securities with maturities of less than one year) and dividing by average monthly net assets. A turnover ratio of 100% or more does not necessarily suggest that all securities in the portfolio have been traded. In practical terms, the resulting percentage loosely represents the percentage of the portfolio’s holdings that have changed over the past year.

Top 25 Holdings

The  top 25 holdings in the subaccount's portfolio are ranked by the % Net Assets.