Historically, Vanguard Healthcare has had very low turnover (9% annual turnover) so the investments by the fund tend to have a longer term horizon. Nearly 40% of the fund's holdings are represented by the top ten.
Top Ten Holdings
Merck (MRK)
United Health (UNH)
Forest Labs (FRX)
Abbott Labs (ABT)
McKesson (MCK)
Roche Holdings (RHHBY)
Pfizer (PFE)
Amgen (AMGN)
AstraZeneca (AZN)
Eli Lilly (LLY)
Owens added no new stocks to the portfolio this past quarter and there were no additional shares bought among the top ten positions.
Slight reductions in two top ten positions were made:
Abbott (ABT) was reduced by ~10% while Eli Lilly (LLY) was reduced by ~5%.
Several meaningful increases to much smaller positions were made. Yet, even after the increases, none of these positions individually make up even 1% of the portfolio.
Position
Boston Scientific (BSX)
Hospira (HSP)
Zimmer Holdings (ZMH)
CVS Caremark (CVS)
The turnover by investment managers at a number of other mutual funds is so high that what is owned at any given moment doesn't often tell you much.
Edward Owens certainly isn't one of those investment managers.
Lack of activity in a fund like this may make it seem less exciting, but the approach leads to lower frictional costs (taxes, commissions). The main driver of long-term returns is generally achieved by owning businesses that themselves compound at a high rate and not paying too much for the privilege of ownership.
To me, the approach is an admirable one. Success will always comes down to the quality of the businesses owned and the price that was paid. Things like superior trading skills, well-timed sector rotation, or technical analysis not required.
Adam
Edward Owens: Vanguard Healthcare Fund Update
![Edward Owens: Vanguard Healthcare Fund Update]()
Reviewed by jembe
Published :
Rating : 4.5
Published :
Rating : 4.5