| ANNUALIZED SINCE INCEPTION | QUARTERLY | YTD |
|---|---|---|
| 7.96% | -1.92% | 0.12% |
Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund lost 1.92% in Q4 2025, underperforming the Russell Midcap Value Index which gained 1.42%. The fund maintains its disciplined two-bucket approach, combining Quality Value and Deep Value strategies despite high-quality value stocks continuing to lag speculative market segments. Valuation disparities between these groups have reached extreme levels not seen before. Key contributors included J.B. Hunt Transport Services, which benefited from cost reduction initiatives and strong cash flow generation despite freight market challenges. The fund initiated a position in MarketAxess Holdings, the largest U.S. corporate bond e-trading platform, which is successfully regaining market share. Kimberly-Clark was trimmed following its controversial $48.7 billion Kenvue acquisition. The managers observe significant insider buying across twenty portfolio companies, contrasting with widespread selling in overvalued names. While acknowledging AI's economic potential, they remain skeptical of current valuations in perceived winners. The extreme valuation disparities across mid-cap value create opportunities for patient, disciplined investors across multiple future scenarios.
The fund employs a disciplined two-bucket approach combining Quality Value and Deep Value strategies in mid-cap companies, maintaining valuation discipline despite current underperformance as extreme valuation disparities create long-term opportunities.
We believe this is time for discipline, not discouragement. Valuations for many companies in the higher quality part of mid-cap value market are as appealing, relative to Deep Value, as we've ever seen. We see valuation disparities across mid cap value companies that can prove beneficial in a wide range of future scenarios, not just the rosy outcomes.
| Date | Letter | Tickers | Keywords | Pitches | Quick Takes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 12 2026 | 2025 Q4 | JBHT, KMB, MKTX | AI, Capital markets, financials, industrials, Logistics, mid cap, Quality, value |
JBHT MKTX KMB |
Heartland Mid Cap Value underperformed in Q4 as quality value stocks lagged speculative segments, with valuation disparities reaching extreme levels. The fund maintains disciplined two-bucket approach, benefiting from J.B. Hunt's operational improvements and MarketAxess's market share recovery. Significant insider buying across portfolio companies contrasts with selling in overvalued names, creating long-term opportunities for patient value investors. |
| Oct 9 2025 | 2025 Q3 | CNC, DHI, LRCX | AI, healthcare, Homebuilders, mid cap, Recession, semiconductors, Unemployment, value |
DHI LRCX |
Heartland's value discipline hurt Q3 performance as markets chased AI momentum regardless of valuations. Economic weakness in housing and labor markets persists, with unemployment claims rising. Key holdings include homebuilder D.R. Horton, semiconductor equipment leader Lam Research, and healthcare insurer Centene facing policy headwinds. Management maintains conviction that valuation disparities will eventually reward their disciplined approach. |
| Jul 11 2025 | 2025 Q2 | CNC, DHI, LRCX | AI, cyclicals, fundamentals, Homebuilders, mid cap, Quality, semiconductors, value |
EG HUBB DHI LRCX CNC |
Heartland Mid Cap Value underperformed in Q3 as AI euphoria favored growth over value. Strong performance from homebuilder D.R. Horton and semiconductor equipment maker Lam Research was offset by managed care provider Centene's policy-driven challenges. Economic weakness in housing and jobs suggests potential refocus on fundamentals. Managers maintain disciplined value approach despite near-term headwinds. |
| Mar 31 2025 | 2025 Q1 | MIDD, PRGO, TDY | healthcare, industrials, mid cap, technology, value, volatility |
TDY MIDD PRGO |
Heartland Mid Cap Value outperformed in Q1 2025 as market volatility created attractive value opportunities. Their two-bucket approach targets quality companies like Teledyne Technologies and deep value plays like Middleby Corporation. Despite federal policy uncertainties pricing many stocks for recession, the managers view current pessimism as contrarian opportunity for patient value investors. |
| Jan 13 2025 | 2024 Q4 | CNC, SYY, WTW | Consumer Staples, Deregulation, financials, healthcare, mid cap, Speculation, value |
SYY WTW CNC |
Heartland's disciplined value approach underperformed in Q4 as post-election speculation favored growth over value. The fund refuses to chase elevated valuations, maintaining focus on attractively priced businesses like Sysco, Willis Tower Watson, and Centene. With investor confidence at 25-year highs and Treasury yields rising, current market dynamics appear unsustainable, positioning the fund for relative outperformance when conditions normalize. |
| Sep 30 2024 | 2024 Q3 | DG, RHI, SNN | Cyclical, Fed policy, healthcare, mid cap, Staffing, value |
RHI SNN DG |
Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund implements a disciplined two-bucket value strategy, adding cyclical opportunities like Robert Half during staffing industry weakness and Smith and Nephew's orthopedics turnaround. Despite Federal Reserve rate cuts, employment concerns persist with potential unemployment rising to 6%. The fund emphasizes opportunistic investing through volatility using established price target frameworks rather than economic forecasting. |
| Jun 30 2022 | 2024 Q2 | FIS, JBHT, SRCL | deep value, financials, industrials, Manufacturing, mid cap, self-help, value |
FIS SRCL JBHT |
Heartland's mid-cap value strategy underperformed in Q2 but maintains discipline by avoiding speculative AI investments while focusing on self-help stories. New position in FIS represents classic turnaround opportunity, Stericycle validated thesis with acquisition, and J.B. Hunt offers structural growth despite cyclical headwinds. Multiple holdings approaching inflection points. |
| Apr 15 2024 | 2024 Q1 | COIN, DCI, FAF, HOOD, HSY, JBHT, PRGO, SOFI, SQ | Consumer Staples, financials, healthcare, industrials, mid cap, Quality, value |
DCI HSY PRGO |
Heartland's mid-cap value strategy underperformed in Q1 despite adding quality positions like Donaldson and Hershey at attractive valuations. The managers remain cautious on macro risks including consumer debt stress and commercial real estate maturity walls, while avoiding speculative AI plays. Their two-bucket approach balances quality and deep value to navigate uncertain economic conditions. |
| Oct 1 2024 | 2023 Q4 | CABO, CNC, NTRS | Communications, credit, financials, healthcare, mid cap, Quality, rates, value |
NTRS CNC CABO |
Heartland's mid-cap value strategy lagged in Q4 as speculative stocks surged but outperformed annually through disciplined stock selection. The fund targets quality-value companies like Northern Trust and deeply discounted names like Cable One. Managers remain cautious on emerging credit risks while maintaining focus on fundamentals over soft-landing consensus in a market driven by risk appetite. |
| Sep 30 2023 | 2023 Q3 | FAF, NOV, SPB | Bottom-up, Consumer Staples, Cyclical, energy, financials, mid cap, value |
FAF APA|C|FFIV|KHC|NOV|UNH SPB |
Heartland Mid Cap Value outperformed in Q3 through disciplined bottom-up value investing, adding positions like Spectrum Brands while maintaining conviction in energy leader NOV and cyclical recovery play First American Financial. Despite macro uncertainties around consumer stress and banking sector challenges, the fund focuses on fundamental security selection over market timing. |
| Oct 17 2022 | 2022 Q3 | AAP, CEG, SWKS, TCBI | - | - |
| QUARTER | THEMES | TAGS |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q4 |
ValueHigh-quality value stocks continued to lag more speculative parts of the market, with the valuation gap between the two as extreme as we've ever seen. The fund employs a two-bucket approach holding both Quality Value and Deep Value companies. Quality Value holdings lagged significantly in the quarter despite historically outperforming more speculative fare. |
Quality Deep Value Valuation Disparity |
AISpeculative investors have confidently rewarded perceived AI winners with lofty valuations, seeming to assign a degree of permanence to top line benefits that have a questionable duration. The euphoria has impacted valuations in many Quality Value and Deep Value companies. The fund makes observations with skepticism about whether fundamentals prove strong enough for long enough to justify these valuations. |
Valuations Speculation Duration | |
LogisticsJ.B. Hunt Transport Services was the top contributor in Industrials and for the portfolio in the quarter. The diversified transportation company focusing on intermodal shipping has a mode agnostic approach and scale advantages. Despite freight market volatility, Hunt beat analysts' forecasts owing to recent cost reduction actions and strong cash flow generation. |
Transportation Intermodal Freight | |
Capital MarketsThe fund initiated a new position in MarketAxess Holdings, which owns and operates the largest e-trading platform in the U.S. for corporate bonds. Operating a trading platform is all about scale, where volume determines profitability. The company has been gaining share in key areas of the U.S. credit market with share recovery happening faster than expected. |
Trading Platform Electronic Bonds | |
| 2025 Q3 |
AIGrowing optimism surrounding the AI boom and corresponding surge in electricity demand have helped power large- and mid-cap growth stocks to new highs regardless of business model quality or valuation. The manager believes AI is disruptive technology but many current perceived winners could fail to live up to the hype, similar to other disruptive technologies like the internal combustion engine and internet. |
Artificial Intelligence Technology Disruption Electricity Growth |
HomebuildersD.R. Horton represents the Deep Value bucket as the largest homebuilder with 10% market share and scale advantages in a fragmented industry. The company has strong positioning in entry-level homes using speculative inventory to operate like a manufacturer, reducing unit costs. Management pivoted away from owning large undeveloped land parcels to less capital-intensive methods. |
Housing Construction Manufacturing Scale Capital | |
Semiconductor CycleLam Research is a Quality Value holding with leading market position in semiconductor capital equipment integral to advanced integrated circuits production. The SemiCap industry has consolidated with 5 companies controlling 75% of the market. Lam's leadership with Memory customers became mission-critical for leading-edge chip manufacturers, positioning the company for market share gains. |
Semiconductors Equipment Memory Consolidation Technology | |
Managed CareCentene suffered from policy-induced risk pool shift in ACA Healthcare Exchanges that negatively impacted profit margins and caused pre-announced earnings cut. Management articulated aggressive pricing actions to reflect recent developments and restore margins. Political pressure from both sides intensifies to address health insurance affordability crisis. |
Healthcare Insurance Policy Margins Pricing | |
ValueThe manager emphasizes their value approach guided by 10 Principles of Value Investing focusing on attractively priced, financially sound businesses. They observe valuation disparities across companies as wide as ever recalled in a generally expensive broad market. The strategy uses a four-price target approach respecting range of outcomes and valuation discipline. |
Valuation Discipline Quality Fundamentals Pricing | |
| 2025 Q2 |
AIThe market's ongoing fixation with AI and growing optimism surrounding the AI boom have helped power large- and mid-cap growth stocks to new highs regardless of business model quality or valuation. The managers believe AI is a disruptive technology, but many current perceived winners could fail to live up to the hype, similar to other disruptive technologies like the internal combustion engine and the internet. |
Artificial Intelligence Technology Disruption Valuations Growth |
ValueThe fund follows a value investing approach guided by their 10 Principles of Value Investing, focusing on attractively priced, financially sound businesses. They observe valuation disparities across companies that are as wide as they can ever recall in a generally expensive broad market, which they believe can be exploited with the right process and time horizon. |
Value Investing Valuations Fundamentals Discipline Process | |
HomebuildersD.R. Horton, the largest homebuilder in the country with around 10% market share, was their best-performing holding. The company has a strong position in entry-level homes and operates with speculative inventory to reduce unit costs. Management has pivoted away from owning large swaths of undeveloped land, preferring less capital-intensive methods to source buildable lots. |
Housing Construction Real Estate Affordability Manufacturing | |
Semiconductor CycleLam Research, a supplier of semiconductor capital equipment with leading market position in technology integral to production of advanced integrated circuits, was a standout Quality Value holding. The SemiCap industry has consolidated with 5 companies controlling almost 75% of the market, and Lam's leadership position with Memory customers proved fortuitous for gaining share in the industry. |
Semiconductors Capital Equipment Memory Consolidation Technology | |
| 2025 Q1 |
ValueThe fund employs a two-bucket value approach, holding both quality value companies trading at bargains and deeply discounted deep value businesses. Market volatility is creating more attractive entry points for patient value investors as many businesses are being priced for a meaningful economic slowdown. |
Quality Deep Value Bargains Discounted Valuation |
VolatilityRecent equity market weakness and heightened volatility are selectively presenting more attractive entry points. The Investors Intelligence Sentiment Index experienced a sharp drop comparable to major market disruptions, historically serving as a contrarian indicator for positive equity results. |
Market Weakness Sentiment Contrarian Entry Points Risk Aversion | |
| 2024 Q4 |
ValueThe fund maintains its disciplined value approach using 10 Principles of Value Investing, seeking attractively priced, well-managed businesses that can grow intrinsic value throughout market cycles. The managers refuse to chase speculative stocks or those priced without sufficient margin of safety, maintaining their two-bucket approach of quality value and deep value investments. |
Value Investing Margin of Safety Intrinsic Value Quality Value Deep Value |
FoodserviceSysco Corporation represents the fund's investment in the nation's largest food service distributor, which is recovering from COVID-19 impacts through digital improvements, specialty platform growth, and AI-driven analytics. The company's specialty services generate three times more revenue per customer than traditional broadline services. |
Food Distribution Restaurant Recovery Digital Transformation Specialty Services AI Analytics | |
Insurance BrokersWillis Tower Watson exemplifies a successful turnaround story in insurance brokerage and consulting, with new CEO Carl Hess implementing restructuring to streamline operations and improve margins. The company trades at significant discounts to peers despite operational improvements. |
Insurance Brokerage Turnaround Operational Streamlining Margin Expansion Valuation Discount | |
Managed CareCentene Corporation, despite being the largest performance drag, represents a compelling value opportunity in managed health insurance with 25 million covered Americans. Management has called a peak in Medicaid medical loss ratios and clarified limited ACA exchange risk, while trading at only 8.5X earnings. |
Medicaid ACA Exchanges Medical Loss Ratio Healthcare Coverage Earnings Recovery | |
| 2024 Q3 |
ValueThe fund implements a two-bucket value strategy seeking both quality value companies trading at decent bargains and deeply discounted deep value companies with internal change agents. They establish four price targets for each stock to assess opportunities under various market conditions. |
Quality Deep Value Intrinsic Value Price Targets Bargains |
StaffingAdded Robert Half, a leading temporary staffing firm, during a cyclical downturn when temporary staffing revenue has declined for seven consecutive quarters. The company has strong competitive positioning, no debt, and $500 million cash while trading at depressed multiples. |
Temporary Staffing Cyclical Employment Consulting | |
| 2024 Q2 |
ValueThe fund focuses on quality value companies trading below intrinsic value and deeply discounted companies with internal catalysts. They seek well-managed, financially strong businesses that can grow cash flow and value over time using their 10 Principles of Value Investing approach. |
Value Investing Intrinsic Value Deep Value Quality Value Self-Help |
IndustrialsManufacturing activity has contracted for 19 of the past 20 months according to ISM Manufacturing PMI. The fund holds positions in industrial companies like J.B. Hunt Transportation Services, which is positioned to benefit from structural market share gains despite current cyclical headwinds. |
Manufacturing Transportation Intermodal Industrial Machinery PMI | |
FinancialsThe fund initiated a new position in Fidelity Information Services (FIS), a core processing software provider for banks. FIS represents a self-help story with strategic course correction and improved capital allocation after divesting Worldpay and reducing leverage. |
Financial Services Banking Software Payment Processing FinTech Core Processing | |
| 2024 Q1 |
ValueThe fund implements a two-bucket value strategy seeking both quality value companies trading at decent bargains and deeply discounted deep value companies. The approach balances high-quality companies with strong fundamentals against deeply discounted securities with self-help catalysts. |
Quality Deep Value Discounted Intrinsic Value Bargains |
Commercial Real EstateMore than $2 trillion of commercial real estate debt is set to mature between now and the end of 2028, suggesting potential for rising defaults. Distressed commercial property sales remain muted despite this looming maturity wall. |
CRE Debt Maturity Wall Defaults Distressed | |
AIMarket excitement centers on hope for an artificial intelligence driven productivity boom as a potential economic catalyst. However, the considerable costs and time required to achieve speculated future AI-related productivity benefits are being overlooked by investors. |
Productivity Technology Investment Speculation | |
Consumer FinanceConsumers have drained their excess savings with personal savings as a percentage of disposable income now at historically low levels. Auto loans, borrowing against 401(k)s, and credit card balances are all rising, as are delinquencies on repaying that debt. |
Debt Savings Delinquencies Credit Cards | |
| 2023 Q4 |
ValueFund employs a two-bucket approach seeking both quality-value companies trading at decent bargains and deeply discounted companies with poor economic returns. Focus on bottom-up stock selection using 10 Principles of Value Investing demanding low prices relative to earnings, cash flow, and intrinsic value. Quality-value businesses currently trading at deep-value-like valuations due to fundamental industry questions or company-specific overhangs. |
Quality Bargains Intrinsic Value Margin of Safety Valuations |
Credit StressCredit card delinquency and charge-off rates now above pre-pandemic levels, indicating households have depleted excess stimulus savings. High yield market priced as if no credit risks exist despite potential warning signs. Small business hiring plans have fallen to February 2021 pandemic levels, signaling possible rising unemployment and consumer challenges ahead. |
Delinquency Charge-offs Consumer Unemployment Stimulus | |
RatesYields on 10-Year Treasuries fell from close to 5% in late October to approximately 3.9% at quarter end while high yield spreads tightened significantly. Federal Reserve's monetary policy stance has turned neutral to accommodative. Mortgage rates fell from nearly 8% to approximately 7%, providing some relief but not enough to trigger housing recovery. |
Treasury Fed Monetary Policy Mortgage Spreads | |
| 2023 Q3 |
ValueThe fund employs a two-bucket value approach, investing in both high-quality companies at attractive valuations and deeply discounted companies with poor recent returns but low statistical valuations. The portfolio is deliberately constructed with these buckets in mind without relying on top-down forecasts to favor one subset over the other. |
Value Investing Deep Value Attractive Valuations Statistical Valuations Two-bucket Approach |
EnergyNOV Inc., the fund's largest holding, is a leading oilfield services company that survived the prolonged bear market from 2014 through COVID-19. The company streamlined costs, eliminated $850 million in structural fixed costs since 2019, and maintained an industry-leading balance sheet while developing new value-added products. |
Oilfield Services Energy Upcycle Cost Structure Offshore Wind Renewables | |
FinancialsFirst American Financial represents a quintessential value investment - buying a high-quality title insurance operator at an attractive valuation during a business recession. The company has taken self-help steps including exiting unprofitable operations and automating processes to boost margins. |
Title Insurance Mortgage Rates Cyclical Recovery Self-help Margin Improvement |
| Date | Pitch Type | Author | Ticker | Company | Industry | Sub Industry | Bull / Bear | Exchange | Keywords | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2023 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | SPB | Spectrum Brands Holdings | Consumer Staples | Household Products | Bull | NYSE | business transformation, consumer staples, deep value, divestiture, Home Garden, Pet Care, Regulatory Overhang, Share Buybacks | Login |
| Sep 30, 2023 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | FAF | First American Financial | Financials | Insurance | Bull | NYSE | Cyclical Recovery, financials, Insurance, Mortgage, Real Estate, title insurance, Value | Login |
| Sep 30, 2023 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | APA|C|FFIV|KHC|NOV|UNH | NOV Inc. | Energy | Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels | Bull | NYSE | capital returns, Cost Restructuring, deep value, energy, Offshore Wind, oilfield services, renewables, turnaround | Login |
| Jan 12, 2026 | Fund Letters | Colin McWey | JBHT | J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. | Industrials | Transportation | Bull | NASDAQ | buybacks, Cyclicality, Freight, Intermodal, scale | Login |
| Jan 12, 2026 | Fund Letters | Colin McWey | MKTX | MarketAxess Holdings Inc. | Financials | Capital Markets | Bull | NASDAQ | Bonds, Electronictrading, Operatingleverage, rerating, scale | Login |
| Jan 12, 2026 | Fund Letters | Colin McWey | KMB | Kimberly-Clark Corporation | Consumer Staples | Household Products | Neutral | New York Stock Exchange | Allocation, Integration, Risk, Staples, valuation | Login |
| Oct 9, 2025 | Fund Letters | Colin McWey | DHI | D.R. Horton, Inc. | Consumer Discretionary | Homebuilding | Bull | NYSE | affordability, Book Value, buybacks, homebuilding, Orders, ROIC, scale | Login |
| Oct 9, 2025 | Fund Letters | Colin McWey | LRCX | Lam Research Corporation | Information Technology | Semiconductor Equipment | Bull | NASDAQ | CapEx, consolidation, Etch, market share, Semicap, services, Upcycle | Login |
| Sep 30, 2025 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | LRCX | Lam Research | Information Technology | Semiconductor Equipment | Bull | NASDAQ | Cyclical Upcycle, Etch Process, industry consolidation, market share gains, Memory Customers, Quality Value, recurring revenue, Semicap, semiconductor equipment | Login |
| Sep 30, 2025 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | DHI | D.R. Horton | Consumer Discretionary | Homebuilding | Bull | NYSE | capital allocation, deep value, Entry-level Housing, homebuilder, Manufacturing Model, ROE, Scale Advantages, share repurchases, Speculative Inventory | Login |
| Sep 30, 2025 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | CNC | Centene | Health Care | Managed Health Care | Bull | NYSE | ACA Healthcare Exchanges, Healthcare Affordability, managed care, Margin Restoration, Political Pressure, Pricing Actions, Risk Pool Shift, Short-tailed Liabilities | Login |
| Jul 11, 2025 | Fund Letters | Colin McWey | EG | Everest Group, Ltd. | Financials | Reinsurance | Bull | New York Stock Exchange | Pricing, Reinsurance, turnaround, underwriting, valuation | Login |
| Jul 11, 2025 | Fund Letters | Colin McWey | HUBB | Hubbell Incorporated | Industrials | Electrical Components & Equipment | Bull | New York Stock Exchange | Destocking, Electrical, Grid, Margins, utilities | Login |
| Mar 31, 2025 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | TDY | Teledyne Technologies, Inc. | Information Technology | Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components | Bull | NYSE | Aerospace, defense electronics, high barriers to entry, Instrumentation, Machine vision, Quality Value, secular growth, Sensing Technologies | Login |
| Mar 31, 2025 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | MIDD | The Middleby Corporation | Industrials | Machinery | Bull | NASDAQ | Activist Investment, Brand Integration, Commercial Foodservice, Food processing equipment, Industrial Equipment, margin expansion, spin-off, valuation discount | Login |
| Mar 31, 2025 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | PRGO | Perrigo Co. PLC | Health Care | Pharmaceuticals | Bull | NYSE | Healthcare Policy, Manufacturing Consolidation, margin expansion, Over-the-counter, Preventive Healthcare, Self-Care Products, Store Brands, valuation gap | Login |
| Dec 31, 2024 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | SYY | Sysco Corporation | Consumer Staples | Food Distributors | Bull | NYSE | AI Analytics, capital returns, Digital transformation, food distribution, market share expansion, Specialty Services, Value | Login |
| Dec 31, 2024 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | WTW | Willis Towers Watson | Financials | Insurance Brokers | Bull | NASDAQ | insurance brokerage, margin expansion, Operational Restructuring, Peer Discount, turnaround, Value | Login |
| Dec 31, 2024 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | CNC | Centene Corporation | Health Care | Managed Health Care | Bull | NYSE | ACA Exchanges, insider buying, managed care, Medicaid, Medical Loss Ratio, political risk, Value | Login |
| Sep 30, 2024 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | RHI | Robert Half International, Inc. | Industrials | Human Resource & Employment Services | Bull | NYSE | cash generation, Cyclical, debt-free, Human Resources, professional services, shareholder returns, Staffing, Value | Login |
| Sep 30, 2024 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | SNN | Smith & Nephew plc | Health Care | Health Care Equipment | Bull | LSE | healthcare, Manufacturing efficiency, margin expansion, Medical devices, Operational Improvement, Orthopedics, turnaround, Value | Login |
| Sep 30, 2024 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | DG | Dollar General Corporation | Consumer Staples | General Merchandise Stores | Bear | NYSE | Competitive pressure, discount retail, exit, Low-Income Consumers, margin compression, Rural Markets, Tax Loss Harvesting, Walmart Competition | Login |
| Jun 30, 2024 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | JBHT | J.B. Hunt Transportation Services, Inc. | Industrials | Trucking | Bull | NASDAQ | Asset Utilization, Cost advantage, Cyclical Recovery, Freight, Intermodal Transportation, market share gains, Self Help, Value | Login |
| Jun 30, 2024 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | FIS | Fidelity Information Services, Inc. | Information Technology | Data Processing & Outsourced Services | Bull | NASDAQ | Banking Software, cross-selling, debt reduction, financial technology, recurring revenue, Self Help, turnaround, Value | Login |
| Jun 30, 2024 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | SRCL | Stericycle, Inc. | Industrials | Environmental & Facilities Services | Bull | NASDAQ | acquisition target, debt reduction, Medical Waste, operational efficiency, organic growth, Self Help, turnaround, Value | Login |
| Mar 31, 2024 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | PRGO | Perrigo Company PLC | Health Care | Pharmaceuticals | Bull | NYSE | Consumer-health, deep value, Infant Formula, margin expansion, portfolio optimization, Private-label, Self Help, turnaround | Login |
| Mar 31, 2024 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | HSY | The Hershey Company | Consumer Staples | Packaged Foods & Meats | Bull | NYSE | brand portfolio, Chocolate, Cocoa Inflation, Confectionery, consumer staples, Cyclical Recovery, Pricing power | Login |
| Mar 31, 2024 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | DCI | Donaldson Company Inc. | Industrials | Industrial Machinery | Bull | NYSE | Consumables, Cyclical Recovery, filtration, industrial machinery, life sciences, margin expansion, Quality Value | Login |
| Dec 31, 2023 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | NTRS | Northern Trust Corporation | Financials | Asset Management & Custody Banks | Bull | NASDAQ | asset management, Custody Banks, fee-based revenue, financial services, interest rate sensitivity, Quality Value, wealth management | Login |
| Dec 31, 2023 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | CNC | Centene Corporation | Health Care | Managed Health Care | Bull | NYSE | EPS growth, Government Healthcare, Leadership Change, Managed Healthcare, Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, turnaround | Login |
| Dec 31, 2023 | Fund Letters | Heartland Mid Cap Value Fund | CABO | Cable One Inc | Communication Services | Cable & Satellite | Bull | NYSE | broadband, cable, Customer Acquisition, Cyclical Value, EV/EBITDA, housing cycle, interest rate sensitivity, Rural Markets | Login |
| TICKER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|
| JBHT | One area of encouragement is Industrials where J.B. Hunt Transport Servies (JBHT) was our top contributor in the sector and for our portfolio in the quarter. J.B. Hunt, which falls into the Deep Value bucket, is a diversified transportation company focusing on intermodal shipping. Customers hire Hunt to move freight using different methods of transportation to reduce cost. The company owns the largest fleet of 53-foot shipping containers, which allow for three ocean-freight shipping units to be consolidated into two Hunt containers that can then be moved by rail and company-owned trucks. Hunt's "mode agnostic" approach sets it apart from the competition, as does its size. JBHT's intermodal business is roughly twice as big as the next largest competitor, resulting in a scale and cost advantage that has produced high returns on capital and better prices for customers. In recent years, the freight market has been put through the wringer, as supply chains during and after the pandemic experienced a tremendous amount of volatility. In Q3, however, Hunt beat analysts' forecasts, owing to recent actions to reduce costs. Management's focus on improving areas that they can control seems to be working, as operating margins for JBHT's intermodal segment expanded by 100 basis points year over year, despite fewer loads shipped in the quarter. While managing through a freight recession, cash flow generation remains strong, the company's balance sheet is in fantastic shape with a leverage ratio of less than 1x, and management has been aggressively repurchasing company stock below our view of intrinsic value. In 2025, the company bought back more than 5% of the shares outstanding. JBHT currently trades at 11.8 times consensus next 12-month EV/EBITDA, which represents a 25% discount to the Industrial sector. Earnings expectations over the next 12 months have fallen 30% from prior cycle peak levels, though, Hunt typically trades at a premium when earnings bottom. |
| KMB | One holding that ran into difficulties last quarter is Kimberly Clark (KMB), the tissue company behind well-known brands such as Huggies, Cottonelle, and Kleenex. The consumer products giant saw its shares fall more than 14% in November, not because of poor results or sub-par execution. Instead, the stock sank immediately after KMB announced its $48.7 billion acquisition of Kenvue, the consumer health company spun off from Johnson & Johnson which sells Tylenol, Neutrogena, Band-Aid and Listerine. We disagree with management's capital allocation decision, as it takes KMB into new categories and poses significant integration risk. We find it unfortunate that management made such an aggressive move after executing well against an internally focused playbook that positioned KMB for value creation in the coming years. We fear that the Kenvue deal makes the company "bigger, not necessarily better". We trimmed the position in response to the Kenvue announcement. However, we balance deal-related question marks against a valuation of 13 times earnings (a historically wide discount to peers), better market share trends and improved margin performance in recent years. In a few cases, our self-help catalysts have either been slow to materialize or fell victim to questionable capital allocation decisions by the C-suite (like the Kimberly-Clark example). |
| MKTX | In the quarter, we initiated a new position in MarketAxess Holdings (MKTX), a Quality Value company that owns and operates the largest e-trading platform in the U.S. for corporate bonds. Bonds are largely traded over the counter, unlike equities or listed derivatives, which are traded on exchanges. Operating a trading platform is all about scale, where volume determines profitability. Rising customer activity can be a virtuous circle that begets more trading as depth of liquidity improves for all platform participants. Improved liquidity, in turn, drives down trading costs, which then attracts even more volume. Scaled trading platforms can be extremely profitable. MKTX's operating margin, for example, exceeds 40% while gross margin can exceed 75%. Though MarketAxess pioneered electronic bond trading, prior management rested on their laurels as peers launched new trading protocols that gained market share. MKTX's bread and butter is providing leading market depth in single-bond trading. But the industry has witnessed the rapid adoption of "portfolio trading" (PT), where asset owners can bundle a portfolio of bonds and receive better pricing versus trading on a bond-by-bond basis. Tight corporate bonds credit spreads as of late have exacerbated the shift to PT. CEO Chris Concannon has led a multi-year initiative to invest in a competing PT product among other value-added tools being launched by MKTX. Management has chosen not to wait for a better market environment to advance their efforts. As a result of this push, the company's operating margin declined to around 41% last year, down from more than 45% in 2022. We have been encouraged by recent trading data that suggest MKTX is gaining share in key areas of the U.S. credit market, with share recovery happening even faster than we expected. Looking forward, moderating investment spend should result in better operating leverage. We also believe the company's international and emerging markets businesses, where electronic trading penetration is lower than in the U.S., have significant growth opportunity and scale advantages. When we purchased the stock in the fourth quarter, MarketAxess was trading at 12.6 times consensus EV/EBITDA estimates for 2026. Since then, the multiple has expanded to 13.7 times. This is still favorable to the company's domestic exchange peers, who are trading at a median multiple of 16.6 times, despite MKTX's superior profit margins and balance sheet. |
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