Investor Summary
Fund Strategy
FUND PERFORMANCE AS OF 31st December 2025
| ANNUALIZED SINCE INCEPTION | QUARTERLY | YTD |
|---|---|---|
| 13.8% | 0% | 0% |
| 2025 |
|---|
| 0.8% |
| ANNUALIZED SINCE INCEPTION | QUARTERLY | YTD |
|---|---|---|
| 13.8% | 0% | 0% |
| 2025 |
|---|
| 0.8% |
Terry Smith's Fundsmith Equity Fund returned 0.8% in 2025, underperforming the MSCI World Index's 12.8% gain due to three key headwinds. First, extreme index concentration with the top 10 S&P 500 stocks providing 50% of returns, reaching levels not seen since 1930. Second, over 50% of US equity assets now sit in index funds, creating momentum-driven buying that distorts valuations with a 5.5x multiplier effect on flows. Third, dollar weakness reduced sterling returns. The fund's quality focus on companies with 31% return on capital and superior margins contrasts sharply with AI-driven speculation, where companies like Tesla trade at 327x earnings. Major detractors included Novo Nordisk due to management failures and competitive pressures. Top contributors were Alphabet, IDEXX, and Philip Morris. Smith sold Brown-Forman and PepsiCo due to GLP-1 drug impacts while adding Zoetis and EssilorLuxottica. Despite near-term challenges, the manager maintains conviction that quality fundamentals will ultimately prevail over momentum-driven distortions.
Fundsmith maintains its strategy of owning high-quality companies with superior returns on capital, strong margins, and predictable growth, believing these fundamentals will ultimately drive outperformance despite current headwinds from index fund concentration and AI speculation.
The manager expects the fund's quality companies to deliver superior long-term performance despite current headwinds from index concentration and AI hype. He anticipates the portfolio will prove relatively immune to shocks when extraordinary market conditions unwind, though timing remains uncertain.
| Date | Letter | Tickers | Keywords | Pitches | Quick Takes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9 2026 | 2025 Q4 | AAPL, ADP, AMZN, BF-B, CHD, COLPF, EL.PA, FTNT, GOOGL, IDXX, INTU, META, MSFT, NVDA, NVO, PEP, PM, TSLA, WKL.AS, ZTS | AI, Concentration, Index Funds, Performance, Quality, technology, valuation | - | Fundsmith's 0.8% return in 2025 reflects systematic headwinds from index concentration and momentum investing rather than fundamental deterioration. With quality companies trading at attractive valuations while speculative AI stocks reach extreme multiples, Smith maintains his disciplined approach, expecting superior long-term performance when market distortions eventually correct. |
| Jul 8 2025 | 2025 Q2 | BF-B, COLOB.CO, EL.PA, GOOGL, IDXX, INTU, MC.PA, META, MSFT, NVO, OR.PA, PEP, PM, WAT, ZTS | Currency, global, healthcare, large cap, Quality, technology | - | Fundsmith outperformed global markets despite Novo Nordisk's regulatory struggles and Coloplast's operational failures dragging down returns. Currency headwinds from Dollar weakness masked underlying strength. The fund added quality names like Zoetis and Intuit while maintaining disciplined approach. Smith awaits new CEO appointments at Danish holdings with diminishing patience while continuing long-term quality focus. |
| Apr 14 2025 | 2025 Q1 | ADP, BF-B, IDXX, MAR, MC.PA, META, MSFT, NVO, OR.PA, OTIS, PM, SYK, UL, V, WAT | equities, global, growth, healthcare, long-term, Quality, technology | - | Fundsmith maintains its concentrated portfolio of 28 high-quality global businesses with sustainable competitive advantages. Q1 2025 delivered -5.7% returns with mixed performance across holdings. The fund continues its disciplined long-term approach, making no portfolio changes during March while maintaining focus on businesses with high returns on capital and resilience to technological change. |
| Jan 13 2025 | 2024 Q4 | AAPL, ADP, AMZN, ATCO-A.ST, BF-B, DEO, GOOGL, IDXX, LLY, META, MKC, MSFT, NKE, NVDA, NVO, OR.PA, PM, SAP.DE, SYK, TXN | AI, Concentration, long-term, Quality, technology, volatility | - | Fundsmith underperformed in 2024 due to extreme market concentration in mega-cap tech stocks, but maintains superior portfolio quality metrics. The fund sold Apple and Diageo while adding Atlas Copco and Texas Instruments. Manager acknowledges index fund momentum challenges but remains committed to long-term ownership of high-quality companies with strong competitive advantages. |
| Sep 30 2024 | 2024 Q3 | ADP, AMS.PA, COLOB.CO, IDXX, MAR, MC.PA, META, MSFT, NVO, OR.PA, OTIS, PM, SYK, V | consumer, global, healthcare, large cap, Quality, technology | - | Fundsmith maintains concentrated exposure to 28 high-quality global businesses with sustainable competitive advantages and high returns on capital. The fund made no portfolio changes in September, staying true to its long-term investment philosophy. Healthcare, consumer staples, and technology dominate the portfolio with 70.6% US exposure and minimal cash holdings. |
| Jul 8 2024 | 2024 Q2 | AAPL, AMZN, BF-B, GOOGL, IDXX, META, MSFT, NKE, NOVO-B.CO, NVDA, OR.PA, SYK, TXN, WAT | Concentration, long-term, Quality, semiconductors, technology | - | Fundsmith returned 9.3% in H1 2024 but lagged markets due to extreme concentration in mega-cap tech stocks. The fund owns quality names like Meta and Microsoft but avoids unpredictable Nvidia. Manager Terry Smith initiated Texas Instruments position while maintaining disciplined approach focused on long-term superior performance from predictable, high-quality businesses. |
| Apr 15 2024 | 2024 Q1 | ADP, AMS.PA, BF-B, GOOGL, IDXX, MC.PA, META, MKC, MSFT, NKE, NVO, OR.PA, PM, SYK, V | consumer, global, healthcare, Quality, technology | - | Fundsmith delivered 9.6% in Q1 2024 through its concentrated portfolio of 28 high-quality global businesses. The fund targets companies with sustainable competitive advantages and high returns on capital, maintaining significant exposure to healthcare and consumer staples. Strong performance from Novo Nordisk and Microsoft offset weakness in Nike and Visa. |
| Sep 1 2024 | 2023 Q4 | AAPL, ADBE, AMZN, BF.B, DEO, EL, FTNT, GOOGL, IBM, IDXX, MAR, META, MKC, MSFT, MTD, NVDA, NVO, OR.PA, PG, TSLA | AI, global, large cap, Pharmaceuticals, Quality, technology, value | - | Fundsmith delivered 12.4% in 2023, underperforming markets but maintaining long-term outperformance through high-quality companies with 32% ROCE. Top contributors included Meta and Microsoft, while Estée Lauder was sold for supply chain issues. Smith questions AI winner identification despite Magnificent Seven dominance. Expects improved cash conversion in 2024 to close valuation gaps. |
| Oct 31 2023 | 2023 Q3 | ADP, FTNT, IDXX, MC.PA, META, MKC, MSFT, MTD, NKE, NVO, OR.PA, PG, PM, SYK, V, WAT | global, growth, healthcare, long-term, Quality, technology | - | Fundsmith maintains its concentrated portfolio of 27 high-quality global businesses with sustainable competitive advantages and high returns on capital. The fund added Fortinet in October while top contributors included Microsoft, Novo Nordisk, and Nike. The long-term focused strategy continues without derivatives or hedging, emphasizing resilient businesses across consumer staples and healthcare sectors. |
| Jul 7 2023 | 2023 Q2 | AAPL, ADBE, ADP, AMS.MC, AMZN, COLOB.CO, EL, GOOGL, IDXX, MC.PA, META, MKC, MSFT, MTD, NVO, OR.PA, PEP, PG, PM, SYK, WAT | consumer, fundamentals, global, healthcare, Quality, technology | - | Fundsmith returned 8.5% in H1 2023 as Meta rebounded strongly while tech growth slowed due to cyclical headwinds. Healthcare stayed resilient and luxury outperformed, but consumer margins faced input cost pressure. Smith sold Amazon over capital allocation concerns while maintaining his quality-focused, long-term approach despite tougher operating conditions. |
| Mar 31 2023 | 2023 Q1 | ADBE, ADP, BF-B, EL, IDXX, MC.PA, META, MKC, MSFT, NVO, OR.PA, PM, SYK, V, WAT | Concentration, consumer, global, healthcare, Quality, technology | - | Fundsmith delivered 6.9% in Q1 2023 through its concentrated portfolio of 27 high-quality global businesses. The fund exited Adobe while building a new position, with technology leaders like Microsoft and Meta driving performance. The strategy remains focused on businesses with sustainable competitive advantages and high returns on capital for long-term compounding. |
| Nov 1 2023 | 2022 Q4 | - | - | - | |
| Sep 30 2022 | 2022 Q3 | - | - | - | |
| Jun 30 2022 | 2022 Q2 | - | - | - | |
| Mar 31 2022 | 2022 Q1 | - | - | - |
| QUARTER | THEMES | TAGS |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q4 |
AIManager views AI investment as a massive capital expenditure arms race among tech companies with uncertain returns. Questions whether the enormous capex spending on semiconductors and data centers will generate adequate profits, drawing parallels to historical investment manias. |
Artificial Intelligence Capex Data Centers Semiconductors Hyperscalers |
ETFsIndex funds now represent over 50% of US equity fund assets, creating momentum-driven distortions that push up large tech stocks regardless of fundamentals. This inelastic demand creates multiplier effects where $1 of inflows can drive 5x price impact, distorting market valuations. |
Index Funds Passive Investing Market Distortion Momentum | |
PharmaceuticalsNovo Nordisk exemplifies how poor management can destroy value in even the most promising drug developments. The company failed to maintain its leading position in weight loss drugs and allowed illegal generic competition in its core US market. |
GLP1 Weight Loss Drugs Management Generic Competition | |
QualityPortfolio companies maintain exceptional fundamentals with 31% return on capital, 62% gross margins, and 16% free cash flow growth. The weighted average year of foundation is 1919, demonstrating the durability of these century-old businesses. |
Return On Capital Margins Cash Flow Business Quality | |
| 2025 Q2 |
GLP1Novo Nordisk's leadership in weight loss drugs continues to face challenges with US legal and regulatory systems. The company's inability to effectively navigate regulatory hurdles has resulted in significant underperformance, accounting for almost all the fund's underperformance during the period. |
Weight Loss Regulatory Pharmaceuticals |
QualityThe fund continues to focus on high-quality companies with strong fundamentals. However, some previously reliable performers like Coloplast have encountered operational failures following major acquisitions, highlighting the importance of maintaining operational excellence. |
Operations Acquisitions Revenue Growth | |
| 2025 Q1 |
QualityThe fund maintains stringent investment criteria focusing on high quality businesses that can sustain high returns on operating capital employed. These businesses have advantages that are difficult to replicate and do not require significant leverage to generate returns. |
Quality Returns Capital Leverage Resilience |
| 2024 Q4 |
AIThe AI boom continued in 2024 with focused attention on fewer real beneficiaries like Nvidia. Tech companies are racing to build AI capacity through GPU chips and data centers, though whether this arms race produces adequate returns remains an open question. The AI enthusiasm contains hype similar to the Dotcom era, but key differences include current profitability of leading companies like Nvidia. |
Nvidia GPUs Data Centers Hyperscalers Capital Expenditure |
GLP1Weight loss drugs are having early adverse impacts on the drinks sector and may eventually be used to treat alcoholism. Novo Nordisk remains the market leader despite share price decline, with revenues growing at 20% annually and racing to build production capacity for Wegovy. The drugs are proving effective for multiple conditions beyond weight loss. |
Novo Nordisk Wegovy Weight Loss Alcoholism Production Capacity | |
QualityThe portfolio maintains superior business quality metrics with 32% return on capital employed, 64% gross margins, and 30% operating margins, all significantly better than market indices. The weighted average free cash flow grew 14% in 2024, demonstrating the strength of owning high-quality companies during inflationary periods. |
ROCE Margins Cash Flow Business Quality Returns | |
Semiconductor CycleThere is not one semiconductor cycle but multiple cycles affecting different segments. Texas Instruments is investing ahead of a probable upturn and benefits from onshoring of semiconductor manufacturing to avoid geopolitical risks. Demand patterns vary significantly between automotive chips, electric vehicle chips, and other applications across regions. |
Texas Instruments Onshoring Automotive Chips Manufacturing Geopolitical Risk | |
| 2024 Q3 |
QualityThe fund focuses on high quality businesses that can sustain high returns on operating capital employed with advantages that are difficult to replicate. These businesses do not require significant leverage to generate returns and have a high degree of certainty of growth from reinvestment of cash flows at high rates of return. The fund seeks businesses that are resilient to change, particularly technological innovation. |
Quality Returns Resilience Growth Capital |
| 2024 Q2 |
SemiconductorsThe fund began accumulating Texas Instruments during the period. The manager notes concentration in semiconductor names like Nvidia driving market returns, though they avoid Nvidia due to unpredictable outlook concerns. |
Analog Embedded Chips |
| 2024 Q1 |
QualityThe fund focuses on high quality businesses that can sustain high returns on operating capital employed with advantages that are difficult to replicate. These businesses do not require significant leverage to generate returns and have a high degree of certainty of growth from reinvestment of cash flows at high rates. The fund seeks businesses that are resilient to change, particularly technological innovation. |
Quality Returns Resilience Growth Capital |
| 2023 Q4 |
AISmith discusses the rise of AI as a driving force behind the Magnificent Seven stocks, particularly Nvidia. He notes AI is not entirely new, citing IBM's Watson from 2011 and Google's DeepMind acquisition in 2014. He questions whether early winners can be identified, drawing parallels to past technology developments where early leaders often failed to maintain dominance. |
Artificial Intelligence Nvidia Microsoft ChatGPT Technology |
QualityThe fund focuses on companies with consistently high returns on capital, strong margins, and cash conversion. Portfolio companies showed 32% ROCE and 29% operating margins in 2023, significantly outperforming market indices. Smith emphasizes owning fundamentally superior businesses with sustainable competitive advantages and pricing power during inflationary periods. |
ROCE Margins Cash Conversion Fundamentals Competitive Advantages | |
GLP1Novo Nordisk emerged as a top contributor due to success of weight loss drug Wegovy (Ozempic). However, Smith notes they owned the stock for seven years before the weight loss indication, attracted by the company's unusual approach to drug discovery and long-term ownership structure through the Novo Nordisk Foundation. |
Wegovy Ozempic Weight Loss Diabetes Pharmaceuticals | |
| 2023 Q3 |
QualityThe fund focuses on high quality businesses that can sustain high returns on operating capital employed with advantages that are difficult to replicate. These businesses do not require significant leverage to generate returns and have a high degree of certainty of growth from reinvestment of cash flows at high rates of return. The portfolio consists of resilient businesses that can withstand technological innovation. |
High Returns Competitive Moats Capital Efficiency Resilience Growth |
| 2023 Q2 |
BeautyL'Oréal continues to impress with execution particularly in China and online channels, contrasting sharply with Estée Lauder's struggles. Estée Lauder fell due to poor figures from inventory build-up and write-offs in anticipation of Chinese reopening, revealing severe supply chain weaknesses with no manufacturing capability in Asia. |
Cosmetics China Supply Chain Luxury Online |
LuxuryLVMH delivered impressive performance with 17% sales growth. Chinese consumers are prioritizing watches, handbags, and other luxury goods that were harder to shop for online during lockdowns, benefiting luxury brands over cosmetics in the reopening. |
LVMH China Consumer Growth Premium | |
TravelAmadeus is staging a recovery from the pandemic along with travel and has almost certainly strengthened its market position during the crisis. The company benefits from the broader travel recovery theme. |
Recovery Pandemic Market Share Airlines Technology | |
CloudMicrosoft continued to perform well despite revenue growth slowing from 18% last year to approximately 7% this year. Large technology companies have become victims of their own success, becoming more cyclical as they represent larger portions of the economies they operate in. |
Microsoft Growth Cyclical Technology Scale | |
| 2023 Q1 |
QualityThe fund focuses on high quality businesses with stringent investment criteria including high return on operating capital, difficult-to-replicate advantages, and resilience to technological change. The portfolio consists of 27 holdings concentrated in businesses that can sustain high returns without significant leverage. |
Quality Returns Capital Resilience Concentration |
| Date | Pitch Type | Author | Ticker | Company | Industry | Sub Industry | Bull / Bear | Exchange | Keywords | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Elevator Pitches found | ||||||||||
| TICKER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|
| AAPL | One company which intrigues us in this respect is Apple. Depending upon your point of view it has either been left behind in the scramble to build Large Language Models ('LLMs') and hyperscale to provide AI infrastructure or it has opted out of the race. As a result, its capital expenditure in 2025 was a mere $12 billion which pales into insignificance in comparison with the companies in the table above. It may be making a virtue of necessity but maybe Tim Cook the CEO is working on an old adage, 'You don't have to own a cow to sell milk'. Apple has its devices and about a billion mostly high-end consumers locked into them and increasingly into its services. It seems unlikely that there will be a shortage of LLMs that the hyperscalers will want to offer Apple for iPhone users. If this is indeed the business model Apple is relying on it may not bode well for the LLM developers and/or hyperscalers' profitability. |
| ADP | ADP as a provider of payroll and HR software has suffered from weakness in the US jobs market. In view of the outlook for this core market we hope — with some nervousness — that the guidance management has given on future revenues is conservative. Not because we rely on it, but the market does. |
| AMZN | As we can see, our tech companies are ramping up capital expenditure along with Amazon: |
| BF-B | We sold our stakes in Brown-Forman and PepsiCo and started purchasing stakes in Zoetis, EssilorLuxottica, Intuit and Wolters Kluwer during the year. Brown-Forman and PepsiCo's snack business seem to us to be directly in the crosshairs of the impact of reduced appetites from weight loss drugs. Whether or not our Novo Nordisk investment finally comes good, we believe that weight loss drugs and their impact are here to stay. In addition, the alcoholic drinks business faces headwinds from the impact of Generation Z's drinking habits (lack of) and the legalisation of cannabis. |
| CHD | Church & Dwight, the consumer staples business, seems to be suffering from the fact that the mixed fortunes of different groups of consumers in the US economy, far from driving consumers towards its discount products, is instead impoverishing those consumers who naturally gravitate towards them. |
| COLPF | Coloplast is another Danish medical company — this time in devices rather than drugs. A couple of significant acquisitions have been followed by a loss of control on operational matters which has resulted in a poor bottom line performance. Once again, the CEO has been ejected and we await a replacement. |
| EL.PA | EssilorLuxottica arose from the merger of French and Italian companies which dominate the market for eyeglasses, both frames and lenses. There is a tailwind for this business from people who do not yet have access to vision correction. In addition, it has some interesting innovations such as the Stellest lenses which help prevent deterioration for children with myopia and of course the Meta AI glasses. |
| FTNT | We bought Fortinet after its shares had suffered from a fall as it came down from the Covid related highs of revenue growth when its FortiGate firewall systems were deployed so that we could work from home. More recently it has suffered from some disappointment that it may have over-hyped the potential revenue from a renewal cycle. |
| GOOGL | Alphabet makes its first appearance. About 35% will go into the Magnificent Seven of which we own only three stocks — Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft. This was due to a sharp rise in capital expenditure at a small group of companies: Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta. The tech companies are in a race to build capacity for AI in the form of GPU chips and data centres. |
| IDXX | IDEXX, the veterinary diagnostic equipment business, makes its sixth appearance having resurrected its position from being a detractor last year when it was suffering from the ebbing of the Covid era mania for pet adoption. |
| INTU | We previously sold a position we held in Intuit, the accounting and tax software company, after it acquired Mailchimp in 2021 because we felt that Mailchimp fell outside its circle of competence and they paid about three times the right price, something which they attempted to justify by pointing out that half the consideration paid was in Intuit shares. What this implied about their valuation seemed obvious to us. For a while after we sold the shares AI hype drove the price but latterly the poor performance of the Mailchimp acquisition has become evident and reflected in the share price. We have started to rebuild a stake in the hope that the management has learned from the debacle. |
| META | Meta makes its fifth appearance in this list of top contributors while Microsoft appears for the tenth time. About 35% will go into the Magnificent Seven of which we own only three stocks — Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft. This was due to a sharp rise in capital expenditure at a small group of companies: Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta. The tech companies are in a race to build capacity for AI in the form of GPU chips and data centres. |
| MSFT | Meta makes its fifth appearance in this list of top contributors while Microsoft appears for the tenth time. About 35% will go into the Magnificent Seven of which we own only three stocks — Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft. This was due to a sharp rise in capital expenditure at a small group of companies: Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta. The tech companies are in a race to build capacity for AI in the form of GPU chips and data centres. |
| NVDA | It may make no fundamental sense to buy Tesla shares on a Price Earnings Ratio ('PE') of 327 (which is its current rating) but it is the ninth largest company in the S&P 500 Index by value so not holding it is a perilous position to take when money is flowing into index funds. Currently about 7% of it will go into Nvidia which we do not own. Good momentum investors in my experience buy shares which are going up and sell them when they start going down. They do not convince themselves, for example, that because they have bought Nvidia shares when they are going up, they know what is going to happen with AI or GPUs. |
| NVO | Novo Nordisk managed to reaffirm my belief that you should never say 'Things can't get any worse'. The company has parlayed a market leading position in what is probably the most exciting drug development for about three decades into a secondary position and has failed to prevent illegal generic competition in its core US market. One of our mantras has been that we should always invest in businesses which could be run by an idiot so that performance is not heavily reliant upon management. We have been made painfully aware that the range of businesses which can be run by an idiot is much more limited than we thought and hereafter we will aim to be more aware of the impact that poor management can have. Our experience also suggests that when we encounter poor management, engagement to change it is less effective than selling the shares. Meanwhile Novo Nordisk has appointed a new CEO and made wholesale board changes and the present rating (a PE of 13) appears to us to be expecting very little. If we did not already own it I suspect we would contemplate buying it as a good business which has been depressed by a 'glitch', albeit a rather large glitch. |
| PEP | We sold our stakes in Brown-Forman and PepsiCo and started purchasing stakes in Zoetis, EssilorLuxottica, Intuit and Wolters Kluwer during the year. Brown-Forman and PepsiCo's snack business seem to us to be directly in the crosshairs of the impact of reduced appetites from weight loss drugs. |
| PM | Philip Morris makes its fifth appearance as it continues to show the benefits of its industry leading move into reduced-risk products ('RRPs') such as 'heat-not-burn' tobacco products and its nicotine pouch business. |
| TSLA | It may make no fundamental sense to buy Tesla shares on a Price Earnings Ratio ('PE') of 327 (which is its current rating) but it is the ninth largest company in the S&P 500 Index by value so not holding it is a perilous position to take when money is flowing into index funds. |
| WKL.AS | Wolters Kluwer is the leader in technical publishing used by professionals in health, tax, accounting, risk & compliance and legal. It seems to have become viewed as an AI disruption victim but this seems about as true as the now discredited view that Adobe and Intuit were AI beneficiaries. This view has driven the PE to <19x and it is still growing at c5% p.a. with a ROIC of 18% and ROE of about 50%. |
| ZTS | Zoetis is the leading veterinary pharmaceutical company. Apart from tapping into the long term growth in pet healthcare spend, it has the advantage that multi-billion dollar sales blockbuster drugs do not exist in veterinary care and so they attract less generic competition. Zoetis's share price had a poor period caused by concerns over side effects associated with Librela, its drug for chronic pain from osteoarthritis (my lurcher has it). Our veterinary consultant tells me she still prescribes it as the benefits outweigh the potential side effects. |
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| Ticker | Put/Call | Amount Sold | Shares Sold | % Change | Weight % | Status |
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