Wasatch Global Investors' established culture and largely positive evolution earn it an Above Average Parent rating.
Founded in 1975, the Salt Lake City-based Wasatch focuses on small-cap stocks in the US and around the world. The investment team's unique culture gets portfolio managers and analysts collaborating across strategies, creating a high degree of synergy and contributing to many offerings' long-term success.
That culture remains intact following a somewhat unexpected leadership change. In January 2025, then-chief financial officer Mike Yeates became the CEO, taking over for the influential J.B. Taylor, who retired after spending his entire career—nearly 30 years—at Wasatch. Yeates is the first noninvestment person to lead the firm, but he's not new, having spent more than two decades at Wasatch before taking the helm.
Yeates and his colleagues face some challenges, but there's reason to be confident. Many Wasatch strategies have underperformed badly in recent years, and outflows have picked up. Its Select suite, which consists of concentrated versions of its broader offerings, has struggled to get traction. Fees remain relatively high, even for small-cap-focused funds. Rather than simply hunkering down, though, Yeates is bringing fresh perspective, and the firm's decent scale gives it some cushion. Under Yeates, the firm has expanded employee ownership to about 80% of staff (from about half) in late 2025 and expects to launch its first exchange-traded fund in mid-2026. The investment team is committed to its tried-and-true culture.
Note: This share class' Parent Pillar rating is analyst-driven, as its Branding Name, Wasatch (Branding Name ID: BN00000AC6), is covered by Morningstar Manager Research.
United States