Channing's Large Cap Value Strategy Named Winner of 2026 Emerging Manager Awards
Key Takeaways
- Channing Capital’s Large-Cap Value Strategy named winner of the 2026 Emerging Manager Awards.
- Investment strategy is actively managed with a focus on buying quality companies at a discount to intrinsic value.
- Channing’s research-driven process aims to identify valuation gaps and fundamental inflection points before they become consensus.
There is one standard we hold ourselves to above all others: giving clients our absolute best. Not defined solely on a relative basis, but by one that matters even more — the deep, rigorous, disciplined work that the people who trust us with their capital deserve.
Our Large-Cap Value strategy is built on that standard.
And it’s why we’re proud to share that the strategy has been named winner of the 2026 Emerging Manager Monthly Emerging Manager Awards (U.S. Large Cap Equity category).
Out of 315 investment products evaluated, only one winner was selected in each category. A committee of plan sponsors and consulting professionals assessed each finalist on both quantitative and qualitative factors before naming winners April 1, 2026.
This marks the second time the strategy has earned this recognition — 2022 and 2026 — reinforcing the consistency of its approach over time.
Although this recognition is meaningful, it is not our objective. It is the byproduct of a process applied consistently, year after year. That process, grounded in fundamental research, high-conviction positioning, and a willingness to adapt as market conditions evolve, is what defines the strategy.
Portfolio Manager Deryck Lampe, CFA, is responsible for executing that discipline every day. Their role is to carry the philosophy forward, translating it into portfolio decisions that serve our clients across market cycles.
When the Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong
For investors trying to build a well-constructed portfolio, the large-cap space presents a genuine dilemma. Over the 10-year period ended December 31, 2025, only 14% of actively managed large-cap funds outperformed the S&P 500. Many have drawn the logical conclusion — why bother with active management here?
Our Large-Cap Value strategy starts from a different premise.
The challenge isn’t that alpha is unavailable in large-cap equities. It’s that capturing it requires a level of patience, discipline, and conviction that many approaches fail to sustain.
The strategy is designed to identify inflection points before they become consensus, focusing on moments when competitive advantage, capital allocation, and positioning within the economic cycle are beginning to turn. That requires a willingness to look different from the index. To remain grounded in intrinsic value. And to hold conviction when the market disagrees.
Over time, for clients invested in the strategy, that discipline has made a meaningful difference.
What This Moment Means
Co-founders Rodney Herenton and Wendell Mackey have built Channing around a simple but demanding standard: do the work that earns the trust of our clients.
“This recognition reflects the discipline embedded in the strategy,” said Rodney. “It’s the result of a clear philosophy, applied consistently over time, and carried forward by the people responsible for executing it.”
Wendell echoed that perspective. “We’ve always believed that a disciplined process, applied consistently, is what creates lasting value for investors. This is a reflection of that belief in practice.”