Investing in Growth & Change

"We think Wingstop is a category leader with a strong moat. That combination of strong same-store growth, durable unit growth and asset-light franchise model really exemplifies what we look for in Small Cap Focus." Alger Small Cap Focus Portfolio Manager Amy Zhang discusses why she thinks Wingstop is really a technology company that happens to serve chicken.

"Forty percent of the U.S. population are technically obese and over ten percent are severely obese. So, we think a lot of the excitement is that, wow, we could apply these therapies to tens of millions of people." Alger Senior Healthcare Analyst, Keye Chow and Associate Analyst Yinglu Zhang, Ph.D., discuss GLP-1's origins as a diabetes drug and some barriers it may face in its attempt to revolutionize the weight loss market.

"Within the mid cap space, some pretty significant macro headwinds are becoming tailwinds. We believe that this has created significant opportunity in the mid cap space, and possibly the biggest mid cap growth discounts that we've seen in decades." Alger Mid Cap 40 ETF Portfolio Manager Amy Zhang, CFA, and Product Specialist Art Nowak, CFA, weigh in on why investors may want to stop underestimating mid caps.

"People forget about the compounding aspect of dividends. But over the past fifty years, approaching 75% of the S&P 500 return is from reinvesting those dividends back into the index and getting that compounding element." Alger Growth & Income Portfolio Manager Greg Adams, CFA, takes a look at one of the most underappreciated areas of growth investing: innovative companies that also generate dividends and maintain high free cashflow.

"I remain skeptical because I talk to a lot of companies in the real world, and I think if it’s a normal public company, they don’t really know what to do with generative AI. I think this will come over time, but I think of it as more like three to five years out." Alger Weatherbie Select 15 Portfolio Manager Ed Minn, CFA, takes a hard look at what companies are doing to leverage the potentially transformative opportunities afforded by generative AI.

"Profitability and consistency of revenue has been very important to us. We like to play with a top three player. We don’t want to necessarily participate in a languishing asset." Alger Mid Cap Growth Portfolio Manager Brandon Geisler discusses portfolio construction and why mid caps may be the most underappreciated asset class.

"Post-Covid, the digitization of cash and contactless interactions has accelerated. Today's POS systems can collect and track data that helps a clothing store operate their loyalty program, a restaurant track reservations, or a bike shop manage its inventory." Alger Senior Analyst Darryl Ah Now takes a comprehensive look at the rapidly changing world of Point-of-Sale Systems.

"We think Generative AI is potentially one of the biggest technology shifts in history. We believe it will create winners and losers across sectors, and become table stakes in many sectors in order to successfully compete." Head of Alger Capital Appreciation and Spectra Strategies Patrick Kelly takes a comprehensive look at the radical implications of AI.

"We believe there may be more banks that fail in the coming months due to deposit runs and asset/liability mismatches. However, it should be noted we believe this banking crisis is completely different from the Great Financial Crisis of ’08-’09." Alger Dynamic Opportunities Portfolio Manager, Dan Brazeau, CFA, answers investors' questions regarding the recent banking crisis.

"Coming through the pandemic, we've suddenly seen the supply chain crunch that hit the transportation industry really ease. And we think that's an area ripe for potential investment." Weatherbie Enduring Growth Portfolio Manager, Josh Bennett, CFA, discusses unheralded opportunities in transportation, trucking and third party logistics.

“We think the case for growth is as strong as ever. And we think this is due to two structural factors.” Investors have been asking some difficult questions about the current state of growth investing. Alger Director of Market Strategy, Brad Neuman, CFA, provides answers.

"The negative returns associated with growth stocks were in large part driven by a massive valuation compression, the likes of which you or I haven’t seen in our lifetimes." Alger Client Portfolio Manager Kevin Collins discusses the events that drove growth's downturn in 2022 and how this style of investing has historically responded coming out of such difficult markets.

"We believe that mid cap stocks are deeply undervalued, especially when compared to their large cap brethren. And we think this could be a coiled spring for these growth stocks moving forward." Alger Vice President and Product Specialist for the Investment Research team, Arthur Nowak, CFA discusses why he thinks growth stocks today are so deeply discounted.

"Currently, mid cap stocks are trading at a significant discount to the S&P 500, which we believe creates a valuation tailwind combined with strong fundamentals." Alger Mid Cap 40 ETF Portfolio Manager Amy Zhang explains her process of managing during challenging markets.

"While sentiment may go up and down, ultimately a company’s fundamentals or earnings capability will dictate its value." Alger Weatherbie Select 15 Portfolio Manager Ed Minn explains why he continues to focus on high-conviction ideas and fundamentals.

"What drives this portfolio is fundamental stock research. And if the price of a stock suddenly falls by half, it becomes even more attractive." Client Portfolio Manager Alan Kirby explains how the Dynamic Opportunities portfolio may find opportunities even in challenging market cycles.

"If lower prices are accompanied by better and improving fundamentals, we believe that’s a potential buying opportunity." Alger Director of Market Strategy Brad Neuman, CFA, explains why investors may benefit from a renewed focus on innovation and long term fundamentals.

"Once we’ve defined areas of central interest, we try and track where the greatest unmet needs are and where the greatest potential market opportunities can be." Health Sciences Portfolio Manager Dr. Sanjiv Talwar explains why his team is focused on innovative advancements in scientific, clinical, and commercial arenas.

"We think that the metaverse is going to profoundly change the way people work, play, and live. And companies that are levered to that kind of growth are Alger-type businesses." The age of the metaverse is upon us. But what is it and how will it impact the way we invest? Portfolio Manager Dr. Ankur Crawford takes a deep dive into this brave new world.

"There is increasing emphasis on technology in many large restaurant chains. We believe this trend will only continue to explode." Alger Senior Analyst Vikram Khullar explains how pervasive technology innovations have become within the restaurant industry.

"As the frenzy in the SPAC market continues, impacting hundreds of companies, we believe investors should make sure they understand the ramifications." Weatherbie Chief Investment Officer George Dai explains the positive and negative implications of the current onslaught of special purpose acquisition companies.

"Many of our companies are talking about inflation. But we believe investors will see this type of cyclical-driven inflation start to cool off over the next six to 12 months." Alger Senior Analyst Andrew Gustin explains why the industrials sector is now experiencing a significant resurgence.

"Momentum strategies today are buying airlines instead of artificial intelligence; cruises over cloud; and steel instead of software. But we know that the pendulum can swing very quickly." Alger Client Portfolio Manager Kevin Collins, CFA, explains why Alger favors investing in innovation and change over the siren song of momentum.

"We believe we have a good idea of what will remain strong growth trends both during the reopening and after." Alger Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager Dan Chung explains how he manages the focused, best ideas Alger 35 portfolio.

"We’re being inundated with new ideas. But our job, as fundamental analysts, is to sort through the noise and find the companies that are extending that competitive advantage over time." Weatherbie Specialized Growth Senior Portfolio Manager Josh Bennett explains how rapid innovations are transforming the digital payments industry.

"The more successful companies already have their digital transformations underway and that raises the game for everyone." Weatherbie Specialized Growth Portfolio Manager Ed Minn explains how companies are evolving their strategies to fully incorporate artificial intelligence.

"Patrick and Ankur talk about a simultaneous wave of innovation that is recasting whole industries across our economic spectrum." In our latest podcast, Client Portfolio Manager Kevin Collins discusses the investment process of Portfolio Managers Patrick Kelly and Dr. Ankur Crawford, and how they maintain Alger's legacy strategies.

"With focused strategies, the portfolio manager cannot hide behind mediocre stock picking. We aim to strike the optimal balance between maximizing exposure to best ideas, while having enough positions to achieve adequate diversification." Ed Minn, Portfolio Manager for the Alger Weatherbie Select 15 strategy, discusses what it's like to construct and then manage one of Alger's most focused portfolios.

"COVID was an unprecedented downturn. Never before had the entire globe shut down all travel. Fast forward to where we are now, and U.S. air travel is within ten percent of fully recovered from pre-COVID levels." Alger Senior Analyst Andrew Gustin describes why the aerospace industry has remained resilient over the past year, and which subsectors may be most interesting to investors.

"Stepping back from all the macro noise, we see a tremendous amount of innovation and change across the economy that we think will continue to create winners and losers across sectors." Alger Focus Equity Portfolio Manager Patrick Kelly discusses current market gyrations and why high levels of innovation could be considered a long-term deflationary force.

"When the VIX is higher, which we have seen going back to 2020, ’21, and now recently, we think that’s a fantastic period for long/short equity." Alger Client Portfolio Manager Alan Kirby discusses investors' concerns with the current economy and why he thinks the antidote is maintaining a solid, long-term strategy.

"We believe that productivity is driven by innovation, and that innovation is actually speeding up, not steady or slowing down." Alger Director of Market Strategy Brad Neuman, CFA, discusses Alger's new Capital Markets Presentation "Navigating a Weakening Economy" and why he thinks investors may be wise to reconsider growth stocks.

"Starting to manage a portfolio in a down market is tricky, but I see it from a positive perspective because it's presenting tremendous opportunities." Alger Mid Cap Growth Portfolio Manager Brandon Geisler discusses the kind of companies he looks for when constructing the portfolio, and why he's particularly focused on electric vehicles.

"We're paying attention to inflation and the path of the federal reserve. And if we’re going into recession, dividends can be pretty defensive." Alger Growth & Income Strategy Portfolio Manager Greg Adams explains why companies with a focus on free cash flow may outperform in a difficult economy.