Bob Shearer of Merrill Lynch Equity Dividend Fund

Quick Take: Bob Shearer aims for dividend yields comparable to the S&P 500-stock index when managing Merrill Lynch Equity Dividend Fund/A (MDDVX). Along with yield, he looks for stocks with traditional value characteristics, such as low valuation, disciplined management, and solid balance sheet. Shearer overlays these bottom-up criteria with a top-down search for underperforming sectors.

In running the fund since 2001, Shearer has generated competitive returns with low volatility. For the three years through last month, the portfolio was up 8.1%, on average, versus a gain of 5.2% for its large-cap value peers. For the one-year period through September, the fund climbed 20.6%, versus a 16.5% rise for the peer group. The fund’s standard deviation, a measure of volatility, is 11.26 compared with 15.38 for its peers.

This year, Equity Dividend has benefited from overweightings in materials and energy stocks, which have outperformed due to worldwide economic growth. Shearer believes investment gains in these areas are sustainable for at least the next 12 to 18 months.

The Full Interview:

S&P: What are the fund’s investment goals?

SHEARER: Our aim is to provide a dividend yield after taxes that equates to the dividend yield of the S&P 500. We look for stocks that are trading at a discount to their historic value and to their peer groups.

We look for some catalyst that will change the stock, such as management imposing greater financial discipline or getting out of a volatile decision. We screen for companies with strong balance sheets, and avoid those with a debt to capitalization ratio above 50%.

S&P: Has the federal government’s dividend tax cut changed the universe of dividend-paying stocks?

SHEARER: Dividend rates have marginally moved up, and many companies have increased their dividends. We are starting to see a trend toward more companies paying dividends, although some of that has slowed down, partly due to the uncertainty of the presidential election. Dividend yields would probably be higher if there were less uncertainty about long-term tax policy.

S&P: What major changes have you made in the fund in the past year?

SHEARER: The only major changes were last year, when we moved to a significant overweighting in materials and increased our energy weighting. We also boosted our market cap size from small-cap stocks to large-cap stocks because of better relative value and continued dividend increases.

S&P: Do you consider broad macroeconomic trends in selecting stocks?

SHEARER: We look top down for industry groups that are depressed. With interest rates rising, we’ve looked over the last year at sectors with the best earnings momentum. We are overweight in energy and materials, as commodity prices have run up due to rising demand from China. BluesScope Steel (BLSFF) in Australia is a materials holding that’s benefiting from rising Chinese demand.

S&P: How long do you expect to focus on companies benefiting from rising commodity prices?

SHEARER: We think this is a sustainable play, at least for the next 12 to 18 months. Despite rising energy prices, world economies are growing.

S&P: Do you avoid any sectors?