Brandes Emerging Markets Fund Receives Five-Star Overall Morningstar Rating™

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Brandes Investment Partners, L.P. ("Brandes"), a value investment firm, is pleased to announce that the Brandes Emerging Markets Fund I (BEMIX) has earned a Five-Star Overall Morningstar Rating™ for the period ended August 31, 2014. The Fund was rated among 477 diversified emerging markets funds. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a fund was derived from a weighted average of the fund's 3-, 5-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Ratings metrics, which are based on risk-adjusted return performance.

Brandes has been investing in emerging markets for over 30 years, with a dedicated stand-alone strategy since 1994. 

"In our view, this rating underscores our experience and knowledge of navigating the emerging-market arena, where we have been actively investing for the bulk of our existence as a firm," said Marsha Riley, Director of Mutual Fund Sales & Portfolio Management at Brandes. "What makes the Fund different from many other strategies is its flexibility. In addition to well-known large companies, it can invest in overlooked mid-sized companies, as well as in developed-market companies with significant ties to emerging markets. This provides a large opportunity set for investors and can help them pursue above-average return potential in the emerging-markets asset class."

The Brandes Emerging Markets Fund employs the same disciplined bottom-up, value investing approach as other Brandes funds and strategies. It is overseen by a five-person investment committee with, on average, 20 years of industry experience and 13-year tenure with the firm.

"In our experience, emerging-market countries—and most importantly, emerging-market companies—react to macroeconomic events differently," said Gerardo Zamorano, Director of Investments and a member of the emerging-market investment committee at Brandes. "This is why we believe focusing on individual company fundamentals, not benchmark weightings, is the best way to add value for clients. Active management is, in our opinion, critical in this space since not all companies provide the same opportunities relative to their risks."

About Brandes Investment Partners, L.P.
Brandes is a leading investment advisory firm, specializing in managing global equity and fixed-income assets for clients worldwide. Since the firm's inception in 1974, Brandes has consistently applied the value investing approach, pioneered by Benjamin Graham, to security selection and was among the first investment firms to bring a global perspective to value investing. The independently owned firm manages a variety of active investment strategies and applies its investment philosophy consistently in all market conditions.

To learn more about the Brandes Emerging Markets Fund and other Brandes value equity and fixed-income funds, visit brandesfunds.com.

Mutual fund investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.

A mutual fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses must be considered carefully before investing. The statutory and summary prospectuses contain this and other important information about the investment company, and may be obtained by calling 1.800.395.3807 or visiting www.brandesinstitutionalfunds.com. Read carefully before investing.

Because the values of the Fund's investments will fluctuate with market conditions, so will the value of your investment in the Fund. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, or the Fund could underperform other investments. The values of the Fund's investments fluctuate in response to the activities of individual companies and general stock market and economic conditions. In addition, the performance of foreign securities depends on the political and economic environments and other overall economic conditions in the countries where the Fund invests. Emerging country markets involve greater risk and volatility than more developed markets. Some emerging markets countries may have fixed or managed currencies that are not free-floating against the U.S. dollar. Certain of these currencies have experienced, and may experience in the future, substantial fluctuations or a steady devaluation relative to the U.S. dollar. Investments in small and medium capitalization companies tend to have limited liquidity and greater price volatility than large capitalization companies.

Copyright 2014 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information.

For each fund with at least a three-year history, Morningstar calculates a Morningstar Rating - based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a fund's monthly performance (including the effects of sales charges, loads, and redemption fees), placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of funds in each category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. (Each share class is counted as a fraction of one fund within this scale and rated separately, which may cause slight variations in the distribution percentages.) The Overall Morningstar Rating for a fund is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five- and ten-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The Brandes Emerging Markets Fund was rated against the following numbers of Diversified Emerging Markets funds over the following time periods: 477 funds in the last three years. With respect to these Diversified Emerging Markets funds as of 8/31/2014, the Brandes Emerging Markets Fund received a Morningstar Rating of 5 stars for the three- year period.  The rating is specific to Class I shares and does not apply to other share classes of the Fund.  The minimum investment for I shares is $100,000. The Fund has experienced recent negative returns. For current performance, please view the Performance page of the web site or call 800.395.3807.

The Brandes Emerging Markets Fund is distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC. Brandes Investment Partners is the advisor to the Brandes Emerging Markets Fund.

The foregoing reflects the thoughts and opinions of Brandes Investment Partners® exclusively and is subject to change without notice.

Brandes Investment Partners® is a registered trademark of Brandes Investment Partners, L.P. in the United States and Canada.

SOURCE Brandes Investment Partners