Four asset managers are in the running for an investment research giant's two annual awards, and two other asset managers may soon have reason to celebrate, too. Yet a third award is disappearing.

Mary Ellen Bolger Stanek Robert W. Baird & Co. Managing Director, Director of Asset Management

Today, Sarah Bush, director of manager research for North America at Morningstar, Inc., reveals the nominees for the 2022 Morningstar Awards for Investing Excellence. These are M*'s fourth annual Investing Excellence awards, after they were created in 2019 to replace the Chicago-based firm's long-running prior U.S. fund awards.

Repeat nominees this year include: Baird's Mary Ellen Stanek (PM of the Baird Aggregate Bond Fund, the Baird Core Plus Bond Fund, the Baird Short-Term Bond Fund, and the Baird Ultra Short Bond Fund, among others), who received her fourth nomination for "outstanding portfolio manager"; Capital Group, which received its fourth nomination for "exemplary stewardship"; and Primecap, which received its second nomination for exemplary stewardship.

New nominees this year include: Cap Group's Hilda Applbaum (PM of the American Funds American Balanced Fund and the American Funds Income Fund of America, among others) for outstanding portfolio manager; Wellington Management's Michael Reckmeyer (PM of the Hartford Balanced Income Fund, the Hartford Equity Income Fund, the Vanguard Equity Income Fund, and the Vanguared Wellesley Income Fund, among others) for outstanding portfolio manager; and Baird itself for exemplary stewardship.

"These individuals and firms exhibit skillful, research-driven processes that have yielded strong returns over the long term for their shareholders," Bush states.

Yet the M* team did not release any nominees for their third investing excellence award, "rising talent."

"This year, we discontinued the rising talent award," Michael Claussen, a M* spokesperson, tells MFWire.

Yet Claussen notes that the M* analyst team will continue to highlight up-and-coming managers and their strategers via M* articles.

Looking ahead, watch for the M* team to reveal this year's 2022 investing excellence award winners on Tuesday, April 19. The winners will be featured on CNBC's "Power Lunch" program, and watch for the winners to pop up at the Morningstar Investment Conference next month.

"They'll likely be featured at the conference in some way," Claussen says. 

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