THE OAKMARK INTERNATIONAL
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| THE VALUE OF A $10,000 INVESTMENT IN THE OAKMARK INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP FUND FROM ITS INCEPTION (11/1/95) TO PRESENT (12/31/07) AS COMPARED TO THE MSCI WORLD EX U.S. INDEX14 (UNAUDITED) | |||||
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| Average Annual Total Returns (as of 12/31/07) |
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| (Unaudited) | Total Return Last 3 Months* |
1-year | 5-year | 10-year | Since Inception (11/1/95) |
| Oakmark International Small Cap Fund (Class I) | -9.52% | -8.33% | 24.13% | 17.07% | 13.49% |
| MSCI World ex U.S. | -1.62% | 12.44% | 22.12% | 8.99% | 8.71% |
| MSCI World ex U.S. Small Cap17 | -4.90% | 3.29% | 26.43% | N/A | N/A |
| Lipper International Small Cap Index18 | -4.89% | 9.88% | 28.47% | 14.99% | N/A |
| The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares. | Expense Ratio as of 9/30/07 was 1.34%. | ||||
| The performance data quoted represents past performance. The above performance information for the Fund does not reflect the imposition of a 2% redemption fee on shares held for 90 days or less to deter market timers. If reflected, the fee would reduce the performance quoted. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. Average annual total return measures annualized change, while total return measures aggregate change. To obtain most recent month-end performance data, visit oakmark.com. | |||||
| * Not annualized | |||||
As David wrote in his introductory letter, it was a difficult year (and quarter) for The Oakmark International Small Cap Fund, with the Fund losing 10% for the quarter ended December 31. This compares to the MSCI World ex U.S. Index, which lost 2%, and the MSCI World ex U.S. Small Cap Index, which declined 5%. Since inception, your Fund has returned 13% annualized, compared to the MSCI World ex U.S. Index, which returned 9% for the same period.
Stock selection in Germany and Switzerland boosted the Fund during the quarter, adding around 1% to relative performance. The U.K., French and Japanese holdings were the largest detractors, accounting for approximately 4.5% of the underperformance relative to the benchmark. From a sector perspective, performance was aided by the relative returns of our financial holdings versus those of the benchmark, adding around 100 bps to relative performance. Poor stock selection in the consumer and information technology sectors, coupled with our lack of exposure to energy, accounted for a large percentage of relative underperformance.
Contributors
Shares of MLP, the German financial advisor we’ve written about in each of our 2007 quarterly shareholder letters, rebounded after two weak quarters, up 18% in the fourth quarter. Speculation about possible interest in MLP drove the stock price up in the latter part of December, following Swiss Life’s bid for AWD (MLP’s largest competitor). Also during the quarter MLP finalized the replacement of its CFO and reported 3rd quarter results that were in line with expectations. These events helped make MLP the Fund’s top performer for the quarter.
Julius Baer was the 2nd best performer in the quarter. The group largely avoided the mortgage mess that tarnished many other private banks, thus also avoiding the need to raise substantial amounts of capital to comfort its client base. In addition, the group continues to report strong asset flows.
Rounding out the top three contributors was Raymarine, a new holding to the Fund this quarter. Raymarine offers an extensive range of electronic equipment for the leisure boating market. Although the U.S. market has been sluggish, European demand has held up strongly, and Raymarine remains confident that it will meet its full-year growth goals. We started buying Raymarine in October after the stock had dropped more than 40% since the beginning of the year. Since October the stock has bounced back approximately 15%.
Detractors
The U.K. market certainly wasn’t immune from the global liquidity issues, with lines queuing outside one of the country’s mortgage lenders—Northern Rock. Plummeting consumer confidence, coupled with a retrenchment in lending, has hit almost everything housing and consumer-related. Our U.K. positions were not unscathed in this environment, causing more than 200 bps of underperformance. Shares of Carpetright fell to a 21/2 year low after plans to take the company private fell through; weakening credit markets and the inability to secure funding were cited as the causes. In line with reports we’ve seen from many other U.K. retail companies, JJB Sports suffered as consumers reined in their spending. LSL Property Services was down for the quarter due to a substantial slowdown in the U.K. housing market, which now is at its lowest transaction rate since 1989. Obviously, lending conditions will be tougher in 2008, which will continue to hurt home sales. LSL is well positioned due its relatively clean balance sheet and greater proportion of earnings derived from more stable surveying work. As such, we used the share weakness to add to our position in the quarter.
Share prices of Japanese temporary employment companies have been negatively impacted by scandals and worries of a slowing economy. While Pasona has avoided the scandals and continues to take market share, it has not been able to avoid its share price from being negatively impacted. StaffService Holdings, a competitor to Pasona, was recently acquired for 50% of revenues. This bodes well for Pasona, which currently trades at 20% of revenues, highlighting the tremendous potential for value creation.
Neopost fell 27% in the quarter. The group’s share price was under tremendous pressure for what was only a minor earnings surprise—sales missed our estimate by 3% and operating income by 4-5%. The group has benefited greatly from decertification in various markets, and it appears that its U.S. customer base has pulled back on ordering new equipment in 2007 because another round of equipment changes is on the horizon for 2008. Incidentally, Pitney Bowes, Neopost’s largest competitor, has also felt the same impact. As this earnings miss appears to suggest only a temporary dislocation, we used the share price decline to more than double our position.
Portfolio Composition
The Fund exited many positions during the quarter as they either reached fair value or for investment opportunities that had more upside, including South China Morning Post, Citizen Holdings, Square Enix, Mainfreight, Kongsberg Automotive, Lotte Confectionary, Sogecable, Medisize, Pargesa, Spectris and Wagon. In addition to Raymarine, we added two other new holdings to the Fund during the quarter: BBA Aviation, a U.K. firm that operates corporate/private jet airports and provides support and after market aircraft services, and Michael Page, a U.K. recruiting firm that we’ve owned historically.
Geographically, our portfolio weightings have changed slightly over the quarter. Europe and the U.K. have increased and represent approximately 75% of investments, reflecting where we are finding value during these extraordinary times. The majority of the balance excluding cash is invested in the Pacific Rim.
We’d like to thank you, our shareholders, for your continued support. As long-term value investors, we will continue to focus on finding attractive, undervalued foreign companies with management teams focused on building shareholder value.
| David G. Herro, CFA Portfolio Manager oakex@oakmark.com December 31, 2007 |
Chad M. Clark, CFA Portfolio Manager oakex@oakmark.com |
| THE OAKMARK INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP FUND |
International Diversification—December 31, 2007 (Unaudited)

| THE OAKMARK INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP FUND |
Schedule of Investments—December 31, 2007 (Unaudited)
Name |
Description |
Shares Held |
Market Value | |
| Common Stocks—97.5% | ||||
| Advertising—1.8% | ||||
| Asatsu-DK, Inc. (Japan) | Advertising Services Provider | 378,700 | $10,632,202 | |
| Aegis Group plc (United Kingdom) | Media Services Provider | 2,868,000 | 6,667,498 | |
| 17,299,700 | ||||
| Apparel, Accessories & Luxury Goods—2.5% | ||||
| Bulgari S.p.A. (Italy) | Jewelry Manufacturer & Retailer | 1,704,900 | $23,788,978 | |
| Automotive Retail—2.2% | ||||
| USS Co., Ltd. (Japan) | Used Car Auction Facility Manager | 331,300 | $20,653,317 | |
| Broadcasting & Cable TV—5.9% | ||||
| M6 Metropole Television (France) | Television Entertainment Channel Owner & Operator |
1,251,800 | $32,887,164 | |
| Media Prima Berhad (Malaysia) | Film Producer & Sports Promoter | 26,087,500 | 22,166,881 | |
| 55,054,045 | ||||
| Homefurnishing Retail—2.0% | ||||
| Beter Bed Holding NV (Netherlands) | Bedroom Furniture Retailer | 731,970 | $18,984,523 | |
| Home Improvement Retail—3.0% | ||||
| Carpetright plc (United Kingdom) | Carpet Retailer | 1,669,500 | $28,197,020 | |
| Leisure Products—1.3% | ||||
| Trigano SA (France) | Manufacturer and Retailer of Recreational Vehicles and Garden Equipment | 288,587 | $12,467,732 | |
| Movies & Entertainment—1.0% | ||||
| CTS Eventim AG (Germany) | Entertainment Tickets Producer & Distributor | 245,241 | $9,485,450 | |
| Photographic Products—3.5% | ||||
| Vitec Group plc (United Kingdom) | Photo Equipment & Supplies | 2,812,479 | $32,692,115 | |
| Publishing—3.0% | ||||
| Tamedia AG (Switzerland) | TV Broadcasting & Publishing | 148,201 | $19,210,030 | |
| Daekyo Co., Ltd. (Korea) | Educational Information Service Provider | 97,828 | 9,280,622 | |
| 28,490,652 | ||||
| Specialty Stores—3.0% | ||||
| JJB Sports plc (United Kingdom) | Sportswear & Sports Equipment Retailer | 11,509,700 | $28,244,171 | |
| Textiles—2.1% | ||||
| Chargeurs SA (France) | Wool, Textile Production & Trading | 790,182 | $19,606,272 | |
| Household Products—1.9% | ||||
| Kimberly-Clark de Mexico S.A.B. de C.V. (Mexico) | Hygiene Products Manufacturer, Marketer & Distributor | 4,007,200 | $17,571,090 | |
| Packaged Foods & Meats—2.9% | ||||
| Binggrae Co., Ltd. (Korea) (a) | Dairy Products Manufacturer | 481,360 | $19,387,075 | |
| Alaska Milk Corporation (Philippines) | Milk Producer | 56,360,000 | 7,108,222 | |
| 26,495,297 | ||||
| Soft Drinks—1.2% | ||||
| Britvic Plc (United Kingdom) | Soft Drink Manufacturer & Marketer | 1,648,700 | $11,334,845 | |
| Asset Management & Custody Banks—7.0% | ||||
| MLP AG (Germany) | Asset Management | 2,979,000 | $46,740,994 | |
| Julius Baer Holding AG (Switzerland) | Asset Management | 232,200 | 19,177,552 | |
| 65,918,546 | ||||
| Investment Banking & Brokerage—2.3% | ||||
| Ichiyoshi Securities Co., Ltd. (Japan) | Stock Broker | 2,399,500 | $21,824,398 | |
| Real Estate Management & Development—3.0% | ||||
| LSL Property Services PLC (United Kingdom) |
Residential Property Service Provider | 8,205,000 | $22,824,669 | |
| Estavis AG (Germany) (a) | Real Estate Investment Company | 267,400 | 5,436,651 | |
| 28,261,320 | ||||
| Reinsurance—3.0% | ||||
| Benfield Group Ltd. (United Kingdom) | Reinsurance Service Provider | 5,049,800 | $27,794,049 | |
| Health Care Distributors—1.3% | ||||
| Amplifon S.p.A. (Italy) | Hearing Aids and Supplies Distributor | 2,442,712 | $12,380,366 | |
| Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (Australia) (a) | Pharmaceutical Products Distributor | 243,171 | 388,957 | |
| 12,769,323 | ||||
| Life Sciences Tools & Services—2.3% | ||||
| MDS, Inc. (Canada) (a) | Products & Services for Medical Product Manufacturers | 1,116,100 | $21,553,748 | |
| Pharmaceuticals—0.3% | ||||
| Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Japan) | Pharmaceuticals | 127,300 | $3,157,236 | |
| Air Freight & Logistics—2.3% | ||||
| Freightways Limited (New Zealand) | Express Package Services | 7,624,568 | $21,854,574 | |
| Airport Services—0.3% | ||||
| BBA Aviation PLC (United Kingdom) (a) | Flight Support & Aftermarket Services & Systems Provider | 666,100 | $2,716,567 | |
| Diversified Commercial & Professional Services—0.9% | ||||
| Cision AB (Sweden) (a) | Business & Communication Intelligence | 3,206,700 | $8,433,201 | |
| Human Resource & Employment Services—4.3% | ||||
| Pasona Group, Inc. (Japan) | Placement Service Provider | 27,030 | $25,700,139 | |
| Michael Page International plc (United Kingdom) |
Recruitment Consultancy Services | 2,677,300 | 15,321,010 | |
| 41,021,149 | ||||
| Industrial Conglomerates—3.7% | ||||
| Tomkins plc (United Kingdom) | International Manufacturing | 7,183,800 | $25,229,667 | |
| Rheinmetall AG (Germany) | Automotive Pump Manufacturer | 82,700 | 6,563,926 | |
| Haw Par Corporation Limited (Singapore) | Diversified Operations | 620,900 | 3,062,610 | |
| 34,856,203 | ||||
| Industrial Machinery—9.8% | ||||
| Enodis plc (United Kingdom) | Food Processing Equipment | 10,507,650 | $33,405,921 | |
| Duerr AG (Germany) (a) | Automotive Industry Machinery Manufacturer | 624,700 | 24,244,254 | |
| Interpump Group S.p.A. (Italy) | Pump & Piston Manufacturer | 2,261,776 | 23,256,779 | |
| Domino Printing Sciences plc (United Kingdom) |
Printing Equipment | 1,899,100 | 11,131,860 | |
| 92,038,814 | ||||
| Office Services & Supplies—2.7% | ||||
| Sperian Protection (France) | Manufactures Protection Equipment For People In Hazardous Work Environments | 227,418 | $25,906,976 | |
| Communications Equipment—1.6% | ||||
| Raymarine PLC (United Kingdom) (a) | Leisure Marine Electronics Products | 2,535,457 | $14,698,228 | |
| Electronic Equipment Manufacturers—2.8% | ||||
| Orbotech, Ltd. (Israel) (a) | Optical Inspection Systems | 1,499,300 | $26,312,715 | |
| IT Consulting & Other Services—4.7% | ||||
| Ementor ASA (Norway) (a) | Management & IT Consulting Services | 3,761,000 | $28,520,744 | |
| Morse PLC (United Kingdom) | IT Consulting & Other Services | 11,990,315 | 15,962,586 | |
| 44,483,330 | ||||
| Office Electronics—5.5% | ||||
| Neopost SA (France) | Mailroom Equipment Supplier | 385,189 | $39,629,662 | |
| Boewe Systec AG (Germany) | Automated Paper Management Systems Producer | 285,039 | 11,836,016 | |
| 51,465,678 | ||||
| Systems Software—0.7% | ||||
| Monitise PLC (United Kingdom) (a) | Mobile Banking Service Solutions | 24,657,285 | $6,736,679 | |
| Construction Materials—1.7% | ||||
| Titan Cement Co. SA (Greece) | Cement & Building Materials Producer & Distributor | 354,500 | $16,143,207 | |
| Total Common Stocks (Cost: $943,759,415) | 918,311,148 | |||
Name |
Description |
Shares Held/ Par Value |
Market Value |
|
| Short Term Investments—0.2% | ||||
| Repurchase Agreement—0.2% | ||||
| State Street Bank and Trust Co. Repurchase Agreement, 4.00% dated 12/31/2007 due 1/2/2008, repurchase price $1,827,070, collateralized by a Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. Bond, with a rate of 5.328%, with a maturity of 8/15/2036, and with an aggregate market value plus accrued interest of $1,919,178 | $1,826,664 | $1,826,664 | ||
| Total Repurchase Agreement (Cost: $1,826,664) | 1,826,664 | |||
| Total Short Term Investments (Cost: $1,826,664) | 1,826,664 | |||
| Total Investments (Cost $945,586,079)—97.7% | $920,137,812 | |||
| Foreign Currencies (Cost $1,724,521)—0.2% | $1,729,216 | |||
| Other Assets In Excess Of Other Liabilities—2.1% | 19,939,692 | |||
| Total Net Assets—100% | $941,806,720 | |||
| (a) | Non-income producing security. |