Fund Evaluator:
ClearBridge Emerging Markets I (MCEIX)
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Best Performing in Diversified Emerging Mkts Over the Last Year
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| 51.1% | WCM Focused Emerging Mkts Ex Chn Inv (WCFEX) |
| 47.2% | Matthews Emerging Markets Sust Fut Inv (MASGX) |
| 46.5% | Lazard Emerging Markets Equity Instl (LZEMX) |
| 46.5% | LSV Emerging Markets Equity Inv (LVAZX) |
Fund Details
ClearBridge Emerging Markets I Overview
ClearBridge Emerging Markets I (MCEIX) is an actively managed International Equity Diversified Emerging Mkts fund. Franklin Templeton Investments launched the fund in 2015.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. Under normal market conditions, the fund pursues its objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes, if any, in securities of issuers with substantial economic ties to one or more emerging market countries and other investments with similar economic characteristics. It is non-diversified.
About ClearBridge Emerging Markets I (MCEIX)
There are 7 members of the management team with an average tenure of 6.44 years: Andrew Mathewson (2015), Paul Desoisa (2019), Colin Dishington (2019), Robbie McNab (2026), Aimee Truesdale (2022), Divya Mathur (2019), Alastair Reynolds (2018). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI ACWI Ex USA NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MSCI EM NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. ClearBridge Emerging Markets I has 65 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 58.1% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
ClearBridge Emerging Markets I is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity fund group. ClearBridge Emerging Markets I has 98.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.4%. There is 98.9% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). ClearBridge Emerging Markets I has 0.6% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $305 million in total assets, which is below the $967 million average for the Diversified Emerging Mkts category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
MCEIX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The ClearBridge Emerging Markets I expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Diversified Emerging Mkts category. ClearBridge Emerging Markets I has an expense ratio of 0.96%, which is 17% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. ClearBridge Emerging Markets I has a portfolio turnover rate of 25%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 68% for the Diversified Emerging Mkts category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, ClearBridge Emerging Markets I returned -7.9%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Diversified Emerging Mkts category had an average return of -4.9%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
ClearBridge Emerging Markets I has a trailing yield of 0.44%, which is below the 1.72% category average. The fund normally distributes its income annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
ClearBridge Emerging Markets I Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 17.3%, 1.7 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 40.0% over the past year (grade of B), 15.7% over the past three years (grade of D) and 4.0% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 8.9% per year over the past 10 years (grade of C).
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MCEIX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| MCEIX Return (NAV) | -7.9% | 1.2% | 40.0% | 15.7% | 4.0% | 8.9% |
| MCEIX Grade | F | D | B | D | F | C |
| +/- Category | -3.0% | -1.2% | 4.1% | -2.2% | -2.5% | 0.2% |
| Diversified Emerging Mkts Avg | -4.9% | 2.4% | 35.9% | 17.9% | 6.5% | 8.7% |
| MCEIX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
MCEIX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| MCEIX Return (NAV) | 17.3% | 36.7% | 2.8% | 6.1% | -26.8% | -5.1% | 27.7% | 29.1% | -18.9% | 46.8% | 10.6% |
| MCEIX Grade | D | A | D | F | D | D | B | A | D | A | B |
| +/- Category | -1.7% | 5.3% | -3.4% | -6.0% | -4.2% | -4.9% | 6.1% | 7.3% | -2.5% | 10.2% | 2.0% |
| Diversified Emerging Mkts Avg | 19.1% | 31.4% | 6.2% | 12.1% | -22.6% | -0.2% | 21.6% | 21.9% | -16.4% | 36.6% | 8.6% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 18.5% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.51 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.11 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (88% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.14 |
| R-Squared: | 73% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.4% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | |
| Total Assets: | $407 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 306 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 25% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 7 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 11.2 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 6.4 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Mathewson Andrew (2015), Reynolds Alastair (2018), Mathur Divya (2019), Desoisa Paul (2019), Dishington Colin (2019), Truesdale Aimee (2022), McNab Robbie (2026) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 65 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 58.1% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 98.9% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.4% |
| Foreign Stock: | 98.9% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.6% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Franklin Templeton Investments |
| Phone Number: | 877-656-3863 |
| Website: | www.leggmason.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | May 29, 2015 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $1,000,000 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | na |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.96% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.16% |
| Share Class: | ClearBridge Emerging Markets IS |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
