Key Metrics for BlackRock European Equity Income Fund
- Morningstar Category: Europe Equity Income
- Morningstar Medalist Rating: Silver
- Morningstar Rating: ★★★★
- Process Pillar rating: Above Average
- Fund Size: €1.7 billion
BlackRock European Equity Income, which has a Morningstar Medalist Rating of Silver, is one of the best fund options within the Europe equity income Morningstar Category, analysts say.
Francesco Paganelli, fund analyst says: “The managers look for companies with quality management, strong competitive positioning, financial discipline, resilient cash flows, and a reliable dividend.”
The fund is managed by Stuart Brown—who joined BlackRock from Aberdeen in July 2024—and Brian Hall. Morningstar’s Paganelli says the fund’s managers “assemble a relatively concentrated 40- to 50-stock portfolio while controlling risk by balancing quality dividend-payers that can grow their dividend with undervalued high-yield opportunities.”
The fund has an Above Average Process Pillar rating which means that Morningstar believes the fund’s investment process is stronger than most of its peers and is likely to contribute positively to long-term performance.
Here are five companies in which the managers have recently increased or decreased the stock’s weight in the fund.
Five Stocks Owned by BlackRock European Equity Income Fund
1. Industria de Diseño Textil
The manager reduced his weight in the stock between last December and the end of January, but it retains its ranking as the largest holding in the portfolio. The stock became one of the fund’s top 10 holdings in October last year and reached the number one position in December.
Key Morningstar Metrics for Industria de Diseño Textil ITX
- Sector: Consumer Cyclical
- Industry: Apparel Retail
- Price/Fair Value: 1.39
- Morningstar Rating: ★
- Morningstar Uncertainty Rating: Medium
- Forward Dividend Yield: 1.96%
2. The Weir Group
The company that manufactures highly engineered industrial equipment and solutions primarily for the mining and minerals sector is the British stock with the highest weight in the portfolio. It first appeared in the top 10 in September last year and has been climbing the rankings over the past few months.
Key Morningstar Metrics for The Weir Group WEIR
- Sector: Industrials
- Industry: Specialty Industrial Machinery
- Price/Fair Value: 1.19
- Morningstar Rating: ★★
- Morningstar Uncertainty Rating: Medium
- Forward Dividend Yield: 1.21%
3. Engie
The French utility company Engie made the biggest leap in the BGF European Income portfolio in January, rising from the ninth place in the top 10 in December to second place in January.
Key Morningstar Metrics for Engie ENGI
- Sector: Utilities
- Industry: Utilities—Diversified
- Price/Fair Value: 1.14
- Morningstar Rating: ★★
- Morningstar Uncertainty Rating: Medium
- Forward Dividend Yield: 5.52%
4. AstraZeneca
The fund is underweight in the healthcare sector, but AstraZeneca is the pharmaceutical company with the most weight in the portfolio, although its weighting in the fund was reduced slightly last month.
Key Morningstar Metrics for AstraZeneca AZN
- Sector: Healthcare
- Industry: Drug Manufacturers—General
- Price/Fair Value: 1.15
- Morningstar Rating: ★★
- Morningstar Uncertainty Rating: Medium
- Forward Dividend Yield: 1.52%
5. Intesa Sanpaolo
The Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo is now the bank with the highest weight in the fund’s portfolio, even though the manager sold shares in the company in January.
Key Morningstar Metric for Intesa Sanpaolo ISP
- Sector: Financial Services
- Industry: Banks—Regional
- Price/Fair Value: 1.3
- Morningstar Rating: ★★
- Morningstar Uncertainty Rating: High
- Forward Dividend Yield: 6.51%
