A fully employee-owned "quality growth" investment firm founded in 1988.
Life story
Jensen Investment Management was founded in 1988 by Val Jensen. Public sources say little about the founder or his family. The firm calls itself "fiercely independent" and is fully employee-owned.
How they got started
Its flagship is the fund launched in 1992 as the Jensen Portfolio and renamed the Jensen Quality Growth Fund in 2018. Later additions include a mid-cap strategy (renamed Quality Mid Cap in 2024), a global strategy (2020) and ETFs (the Jensen Quality Growth ETF in 2024).
The firm relies on a team rather than a single star manager. As of 2026, its leadership includes president and portfolio manager Rob McIver and head of research Allen T. Bond.
Investment style
Jensen selects companies with a long record of persistently high return on equity, using 15% ROE as a quantitative threshold, and adds analysis of competitive advantage, return on invested capital and free cash flow. The core strategy holds a concentrated 25–30 stocks.
The firm says the 2008 crisis taught it an important lesson: historically "high-quality" companies such as Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual still failed. So it looks at the future durability of a business model, not just past numbers.
Best decisions
A strategy that has lasted
The Quality Growth strategy has been run on the same philosophy — high, consistent ROE — for more than 30 years, which few firms manage.
Biggest mistakes
Limited information
We found no reliable public information on specific failed investments by the firm.
Today
As of June 2026 the firm manages about $4.2B and remains fully employee-owned.
What to learn from following the portfolio
- Jensen's portfolio changes slowly — a new position means the company has passed long-term quality tests.
- Its focus on high ROE and modest debt tilts it toward technology, healthcare and consumer companies, which are more likely to be halal, though that is no guarantee. See each position's halal status on the Portfolio tab.
- The portfolio is useful as a "quality company list"; but 13F filings lag by 45 days and say nothing about price.
An introduction based on public sources — not investment advice. Spotted an error? Let us know.