Third Avenue Management LLC

Investment Discipline

Third Avenue Management LLC ("Third Avenue") adheres to a disciplined value approach to investing. Third Avenue's investment team of portfolio managers and analysts analyze companies from the "bottom-up" -- scouring all available SEC filings, shareholder letters, industry publications and conducting interviews with management, competitors, vendors and industry experts - in order to learn as much as possible about a company and its securities before making an investment.

All equity investments must meet Third Avenue's "safe and cheap" investment criteria:
  • Safe
    • Strong Finances - The issuing company has a strong financial position, as evidenced by an absence of liabilities and a presence of high-quality assets.
    • Competent Management - The company's management has a good track record as both owners and operators and shares a common interest with outside, passive, minority shareholders.
    • Understandable Business - Comprehensive and meaningful financial and related information is available, providing reliable benchmarks to aid in understanding the company, its value and its dynamics.
  • Cheap
    • Significant Discount to Private Market Value - The market price lies substantially below a conservative valuation of the business as a private entity or as a takeover candidate.

The Firm

Founded by veteran value investor Marty Whitman in 1972 as the brokerage company MJ Whitman & Co, Third Avenue Management and its predecessors have adhered to a fundamental value approach to investing to create value for clients for the past 30 years. Third Avenue Management offers investment advisory services to the Third Avenue Funds retail mutual funds and sub-advised portfolios, as well as to private and institutional clients.

Contact Information

622 Third Avenue
32nd Floor
New York, NY 10017-6715
(212) 888-5222
www.thirdavenuefunds.com