Manulife buys Optique Capital Management

Manulife Asset Management has acquired the assets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Optique Capital Management, along with eight members of that firm, who will comprise a new equity team.

At the end of 2010, Optique’s mutual fund and separate account assets under management amounted to about $800 million.

The team will be led by Wendell L. Perkins, senior managing director, senior portfolio manager and CIO, Margaret A. McKay and Edward T. Marraccini, both managing directors and portfolio managers.

Perkins has been responsible for equity research, strategy and implementation at Optique Capital and is a founding member of the management team which established the firm through the buyout of Johnson Asset Management from Johnson Financial Group in 2007.

“We welcome this outstanding group of seasoned investment professionals to our firm,” said Christopher Conkey, chief investment officer, Global Equities, Manulife Asset Management. “The team will bring their disciplined, consistent, value equity philosophy and decision-making process to managing international value strategies for John Hancock Funds, through our John Hancock Asset Management division, as well as for Manulife Asset Management’s institutional clients.”

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