They're Britain's top stockpickers - so should you trust them with your savings?

Giles HargreaveManager, Marlborough Special Situations In five years turned £10,000 into £18,316

Mr Hargreave is a master of unearthing little-known firms that are growing rapidly.

His largest holding in this £553 million fund is Ashtead Group, which rents out equipment such as traffic lights at roadworks and power generators.

Other top picks include Dechra, which makes medicine for cats and dogs and has increased profits for nine years in a row.

Place your bets: How our fund managers might look with your money. From left, Giles Hargreave, Tom Dobell, Nigel Thomas, Julian Fosh and Anthony Cross

Since the fund was launched in 1998, Mr Hargreave has turned each £10,000 invested into a staggering £140,240.

Analysis for Money Mail shows that his selection of particular stocks has boosted the pot by seven times compared with rivals who run similar types of fund.

Mark Dampier, head of investments at fund broker Hargreaves Lansdown, says: ‘Giles is everything you want from a top stockpicker — he’s got all the contacts and has 40 years’ experience covering every type of market you can imagine.’

Nigel Thomas                                                                                                                           Manager, Axa Framlington UK Select Opportunities In five years turned  £10,000 into £16,287

Mr Thomas’S fund, which holds £3.83 billion of investors’ cash, has banked nearly double the return of the average UK shares fund since he took over in 2005.

His stock-picking philosophy has proved ideal for uncertain times. He says: ‘I don’t believe things will necessarily get better or worse — they will just become different.’

He took advantage of a stunning turnaround for ITV, which had been struggling until last year, recognising that new management and popular shows such as Downton Abbey and Dancing On Ice would give it a kick.

In February, ITV shares hit their highest level since 2007.

  More... Fund supermarket: Pay 0% initial commission on all funds and Isas bought online DIY share dealing: Cheap flat-fee service for £12.50 Take ownership of your investments: Top five funds for investors who want to change companies for the better

Other top performers have been cigarette filter-maker Filtrona, High Street clothes chain Next, and Elementis, which makes chemicals used in detergents.

Since 2005, he has turned each £10,000 invested into £34,165.

Darius McDermott, director of fund broker Chelsea Financial Services, says: ‘Nigel Thomas is a true stockpicker who doesn’t worry too much about the wider economy and instead relies on high-quality shares that will grow in good times and bad.’

Anthony Cross  and Julian Fosh                                                                  Joint managers, Liontrust Special Situations In five years turned  £10,000 into £21,545

Mr Cross and Mr Fosh root out companies that have stolen a march on rival firms with a special ingredient that is hard to copy.

 

One favourite is property website Rightmove.co.uk — the UK’s largest list of homes.

With growing numbers of house sellers advertising online, its dominance made it ideally placed for a pick-up in the property market.

Pizza firm Domino’s is another favourite. Despite tough economic times, the pizza-delivery market has grown 8 pc a year consistently for seven years — and Domino’s has accounted for 90 pc of this boom.

The £860 million fund largely steers clear of banks, shops and mining companies.

Mr Cross has been running the fund since November 2005, and Mr Fosh joined him in 2008.

Analysis for Money Mail shows that the managers’ selections have added an extra 79 pc compared with similar funds.

Jason Hollands, managing director of adviser Bestinvest, says: ‘The focus on companies with a specific advantage over rival firms makes this fund perfectly suited to a low-growth environment — which is exactly what we’ve got today.’

Tom Dobell                                                                                                                                      Manager, M&G Recovery   In five years turned  £10,000 into £14,142

Mr Dobell is a patient  investor. Where most rivals typically hold shares for around nine months, Mr Dobell keeps them for nearer five years. It clearly works, because his fund, which holds £7.5 billion of investors’ money, has a very specific mantra — it focuses on shares that are a true bargain.

This means sniffing out firms that have been through a rough patch, whose share prices have fallen, but are now on the mend. That way he cashes in on their recovery.

As a result of this rare style, the fund has a unique mix  of shares.

Its major holdings include troubled energy giant BP, banks such as HSBC, and budget airline EasyJet.

Mr Dobell has managed M&G Recovery since March 2000, turning £10,000 into £24,409 during that time. This is £7,300 more than the average fund.

Damien Fahy, head of research at broker FundExpert, says: ‘His fund requires a little more patience than most, but this pays off in the long run, with Mr Dobell beating the market in eight of the last ten years.’