Crawford Investment Counsel

The investment committee is led by Chairman John H. Crawford IV, with input from the firm's senior portfolio managers. John H. Crawford III, the founder, remains involved in guiding the dividend-growth philosophy that has shaped the firm's decision-making since 1980.

The firm uses a bottom-up fundamental research process that identifies companies with a 10-year history of consecutive dividend increases. The team conducts direct management meetings to assess business quality, competitive moats, and capital allocation policies before a stock enters the concentrated 30-to-45-position portfolio.

No. Crawford is a public equity specialist. It does not operate private equity, venture capital, or real estate vehicles. The firm runs concentrated all-cap and dividend-growth equity strategies exclusively for institutional and high-net-worth separate accounts.

The firm manages an all-cap equity mandate, spanning large-cap, mid-cap, and select small-cap stocks. In 2023, Crawford formalized a dedicated small-cap equity strategy alongside its traditional large-cap dividend growth portfolio, broadening its coverage for existing institutional clients.

Crawford primarily serves institutional investors through separate accounts. This includes corporate pension funds, endowments, foundations, and Taft-Hartley plans on the institutional side, supplemented by a private wealth practice for high-net-worth individuals.

It remains a private, independent investment counsel, guided by the Crawford family. John H. Crawford IV serves as Chairman, continuing the multi-generational leadership that began with his father, John H. Crawford III, who founded the firm in 1980.

The firm believes that dividend growth is the primary driver of long-term equity returns. It constructs concentrated portfolios of companies that consistently raise dividends, focusing on durable competitive advantages and disciplined capital allocation, and explicitly avoids speculative, non-dividend-paying growth stocks.