This investment outfit is doing something right. Epoch managed to quadruple net income over the past three years as investors poured into the firm, which now oversees more than $23 billion in assets. That figure has more than doubled since the end of 2010. So what’s Epoch's secret? The company says it has a “distinct perspective on the long-term drivers of shareholder return”. Specifically, its investment managers believe that earnings growth and dividends drive shareholder returns, so they concentrate on companies that are growing free cash flow “and allocating it intelligently.” So far so good. -- N.S.