OREANDA-NEWS. Legg Mason, Inc. (NYSE: LM) announced today that the Western Asset Core Plus Bond Fund and the Permal Alternative Core Fund have won 2016 Lipper Fund Awards. The awards, which recognize mutual funds that have demonstrated consistent, strong risk-adjusted returns against their peers, were announced yesterday by Lipper, a Thomson Reuters company.

The Western Asset Core Plus Bond Fund's IS share class (WAPSX) received the Lipper award for the 3-year period ending December 31, 2015 in the Lipper Core Plus Bond Funds category. 

The Western Asset Core Plus Bond strategy strives to maximize total return by providing balanced exposure to all major U.S. investment-grade sectors, focusing on long-term fundamental value investing that employs a top-down and bottom-up approach across a range of fixed income sectors. Western Asset has been recognized for an approach emphasizing team management and intensive proprietary research, supported by robust risk management. For over 40 years, Western Asset has implemented a team-based approach to navigating fixed income markets around the globe.

The Permal Alternative Core Fund IS share class (LPTSX) received the Lipper award for the 5-year period ending December 31, 2015 in the Lipper Alternative Multi-Strategy Fund category. The Fund provides a blend of traditional, alternative, equity and fixed income investments to seek out opportunities in all market environments. Permal is a global pioneer in multi-manager, multi-strategy alternative investing. The firm has made investments in new and established hedge fund managers across strategies, asset classes and regions since 1973.

About Legg Mason
Legg Mason is a global asset management firm with $657 billion in assets under management as of February 29, 2016. The company provides active asset management in many major investment centers throughout the world. Legg Mason is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, and its common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: LM).

About Western Asset
Western Asset is one of the world's leading fixed income managers, with $433.7 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2015.  The firm is a wholly owned, independently operated subsidiary of Legg Mason, Inc. (NYSE: LM). From offices in Pasadena, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, New York, S?o Paulo, Singapore, Tokyo and Dubai, the company provides investment services for a wide variety of global clients, across an equally wide variety of mandates.

About Permal
Permal is a leading global alternative asset manager, offering investment solutions through established funds and customized portfolios. Established in 1973, the company has four decades of experience in manager selection, asset allocation and risk management.

About the Lipper Awards
The Lipper Fund Awards are part of the Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence, a global family of awards that celebrate exceptional performance throughout the professional investment community. The Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence recognize the world's top funds, fund management firms, sell-side firms, research analysts, and investor relations teams. The Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence also include