W.P. Stewart Celebrates 35th Anniversary and Reports 2009 Returns

W.P. Stewart & Co., Ltd. (BSX:WPS)(Pink Sheets:WPSLF) today announced that the firm is celebrating its 35th anniversary and has reported its 2009 performance.

Since inception on January 1, 1975, the firm’s flagship US Equity Composite has realized an annualized net return of 16.4% versus the 11.7% annualized return of the S&P 500 over the same period (as of December 31, 2009). In 2009, the US Equity Composite realized a net return of 33.7% versus the 26.5% return of the S&P 500 over the same period. W.P. Stewart aims to provide its clients with better than average long-term returns and lower than average risk by investing in a concentrated portfolio of 15 to 20 high-quality companies with predictable and sustainable earnings growth.

Chairman and Co-Founder William P. Stewart said, “I am pleased that the firm provided its clients with the results we set out to make them 35 years ago and am particularly happy that we were able to at least hold things together for them over the past two exceptionally trying years, when they outperformed the S&P 500 by more than 600 basis points per year on average. On behalf of the firm, I would like to thank all of the clients, shareholders and employees who have helped us achieve this milestone.”

Chief Executive Officer, Mark Phelps added, “The firm’s ability to outperform the S&P 500 by nearly 500 basis points per year, on average, for 35 years stems from our belief that identifying consistent earnings growth over time drives long-term investment performance. We are fortunate to have a great team of seasoned analysts dedicated to advancing the firm’s time-tested investment philosophy and process.”

Today the firm also released its quarterly performance summary highlighting its performance over the industry standard trailing 1, 3 and 5-year return periods.

“Our performance amid the tumult of the recent past has been particularly validating for W.P. Stewart,” said Portfolio Manager and Analyst James Tierney. “The firm’s record serves as a powerful reminder of the risk-management benefits of focusing on companies with sustainable earnings growth, high quality management teams and conservative balance sheets. Looking back at the years since 1975 when the annual S&P 500 return was negative – ’77, ’81, ’90, ’00, ’01, ’02 and ’08 – W.P. Stewart has beat that index on average by over 1000 basis points per year.”

Assets Under Management (“AUM”)

As of December 31, 2009, W.P. Stewart managed approximately $1.6 billion in assets.

The Company releases composite portfolio investment returns on a monthly basis and AUM data at least on a quarterly basis. The performance returns are posted on the Company’s website at www.wpstewart.com, usually within one week of month-end and AUM quarterly updates will be posted usually within one month of quarter-end. A complete history of the performance of the Composite is available on the Company’s website. Returns as of December 31, 2009 are preliminary based on estimates and are subject to change upon final reconciliation and reporting.

W.P. Stewart & Co., Ltd.

W.P. Stewart & Co., Ltd. is an asset management company that has provided research-intensive equity management services to retail and institutional clients throughout the world since 1975. The Company is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda and has additional operations or affiliates in the United States and Europe.

The Company's shares are listed for trading on the Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX:WPS) and are currently traded in the U.S. on the Pink Sheets (Pink Sheets:WPSLF).

For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.wpstewart.com