Fund Evaluator:
Applied Finance Dividend Investor (AFALX)
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Best Performing in Large Value Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Applied Finance Dividend Investor Overview
Applied Finance Dividend Investor (AFALX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Large Value fund. Applied Finance launched the fund in 2006.
The investment seeks dividend income and long-term capital appreciation. The fund will under normal conditions invest at least 80% of its net assets (including the amount of borrowing for investment purposes) in dividend-paying common and preferred stock of companies. It may also invest in small and mid-cap companies, convertible securities, preferred stocks, rights and warrants, and other investment companies including exchange-traded funds, ("ETFs").
About Applied Finance Dividend Investor (AFALX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 20.18 years: Paul Blinn (2006), Rafael Resendes (2006). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Morningstar US Market TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Morningstar US LM Value Mkt TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Applied Finance Dividend Investor has 39 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 29.7% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Applied Finance Dividend Investor is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Applied Finance Dividend Investor has 5.2% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 94.6%. There is 5.2% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Applied Finance Dividend Investor has 0.2% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $9 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Large Value category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
AFALX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Applied Finance Dividend Investor expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Large Value category. Applied Finance Dividend Investor has an expense ratio of 1.20%, which is 30% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a D. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Applied Finance Dividend Investor has a portfolio turnover rate of 13%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 62% for the Large Value category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Applied Finance Dividend Investor returned 7.4%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Large Value category had an average return of 2.9%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
Applied Finance Dividend Investor has a trailing yield of 1.77%, which is above the 1.20% category average. The fund normally distributes its income annually and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Applied Finance Dividend Investor Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 14.9%, 0.6 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 21.1% over the past year (grade of D), 14.0% over the past three years (grade of D) and 9.2% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 12.1% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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AFALX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| AFALX Return (NAV) | 7.4% | 8.9% | 21.1% | 14.0% | 9.2% | 12.1% |
| AFALX Grade | A | A | D | D | F | B |
| +/- Category | 4.5% | 2.6% | -2.7% | -1.6% | -1.7% | 0.8% |
| Large Value Avg | 2.9% | 6.2% | 23.8% | 15.7% | 10.9% | 11.3% |
| AFALX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.8% | 1.1% | 3.1% | 2.8% |
AFALX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| AFALX Return (NAV) | 14.9% | 10.3% | 12.1% | 9.9% | -6.4% | 25.6% | 6.8% | 28.2% | -10.6% | 25.3% | 12.5% |
| AFALX Grade | C | F | D | D | C | C | B | B | D | A | D |
| +/- Category | 0.6% | -4.8% | -2.0% | -2.0% | -0.4% | -0.2% | 2.9% | 2.5% | -2.1% | 8.9% | -2.1% |
| Large Value Avg | 14.3% | 15.2% | 14.1% | 11.8% | -6.0% | 25.8% | 3.8% | 25.6% | -8.5% | 16.4% | 14.6% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 12.0% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.98 - Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.00 - Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | C (51% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.61 |
| R-Squared: | 44% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Value |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 1.8% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $34 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 10 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inv |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 14% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 20.2 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 20.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Blinn Paul (2006), Resendes Rafael (2006) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 4/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 39 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 29.7% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 5.2% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 94.6% |
| Foreign Stock: | 5.2% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.2% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Applied Finance |
| Phone Number: | 800-673-0550 |
| Website: | www.theworldfundstrust.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | June 2, 2006 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.20% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.93% |
| Share Class: | Applied Finance Dividend Investor |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
