Fund Evaluator:
Archer Dividend Growth (ARDGX)Best Performing in Large Value Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Archer Dividend Growth Overview
Archer Dividend Growth (ARDGX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Large Value fund. Archer launched the fund in 2016.
The investment seeks to provide income and, as a secondary focus, long-term capital appreciation. Under normal market conditions, the fund seeks to achieve its objective to provide income and, as a secondary focus, long-term capital appreciation, by investing at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of large-capitalization companies, primarily in dividend-paying equity securities, consisting of common stocks, preferred stocks and shares of beneficial interest of real estate investment trusts ("REITs"). It may invest up to 30% of its total assets in foreign securities.
About Archer Dividend Growth (ARDGX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 9.92 years: Troy Patton (2016), John Rosebrough (2016). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: Morningstar DYF PR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Archer Dividend Growth has 49 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 29.0% 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.
Archer Dividend Growth is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Archer Dividend Growth has 6.8% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 88.3%. There is 6.8% 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). Archer Dividend Growth has 4.9% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $34 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.
ARDGX 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 Archer Dividend Growth expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Large Value category. Archer Dividend Growth has an expense ratio of 0.99%, which is 7% 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. Archer Dividend Growth 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, Archer Dividend Growth returned 5.5%, 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.
Archer Dividend Growth has a trailing yield of 2.34%, which is above the 1.20% category average. The fund normally distributes its income monthly.
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.
Archer Dividend Growth Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 19.0%, 4.8 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 27.5% over the past year (grade of B), 16.0% over the past three years (grade of C) and 10.9% per year over the past five years (grade of C).
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ARDGX 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 |
|
| ARDGX Return (NAV) | 5.5% | 7.1% | 27.5% | 16.0% | 10.9% | na |
| ARDGX Grade | A | B | B | C | C | na |
| +/- Category | 2.6% | 0.8% | 3.7% | 0.4% | 0.1% | na |
| Large Value Avg | 2.9% | 6.2% | 23.8% | 15.7% | 10.9% | 11.3% |
| ARDGX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.1% | na |
ARDGX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| ARDGX Return (NAV) | 19.0% | 13.7% | 13.9% | 0.7% | 0.3% | 25.4% | -7.6% | 17.9% | -5.9% | 9.9% | na |
| ARDGX Grade | A | D | C | F | A | C | F | F | B | F | na |
| +/- Category | 4.8% | -1.5% | -0.2% | -11.1% | 6.3% | -0.4% | -11.4% | -7.7% | 2.6% | -6.6% | na |
| 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: | 10.7% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.87 - Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.89 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (11% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.48 |
| R-Squared: | 34% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Value |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 2.3% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | |
| Total Assets: | $34 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 34 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Other |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 14% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 9.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 9.9 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Patton Troy (2016), Rosebrough John (2016) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 5/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 49 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 29.0% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 6.8% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 88.3% |
| Foreign Stock: | 6.8% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 4.9% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Archer |
| Phone Number: | 800-238-7701 |
| Website: | www.thearcherfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | September 1, 2016 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $2,500 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 1.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | na |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.99% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.93% |
| Share Class: | Archer Dividend Growth |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |