Fund Evaluator:
Ave Maria Rising Dividend (AVEDX)
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Best Performing in Large Blend Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Ave Maria Rising Dividend Overview
Ave Maria Rising Dividend (AVEDX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Large Blend fund. Ave Maria Mutual Funds launched the fund in 2005.
The investment seeks increasing dividend income over time, long-term growth of capital, and a reasonable level of current income. The fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, including the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the common stocks of dividend-paying companies that are expected to increase their dividends over time and to provide long-term growth of capital. Under normal circumstances, all of its equity investments (which include common stocks, preferred stocks and securities convertible into common stock) and at least 80% of the fund's net assets will be invested in companies meeting its religious criteria.
About Ave Maria Rising Dividend (AVEDX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 13.43 years: Brandon Scheitler (2021), George Schwartz (2005). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100% and S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Ave Maria Rising Dividend has 35 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 39.8% 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.
Ave Maria Rising Dividend is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Ave Maria Rising Dividend has 6.4% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 90.8%. There is 6.4% 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). Ave Maria Rising Dividend has 2.7% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $880 million in total assets, which is below the $6 billion average for the Large Blend 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.
AVEDX 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 Ave Maria Rising Dividend expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Large Blend category. Ave Maria Rising Dividend has an expense ratio of 0.90%, which is 11% 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. Ave Maria Rising Dividend 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 48% for the Large Blend category.
Recently, in the month of August 2026, Ave Maria Rising Dividend returned 0.9%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Large Blend category had an average return of 2.1%. 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.
Ave Maria Rising Dividend has a trailing yield of 1.00%, which is above the 0.55% category average. The fund normally distributes its income quarterly 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.
Ave Maria Rising Dividend Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 4.9%, 6.7 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned -1.0% over the past year (grade of F), 7.9% over the past three years (grade of F) and 6.1% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 9.5% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
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AVEDX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 8/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| AVEDX Return (NAV) | 0.9% | 6.7% | -1.0% | 7.9% | 6.1% | 9.5% |
| AVEDX Grade | F | A | F | F | F | F |
| +/- Category | -1.3% | 4.4% | -18.7% | -10.9% | -4.9% | -4.4% |
| Large Blend Avg | 2.1% | 2.3% | 17.6% | 18.8% | 11.0% | 13.9% |
| AVEDX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 1.8% |
AVEDX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 8/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| AVEDX Return (NAV) | 4.9% | -0.4% | 14.4% | 13.2% | -5.3% | 25.4% | 6.5% | 27.6% | -4.8% | 16.8% | 15.3% |
| AVEDX Grade | F | F | F | F | A | D | F | D | B | F | A |
| +/- Category | -6.7% | -16.2% | -7.6% | -10.5% | 12.0% | -1.2% | -11.1% | -2.3% | 1.1% | -4.5% | 5.1% |
| Large Blend Avg | 11.6% | 15.8% | 22.1% | 23.7% | -17.3% | 26.5% | 17.5% | 29.8% | -5.9% | 21.3% | 10.2% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 13.3% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.09 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.01 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | D (64% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.57 |
| R-Squared: | 31% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 1.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Quarterly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $880 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 881 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | No Load |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 13% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 21.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 13.4 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Schwartz George (2005), Scheitler Brandon (2021) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 35 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 39.8% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 6.4% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 90.8% |
| Foreign Stock: | 6.4% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 2.7% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Ave Maria Mutual Funds |
| Phone Number: | 888-726-9331 |
| Website: | www.schwartzvaluefund.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | May 2, 2005 |
| 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: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | na |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.90% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.81% |
| Share Class: | Ave Maria Rising Dividend |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
