Fund Evaluator:
First Eagle Gold C (FEGOX)
Follow This Fund
Best Performing in Equity Precious Metals Over the Last Year
| 69.9% | Midas Discovery (MIDSX) |
| 69.6% | Gabelli Gold I (GLDIX) |
| 68.3% | US Global Investors World Prec Mnral (UNWPX) |
| 67.6% | US Global Investors Gld & Prec Mtls (USERX) |
| 64.0% | Sprott Gold Equity Investor (SGDLX) |
Fund Details
First Eagle Gold C Overview
First Eagle Gold C (FEGOX) is an actively managed Sector Equity Equity Precious Metals fund. First Eagle launched the fund in 2003.
The investment seeks to provide investors the opportunity to participate in the investment characteristics of gold for a portion of their overall investment portfolio. To achieve its objective of providing investors the opportunity to participate in the investment characteristics of gold, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in gold and/or securities directly related to gold or issuers principally engaged in the gold industry, including securities of gold mining finance companies as well as operating companies with long-, medium- or short-life mines. The fund is non-diversified.
About First Eagle Gold C (FEGOX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 8.01 years: Thomas Kertsos (2016), Max Belmont (2021). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI World NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and FTSE Gold Mines TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. First Eagle Gold C has 36 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 73.5% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
First Eagle Gold C is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity fund group. First Eagle Gold C has 53.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 16.4%. There is 53.9% 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). First Eagle Gold C has 5.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $222 million in total assets, which is below the $547 million average for the Equity Precious Metals 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.
FEGOX 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 First Eagle Gold C expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Equity Precious Metals category. First Eagle Gold C has an expense ratio of 1.89%, which is 48% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. 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. First Eagle Gold C has a portfolio turnover rate of 15%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 58% for the Equity Precious Metals category.
Recently, in the month of August 2026, First Eagle Gold C returned 24.9%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Equity Precious Metals category had an average return of 31.4%. 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.
First Eagle Gold C has a trailing yield of 0.62%, which is below the 4.40% 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.
First Eagle Gold C Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 12.3%, 4.4 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 51.7% over the past year (grade of F), 42.8% over the past three years (grade of F) and 23.4% per year over the past five years (grade of D) and 13.4% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
For more mutual fund grades, analysis and screening tools to help your investment discovery, join AAII for a $2, full-access trial. Learn more here: https://invest.aaii.com/membership.
Otherwise, for more information about First Eagle Gold C, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
FEGOX 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 |
|
| FEGOX Return (NAV) | 24.9% | 6.7% | 51.7% | 42.8% | 23.4% | 13.4% |
| FEGOX Grade | F | F | F | F | D | F |
| +/- Category | -6.5% | -2.9% | -10.4% | -9.5% | -1.6% | -1.3% |
| Equity Precious Metals Avg | 31.4% | 9.7% | 62.2% | 52.2% | 25.0% | 14.7% |
| FEGOX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.2% | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.3% |
FEGOX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 8/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| FEGOX Return (NAV) | 12.3% | 126.7% | 9.5% | 6.3% | -2.3% | -8.4% | 28.6% | 37.5% | -16.6% | 7.4% | 35.7% |
| FEGOX Grade | F | F | F | C | A | B | C | D | F | D | F |
| +/- Category | -4.4% | -27.0% | -4.6% | 1.7% | 11.2% | 1.0% | -3.3% | -4.6% | -2.2% | -1.8% | -15.7% |
| Equity Precious Metals Avg | 16.7% | 153.6% | 14.1% | 4.6% | -13.5% | -9.4% | 32.0% | 42.1% | -14.4% | 9.1% | 51.4% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 33.0% |
| Total Risk Index: | 2.72 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.86 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (2% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.65 |
| R-Squared: | 6% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.6% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $5723 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 222 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | C |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 15% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 10.5 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 8.0 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Kertsos Thomas (2016), Belmont Max (2021) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 36 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 73.5% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 53.9% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 16.4% |
| Foreign Stock: | 53.9% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 24.6% |
| Cash: | 5.1% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | First Eagle |
| Phone Number: | 800-334-2143 |
| Website: | www.firsteaglefunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | May 15, 2003 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $2,500 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $1,000 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 1.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 1.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.89% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.28% |
| Share Class: | First Eagle Gold A |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
