Fund Evaluator:
Forester Value N (FVALX)
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Fund Details
Forester Value N Overview
Forester Value N (FVALX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Large Value fund. Forester launched the fund in 1999.
The investment seeks maximum long-term capital growth. The fund invests in the stocks of large U.S. companies that are undervalued and have great appreciation potential. It invests at least 65% of its net assets (at market value at the time of purchase) in the common stocks of large companies that have market capitalizations greater than $5.0 billion. The fund may emphasize sectors more or less than the S&P 500. It may also invest in stock index options. The fund may also take defensive positions when the manager believes that the overall stock market is highly valued or that market conditions warrant it.
About Forester Value N (FVALX)
There are 1 members of the management team with an average tenure of 26.91 years: Thomas Forester (1999). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100%. Forester Value N has 41 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 45.6% 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.
Forester Value N is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Forester Value N has 7.4% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 57.7%. There is 7.4% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 25.3% (25.3% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Forester Value N has 9.6% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $2 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.
FVALX 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 Forester Value N expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Large Value category. Forester Value N has an expense ratio of 1.27%, which is 37% 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. Forester Value N has a portfolio turnover rate of 32%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 62% for the Large Value category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Forester Value N returned 1.6%, which earned it a grade of D, 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.
Forester Value N has a trailing yield of 2.04%, 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.
Forester Value N Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 4.5%, 9.7 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 10.1% over the past year (grade of F), 8.9% over the past three years (grade of F) and 4.6% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 1.9% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
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FVALX 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 |
|
| FVALX Return (NAV) | 1.6% | 0.8% | 10.1% | 8.9% | 4.6% | 1.9% |
| FVALX Grade | D | F | F | F | F | F |
| +/- Category | -1.3% | -5.4% | -13.7% | -6.8% | -6.3% | -9.4% |
| Large Value Avg | 2.9% | 6.2% | 23.8% | 15.7% | 10.9% | 11.3% |
| FVALX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.9% | 1.1% | 0.9% | 2.1% |
FVALX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| FVALX Return (NAV) | 4.5% | 22.2% | 2.9% | -14.1% | 12.3% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 1.7% | 0.3% | -1.9% | -4.1% |
| FVALX Grade | F | A | F | F | A | F | D | F | A | F | F |
| +/- Category | -9.7% | 7.1% | -11.2% | -26.0% | 18.3% | -25.7% | -3.4% | -23.9% | 8.7% | -18.3% | -18.6% |
| 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: | 9.3% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.76 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.77 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (0% Rank) |
| Beta: | -0.08 |
| R-Squared: | 1% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Value |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 2.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $3 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 2 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | N |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 32% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 1 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 26.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 26.9 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Forester Thomas (1999) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 41 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 45.6% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 7.4% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 57.7% |
| Foreign Stock: | 7.4% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 25.3% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 9.6% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Forester |
| Phone Number: | 800-388-0365 |
| Website: | www.forestervalue.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | September 10, 1999 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $1,000 |
| 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 (%): | 1.27% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.93% |
| Share Class: | Forester Value N |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 100 |
