Fund Evaluator:
Emerald Growth A (HSPGX)
Follow This Fund
Best Performing in Small Growth Over the Last Year
| 49.6% | Oberweis Micro-Cap (OBMCX) |
| 49.1% | Emerald Growth Investor (FFGRX) |
| 45.1% | Hood River New Opportunities Investor (HRNIX) |
| 43.9% | FullerThaler Behavioral Sm-Cp Gr Inv (FTXNX) |
| 41.7% | Oberweis Small-Cap Opportunities (OBSOX) |
Fund Details
Emerald Growth A Overview
Emerald Growth A (HSPGX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Small Growth fund. Emerald launched the fund in 1992.
The investment seeks long-term growth through capital appreciation. Under normal conditions, the fund typically invests in equity securities of U.S. and foreign companies, including common stocks, preferred stocks, and securities convertible into common or preferred stocks. It can invest in companies from a wide range of industries and of various sizes. This includes smaller companies, which are defined by the Adviser as those having a market capitalization equal to or less than that of the largest companies in the Russell 2000 Index.
About Emerald Growth A (HSPGX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 26.21 years: Joseph Garner (2006), Stacey Sears (2002), Kenneth Mertz (1992). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Russell 3000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Russell 2000 Growth TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Emerald Growth A has 131 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 24.3% 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.
Emerald Growth A is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Emerald Growth A has 0.4% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 97.7%. There is 0.4% 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). Emerald Growth A has 1.9% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $105 million in total assets, which is below the $431 million average for the Small Growth 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.
HSPGX 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 Emerald Growth A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Small Growth category. Emerald Growth A has an expense ratio of 1.02%, which is 13% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. 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. Emerald Growth A has a portfolio turnover rate of 45%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 78% for the Small Growth category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Emerald Growth A returned -10.6%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Small Growth category had an average return of -6.7%. 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.
Emerald Growth A has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 0.06% category average. The fund normally distributes its income semi-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.
Emerald Growth A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 23.5%, 9.8 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 49.2% over the past year (grade of A), 24.7% over the past three years (grade of A) and 11.5% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 14.6% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
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 Emerald Growth A, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
HSPGX 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 |
|
| HSPGX Return (NAV) | -10.6% | 4.9% | 49.2% | 24.7% | 11.5% | 14.6% |
| HSPGX Grade | F | B | A | A | A | A |
| +/- Category | -3.8% | 1.3% | 26.5% | 12.3% | 8.1% | 3.4% |
| Small Growth Avg | -6.7% | 3.7% | 22.7% | 12.4% | 3.3% | 11.2% |
| HSPGX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 3.1% | 2.5% | 2.9% | 2.0% |
HSPGX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| HSPGX Return (NAV) | 23.5% | 31.7% | 19.1% | 18.7% | -24.7% | 3.7% | 38.4% | 28.3% | -11.9% | 27.7% | 10.5% |
| HSPGX Grade | A | A | B | B | B | D | C | C | F | B | C |
| +/- Category | 9.8% | 23.7% | 3.6% | 1.9% | 3.2% | -6.8% | -3.4% | -1.6% | -7.7% | 3.6% | 0.3% |
| Small Growth Avg | 13.6% | 8.0% | 15.5% | 16.7% | -27.9% | 10.5% | 41.8% | 29.9% | -4.1% | 24.1% | 10.2% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 24.8% |
| Total Risk Index: | 2.02 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.21 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (94% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.61 |
| R-Squared: | 72% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Small-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Semi-Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $1481 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 105 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 45% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 33.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 26.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Mertz Kenneth (1992), Sears Stacey (2002), Garner Joseph (2006) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 5/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 131 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 24.3% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.4% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 97.7% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.4% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 1.9% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Emerald |
| Phone Number: | 855-828-9909 |
| Website: | www.emeraldmutualfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | October 1, 1992 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $2,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 4.75% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.35% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.02% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.18% |
| Share Class: | Emerald Growth A |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
