Fund Evaluator:
Rational Dynamic Brands Instl (HSUTX)
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Best Performing in Large Growth Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Rational Dynamic Brands Instl Overview
Rational Dynamic Brands Instl (HSUTX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Large Growth fund. Rational Funds launched the fund in 2002.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. The fund pursues its investment objective by investing primarily in the stocks of companies with the 25 to 50 most attractive and leading brands, from a fundamental and technical perspective, contained in the Alpha Brands Consumer Spending Index (the "index"). The index tracks the performance of 200 highly recognizable and relevant U.S. and foreign brands with a business to consumer and business to business focus.
About Rational Dynamic Brands Instl (HSUTX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 8.79 years: David Garff (2017), Eric Clark (2017). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Morningstar Global TME NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MSCI ACWI NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Rational Dynamic Brands Instl has 25 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 62.5% 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.
Rational Dynamic Brands Instl is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Rational Dynamic Brands Instl has 11.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 86.6%. There is 11.0% 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). Rational Dynamic Brands Instl has 2.5% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $32 million in total assets, which is below the $2 billion average for the Large 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.
HSUTX 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 Rational Dynamic Brands Instl expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Large Growth category. Rational Dynamic Brands Instl has an expense ratio of 1.16%, which is 21% 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. Rational Dynamic Brands Instl has a portfolio turnover rate of 267%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 54% for the Large Growth category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Rational Dynamic Brands Instl returned -0.8%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Large Growth category had an average return of -3.1%. 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.
Rational Dynamic Brands Instl has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 0.06% 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.
Rational Dynamic Brands Instl Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned -6.5%, 10.2 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned -7.7% over the past year (grade of F), 10.3% over the past three years (grade of F) and 1.9% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 10.8% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
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HSUTX 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 |
|
| HSUTX Return (NAV) | -0.8% | -0.8% | -7.7% | 10.3% | 1.9% | 10.8% |
| HSUTX Grade | B | F | F | F | F | F |
| +/- Category | 2.2% | -2.5% | -16.8% | -7.8% | -6.8% | -4.6% |
| Large Growth Avg | -3.1% | 1.7% | 9.1% | 18.1% | 8.7% | 15.4% |
| HSUTX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.0% | 2.3% |
HSUTX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| HSUTX Return (NAV) | -6.5% | 1.0% | 26.3% | 42.5% | -35.4% | 15.0% | 45.3% | 27.0% | 0.7% | 14.7% | 7.2% |
| HSUTX Grade | F | F | D | B | D | F | B | F | B | F | A |
| +/- Category | -10.2% | -14.7% | -3.4% | 3.6% | -3.3% | -5.4% | 3.0% | -6.2% | 1.4% | -15.2% | 4.5% |
| Large Growth Avg | 3.7% | 15.7% | 29.7% | 38.9% | -32.1% | 20.4% | 42.3% | 33.2% | -0.7% | 29.8% | 2.7% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 16.6% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.36 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.94 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (39% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.09 |
| R-Squared: | 74% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $48 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 33 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 267% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 8.8 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 8.8 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Garff David (2017), Clark Eric (2017) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 25 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 62.5% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 11.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 86.6% |
| Foreign Stock: | 11.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 2.5% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Rational Funds |
| Phone Number: | 800-253-0412 |
| Website: | www.rationalmf.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | September 30, 2002 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| 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 (%): | 1.16% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.96% |
| Share Class: | Rational Dynamic Brands A |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 500 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
