Fund Evaluator:
Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl (KGROX)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
Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl Overview
Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl (KGROX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Small Growth fund. Kennedy Capital Management launched the fund in 2022.
The investment seeks capital appreciation. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of small capitalization companies. Equity securities include domestic common and preferred stock, American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), and securities of real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and shares of investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) designed to track small cap indices.
About Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl (KGROX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 3.69 years: Jean Barnard (2022), Alex Mosman (2024), Ryan Dunnegan (2022). 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%. Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl has 81 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 28.0% 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.
Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl has 0.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 106.4%. There is 0.9% 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). Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl has 3.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $632 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.
KGROX 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 Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Small Growth category. Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl has an expense ratio of 0.89%, which is 24% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. 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. Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl has a portfolio turnover rate of 38%, 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, Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl returned -9.7%, which earned it a grade of D, 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.
Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl has a trailing yield of 0.32%, which is above 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.
Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 23.0%, 9.4 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 30.6% over the past year (grade of B) and 16.3% over the past three years (grade of B).
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 Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
KGROX 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 |
|
| KGROX Return (NAV) | -9.7% | 9.2% | 30.6% | 16.3% | na | na |
| KGROX Grade | D | A | B | B | na | na |
| +/- Category | -3.0% | 5.6% | 7.9% | 3.9% | na | na |
| Small Growth Avg | -6.7% | 3.7% | 22.7% | 12.4% | 3.3% | 11.2% |
| KGROX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.4% | 0.7% | na | na |
KGROX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| KGROX Return (NAV) | 23.0% | 8.6% | 15.7% | 16.5% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| KGROX Grade | A | C | B | C | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 9.4% | 0.5% | 0.2% | -0.2% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| 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: | 25.5% |
| Total Risk Index: | 2.08 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.24 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (95% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.61 |
| R-Squared: | 68% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Small-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.3% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $0 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 1 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 38% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 4.3 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 3.7 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Barnard Jean (2022), Dunnegan Ryan (2022), Mosman Alex (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 3/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 81 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 28.0% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.9% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 106.4% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.9% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | -10.3% |
| Cash: | 3.1% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Kennedy Capital Management |
| Phone Number: | 877-882-8825 |
| Website: |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | April 27, 2022 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $5,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $5,000 |
| 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 (%): | 0.89% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.18% |
| Share Class: | Kennedy Capital Small Cap Growth Instl |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 100 |