Fund Evaluator:
MetLife Small Company Equity Investor (MSVVX)
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Best Performing in Small Blend Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
MetLife Small Company Equity Investor Overview
MetLife Small Company Equity Investor (MSVVX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Small Blend fund. MetLife Investment Management launched the fund in 2018.
The investment seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation with less volatility than the U.S. small company market. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of small companies. It invests mainly in common stocks, but it may also invest in ETFs. The fund may invest in cash or money market instruments for the purpose of meeting redemption requests or making other anticipated cash payments.
About MetLife Small Company Equity Investor (MSVVX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.68 years: Leo Harmon (2018), John Nelson (2023), Andrew Hadland (2023). 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 TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. MetLife Small Company Equity Investor has 77 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 17.5% 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.
MetLife Small Company Equity Investor is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. MetLife Small Company Equity Investor has 0.1% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 95.1%. There is 0.1% 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). MetLife Small Company Equity Investor has 4.8% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $712 million in total assets, which is below the $694 million average for the Small Blend 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.
MSVVX 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 MetLife Small Company Equity Investor expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Small Blend category. MetLife Small Company Equity Investor has an expense ratio of 1.24%, which is 19% 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. MetLife Small Company Equity Investor has a portfolio turnover rate of 90%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 65% for the Small Blend category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, MetLife Small Company Equity Investor returned 6.1%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Small Blend category had an average return of 5.9%. 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.
MetLife Small Company Equity Investor has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 0.41% category average. The fund normally distributes its income 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.
MetLife Small Company Equity Investor Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 11.6%, 10.1 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 22.1% over the past year (grade of F), 12.9% over the past three years (grade of F) and 8.5% per year over the past five years (grade of B).
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MSVVX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| MSVVX Return (NAV) | 6.1% | 16.7% | 22.1% | 12.9% | 8.5% | na |
| MSVVX Grade | C | D | F | F | B | na |
| +/- Category | 0.2% | -3.1% | -11.8% | -3.5% | 0.6% | na |
| Small Blend Avg | 5.9% | 19.8% | 33.9% | 16.4% | 7.9% | 11.2% |
| MSVVX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 16.8% | 7.0% | 5.7% | na |
MSVVX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| MSVVX Return (NAV) | 11.6% | 8.7% | 14.2% | 12.0% | -5.1% | 26.2% | 7.1% | 22.9% | na | na | na |
| MSVVX Grade | F | C | B | F | A | B | F | D | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -10.1% | 0.7% | 2.7% | -4.5% | 11.4% | 3.0% | -7.3% | -2.6% | na | na | na |
| Small Blend Avg | 21.7% | 7.9% | 11.6% | 16.5% | -16.5% | 23.2% | 14.4% | 25.5% | -11.8% | 14.1% | 20.2% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 17.3% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.42 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.94 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (22% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.00 |
| R-Squared: | 58% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Small-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | |
| Total Assets: | $7 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 1 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inv |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 90% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 7.5 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 4.7 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Harmon Leo (2018), Nelson John (2023), Hadland Andrew (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 3/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 77 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 17.5% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.1% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 95.1% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.1% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 4.8% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | MetLife Investment Management |
| Phone Number: | 800-252-4993 |
| Website: |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | December 19, 2018 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $5,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 1.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.24% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.05% |
| Share Class: | MetLife Small Company Equity Inst |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
