Fund Evaluator:
Philotimo Focused Growth and Income (PHLOX)
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Best Performing in Moderately Aggressive Allocation Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Philotimo Focused Growth and Income Overview
Philotimo Focused Growth and Income (PHLOX) is an actively managed Allocation Moderately Aggressive Allocation fund. World Funds Trust launched the fund in 2021.
The investment seeks current income and long-term growth. The fund, under normal circumstances, invests in a unique blend of fixed-income securities, common stocks and other equity securities, including exchange-traded funds. The fund's portfolio is expected to generally be comprised of approximately 75% equity securities and 25% fixed income securities, with approximately 50% of the portfolio invested in a combination of income producing fixed income or equity securities. The fund is non-diversified.
About Philotimo Focused Growth and Income (PHLOX)
There are 1 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.95 years: David Kanen (2021). 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%. Philotimo Focused Growth and Income has 41 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 60.4% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Philotimo Focused Growth and Income is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation fund group. Philotimo Focused Growth and Income has 13.5% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 75.6%. There is 12.2% allocated to foreign stock, and 2.6% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 7.3% (5.9% domestic bond, 1.4% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Philotimo Focused Growth and Income has 0.7% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $131 million in total assets, which is below the $570 million average for the Moderately Aggressive Allocation 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.
PHLOX 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 Philotimo Focused Growth and Income expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Moderately Aggressive Allocation category. Philotimo Focused Growth and Income has an expense ratio of 1.45%, which is 41% 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. Philotimo Focused Growth and Income has a portfolio turnover rate of 107%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 34% for the Moderately Aggressive Allocation category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Philotimo Focused Growth and Income returned -4.2%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Moderately Aggressive Allocation category had an average return of -0.4%. 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.
Philotimo Focused Growth and Income has a trailing yield of 0.81%, which is below the 1.47% 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.
Philotimo Focused Growth and Income Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 9.2%, 0.6 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 37.7% over the past year (grade of A) and 15.8% over the past three years (grade of B).
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PHLOX 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 |
|
| PHLOX Return (NAV) | -4.2% | 10.9% | 37.7% | 15.8% | na | na |
| PHLOX Grade | F | A | A | B | na | na |
| +/- Category | -3.9% | 7.5% | 19.4% | 0.7% | na | na |
| Moderately Aggressive Allocation Avg | -0.4% | 3.4% | 18.4% | 15.1% | 8.7% | 10.2% |
| PHLOX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.1% | 1.0% | na | na |
PHLOX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| PHLOX Return (NAV) | 9.2% | 15.5% | 24.6% | 4.1% | -12.1% | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| PHLOX Grade | C | D | A | F | A | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -0.6% | -0.5% | 8.9% | -12.5% | 3.6% | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Moderately Aggressive Allocation Avg | 9.8% | 16.0% | 15.7% | 16.5% | -15.7% | 18.1% | 13.0% | 22.6% | -7.0% | 17.2% | 9.3% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 17.9% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.46 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.60 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (104% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.73 |
| R-Squared: | 15% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Small-Cap Value |
| Bond Investment Style: | Low Quality Moderate Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 0.8% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | |
| Total Assets: | $131 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 132 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Other |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 107% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 1 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 5.0 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 5.0 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Kanen David (2021) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 41 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 60.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 13.5% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 75.6% |
| Foreign Stock: | 12.2% |
| Preferred Stock: | 2.6% |
| Domestic Bond: | 5.9% |
| Foreign Bond: | 1.4% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 1.7% |
| Cash: | 0.7% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | World Funds Trust |
| Phone Number: | 800-673-0550 |
| Website: | www.theworldfundstrust.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | August 20, 2021 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $2,500 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $2,500 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.45% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.03% |
| Share Class: | Philotimo Focused Growth and Income |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $1,000 |
