Fund Evaluator:
Polen Growth Institutional (POLIX)
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Best Performing in Large Growth Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Polen Growth Institutional Overview
Polen Growth Institutional (POLIX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Large Growth fund. Polen Capital launched the fund in 2010.
The investment seeks to achieve long-term growth of capital. The fund typically invests in a focused portfolio of common stocks of large capitalization companies (market capitalizations greater than $5 billion at the time of purchase) that, in the Adviser's opinion, have a sustainable competitive advantage. Although it may not "concentrate" (invest 25% or more of its net assets) in any industry, the fund may focus its investments from time to time in one or more sectors of the economy or stock market. It is non-diversified.
About Polen Growth Institutional (POLIX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 9.23 years: Daniel Davidowitz (2010), Damon Ficklin (2024). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100% and Russell 1000 Growth TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Polen Growth Institutional has 28 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 62.4% 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.
Polen Growth Institutional is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Polen Growth Institutional has 6.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 93.1%. There is 6.9% 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). Polen Growth Institutional has 0.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 billion 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.
POLIX 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 Polen Growth Institutional expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Large Growth category. Polen Growth Institutional has an expense ratio of 0.97%, which is 1% higher 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. Polen Growth Institutional has a portfolio turnover rate of 49%, 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, Polen Growth Institutional returned 1.6%, which earned it a grade of A, 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.
Polen Growth Institutional 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.
Polen Growth Institutional Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned -10.4%, 14.1 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned -10.0% over the past year (grade of F), 4.5% over the past three years (grade of F) and -1.0% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 10.9% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
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POLIX 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 |
|
| POLIX Return (NAV) | 1.6% | 0.0% | -10.0% | 4.5% | -1.0% | 10.9% |
| POLIX Grade | A | D | F | F | F | F |
| +/- Category | 4.7% | -1.7% | -19.0% | -13.6% | -9.7% | -4.5% |
| Large Growth Avg | -3.1% | 1.7% | 9.1% | 18.1% | 8.7% | 15.4% |
| POLIX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 6.3% | 2.5% | 2.2% | 1.2% |
POLIX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| POLIX Return (NAV) | -10.4% | 3.8% | 16.2% | 39.2% | -38.3% | 23.5% | 33.2% | 37.2% | 7.8% | 26.5% | 0.7% |
| POLIX Grade | F | F | F | C | F | B | D | A | A | D | D |
| +/- Category | -14.1% | -11.9% | -13.4% | 0.3% | -6.2% | 3.1% | -9.1% | 4.0% | 8.5% | -3.4% | -2.1% |
| 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: | 16.5% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.34 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.93 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (34% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.10 |
| R-Squared: | 76% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $1635 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $1,545 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 49% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 15.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 9.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Davidowitz Daniel (2010), Ficklin Damon (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 28 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 62.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 6.9% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 93.1% |
| Foreign Stock: | 6.9% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.0% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Polen Capital |
| Phone Number: | 888-678-6024 |
| Website: | www.polencapital.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | September 15, 2010 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $100,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $100,000 |
| 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 (%): | 0.97% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.96% |
| Share Class: | Polen Growth Institutional |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
