Fund Evaluator:
Natixis Vaughan Nelson Mid Cap C (VNVCX)
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Best Performing in Mid-Cap Blend Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Natixis Vaughan Nelson Mid Cap C Overview
Natixis Vaughan Nelson Mid Cap C (VNVCX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Mid-Cap Blend fund. Natixis Funds launched the fund in 2008.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings made for investment purposes) in mid-capitalization companies. For these purposes, mid-capitalization companies are those that, at the time of purchase, have market capitalizations within the capitalization range of the Russell Midcap® Value Index, an unmanaged index that measures the performance of companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values within the broader Russell Midcap® Index.
About Natixis Vaughan Nelson Mid Cap C (VNVCX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 12.43 years: Dennis Alff (2008), Sundeep Khanna (2024), Christopher Wallis (2008). 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 Mid Cap Value TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Natixis Vaughan Nelson Mid Cap C has 62 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 32.0% 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.
Natixis Vaughan Nelson Mid Cap C is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Natixis Vaughan Nelson Mid Cap C has 3.5% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 94.6%. There is 3.5% 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). Natixis Vaughan Nelson Mid Cap C has 1.9% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $2 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Mid-Cap 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.
VNVCX 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 Natixis Vaughan Nelson Mid Cap C expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Mid-Cap Blend category. Natixis Vaughan Nelson Mid Cap C has an expense ratio of 1.85%, which is 89% 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. Natixis Vaughan Nelson Mid Cap C has a portfolio turnover rate of 163%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 51% for the Mid-Cap Blend category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Natixis Vaughan Nelson Mid Cap C returned -8.3%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Mid-Cap Blend category had an average return of -1.8%. 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.
Natixis Vaughan Nelson Mid Cap C has a trailing yield of 0.09%, which is below the 0.48% 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.
Natixis Vaughan Nelson Mid Cap C Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 13.7%, 0.6 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 19.3% over the past year (grade of C), 17.5% over the past three years (grade of A) and 9.5% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 9.6% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
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VNVCX 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 |
|
| VNVCX Return (NAV) | -8.3% | -1.1% | 19.3% | 17.5% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| VNVCX Grade | F | F | C | A | A | D |
| +/- Category | -6.4% | -5.0% | 1.5% | 4.8% | 1.8% | -0.8% |
| Mid-Cap Blend Avg | -1.8% | 3.9% | 17.8% | 12.7% | 7.6% | 10.3% |
| VNVCX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 11.1% | 5.3% | 4.1% | 2.7% |
VNVCX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| VNVCX Return (NAV) | 13.7% | 11.3% | 17.5% | 15.4% | -11.5% | 20.4% | 9.6% | 29.3% | -16.7% | 12.1% | 5.0% |
| VNVCX Grade | C | B | A | C | A | F | D | C | F | F | F |
| +/- Category | 0.6% | 3.4% | 3.9% | -1.0% | 3.6% | -3.8% | -3.7% | 0.8% | -6.4% | -4.0% | -9.5% |
| Mid-Cap Blend Avg | 13.0% | 7.9% | 13.5% | 16.4% | -15.1% | 24.3% | 13.3% | 28.5% | -10.3% | 16.1% | 14.6% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 18.4% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.50 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.16 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (94% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.12 |
| R-Squared: | 63% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.1% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $224 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 3 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | C |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 163% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 17.8 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 12.4 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Alff Dennis (2008), Wallis Christopher (2008), Khanna Sundeep (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 5/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 62 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 32.0% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 3.5% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 94.6% |
| Foreign Stock: | 3.5% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 1.9% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Natixis Funds |
| Phone Number: | 800-225-5478 |
| Website: | NGAM.natixis.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | October 31, 2008 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $2,500 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $1,000 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 1.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 1.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.85% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.98% |
| Share Class: | Natixis Vaughan Nelson Mid Cap Y |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 50 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 50 |
