Fund Evaluator:
Auer Growth (AUERX)
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Best Performing in Small Value Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Auer Growth Overview
Auer Growth (AUERX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Small Value fund. Auer launched the fund in 2007.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. The fund invests primarily in a diversified portfolio of common stocks traded on major U.S. exchanges, markets and bulletin boards that the fund's adviser believes present the most favorable potential for capital appreciation. In selecting stocks for the fund's portfolio, the Adviser reviews public companies' financial statements to determine those companies that report substantial sales and earnings growth over the prior twelve months, plus a relatively low price to earnings ratio.
About Auer Growth (AUERX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 15.12 years: Robert Auer (2007), Paul Auer (2013), Eric McKenzie (2013). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100%. Auer Growth has 96 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 28.4% 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.
Auer Growth is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Auer Growth has 24.5% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 68.5%. There is 24.5% 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). Auer Growth has 7.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $76 million in total assets, which is below the $418 million average for the Small Value 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.
AUERX 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 Auer Growth expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Small Value category. Auer Growth has an expense ratio of 2.05%, which is 76% 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. Auer Growth has a portfolio turnover rate of 109%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 127% for the Small Value category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, Auer Growth returned -3.3%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Small Value category had an average return of 5.7%. 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.
Auer Growth has a trailing yield of 0.06%, which is below the 0.77% 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.
Auer Growth Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 12.7%, 7.9 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 40.1% over the past year (grade of B), 24.1% over the past three years (grade of A) and 19.7% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 16.0% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
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AUERX 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 |
|
| AUERX Return (NAV) | -3.3% | 9.5% | 40.1% | 24.1% | 19.7% | 16.0% |
| AUERX Grade | F | F | B | A | A | A |
| +/- Category | -9.0% | -7.1% | 7.0% | 8.4% | 11.0% | 5.5% |
| Small Value Avg | 5.7% | 16.5% | 33.0% | 15.7% | 8.7% | 10.5% |
| AUERX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 3.3% | 3.9% | 2.8% | 1.4% |
AUERX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| AUERX Return (NAV) | 12.7% | 30.2% | 11.3% | 21.3% | 10.0% | 45.1% | -1.8% | 28.0% | -25.6% | 28.8% | 6.6% |
| AUERX Grade | F | A | B | A | A | A | F | A | F | A | F |
| +/- Category | -7.9% | 23.5% | 1.6% | 5.5% | 20.3% | 14.8% | -6.0% | 5.0% | -10.9% | 18.5% | -18.1% |
| Small Value Avg | 20.7% | 6.6% | 9.7% | 15.8% | -10.3% | 30.3% | 4.1% | 22.9% | -14.7% | 10.2% | 24.7% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 16.4% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.35 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.90 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (7% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.80 |
| R-Squared: | 41% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Small-Cap Value |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.1% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $76 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 76 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | No Load |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 109% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 18.5 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 15.1 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Auer Robert (2007), Auer Paul (2013), McKenzie Eric (2013) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 4/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 96 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 28.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 24.5% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 68.5% |
| Foreign Stock: | 24.5% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 7.0% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Auer |
| Phone Number: | 888-711-2837 |
| Website: | www.auergrowthfund.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | December 28, 2007 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $2,000 |
| 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: | 0.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 2.05% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.17% |
| Share Class: | Auer Growth |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
