Fund Evaluator:
Shelton Equity Income Investor (EQTIX)
Follow This Fund
Best Performing in Derivative Income Over the Last Year
| 22.1% | Horizon Equity Premium Income Investor (HNDDX) |
| 21.1% | Goldman Sachs US Eq Div and Premium Inv (GVIRX) |
| 19.7% | Lincoln U.S. Equity Income Maximizer A (LFTOX) |
| 17.6% | Cantor Fitzgerald Equity Div Plus Inst (FBPEX) |
| 17.4% | Invesco Income Advantage U.S. Fund Y (SCAYX) |
Fund Details
Shelton Equity Income Investor Overview
Shelton Equity Income Investor (EQTIX) is an actively managed Nontraditional Equity Derivative Income fund. Shelton Capital Management launched the fund in 1996.
The investment seeks to achieve a high level of income and capital appreciation (when consistent with high income) by investing primarily in income-producing U.S. equity securities. The fund invests primarily in U.S. equity securities that generate a relatively high level of dividend income (relative to other equities in the same industry) and have the potential for capital appreciation. These securities will generally be stocks of medium and large U.S. corporations. It will invest at least 80% of its total assets (which includes the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in common stocks.
About Shelton Equity Income Investor (EQTIX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 12.50 years: Barry Martin (2018), Nick Griebenow (2019), Stephen Rogers (2003). 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 CBOE S&P 500 BuyWrite BXM TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Shelton Equity Income Investor has 265 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 30.0% 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.
Shelton Equity Income Investor is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Nontraditional Equity fund group. Shelton Equity Income Investor has 1.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 91.0%. There is 1.0% 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). Shelton Equity Income Investor has 8.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is above the $233 million average for the Derivative Income 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.
EQTIX 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 Shelton Equity Income Investor expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Derivative Income category. Shelton Equity Income Investor has an expense ratio of 0.64%, which is 43% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. 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. Shelton Equity Income Investor has a portfolio turnover rate of 40%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 115% for the Derivative Income category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, Shelton Equity Income Investor returned 0.3%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Derivative Income category had an average return of 0.1%. 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.
Shelton Equity Income Investor has a trailing yield of 8.38%, which is above the 4.51% category average. The fund normally distributes its income quarterly 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.
Shelton Equity Income Investor Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 9.2%, 2.9 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 15.7% over the past year (grade of C), 15.0% over the past three years (grade of B) and 9.7% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 10.6% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
For more mutual fund grades, analysis and screening tools to help your investment discovery, join AAII for a $2, full-access trial. Learn more here: https://invest.aaii.com/membership.
Otherwise, for more information about Shelton Equity Income Investor, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
EQTIX 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 |
|
| EQTIX Return (NAV) | 0.3% | 13.1% | 15.7% | 15.0% | 9.7% | 10.6% |
| EQTIX Grade | C | A | C | B | B | A |
| +/- Category | 0.2% | 5.6% | 1.3% | 2.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| Derivative Income Avg | 0.1% | 7.5% | 14.4% | 12.1% | 7.8% | 8.7% |
| EQTIX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 3.5% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
EQTIX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| EQTIX Return (NAV) | 9.2% | 10.4% | 17.2% | 18.3% | -10.3% | 23.9% | 7.0% | 25.4% | -10.0% | 12.7% | 11.2% |
| EQTIX Grade | B | D | B | A | C | A | C | A | F | C | B |
| +/- Category | 2.9% | -1.9% | 4.2% | 5.9% | -2.1% | 3.6% | 2.0% | 6.3% | -3.3% | -1.7% | 1.5% |
| Derivative Income Avg | 6.2% | 12.3% | 12.9% | 12.5% | -8.1% | 20.3% | 5.0% | 19.1% | -6.7% | 14.4% | 9.7% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 9.9% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.81 - Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.00 - Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | C (50% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.74 |
| R-Squared: | 95% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Value |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 8.4% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Quarterly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $1099 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $1,099 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | No Load |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 40% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 22.5 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 12.5 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Rogers Stephen (2003), Martin Barry (2018), Griebenow Nick (2019) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 3/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 265 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 30.0% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 1.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 91.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 1.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 8.0% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Shelton Capital Management |
| Phone Number: | 800-955-9988 |
| Website: | www.sheltoncap.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | September 4, 1996 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| 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 (%): | 0.64% ( Rating : Above Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.12% |
| Share Class: | Shelton Equity Income Investor |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
