Growth Fund: Definition, Types, and Performance

By
James Chen
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James Chen, CMT is an expert trader, investment adviser, and global market strategist.

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Updated April 27, 2022
Reviewed by Charles Potters
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Vikki Velasquez
Vikkie Velasquez
Fact checked by Vikki Velasquez
Full Bio
Vikki Velasquez is a researcher and writer who has managed, coordinated, and directed various community and nonprofit organizations. She has conducted in-depth research on social and economic issues and has also revised and edited educational materials for the Greater Richmond area.
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What Is a Growth Fund?

A growth fund is a diversified portfolio of stocks that has capital appreciation as its primary goal, with little or no dividend payouts. The portfolio mainly consists of companies with above-average growth that reinvest their earnings into expansion, acquisitions, or research and development (R&D). Most growth funds offer higher potential capital appreciation but usually at above-average risk.

Key Takeaways

  • A growth fund is a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) that includes companies primed for revenue or earnings growth at a pace that is faster than that of either industry peers or the market overall.
  • Growth funds are separated by market capitalization into small-, mid-, and large-cap.
  • Most growth funds are high-risk, high-reward, and are therefore best suited to market participants with a long-term investment horizon and a healthy risk tolerance.

How a Growth Fund Works

The high-risk, high-reward mantra of growth funds can make them ideal for those not retiring anytime soon. Typically, investors need a tolerance for risk and a holding period with a time horizon of five to ten years. Growth fund holdings often have high price-to-earnings (P/E) and price-to-sales (P/S) multiples. This trade-off from investors is the above-average revenue and earnings gains these companies produce.

Types of Growth Funds

Growth funds, along with value funds and blend funds, are one of the main types of mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs) They are more volatile than funds in the value and blend categories. Growth funds are typically split by market capitalization, with funds representing small-cap, mid-cap, and large-cap groupings.

Large-cap growth mutual funds are one of the largest types of mutual funds in terms of market share. Large-blend funds, which offer investors value and growth, are also very popular. Foreign large-cap growth funds are much lower in terms of market share.

Foreign growth funds are becoming more common for investors who want to take advantage of global growth. These funds invest in international stocks posting strong revenue and earnings growth. For international growth funds, technology and consumer sectors are the most common. Large internet names such as Tencent (TCTZF), Baidu (BIDU), and Alibaba (BABA) can be found among the top ten holdings for many international growth funds.

Largest Growth Fund

One of the largest growth funds is the Growth Fund of America (AGTHX) from American Funds. This mutual fund has over $253 billion in assets under management (AUM) as of March 2022 and the stock price is up 10% over the last year, despite the market volatility. The fund's average annual return has been 14.28% over the last ten years, as of Feb. 28, 2022.

The Growth Fund of America has Tesla, as its largest holding, representing 7.1% of assets. Technology stocks represent the largest sector weighting at 34.9%. Consumer Discretionary stocks follow closely behind with 24.3% of assets.

Technology stocks are a major part of growth funds. With high growth and high P/E and P/S ratios, technology stocks fit the criteria perfectly for growth funds.

Performance of Growth Funds

The majority of the best performing large-company stock funds over the last decade have been growth funds. For example, the Morgan Stanley Multi Cap Growth A (CPOAX) is the best performing large-company stock fund over the last ten years, with an annualized return of 23.3%. Currently, its top three holdings include Snowflake, Inc. (SNOW), Cloudflare, Inc. (NET), and The Trade Desk (TTD).

Article Sources
Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.

  1. Capital Group. "The Growth Fund of America (AGTHX)."

  2. Morgan Stanley. "Insight Fund (CPOAX)."

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