ARFFX Performance — Ariel Focus Fund, Investor Class
Data updated: 2026-08-20
ARFFX returned +9.60% year to date and +31.70% over one year to Jun 2026. Annualised returns are +16.31% over 3 years and +7.89% over 5 years. The fund beat its US Mid-Cap Value category average: $100 invested three years ago grew to $157, against $148 for the category, and to $132 over one year, against $120. Volatility over the past three years was 18.03% a year. In the 12 months to Jun 2026 the fund took in a net $12.2M, and assets reached $88.31M.
ARFFX Growth of $100
What $100 invested in Ariel Focus Fund grew to, compounded from monthly returns reported on SEC Form N-PORT, against the US Mid-Cap Value category average over the same months.
| Period | ARFFX | Category average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year (Jul 2025 – Jun 2026) | $132 | $120 |
| 3 years (Jul 2023 – Jun 2026) | $157 | $148 |
| 5 years (Jul 2021 – Jun 2026) | $146 | $154 |
| Since data start (Jul 2019 – Jun 2026) | $203 | $212 |
ARFFX Trailing Returns
Total returns to Jun 2026, from SEC N-PORT.
| Period | Total return |
|---|---|
| YTD | +9.60% |
| 1 year | +31.70% |
| 3 years (annualised) | +16.31% |
| 5 years (annualised) | +7.89% |
ARFFX Annual Returns
Calendar-year total returns of Ariel Focus Fund, compounded from monthly SEC N-PORT returns. Partial years show the months covered.
| Year | Total return |
|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Jun) | +9.60% |
| 2025 | +20.98% |
| 2024 | +13.49% |
| 2023 | +6.99% |
| 2022 | −9.23% |
| 2021 | +21.16% |
| 2020 | +6.87% |
| 2019 (Jul–Dec) | +7.26% |
ARFFX Monthly Returns
Monthly total returns as reported on SEC Form N-PORT.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | +7.6% | +4.9% | −4.9% | +2.5% | −0.9% | +0.5% | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025 | +3.0% | −3.2% | −3.5% | −5.3% | +4.8% | +5.5% | +7.5% | +7.9% | +4.1% | −5.0% | +2.2% | +2.5% |
| 2024 | −2.7% | +3.5% | +6.7% | −5.3% | +3.5% | −1.4% | +10.9% | −1.0% | +0.8% | +0.1% | +7.2% | −7.9% |
| 2023 | +7.4% | −1.6% | −5.1% | +0.4% | −5.7% | +7.7% | +5.1% | −4.7% | −6.1% | −6.2% | +8.1% | +9.5% |
| 2022 | −0.8% | +0.2% | +4.6% | −6.0% | +3.3% | −13.2% | +8.4% | −4.4% | −10.7% | +13.0% | +2.7% | −3.5% |
| 2021 | +2.1% | +8.5% | +5.1% | +4.9% | +3.1% | −3.9% | −1.0% | +0.6% | −4.3% | +4.8% | −5.1% | +5.5% |
| 2020 | −2.5% | −10.6% | −23.0% | +16.4% | +3.5% | +2.5% | +4.7% | +5.3% | −3.9% | −1.6% | +14.5% | +7.8% |
| 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | +0.8% | −5.1% | +3.7% | +2.2% | +3.7% | +2.1% |
ARFFX Risk
Risk measures from monthly returns over Jul 2023 – Jun 2026.
- 3-year volatility (annualised): 18.03%
- 3-year Sharpe ratio: 0.65 (vs 4.5% risk-free rate)
- Best month: +10.87% (Jul 2024)
- Worst month: −7.93% (Dec 2024)
ARFFX Fund Flows
Monthly money in and out of Ariel Focus Fund, from SEC Form N-PORT.
- 12-month net flow: $12.2M
- 12-month gross sales (incl. reinvestments): $22.0M
- Sales ÷ redemptions: 2.25×
| Month | Sales | Redemptions | Net flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | $3.6M | $568K | $3.0M |
| May 2026 | $471K | $1.7M | −$1.3M |
| Apr 2026 | $4.1M | $530K | $3.6M |
| Mar 2026 | $660K | $376K | $284K |
| Feb 2026 | $343K | $1.0M | −$677K |
| Jan 2026 | $1.0M | $293K | $756K |
| Dec 2025 | $9.3M | $2.4M | $6.9M |
| Nov 2025 | $745K | $929K | −$183K |
| Oct 2025 | $288K | $260K | $28K |
| Sep 2025 | $1.2M | $744K | $426K |
| Aug 2025 | $274K | $505K | −$231K |
| Jul 2025 | $40K | $393K | −$353K |
ARFFX Assets Under Management
Net assets of Ariel Focus Fund by report date, from SEC N-PORT filings.
| Report date | Net assets |
|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | $88.31M |
| 2026-03-31 | $81.27M |
| 2025-12-31 | $75.36M |
| 2025-09-30 | $77.64M |
| 2025-06-30 | $64.45M |
| 2025-03-31 | $61.85M |
| 2024-12-31 | $67.38M |
| 2024-09-30 | $67.62M |
| 2024-06-28 | $65.21M |
| 2024-03-28 | $72.49M |
| 2023-12-29 | $68.03M |
| 2023-09-29 | $61.46M |
For information only. Not investment advice: figures are as reported in SEC filings and may contain errors or be out of date. Past performance does not guarantee future results.