Ariel Focus Investor
ARFFX
NASDAQ- -
USD
- -
- -
Capital Structure
FRC
•
in mil. unless spec.Working Capital
FRC
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in mil. unless spec.Growth Rates
FRC
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in mil. unless spec.Quarterly Revenue
FRC
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in mil. unless spec.Quarterly Earnings Per Share
FRC
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in mil. unless spec.Quarterly Dividends Per Share
FRC
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in mil. unless spec.- Sector
- Financial Services
- Industry
- Asset Management
- Address
- Chicago IL 60601 Chicago IL United States of America 60601
- IPO Date
- Jul 5, 2005
- CIK
- 0000798365
- Website
- arielinvestments.com
- Similar Companies
- Business
- Ariel Focus Fund (Investor Class) (ARFFX) is a non-diversified mutual fund managed by Ariel Investments, LLC that seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in equity securities of U.S. companies across all market capitalizations, with a focus on small- and mid-cap value stocks; the fund employs a contrarian, bottom-up investment philosophy emphasizing patience, independent thinking, focused expertise, and bold teamwork, targeting undervalued companies with low price/earnings multiples, strong long-term earnings growth potential, and a margin of safety. It maintains a concentrated portfolio of approximately 27 holdings, with significant sector allocations to industrials (around 20-23%), financials (21-22%), consumer discretionary (13-14%), health care (11-13%), and energy (11-12%), comprising mostly U.S. stocks (over 94% of net assets) and a small portion of non-U.S. equities; the Investor Class features a 1.00% expense ratio (net of caps through January 31, 2026), $1,000 minimum initial investment, annual dividends and distributions, and as of September 30, 2025, manages approximately $77.7 million in assets. Ariel Investments, founded in 1983 by John W. Rogers, Jr. and headquartered in Chicago with additional offices in New York City and San Francisco, oversees the fund as part of its suite of five no-load mutual funds and eleven separate account strategies serving individual and institutional investors globally. In recent portfolio adjustments as of Q2 2025, the fund made significant additions to holdings such as Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH, +36.21%), OneSpaWorld Holdings Limited (OSW, +23.33%), and Sphere Entertainment Co. (SPHR, +12.74%), reflecting a contrarian bet on cyclical recovery in travel, leisure, and entertainment sectors; it also increased stakes in Generac Holdings Inc. (+11.68%) and Mattel, Inc. (new position at 2.62%, raised to 3.2%), while trimming positions in financials like Affiliated Managers Group Inc. (-3.70%) and Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. (-3.12%), and maintaining flexibility with modest turnover (21.62%) and a cash reserve. These strategic shifts underscore Ariel's high-conviction positioning in out-of-favor sectors amid market volatility, with top holdings including BOK Financial Corporation (5.42%), Resideo Technologies, Inc. (5.28%), Snap-on, Inc. (5.16%), Bank of America Corporation (5.03%), and Oracle Corporation (5.01%), accounting for nearly 49% of net assets as of June 30, 2025. The fund's active share versus the Russell 1000 Value Index stands at 95.21%, highlighting its benchmark-agnostic approach.