Summary Prospectus
March 1, 2014
Class / Ticker: A / AMGAX B / AMCGX C / AMGCX
Alger Mid Cap Growth Fund
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund's Prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund's Prospectus and other information about the Fund online at www.alger.com. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1(800) 992-3863 or by sending an e-mail request to summaryprospectus@alger.com. The Fund's Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated March 1, 2014, are incorporated by reference to this Summary Prospectus, and may be obtained at no cost in the same manner as described above.
Investment Objective
Alger Mid Cap Growth Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Fund Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in Class A Shares of the Alger Family of Funds, including the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in "Purchasing and Redeeming Fund Shares" beginning on page A-2 of the Fund's Prospectus and the sections "Right of Accumulation (Class A Shares)" and "Letter of Intent (Class A Shares)" on pages 25 and 26 of the Fund's Statement of Additional Information.
|
Class |
A |
B |
C |
||||||||||||
| Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) | |||||||||||||||
|
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases as a % of offering price |
5.25 |
% |
None |
None |
|||||||||||
|
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) as a % of purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower |
1.00 |
%* |
5.00 |
% |
1.00 |
% |
|||||||||
|
Redemption Fee (as a % of amount redeemed or exchanged within 30 days) |
2.00 |
% |
2.00 |
% |
2.00 |
% |
|||||||||
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |||||||||||||||
|
Management Fees |
.76 |
% |
.76 |
% |
.76 |
% |
|||||||||
|
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
.25 |
% |
1.00 |
% |
1.00 |
% |
|||||||||
|
Other Expenses |
.38 |
% |
.34 |
% |
.45 |
% |
|||||||||
|
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
1.39 |
% |
2.10 |
% |
2.21 |
% |
|||||||||
* Purchases of $1 million or more of Class A Shares at net asset value may be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% on redemptions made within 12 months of purchase.
Example
The following examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The examples assume that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions you would pay the following expenses if you redeemed your shares at the end of each period:
|
Class |
1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
|||||||||||||||
|
A |
$ |
659 |
$ |
942 |
$ |
1,246 |
$ |
2,106 |
|||||||||||
|
B |
$ |
713 |
$ |
958 |
$ |
1,329 |
$ |
2,250 |
|||||||||||
|
C |
$ |
324 |
$ |
691 |
$ |
1,185 |
$ |
2,544 |
|||||||||||
Inspired by Change, Driven by Growth.
You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares:
|
Class |
1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
|||||||||||||||
|
A |
$ |
659 |
$ |
942 |
$ |
1,246 |
$ |
2,106 |
|||||||||||
|
B |
$ |
213 |
$ |
658 |
$ |
1,129 |
$ |
2,250 |
|||||||||||
|
C |
$ |
224 |
$ |
691 |
$ |
1,185 |
$ |
2,544 |
|||||||||||
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the examples, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 156.98% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategy
Fred Alger Management, Inc. believes companies undergoing Positive Dynamic Change offer the best investment opportunities. Positive Dynamic Change refers to companies realizing High Unit Volume Growth or companies undergoing Positive Lifecycle Change. High Unit Volume Growth companies are traditional growth companies experiencing, for example, significantly growing demand or market dominance. Positive Lifecycle Change companies are, for example, companies benefitting from regulatory change, a new product introduction or management change.
The Fund focuses on mid-sized companies that Fred Alger Management, Inc. believes demonstrate promising growth potential. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies that, at the time of purchase of the securities, have total market capitalization within the range of companies included in the Russell Midcap Growth Index or the S&P MidCap 400 Index, as reported by the indexes as of the most recent quarter-end. Both indexes are designed to track the performance of medium-capitalization stocks. At December 31, 2013, the market capitalization of the companies in these indexes ranged from $1.1 billion to $29.1 billion.
The Fund can also invest in derivative instruments. The Fund currently expects that its primary uses of derivatives will involve: (1) purchasing put and call options and selling (writing) covered put and call options, on securities and securities indexes, to increase gain, to hedge against the risk of unfavorable price movements in the underlying securities, or to provide diversification of risk, and (2) entering into forward currency contracts to hedge the Fund's foreign currency exposure when it holds, or proposes to hold, non-U.S. dollar denominated securities.
Principal Risks
As with any fund that invests in stocks, your investment will fluctuate in value, and the loss of your investment is a risk of investing. The Fund's price per share will fluctuate due to changes in the market prices of its investments. Also, the Fund's investments may not grow as fast as the rate of inflation and stocks tend to be more volatile than some other investments you could make, such as bonds.
Prices of growth stocks tend to be higher in relation to their companies' earnings and may be more sensitive to market, political and economic developments than other stocks, making their prices more volatile. An investment in the Fund may be better suited to investors who seek long-term capital growth and can tolerate fluctuations in their investment's value.
A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the Fund's performance. When purchasing options, the Fund bears the risk that if the market value of the underlying security does not move to a level that would make exercise of the option profitable, the option will expire unexercised. When a call option written by the Fund is exercised, the Fund will not participate in any increase in the underlying security's value above the exercise price. When a put option written by the Fund is exercised, the Fund will be required to purchase the underlying security at a price in excess of its market value. Use of options on securities indexes is subject to the risk that trading in the options may be interrupted if trading in certain securities included in the index is interrupted, the risk that price movements in the Fund's portfolio securities may not correlate precisely with movements in the level of an index, and the risk that Fred Alger Management, Inc. may not predict correctly movements in the direction of a particular market or of the stock market generally. Because certain options may require settlement in cash, the Fund may be forced to liquidate portfolio securities to meet settlement obligations. Forward currency contracts are subject to currency exchange rate risks and the risk of non-performance by the contract counterparty.
The following risks may also apply:
• there may be greater risk in investing in medium-capitalization companies rather than larger, more established companies due to such factors as inexperienced management and limited product lines or financial resources.
• it may be difficult or impossible to liquidate a security position at a time and price acceptable to the Fund because of the potentially less frequent trading of stocks of smaller market capitalization.
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
2
Performance
The following bar chart and the table beneath it provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for the indicated periods compare with those of an appropriate benchmark of market performance. Performance in the bar chart does not reflect the effect of the sales charge imposed on purchases of Class A Shares of the Fund. If the bar chart reflected the applicable sales charges, returns would be less than those shown. Remember that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund's website www.alger.com.
Best Quarter:
Q2 2009 19.64%
Worst Quarter:
Q4 2008 -32.40%
Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2013
|
1 Year |
5 Years |
10 Years |
Since 12/31/96* |
||||||||||||||||
| Class A (Inception 12/31/96) | |||||||||||||||||||
|
Return Before Taxes |
28.44 |
% |
19.65 |
% |
6.10 |
% |
8.49 |
% |
|||||||||||
|
Return After Taxes on Distributions |
28.44 |
% |
19.65 |
% |
4.89 |
% |
6.64 |
% |
|||||||||||
|
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
16.10 |
% |
16.07 |
% |
4.48 |
% |
6.23 |
% |
|||||||||||
| Class B (Inception 5/24/93) |
29.53 |
% |
19.76 |
% |
6.01 |
% |
8.44 |
% |
|||||||||||
| Class C (Inception 7/31/97) |
33.43 |
% |
19.85 |
% |
5.80 |
% |
7.96 |
% |
|||||||||||
|
Russell Midcap Growth Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
35.74 |
% |
23.37 |
% |
9.77 |
% |
8.58 |
% |
|||||||||||
* Performance of the Fund's Class C Shares prior to July 31, 1997 reflects the performance of the Fund's Class A Shares, as adjusted with currently applicable sales charges and operating expenses, which differ from historical charges and expenses. Since inception performance of the Fund's Class B Shares is available upon request.
In the foregoing table, after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown may not be relevant to investors who hold their Fund Shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns for Class B and C Shares, which are not shown, will vary from those shown for Class A Shares. A "Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares" may sometimes be higher than the other two return figures; this happens where there is a capital loss on redemptions, giving rise to a tax benefit to the shareholder.
3
Management
|
Investment Manager: |
Fred Alger Management, Inc. |
||||||||||||||
|
Co-Portfolio Managers: |
Ankur Crawford, Ph.D. Senior Vice President, Senior Analyst and Co-Portfolio Manager Since November 2010 |
Joel Emery, CFA Senior Vice President, Senior Analyst and Co-Portfolio Manager Since February 2014 |
Alex Goldman Senior Vice President, Senior Analyst and Co-Portfolio Manager Since February 2013 |
||||||||||||
|
|
Michael Melnyk, CFA Senior Vice President, Senior Analyst and Co-Portfolio Manager Since February 2013 |
Brian Schulz, CFA Senior Vice President, Senior Analyst and Co-Portfolio Manager Since February 2013 |
Christopher R. Walsh, CFA Senior Vice President, Senior Analyst and Co-Portfolio Manager Since February 2013 |
||||||||||||
|
|
Michael Young Senior Vice President, Senior Analyst and Co-Portfolio Manager Since November 2010 |
|
|
||||||||||||
Shareholder Information
Purchasing and Redeeming Fund Shares
Class B Shares of the Fund are closed to new accounts.
Minimum Investments: the following minimums apply to an account in the Fund, whether invested in Class A, Class B or Class C Shares.
In general, investors may purchase or redeem Fund shares on any business day by mail (Boston Financial Data Services, Inc., Attn: The Alger Funds, P. O. Box 8480, Boston, MA 02266-8480), online at www.alger.com, by telephone 1(800) 992-3863, or through a financial intermediary.
Investors who wish to purchase, exchange or redeem Fund shares through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary directly.
| Type of Account |
Initial Investment |
Subsequent Investment |
|||||||||
|
Regular account |
$ |
1,000 |
$ |
50 |
|||||||
|
Traditional IRA |
500 |
50 |
|||||||||
|
Roth IRA |
500 |
50 |
|||||||||
|
Coverdell ESA |
500 |
50 |
|||||||||
|
SIMPLE IRA |
500 |
50 |
|||||||||
|
Keogh |
500 |
50 |
|||||||||
| 401(k) |
500 |
50 |
|||||||||
|
Automatic Investment |
500 |
50 |
|||||||||
|
Asset-based Fee Program Accounts |
250 |
50 |
|||||||||
|
Minimums may be waived in certain circumstances. |
|||||||||||
Tax Information
The Fund's distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gains.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
Fred Alger & Company, Incorporated • 360 Park Avenue South • New York, NY 10010 • 800.992.3863 • www.alger.com
MidCap 3114
