Alger Health Sciences Fund
Summary Prospectus

 

March 1, 2023	Class	Ticker Symbol
	Z	AHSZX

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, reports to shareholders, and other information about the Fund online at www.alger.com. You can also get this information at no cost by calling (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, 2023, 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 Health Sciences Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Fund Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and examples below.

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) 

Class Z

None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) 

	Class Z
Advisory Fees	.55%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	None
Other Expenses	.17%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses*	.72%

*

Fred Alger Management, LLC (the “Manager”) has contractually agreed to waive fees or to reimburse Fund expenses (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, dividend expense on short sales, borrowing costs, interest, taxes, brokerage and extraordinary expenses, to the extent applicable) through February 28, 2025 to the extent necessary to limit the total annual fund operating expenses of the Class Z Shares to .75% of the class’s average daily net assets. This expense reimbursement may only be amended or terminated prior to its expiration date by agreement between the Manager and the Fund’s Board of Trustees, and will terminate automatically in the event of termination of the Investment Advisory Agreement. The Manager may recoup any fees waived or expenses reimbursed pursuant to the contract; however, the Fund will only make repayments to the Manager if such repayment does not cause the Fund’s expense ratio after the repayment is taken into account, to exceed both (i) the expense cap in place at the time such amounts were waived or reimbursed, and (ii) the Fund’s current expense cap. Such recoupment is limited to two years from the date the amount is initially waived or reimbursed.

Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example assumes 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 whether or not you redeemed your shares at the end of each period: 

	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Class Z	$74	$230	$401	$894

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 example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 240.89% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Inspired by Change, Driven by Growth.

 

Alger Health Sciences Fund 2/5

Summary Prospectus
March 1, 2023

Principal Investment Strategy

The Manager 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, rapidly growing demand or market dominance. Positive Lifecycle Change companies are, for example, companies benefitting from new regulations, a new product innovation or new management.

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of companies of any market capitalization that are engaged in the health sciences sector. Equity securities include common or preferred stocks that are listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges. A company will be considered to be engaged in the health sciences sector if it derives at least 50% of its earnings or revenues from, or devotes at least 50% of its assets to, activities in any area of the health sciences sector, including health care services, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and supplies and applied research and development. Such companies include, but are not limited to:

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hospitals, clinical test laboratories, convalescent and mental health care facilities, home care providers, and companies that supply services to any of the foregoing;

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companies involved in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, biochemistry and diagnostics; and

•

producers and manufacturers of medical, dental and optical supplies and equipment.

The Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in a smaller number of issuers. Fund holdings may occasionally increase or decrease for a variety of reasons, including, among others, because of extreme market volatility, such as when the Fund has entered a temporary defensive position.  Additionally, the Fund may exceed its current number of holdings when it acquires a new holding and determines that it is in the best interests of shareholders to sell an existing holding over a period of time, instead of immediately selling the entire holding.

The Fund may sell a stock when it reaches a target price, it fails to perform as expected, or other opportunities appear more attractive. As a result, the Fund may engage in active trading of portfolio securities.

The Fund can also invest in privately placed securities, which are securities acquired in non-public offerings for which there is no readily available market.

The Fund can invest in foreign securities.

The Fund invests in cash (and cash equivalents) when the Fund is unable to find enough attractive long-term investments to meet its investment objective, to meet redemptions and/or when the Manager believes it is advisable to do so during times of short-term market volatility. During these times, cash (and cash equivalents) will not exceed 15% of the Fund’s net assets.

Principal Risks

An investment in the Fund involves risks. The Fund’s share price may go down, which means you could lose money. 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. The following is a summary description of principal risks involved in investing in the Fund.

Investment Risk – An investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount that you invest.

Market Risk – Your investment in Fund shares represents an indirect investment in the securities owned by the Fund. The value of these securities, like other investments, may move up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Your Fund shares at any point in time may be worth less than what you invested, even after taking into account the reinvestment of Fund dividends and distributions. Local, regional or global events such as environmental or natural disasters, war, terrorism, pandemics, outbreaks of infectious diseases, and similar public health threats, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments.

Equity Securities Risk – 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.

Growth Securities Risk – 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.

 

Alger Health Sciences Fund 3/5

Summary Prospectus
March 1, 2023

Small Cap Securities Risk – There may be greater risk in investing in companies with small market capitalizations rather than larger, more established companies owing to such factors as more limited product lines or financial resources or lack of management depth. It may also 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.

Concentration Risk – By focusing on an industry or a group of industries, the Fund carries much greater risks of adverse developments and price movements in such industries than a fund that invests in a wider variety of industries. Because the Fund concentrates in a specific industry or group of industries, there is also the risk that the Fund will perform poorly during a slump in demand for securities of companies in such industries.

•

Health Care Sector Risk – The Fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of healthcare companies. At times, the performance of healthcare companies will lag the performance of other industries or the broader market as a whole, and the performance of such companies may be more volatile. Healthcare companies may also be significantly affected by intense competition, aggressive pricing, government regulation, technological innovations, product obsolescence, patent considerations, product compatibility and consumer preferences.

Small Number of Holdings Risk – Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests in a small number of issuers. Therefore, the Fund’s performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political, or regulatory occurrence than a fund that has a higher number of holdings.

Privately Placed Securities Risk – A private placement is an offering of a company’s securities that is not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and is not offered to the public. The issuers of privately placed securities are not typically subject to the same oversight and regulatory requirements, including disclosure and other investor protection requirements, to which public issuers are subject, and there may be very little public information available about the issuers and their performance. The sale or transfer of privately placed securities may be limited or prohibited by contract or law and such investments are generally considered to be illiquid. Privately placed securities are generally fair valued as they are not traded frequently. The Fund may be required to hold such positions for several years, if not longer, regardless of valuation, which may cause the Fund to be less liquid. As a result, investments in private placements can result in substantial or complete losses.

Foreign Securities Risk – The Fund’s performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign companies. Special risks associated with investments in foreign companies include exposure to currency fluctuations, lack of liquidity, potential for market manipulation, less developed or less efficient trading markets, limited access to reliable capital, lack of comprehensive company information, political instability, differing audit, regulatory, and legal standards and lack of financial reporting standards.

Portfolio Turnover (Active Trading) Risk – Because the Fund may engage in active trading of portfolio securities, it may incur increased transaction costs and brokerage commissions, both of which can lower the actual return on an investment. Active trading may also increase short-term gains and losses, which may affect the taxes a shareholder has to pay.

Cash Position Risk – At times, the Fund may hold up to 15% of its net assets in cash (and cash equivalents), which may underperform relative to equity securities.

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. 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.

The Fund compares its performance to the S&P 500 Index, a broad based measure of market performance. The Fund also compares its performance to the Russell 3000 Health Care Index (the “Health Care Index”). The Health Care Index provides a more complete comparison of Fund performance relative to companies involved in the medical services or health care field.

 

Alger Health Sciences Fund 4/5

Summary Prospectus
March 1, 2023

Annual Total Return for Class Z Shares as of December 31 (%)

  

Best Quarter: Q2 2020 24.55% Worst Quarter: Q4 2018 -18.63%

Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2022 

	1 Year	5 Years	Since Inception	Inception Date
Class Z				5/28/15
Return Before Taxes	-16.74%	7.89%	7.55%
Return After Taxes on Distributions	-16.74%	5.23%	5.09%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	-9.91%	6.02%	5.59%
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	-18.11%	9.42%	10.18%
Russell 3000 Health Care TR (USD) (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	-6.10%	11.38%	9.30%

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. A “Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares” may sometimes be higher than the other two return figures; this happens when there is a capital loss on redemptions, giving rise to a tax benefit to the shareholder.

Management 

Investment Manager	Portfolio Managers Jointly and Primarily Responsible for Day-to-Day Management of the Fund
Fred Alger Management, LLC	Dan C. Chung, CFA Chief Executive Officer, Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager Since October 2005
	Sanjiv Talwar, M.D., Ph.D. Senior Vice President, Head of Healthcare, Portfolio Manager and Senior Analyst Since July 2021

When a Fund is co-managed, the responsibilities of such portfolio managers may be shared, divided or otherwise assigned based on various factors including, but not limited to, level of Fund assets to be managed, their overall experience, their sector expertise, and such other factors as the Manager believes are most efficient and effective. In all cases, each portfolio manager collaborates with the other portfolio manager(s) and analysts to develop overall strategy, outlook, and themes, which impact industry, sector

 

Alger Health Sciences Fund 5/5

Summary Prospectus
March 1, 2023

and security allocations in the Fund. Responsibilities amongst portfolio managers may be fully or partially allocated to one of the portfolio managers for the purposes of day-to-day portfolio management and stock selection, implementation of trades, strategic and performance oversight, risk management, or oversight of guidelines, whether externally driven or internally developed by the Manager.

Shareholder Information

Purchasing and Redeeming Fund Shares

The Fund’s Class Z Shares are generally subject to a minimum initial investment of $500,000, which may be waived for group employer-sponsored 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, profit-sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans, retiree health benefit plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans. The waiver is available only for retirement plans that hold omnibus positions, or for aggregate plan participant positions, for each Fund made available for the plan. The waiver is generally not available to non-retirement accounts, traditional and Roth Individual Retirement Accounts, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, SEPs, SARSEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, individual 401(k) plans or individual 403(b) plans. The minimum initial investment may also be waived for direct shareholders investing through an intermediary with aggregate assets of $125 million or more invested in the family of funds advised by the Manager and for investment advisory clients of the Manager or its affiliates who hold direct accounts.

Investors may purchase or redeem Fund shares on any business day through a financial intermediary, which may include an investor’s selected broker-dealer, investment adviser, or other financial institution or professional, or directly with the Fund’s transfer agent.

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gains. The Fund is actively managed, and as a result, investors may receive capital gains distributions annually.

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/or the Manager or the Fund’s distributor 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 financial professional to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial professional or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information. 

Fred Alger & Company, LLC 100 Pearl Street, 27th Floor, New York, NY 10004 / (800) 992-3863 / www.alger.com

HealthZ 3123

 

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