Alger Weatherbie Specialized Growth Fund
Summary Prospectus

 

March 1, 2023	Class	Ticker Symbols
	A	ALMAX
	C	ALMCX

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 Weatherbie Specialized 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, 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. 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” on page 66 and in Appendix A – Waivers and Discounts Available from Intermediaries on page A-1 in the Fund’s Prospectus, and in the sections “Right of Accumulation (Class A Shares)” and “Letter of Intent (Class A)” on page 37 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) 

	Class A	Class C
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases as a % of offering price	5.25%	None
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) as a % of purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower	None*	1.00%

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

	Class A	Class C
Advisory Fees**	.80%	.80%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	.25%	1.00%
Other Expenses	.20%	.22%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	1.25%	2.02%

*

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.

**

The Fund and Fred Alger Management, LLC (the “Manager”) have adopted fee breakpoints for the Fund. The advisory fee for assets up to $1 billion is .81%, and for assets in excess of $1 billion is .75%. The actual rate paid as a percentage of average daily net assets for the year ended October 31, 2022 was .80%.

Example

The following examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other 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: 

	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Class A	$646	$901	$1,175	$1,957
Class C	$305	$634	$1,088	$2,348

You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares: 

	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Class C	$205	$634	$1,088	$2,348

 

Inspired by Change, Driven by Growth.

 

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Summary Prospectus
March 1, 2023

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 55.97% of the average value of its portfolio.

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.

The Fund is sub-advised by Weatherbie Capital, LLC (“Weatherbie”), an affiliate of the Manager (Weatherbie and the Manager, collectively referred to as the “Manager,” where applicable).  Subject to the general supervision by the Fund’s Board of Trustees, the Manager oversees Weatherbie and evaluates its performance results. The Manager reviews portfolio performance, compliance with investment guidelines and federal securities laws, and changes in key personnel of Weatherbie. Weatherbie is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including purchases and sales of individual securities.

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of smallcap and midcap companies. Equity securities include common or preferred stocks that are listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges. Smallcap or midcap companies are companies that, at the time of purchase, have total market capitalization within the range of companies included in the Russell 2500 Growth Index or the Russell Midcap Growth Index, respectively, as reported by the indexes as of the most recent quarter-end. At December 31, 2022, the market capitalization of the companies in these indexes ranged from $6.1 million to $52.8 billion. Because of the Fund’s long-term approach to investing, it could have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of issuers that have appreciated beyond the market capitalization thresholds noted.

As a focus fund, the Fund intends to invest a substantial portion of its assets in a smaller number of issuers, and may focus its holdings in fewer business sectors or industries. Generally the Fund will own approximately 50 holdings. Fund holdings may occasionally exceed this number for a variety of reasons.

The Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in securities of companies conducting business within a single sector, as defined by third party sources, including the information technology, health care, consumer discretionary, and financials sectors.

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 invest in foreign securities, including emerging market 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.

 

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Summary Prospectus
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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.

Small and Mid Cap Securities Risk – There may be greater risk in investing in companies with small or medium market capitalizations rather than larger, more established issuers due 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.

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.

Sector Risk – The Fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of companies conducting business within a single sector, as defined by third party sources. Companies in the same sector may be similarly affected by economic, regulatory, political or market events or conditions, which may make the Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than a fund that has a more diversified portfolio. Generally, the more broadly the Fund invests, the more it spreads risk and potentially reduces the risks of loss and volatility.

•

Information Technology Sector Risk – The Fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of technology-related companies. Therefore, the Fund may be more susceptible to particular risks that may affect companies in the information technology sector and technology-related sectors than if it were invested in a wider variety of companies in unrelated sectors. At times, the performance of such companies will lag the performance of other industries or the broader market as a whole. Certain technology related companies may face special risks that their products or services may not prove to be commercially successful. Technology related companies are also strongly affected by worldwide scientific or technological developments. As a result, their products may rapidly become obsolete. Such companies are also often subject to governmental regulation and may, therefore, be adversely affected by governmental policies. These factors may lead to limited earnings and/or failing profit margins. As a result, the value of technology related companies’ securities may fall or fail to rise. Many technology related companies’ securities have historically been more volatile than other securities, especially over the short term.

•

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.

•

Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk – The consumer discretionary sector may be affected by changes in domestic and international economies, exchange and interest rates, competition, consumers’ disposable income, consumer preferences, social trends and marketing campaigns.

•

Financials Sector Risk – The Fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of financial services companies, which means the Fund may be more affected by the performance of the financials sector than a fund that is more diversified. Financial services companies are subject to extensive governmental regulation which may limit both the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make, the interest rates and fees they can charge, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Certain events in the financials sector may cause an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign, and cause certain financial services companies to incur large 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.

Emerging Markets Risk – The Fund may invest in issuers located in emerging markets, and therefore may be exposed to the economies, industries, securities and currency markets of such countries, which may be adversely affected by protectionist trade policies, a slow U.S. economy, political and social instability, regional and global conflicts, terrorism and war, including actions that are contrary to the interests of the United States. Emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they tend

 

Alger Weatherbie Specialized Growth Fund 4/6

Summary Prospectus
March 1, 2023

to develop unevenly and may never fully develop. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative. Emerging markets are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, which adversely affect returns to U.S. investors. In addition, many emerging securities markets have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than developed markets. The Fund, individually or in combination with other shareholders, may have limited rights and remedies against emerging market issuers.

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. From August 30, 2017 to September 30, 2019, the Fund was named "Alger SMid Cap Focus Fund." Prior to August 30, 2017, the Fund followed different investment strategies under the name “Alger SMid Cap Growth Fund” and prior to March 1, 2017 was managed by different portfolio managers. Accordingly, performance prior to those dates does not reflect the Fund’s current investment strategies and investment personnel. 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. 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.

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

  

Best Quarter: Q2 2020 41.16% Worst Quarter: Q2 2022 -27.01%

Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2022 

	1 Year	5 Years	10 Years	Inception Date
Class A				5/8/02
Return Before Taxes	-41.36%	5.31%	9.56%
Return After Taxes on Distributions	-41.36%	3.03%	5.85%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	-24.48%	4.13%	6.76%
Class C				5/8/02
Return Before Taxes	-39.15%	5.64%	9.32%
Russell 2500 Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	-26.21%	5.97%	10.62%

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

 

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Summary Prospectus
March 1, 2023

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 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 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

 

Sub-Adviser
Weatherbie Capital, LLC*	H. George Dai, Ph.D. Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager Since March 2017
	Joshua D. Bennett, CFA Chief Operating Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager Since March 2017
	Edward Minn, CFA Senior Managing Director and Portfolio Manager Since July 2020

*

Weatherbie, an affiliate of the Manager, sub-advises the Fund subject to the Manager’s supervision and approval.

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 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

Class C Shares of the Fund are only offered to investors through certain financial intermediaries and group retirement plan recordkeeping platforms.

Minimum Investments: the following minimums apply to an account in the Fund, whether invested in Class A or Class C Shares. 

Type of Account	Initial Investment	Subsequent Investment
Regular account	$1,000	$50
Retirement Accounts (including IRAs)	500	50
Automatic Investment	500	50
Asset-based Fee Program Accounts	250	50

Minimums may be waived in certain circumstances. See “Additional Information about Minimum Initial Investments” in the Prospectus.

In general, investors may purchase or redeem Fund shares on any business day by mail (Alger Family of Funds, c/o UMB Fund Services, Inc., P.O. Box 2175, Milwaukee, WI 53201-2175), online at www.alger.com, by telephone at 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.

 

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Summary Prospectus
March 1, 2023

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

WSG AC 3123

 

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