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American Funds The Growth Fund of America (GFFFX)
Performance
Return for Risk
Dividends
Drawdowns
Volatility

Fund Info

ISIN
US3998748251
CUSIP
399874825
Inception Date
Dec 1, 1973
Region
North America (U.S.)
Min. Investment
$250
Distribution Policy
Distributing
Asset Class
Equity
Asset Class Size
Large-Cap
Asset Class Style
Growth

Share Price Chart


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Performance

Performance Chart

The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in American Funds The Growth Fund of America, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.


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S&P 500 Index

Returns By Period

American Funds The Growth Fund of America (GFFFX) has returned -11.18% so far this year and 13.80% over the past 12 months. Looking at the last ten years, GFFFX has achieved an annualized return of 14.16%, outperforming the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 12.16% per year.


American Funds The Growth Fund of America

1D
-0.48%
1M
-9.64%
YTD
-11.18%
6M
-9.80%
1Y
13.80%
3Y*
19.10%
5Y*
8.75%
10Y*
14.16%

Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)

1D
2.91%
1M
-5.09%
YTD
-4.63%
6M
-2.39%
1Y
16.33%
3Y*
16.69%
5Y*
10.18%
10Y*
12.16%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Monthly Returns

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Jan 2, 2009, GFFFX's average daily return is +0.06%, while the average monthly return is +1.22%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 4.8 years.

Historically, 64% of months were positive and 36% were negative. The best month was Apr 2020 with a return of +14.3%, while the worst month was Apr 2022 at -12.0%. The longest winning streak lasted 7 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.

On a daily basis, GFFFX closed higher 55% of trading days. The best single day was Dec 18, 2014 with a return of +14.1%, while the worst single day was Mar 16, 2020 at -11.5%.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
20260.62%-2.32%-9.64%-11.18%
20255.19%-3.76%-7.52%1.86%8.38%6.91%1.99%1.76%3.00%2.50%-0.87%-0.05%19.96%
20241.76%7.31%3.11%-4.35%4.09%4.30%-0.05%2.26%3.03%-0.40%6.73%-1.98%28.28%
20239.82%-1.96%3.32%0.73%2.71%7.01%4.17%-1.72%-4.63%-3.09%10.91%6.40%37.51%
2022-9.98%-3.63%2.99%-12.00%-2.08%-9.42%10.20%-3.37%-8.58%4.57%4.56%-6.52%-30.61%
20210.00%1.62%0.89%5.48%-0.66%3.41%1.00%3.61%-3.47%8.69%-2.81%0.85%19.55%

Benchmark Metrics

American Funds The Growth Fund of America has an annualized alpha of 2.42%, beta of 1.00, and R² of 0.88 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since January 05, 2009.

  • This fund captured 107.99% of S&P 500 Index gains but only 97.79% of its losses — a favorable profile for investors.
  • This fund generated an annualized alpha of 2.42% versus S&P 500 Index — delivering returns beyond what market exposure alone would predict.
  • With beta of 1.00 and R² of 0.88, this fund moves broadly in line with S&P 500 Index — much of its variation is explained by market exposure rather than independent behavior.

Alpha
2.42%
Beta
1.00
0.88
Upside Capture
107.99%
Downside Capture
97.79%

Expense Ratio

GFFFX has an expense ratio of 0.40%, placing it in the medium range.


Return for Risk

Risk / Return Rank

GFFFX ranks 27 for risk / return — below 27% of mutual funds on our site. The returns aren't fully compensating for the risk involved. This isn't necessarily a dealbreaker, but factor it into your decision — especially if you're risk-averse.


GFFFX Risk / Return Rank: 2727
Overall Rank
GFFFX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 2525
Sharpe Ratio Rank
GFFFX Sortino Ratio Rank: 2828
Sortino Ratio Rank
GFFFX Omega Ratio Rank: 2828
Omega Ratio Rank
GFFFX Calmar Ratio Rank: 2626
Calmar Ratio Rank
GFFFX Martin Ratio Rank: 2727
Martin Ratio Rank
The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

Return / Risk — by metrics

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for American Funds The Growth Fund of America (GFFFX) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).


GFFFXBenchmarkDifference

Sharpe ratio

Return per unit of total volatility

0.66

0.90

-0.24

Sortino ratio

Return per unit of downside risk

1.08

1.39

-0.30

Omega ratio

Gain probability vs. loss probability

1.15

1.21

-0.06

Calmar ratio

Return relative to maximum drawdown

0.78

1.40

-0.62

Martin ratio

Return relative to average drawdown

2.99

6.61

-3.61

Explore GFFFX risk-adjusted metrics in detail

Dive deeper into individual metrics with historical trends, benchmark comparisons, and performance across different time periods.

Dividends

Dividend History

American Funds The Growth Fund of America provided a 12.33% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $8.77 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 3 consecutive years.


4.00%6.00%8.00%10.00%12.00%$0.00$2.00$4.00$6.00$8.0020152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Dividends
Dividend Yield
PeriodTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Dividend$8.77$8.77$6.85$4.81$2.13$6.23$3.03$3.76$5.24$3.59$2.88$3.76

Dividend yield

12.33%10.95%9.23%7.64%4.32%8.42%4.51%7.38%12.29%7.27%6.87%9.13%

Monthly Dividends

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for American Funds The Growth Fund of America. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2026$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00
2025$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$8.77$8.77
2024$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$6.85$6.85
2023$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$4.81$4.81
2022$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$2.13$2.13
2021$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$6.23$6.23

Drawdowns

Drawdowns Chart

The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.


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Worst Drawdowns

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the American Funds The Growth Fund of America. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.

The maximum drawdown for the American Funds The Growth Fund of America was 36.26%, occurring on Oct 14, 2022. Recovery took 345 trading sessions.

The current American Funds The Growth Fund of America drawdown is 13.74%.


Depth

Start

To Bottom

Bottom

To Recover

End

Total

-36.26%Nov 17, 2021229Oct 14, 2022345Mar 1, 2024574
-30.36%Feb 20, 202023Mar 23, 202064Jun 23, 202087
-21.55%Feb 18, 202536Apr 8, 202552Jun 24, 202588
-21.26%May 2, 2011108Oct 3, 2011111Mar 13, 2012219
-20.86%Oct 2, 201858Dec 24, 201884Apr 26, 2019142

Volatility

Volatility Chart

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.


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