- ISIN
- US92828N5288
- CUSIP
- 92828N528
- Issuer
- Virtus
- Inception Date
- Oct 18, 1996
- Category
- Mid Cap Growth Equities
- Min. Investment
- $100,000
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Equity
- Asset Class Size
- Mid-Cap
- Asset Class Style
- Growth
Share Price Chart
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Performance
PKSFX Performance Chart
Virtus KAR Small-Cap Core Fund (PKSFX) is up 6.4% since the beginning of the year. PKSFX is currently trading at $52 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of PKSFX shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,543.
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Returns By Period
Virtus KAR Small-Cap Core Fund (PKSFX) has returned 6.39% so far this year and 9.27% over the past 12 months. Looking at the last ten years, PKSFX has achieved an annualized return of 15.08%, outperforming the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.88% per year.
Virtus KAR Small-Cap Core Fund
- 1D
- 1.61%
- 1M
- 3.35%
- YTD
- 6.39%
- 6M
- 3.94%
- 1Y
- 9.27%
- 3Y*
- 10.82%
- 5Y*
- 9.06%
- 10Y*
- 15.08%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- -0.37%
- 1M
- -0.01%
- YTD
- 9.16%
- 6M
- 8.64%
- 1Y
- 25.22%
- 3Y*
- 19.78%
- 5Y*
- 11.99%
- 10Y*
- 13.88%
PKSFX Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Oct 18, 1996, PKSFX's average daily return is +0.05%, while the average monthly return is +0.97%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 6.0 years.
Historically, 62% of months were positive and 38% were negative. The best month was Apr 2009 with a return of +15.2%, while the worst month was Aug 1998 at -16.4%. The longest winning streak lasted 10 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.
On a daily basis, PKSFX closed higher 52% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 13, 2008 with a return of +10.9%, while the worst single day was Mar 16, 2020 at -10.7%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6.87% | 0.69% | -5.64% | 5.47% | -3.63% | 3.09% | 6.39% | ||||||
| 2025 | 1.39% | -2.46% | -4.07% | -3.28% | 5.24% | 1.40% | 1.92% | 2.66% | -4.16% | -2.29% | 0.59% | 0.94% | -2.58% |
| 2024 | -1.65% | 6.91% | 2.72% | -7.91% | 3.69% | -0.41% | 8.45% | 0.14% | 2.74% | -3.34% | 11.13% | -7.67% | 13.67% |
| 2023 | 8.62% | 2.63% | -0.79% | 0.40% | -3.78% | 9.07% | 4.52% | -0.26% | -4.82% | -3.25% | 10.26% | 7.29% | 32.32% |
| 2022 | -8.61% | -1.27% | 0.57% | -5.94% | 2.68% | -3.77% | 9.27% | -3.57% | -7.35% | 9.82% | 4.85% | -5.87% | -10.77% |
| 2021 | -1.34% | 5.15% | 2.85% | 3.77% | 0.49% | -0.52% | 1.97% | 1.36% | -3.27% | 5.60% | -2.90% | 4.91% | 19.03% |
Benchmark Metrics
Virtus KAR Small-Cap Core Fund has an annualized alpha of 3.78%, beta of 0.86, and R2 of 0.74 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since October 18, 1996.
- This fund participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (95.34%) than losses (84.15%) - typical of diversified or defensive assets.
- This fund generated an annualized alpha of 3.78% versus S&P 500 Index - delivering returns beyond what market exposure alone would predict.
- With beta of 0.86 and R2 of 0.74, 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
- 3.78%
- Beta
- 0.86
- R²
- 0.74
- Upside Capture
- 95.34%
- Downside Capture
- 84.15%
Expense Ratio
PKSFX has a high expense ratio of 1.00%, indicating above-average management fees.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
PKSFX ranks 8 for risk / return — in the bottom 8% of mutual funds on our site. This means you're taking on significantly more risk than the returns justify. Consider whether the potential upside is worth the volatility, or explore alternatives with better risk / return profiles.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for Virtus KAR Small-Cap Core Fund (PKSFX) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.
Values are calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. Risk-adjusted metrics are more stable over longer periods — use the period switch above to explore them.
| PKSFX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -1.45 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | -1.76 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.11 | 1.37 | -0.26 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 0.81 | 2.78 | -1.97 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 1.64 | 12.44 | -10.80 |
Dividends
Dividend History
Virtus KAR Small-Cap Core Fund provided a 13.44% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $6.96 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 2 consecutive years.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $6.96 | $6.96 | $2.32 | $2.14 | $2.72 | $5.90 | $3.45 | $1.65 | $1.32 | $0.06 | $1.37 | $4.30 |
Dividend yield | 13.44% | 14.30% | 4.07% | 4.12% | 6.65% | 12.05% | 7.45% | 4.03% | 4.33% | 0.17% | 5.69% | 19.83% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Virtus KAR Small-Cap Core Fund. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $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 | $6.96 | $6.96 |
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $2.32 | $2.32 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $2.14 | $2.14 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $2.72 | $2.72 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $5.90 | $5.90 |
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 Virtus KAR Small-Cap Core Fund. 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 Virtus KAR Small-Cap Core Fund was 54.46%, occurring on Mar 9, 2009. Recovery took 442 trading sessions.
The current Virtus KAR Small-Cap Core Fund drawdown is 5.09%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Financial crisis2007–2009 | -54.46%Mar 2009 | 1y 5mo | 1y 9mo | 3y 1moOct 2007 - Dec 2010 |
2003 bear market2003 | -35.82%Mar 2003 | 1y 9mo | 1y 25d | 2y 10moMay 2001 - Apr 2004 |
COVID crash2020 | -33.45%Mar 2020 | 1mo 2d | 4mo 21d | 5mo 23dFeb 2020 - Aug 2020 |
1998 bear market1998 | -23.14%Aug 1998 | 1mo 15d | 7mo 18d | 9mo 3dJul 1998 - Apr 1999 |
Rate-hike selloffLate 2018 | -22.24%Dec 2018 | 3mo 8d | 3mo 5d | 6mo 13dSep 2018 - Mar 2019 |
Drawdown Indicators
| PKSFX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -54.46% | -56.78% | +2.32% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -11.19% | -9.10% | -2.09% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -21.82% | -18.90% | -2.92% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -22.02% | -25.43% | +3.41% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -33.45% | -33.92% | +0.47% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -5.09% | -1.80% | -3.29% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -7.17% | -10.71% | +3.54% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 5.53% | 2.03% | +3.50% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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