At a glance
MFSG charges 0.49% a year, above the 0.09% average of the 7 funds most like it (the most expensive of 8). It has $379.2M in assets, the 8th largest of that group; it paid 0.07% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, annual. Over the past year it returned +3.3% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%), 4th of those 8 funds. Its ten largest positions make up 52.6% of the fund, out of 68 in all.
The short version
MFS Active Growth ETF (MFSG) is an actively managed fund in which MFS picks mostly large US growth stocks. As of August 31, 2026, NVIDIA (14.3%) and Alphabet (11.2%) were its largest holdings. It relies on its managers' judgment rather than an index and can concentrate in a few companies. The expense ratio is 0.49% a year, compared with an average of 0.09% for similar growth ETFs.
Price history
The interactive chart needs JavaScript.
MFSG +3.3% over the year to Oct 27, 2026, total return with distributions reinvested.
How it has behaved
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | Since start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MFSG price data to Oct 27, 2026 | +5.7% | +3.3% | — | — | — | +9.0% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, MFSG returned +3.3%, 4th of 8 among similar funds.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2025 (+14.5%); its best was 2025 (+14.5%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 23.2% (Jan 23, 2025 to Apr 8, 2025), recovered by Jun 27, 2025.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +5.7% | — |
| 2025 | +14.5% | +14.35% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Before this security existed |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Before this security existed |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $0.0220 |
What's inside
As of Aug 31, 2026, the fund held 68 securities; the ten largest made up 52.58% of assets.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA Corp | 14.26% | |
| Alphabet Inc | 11.18% | |
| Apple Inc | 6.02% | |
| Microsoft Corp | 5.28% | |
| Broadcom Inc | 3.42% | |
| Visa Inc | 3.32% | |
| Amazon.com Inc | 2.91% | |
| Meta Platforms Inc | 2.35% | |
| Arista Networks Inc | 1.95% | |
| GE Vernova Inc | 1.89% | |
| KLA Corp | 1.65% | |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd | 1.65% | |
| Lam Research Corp | 1.63% | |
| Western Digital Corp | 1.52% | |
| Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc | 1.47% |
By country
United States 89.95%Ireland 4.21%Taiwan 1.65%Canada 1.48%Netherlands 0.62%By asset type
Stocks 99.32%Other 0%By sector
Sectors of the companies held, for the 83.5% of the fund in companies that have a stock page here; other holdings and cash aren't classified. Source: N-PORT holdings report as of Aug 31, 2026. Cash, money-market funds and derivatives are shown separately from the securities list.What changed recently
- Over the three months to Aug 31, 2026, investors added a net $40.5M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: -0.77%, -3.27%, +2.63%.
How it works
MFSG does not track an index. Its goal is capital appreciation, meaning growth in the value of its shares. MFS (Massachusetts Financial Services Company), the fund's adviser, normally puts at least 80% of net assets in growth companies. These are firms MFS believes can grow earnings faster and for longer than other companies. To find them, MFS may check whether a company is in a growth index, whether a data provider labels it a growth company, or how fast its earnings, sales or free cash flow are growing. It may also weigh financial quality, such as return on equity, debt levels and research spending.
Managers pick stocks one company at a time using fundamental research, sometimes helped by quantitative screens. With no index rules, MFS decides how much to hold of each stock and when to trade. Portfolio turnover was 50%, which means trading equal to about half the portfolio in a year. The fund mostly owns large companies and may buy foreign stocks. It is non-diversified, so a few stocks can take up a large share of assets. As of August 31, 2026, it held 68 stocks, and the top 10 made up 52.6% of assets.
The fund uses no leverage, options or derivatives. It may handle some share creations and redemptions in cash, which can make it less tax-efficient than ETFs that work entirely in-kind.
What it really costs
- MFSG charges 0.49% a year, versus an average of 0.09% for the similar funds below (8th of 8, cheapest first).
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $50 in the first year and $616 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MFSG | $50 | $157 | $274 | $616 |
In a retirement portfolio
It is a concentrated, non-diversified, higher-cost growth fund that moved more than the market, so it fits better as a smaller piece around broader holdings.
MFSG adds an actively chosen growth sleeve weighted toward large technology companies. It launched December 5, 2024, so it has no record through the 2008, 2020 or 2022 downturns. Its deepest drop was 23.2%, from January 23 to April 8, 2025. It recovered by June 27, 2025, about 2.6 months later. Its beta, a measure of how much a fund moves relative to the market, was 1.34 over the year to October 27, 2026. A retiree who has to sell in a slump like that could lock in steep losses. It offers almost no income: the trailing yield was 0.07%, paid annually. In the SEC's standard example, $10,000 would cost about $616 in expenses over 10 years. Past results don't predict future returns, and a retirement plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Investors who want MFS managers choosing growth stocks instead of following an index, and who accept a 0.49% expense ratio for that.
- Those comfortable with concentration: the top 10 holdings were 52.6% of assets as of August 31, 2026, led by NVIDIA at 14.3%.
- Long-term investors using it as a smaller growth slice who can sit through drops like its 23.2% fall in early 2025.
Look elsewhere if
- Cost-focused investors: growth index funds such as SPYG and SCHG charge 0.04%, compared with MFSG's 0.49%.
- Anyone who needs portfolio income; the trailing yield was 0.07% as of October 27, 2026, paid once a year.
- Those who want a long track record; the fund launched in December 2024 and has no history through the 2008, 2020 or 2022 downturns.
Close alternatives
Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.
| Fund | Overlap | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MFSG this fund | — | 0.49% | $379.2M | +3.3% | — |
| MGK Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF | 55% | 0.07% | $33.30B | +2.5% | +23.2% |
| SPYG SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF | 54% | 0.04% | $52.99B | +7.2% | +25.3% |
| IVW iShares S&P 500 Growth ETF | 54% | 0.18% | $74.97B | +7.0% | +25.2% |
| VUG Vanguard Growth ETF | 52% | 0.04% | $379.29B | +3.8% | +25.1% |
| VONG Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF | 52% | 0.07% | $54.28B | -2.3% | +22.4% |
| IWF iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF | 52% | 0.19% | $128.90B | -3.7% | +20.3% |
| SCHG Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF | 49% | 0.04% | $63.03B | +2.2% | +23.0% |
Questions investors ask
Is MFSG an actively managed ETF?
Yes. MFSG does not track an index. Managers at MFS pick stocks one company at a time, using fundamental research and sometimes quantitative screens. They normally keep at least 80% of net assets in growth companies, mostly large ones. The fund is non-diversified, so it can hold big positions in a few stocks. As of August 31, 2026, it held 68 stocks, led by NVIDIA, Alphabet, Apple and Microsoft.
What is MFSG's expense ratio?
MFSG's expense ratio is 0.49% a year, according to its prospectus filed June 25, 2026. That is the highest of eight similar growth ETFs, which average 0.09%. In the SEC's standard example, $10,000 invested with a 5% annual return would cost about $50 in the first year, $274 over five years and $616 over 10 years.
MFSG vs MGK: what's the difference?
MGK, the Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF, is the closest match by holdings, sharing about 55% overlap with MFSG. MGK charges 0.07%, compared with MFSG's 0.49%. It is also much larger, with $33.3 billion in net assets as of June 30, 2026, against MFSG's $379 million as of August 31, 2026. MFSG's one-year return was 3.3% as of October 27, 2026. MGK's was 4.3% as of October 30, 2026.
Does MFSG pay a dividend?
Yes, but it is very small. MFSG pays distributions once a year. Over the 12 months to October 27, 2026, it paid about $0.02 per share, a trailing yield of 0.07%. Growth companies tend to reinvest profits rather than pay large dividends, so this fund is built for capital growth, not income.
How risky is MFSG?
It is riskier than a broad stock index fund. As of August 31, 2026, NVIDIA alone was 14.3% of assets, and technology stocks made up the largest sector at 40.8%. The fund fell 23.2% between January and April 2025, and its weakest quarter was a 9.11% loss in early 2025. It still returned 14.35% for 2025 as a whole, according to its prospectus. Volatility was 18.3% over the year to October 27, 2026.