we mentioned earlier, were narrowly focused, concentrating on the food industry and consumer staples almost exclusively. Others, such as the Mairs & Power Growth Fund (MPGFX), invest in numerous industry groups, but still choose to carry a heavy percentage of food companies.
When ranked by three-year average annual total returns, the Mairs & Power portfolio led our five funds. Thanks to stakes in General Mills, and meat packer Hormel, the fund has managed a 12.7% average total return over the three-year period that ended October 31, 2001 — although, it was down 4.1% for 2001, when this story went to press. Second place among our five goes to Icon Leisure & Consumer Staples (ICLEX), a portfolio that carries a 22.3% weighting in food shares, including positions in Smucker’s (jams, jellies, and preserves), Smithfield Foods (pork products), and Suiza Foods (milk and dairy products). The defensive stance helped the fund log a 6.8% total return for 2001 through the end of October.
Top Performing Consumer Staple Stock Funds
|
Fund Name (Ticker) |
Food as % |
1-Year Ann. |
3-Year Ann. |
5-Year Ann. |
Toll-Free |
Minimum |
| Mairs & Power Growth (MPGFX) |
10.97% |
4.14% |
12.67% |
13.97% |
800-304-7404 |
$ 2,500 |
| Liberty Growth & Income A (CFGAX) |
11.26 |
0.48 |
11.41 |
15.92 |
800-322-2847 |
1,000 |
| Icon Leisure & Consumer Staples (ICLEX) |
22.25 |
9.73 |
8.11 |
N/A |
800-764-0442 |
1,000 |
| Fidelity Select Food & Agriculture (FDFAX) |
44.15 |
6.92 |
2.32 |
9.55 |
800-544-8888 |
2,500 |
| AmSouth Select Equity A (ASECX) |
29.54 |
9.82 |
1.52 |
N/A |
800-451-8382 |
1,000 |
| Yacktman (YACKX) |
10.41 |
8.05 |
1.40 |
4.84 |
800-525-8258 |
2,500 |
| Rydex Consumer Products Inv (RYCIX) |
16.37 |
-2.74 |
-3.07 |
N/A |
800-820-0888 |
25,000 |
| Strong Mid-cap Disciplined (SMCDX) |
12.08 |
-0.97 |
N/A |
N/A |
800-368-1030 |
2,500 |
| Liberty Tax-Managed Value A (SRVAX) |
11.61 |
-0.18 |
N/A |
N/A |
800-322-2847 |
1,000 |
| Yacktman Focused (YAFFX) |
18.75 |
0.49 |
-4.00 |
N/A |
800-525-8258 |
2,500 |
