Best Mutual Funds 2026: Growth Stock Funds

2026-03-20 15:32:11

If you’re evaluating mutual funds for your investment portfolio or retirement account, this list highlights the best growth stock funds to consider now, based on each fund outperforming the S&P 500 over the past one-, three-, five- and 10-year periods.

A growth fund invests in companies that are expected to increase revenue or earnings at an above-average rate. Investors are attracted to growth funds because they can offer better returns over time. However, these funds also may experience greater volatility because of the stocks they invest in.

Growth companies typically invest a significant amount of their cash flow in their business, either through new facilities, mergers, acquisitions, R&D or some combination.

Shaded cells in the table below indicate the five best-of-the-best funds based on 10-year performance. Of 428 growth stock funds at least 10 years old, 23 of them, or 5%, won awards.

For more details, read about how the best mutual funds deliver benchmark-beating returns, and see the full 2026 list of IBD’s Best Mutual Funds in every category, including bond funds, diversified stock funds, blend and index funds, and breakouts of large-cap and small-cap funds.

All returns are as of Dec. 31, 2025.

Best Growth Stock Funds

Fund
Symbol
1-year total return
3-year total return
5-year total return
10-year total return
Morningstar category
Annual report net expense ratio
—
Benchmark: S&P 500

17.88%
23.01%
14.42%
14.82%


Fidelity Series Growth Company*
FCGSX
25.80
36.34
16.36
21.66
US Fund Large Growth
0.00
Fidelity Growth Company Fund*
FDGRX
24.34
35.93
15.33
20.67
US Fund Large Growth
0.69
Fidelity Series Blue Chip Growth
FSBDX
20.30
38.29
15.29
20.40
US Fund Large Growth
0.00
Alger Focus Equity I
ALGRX
39.97
45.23
18.62
20.17
US Fund Large Growth
0.95
Fidelity Blue Chip Growth
FBGRX
19.91
37.62
14.50
19.53
US Fund Large Growth
0.61
Fidelity OTC
FOCPX
22.30
32.92
14.79
18.87
US Fund Large Growth
0.73
Federated Hermes MDT Large Cap Growth IS
QILGX
18.45
31.11
17.22
18.57
US Fund Large Growth
0.74
Alger Capital Appreciation Ptfl I-2
ALVOX
32.87
41.23
16.33
18.17
US Fund Large Growth
0.93
Alger Capital Appreciation Instl I
ALARX
31.99
41.30
16.01
17.83
US Fund Large Growth
1.25
Alger Capital Appreciation A
ACAAX
31.13
41.08
15.84
17.76
US Fund Large Growth
1.28
Needham Aggressive Growth Retail
NEAGX
26.51
25.79
14.69
17.07
US Fund Small Growth
1.67
JPMorgan U.S. GARP Equity I
JPGSX
20.56
31.42
16.57
16.93
US Fund Large Growth
0.59
Saratoga Large Capitalization Growth I
SLCGX
22.69
33.87
17.73
16.92
US Fund Large Growth
1.83
Fidelity Contrafund
FCNTX
21.75
32.13
15.53
16.84
US Fund Large Growth
0.63
Fidelity Series Opportunistic Insights
FVWSX
23.55
30.92
15.78
16.76
US Fund Large Growth
0.00
Carillon ClariVest Capital Apprec A
HRCPX
22.99
32.42
16.59
16.60
US Fund Large Growth
1.00
BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Gr Inv A
BMCAX
21.37
30.73
14.48
16.55
US Fund Large Growth
0.87
Virtus Silvant Large-Cap Growth Stk A
STCIX
18.86
32.82
15.40
16.29
US Fund Large Growth
1.03
Fidelity Advisor New Insights I
FINSX
22.98
31.35
15.47
15.75
US Fund Large Growth
0.65
Columbia Disciplined Growth A
RDLAX
18.40
28.78
14.89
15.70
US Fund Large Growth
1.06
Schwab Large-Cap Growth
SWLSX
19.69
28.90
15.11
15.59
US Fund Large Growth
0.99
Cantor Fitzgerald Large Cap Fcs Cl A
FICGX
20.45
24.27
14.95
15.45
US Fund Large Growth
1.17
Fidelity
FFIDX
20.03
25.95
14.55
15.14
US Fund Large Growth
0.42

Sources: IBD, Morningstar Direct

Fund is closed to new investors

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