The Merger Fund Class A (MERFX)

NASDAQ · Mutual Fund · Delayed Price · Currency is USD
17.32
-0.01 (-0.06%)
Feb 13, 2026, 4:00 PM EST
Fund Assets2.42B
Expense Ratio1.56%
Min. Investment$2,000
Turnover153.00%
Dividend (ttm)1.28
Dividend Yield6.98%
Dividend Growth130.20%
Payout FrequencyAnnual
Ex-Dividend DateDec 16, 2025
Previous Close17.33
YTD Return-5.10%
1-Year Return0.27%
5-Year Return14.12%
52-Week Low17.12
52-Week High19.53
Beta (5Y)0.09
Holdings423
Inception DateOct 14, 1982

About MERFX

The Merger Fund Class A is a mutual fund specializing in merger arbitrage, an investment strategy aimed at profiting from announced corporate events such as mergers, acquisitions, takeovers, leveraged buyouts, spin-offs, and other reorganizations. Managed by Westchester Capital Management, the fund seeks to deliver consistent, positive absolute returns with lower volatility compared to traditional stock market exposure. It accomplishes this by investing primarily in equity and, on occasion, preferred stocks and warrants of companies involved in such announced transactions, typically allocating at least 80% of assets to these opportunities. Since its inception in 1989, The Merger Fund Class A has established itself as a pioneer in liquid alternative investments, offering daily liquidity, transparency, and a regulated vehicle for access to event-driven strategies. The fund is widely regarded as a portfolio diversifier, given its historically low correlation to broader equity and fixed income markets and its potential to dampen volatility during market turbulence. The Merger Fund Class A serves institutions and individuals seeking to diversify beyond conventional asset classes through a disciplined, event-driven approach with a focus on risk management and transaction completion rates.

Fund Family Virtus
Category Event Driven
Performance Rating Average
Risk Rating Below Average
Stock Exchange NASDAQ
Ticker Symbol MERFX
Share Class Class A
Index ICE BofA US 3-Month T Bill TR IX

Performance

MERFX had a total return of 0.27% in the past year, including dividends. Since the fund's inception, the average annual return has been 9.43%.

Other Share Classes

These are alternative share classes of the same fund, from the same provider.

SymbolShare ClassExpense Ratio
MERIXClass I1.27%

Top 10 Holdings

46.10% of assets
NameSymbolWeight
Goldman Sachs Financial Square Treasury Instruments FundFTIXX7.96%
Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc.EDR5.93%
Mr. Cooper Group Inc.COOP5.66%
Kellogg CompanyK5.28%
CyberArk Software Ltd.CYBR4.95%
Virtus Westchester Event-Driven Fund Class IWCEIX4.22%
Chart Industries, Inc.GTLS4.11%
Frontier Communications Parent, Inc.FYBR2.95%
Teck Resources LimitedTECK2.86%
The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc.IPG2.18%
View More Holdings

Dividend History

Ex-DividendAmountPay Date
Dec 16, 2025$1.27939Dec 16, 2025
Dec 18, 2024$0.55577Dec 18, 2024
Dec 20, 2023$0.44447Dec 20, 2023
Dec 21, 2022$0.59124Dec 21, 2022
Dec 29, 2021$0.04659Dec 29, 2021
Dec 29, 2020$0.5772Dec 29, 2020
Full Dividend History