Liberty All-Star Growth Fund Inc. (ASG)

FairStock Score: 36/100 — MIXED

Key Financials

AI Analysis

AI-generated, general educational analysis — not personal investment advice.

I approach Liberty All-Star Growth as a closed-end fund, not an operating business. It is managed by ALPS Advisers and co-managers, and invests in U.S. growth equities across market caps. The fund's 'moat' is not a durable competitive advantage like a brand or low-cost production; it is the manager's process and the portfolio. Financial health looks mixed. The provided balance sheet shows no debt (D/E 0.00), an ROE of 13.14%, and a very high Altman Z-Score of 16.41, but ROCE is -0.40% and the Piotroski F-Score is 0/9. Valuation is the attraction: at the 2026-10-13 close of $5.07, FairStock calculates P/B of 0.81, P/E of 6.50, and a Graham Number of $10.14, implying about 50% margin of safety. The dividend yield is 9.36%, and beta is 1.16. Yet the FairStock Score is only 36/100, and Lynch category is 'none' because there are only 0 years of filed results versus the 3 needed. Revenue and profit growth are not available, so I cannot verify a growth trajectory. A closed-end fund can trade below net asset value, and that discount can persist or widen. The high distribution may be attractive, but I would want to see whether it is covered by investment income and gains. In Graham terms, the price is statistically cheap; in Buffett terms, I lack enough evidence about the durability and quality of the underlying portfolio. I would watch the discount to NAV, distribution coverage, portfolio turnover, and long-term filings before drawing a firm conclusion.

In plain English: Liberty All-Star Growth Fund is a closed-end fund that owns a portfolio of U.S. growth stocks. It trades at $5.07 and pays a very high distribution, while the price looks low compared with its accounting value and stated earnings. However, there is little filed long-term history and a weak financial score, so it is not a clear-cut safe bargain.

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Data as of 2026-10-13 close · note generated 2026-10-15 · model deepseek-flash

Fundamentals from company filings and market-data providers; prices are end-of-day, not real-time. AI-generated analysis is general and educational — not personal investment advice. Scoring methodology · Score test · Disclaimer