Standard & Poor's on Monday named the 29 finalists for its U.S. Mutual Fund Excellence Awards Program. The funds were selected for most consistently achieving the highest overall quantitative ranking in their category using S&P's research for the year ended Aug. 31.

The finalists are: Domestic Equity Large Cap: Becker Value Equity Fund (BVEFX); Dreyfus Appreciation Fund (DGAGX); Jensen Portfolio; J (JENSX); Global Equity: American Century Global Growth Fund; Investor (TWGGX); Oakmark Global Fund; I (OAKGX); Tweedy Browne Value Fund (TWEBX); Blended Individual Securities: Mairs & Power Balanced Fund (MAPOX); Vanguard Balanced Index Fund; Investor (VBINX); Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund; Investor (VTMFX); International Equity: Dodge & Cox International Stock Fund (DODFX); Oakmark International Fund; I (OAKIX); Scout International Fund (UMBWX).

Also named were American Century Government Bond Fund; Investor (CPTNX); T. Rowe Price New Income Fund (PRCIX) for the Taxable Fixed Income category; Janus Triton Fund; T (JATTX); T. Rowe Price Diversified Small-Cap Growth Fund (PRDSX); T. Rowe Price Small-Cap Stock Fund (OTCFX) for the Domestic Equity Small Cap category; Dodge & Cox Global Fund (DODWX); Northern Global Sustainability Index Fund (NSRIX); T. Rowe Price U.S. Large-Cap Core (TRULX) as New and Notable" funds.

In addition, Fidelity Low-Priced Stock Fund (FLPSX); Meridian Growth Fund (MERDX); Vanguard Selected Value Fund; Investor (VASVX) are all up for Domestic Equity Mid Cap awards; Auxier Focus Fund; Investor (AUXFX); Mairs & Power Growth Fund (MPGFX); Nicholas Fund (NICSX) for the Domestic Equity Multi Cap category; and T. Rowe Price Retirement Income Fund (TRRIX); Vanguard LifeStrategy Conservative Growth Fund; and Investor (VSCGX); Vanguard STAR Fund; Investor (VGSTX)were also named as Blended Funds of Funds finalists.

"The application of our methodology has produced some surprising results " stated Todd Rosenbluth, mutual fund analyst at S&P.

"In the final analysis, a number of major fund families are well represented here, but there are also some funds from groups that are less well known."  

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