Dear Fellow Shareholders:
We are pleased to present you with this annual report for Value Line Premier Growth Fund, Inc., Value Line Mid Cap Focused Fund, Inc., Value Line Income and Growth Fund, Inc. and Value Line Larger Companies Focused Fund, Inc. (individually, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”) for the 12 months ended December 31, 2015.
During the annual period, equities generated mixed absolute returns, and two of the four Funds lagged their respective benchmark index on a relative basis. Still, the annual period was highlighted by each of the four equity and hybrid Value Line Funds being recognized for their long-term performance and attractive risk profiles.
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Value Line Premier Growth Fund, Inc. outpaced the category average return of its peers for the ten-year period ended December 31, 2015, as noted by leading independent mutual fund advisory service Lipper Inc.1 (multi-cap growth category). Lipper also awarded its top Lipper Leader rating of 5 to the Fund for Preservationi versus its peers overall as of December 31, 2015. As measured by Morningstar2, the Fund outpaced the category average return of its peers for the one-, five- and ten-year periods ended December 31, 2015 (mid-cap growth category). Additionally, Morningstar gave the Fund an overall Risk rating of Below Averageii as of December 31, 2015.
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The Value Line Mid Cap Focused Fund, Inc., formerly The Value Line Fund, Inc., outpaced the category average return of its peers for the one-, three- and five-year periods ended December 31, 2015, as noted by leading independent mutual fund advisory service Lipper Inc.1 (mid-cap growth category). Lipper also awarded its top Lipper Leader rating of 5 to the Fund for Preservationiii and Tax Efficiencyiii versus its peers overall as of December 31, 2015. As measured by Morningstar2, the Fund outpaced the category average return of its peers for the one-, three- and five-year periods ended December 31, 2015 (mid-cap growth category). Additionally, the Fund was given an overall Risk rating of Lowiv by Morningstar as of December 31, 2015.
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Value Line Income and Growth Fund, Inc. outpaced the category average return of its peers for the one-, three-, five- and ten-year periods ended December 31, 2015, as noted by leading independent mutual fund advisory service Lipper Inc.1 (mixed-asset target allocation moderate category). Lipper also awarded its top Lipper Leader rating of 5 to the Fund for Total Returnv and Consistent Returnv versus its peers overall as of December 31, 2015. As measured by Morningstar2, the Fund outpaced the category average return of its peers for the one-, three-, five- and ten-year periods ended December 31, 2015 (moderate allocation category). Additionally, the Fund earned an overall four-star rating from Morningstar2 in the moderate allocation category among 865 funds as of December 31, 2015 based on risk-adjusted returns. Morningstar gave the Fund an overall Risk rating of Below Average.vi
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Value Line Larger Companies Focused Fund, Inc., formerly Value Line Larger Companies Fund, Inc., outpaced the category average return of its peers for the one-, three- and five-year periods ended December 31, 2015, as noted by leading independent mutual fund advisory service Lipper Inc.1 (larger-cap growth category). Lipper also awarded its top Lipper Leader rating of 5 to the Fund for Preservationvii versus its peers overall as of December 31, 2015. As measured by Morningstar2, the Fund outpaced the category average return of its peers for the one-, three- and five-year periods ended December 31, 2015 (large growth category). Additionally, the Fund earned an overall four-star rating from Morningstar2 in the large growth category among 1,542 funds as of December 31, 2015 based on risk-adjusted returns. Morningstar gave the Fund an overall Risk rating of Below Averageviii by Morningstar2 as of December 31, 2015.
On the following pages, the Funds’ portfolio managers discuss the management of their respective Funds during the annual period. The discussions highlight key factors influencing recent performance of the Funds. You will also find a schedule of investments and financial statements for each of the Funds.
Before reviewing the performance of your individual mutual fund investment(s), we encourage you to take a brief look at the major factors affecting the financial markets during the 12 months ended December 31, 2015, especially given the newsworthy events of the annual period. With the significant shifts during 2015 in several long-standing drivers of the capital markets, we also invite you to take this time to consider a broader diversification strategy by including additional Value Line Funds in your investment portfolio. You can find out more about the entire family of Value Line Funds at our website, www.vlfunds.com.
Economic Review
The capital markets were focused for much of the annual period on possible tightening by the Federal Reserve (the Fed). While improving job numbers were supportive of a rise in rates, the Fed’s inflation target of 2% remained elusive. Indeed, the headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose just 0.7% year over year before seasonal adjustment as of December 2015. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, was up 2.1% in December 2015 from a year earlier. Notably, while the food segment of the CPI increased 0.8% during the 12 months ended December 2015, the energy segment of the CPI, despite rising in the months of May, June, July and October 2015, declined 12.6% over the same 12-month span.
Amidst this backdrop, the long-awaited first hike of short-term interest rates in more than nine years was finally announced at the Fed’s December 2015 meeting. The increase in the targeted federal funds rate was a modest 25 basis points. (A basis point is 1/100th of a percentage point.)