PM Chip Skinner and Analyst William Collopy Discuss 2 Small-Cap Growth Favorites 
article 11-03-2026

PM Chip Skinner and Analyst William Collopy Discuss 2 Small-Cap Growth Favorites 

PM Chip Skinner and Analyst William Collopy detail the investment thesis for two key Health Care holdings in Small-Cap Growth Fund while offering a constructive outlook.

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In Royce Small-Cap Growth Fund, we look for companies that look poised for multi-year periods of robust growth driven by sustainable competitive advantages and/or benefiting from secular growth themes that create favorable conditions for the business.

So far this year, Health Care has been the Fund’s top contributing sector, with particularly strong results from the health care providers & services, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology industries. The two companies we discuss in this piece are holdings from the Health Care sector that have earned our long-term confidence.

“So far this year, Health Care has been the Fund’s top contributing sector, with particularly strong results from the health care providers & services, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology industries. The two companies we discuss in this piece are holdings from the Health Care sector that have earned our long-term confidence.”
—Chip Skinner

Castle Biosciences (CSTL) has faced some challenges in the past few years, including poor capital-allocation and acquisition decisions, as well as Medicare reimbursement issues. After briefly receiving Medicare coverage for its third-largest product, DecisionDx-SCC— which is used to treat Squamous small-cell carcinoma lesions —Medicare reversed its decision to reimburse the test, resulting in a sharp drop in the company’s overall revenues. Castle continues to market the test without reimbursement and has reapplied for coverage. If coverage were restored, approximately $100 million in revenue could be recognized again; annual revenue today is roughly $400 million, so the increase would be substantial. Management has also discontinued some acquired tests but has continued to conduct studies supporting a new product, TissueCypher, a test for Atopical Dermatitis that we think has blockbuster-type potential.

Castle Biosciences (Nasdaq: CSTL)
12/31/25-10/31/26

Bar Chart

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Castle Biosciences has faced some challenges in the past few years, including poor capital allocation/acquisition decisions as well as Medicare product reimbursement issues. After briefly receiving Medicare coverage for its third largest product, DecisionDX-SCC—which is used to treat Squamous small-cell carcinoma lesions—Medicare reversed their decision to reimburse the test, resulting in a sharp drop in the company’s overall revenues. Castle continues to marketing the test (while not getting paid) and have reapplied for reimbursement consideration. If coverage were to be reinstated, $100 million or so in revenues could be recognized again; annual revenues today are roughly $400 million, so the increase would be substantial. Management has also discontinued some of the acquired tests but have continued to conduct studies supporting a new product, TissueCypher, a treatment for Atopical Dermatitis that we think has blockbuster-type potential.

CareDx (CDNA) is a biotechnology company and another favorite idea within our healthcare cost containment theme. The company develops blood tests that help doctors monitor patients after kidney, heart, and lung transplants. Following a transplant, it is not uncommon for a patient’s immune system to reject the donated organ. CareDx's flagship test, Allosure, measures small fragments of DNA released by the transplanted organ into the bloodstream, helping doctors to catch early signs of injury that may signal rejection. Used alongside other clinical information, these tests can help guide treatment decisions and reduce the need for invasive biopsies.

CareDx (Nasdaq: CDNA)
12/31/25-10/31/26

Bar Chart

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Similar to Castle Biosciences, CareDx faced reimbursement uncertainty in late 2025 and into 2026, as Medicare raised concerns about coverage and testing frequency. Ultimately, the final policy issued in July 2026 preserved coverage for routine post-transplant monitoring and allowed more frequent testing than the restrictive 2025 proposal. With this uncertainty reduced, we believe broader physician adoption and more consistent follow-up testing provide a multi-year growth opportunity.

Turning to our outlook for the Fund, we continue to seek out quality companies with above-average growth rates that often benefit from an economic or technological theme that provides a durable runway for future growth. We are seeing a healthy number of investment candidates across most of our sectors, not to mention a notable step-up in M&A activity. Technological innovations continue to be in full bloom, although they generally come to market with shorter revenue and profit histories, making stock selection crucial.

Important Disclosure Information

Average Annual Total Returns as of 9/30/2026 (%)

  QTD1 1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR SINCE
INCEPT.
DATE ANNUAL
OPERATING EXPENSES
NET               GROSS
Small-Cap Growth -2.74 30.48 26.99 6.51 12.59 11.56 06/14/01  1.02  1.28
Russell 2000 Growth
-9.39 12.05 17.55 4.72 9.90 7.94 N/A  N/A  N/A
Russell 2000
-7.23 16.20 17.72 6.34 9.84 8.52 N/A  N/A  N/A
1 Not annualized.

All performance information reflects past performance, is presented on a total return basis, reflects the reinvestment of distributions, and does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate, so that shares may be worth more or less than their original cost when redeemed. Current month-end performance may be higher or lower than performance quoted and may be obtained at www.royceinvest.com. Gross operating expenses reflect the Fund's total gross annual operating expenses for the Investment Class and include management fees and other expenses. Net operating expenses reflect contractual fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. All expense information is reported as of the Fund's most current prospectus. Royce has contractually agreed, without right of termination, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to maintain the Investment Class's net annual operating expenses (excluding brokerage commissions, taxes, interest, litigation expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses, and other expenses not borne in the ordinary course of business) at or below 1.02% through April 30, 2027.

All performance and risk information presented in this material prior to the commencement date of Investment Class shares on 3/15/07 reflects Service Class results. Shares of the Fund's Service Class bear an annual distribution expense that is not borne by the Investment Class.

The thoughts and opinions of Mr. Skinner and Mr. Collopy concerning the stock market are solely their own and, of course, there can be no assurance with regard to future market movements. No assurance can be given that the past performance trends outlined above will continue.

Percentage of Fund Holdings As of 9/30/26 (%)

  Smaller-Companies Growth

Castle Biosciences

0.9

CareDx

3.0

Company examples are for illustrative purposes only. This does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock. There can be no assurance that the securities mentioned in this piece will be included in any Fund’s portfolio in the future.

This material is not authorized for distribution unless preceded or accompanied by a current prospectus. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing or sending money. The Fund invests primarily in small-cap and mid-cap stocks, which may involve considerably more risk than investing in larger-cap stocks. (Please see "Primary Risks for Fund Investors" in the prospectus.) The Fund’s broadly diversified portfolio does not ensure a profit or guarantee against loss. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in foreign securities (measured at the time of investment), which may involve political, economic, currency, and other risks not encountered in U.S. investments. (Please see "Investing in Foreign Securities" in the prospectus.)

Sector weightings are determined using the Global Industry Classification Standard ("GICS"). GICS was developed by, and is the exclusive property of, Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC ("S&P") and MSCI Inc. ("MSCI"). GICS is the trademark of S&P and MSCI. "Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS)" and "GICS Direct" are service marks of S&P and MSCI.

Frank Russell Company (“Russell”) is the source and owner of the trademarks, service marks and copyrights related to the Russell Indexes. Russell® is a trademark of Frank Russell Company. Neither Russell nor its licensors accept any liability for any errors or omissions in the Russell Indexes and/or Russell ratings or underlying data and no party may rely on any Russell Indexes and/or Russell ratings and/or underlying data contained in this communication. No further distribution of Russell Data is permitted without Russell’s express written consent. Russell does not promote, sponsor or endorse the content of this communication. The Russell 2000 Value and Growth indices consist of the respective value and growth stocks within the Russell 2000 as determined by Russell Investments. The Russell 2000 is an unmanaged, capitalization-weighted index of domestic small-cap stocks. It measures the performance of the 2,000 smallest publicly traded U.S. companies in the Russell 3000 index. The performance of an index does not represent exactly any particular investment, as you cannot invest directly in an index.

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