Target-date funds will be the majority of assets in 401(k) and other defined contribution plans as a result of increased automatic enrollment and other automated features, Northern Trust predicts.

Currently, large-cap stocks account for the biggest share of DC holdings at 24.4 percent while target-date funds’ share amounts to 15.7 percent.

The forecast comes as the wealth management powerhouse noted last week that target-date funds grew the most of any asset class in DC plans for 2013, with a rise of 14.6 percent.

Of the target-date funds in DC vehicles, 58 percent of sponsors strictly use passive index funds, with 25 percent opting for a mix of active and passive funds.

Last year also saw plan participants reduce their fixed-income assets with outflows of 11 percent, a reversal of the 9.2 percent inflows for the category in 2012.

During 2013, international equities had inflows of 9.3 percent.

U.S. mid-cap stocks had inflows of 6.3 percent and small cap stocks gained 4.4 percent.