Fund Evaluator:
Columbia Acorn Inst (ACRNX)
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Best Performing in Mid-Cap Growth Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Columbia Acorn Inst Overview
Columbia Acorn Inst (ACRNX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Mid-Cap Growth fund. Columbia Threadneedle launched the fund in 1970.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. The fund invests a majority of its net assets in the common stock of small- and mid-sized companies with market capitalizations generally in the range of market capitalizations in the Russell 2500 Growth Index, the fund's benchmark, (the index) at the time of purchase. It invests the majority of its assets in U.S. companies, but also may invest up to 33% of its total assets in foreign companies in developed markets (for example, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom) and in emerging markets.
About Columbia Acorn Inst (ACRNX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 0.41 years: Nicolas Janvier (2026), Pratyasha Rath (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Russell 3000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Russell 2500 Growth TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Columbia Acorn Inst has 100 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 19.4% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Columbia Acorn Inst is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Columbia Acorn Inst has 2.1% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 96.9%. There is 2.1% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Columbia Acorn Inst has 1.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is above the $686 million average for the Mid-Cap Growth category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
ACRNX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Columbia Acorn Inst expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Mid-Cap Growth category. Columbia Acorn Inst has an expense ratio of 0.83%, which is 24% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Columbia Acorn Inst has a portfolio turnover rate of 78%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 76% for the Mid-Cap Growth category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, Columbia Acorn Inst returned 6.9%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Mid-Cap Growth category had an average return of 3.7%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
Columbia Acorn Inst has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 0.03% category average. The fund normally distributes its income semi-annually and its capital gains semi-annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Columbia Acorn Inst Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 21.8%, 10.0 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 32.5% over the past year (grade of A), 15.3% over the past three years (grade of C) and 3.6% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 10.7% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
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ACRNX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| ACRNX Return (NAV) | 6.9% | 27.7% | 32.5% | 15.3% | 3.6% | 10.7% |
| ACRNX Grade | A | A | A | C | C | D |
| +/- Category | 3.2% | 10.6% | 19.3% | 1.7% | -0.4% | -1.3% |
| Mid-Cap Growth Avg | 3.7% | 17.1% | 13.2% | 13.6% | 3.9% | 12.0% |
| ACRNX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.2% | 0.1% | 1.2% | 2.6% |
ACRNX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| ACRNX Return (NAV) | 21.8% | 4.8% | 14.5% | 21.9% | -33.8% | 9.0% | 29.5% | 26.6% | -5.1% | 25.2% | 10.4% |
| ACRNX Grade | A | C | C | C | F | D | D | F | C | C | A |
| +/- Category | 10.0% | -1.1% | -2.8% | 1.1% | -5.8% | -3.4% | -10.8% | -7.4% | -0.5% | -0.1% | 5.1% |
| Mid-Cap Growth Avg | 11.8% | 5.9% | 17.2% | 20.7% | -28.0% | 12.4% | 40.3% | 34.0% | -4.6% | 25.3% | 5.3% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 20.1% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.65 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.09 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (83% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.33 |
| R-Squared: | 75% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Small-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Semi-Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Semi-Annually |
| Total Assets: | $2771 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $1,845 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 78% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 0.8 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 0.4 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Rath Pratyasha (2025), Janvier Nicolas (2026) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 5/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 100 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 19.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 2.1% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 96.9% |
| Foreign Stock: | 2.1% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 1.0% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Columbia Threadneedle |
| Phone Number: | 800-345-6611 |
| Website: | www.columbiathreadneedleus.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | June 10, 1970 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $2,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.83% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.09% |
| Share Class: | Columbia Acorn Inst |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
