Fund Evaluator:
Sterling Capital Interm US Govt A (BGVAX)
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Best Performing in Intermediate Government Over the Last Year
| 2.9% | Victory Government Securities (USGNX) |
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| 2.7% | Thrivent Government Bond S (TBFIX) |
| 2.7% | American Century Government Bond Inv (CPTNX) |
| 2.5% | Fidelity Advisor Government Income Z (FIKPX) |
Fund Details
Sterling Capital Interm US Govt A Overview
Sterling Capital Interm US Govt A (BGVAX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Government fund. Sterling Capital Funds launched the fund in 1992.
The investment seeks current income consistent with the preservation of capital. The fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes in bonds issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies and instrumentalities ("U.S. government securities"). It invests, under normal market conditions, in U.S. government securities, some of which may be subject to repurchase agreements, or in "high grade" mortgage-backed securities, including collateralized mortgage obligations. The fund will maintain an average duration between 2.5 and 7 years.
About Sterling Capital Interm US Govt A (BGVAX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 5.79 years: Michael Sun (2019), Jeffrey Ormsby (2022). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Bloomberg US Govt Interm TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Sterling Capital Interm US Govt A has 116 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 38.5% 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.
Sterling Capital Interm US Govt A is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Sterling Capital Interm US Govt A has 0.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0%. There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 98.1% (98.1% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Sterling Capital Interm US Govt A has 1.9% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $2 million in total assets, which is below the $942 million average for the Intermediate Government 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.
BGVAX 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 Sterling Capital Interm US Govt A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Intermediate Government category. Sterling Capital Interm US Govt A has an expense ratio of 0.81%, which is 33% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a D. 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. Sterling Capital Interm US Govt A has a portfolio turnover rate of 27%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 99% for the Intermediate Government category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Sterling Capital Interm US Govt A returned -0.9%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Intermediate Government category had an average return of -1.2%. 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.
Sterling Capital Interm US Govt A has a trailing yield of 2.67%, which is below the 3.55% category average. The fund normally distributes its income monthly and its capital gains 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.
Sterling Capital Interm US Govt A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned -0.4%, 0.6 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 2.8% over the past year (grade of A), 3.8% over the past three years (grade of A) and 0.2% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 0.9% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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BGVAX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| BGVAX Return (NAV) | -0.9% | -0.7% | 2.8% | 3.8% | 0.2% | 0.9% |
| BGVAX Grade | A | A | A | A | A | B |
| +/- Category | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 0.2% |
| Intermediate Government Avg | -1.2% | -1.0% | 2.0% | 3.1% | -0.8% | 0.7% |
| BGVAX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.0% |
BGVAX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| BGVAX Return (NAV) | -0.4% | 6.8% | 2.0% | 4.4% | -9.6% | -2.0% | 5.0% | 5.2% | 0.4% | 1.2% | 0.5% |
| BGVAX Grade | A | C | A | B | A | C | F | F | D | F | F |
| +/- Category | 0.6% | -0.1% | 1.3% | 0.6% | 2.2% | 0.0% | -2.3% | -0.7% | -0.1% | -0.5% | -0.4% |
| Intermediate Government Avg | -1.1% | 6.9% | 0.7% | 3.8% | -11.8% | -2.0% | 7.2% | 5.9% | 0.5% | 1.8% | 0.8% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 4.3% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.35 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.80 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (5% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.74 |
| R-Squared: | 97% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Moderate Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 2.7% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $26 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 3 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 28% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 7.5 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 5.8 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Sun Michael (2019), Ormsby Jeffrey (2022) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 116 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 38.5% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 98.1% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 1.9% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Sterling Capital Funds |
| Phone Number: | 800-228-1872 |
| Website: | www.sterlingcapitalfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | October 9, 1992 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 2.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.81% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.61% |
| Share Class: | Sterling Capital Interm US Govt I |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
