Fund Evaluator:
BlackRock Low Duration Bond Inv A (BLDAX)
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Best Performing in Short-Term Bond Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
BlackRock Low Duration Bond Inv A Overview
BlackRock Low Duration Bond Inv A (BLDAX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Short-Term Bond fund. BlackRock launched the fund in 1996.
The investment seeks total return in excess of the reference benchmark in a manner that is consistent with preservation of capital. The fund invests primarily in investment grade bonds and maintains an average portfolio duration that is between 0 and 3 years. It normally invests at least 80% of its assets in debt securities. The fund may invest up to 35% of its assets in non-investment grade bonds (commonly called "high yield" or "junk bonds"). It may also invest up to 35% of its assets in assets of foreign issuers, of which 10% (as a percentage of the fund's assets) may be invested in emerging markets issuers.
About BlackRock Low Duration Bond Inv A (BLDAX)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 5.67 years: Akiva Dickstein (2020), Scott MacLellan (2012), Siddharth Mehta (2025), Sam Summers (2022), Amanda Liu (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 ICE BofA 1-3Y US Corp&Govt TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. BlackRock Low Duration Bond Inv A has 2095 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 85.8% 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.
BlackRock Low Duration Bond Inv A is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. BlackRock Low Duration Bond Inv A has 22.3% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 10.4%. 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 106.4% (84.1% domestic bond, 22.3% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). BlackRock Low Duration Bond Inv A has -16.8% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $495 million in total assets, which is below the $904 million average for the Short-Term Bond 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.
BLDAX 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 BlackRock Low Duration Bond Inv A expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Short-Term Bond category. BlackRock Low Duration Bond Inv A has an expense ratio of 0.65%, which is 2% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. 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. BlackRock Low Duration Bond Inv A has a portfolio turnover rate of 182%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 135% for the Short-Term Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, BlackRock Low Duration Bond Inv A returned 0.0%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Short-Term Bond category had an average return of -0.0%. 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.
BlackRock Low Duration Bond Inv A has a trailing yield of 4.42%, which is above the 4.16% 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.
BlackRock Low Duration Bond Inv A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 1.0%, 0.1 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 3.5% over the past year (grade of B), 5.1% over the past three years (grade of C) and 2.3% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 2.2% per year over the past 10 years (grade of C).
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BLDAX 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 |
|
| BLDAX Return (NAV) | 0.0% | 0.4% | 3.5% | 5.1% | 2.3% | 2.2% |
| BLDAX Grade | B | B | B | C | C | C |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% | -0.1% |
| Short-Term Bond Avg | -0.0% | 0.3% | 3.4% | 5.0% | 2.2% | 2.3% |
| BLDAX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.1% |
BLDAX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| BLDAX Return (NAV) | 1.0% | 5.9% | 5.0% | 5.4% | -5.0% | -0.5% | 3.2% | 4.5% | 0.8% | 1.7% | 1.7% |
| BLDAX Grade | C | B | C | C | C | D | D | C | C | C | D |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | -0.2% | 0.1% | -0.5% | -1.0% | -0.3% | 0.1% | -0.1% | -0.9% |
| Short-Term Bond Avg | 0.9% | 5.9% | 4.9% | 5.6% | -5.0% | -0.0% | 4.2% | 4.8% | 0.7% | 1.9% | 2.5% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 1.7% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.14 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.85 - Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | C (41% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.27 |
| R-Squared: | 84% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Limited Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 4.4% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $3930 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 496 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 182% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 13.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 5.7 years | |||
| Managers (Year): MacLellan Scott (2012), Dickstein Akiva (2020), Summers Sam (2022), Liu Amanda (2022), Mehta Siddharth (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 2095 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 85.8% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 22.3% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 10.4% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 84.1% |
| Foreign Bond: | 22.3% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | -16.8% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | BlackRock |
| Phone Number: | 800-441-7762 |
| Website: | http://www.blackrock.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | January 12, 1996 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $1,000 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 2.25% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.65% ( Rating : Above Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.66% |
| Share Class: | BlackRock Low Duration Bond Instl |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 50 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 50 |
