Fund Evaluator:
Columbia Acorn European A (CAEAX)
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Best Performing in Europe Stock Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Columbia Acorn European A Overview
Columbia Acorn European A (CAEAX) is an actively managed International Equity Europe Stock fund. Columbia Threadneedle launched the fund in 2011.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. The fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in European companies. It invests at least 70% of its total assets in companies in Western European countries, but also may invest up to 30% of its total assets in companies in emerging Central and Eastern European countries.
About Columbia Acorn European A (CAEAX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 2.73 years: Philip Dicken (2023), Mine Tezgul (2023). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI ACWI Ex USA NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MSCI AC Europe Small NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Columbia Acorn European A has 100 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 23.7% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Columbia Acorn European A is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity fund group. Columbia Acorn European A has 96.4% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 3.4%. There is 96.4% 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 European A has 0.2% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $21 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Europe Stock 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.
CAEAX 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 European A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Europe Stock category. Columbia Acorn European A has an expense ratio of 1.23%, which is 30% 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. Columbia Acorn European A has a portfolio turnover rate of 82%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 108% for the Europe Stock category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Columbia Acorn European A returned 2.4%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Europe Stock category had an average return of 0.9%. 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 European A has a trailing yield of 1.84%, which is below the 2.12% category average. The fund normally distributes its income semi-annually 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.
Columbia Acorn European A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 6.5%, 2.1 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 9.7% over the past year (grade of F), 9.8% over the past three years (grade of F) and 0.0% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 8.4% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
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CAEAX 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 |
|
| CAEAX Return (NAV) | 2.4% | 1.9% | 9.7% | 9.8% | 0.0% | 8.4% |
| CAEAX Grade | B | F | F | F | F | D |
| +/- Category | 1.5% | -1.7% | -10.7% | -6.1% | -8.0% | -0.8% |
| Europe Stock Avg | 0.9% | 3.6% | 20.4% | 15.9% | 8.0% | 9.2% |
| CAEAX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 4.3% | 1.8% | 1.1% | 0.7% |
CAEAX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| CAEAX Return (NAV) | 6.5% | 23.8% | -4.4% | 24.8% | -38.2% | 21.5% | 22.8% | 46.0% | -18.8% | 37.9% | -3.5% |
| CAEAX Grade | D | F | F | A | F | A | B | A | D | A | B |
| +/- Category | -2.1% | -11.8% | -6.9% | 6.6% | -20.5% | 5.4% | 9.1% | 20.0% | -0.5% | 13.1% | 0.6% |
| Europe Stock Avg | 8.6% | 35.7% | 2.5% | 18.1% | -17.6% | 16.1% | 13.7% | 26.0% | -18.3% | 24.8% | -4.1% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 20.6% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.68 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.45 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (100% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.32 |
| R-Squared: | 79% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 1.8% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Semi-Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $33 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 22 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 82% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 2.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 2.7 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Dicken Philip (2023), Tezgul Mine (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 100 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 23.7% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 96.4% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 3.4% |
| Foreign Stock: | 96.4% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.2% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Columbia Threadneedle |
| Phone Number: | 800-345-6611 |
| Website: | www.columbiathreadneedleus.com |
| Status: | Closed |
| Inception Date: | August 19, 2011 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $2,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $1,000 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 5.75% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.23% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.94% |
| Share Class: | Columbia Acorn European Inst |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
