Fund Evaluator:
Columbia Balanced A (CBLAX)
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Best Performing in Moderate Allocation Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Columbia Balanced A Overview
Columbia Balanced A (CBLAX) is an actively managed Allocation Moderate Allocation fund. Columbia Threadneedle launched the fund in 2002.
The investment seeks high total return by investing in common stocks and debt securities. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests in a mix of equity and debt securities. Its assets are allocated among equity and debt securities (which includes cash and cash equivalents) based on an assessment of the relative risks and returns of each asset class. The fund generally will invest between 35% and 65% of its net assets in each asset class, and in any event will invest at least 25% and no more than 75% of its net assets in each asset class under normal circumstances.
About Columbia Balanced A (CBLAX)
There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 18.43 years: Gregory Liechty (2011), Ronald Stahl (2005), Jason Callan (2018), Guy Pope (1997). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100% and Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Columbia Balanced A has 1009 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 30.1% 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 Balanced A is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation fund group. Columbia Balanced A has 6.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 58.8%. There is 3.8% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 34.7% (32.5% domestic bond, 2.2% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Columbia Balanced A has 2.8% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $4 billion in total assets, which is above the $2 billion average for the Moderate Allocation 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.
CBLAX 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 Balanced A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Moderate Allocation category. Columbia Balanced A has an expense ratio of 0.91%, which is 8% 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. Columbia Balanced A has a portfolio turnover rate of 160%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 52% for the Moderate Allocation category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Columbia Balanced A returned 0.2%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Moderate Allocation category had an average return of -0.3%. 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 Balanced A has a trailing yield of 1.54%, which is below the 1.97% category average. The fund normally distributes its income quarterly 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 Balanced A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 5.9%, 0.6 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 11.6% over the past year (grade of D), 13.1% over the past three years (grade of B) and 7.4% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 9.5% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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CBLAX 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 |
|
| CBLAX Return (NAV) | 0.2% | 3.2% | 11.6% | 13.1% | 7.4% | 9.5% |
| CBLAX Grade | B | A | D | B | B | B |
| +/- Category | 0.4% | 1.1% | -1.5% | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.0% |
| Moderate Allocation Avg | -0.3% | 2.1% | 13.1% | 12.0% | 6.6% | 8.5% |
| CBLAX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.8% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 1.3% |
CBLAX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| CBLAX Return (NAV) | 5.9% | 13.9% | 14.3% | 21.2% | -16.8% | 14.6% | 17.6% | 22.7% | -5.9% | 14.0% | 6.2% |
| CBLAX Grade | D | C | B | A | F | C | A | A | D | C | D |
| +/- Category | -0.6% | 0.5% | 2.1% | 6.9% | -2.9% | 0.3% | 4.6% | 2.9% | -0.8% | 0.2% | -1.6% |
| Moderate Allocation Avg | 6.4% | 13.4% | 12.2% | 14.3% | -14.0% | 14.4% | 12.9% | 19.8% | -5.1% | 13.8% | 7.7% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 9.4% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.77 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.02 - Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | C (59% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.91 |
| R-Squared: | 82% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Moderate Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 1.5% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Quarterly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $10316 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $4,293 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 160% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 4 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 28.6 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 18.4 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Pope Guy (1997), Stahl Ronald (2005), Liechty Gregory (2011), Callan Jason (2018) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 1009 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 30.1% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 6.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 58.8% |
| Foreign Stock: | 3.8% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 32.5% |
| Foreign Bond: | 2.2% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 2.8% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Columbia Threadneedle |
| Phone Number: | 800-345-6611 |
| Website: | www.columbiathreadneedleus.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | November 1, 2002 |
| 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 (%): | 0.91% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.99% |
| Share Class: | Columbia Balanced Inst |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
