Fund Evaluator:

Columbia Small Cap Growth Inst2 Overview

Columbia Small Cap Growth Inst2 (CSCRX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Small Growth fund. Columbia Threadneedle launched the fund in 2013.

The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. The fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (including the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities (including, but not limited to, common stocks, preferred stocks and securities convertible into common or preferred stocks) of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of the companies in the Russell 2000 Growth Index (the index) at the time of purchase. It invests typically in common stocks of companies believed to have the potential for long-term, above-average earnings growth but may invest in companies for their short, medium or long-term prospects.

About Columbia Small Cap Growth Inst2 (CSCRX)

There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 11.94 years: Dana Kelley (2022), Daniel Cole (2015), Wayne Collette (2006). 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 2000 Growth TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Columbia Small Cap Growth Inst2 has 117 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 23.8% 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.

Columbia Small Cap Growth Inst2 is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Columbia Small Cap Growth Inst2 has 2.4% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 95.2%. There is 2.4% 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 Small Cap Growth Inst2 has 2.5% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $121 million in total assets, which is below the $431 million average for the Small 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.

CSCRX 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 Small Cap Growth Inst2 expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Small Growth category. Columbia Small Cap Growth Inst2 has an expense ratio of 0.88%, which is 25% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. 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 Small Cap Growth Inst2 has a portfolio turnover rate of 122%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 78% for the Small Growth category.

Recently, in the month of July 2026, Columbia Small Cap Growth Inst2 returned -9.2%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Small Growth category had an average return of -6.7%. 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 Small Cap Growth Inst2 has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 0.06% category average. The fund normally distributes its income 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 Small Cap Growth Inst2 Grades

Year to date, the fund has returned 18.4%, 4.8 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 36.3% over the past year (grade of A), 22.1% over the past three years (grade of A) and 5.6% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 16.3% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).

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