Fund Evaluator:
DFA Continental Small Company I (DFCSX)
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Best Performing in Europe Stock Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
DFA Continental Small Company I Overview
DFA Continental Small Company I (DFCSX) is an actively managed International Equity Europe Stock fund. Dimensional Fund Advisors launched the fund in 1988.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. The Portfolio is a Feeder Portfolio and pursues its objective by investing substantially all of its assets in its corresponding master fund, the Continental Small Company Series (the "Continental Small Company Series") of the DFA Investment Trust Company (the "Trust"), which has the same investment objective and policies as the Portfolio. As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Continental Small Company Series will invest at least 80% of its net assets in securities of small companies located in continental Europe.
About DFA Continental Small Company I (DFCSX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 8.09 years: Jed Fogdall (2010), Joel Schneider (2020), Brendan McAndrews (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI Europe Ex UK NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MSCI Europe Ex UK Small Cap NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. DFA Continental Small Company I has 1171 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 8.1% 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.
DFA Continental Small Company I is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity fund group. DFA Continental Small Company I has 98.3% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.8%. There is 98.3% 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). DFA Continental Small Company I has 0.8% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $119 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.
DFCSX 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 DFA Continental Small Company I expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Europe Stock category. DFA Continental Small Company I has an expense ratio of 0.42%, which is 56% 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. DFA Continental Small Company I has a portfolio turnover rate of 10%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 108% for the Europe Stock category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, DFA Continental Small Company I returned 2.9%, which earned it a grade of A, 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.
DFA Continental Small Company I has a trailing yield of 2.85%, which is above the 2.12% 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.
DFA Continental Small Company I Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 6.7%, 1.9 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 13.9% over the past year (grade of F), 14.8% over the past three years (grade of D) and 6.6% per year over the past five years (grade of D) and 10.0% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
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DFCSX 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 |
|
| DFCSX Return (NAV) | 2.9% | 1.9% | 13.9% | 14.8% | 6.6% | 10.0% |
| DFCSX Grade | A | F | F | D | D | A |
| +/- Category | 2.0% | -1.7% | -6.5% | -1.1% | -1.4% | 0.8% |
| Europe Stock Avg | 0.9% | 3.6% | 20.4% | 15.9% | 8.0% | 9.2% |
| DFCSX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.8% |
DFCSX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| DFCSX Return (NAV) | 6.7% | 37.6% | 0.2% | 16.9% | -20.1% | 17.9% | 15.1% | 25.9% | -19.7% | 35.1% | 5.9% |
| DFCSX Grade | D | C | F | F | D | C | C | B | F | A | A |
| +/- Category | -1.9% | 1.9% | -2.3% | -1.2% | -2.5% | 1.8% | 1.4% | -0.1% | -1.3% | 10.4% | 9.9% |
| 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: | 15.3% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.25 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.08 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (97% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.95 |
| R-Squared: | 74% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 2.9% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Quarterly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $119 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 119 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 10% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 16.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 8.1 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Fogdall Jed (2010), Schneider Joel (2020), McAndrews Brendan (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 4/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 1171 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 8.1% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 98.3% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.8% |
| Foreign Stock: | 98.3% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.1% |
| Cash: | 0.8% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Dimensional Fund Advisors |
| Phone Number: | 888-576-1167 |
| Website: | www.dimensional.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | April 15, 1988 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | na |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.42% ( Rating : Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.94% |
| Share Class: | DFA Continental Small Company I |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
