Fund Evaluator:

MFS Emerging Markets Equity Research A Overview

MFS Emerging Markets Equity Research A (EEMPX) is an actively managed International Equity Diversified Emerging Mkts fund. MFS launched the fund in 2021.

The investment seeks seek capital appreciation. MFS (Massachusetts Financial Services Company, the fund’s investment adviser) normally invests at least 80% of the fund’s net assets in equity securities of issuers that are tied economically to emerging market countries. It may also invest in equity securities of issuers that are not tied economically to emerging market countries. MFS may invest the fund’s assets in securities of companies of any size. It is non-diversified.

About MFS Emerging Markets Equity Research A (EEMPX)

There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.51 years: Sanjay Natarajan (2021), Gregory Johnsen (2022). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.

The fund has 1 primary benchmark: MSCI EM NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. MFS Emerging Markets Equity Research A has 84 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 49.1% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.

MFS Emerging Markets Equity Research A is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity fund group. MFS Emerging Markets Equity Research A has 98.3% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0%. 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). MFS Emerging Markets Equity Research A has 1.7% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $687 million in total assets, which is below the $967 million average for the Diversified Emerging Mkts 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.

EEMPX 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 MFS Emerging Markets Equity Research A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Diversified Emerging Mkts category. MFS Emerging Markets Equity Research A has an expense ratio of 1.31%, which is 13% 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. MFS Emerging Markets Equity Research A has a portfolio turnover rate of 34%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 68% for the Diversified Emerging Mkts category.

Recently, in the month of July 2026, MFS Emerging Markets Equity Research A returned -3.0%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Diversified Emerging Mkts category had an average return of -4.9%. 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.

MFS Emerging Markets Equity Research A has a trailing yield of 1.46%, which is below the 1.72% category average. The fund normally distributes its income 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.

MFS Emerging Markets Equity Research A Grades

Year to date, the fund has returned 19.5%, 0.5 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 34.7% over the past year (grade of C), 17.1% over the past three years (grade of D) and 7.2% per year over the past five years (grade of C).

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