Fund Evaluator:
Allspring Diversified Cap Bldr A (EKBAX)Best Performing in Moderately Aggressive Allocation Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Allspring Diversified Cap Bldr A Overview
Allspring Diversified Cap Bldr A (EKBAX) is an actively managed Allocation Moderately Aggressive Allocation fund. Allspring Global Investments launched the fund in 1998.
The investment seeks long-term total return, consisting of capital appreciation and current income. The fund normally invests up to 90% of its total assets in equity securities. It selects equity securities of companies of any size. The fund invests up to 30% of its total assets in corporate debt securities that are below investment-grade. For the debt portfolio, it invests principally in below investment-grade debt securities of corporate issuers. The fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in foreign equity and debt securities. The target allocation range of its investments are 70% to 90% in equity securities and 10% to 30% in debt securities.
About Allspring Diversified Cap Bldr A (EKBAX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 13.26 years: Margaret Patel (2007), Robert Junkin (2019). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 3 primary benchmarks: Russell 3000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100%, Russell 1000 TR USD index with a weighting of 75% and ICE BofA US Cash Pay HY TR USD index with a weighting of 25%. Allspring Diversified Cap Bldr A has 108 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 42.0% 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.
Allspring Diversified Cap Bldr A is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation fund group. Allspring Diversified Cap Bldr A has 0.1% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 88.2%. There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 11.7% (11.6% domestic bond, 0.1% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Allspring Diversified Cap Bldr A has 0.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is above the $570 million average for the Moderately Aggressive 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.
EKBAX 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 Allspring Diversified Cap Bldr A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Moderately Aggressive Allocation category. Allspring Diversified Cap Bldr A has an expense ratio of 1.07%, which is 4% 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. Allspring Diversified Cap Bldr A has a portfolio turnover rate of 20%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 34% for the Moderately Aggressive Allocation category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Allspring Diversified Cap Bldr A returned -6.2%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Moderately Aggressive Allocation category had an average return of -0.4%. 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.
Allspring Diversified Cap Bldr A has a trailing yield of 0.43%, which is below the 1.47% 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.
Allspring Diversified Cap Bldr A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 29.7%, 19.9 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 43.7% over the past year (grade of A), 26.8% over the past three years (grade of A) and 17.3% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 14.9% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
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EKBAX 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 |
|
| EKBAX Return (NAV) | -6.2% | 7.1% | 43.7% | 26.8% | 17.3% | 14.9% |
| EKBAX Grade | F | A | A | A | A | A |
| +/- Category | -5.9% | 3.7% | 25.3% | 11.6% | 8.6% | 4.7% |
| Moderately Aggressive Allocation Avg | -0.4% | 3.4% | 18.4% | 15.1% | 8.7% | 10.2% |
| EKBAX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.1% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 1.8% |
EKBAX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| EKBAX Return (NAV) | 29.7% | 21.9% | 21.8% | 22.2% | -13.4% | 19.7% | 12.7% | 27.5% | -5.5% | 14.4% | 22.1% |
| EKBAX Grade | A | A | A | A | A | B | D | A | A | F | A |
| +/- Category | 19.9% | 5.9% | 6.1% | 5.6% | 2.3% | 1.6% | -0.3% | 4.9% | 1.4% | -2.8% | 12.8% |
| Moderately Aggressive Allocation Avg | 9.8% | 16.0% | 15.7% | 16.5% | -15.7% | 18.1% | 13.0% | 22.6% | -7.0% | 17.2% | 9.3% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 16.5% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.35 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.48 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (103% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.40 |
| R-Squared: | 63% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Limited Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 0.4% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Quarterly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $2484 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $1,187 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 20% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 19.2 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 13.3 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Patel Margaret (2007), Junkin Robert (2019) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 108 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 42.0% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.1% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 88.2% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 11.6% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.1% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.1% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Allspring Global Investments |
| Phone Number: | 800-222-8222 |
| Website: | www.allspringglobal.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | January 20, 1998 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 250 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 5.75% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.07% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.03% |
| Share Class: | Allspring Diversified Cap Bldr A |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 100 |