Fund Evaluator:
GuideStone Funds Defensv Mkt Strats Inst (GDMYX)
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Best Performing in Equity Hedged Over the Last Year
| 11.9% | Parametric Volatil Risk Prm-Defensv I (EIVPX) |
| 10.4% | MAI Managed Volatility Investor (DIVPX) |
| 9.6% | Horizon Defined Risk Investor (HNDRX) |
| 9.3% | Fidelity Advisor Hedged Equity Z (FEQZX) |
| 9.3% | T. Rowe Price Hedged Equity Z (PZHEX) |
Fund Details
GuideStone Funds Defensv Mkt Strats Inst Overview
GuideStone Funds Defensv Mkt Strats Inst (GDMYX) is an actively managed Nontraditional Equity Equity Hedged fund. GuideStone Funds launched the fund in 2011.
The investment seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation with reduced volatility compared to the equity market. To pursue its investment objective, the fund utilizes principal investment strategies, managed by the fund's Sub-Advisers under the ultimate supervision of the Adviser. It allocates 20%-80% of its assets in Long Only Equity, 0%-50% in Convertible Bond and 0%-35% in Long-Short Equity, 0%-70% in Options Equity.
About GuideStone Funds Defensv Mkt Strats Inst (GDMYX)
There are 14 members of the management team with an average tenure of 2.94 years: Devang Gambhirwala (2021), Joel Kallman (2021), Derek Devens (2021), Gordon Wotherspoon (2025), Hamilton Reiner (2026), Brandon Pizzurro (2020), Rory Ewing (2021), Eric Zhou (2021), Jennifer Mihara (2024), Raffaele Zingone (2026), Edward Tostanoski (2025), Judy Jansen (2026), Matthew Bensen (2026), Joshua Chastant (2024). 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 Treasury Bill 1-3 M TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. GuideStone Funds Defensv Mkt Strats Inst has 256 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 86.9% 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.
GuideStone Funds Defensv Mkt Strats Inst is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Nontraditional Equity fund group. GuideStone Funds Defensv Mkt Strats Inst has 0.2% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 64.4%. There is 0.2% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 58.2% (58.2% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). GuideStone Funds Defensv Mkt Strats Inst has -22.8% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $994 million in total assets, which is above the $419 million average for the Equity Hedged 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.
GDMYX 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 GuideStone Funds Defensv Mkt Strats Inst expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Equity Hedged category. GuideStone Funds Defensv Mkt Strats Inst has an expense ratio of 0.64%, which is 55% 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. GuideStone Funds Defensv Mkt Strats Inst has a portfolio turnover rate of 68%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 75% for the Equity Hedged category.
Recently, in the month of September 2026, GuideStone Funds Defensv Mkt Strats Inst returned 0.1%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Equity Hedged 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.
GuideStone Funds Defensv Mkt Strats Inst has a trailing yield of 1.89%, which is above the 0.96% category average. The fund normally distributes its income semi-annually and its capital gains semi-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.
GuideStone Funds Defensv Mkt Strats Inst Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 8.7%, 1.8 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 11.2% over the past year (grade of A), 12.7% over the past three years (grade of C) and 6.8% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 8.3% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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GDMYX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 9/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| GDMYX Return (NAV) | 0.1% | 2.6% | 11.2% | 12.7% | 6.8% | 8.3% |
| GDMYX Grade | B | A | A | C | C | B |
| +/- Category | 0.5% | 1.6% | 2.7% | 1.1% | 0.4% | 1.5% |
| Equity Hedged Avg | -0.4% | 1.0% | 8.5% | 11.6% | 6.5% | 6.8% |
| GDMYX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 3.0% | 2.5% | 2.9% | 2.3% |
GDMYX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 9/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| GDMYX Return (NAV) | 8.7% | 10.5% | 11.7% | 11.4% | -11.2% | 12.2% | 10.1% | 19.8% | -1.5% | 12.7% | 11.8% |
| GDMYX Grade | A | C | D | D | C | C | B | A | B | B | A |
| +/- Category | 1.8% | 0.8% | -0.7% | -1.1% | -1.3% | 0.7% | -0.8% | 5.5% | 1.3% | 3.8% | 7.3% |
| Equity Hedged Avg | 6.9% | 9.7% | 12.4% | 12.5% | -9.9% | 11.4% | 10.9% | 14.3% | -2.8% | 8.9% | 4.5% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 7.3% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.61 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.94 - Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | C (49% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.57 |
| R-Squared: | 94% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 1.9% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Semi-Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Semi-Annually |
| Total Assets: | $1295 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 995 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 68% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 14 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 6.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 2.9 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Pizzurro Brandon (2020), Ewing Rory (2021), Zhou Eric (2021), Gambhirwala Devang (2021), Kallman Joel (2021), Devens Derek (2021), Chastant Joshua (2024), Mihara Jennifer (2024), Tostanoski Edward (2025), Wotherspoon Gordon (2025), Reiner Hamilton (2026), Zingone Raffaele (2026), Jansen Judy (2026), Bensen Matthew (2026) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 8/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 256 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 86.9% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.2% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 64.4% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.2% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 58.2% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | -22.8% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | GuideStone Funds |
| Phone Number: | 888-473-8637 |
| Website: | www.guidestonefunds.org |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | September 1, 2011 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000,000 |
| 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 (%): | 0.64% ( Rating : Above Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.43% |
| Share Class: | GuideStone Funds Defensv Mkt Strats Inv |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
