Fund Evaluator:
GuideStone Funds Emerging Mkts Eq Inv (GEMZX)
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| 48.9% | LSV Emerging Markets Equity Inv (LVAZX) |
| 47.7% | Lazard Emerging Markets Equity Instl (LZEMX) |
Fund Details
GuideStone Funds Emerging Mkts Eq Inv Overview
GuideStone Funds Emerging Mkts Eq Inv (GEMZX) is an actively managed International Equity Diversified Emerging Mkts fund. GuideStone Funds launched the fund in 2013.
The investment seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation. The fund investsmainly (at least,and typically more than,80% of its net assets,plus borrowings for investment purposes,if any) in equity securities that are economically tied to emerging markets.Equity securities may include stock,stock futures,rights,warrants or securities convertible into stock,of foreign companies,and the fund may invest in companies with any market capitalization.
About GuideStone Funds Emerging Mkts Eq Inv (GEMZX)
There are 11 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.89 years: Philippe Langham (2019), Basak Yavuz (2018), Gordon Wotherspoon (2025), John Huss (2022), Michele Aghassi (2016), Brandon Pizzurro (2019), Bo Meunier (2021), Jennifer Mihara (2024), Laura Serban (2026), Joshua Chastant (2024), Clifford Asness (2022). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI ACWI Ex USA NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MSCI EM NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. GuideStone Funds Emerging Mkts Eq Inv has 2323 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 41.7% 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 Emerging Mkts Eq Inv is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity fund group. GuideStone Funds Emerging Mkts Eq Inv has 97.2% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 4.6%. There is 96.9% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.2% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is -0.1% (-0.4% domestic bond, 0.3% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). GuideStone Funds Emerging Mkts Eq Inv has -1.7% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $273 million in total assets, which is below the $992 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.
GEMZX 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 Emerging Mkts Eq Inv expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Diversified Emerging Mkts category. GuideStone Funds Emerging Mkts Eq Inv has an expense ratio of 1.29%, which is 12% 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. GuideStone Funds Emerging Mkts Eq Inv has a portfolio turnover rate of 62%, 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 August 2026, GuideStone Funds Emerging Mkts Eq Inv returned 3.7%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Diversified Emerging Mkts category had an average return of 3.9%. 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.
GuideStone Funds Emerging Mkts Eq Inv has a trailing yield of 1.02%, which is below the 1.65% 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.
GuideStone Funds Emerging Mkts Eq Inv Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 25.2%, 1.5 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 41.6% over the past year (grade of B), 24.0% over the past three years (grade of B) and 8.2% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 9.0% per year over the past 10 years (grade of C).
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GEMZX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 8/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| GEMZX Return (NAV) | 3.7% | -2.2% | 41.6% | 24.0% | 8.2% | 9.0% |
| GEMZX Grade | C | D | B | B | B | C |
| +/- Category | -0.2% | -1.1% | 4.0% | 2.3% | 1.4% | 0.0% |
| Diversified Emerging Mkts Avg | 3.9% | -1.2% | 37.5% | 21.7% | 6.8% | 8.9% |
| GEMZX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.3% | 0.9% |
GEMZX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 8/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| GEMZX Return (NAV) | 25.2% | 34.5% | 8.0% | 10.7% | -21.6% | -2.1% | 21.6% | 19.6% | -20.5% | 35.4% | 13.4% |
| GEMZX Grade | B | B | B | C | B | C | C | D | F | C | A |
| +/- Category | 1.5% | 3.1% | 1.8% | -1.5% | 1.0% | -1.9% | -0.0% | -2.2% | -4.1% | -1.3% | 4.8% |
| Diversified Emerging Mkts Avg | 23.7% | 31.4% | 6.2% | 12.1% | -22.6% | -0.2% | 21.6% | 21.9% | -16.4% | 36.7% | 8.6% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 16.7% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.37 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.03 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | D (69% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.08 |
| R-Squared: | 75% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 1.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $1299 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 274 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Other |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 62% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 11 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 10.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 4.9 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Aghassi Michele (2016), Yavuz Basak (2018), Pizzurro Brandon (2019), Langham Philippe (2019), Meunier Bo (2021), Huss John (2022), Asness Clifford (2022), Chastant Joshua (2024), Mihara Jennifer (2024), Wotherspoon Gordon (2025), Serban Laura (2026) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 2323 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 41.7% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 97.2% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 4.6% |
| Foreign Stock: | 96.9% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.2% |
| Domestic Bond: | -0.4% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.3% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | -0.0% |
| Cash: | -1.7% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | GuideStone Funds |
| Phone Number: | 888-473-8637 |
| Website: | www.guidestonefunds.org |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | October 31, 2013 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $1,000 |
| 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 (%): | 1.29% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.15% |
| Share Class: | GuideStone Funds Emerging Mkts Eq Instl |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 100 |
