Fund Evaluator:
Johnson Core Plus Bond (JCPLX)
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Best Performing in Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Over the Last Year
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| 3.7% | Diamond Hill Core Plus Bond Investor (DHNAX) |
| 3.5% | Weitz Core Plus Income Investor (WCPNX) |
| 3.4% | Nuveen Core Plus Bond I (TCBHX) |
Fund Details
Johnson Core Plus Bond Overview
Johnson Core Plus Bond (JCPLX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Core-Plus Bond fund. Johnson Mutual Funds launched the fund in 2021.
The investment seeks to maximize total return over the long term consistent with the preservation of capital. Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any amounts for borrowing, in a broad range of fixed income securities. “Fixed Income Securities” include corporate bonds, notes, domestic and foreign government securities (including securities issued by government agencies), mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations, asset-backed securities, municipal securities, and short-term obligations. The fund invests primarily in investment grade securities.
About Johnson Core Plus Bond (JCPLX)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.61 years: Michael Leisring (2021), Jason Jackman (2021), Brandon Zureick (2021), David Theobald (2021), Ryan Martin (2022). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Johnson Core Plus Bond has 105 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 19.9% 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.
Johnson Core Plus Bond is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Johnson Core Plus Bond has 1.2% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0%. There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.3% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 99.5% (98.3% domestic bond, 1.2% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Johnson Core Plus Bond has 0.2% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $47 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond 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.
JCPLX 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 Johnson Core Plus Bond expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category. Johnson Core Plus Bond has an expense ratio of 0.45%, which is 42% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. 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. Johnson Core Plus Bond has a portfolio turnover rate of 27%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 181% for the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Johnson Core Plus Bond returned -1.3%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category had an average return of -1.3%. 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.
Johnson Core Plus Bond has a trailing yield of 4.45%, which is above the 4.36% category average. The fund normally distributes its income monthly 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.
Johnson Core Plus Bond Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned -0.8%, 0.2 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 2.6% over the past year (grade of D) and 3.9% over the past three years (grade of D).
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JCPLX 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 |
|
| JCPLX Return (NAV) | -1.3% | -0.8% | 2.6% | 3.9% | na | na |
| JCPLX Grade | C | D | D | D | na | na |
| +/- Category | -0.0% | -0.1% | -0.1% | -0.3% | na | na |
| Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Avg | -1.3% | -0.7% | 2.7% | 4.2% | -0.2% | 1.8% |
| JCPLX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.8% | 1.7% | na | na |
JCPLX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| JCPLX Return (NAV) | -0.8% | 8.1% | 1.1% | 5.8% | -13.7% | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| JCPLX Grade | D | A | F | D | C | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -0.2% | 0.7% | -1.1% | -0.3% | -0.3% | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Avg | -0.6% | 7.3% | 2.3% | 6.1% | -13.4% | -0.6% | 8.6% | 9.1% | -0.9% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 6.0% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.49 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.07 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (80% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.06 |
| R-Squared: | 100% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Moderate Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 4.5% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $47 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 47 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Other |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 28% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 4.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 4.6 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Leisring Michael (2021), Jackman Jason (2021), Zureick Brandon (2021), Theobald David (2021), Martin Ryan (2022) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 5/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 105 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 19.9% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 1.2% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.3% |
| Domestic Bond: | 98.3% |
| Foreign Bond: | 1.2% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.2% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Johnson Mutual Funds |
| Phone Number: | 513-661-3100 |
| Website: | www.johnsonmutualfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | November 17, 2021 |
| 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 (%): | 0.45% ( Rating : Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.78% |
| Share Class: | Johnson Core Plus Bond |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
