Fund Evaluator:
Lord Abbett International Opp A (LAIEX)
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Best Performing in Foreign Small/Mid Blend Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Lord Abbett International Opp A Overview
Lord Abbett International Opp A (LAIEX) is an actively managed International Equity Foreign Small/Mid Blend fund. Lord Abbett launched the fund in 1996.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. The fund invests in stocks of companies principally based outside the United States. Under normal conditions, the advisor pursues fund's investment objective by investing at least 65% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of small companies. A small company is defined as a company having a market capitalization at the time of purchase that falls within the market capitalization range of companies in the S&P Developed Ex-U.S. SmallCap® Index.
About Lord Abbett International Opp A (LAIEX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 12.35 years: Thomas Banks (2024), Vincent McBride (2003). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI EAFE NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and S&P Developed Ex US Small TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Lord Abbett International Opp A has 106 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 22.8% 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.
Lord Abbett International Opp A is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity fund group. Lord Abbett International Opp A has 99.3% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.8%. There is 99.3% 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). Lord Abbett International Opp A has 0.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $104 million in total assets, which is below the $540 million average for the Foreign Small/Mid Blend 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.
LAIEX 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 Lord Abbett International Opp A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Foreign Small/Mid Blend category. Lord Abbett International Opp A has an expense ratio of 1.29%, 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. Lord Abbett International Opp A has a portfolio turnover rate of 50%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 63% for the Foreign Small/Mid Blend category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Lord Abbett International Opp A returned -5.5%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Foreign Small/Mid Blend 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.
Lord Abbett International Opp A has a trailing yield of 1.44%, which is below the 2.74% 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.
Lord Abbett International Opp A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 10.4%, 0.8 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 14.6% over the past year (grade of D), 11.6% over the past three years (grade of D) and 4.2% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 6.9% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
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LAIEX 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 |
|
| LAIEX Return (NAV) | -5.5% | -2.1% | 14.6% | 11.6% | 4.2% | 6.9% |
| LAIEX Grade | F | D | D | D | F | F |
| +/- Category | -4.2% | -2.3% | -3.2% | -2.6% | -1.6% | -1.3% |
| Foreign Small/Mid Blend Avg | -1.3% | 0.2% | 17.8% | 14.2% | 5.8% | 8.1% |
| LAIEX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.7% |
LAIEX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| LAIEX Return (NAV) | 10.4% | 24.0% | 0.2% | 14.7% | -20.4% | 9.5% | 14.3% | 21.2% | -23.7% | 38.0% | -3.4% |
| LAIEX Grade | C | D | D | C | D | F | B | D | F | A | F |
| +/- Category | 0.8% | -6.1% | -2.0% | -0.2% | -1.2% | -2.6% | 3.5% | -0.9% | -4.4% | 4.4% | -5.8% |
| Foreign Small/Mid Blend Avg | 9.6% | 30.0% | 2.3% | 15.0% | -19.1% | 12.2% | 10.8% | 22.2% | -19.4% | 33.6% | 2.4% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 17.0% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.39 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.13 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (96% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.12 |
| R-Squared: | 83% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 1.4% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $332 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 104 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 50% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 22.6 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 12.3 years | |||
| Managers (Year): McBride Vincent (2003), Banks Thomas (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 5/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 106 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 22.8% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 99.3% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.8% |
| Foreign Stock: | 99.3% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.0% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Lord Abbett |
| Phone Number: | 888-522-2388 |
| Website: | www.lordabbett.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | December 13, 1996 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,500 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $1,500 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 5.75% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.29% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.14% |
| Share Class: | Lord Abbett International Opp A |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
