Fund Evaluator:

BlackRock International Select Eq Inv A Overview

BlackRock International Select Eq Inv A (MDEFX) is an actively managed International Equity Foreign Large Growth fund. BlackRock launched the fund in 1994.

The investment seeks capital appreciation primarily through investment in equities of corporations domiciled in European countries. Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of foreign issuers and derivatives that provide investment exposure to the securities included within that policy or to one or more market risk factors associated with such securities. The fund’s 80% policy is a non-fundamental policy of the fund, and may not be changed without 60 days’ prior notice to shareholders.

About BlackRock International Select Eq Inv A (MDEFX)

There are 1 members of the management team with an average tenure of 1.43 years: Giles Rothbarth (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.

The fund has 1 primary benchmark: MSCI EAFE NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. BlackRock International Select Eq Inv A has 57 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 37.3% 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.

BlackRock International Select Eq Inv A is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity fund group. BlackRock International Select Eq Inv A has 96.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 1.9%. There is 96.0% 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). BlackRock International Select Eq Inv A has 2.1% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $70 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Foreign Large Growth 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.

MDEFX 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 BlackRock International Select Eq Inv A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Foreign Large Growth category. BlackRock International Select Eq Inv A has an expense ratio of 1.11%, which is 7% 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. BlackRock International Select Eq Inv A has a portfolio turnover rate of 89%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 51% for the Foreign Large Growth category.

Recently, in the month of July 2026, BlackRock International Select Eq Inv A returned -5.6%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Foreign Large Growth category had an average return of -2.7%. 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.

BlackRock International Select Eq Inv A has a trailing yield of 0.40%, which is below the 0.95% 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.

BlackRock International Select Eq Inv A Grades

Year to date, the fund has returned 5.5%, 1.0 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 9.4% over the past year (grade of D), 10.5% over the past three years (grade of C) and 4.8% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 7.5% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).

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