Fund Evaluator:
Morgan Stanley Inst International Eq A (MIQBX)
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Best Performing in Foreign Large Blend Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Morgan Stanley Inst International Eq A Overview
Morgan Stanley Inst International Eq A (MIQBX) is an actively managed International Equity Foreign Large Blend fund. Morgan Stanley launched the fund in 1996.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in equity securities of non-U.S. issuers. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the fund’s assets will be invested in equity securities. This policy may be changed without shareholder approval; however, the investors would be notified upon 60 days’ notice in writing of any changes. The fund’s equity investments may include convertible securities. It is non-diversified.
About Morgan Stanley Inst International Eq A (MIQBX)
There are 6 members of the management team with an average tenure of 10.58 years: Bruno Paulson (2009), Alex Gabriele (2017), Richard Perrott (2017), Isabelle Mast (2025), Anton Kryachok (2025), William Lock (1999). 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%. Morgan Stanley Inst International Eq A has 56 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 35.0% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Morgan Stanley Inst International Eq A is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity fund group. Morgan Stanley Inst International Eq A has 91.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 6.5%. There is 91.9% 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). Morgan Stanley Inst International Eq A has 1.7% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $30 million in total assets, which is below the $2 billion average for the Foreign Large 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.
MIQBX 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 Morgan Stanley Inst International Eq A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Foreign Large Blend category. Morgan Stanley Inst International Eq A has an expense ratio of 1.24%, which is 32% 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. Morgan Stanley Inst International Eq A has a portfolio turnover rate of 46%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 62% for the Foreign Large Blend category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Morgan Stanley Inst International Eq A returned 1.5%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Foreign Large Blend category had an average return of 0.7%. 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.
Morgan Stanley Inst International Eq A has a trailing yield of 5.73%, which is above the 2.17% 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.
Morgan Stanley Inst International Eq A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 7.0%, 4.6 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 12.9% over the past year (grade of F), 10.2% over the past three years (grade of F) and 5.5% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 6.7% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
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MIQBX 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 |
|
| MIQBX Return (NAV) | 1.5% | 2.1% | 12.9% | 10.2% | 5.5% | 6.7% |
| MIQBX Grade | B | F | F | F | F | F |
| +/- Category | 0.8% | -2.4% | -11.3% | -5.7% | -2.9% | -2.4% |
| Foreign Large Blend Avg | 0.7% | 4.4% | 24.2% | 15.9% | 8.4% | 9.1% |
| MIQBX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 11.9% | 6.7% | 5.0% | 3.1% |
MIQBX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| MIQBX Return (NAV) | 7.0% | 21.5% | 2.5% | 16.4% | -14.4% | 4.1% | 11.0% | 20.1% | -14.1% | 24.8% | -2.3% |
| MIQBX Grade | F | F | F | C | B | F | C | F | B | D | F |
| +/- Category | -4.6% | -9.0% | -2.4% | 0.2% | 2.0% | -6.1% | -0.8% | -2.8% | 1.1% | -1.6% | -3.3% |
| Foreign Large Blend Avg | 11.6% | 30.5% | 4.9% | 16.2% | -16.4% | 10.2% | 11.8% | 22.9% | -15.2% | 26.4% | 1.0% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 12.8% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.04 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.99 - Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | C (53% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.87 |
| R-Squared: | 88% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 5.7% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $191 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 31 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 46% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 6 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 27.2 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 10.6 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Lock William (1999), Paulson Bruno (2009), Gabriele Alex (2017), Perrott Richard (2017), Mast Isabelle (2025), Kryachok Anton (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 3/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 56 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 35.0% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 91.9% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 6.5% |
| Foreign Stock: | 91.9% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 1.7% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Morgan Stanley |
| Phone Number: | 800-869-6397 |
| Website: | www.morganstanley.com/im |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | January 2, 1996 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 5.25% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.24% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.94% |
| Share Class: | Morgan Stanley Inst International Eq I |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
