Fund Evaluator:
Allspring Short Duration Govt Bd A (MSDAX)Best Performing in Government Mortgage-Backed Bond Over the Last Year
| 4.4% | Fidelity Mortgage Securities (FMSFX) |
| 4.4% | Fidelity Advisor Mortgage Securities Z (FIKUX) |
| 4.3% | Fidelity GNMA (FGMNX) |
| 4.3% | Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Secs Idx Adm (VMBSX) |
| 4.2% | Vanguard GNMA Adm (VFIJX) |
Fund Details
Allspring Short Duration Govt Bd A Overview
Allspring Short Duration Govt Bd A (MSDAX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Government Mortgage-Backed Bond fund. Allspring Global Investments launched the fund in 1996.
The investment seeks to provide current income consistent with capital preservation. The fund normally invests at least 90% of its net assets in U.S. government obligations and up to 10% of its net assets in non-government mortgage- and asset-backed securities. While it may purchase securities of any maturity or duration, under normal circumstances, the advisor expects the portfolio's overall dollar-weighted average effective duration to be less than that of a 3-year U.S. Treasury note.
About Allspring Short Duration Govt Bd A (MSDAX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 8.79 years: Jarad Vasquez (2017), Maulik Bhansali (2017). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Bloomberg US Govt 1-3 Yr TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Allspring Short Duration Govt Bd A has 67 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 40.2% 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.
Allspring Short Duration Govt Bd A is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Allspring Short Duration Govt Bd A has 0.0% 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 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 95.8% (95.8% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Allspring Short Duration Govt Bd A has 4.2% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $21 million in total assets, which is below the $337 million average for the Government Mortgage-Backed 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.
MSDAX 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 Allspring Short Duration Govt Bd A expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Government Mortgage-Backed Bond category. Allspring Short Duration Govt Bd A has an expense ratio of 0.76%, which is 15% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. 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. Allspring Short Duration Govt Bd A has a portfolio turnover rate of 187%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 367% for the Government Mortgage-Backed Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Allspring Short Duration Govt Bd A returned 0.0%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Government Mortgage-Backed Bond category had an average return of -1.2%. 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.
Allspring Short Duration Govt Bd A has a trailing yield of 3.58%, which is below the 3.87% 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.
Allspring Short Duration Govt Bd A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 0.8%, 1.3 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 3.2% over the past year (grade of D), 4.6% over the past three years (grade of A) and 1.5% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 1.4% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
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MSDAX 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 |
|
| MSDAX Return (NAV) | 0.0% | 0.3% | 3.2% | 4.6% | 1.5% | 1.4% |
| MSDAX Grade | A | A | D | A | A | A |
| +/- Category | 1.3% | 1.1% | -0.2% | 0.8% | 1.4% | 0.4% |
| Government Mortgage-Backed Bond Avg | -1.2% | -0.9% | 3.4% | 3.8% | 0.1% | 1.0% |
| MSDAX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.4% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.0% |
MSDAX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| MSDAX Return (NAV) | 0.8% | 5.3% | 4.4% | 4.2% | -5.9% | -1.7% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.9% |
| MSDAX Grade | A | F | A | D | A | D | F | F | C | F | D |
| +/- Category | 1.3% | -2.4% | 3.2% | -0.2% | 4.6% | -0.3% | -1.0% | -1.9% | 0.1% | -0.9% | -0.5% |
| Government Mortgage-Backed Bond Avg | -0.4% | 7.6% | 1.2% | 4.4% | -10.5% | -1.4% | 4.4% | 5.2% | 0.5% | 1.3% | 1.3% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 1.7% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.14 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.30 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (7% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.28 |
| R-Squared: | 84% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 3.6% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $212 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 21 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 187% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 8.8 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 8.8 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Vasquez Jarad (2017), Bhansali Maulik (2017) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 67 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 40.2% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 95.8% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 4.2% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Allspring Global Investments |
| Phone Number: | 800-222-8222 |
| Website: | www.allspringglobal.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | March 11, 1996 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 250 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 2.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.76% ( Rating : Above Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.89% |
| Share Class: | Allspring Short Duration Govt Bd A |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 100 |