Fund Evaluator:
TCW MetWest Low Duration Bond I-3 (MWLZX)
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Best Performing in Short-Term Bond Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
TCW MetWest Low Duration Bond I-3 Overview
TCW MetWest Low Duration Bond I-3 (MWLZX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Short-Term Bond fund. TCW launched the fund in 2025.
The investment seeks to maximize current income, consistent with preservation of capital. The fund pursues its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 70% of its net assets in highly rated fixed income securities or unrated securities determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality. The fund also invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in fixed income securities it regards as bonds.
About TCW MetWest Low Duration Bond I-3 (MWLZX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 9.13 years: Bryan Whalen (2004), Jerry Cudzil (2023), Ruben Hovhannisyan (2023). 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 ICE BofA 1-3Y US Trsy TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. TCW MetWest Low Duration Bond I-3 has 487 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 34.1% 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.
TCW MetWest Low Duration Bond I-3 is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. TCW MetWest Low Duration Bond I-3 has 7.5% 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 0.1% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 92.7% (85.1% domestic bond, 7.5% foreign bond and 0.2% convertible bond). TCW MetWest Low Duration Bond I-3 has 7.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $135 million in total assets, which is below the $904 million average for the Short-Term 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.
MWLZX 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 TCW MetWest Low Duration Bond I-3 expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Short-Term Bond category. TCW MetWest Low Duration Bond I-3 has an expense ratio of 0.54%, which is 19% 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. TCW MetWest Low Duration Bond I-3 has a portfolio turnover rate of 489%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 135% for the Short-Term Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, TCW MetWest Low Duration Bond I-3 returned -0.0%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Short-Term Bond category had an average return of -0.0%. 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.
TCW MetWest Low Duration Bond I-3 has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 4.16% category average. The fund normally distributes its income daily.
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.
TCW MetWest Low Duration Bond I-3 Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 0.8%, 0.1 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 3.4% over the past year (grade of C), 4.9% over the past three years (grade of C) and 2.2% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 2.1% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
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MWLZX 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 |
|
| MWLZX Return (NAV) | -0.0% | 0.2% | 3.4% | 4.9% | 2.2% | 2.1% |
| MWLZX Grade | D | D | C | C | C | D |
| +/- Category | 0.0% | -0.1% | -0.0% | -0.1% | -0.1% | -0.2% |
| Short-Term Bond Avg | -0.0% | 0.3% | 3.4% | 5.0% | 2.2% | 2.3% |
| MWLZX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | na | na | na | na |
MWLZX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| MWLZX Return (NAV) | 0.8% | 6.0% | 4.5% | 5.6% | -5.2% | -0.1% | 3.3% | 4.2% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| MWLZX Grade | D | B | D | C | C | C | D | D | B | D | F |
| +/- Category | -0.1% | 0.1% | -0.4% | -0.0% | -0.1% | -0.1% | -0.9% | -0.5% | 0.5% | -0.7% | -1.3% |
| Short-Term Bond Avg | 0.9% | 5.9% | 4.9% | 5.6% | -5.0% | -0.0% | 4.2% | 4.8% | 0.7% | 1.9% | 2.5% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 2.4% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.20 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.22 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (82% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.40 |
| R-Squared: | 89% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Limited Sensitivity |
| Yield: | -- |
| Dividend Distribution: | Daily |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | |
| Total Assets: | $873 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 0 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 489% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 21.6 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 9.1 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Whalen Bryan (2004), Cudzil Jerry (2023), Hovhannisyan Ruben (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 487 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 34.1% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 7.5% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.1% |
| Domestic Bond: | 85.1% |
| Foreign Bond: | 7.5% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.2% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 7.1% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | TCW |
| Phone Number: | 800-386-3829 |
| Website: | www.mwamllc.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | August 26, 2025 |
| 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 (%): | 0.54% ( Rating : Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.66% |
| Share Class: | TCW MetWest Low Duration Bd M |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $50,000 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
