Fund Evaluator:
Nuveen Dividend Growth A (NSBAX)
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Best Performing in Large Blend Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Nuveen Dividend Growth A Overview
Nuveen Dividend Growth A (NSBAX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Large Blend fund. Nuveen launched the fund in 2006.
The investment seeks an attractive total return comprised of income from dividends and long-term capital appreciation. Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in dividend-paying common stocks and preferred securities. It may, from time to time, have a greater exposure to these higher dividend-yield sectors and industries than the broad equity market. The fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in non-U.S. equity securities that are U.S. dollar-denominated.
About Nuveen Dividend Growth A (NSBAX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.93 years: David Park (2019), Charles Carr (2026), David Chalupnik (2019). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100% and Lipper Equity Income class average USD index with a weighting of 100%. Nuveen Dividend Growth A has 44 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 42.6% 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.
Nuveen Dividend Growth A is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Nuveen Dividend Growth A has 5.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 92.7%. There is 5.9% 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). Nuveen Dividend Growth A has 1.4% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is below the $6 billion average for the 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.
NSBAX 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 Nuveen Dividend Growth A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Large Blend category. Nuveen Dividend Growth A has an expense ratio of 0.91%, which is 12% 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. Nuveen Dividend Growth A has a portfolio turnover rate of 12%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 48% for the Large Blend category.
Recently, in the month of August 2026, Nuveen Dividend Growth A returned 0.6%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Large Blend category had an average return of 2.1%. 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.
Nuveen Dividend Growth A has a trailing yield of 0.76%, which is above the 0.55% category average. The fund normally distributes its income quarterly 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.
Nuveen Dividend Growth A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 5.6%, 6.0 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 7.7% over the past year (grade of F), 13.1% over the past three years (grade of F) and 8.8% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 11.7% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
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NSBAX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 8/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| NSBAX Return (NAV) | 0.6% | 2.4% | 7.7% | 13.1% | 8.8% | 11.7% |
| NSBAX Grade | F | B | F | F | F | F |
| +/- Category | -1.6% | 0.1% | -10.0% | -5.7% | -2.2% | -2.2% |
| Large Blend Avg | 2.1% | 2.3% | 17.6% | 18.8% | 11.0% | 13.9% |
| NSBAX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.6% | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.4% |
NSBAX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 8/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| NSBAX Return (NAV) | 5.6% | 9.8% | 17.2% | 14.8% | -9.7% | 26.9% | 9.5% | 31.6% | -4.4% | 19.7% | 11.6% |
| NSBAX Grade | F | F | F | F | A | C | F | B | B | D | B |
| +/- Category | -6.0% | -6.1% | -4.8% | -8.9% | 7.5% | 0.3% | -8.1% | 1.7% | 1.5% | -1.6% | 1.4% |
| Large Blend Avg | 11.6% | 15.8% | 22.1% | 23.7% | -17.3% | 26.5% | 17.5% | 29.8% | -5.9% | 21.3% | 10.2% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 10.4% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.86 - Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.79 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (2% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.71 |
| R-Squared: | 77% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.8% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Quarterly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $6315 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $1,154 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 12% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 7.2 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 4.9 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Park David (2019), Chalupnik David (2019), Carr Charles (2026) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 44 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 42.6% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 5.9% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 92.7% |
| Foreign Stock: | 5.9% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 1.4% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Nuveen |
| Phone Number: | 800-257-8787 |
| Website: | www.nuveen.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | March 28, 2006 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $2,500 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $2,000 |
| 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 (%): | 0.91% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.81% |
| Share Class: | Nuveen Dividend Growth I |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 100 |
