Fund Evaluator:
Columbia Short Term Bond Inst (NSTMX)
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Fund Details
Columbia Short Term Bond Inst Overview
Columbia Short Term Bond Inst (NSTMX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Short-Term Bond fund. Columbia Threadneedle launched the fund in 1992.
The investment seeks current income, consistent with minimal fluctuation of principal. The fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (including the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in bonds, including debt instruments issued by the U.S. government and its agencies, debt securities issued by corporations, mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, and dollar-denominated securities issued by foreign governments, companies or other entities. The fund also invests at least 65% of its total assets in securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated investment grade or are unrated but determined to be of comparable quality.
About Columbia Short Term Bond Inst (NSTMX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 17.97 years: Gregory Liechty (2010), Ronald Stahl (2006). 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/Credit 1-3 Yr TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Columbia Short Term Bond Inst has 598 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 10.1% 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.
Columbia Short Term Bond Inst is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Columbia Short Term Bond Inst has 9.5% 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 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 98.9% (89.4% domestic bond, 9.5% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Columbia Short Term Bond Inst has 1.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $826 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.
NSTMX 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 Columbia Short Term Bond Inst expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Short-Term Bond category. Columbia Short Term Bond Inst has an expense ratio of 0.46%, which is 31% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. 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. Columbia Short Term Bond Inst has a portfolio turnover rate of 76%, 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, Columbia Short Term Bond Inst returned 0.1%, which earned it a grade of B, 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.
Columbia Short Term Bond Inst has a trailing yield of 4.59%, which is above the 4.16% 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.
Columbia Short Term Bond Inst Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 1.6%, 0.7 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 4.1% over the past year (grade of A), 5.9% over the past three years (grade of A) and 3.1% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 2.7% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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NSTMX 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 |
|
| NSTMX Return (NAV) | 0.1% | 0.6% | 4.1% | 5.9% | 3.1% | 2.7% |
| NSTMX Grade | B | A | A | A | A | B |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.4% |
| Short-Term Bond Avg | -0.0% | 0.3% | 3.4% | 5.0% | 2.2% | 2.3% |
| NSTMX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.5% | 1.2% |
NSTMX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| NSTMX Return (NAV) | 1.6% | 5.9% | 6.2% | 7.3% | -4.7% | 0.7% | 3.4% | 5.2% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 1.8% |
| NSTMX Grade | A | C | A | A | C | B | D | B | D | F | C |
| +/- Category | 0.7% | 0.1% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 0.8% | -0.8% | 0.4% | -0.1% | -0.8% | -0.7% |
| 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: | 1.7% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.14 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.85 - Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | C (43% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.27 |
| R-Squared: | 85% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Limited Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 4.6% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $1706 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 826 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 76% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 19.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 18.0 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Stahl Ronald (2006), Liechty Gregory (2010) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 598 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 10.1% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 9.5% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 89.4% |
| Foreign Bond: | 9.5% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 1.1% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Columbia Threadneedle |
| Phone Number: | 800-345-6611 |
| Website: | www.columbiamanagement.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | September 30, 1992 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $2,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $1,000 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.46% ( Rating : Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.66% |
| Share Class: | Columbia Short Term Bond Inst |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
