Fund Evaluator:
Aristotle Core Bond I (PLEBX)
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Fund Details
Aristotle Core Bond I Overview
Aristotle Core Bond I (PLEBX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Core Bond fund. Aristotle Funds launched the fund in 2020.
The investment seeks total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation. The fund primarily invests in a broad range of investment grade debt securities, including corporate bonds, mortgage-related securities, asset-backed securities, debt securities issued by the U.S. government or its related agencies and U.S. dollar-denominated debt securities issued by developed foreign governments and corporations. Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in debt securities.
About Aristotle Core Bond I (PLEBX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.23 years: Ying Qiu (2020), David Weismiller (2020), Jeff Klingelhofer (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Aristotle Core Bond I has 353 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 27.9% 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.
Aristotle Core Bond I is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Aristotle Core Bond I has 7.1% 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 97.4% (90.3% domestic bond, 7.1% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Aristotle Core Bond I has 2.5% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $212 million in total assets, which is below the $3 billion average for the Intermediate Core 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.
PLEBX 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 Aristotle Core Bond I expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Intermediate Core Bond category. Aristotle Core Bond I has an expense ratio of 0.44%, which is 22% 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. Aristotle Core Bond I has a portfolio turnover rate of 142%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 151% for the Intermediate Core Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Aristotle Core Bond I returned -1.4%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Intermediate Core Bond category had an average return of -1.3%. 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.
Aristotle Core Bond I has a trailing yield of 4.50%, which is above the 4.04% category average. The fund normally distributes its income monthly.
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.
Aristotle Core Bond I Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned -0.7%, 0.1 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 2.7% over the past year (grade of B), 4.1% over the past three years (grade of B) and 0.1% per year over the past five years (grade of A).
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PLEBX 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 |
|
| PLEBX Return (NAV) | -1.4% | -0.8% | 2.7% | 4.1% | 0.1% | na |
| PLEBX Grade | F | C | B | B | A | na |
| +/- Category | -0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.5% | na |
| Intermediate Core Bond Avg | -1.3% | -0.8% | 2.5% | 3.7% | -0.5% | 1.4% |
| PLEBX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.8% | 1.5% | 1.3% | na |
PLEBX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| PLEBX Return (NAV) | -0.7% | 7.5% | 2.0% | 6.8% | -12.5% | -1.8% | na | na | na | na | na |
| PLEBX Grade | C | B | B | A | A | D | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 1.2% | 0.7% | -0.3% | na | na | na | na | na |
| Intermediate Core Bond Avg | -0.7% | 7.0% | 1.6% | 5.6% | -13.2% | -1.5% | 8.1% | 8.5% | -0.4% | 3.6% | 2.8% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 5.5% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.45 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.98 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (22% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.97 |
| R-Squared: | 99% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Moderate Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 4.5% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | |
| Total Assets: | $228 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 212 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 142% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 5.6 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 4.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Qiu Ying (2020), Weismiller David (2020), Klingelhofer Jeff (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 353 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 27.9% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 7.1% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.1% |
| Domestic Bond: | 90.3% |
| Foreign Bond: | 7.1% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 2.5% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Aristotle Funds |
| Phone Number: | 844-274-7885 |
| Website: | www.pacificlife.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | December 14, 2020 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $500,000 |
| 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 (%): | 0.44% ( Rating : Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.57% |
| Share Class: | Aristotle Core Bond I |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
