Fund Evaluator:
Steward Select Bond A (SEAKX)
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Fund Details
Steward Select Bond A Overview
Steward Select Bond A (SEAKX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Core Bond fund. Crossmark Steward Funds launched the fund in 2004.
The investment seeks to provide high current income with capital appreciation. The fund invests primarily in fixed income securities, including, but not limited to, corporate bonds, mortgage-backed securities and government and agency bonds and notes. The fund’s investments may include U.S. dollar-denominated instruments issued in the U.S. by foreign banks and branches and foreign corporations. Normally, the fund will invest at least 80% (measured at the time of investment) of the value of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, either directly or through other investment companies, in these types of instruments.
About Steward Select Bond A (SEAKX)
There are 1 members of the management team with an average tenure of 12.59 years: Victoria Fernandez (2014). 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 TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Steward Select Bond A has 173 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 15.2% 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.
Steward Select Bond A is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Steward Select Bond A has 0.9% 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 0.5% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 96.8% (96.0% domestic bond, 0.9% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Steward Select Bond A has 2.7% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $2 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.
SEAKX 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 Steward Select Bond A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Intermediate Core Bond category. Steward Select Bond A has an expense ratio of 0.96%, which is 69% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. 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. Steward Select Bond A has a portfolio turnover rate of 13%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 151% for the Intermediate Core Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Steward Select Bond A returned -1.2%, which earned it a grade of A, 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.
Steward Select Bond A has a trailing yield of 3.20%, which is below the 4.04% 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.
Steward Select Bond A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned -1.2%, 0.4 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 1.8% over the past year (grade of F), 3.3% over the past three years (grade of D) and -0.4% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 0.7% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
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SEAKX 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 |
|
| SEAKX Return (NAV) | -1.2% | -0.9% | 1.8% | 3.3% | -0.4% | 0.7% |
| SEAKX Grade | A | D | F | D | C | F |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | -0.1% | -0.8% | -0.4% | 0.1% | -0.7% |
| Intermediate Core Bond Avg | -1.3% | -0.8% | 2.5% | 3.7% | -0.5% | 1.4% |
| SEAKX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.3% | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.8% |
SEAKX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| SEAKX Return (NAV) | -1.2% | 6.9% | 1.3% | 5.3% | -11.7% | -2.1% | 4.5% | 6.6% | -0.5% | 2.0% | 1.6% |
| SEAKX Grade | F | D | D | D | A | F | F | F | C | F | F |
| +/- Category | -0.4% | -0.2% | -0.3% | -0.4% | 1.4% | -0.6% | -3.6% | -1.8% | -0.0% | -1.6% | -1.2% |
| 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: | 4.3% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.35 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.76 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (4% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.74 |
| R-Squared: | 97% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 3.2% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Quarterly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $214 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 3 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 13% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 1 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 12.6 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 12.6 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Fernandez Victoria (2014) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 173 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 15.2% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.9% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.5% |
| Domestic Bond: | 96.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.9% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 2.7% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Crossmark Steward Funds |
| Phone Number: | 888-845-6910 |
| Website: | www.stewardmutualfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | October 1, 2004 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $1,000 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 3.75% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.96% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.57% |
| Share Class: | Steward Select Bond I |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
