Fund Evaluator:
DWS Latin America Equity Inst (SLARX)
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Best Performing in Focused Region Over the Last Year
| 39.1% | Vanguard Pacific Stock Index Admiral (VPADX) |
| 36.0% | Fidelity Pacific Basin (FPBFX) |
| 35.6% | T. Rowe Price Latin America (PRLAX) |
| 34.5% | Matthews Asia Dividend Investor (MAPIX) |
| 23.2% | T. Rowe Price Latin America Z (TRZYX) |
Fund Details
DWS Latin America Equity Inst Overview
DWS Latin America Equity Inst (SLARX) is an actively managed International Equity Focused Region fund. DWS launched the fund in 2015.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. The fund normally invests at least 80% of net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in Latin American common stocks and other equities. It may invest up to 20% of net assets in the equity securities of U.S. and other non-Latin American issuers and in debt securities including junk bonds (grade BB/Ba and below). The fund may also invest as much as 10% of net assets in debt securities rated B or lower. It is non-diversified.
About DWS Latin America Equity Inst (SLARX)
There are 1 members of the management team with an average tenure of 6.21 years: Scott Piper (2020). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: MSCI EM Latin America NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. DWS Latin America Equity Inst has 68 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 40.4% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
DWS Latin America Equity Inst is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity fund group. DWS Latin America Equity Inst has 99.6% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.4%. There is 99.6% 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). DWS Latin America Equity Inst has 0.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $54 million in total assets, which is below the $980 million average for the Focused Region 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.
SLARX 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 DWS Latin America Equity Inst expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Focused Region category. DWS Latin America Equity Inst has an expense ratio of 1.14%, which is 11% higher 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. DWS Latin America Equity Inst has a portfolio turnover rate of 120%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 36% for the Focused Region category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, DWS Latin America Equity Inst returned 3.9%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Focused Region 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.
DWS Latin America Equity Inst has a trailing yield of 3.75%, which is above the 2.42% category average. The fund normally distributes its income 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.
DWS Latin America Equity Inst Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 12.2%, 1.5 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 35.5% over the past year (grade of B), 9.9% over the past three years (grade of F) and 9.2% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 10.3% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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SLARX 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 |
|
| SLARX Return (NAV) | 3.9% | -3.8% | 35.5% | 9.9% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| SLARX Grade | B | F | B | F | C | B |
| +/- Category | 3.9% | -4.3% | 5.6% | -7.4% | 2.3% | 2.1% |
| Focused Region Avg | -0.0% | 0.5% | 29.8% | 17.3% | 6.9% | 8.3% |
| SLARX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.3% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 1.4% |
SLARX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| SLARX Return (NAV) | 12.2% | 54.4% | -28.3% | 33.5% | 8.4% | -8.8% | 1.0% | 35.9% | -2.6% | 32.5% | 32.3% |
| SLARX Grade | C | A | F | B | A | D | C | A | A | A | A |
| +/- Category | -1.5% | 18.1% | -30.8% | 14.3% | 26.1% | -19.4% | -7.4% | 12.0% | 9.2% | 6.4% | 17.6% |
| Focused Region Avg | 13.7% | 36.3% | 2.5% | 19.2% | -17.8% | 10.6% | 8.4% | 23.9% | -11.8% | 26.1% | 14.7% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 19.8% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.62 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.16 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | D (80% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.98 |
| R-Squared: | 46% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Value |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 3.8% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | |
| Total Assets: | $374 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 55 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 120% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 1 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 6.2 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 6.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Piper Scott (2020) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 5/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 68 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 40.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 99.6% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.4% |
| Foreign Stock: | 99.6% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.0% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | DWS |
| Phone Number: | 800-728-3337 |
| Website: | www.dws-investments.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | February 2, 2015 |
| 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 (%): | 1.14% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.03% |
| Share Class: | DWS Latin America Equity S |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
