Fund Evaluator:
American Beacon Stephens Sm Cp Gr C (SPWCX)
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Best Performing in Small Growth Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
American Beacon Stephens Sm Cp Gr C Overview
American Beacon Stephens Sm Cp Gr C (SPWCX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Small Growth fund. American Beacon launched the fund in 2012.
The investment seeks long term growth of capital. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of small market capitalization companies that the fund's managers consider to have growth characteristics. The fund adviser considers a company to be a small market capitalization company if it has a market capitalization similar to the market capitalizations of the companies in the Russell 2000® Index.
About American Beacon Stephens Sm Cp Gr C (SPWCX)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 15.86 years: John Thornton (2005), Kelly Ranucci (2011), Samuel Chase (2011), John Keller (2019), Ryan Crane (2005). 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 Russell 2000 Growth TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. American Beacon Stephens Sm Cp Gr C has 103 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 18.6% 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.
American Beacon Stephens Sm Cp Gr C is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. American Beacon Stephens Sm Cp Gr C has 3.8% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 93.8%. There is 3.8% 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). American Beacon Stephens Sm Cp Gr C has 2.4% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $431 million in total assets, which is below the $431 million average for the Small Growth 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.
SPWCX 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 American Beacon Stephens Sm Cp Gr C expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Small Growth category. American Beacon Stephens Sm Cp Gr C has an expense ratio of 2.06%, which is 75% 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. American Beacon Stephens Sm Cp Gr C has a portfolio turnover rate of 35%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 78% for the Small Growth category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, American Beacon Stephens Sm Cp Gr C returned -6.0%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Small Growth category had an average return of -6.7%. 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.
American Beacon Stephens Sm Cp Gr C has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 0.06% category average. The fund normally distributes its income annually 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.
American Beacon Stephens Sm Cp Gr C Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 10.7%, 2.9 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 17.6% over the past year (grade of D), 13.5% over the past three years (grade of B) and 3.5% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 10.4% per year over the past 10 years (grade of C).
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SPWCX 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 |
|
| SPWCX Return (NAV) | -6.0% | 1.4% | 17.6% | 13.5% | 3.5% | 10.4% |
| SPWCX Grade | C | D | D | B | C | C |
| +/- Category | 0.8% | -2.3% | -5.1% | 1.1% | 0.2% | -0.8% |
| Small Growth Avg | -6.7% | 3.7% | 22.7% | 12.4% | 3.3% | 11.2% |
| SPWCX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 3.2% | 2.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% |
SPWCX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| SPWCX Return (NAV) | 10.7% | 10.7% | 14.5% | 18.2% | -32.4% | 16.8% | 36.2% | 21.6% | 2.2% | 18.2% | 8.8% |
| SPWCX Grade | D | B | C | B | D | B | C | F | A | F | C |
| +/- Category | -2.9% | 2.7% | -1.0% | 1.5% | -4.5% | 6.4% | -5.7% | -8.3% | 6.3% | -5.9% | -1.4% |
| Small Growth Avg | 13.6% | 8.0% | 15.5% | 16.7% | -27.9% | 10.5% | 41.8% | 29.9% | -4.1% | 24.1% | 10.2% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 17.9% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.46 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.87 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (20% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.22 |
| R-Squared: | 79% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Small-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $527 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 0 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | C |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 35% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 20.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 15.9 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Thornton John (2005), Crane Ryan (2005), Ranucci Kelly (2011), Chase Samuel (2011), Keller John (2019) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 103 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 18.6% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 3.8% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 93.8% |
| Foreign Stock: | 3.8% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 2.4% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | American Beacon |
| Phone Number: | 800-658-5811 |
| Website: | www.americanbeaconfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | February 24, 2012 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 1.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 1.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 2.06% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.18% |
| Share Class: | American Beacon Stephens Sm Cp Gr Inv |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 50 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
