Fund Evaluator:
Allspring Large Cap Growth A (STAFX)
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Best Performing in Large Growth Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Allspring Large Cap Growth A Overview
Allspring Large Cap Growth A (STAFX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Large Growth fund. Allspring Global Investments launched the fund in 2010.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. The fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of large-capitalization companies and up to 25% of its total assets in equity securities of foreign issuers, through ADRs and similar investments. It invests in equity securities of large-capitalization companies that the advisor believes have prospects for robust and sustainable growth of revenues and earnings. The advisor defines large-capitalization companies as those with market capitalizations within the range of the Russell 1000® Index at the time of purchase.
About Allspring Large Cap Growth A (STAFX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 3.45 years: Michael Smith (2024), Christopher Warner (2024), Robert Gruendyke (2020). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Russell 3000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Russell 1000 Growth TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Allspring Large Cap Growth A has 40 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 51.9% 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.
Allspring Large Cap Growth A is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Allspring Large Cap Growth A has 3.2% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 95.9%. There is 3.2% 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). Allspring Large Cap Growth A has 0.9% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $718 million in total assets, which is below the $2 billion average for the Large 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.
STAFX 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 Allspring Large Cap Growth A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Large Growth category. Allspring Large Cap Growth A has an expense ratio of 1.01%, which is 5% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a D. 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. Allspring Large Cap Growth A has a portfolio turnover rate of 44%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 54% for the Large Growth category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Allspring Large Cap Growth A returned -0.4%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Large Growth category had an average return of -3.1%. 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.
Allspring Large Cap Growth A 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.
Allspring Large Cap Growth A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 2.0%, 1.7 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 2.8% over the past year (grade of F), 18.1% over the past three years (grade of C) and 8.6% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 14.5% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
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STAFX 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 |
|
| STAFX Return (NAV) | -0.4% | -0.5% | 2.8% | 18.1% | 8.6% | 14.5% |
| STAFX Grade | A | F | F | C | C | D |
| +/- Category | 2.6% | -2.3% | -6.3% | 0.0% | -0.1% | -0.9% |
| Large Growth Avg | -3.1% | 1.7% | 9.1% | 18.1% | 8.7% | 15.4% |
| STAFX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 3.3% | 3.5% | 3.3% | 3.3% |
STAFX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| STAFX Return (NAV) | 2.0% | 14.5% | 30.1% | 40.4% | -31.0% | 15.6% | 32.2% | 32.7% | 0.6% | 32.9% | -2.5% |
| STAFX Grade | D | D | C | C | C | F | D | C | B | B | F |
| +/- Category | -1.7% | -1.2% | 0.5% | 1.5% | 1.1% | -4.7% | -10.1% | -0.5% | 1.3% | 3.1% | -5.2% |
| Large Growth Avg | 3.7% | 15.7% | 29.7% | 38.9% | -32.1% | 20.4% | 42.3% | 33.2% | -0.7% | 29.8% | 2.7% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 17.3% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.41 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.98 - Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | C (58% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.22 |
| R-Squared: | 86% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $926 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 719 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 44% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 6.0 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 3.5 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Gruendyke Robert (2020), Smith Michael (2024), Warner Christopher (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 40 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 51.9% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 3.2% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 95.9% |
| Foreign Stock: | 3.2% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.9% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Allspring Global Investments |
| Phone Number: | 800-222-8222 |
| Website: | www.allspringglobal.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | July 30, 2010 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 250 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 5.75% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.01% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.96% |
| Share Class: | Allspring Large Cap Growth Inst |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 100 |
