Fund Evaluator:
Sterling Capital SmCp Val A (STSNX)
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Best Performing in Small Blend Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Sterling Capital SmCp Val A Overview
Sterling Capital SmCp Val A (STSNX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Small Blend fund. Sterling Capital Funds launched the fund in 2015.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. To pursue its investment objective, the fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in common stock and securities convertible into common stock of small capitalization companies. Small cap companies include companies with market capitalizations, at the time of purchase, that are below the market capitalization of the largest company in the Bloomberg U.S. 2000® Index.
About Sterling Capital SmCp Val A (STSNX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 18.36 years: Andrew DiZio (2015), Gerald Van Horn (2000). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US 3000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Russell 3000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Sterling Capital SmCp Val A has 46 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 38.3% 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.
Sterling Capital SmCp Val A is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Sterling Capital SmCp Val A has 3.6% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 94.4%. There is 3.6% 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). Sterling Capital SmCp Val A has 2.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $2 million in total assets, which is below the $685 million average for the Small Blend 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.
STSNX 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 Sterling Capital SmCp Val A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Small Blend category. Sterling Capital SmCp Val A has an expense ratio of 1.28%, which is 22% 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. Sterling Capital SmCp Val A has a portfolio turnover rate of 6%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.2 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 66% for the Small Blend category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Sterling Capital SmCp Val A returned -2.9%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Small Blend category had an average return of -2.8%. 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.
Sterling Capital SmCp Val A has a trailing yield of 0.24%, which is below the 0.42% 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.
Sterling Capital SmCp Val A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 21.2%, 3.0 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 29.1% over the past year (grade of C), 16.7% over the past three years (grade of A) and 10.7% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 10.9% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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STSNX 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 |
|
| STSNX Return (NAV) | -2.9% | 4.3% | 29.1% | 16.7% | 10.7% | 10.9% |
| STSNX Grade | C | D | C | A | A | B |
| +/- Category | -0.1% | -0.9% | 0.8% | 3.2% | 3.1% | 0.6% |
| Small Blend Avg | -2.8% | 5.2% | 28.3% | 13.5% | 7.6% | 10.3% |
| STSNX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 4.1% | 5.2% | 5.0% | 3.6% |
STSNX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| STSNX Return (NAV) | 21.2% | 11.2% | 13.3% | 17.4% | -14.7% | 31.3% | 2.9% | 24.2% | -14.7% | 12.9% | 25.0% |
| STSNX Grade | B | B | B | B | B | A | F | D | D | D | A |
| +/- Category | 3.0% | 3.3% | 1.7% | 0.9% | 1.8% | 8.1% | -11.4% | -1.3% | -2.8% | -1.1% | 4.8% |
| Small Blend Avg | 18.2% | 7.9% | 11.6% | 16.5% | -16.5% | 23.2% | 14.4% | 25.5% | -11.8% | 14.1% | 20.2% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 17.3% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.41 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.93 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (20% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.95 |
| R-Squared: | 52% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Small-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.2% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Quarterly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $187 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 3 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 6% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 26.0 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 18.4 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Van Horn Gerald (2000), DiZio Andrew (2015) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 46 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 38.3% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 3.6% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 94.4% |
| Foreign Stock: | 3.6% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 2.1% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Sterling Capital Funds |
| Phone Number: | 800-228-1872 |
| Website: | www.sterlingcapitalfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | November 16, 2015 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 5.75% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.28% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.05% |
| Share Class: | Sterling Capital SmCp Val Instl |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
