Fund Evaluator:
Allspring Disciplined Small Cap A (WDSAX)
Follow This Fund
Best Performing in Small Blend Over the Last Year
| 50.4% | Royce Micro-Cap Invmt (RYOTX) |
| 46.4% | River Oak Discovery (RIVSX) |
| 39.7% | Goldman Sachs Small Cap Eq Insghts Inv (GDSTX) |
| 39.3% | Vanguard Strategic Small-Cap Equity Inv (VSTCX) |
| 38.0% | North Star Small Cap Value Investor (WSCVX) |
Fund Details
Allspring Disciplined Small Cap A Overview
Allspring Disciplined Small Cap A (WDSAX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Small Blend fund. Allspring Global Investments launched the fund in 2018.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of the fund's net assets in equity securities of small-capitalization companies. It invests principally in equity securities of small-capitalization companies, which the managers define as companies with market capitalizations within the range of the Russell 2000® Index at the time of purchase.
About Allspring Disciplined Small Cap A (WDSAX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 8.13 years: Justin Carr (2018), Robert Wicentowski (2018). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Russell 2000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Russell 3000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Allspring Disciplined Small Cap A has 384 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 7.7% 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 Disciplined Small Cap A is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Allspring Disciplined Small Cap A has 2.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 94.5%. There is 2.9% 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 Disciplined Small Cap A has 2.7% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $3 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.
WDSAX 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 Disciplined Small Cap A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Small Blend category. Allspring Disciplined Small Cap A has an expense ratio of 0.91%, which is 13% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. 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 Disciplined Small Cap A has a portfolio turnover rate of 48%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 66% for the Small Blend category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Allspring Disciplined Small Cap A returned -3.6%, which earned it a grade of D, 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.
Allspring Disciplined Small Cap A has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 0.42% 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 Disciplined Small Cap A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 23.4%, 5.2 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 39.3% over the past year (grade of A), 18.8% over the past three years (grade of A) and 11.7% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 11.1% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
For more mutual fund grades, analysis and screening tools to help your investment discovery, join AAII for a $2, full-access trial. Learn more here: https://invest.aaii.com/membership.
Otherwise, for more information about Allspring Disciplined Small Cap A, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
WDSAX 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 |
|
| WDSAX Return (NAV) | -3.6% | 6.0% | 39.3% | 18.8% | 11.7% | 11.1% |
| WDSAX Grade | D | B | A | A | A | B |
| +/- Category | -0.8% | 0.8% | 11.0% | 5.4% | 4.1% | 0.8% |
| Small Blend Avg | -2.8% | 5.2% | 28.3% | 13.5% | 7.6% | 10.3% |
| WDSAX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.0% | 0.9% | 0.5% | na |
WDSAX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| WDSAX Return (NAV) | 23.4% | 17.9% | 9.5% | 21.3% | -16.1% | 23.8% | 11.8% | 23.2% | -18.3% | 15.2% | 19.7% |
| WDSAX Grade | A | A | D | A | B | C | D | D | F | B | C |
| +/- Category | 5.2% | 10.0% | -2.1% | 4.8% | 0.5% | 0.6% | -2.6% | -2.3% | -6.5% | 1.1% | -0.5% |
| 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: | 19.1% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.56 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.03 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | D (66% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.18 |
| R-Squared: | 65% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Small-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $178 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 4 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 48% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 8.1 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 8.1 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Carr Justin (2018), Wicentowski Robert (2018) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 384 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 7.7% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 2.9% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 94.5% |
| Foreign Stock: | 2.9% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 2.7% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Allspring Global Investments |
| Phone Number: | 800-222-8222 |
| Website: | www.allspringglobal.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | July 31, 2018 |
| 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 (%): | 0.91% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.05% |
| Share Class: | Allspring Disciplined Small Cap Inst |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 100 |
