Fund Evaluator:
Allspring Small Company Growth A (WFSAX)
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Fund Details
Allspring Small Company Growth A Overview
Allspring Small Company Growth A (WFSAX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Small Growth fund. Allspring Global Investments launched the fund in 2004.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. The fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of small-capitalization companies. It is a feeder fund that invests substantially all of its assets in the Small Company Growth Portfolio, a master portfolio with a substantially identical investment objective and substantially similar investment strategies. The fund 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 Small Company Growth A (WFSAX)
There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 11.48 years: Ryan Smith (2021), Allison Lewis (2023), Samuel Smith (2021), Paul von Kuster (1994). 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 2000 Growth TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Allspring Small Company Growth A has 127 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 15.1% 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 Small Company Growth A is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Allspring Small Company Growth A has 3.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 95.3%. There is 3.0% 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 Small Company Growth A has 1.6% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $28 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.
WFSAX 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 Small Company Growth A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Small Growth category. Allspring Small Company Growth A has an expense ratio of 1.27%, which is 8% 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 Small Company Growth A has a portfolio turnover rate of 53%, 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, Allspring Small Company Growth A returned -7.2%, 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.
Allspring Small Company 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 Small Company Growth A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 8.1%, 5.5 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 15.8% over the past year (grade of D), 8.4% over the past three years (grade of D) and 3.0% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 9.5% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
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WFSAX 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 |
|
| WFSAX Return (NAV) | -7.2% | 3.5% | 15.8% | 8.4% | 3.0% | 9.5% |
| WFSAX Grade | C | C | D | D | C | D |
| +/- Category | -0.4% | -0.2% | -6.9% | -4.0% | -0.3% | -1.6% |
| Small Growth Avg | -6.7% | 3.7% | 22.7% | 12.4% | 3.3% | 11.2% |
| WFSAX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.7% | 2.4% | 4.0% | 2.8% |
WFSAX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| WFSAX Return (NAV) | 8.1% | 8.2% | 7.7% | 17.7% | -24.5% | 15.2% | 28.3% | 26.0% | -4.0% | 20.2% | 7.3% |
| WFSAX Grade | F | C | F | C | B | B | D | D | C | D | D |
| +/- Category | -5.5% | 0.2% | -7.8% | 1.0% | 3.4% | 4.7% | -13.5% | -3.9% | 0.1% | -3.9% | -2.9% |
| 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: | 19.0% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.55 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.92 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (30% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.22 |
| R-Squared: | 71% |
| 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: | $509 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 28 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 53% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 4 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 31.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 11.5 years | |||
| Managers (Year): von Kuster Paul (1994), Smith Samuel (2021), Smith Ryan (2021), Lewis Allison (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 127 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 15.1% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 3.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 95.3% |
| Foreign Stock: | 3.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 1.6% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Allspring Global Investments |
| Phone Number: | 800-222-8222 |
| Website: | www.allspringglobal.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | January 30, 2004 |
| 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 (%): | 1.27% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.18% |
| Share Class: | Allspring Small Company Growth A |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 100 |
