Fund Evaluator:
Wilmington Broad Market Bond Instl (WIBMX)
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Fund Details
Wilmington Broad Market Bond Instl Overview
Wilmington Broad Market Bond Instl (WIBMX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Core Bond fund. Wilmington Funds launched the fund in 1993.
The investment seeks to provide current income and secondarily, capital growth. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of the value of its net assets in fixed income securities. The investment advisor will generally select investment grade fixed income securities and unrated securities determined to be of comparable quality, but also may invest up to 5% of the fund's total assets in lower-rated debt securities ("junk bonds"). The fund seeks to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity of four to ten years.
About Wilmington Broad Market Bond Instl (WIBMX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 15.76 years: John Cranford (2024), Wilmer Stith (1996). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Wilmington Broad Market Bond Instl has 413 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 11.2% 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.
Wilmington Broad Market Bond Instl is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Wilmington Broad Market Bond Instl has 3.1% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0%. There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 99.3% (96.2% domestic bond, 3.1% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Wilmington Broad Market Bond Instl has 0.7% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $685 million in total assets, which is below the $3 billion average for the Intermediate Core Bond 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.
WIBMX 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 Wilmington Broad Market Bond Instl expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Intermediate Core Bond category. Wilmington Broad Market Bond Instl has an expense ratio of 0.43%, which is 24% 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. Wilmington Broad Market Bond Instl has a portfolio turnover rate of 26%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 151% for the Intermediate Core Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Wilmington Broad Market Bond Instl returned -1.3%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Intermediate Core Bond category had an average return of -1.3%. 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.
Wilmington Broad Market Bond Instl has a trailing yield of 3.93%, which is below the 4.04% category average. The fund normally distributes its income monthly 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.
Wilmington Broad Market Bond Instl Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned -0.9%, 0.1 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 2.5% over the past year (grade of C), 3.5% over the past three years (grade of D) and -0.4% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 1.3% per year over the past 10 years (grade of C).
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WIBMX 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 |
|
| WIBMX Return (NAV) | -1.3% | -0.7% | 2.5% | 3.5% | -0.4% | 1.3% |
| WIBMX Grade | B | B | C | D | B | C |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | 0.1% | -0.0% | -0.2% | 0.1% | -0.1% |
| Intermediate Core Bond Avg | -1.3% | -0.8% | 2.5% | 3.7% | -0.5% | 1.4% |
| WIBMX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.1% |
WIBMX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| WIBMX Return (NAV) | -0.9% | 6.8% | 1.3% | 5.7% | -12.3% | -1.6% | 7.8% | 8.3% | -0.4% | 3.2% | 2.6% |
| WIBMX Grade | D | D | D | C | A | C | C | D | C | D | C |
| +/- Category | -0.1% | -0.2% | -0.3% | 0.0% | 0.9% | -0.1% | -0.3% | -0.2% | 0.0% | -0.3% | -0.2% |
| Intermediate Core Bond Avg | -0.7% | 7.0% | 1.6% | 5.6% | -13.2% | -1.5% | 8.1% | 8.5% | -0.4% | 3.6% | 2.8% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 5.5% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.45 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.99 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (29% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.98 |
| R-Squared: | 100% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 3.9% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $687 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 686 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 26% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 29.6 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 15.8 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Stith Wilmer (1996), Cranford John (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 413 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 11.2% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 3.1% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 96.2% |
| Foreign Bond: | 3.1% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.7% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Wilmington Funds |
| Phone Number: | 800-836-2211 |
| Website: | www.wilmingtonfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | July 16, 1993 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $100,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | na |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.43% ( Rating : Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.57% |
| Share Class: | Wilmington Broad Market Bond Instl |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 25 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
