Fund Evaluator:
Allspring Special Intl Sm Cp Instl (WICIX)
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Best Performing in Foreign Small/Mid Blend Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Allspring Special Intl Sm Cp Instl Overview
Allspring Special Intl Sm Cp Instl (WICIX) is an actively managed International Equity Foreign Small/Mid Blend fund. Allspring Global Investments launched the fund in 2019.
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; less than 10% of the fund's total assets in emerging market equity securities; and in a number of countries throughout the world and may invest more than 25% of the fund's total assets in any one country. It invests principally in equity securities of small-capitalization companies of foreign issuers, which the manager defines as companies with market capitalizations within the range of the MSCI World ex USA Small Cap Index at the time of purchase.
About Allspring Special Intl Sm Cp Instl (WICIX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 6.88 years: Bryant VanCronkhite (2019), Stephen Giggie (2020), James Tringas (2019). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI ACWI Ex USA NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MSCI World Ex USA Small Cap NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Allspring Special Intl Sm Cp Instl has 85 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 23.2% 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.
Allspring Special Intl Sm Cp Instl is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity fund group. Allspring Special Intl Sm Cp Instl has 95.7% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 1.3%. There is 95.7% 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 Special Intl Sm Cp Instl has 3.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $92 million in total assets, which is below the $540 million average for the Foreign Small/Mid 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.
WICIX 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 Special Intl Sm Cp Instl expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Foreign Small/Mid Blend category. Allspring Special Intl Sm Cp Instl has an expense ratio of 1.06%, which is 7% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. 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 Special Intl Sm Cp Instl has a portfolio turnover rate of 43%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 63% for the Foreign Small/Mid Blend category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Allspring Special Intl Sm Cp Instl returned 2.9%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Foreign Small/Mid Blend 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.
Allspring Special Intl Sm Cp Instl has a trailing yield of 4.06%, which is above the 2.74% category average. The fund normally distributes its income 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 Special Intl Sm Cp Instl Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 5.6%, 4.0 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 9.6% over the past year (grade of F), 8.5% over the past three years (grade of F) and 0.8% per year over the past five years (grade of F).
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WICIX 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 |
|
| WICIX Return (NAV) | 2.9% | 3.1% | 9.6% | 8.5% | 0.8% | na |
| WICIX Grade | A | A | F | F | F | na |
| +/- Category | 4.2% | 2.9% | -8.2% | -5.7% | -5.1% | na |
| Foreign Small/Mid Blend Avg | -1.3% | 0.2% | 17.8% | 14.2% | 5.8% | 8.1% |
| WICIX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.7% | 1.1% | 0.8% | na |
WICIX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| WICIX Return (NAV) | 5.6% | 19.2% | -0.6% | 11.8% | -21.4% | 13.0% | 10.3% | na | na | na | na |
| WICIX Grade | F | F | F | F | F | B | C | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -4.0% | -10.8% | -2.9% | -3.2% | -2.2% | 0.8% | -0.5% | na | na | na | na |
| Foreign Small/Mid Blend Avg | 9.6% | 30.0% | 2.3% | 15.0% | -19.1% | 12.2% | 10.8% | 22.2% | -19.4% | 33.6% | 2.4% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 14.2% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.15 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.94 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (15% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.91 |
| R-Squared: | 80% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 4.1% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | |
| Total Assets: | $118 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 93 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 43% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 7.2 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 6.9 years | |||
| Managers (Year): VanCronkhite Bryant (2019), Tringas James (2019), Giggie Stephen (2020) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 85 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 23.2% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 95.7% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 1.3% |
| Foreign Stock: | 95.7% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 3.1% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Allspring Global Investments |
| Phone Number: | 800-222-8222 |
| Website: | www.allspringglobal.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | May 31, 2019 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000,000 |
| 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: | 0.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.06% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.14% |
| Share Class: | Allspring Special Intl Sm Cp R6 |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
