Fund Evaluator:
Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Inv (BPLEX)Best Performing in Long-Short Equity Over the Last Year
| 30.7% | Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Inv (BPLEX) |
| 22.7% | ABR 50/50 Volatility Investor (ABRJX) |
| 19.8% | ABR 75/25 Volatility Investor (VOLJX) |
| 19.7% | Gator Capital L/S Fd (GATRX) |
| 18.4% | Cromwell Long Short Investor (MFADX) |
Fund Details
Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Inv Overview
Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Inv (BPLEX) is an actively managed Nontraditional Equity Long-Short Equity fund. Boston Partners launched the fund in 1998.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation while reducing exposure to general equity market risk and a total return greater than that of the S&P 500® Index over a full market cycle. The fund invests in long positions in stocks identified by the Adviser as undervalued and takes short positions in stocks that the Adviser has identified as overvalued. The Advisor intends, under normal circumstances, to invest at least 80% of its net assets (including borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities. Under normal circumstances, the Adviser expects that the fund's long positions will not exceed approximately 125% of the fund's net assets.
About Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Inv (BPLEX)
There are 1 members of the management team with an average tenure of 7.50 years: Patrick Regan (2019). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100%. Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Inv has 212 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 21.3% 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.
Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Inv is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Nontraditional Equity fund group. Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Inv has 24.8% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 51.9%. There is 24.8% 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). Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Inv has 33.9% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $32 million in total assets, which is below the $342 million average for the Long-Short Equity 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.
BPLEX 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 Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Inv expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Long-Short Equity category. Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Inv has an expense ratio of 2.01%, which is 8% 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. Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Inv has a portfolio turnover rate of 54%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 287% for the Long-Short Equity category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Inv returned 4.5%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Long-Short Equity category had an average return of -0.3%. 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.
Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Inv has a trailing yield of 0.10%, which is below the 1.21% 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.
Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Inv Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 14.8%, 9.7 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 30.7% over the past year (grade of A), 22.6% over the past three years (grade of A) and 18.2% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 10.2% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
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BPLEX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| BPLEX Return (NAV) | 4.5% | 12.5% | 30.7% | 22.6% | 18.2% | 10.2% |
| BPLEX Grade | A | B | A | A | A | A |
| +/- Category | 4.8% | 6.7% | 18.7% | 11.0% | 9.8% | 2.2% |
| Long-Short Equity Avg | -0.3% | 5.7% | 12.1% | 11.6% | 8.5% | 8.0% |
| BPLEX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.9% | 5.9% | 4.7% | 3.6% |
BPLEX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| BPLEX Return (NAV) | 14.8% | 27.9% | 13.0% | 14.9% | 6.9% | 31.7% | -6.6% | 8.8% | -15.7% | 2.5% | 22.2% |
| BPLEX Grade | A | A | C | B | B | A | F | D | F | F | A |
| +/- Category | 9.7% | 16.5% | -0.3% | 1.9% | 10.7% | 10.5% | -12.4% | -4.4% | -7.8% | -9.1% | 14.9% |
| Long-Short Equity Avg | 5.1% | 11.4% | 13.4% | 13.0% | -3.8% | 21.2% | 5.8% | 13.3% | -7.9% | 11.6% | 7.3% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 9.6% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.79 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.94 - Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | C (48% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.50 |
| R-Squared: | 47% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Value |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.1% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $167 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 33 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inv |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 54% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 1 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 7.5 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 7.5 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Regan Patrick (2019) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 2/28/26)
| # of Holdings: | 212 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 21.3% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 24.8% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 51.9% |
| Foreign Stock: | 24.8% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | -10.6% |
| Cash: | 33.9% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Boston Partners |
| Phone Number: | 888-261-4073 |
| Website: | www.robecoinvest.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | November 17, 1998 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $2,500 |
| 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: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 2.01% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 2.19% |
| Share Class: | Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Instl |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |