Fund Evaluator:

William Blair International Growth N Overview

William Blair International Growth N (WBIGX) is an actively managed International Equity Foreign Large Growth fund. William Blair launched the fund in 1992.

The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. The fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of equity securities, including common stocks and other forms of equity investments, issued by companies of all sizes domiciled outside the U.S. that the adviser believes have above-average growth, profitability and quality characteristics. Its investments are normally allocated among at least six different countries and no more than 50% of the fund's equity holdings may be invested in securities of issuers in one country at any given time.

About William Blair International Growth N (WBIGX)

There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 8.80 years: Simon Fennell (2013), Andy Siepker (2022). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.

The fund has 1 primary benchmark: MSCI ACWI Ex USA IMI NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. William Blair International Growth N has 176 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 23.4% 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.

William Blair International Growth N is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity fund group. William Blair International Growth N has 96.6% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 3.2%. There is 96.6% 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). William Blair International Growth N has 0.2% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $241 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Foreign Large 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.

WBIGX 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 William Blair International Growth N expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Foreign Large Growth category. William Blair International Growth N has an expense ratio of 1.15%, which is 11% 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. William Blair International Growth N has a portfolio turnover rate of 77%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 51% for the Foreign Large Growth category.

Recently, in the month of June 2026, William Blair International Growth N returned 1.0%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Foreign Large Growth category had an average return of 1.5%. 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.

William Blair International Growth N has a trailing yield of 0.98%, which is above the 0.95% 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.

William Blair International Growth N Grades

Year to date, the fund has returned 16.6%, 7.1 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 21.6% over the past year (grade of B), 13.3% over the past three years (grade of B) and 3.0% per year over the past five years (grade of D) and 8.7% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).

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