WBENX Performance — William Blair Emerging Markets Growth Fund, Class N
Data updated: 2026-08-14
WBENX returned +34.82% year to date and +54.40% over one year to Jun 2026. Annualised returns are +24.77% over 3 years and +4.91% over 5 years. The fund beat its Emerging Markets Equity category average: $100 invested three years ago grew to $194, against $179 for the category, and to $154 over one year, against $141. Volatility over the past three years was 18.55% a year. In the 12 months to Jun 2026 the fund lost a net $186.1M, and assets reached $1.20B.
WBENX Growth of $100
What $100 invested in William Blair Emerging Markets Growth Fund grew to, compounded from monthly returns reported on SEC Form N-PORT, against the Emerging Markets Equity category average over the same months.
| Period | WBENX | Category average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year (Jul 2025 – Jun 2026) | $154 | $141 |
| 3 years (Jul 2023 – Jun 2026) | $194 | $179 |
| 5 years (Jul 2021 – Jun 2026) | $127 | $144 |
| Since data start (Jul 2019 – Jun 2026) | $218 | $195 |
WBENX Trailing Returns
Total returns to Jun 2026, from SEC N-PORT.
| Period | Total return |
|---|---|
| YTD | +34.82% |
| 1 year | +54.40% |
| 3 years (annualised) | +24.77% |
| 5 years (annualised) | +4.91% |
WBENX Annual Returns
Calendar-year total returns of William Blair Emerging Markets Growth Fund, compounded from monthly SEC N-PORT returns. Partial years show the months covered.
| Year | Total return |
|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Jun) | +34.82% |
| 2025 | +24.86% |
| 2024 | +10.39% |
| 2023 | +9.98% |
| 2022 | −33.34% |
| 2021 | +2.96% |
| 2020 | +40.41% |
| 2019 (Jul–Dec) | +10.47% |
WBENX Monthly Returns
Monthly total returns as reported on SEC Form N-PORT.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | +9.2% | +5.3% | −11.2% | +18.9% | +9.3% | +1.6% | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025 | −1.2% | −3.3% | −0.1% | +1.0% | +6.5% | +6.2% | +0.4% | +1.5% | +7.7% | +5.3% | −3.6% | +2.8% |
| 2024 | −1.3% | +4.8% | +0.9% | −1.4% | +3.0% | +6.3% | −2.2% | +1.4% | +2.7% | −2.8% | −2.4% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | +5.9% | −5.4% | +3.5% | −2.0% | 0.0% | +3.5% | +2.9% | −3.8% | −3.2% | −3.8% | +9.5% | +3.7% |
| 2022 | −5.9% | −5.8% | −1.7% | −8.5% | −1.2% | −8.7% | +0.7% | −0.4% | −9.2% | −2.2% | +8.7% | −4.5% |
| 2021 | +4.9% | −0.6% | −3.5% | +4.6% | +1.0% | +3.9% | −5.4% | +3.8% | −4.7% | +1.4% | −2.4% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | −2.2% | −2.8% | −16.8% | +11.4% | +5.5% | +11.0% | +14.5% | +3.6% | −2.8% | +4.2% | +4.1% | +8.6% |
| 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | +0.5% | −1.5% | +0.7% | +4.8% | −0.2% | +6.1% |
WBENX Risk
Risk measures from monthly returns over Jul 2023 – Jun 2026.
- 3-year volatility (annualised): 18.55%
- 3-year Sharpe ratio: 1.09 (vs 4.5% risk-free rate)
- Best month: +18.87% (Apr 2026)
- Worst month: −11.24% (Mar 2026)
WBENX Fund Flows
Monthly money in and out of William Blair Emerging Markets Growth Fund, from SEC Form N-PORT.
- 12-month net flow: −$186.1M
- 12-month gross sales (incl. reinvestments): $285.7M
- Sales ÷ redemptions: 0.61×
| Month | Sales | Redemptions | Net flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | $17.6M | $109.4M | −$91.8M |
| May 2026 | $13.9M | $35.9M | −$22.1M |
| Apr 2026 | $19.2M | $20.9M | −$1.8M |
| Mar 2026 | $12.5M | $36.3M | −$23.8M |
| Feb 2026 | $16.2M | $37.9M | −$21.8M |
| Jan 2026 | $13.2M | $12.8M | $404K |
| Dec 2025 | $36.4M | $29.1M | $7.3M |
| Nov 2025 | $15.1M | $52.9M | −$37.8M |
| Oct 2025 | $17.6M | $62.3M | −$44.7M |
| Sep 2025 | $27.6M | $20.5M | $7.1M |
| Aug 2025 | $50.4M | $14.1M | $36.3M |
| Jul 2025 | $46.2M | $39.8M | $6.4M |
WBENX Assets Under Management
Net assets of William Blair Emerging Markets Growth Fund by report date, from SEC N-PORT filings.
| Report date | Net assets |
|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | $1.20B |
| 2026-03-31 | $997.59M |
| 2025-12-31 | $1.02B |
| 2025-09-30 | $1.05B |
| 2025-06-30 | $909.35M |
| 2025-03-31 | $848.58M |
| 2024-12-31 | $879.90M |
| 2024-09-30 | $845.13M |
| 2024-06-30 | $816.70M |
| 2024-03-31 | $766.42M |
| 2023-12-31 | $826.65M |
| 2023-09-30 | $744.81M |
For information only. Not investment advice: figures are as reported in SEC filings and may contain errors or be out of date. Past performance does not guarantee future results.