Investment objective & strategy
As of April 30, 2025 · prospectusObjective. The William Blair Small-Mid Cap Growth Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Strategy. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks of small capitalized (small cap) and medium capitalized (mid cap) companies. The Fund invests primarily in a diversified portfolio of equity securities, including common stocks and other forms of equity investments (e.g., securities convertible into common stocks), of small cap and mid cap U.S. growth companies that are expected to exhibit quality growth characteristics. For purposes of the Fund, the Adviser considers a company to be a small cap or mid cap company if it has a market capitalization no larger than the largest capitalized company included in the Russell Midcap Index at the time … Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks of small capitalized (small cap) and medium capitalized (mid cap) companies. The Fund invests primarily in a diversified portfolio of equity securities, including common stocks and other forms of equity investments (e.g., securities convertible into common stocks), of small cap and mid cap U.S. growth companies that are expected to exhibit quality growth characteristics. For purposes of the Fund, the Adviser considers a company to be a small cap or mid cap company if it has a market capitalization no larger than the largest capitalized company included in the Russell Midcap Index at the time of the Funds investment. Securities of companies whose market capitalizations no longer meet this definition after purchase may continue to be held in the Fund. To a limited extent, the Fund may also purchase stocks of companies with business characteristics and growth prospects similar to small cap and mid cap companies, but that may have market capitalizations above the market capitalization of the largest member of the Russell Midcap Index. The Russell Midcap Index measures the performance of the 800 companies with the lowest market capitalizations in the Russell 1000 Index. The size of companies in the Russell Midcap Index may change with market conditions. In addition, changes to the composition of the Russell Midcap Index can change the market capitalization range of companies included in the index. As of March 31, 2025, the Russell Midcap Index included securities issued by companies that ranged in size between $351.9 million and $89 billion. The Russell 2500 TM Growth Index, the Funds performance benchmark, measures the performance of those Russell 2500 TM companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Russell 2500 TM Index measures the performance of the 2,500 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index with a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $7.8 billion, median capitalization of $1.3 billion and market capitalization of the largest company at $42.8 billion as of March 31, 2025. In choosing investments, the Adviser performs fundamental company analysis and focuses on stock selection. The Adviser evaluates the extent to which a company meets the quality growth criteria set forth below. All of the criteria are evaluated relative to the valuation of the security. The weight given to a particular investment criterion will depend upon the circumstances, and Fund holdings may not meet all of the following criteria: (a) the company should be, or should have the expectation of becoming, a significant provider in the primary markets it serves, (b) the company should have some distinctive attribute relative to present or potential competitors (for example, this may take the form of proprietary products or processes, a unique distribution system, an entrenched brand name or an especially strong financial position relative to its competition), (c) the company should participate in an industry expected to grow rapidly due to economic factors or technological change or should grow through market share gains in its industry and (d) the company should have a strong management team.
Top holdings
As of March 31, 2026 · N-PORT| Security | Ticker | Value | % of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRIMO BRANDS CORP A | — | $25.01M | 2.22% |
| TWIST BIOSCIENCE CORP | — | $24.33M | 2.16% |
| LATTICE SEMICONDUCTOR CORP | — | $23.81M | 2.11% |
| BWX TECHNOLOGIES INC | — | $23.08M | 2.05% |
| F5 INC | — | $22.64M | 2.01% |
| MUELLER INDUSTRIES INC | — | $22.63M | 2.01% |
| AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES INC | — | $22.60M | 2.01% |
| NEXTRACKER INC CL A | — | $22.29M | 1.98% |
| ONTO INNOVATION INC | — | $22.28M | 1.98% |
| INSMED INC | — | $21.67M | 1.92% |
Portfolio moves
Dec 31, 2025 → Mar 31, 2026How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.
Similar funds
Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight| Fund | Overlap | Net exp. |
|---|---|---|
| William Blair Small-Mid Cap Core Fund · WBCIX, WBCRX | 53% | 0.90% |
| William Blair Small Cap Growth Fund · WBSNX, WBSIX, WBSRX | 34% | 0.94% |
| Pacer S&P MidCap 400 Quality FCF Aristocrats ETF · MCOW | 25% | 0.49% |
Advisers
| Firm | Role |
|---|---|
| WILLIAM BLAIR INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, LLC | Adviser |
Footnotes
- Expense ratio as of April 30, 2025, from the fund's prospectus.
- Net assets and holdings count as of March 31, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
- Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. Computed by compounding the twelve monthly total returns the fund reported in its SEC N-PORT filings for 2025 (the latest prospectus does not yet chart this year).
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