- ISIN
- US0930011053
- CUSIP
- 093001105
- Issuer
- William Blair
- Inception Date
- Mar 20, 1946
- Category
- Large Cap Growth Equities
- Min. Investment
- $2,500
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Equity
- Asset Class Size
- Large-Cap
- Asset Class Style
- Growth
Share Price Chart
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Performance
WBGSX Performance Chart
William Blair Growth Fund (WBGSX) is up 6.0% since the beginning of the year. WBGSX is currently trading at $7 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of WBGSX shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,495.
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Returns By Period
William Blair Growth Fund (WBGSX) has returned 5.97% so far this year and 18.37% over the past 12 months. Looking at the last ten years, WBGSX has achieved an annualized return of 15.12%, outperforming the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.71% per year.
William Blair Growth Fund
- 1D
- -0.98%
- 1M
- 0.42%
- YTD
- 5.97%
- 6M
- 4.87%
- 1Y
- 18.37%
- 3Y*
- 16.78%
- 5Y*
- 8.37%
- 10Y*
- 15.12%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- -1.44%
- 1M
- -1.45%
- YTD
- 7.60%
- 6M
- 6.59%
- 1Y
- 22.24%
- 3Y*
- 19.20%
- 5Y*
- 11.54%
- 10Y*
- 13.71%
WBGSX Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Jan 2, 1980, WBGSX's average daily return is +0.04%, while the average monthly return is +0.90%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 6.4 years.
Historically, 60% of months were positive and 40% were negative. The best month was Dec 1991 with a return of +13.9%, while the worst month was Oct 1987 at -19.8%. The longest winning streak lasted 8 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 6 months.
On a daily basis, WBGSX closed higher 46% of trading days. The best single day was Aug 31, 1984 with a return of +12.9%, while the worst single day was Feb 6, 1986 at -16.7%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | -1.49% | -4.85% | -5.57% | 13.66% | 8.61% | -3.01% | 5.97% | ||||||
| 2025 | 2.84% | -6.42% | -9.10% | 0.39% | 9.33% | 7.82% | 2.75% | 1.39% | 2.85% | 4.00% | -2.66% | -1.42% | 10.69% |
| 2024 | 2.78% | 6.12% | 1.70% | -4.37% | 3.69% | 3.28% | -0.27% | 1.73% | 2.42% | -1.31% | 7.08% | -2.31% | 21.86% |
| 2023 | 9.56% | -2.53% | 5.42% | 1.68% | 3.19% | 6.50% | 3.30% | -1.26% | -4.61% | -2.57% | 10.86% | 4.20% | 37.75% |
| 2022 | -8.64% | -2.69% | 2.29% | -11.92% | -2.75% | -8.26% | 12.09% | -5.39% | -11.06% | 5.15% | 5.73% | -6.25% | -29.75% |
| 2021 | -1.26% | 4.54% | 1.13% | 5.67% | -1.71% | 4.30% | 2.85% | 3.55% | -4.17% | 7.38% | -2.46% | 0.68% | 21.71% |
Benchmark Metrics
William Blair Growth Fund has an annualized alpha of 1.73%, beta of 0.87, and R2 of 0.65 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since January 02, 1980.
- This fund captured 106.73% of S&P 500 Index gains and 106.35% of its losses - amplifying both gains and losses, but participating more in upside than downside.
- With beta of 0.87 and R2 of 0.65, this fund moves broadly in line with S&P 500 Index - much of its variation is explained by market exposure rather than independent behavior.
- Alpha
- 1.73%
- Beta
- 0.87
- R²
- 0.65
- Upside Capture
- 106.73%
- Downside Capture
- 106.35%
Expense Ratio
WBGSX has a high expense ratio of 1.20%, indicating above-average management fees.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
WBGSX ranks 15 for risk / return — in the bottom 15% of mutual funds on our site. This means you're taking on significantly more risk than the returns justify. Consider whether the potential upside is worth the volatility, or explore alternatives with better risk / return profiles.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for William Blair Growth Fund (WBGSX) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.
Values are calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. Risk-adjusted metrics are more stable over longer periods — use the period switch above to explore them.
| WBGSX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -0.67 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | -0.86 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.20 | 1.32 | -0.12 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 1.00 | 2.46 | -1.46 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 2.82 | 10.92 | -8.10 |
Dividends
Dividend History
William Blair Growth Fund provided a 41.49% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $2.95 per share.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $2.95 | $2.95 | $3.04 | $1.24 | $0.37 | $1.75 | $1.68 | $0.97 | $3.07 | $3.90 | $1.01 | $1.74 |
Dividend yield | 41.49% | 43.96% | 34.53% | 12.73% | 4.59% | 14.82% | 15.07% | 10.27% | 38.86% | 38.00% | 8.81% | 13.92% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for William Blair Growth Fund. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $2.95 | $2.95 |
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $3.04 | $3.04 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $1.24 | $1.24 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.37 | $0.37 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $1.75 | $1.75 |
Drawdowns
Drawdowns Chart
The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.
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Worst Drawdowns
The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the William Blair Growth Fund. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.
The maximum drawdown for the William Blair Growth Fund was 53.05%, occurring on Oct 7, 2002. Recovery took 1248 trading sessions.
The current William Blair Growth Fund drawdown is 4.31%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dot-com crash2000–2002 | -53.05%Oct 2002 | 2y 1mo | 4y 11mo | 7y 17dSep 2000 - Sep 2007 |
Financial crisis2007–2009 | -50.60%Mar 2009 | 1y 4mo | 2y 1mo | 3y 5moNov 2007 - Apr 2011 |
Bear market2022 | -36.90%Oct 2022 | 11mo 1d | 1y 4mo | 2y 3moNov 2021 - Feb 2024 |
Black Monday1987 | -36.43%Oct 1987 | 4y 3mo | 1y 11mo | 6y 2moJul 1983 - Sep 1989 |
COVID crash2020 | -30.90%Mar 2020 | 1mo 2d | 3mo 15d | 4mo 17dFeb 2020 - Jul 2020 |
Drawdown Indicators
| WBGSX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -53.05% | -56.78% | +3.73% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -19.70% | -9.10% | -10.60% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -25.45% | -18.90% | -6.55% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -36.90% | -25.43% | -11.47% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -36.90% | -33.92% | -2.98% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -4.31% | -3.21% | -1.10% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -11.51% | -10.71% | -0.80% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 6.94% | 2.04% | +4.90% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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