N-CSRS 1 d928530dncsrs.htm N-CSRS N-CSRS
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LOGO     

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-CSRS

 

 

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED

MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number: 811-09253

 

 

Wells Fargo Funds Trust

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

 

525 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94105

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

 

Catherine Kennedy

Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC

525 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94105

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 800-222-8222

 

 

Date of fiscal year end: October 31

Registrant is making a filing for 7 of its series:

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund, Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund, Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund, Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund, Wells Fargo International Equity Fund, Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund, and Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund.

Date of reporting period: April 30, 2020

 

 

 


Table of Contents
ITEM 1. 

REPORT TO STOCKHOLDERS

================================


Table of Contents

LOGO

Semi-Annual Report

April 30, 2020

 

Wells Fargo

Diversified International Fund

 

 

 

 

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by new regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Wells Fargo Funds’ annual and semi-annual shareholder reports issued after this date will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, the reports will be made available on the Funds’ website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website address to access the report.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund electronically at any time by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) or, if you are a direct investor, by calling 1-800-222-8222 or by enrolling at wellsfargo.com/advantagedelivery.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can contact your financial intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports; if you invest directly with the Fund, you can call 1-800-222-8222. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Wells Fargo Funds held in your account with your financial intermediary or, if you are a direct investor, to all Wells Fargo Funds that you hold.


Table of Contents

 

 

Reduce clutter.

Save trees.

Sign up for electronic
delivery of prospectuses and
shareholder reports at wellsfargo.com/
advantagedelivery

 

The views expressed and any forward-looking statements are as of April 30, 2020, unless otherwise noted, and are those of the Fund managers and/or Wells Fargo Asset Management. Discussions of individual securities, or the markets generally, or any Wells Fargo Fund are not intended as individual recommendations. Future events or results may vary significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. The views expressed are subject to change at any time in response to changing circumstances in the market. Wells Fargo Asset Management and the Fund disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any views expressed or forward-looking statements.

 

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED    NO BANK GUARANTEE    MAY LOSE VALUE


 

 

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund  |  1


Table of Contents

Letter to shareholders (unaudited)

 

LOGO

Andrew Owen

President

Wells Fargo Funds

“The period began with a tailwind created by central bank support.”

Dear Shareholder:

We are pleased to offer you this semi-annual report for the Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund for the six-month period that ended April 30, 2020. Global stock markets saw earlier gains erased in February and March as governments took unprecedented measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus at the expense of short-term economic output. Markets rebounded in April to lessen the losses as central banks attempted to bolster capital markets and confidence. Fixed-income markets performed better, with the exception of high-yield bonds, as U.S. bonds overall achieved modest gains.

For the six-month period, U.S. stocks, based on the S&P 500 Index,1 returned -3.16% and international stocks, as measured by the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net),2 fell 13.22%. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net)3 lost 10.50%. For bond investors, the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index4 added 4.86%, the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Index5 returned -0.97%, the Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index6 returned -1.33%, and the ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index7 lost 7.68%.

The period began with a tailwind created by central bank support.

The period began with a tailwind that had been created by U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cuts in the summer and early fall. Equity markets rallied in November despite ongoing geopolitical risks. Hopes for a U.S.-China trade deal buoyed investor confidence. U.S. business sentiment edged up, and manufacturing and services activity rose. With that positive backdrop, developed market equities outpaced those in emerging markets, and U.S. stocks outperformed non-U.S. stocks overall. While consumer confidence and purchasing manager activity rose in the eurozone, China reported weakening manufacturing and consumer data. Bond yields rose marginally, leading to slightly negative returns for global government and investment-grade corporate bonds.

Financial markets ended 2019 with a boost from the U.S. and China accord on a Phase One trade deal. That, along with the landslide win by the pro-Brexit U.K. Conservative Party in a national election and ongoing central bank support, gave investors greater confidence. U.S. economic indicators were positive overall, with the exception of manufacturing activity and business confidence. Consumer confidence was resilient, fed by a robust labor market, tame inflation, and lower interest rates, which boosted housing affordability and stimulated homebuyer activity. The impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump had little impact on markets. Meanwhile, slowing Chinese economic activity, partly attributable to the trade war, led to further government stimulus at year-end through lower reserve ratios, allowing banks to lend more money.

The year-end rally continued in early January 2020. However, capital market volatility spiked in late January on concerns over the potential impact of the coronavirus on the global economy and stock markets. With sentiment somewhat souring, perceived safe

 

 

 

1 

The S&P 500 Index consists of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation. It is a market-value-weighted index with each stock’s weight in the index proportionate to its market value. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

2 

The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) All Country World Index (ACWI) ex USA Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the United States. Source: MSCI. MSCI makes no express or implied warranties or representations and shall have no liability whatsoever with respect to any MSCI data contained herein. The MSCI data may not be further redistributed or used as a basis for other indices or any securities or financial products. This report is not approved, reviewed, or produced by MSCI. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

3 

The MSCI Emerging Markets (EM) Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure equity market performance of emerging markets. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

4 

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment-grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

5 

The Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Index is an unmanaged index that provides a broad-based measure of the global investment-grade fixed-income markets excluding the U.S. dollar-denominated debt market. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

6 

The Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index is an unmanaged index composed of long-term tax-exempt bonds with a minimum credit rating of Baa. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

7 

The ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index is a market-capitalization-weighted index of domestic and Yankee high-yield bonds. The index tracks the performance of high-yield securities traded in the U.S. bond market. You cannot invest directly in an index. Copyright 2020. ICE Data Indices, LLC. All rights reserved.

 

 

2  |   Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund


Table of Contents

Letter to shareholders (unaudited)

 

havens did well in January. The U.S. dollar and Japanese yen both rose, and government bonds outperformed equities. While the S&P 500 Index held its ground, emerging market equities tumbled, including those in Asia.

In February, the coronavirus became the major market focus. Fears of the virus’s impact on global growth led to expectations of increased global central bank monetary policy support. That led the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield to fall to an all-time low of 1.1% by the end of the month. Although equity markets initially shrugged off concerns about the outbreak, focusing instead on strong fourth-quarter earnings and improving business confidence in January, market sentiment turned sharply lower toward month-end. Oil prices tumbled as Russia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries compounded a major decline in oil demand with a brutal price war, causing the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil to fall 13% in February alone.

The global spread of the coronavirus led many countries to clamp down on social and business-related activity in order to contain the virus from causing even greater devastation and overwhelming the health care system. This abrupt stoppage of economic activity led to the sharp deceleration of global output, sending economies into a deep contraction. Central bank responses were swift, as they slashed interest rates and expanded quantitative easing programs to restore liquidity and confidence to the markets. In the U.S., the Fed launched several lending programs, funding investment-grade bonds, money market mutual funds, and commercial paper while purchasing Treasuries, mortgage-backed securities, and overnight repurchase agreements. Meanwhile, stock markets tumbled quickly into a bear market, ending the longest bull stock market in U.S. history.

Markets rebounded strongly in April after the extreme volatility of the previous two months, with the S&P 500 Index gaining 12.8% for the month and the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net) returning 7.6%. The rebound was fueled by unprecedented stimulus measures taken by governments and central banks to buffer the economic damage created by mass shutdowns to try to contain the virus’s spread. The U.S. economy contracted by an annualized 4.8% pace in the first quarter, with 30 million new unemployment insurance claims in six weeks. In the eurozone, first-quarter real gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 3.8%, with the composite April Flash Purchasing Managers’ Index, a monthly survey of purchasing managers, falling to an all-time low of 13.5. The European Central Bank expanded its quantitative easing to include the purchase of additional government bonds of countries with the greatest virus-related need, including Italy and Spain. China’s first-quarter GDP fell by 6.8% year over year. However, retail sales, production, and investment showed signs of recovery. Extreme oil price volatility continued as global supply far exceeded demand.

Don’t let short-term uncertainty derail long-term investment goals.

Periods of investment uncertainty can present challenges, but experience has taught us that maintaining long-term investment goals can be an effective way to plan for the future. To help you create a sound strategy based on your personal goals and risk tolerance, Wells Fargo Funds offers more than 100 mutual funds spanning a wide range of asset classes and investment styles. Although diversification cannot guarantee an investment profit or prevent losses, we believe it can be an effective way to manage investment risk and potentially smooth out overall portfolio performance. We encourage investors to know their investments and to understand that appropriate levels of risk-taking may unlock opportunities.

Thank you for choosing to invest with Wells Fargo Funds. We appreciate your confidence in us and remain committed to helping you meet your financial needs.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Andrew Owen

President

Wells Fargo Funds

 

“The global spread of the coronavirus led many countries to clamp down on social and business-related activity in order to contain the virus from causing even greater devastation and overwhelming the health care system.”

 

 

For further information about your Fund, contact your investment professional, visit our website at wfam.com,

or call us directly at 1-800-222-8222.

 

 

 

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund  |  3


Table of Contents

Performance highlights (unaudited)

 

Investment objective

The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Manager

Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC

Subadvisers

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership

LSV Asset Management

Wells Capital Management Incorporated

Portfolio managers

Josef Lakonishok, Ph.D.

Venkateshwar (Venk) Lal

Puneet Mansharamani, CFA®

Menno Vermeulen, CFA®

Dale A. Winner, CFA®

Mark L. Yockey, CFA®

Average annual total returns (%) as of April 30, 2020

 

 
        Including sales charge     Excluding sales charge     Expense ratios1 (%)  
 
    Inception date   1 year     5 year     10 year     1 year     5 year     10 year     Gross     Net2  
                   
Class A (SILAX)   9-24-1997     -19.44       -2.92       2.61       -14.51       -1.78       3.22       1.77       1.35  
                   
Class C (WFECX)   4-1-1998     -16.09       -2.50       2.45       -15.09       -2.50       2.45       2.52       2.10  
                   
Class R6 (WDIRX)3   9-30-2015                       -14.11       -1.36       3.53       1.34       0.89  
                   
Administrator Class (WFIEX)   11-8-1999                       -14.41       -1.68       3.36       1.69       1.25  
                   
Institutional Class (WFISX)   8-31-2006                       -14.20       -1.41       3.59       1.44       0.99  
                   
MSCI EAFE Index (Net)4                         -11.34       -0.17       3.55              

Figures quoted represent past performance, which is no guarantee of future results, and do not reflect taxes that a shareholder may pay on an investment in a fund. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance shown without sales charges would be lower if sales charges were reflected. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted, which assumes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. Current month-end performance is available on the Fund’s website, wfam.com.

Index returns do not include transaction costs associated with buying and selling securities, any mutual fund fees or expenses, or any taxes. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

For Class A shares, the maximum front-end sales charge is 5.75%. For Class C shares, the maximum contingent deferred sales charge is 1.00%. Performance including a contingent deferred sales charge assumes the sales charge for the corresponding time period. Class R6, Administrator Class, and Institutional Class shares are sold without a front-end sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge.

Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of individual companies and general market and economic conditions. Foreign investments are especially volatile and can rise or fall dramatically due to differences in the political and economic conditions of the host country. These risks are generally intensified in emerging markets. The use of derivatives may reduce returns and/or increase volatility. Certain investment strategies tend to increase the total risk of an investment (relative to the broader market). The Fund is exposed to smaller-company securities risk. Consult the Fund’s prospectus for additional information on these and other risks.

 

Please see footnotes on page 5.

 

 

4  |  Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund


Table of Contents

Performance highlights (unaudited)

 

Ten largest holdings (%) as of April 30, 20205  
   

Deutsche Boerse AG

     2.20  
   

Sanofi SA

     2.03  
   

Linde plc

     2.02  
   

Roche Holding AG

     1.98  
   

Novartis AG

     1.61  
   

Muenchener Rueckversicherungs Gesellschaft AG

     1.45  
   

Check Point Software Technologies Limited

     1.45  
   

Air Liquide SA

     1.42  
   

Nestle SA

     1.41  
   

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

     1.37  

 

Sector allocation as of April 30, 20206
LOGO
 

 

Country allocation as of April 30, 20206
LOGO
 

 

 

CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

 

1 

Reflects the expense ratios as stated in the most recent prospectuses. The expense ratios shown are subject to change and may differ from the annualized expense ratios shown in the financial highlights of this report.

 

2 

The manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2021, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers at 1.35% for Class A, 2.10% for Class C, 0.89% for Class R6, 1.25% for Administrator Class, and 0.99% for Institutional Class. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. Without this cap, the Fund’s returns would have been lower. The expense ratio paid by an investor is the net expense ratio (the total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers) as stated in the prospectuses.

 

3 

Historical performance shown for Class R6 shares prior to their inception reflects the performance of the Administrator Class shares, and includes the higher expenses applicable to the Administrator Class shares. If these expenses had not been included, returns for the Class R6 shares would be higher.

 

4 

The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Europe, Australasia, Far East (EAFE) Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the United States and Canada. Source: MSCI. MSCI makes no express or implied warranties or representations and shall have no liability whatsoever with respect to any MSCI data contained herein. The MSCI data may not be further redistributed or used as a basis for other indexes or any securities or financial products. This report is not approved, reviewed, or produced by MSCI. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

5 

The ten largest holdings, excluding cash, cash equivalents and any money market funds, are calculated based on the value of the investments divided by total net assets of the Fund. Holdings are subject to change and may have changed since the date specified.

 

6 

Amounts are calculated based on the total long-term investments of the Fund. These amounts are subject to change and may have changed since the date specified.

 

 

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund  |  5


Table of Contents

Fund expenses (unaudited)

 

As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments and contingent deferred sales charges (if any) on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution (12b-1) and/or shareholder servicing fees, and other Fund expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the six-month period and held for the entire period from November 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020.

Actual expenses

The “Actual” line of the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the “Actual” line under the heading entitled “Expenses paid during period” for your applicable class of shares to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The “Hypothetical” line of the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads) and contingent deferred sales charges. Therefore, the “Hypothetical” line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     Beginning
account  value
11-1-2019
     Ending
account value
4-30-2020
     Expenses
paid during
the period¹
     Annualized net
expense ratio
 
         

Class A

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 831.09      $ 5.96        1.31

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,018.35      $ 6.57        1.31
         

Class C

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 828.39      $ 9.55        2.10

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,014.42      $ 10.52        2.10
         

Class R6

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 832.40      $ 4.05        0.89

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,020.44      $ 4.47        0.89
         

Administrator Class

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 831.26      $ 5.69        1.25

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,018.65      $ 6.27        1.25
         

Institutional Class

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 832.19      $ 4.51        0.99

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,019.94      $ 4.97        0.99

 

1

Expenses paid is equal to the annualized net expense ratio of each class multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent fiscal half-year divided by the number of days in the fiscal year (to reflect the one-half-year period).

 

 

6  |  Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Common Stocks: 94.56%

 

Australia: 1.29%  

AGL Energy Limited (Utilities, Multi-Utilities)

          8,500      $ 93,288  

Beach Petroleum Limited (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          85,000        82,854  

Fortescue Metals Group Limited (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          21,200        162,016  

Harvey Norman Holdings Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Multiline Retail)

          34,882        62,586  

Lendlease Corporation Limited (Real Estate, Real Estate Management & Development)

          6,000        47,795  

Metcash Limited (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          28,500        45,969  

Mineral Resources Limited (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          2,800        30,178  

Qantas Airways Limited (Industrials, Airlines)

          160,412        398,409  

Rio Tinto Limited (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          1,800        101,450  
             1,024,545  
          

 

 

 
Austria: 0.20%  

OMV AG (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          4,800        156,729  
          

 

 

 
Brazil: 0.23%  

Banco de Brasil SA (Financials, Banks)

          10,900        57,127  

Companhia de Saneamento de Minas Gerais SA (Utilities, Water Utilities)

          5,300        46,783  

JBS SA (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          18,600        81,543  
             185,453  
          

 

 

 
Canada: 2.15%  

GFL Environmental Incorporated (Industrials, Commercial Services & Supplies)

          5,257        90,946  

Home Capital Group Incorporated (Financials, Thrifts & Mortgage Finance) †

          18,300        244,929  

Loblaw Companies Limited (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          3,800        187,004  

Lundin Mining Corporation (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          122,708        601,220  

Magna International Incorporated (Consumer Discretionary, Auto Components)

          7,300        284,458  

TMX Group Limited (Financials, Capital Markets)

          3,500        303,219  
             1,711,776  
          

 

 

 
China: 5.41%  

Alibaba Group Holding Limited ADR (Consumer Discretionary, Internet & Direct Marketing Retail) †

          5,385        1,091,378  

China Mobile Limited (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services)

          68,000        546,656  

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation H Shares (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          218,000        108,654  

China Railway Construction Corporation Limited H Shares (Industrials, Construction & Engineering)

          117,500        129,016  

China Resources Cement Holdings Limited (Materials, Construction Materials)

          168,000        228,598  

China Telecom Corporation Limited H Shares (Communication Services, Diversified Telecommunication Services)

          238,000        82,205  

Dongfeng Motor Group Company Limited H Shares (Consumer Discretionary, Automobiles)

          106,000        70,306  

Midea Group Company Limited Class A (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          106,300        796,551  

PICC Property & Casualty Company Limited H Shares (Financials, Insurance)

          103,500        99,044  

Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding Company Limited H Shares (Health Care, Health Care Providers & Services)

          221,200        389,357  

Tencent Holdings Limited (Communication Services, Interactive Media & Services)

          8,400        441,583  

WH Group Limited (Consumer Staples, Food Products) 144A

          135,500        129,233  

Wynn Macau Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure)

          92,000        158,872  

Yantai Changyu Pioneer Wine Company Limited Class B (Consumer Staples, Beverages)

          23,400        40,992  
             4,312,445  
          

 

 

 
Denmark: 1.62%  

Ascendis Pharma AS ADR (Health Care, Biotechnology) †

          480        65,150  

Danske Bank AS (Financials, Banks) †

          9,300        110,420  

DSV Panalpina AS (Industrials, Air Freight & Logistics)

          490        50,911  

Genmab AS (Health Care, Biotechnology) †

          3,172        762,500  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund  |  7


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Denmark (continued)  

Novo Nordisk AS Class B (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          3,676      $ 234,492  

Sydbank AS (Financials, Banks) †

          4,000        66,093  
             1,289,566  
          

 

 

 
Finland: 0.12%  

Nordea Bank AB (Financials, Banks) †

          15,000        96,209  
          

 

 

 
France: 8.29%  

Air Liquide SA (Materials, Chemicals)

          8,927        1,134,213  

Amundi SA (Financials, Capital Markets) 144A

          5,068        336,384  

Arkema SA (Materials, Chemicals)

          910        75,742  

AXA SA (Financials, Insurance)

          9,200        163,544  

BNP Paribas SA (Financials, Banks)

          4,400        138,232  

Compagnie de Saint-Gobain SA (Industrials, Building Products)

          16,705        444,485  

Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin SA (Consumer Discretionary, Auto Components)

          2,200        212,566  

Credit Agricole SA (Financials, Banks)

          13,900        111,804  

Eiffage SA (Industrials, Construction & Engineering)

          3,564        291,256  

Engie SA (Utilities, Multi-Utilities)

          13,300        144,299  

Natixis SA (Financials, Capital Markets)

          27,500        64,921  

Orange SA (Communication Services, Diversified Telecommunication Services)

          76,277        926,692  

Renault SA (Consumer Discretionary, Automobiles)

          3,100        61,084  

Safran SA (Industrials, Aerospace & Defense)

          1,748        162,513  

Sanofi SA (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          16,535        1,615,035  

Societe Generale SA (Financials, Banks)

          3,700        58,049  

Total SA (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          9,700        344,276  

Vinci SA (Industrials, Construction & Engineering)

          3,896        319,168  
             6,604,263  
          

 

 

 
Germany: 10.37%  

Allianz AG (Financials, Insurance)

          5,501        1,012,356  

Aurubis AG (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          1,600        82,945  

Bayer AG (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          1,900        124,962  

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (Consumer Discretionary, Automobiles)

          2,200        129,415  

Covestro AG (Materials, Chemicals) 144A

          2,700        90,696  

Daimler AG (Consumer Discretionary, Automobiles)

          5,300        181,276  

Deutsche Boerse AG (Financials, Capital Markets)

          11,289        1,750,229  

Deutsche Post AG (Industrials, Air Freight & Logistics)

          25,452        756,108  

Deutsche Telekom AG (Communication Services, Diversified Telecommunication Services) †

          34,405        502,988  

E.ON SE (Utilities, Multi-Utilities)

          17,739        177,696  

Metro AG (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          19,352        169,084  

Muenchener Rueckversicherungs Gesellschaft AG (Financials, Insurance)

          5,263        1,152,724  

Rheinmetall AG (Industrials, Industrial Conglomerates)

          1,624        109,911  

SAP SE (Information Technology, Software)

          4,910        584,816  

Siemens AG (Industrials, Industrial Conglomerates)

          4,770        440,190  

Symrise AG (Materials, Chemicals)

          2,310        234,025  

Volkswagen AG (Consumer Discretionary, Automobiles)

          1,600        236,550  

Wirecard AG (Information Technology, IT Services)

          5,369        531,303  
             8,267,274  
          

 

 

 
Hong Kong: 3.24%  

AIA Group Limited (Financials, Insurance)

          108,800        998,541  

CK Hutchison Holdings Limited (Industrials, Industrial Conglomerates)

          22,300        165,291  

Kingboard Laminates Holdings Limited (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          129,500        125,330  

Nine Dragons Paper Holdings Limited (Materials, Paper & Forest Products)

          104,000        99,499  

Sinotruk Hong Kong Limited (Industrials, Machinery)

          59,500        120,639  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

8  |  Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Hong Kong (continued)  

Skyworth Digital Holdings Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          320,000      $ 73,505  

Xinyi Glass Holdings Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Auto Components)

          802,000        928,841  

Yue Yuen Industrial Holdings Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods)

          42,000        66,997  
             2,578,643  
          

 

 

 
Hungary: 0.09%  

Richter Gedeon (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          3,500        74,791  
          

 

 

 
India: 0.54%  

Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (Financials, Thrifts & Mortgage Finance)

          17,032        430,821  
          

 

 

 
Ireland: 5.83%  

Aon plc (Financials, Insurance)

          5,447        940,533  

C&C Group plc (Consumer Staples, Beverages)

          12,300        30,209  

Greencore Group plc (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          303,427        694,929  

Linde plc (Materials, Chemicals)

          8,739        1,611,501  

Medtronic plc (Health Care, Health Care Equipment & Supplies)

          7,098        692,978  

Smurfit Kappa Group plc (Materials, Containers & Packaging)

          4,300        134,703  

Willis Towers Watson plc (Financials, Insurance)

          3,056        544,854  
             4,649,707  
          

 

 

 
Israel: 1.93%  

Check Point Software Technologies Limited (Information Technology, Software) †

          10,901        1,152,672  

Nice Systems Limited ADR (Information Technology, Software) †

          2,351        386,269  
             1,538,941  
          

 

 

 
Italy: 2.35%  

A2A SpA (Utilities, Multi-Utilities)

          104,600        142,591  

Assicurazioni Generali SpA (Financials, Insurance)

          26,218        374,043  

Enel SpA (Utilities, Electric Utilities)

          59,200        404,362  

Intesa Sanpaolo SpA (Financials, Banks)

          33,748        52,698  

Leonardo SpA (Industrials, Aerospace & Defense)

          9,300        64,227  

Mediobanca SpA (Financials, Banks)

          23,400        136,036  

Prysmian SpA (Industrials, Electrical Equipment)

          34,538        651,663  

UniCredit SpA (Financials, Banks)

          6,030        46,568  
             1,872,188  
          

 

 

 
Japan: 12.73%  

Adeka Corporation (Materials, Chemicals)

          13,000        163,243  

Alps Electric Company Limited (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          25,600        264,047  

Asahi Glass Company Limited (Industrials, Building Products)

          4,900        120,835  

Astellas Pharma Incorporated (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          14,200        234,856  

Daiwa House Industry Company Limited (Real Estate, Real Estate Management & Development)

          3,900        98,827  

Daiwa Securities Group Incorporated (Financials, Capital Markets)

          155,500        646,636  

Denka Company Limited (Materials, Chemicals)

          6,300        152,207  

DIC Incorporated (Materials, Chemicals)

          5,300        123,079  

Hitachi Limited (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          22,000        652,947  

Honda Motor Company Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Automobiles)

          5,400        131,134  

Isuzu Motors Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Automobiles)

          16,500        125,393  

Itochu Corporation (Industrials, Trading Companies & Distributors)

          14,600        286,235  

Japan Airlines Company Limited (Industrials, Airlines)

          6,300        112,378  

Kaken Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          700        38,529  

KDDI Corporation (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services)

          20,000        579,285  

Komatsu Limited (Industrials, Machinery)

          9,600        181,641  

Marubeni Corporation (Industrials, Trading Companies & Distributors)

          30,300        145,920  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund  |  9


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Japan (continued)  

Mazda Motor Corporation (Consumer Discretionary, Automobiles)

          12,000      $ 67,840  

Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company Incorporated (Materials, Chemicals)

          6,100        74,730  

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Incorporated (Financials, Banks)

          197,100        796,284  

Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance Company Limited (Financials, Diversified Financial Services)

          37,300        178,109  

Mitsui Chemicals Incorporated (Materials, Chemicals)

          9,500        186,514  

Mizuho Financial Group Incorporated (Financials, Banks)

          171,600        199,814  

Nippon Shinyaku Company Limited (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          7,600        533,700  

Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corporation (Communication Services, Diversified Telecommunication Services)

          25,000        569,341  

Nomura Holdings Incorporated (Financials, Capital Markets)

          31,200        129,468  

ORIX Corporation (Financials, Diversified Financial Services)

          16,500        194,164  

Resona Holdings Incorporated (Financials, Banks)

          62,600        195,502  

Sawai Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          2,100        114,669  

Sojitz Corporation (Industrials, Trading Companies & Distributors)

          77,400        179,130  

Sompo Holdings Incorporated NKSJ Holdings Incorporated (Financials, Insurance)

          3,200        103,794  

Sony Corporation (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          3,800        244,545  

Sumitomo Corporation (Industrials, Trading Companies & Distributors)

          9,400        106,335  

Sumitomo Heavy Industries Limited (Industrials, Machinery)

          6,000        126,445  

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Incorporated (Financials, Banks)

          8,000        210,378  

Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (Materials, Chemicals)

          20,900        324,174  

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          30,300        1,092,662  

Teijin Limited (Materials, Chemicals)

          5,700        90,902  

The Yokohama Rubber Company Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Auto Components)

          7,600        96,664  

Toyo Ink SC Holding Company Limited (Materials, Chemicals)

          7,360        139,990  

UBE Industries Limited (Materials, Chemicals)

          7,900        132,478  
             10,144,824  
          

 

 

 
Malaysia: 0.08%  

CIMB Group Holdings Bhd (Financials, Banks)

          82,753        66,168  
          

 

 

 
Netherlands: 4.72%  

Aegon NV (Financials, Insurance)

          23,200        60,010  

Airbus SE (Industrials, Aerospace & Defense)

          8,855        560,685  

ING Groep NV (Financials, Banks)

          24,351        136,433  

Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize NV (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          14,600        354,493  

Koninklijke DSM NV (Materials, Chemicals)

          3,629        444,777  

Koninklijke Philips NV (Health Care, Health Care Equipment & Supplies)

          21,494        936,977  

NN Group NV (Financials, Insurance)

          28,591        827,068  

OCI NV (Materials, Chemicals) †

          36,906        445,655  
             3,766,098  
          

 

 

 
Norway: 0.93%  

Den Norske Bank ASA (Financials, Banks)

          61,255        741,670  
          

 

 

 
Portugal: 0.28%  

Energias de Portugal SA (Utilities, Electric Utilities)

          53,339        224,764  
          

 

 

 
Russia: 1.16%  

Gazprom Neft ADR (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          5,900        131,759  

LUKOIL PJSC ADR (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          4,200        271,194  

Mobile TeleSystems PJSC ADR (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services)

          61,278        525,152  
             928,105  
          

 

 

 
Singapore: 1.10%  

DBS Group Holdings Limited (Financials, Banks)

          6,400        90,106  

Keppel Corporation Limited (Industrials, Industrial Conglomerates)

          150,100        633,681  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

10  |  Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Singapore (continued)  

United Overseas Bank Limited (Financials, Banks)

          10,700      $ 152,893  
             876,680  
          

 

 

 
South Africa: 0.14%  

Absa Group Limited (Financials, Banks)

          12,600        62,183  

Imperial Holdings Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Distributors)

          5,500        9,672  

Motus Holdings Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Specialty Retail)

          5,500        8,958  

Old Mutual Limited (Financials, Insurance)

          48,591        34,608  
             115,421  
          

 

 

 
South Korea: 3.26%  

BNK Financial Group Incorporated (Financials, Banks)

          1,018        4,234  

Hana Financial Group Incorporated (Financials, Banks)

          18,752        428,071  

Hyundai Greenfood Company Limited (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          14,600        97,897  

Industrial Bank of Korea (Financials, Banks)

          16,600        108,139  

JB Financial Group Company Limited (Financials, Banks)

          1,964        7,823  

KT&G Corporation (Consumer Staples, Tobacco)

          2,300        153,565  

LG Uplus Corporation (Communication Services, Diversified Telecommunication Services)

          9,600        105,418  

Samsung Electronics Company Limited GDR (Information Technology, Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals) 144A

          666        692,062  

SK Telecom Company Limited (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services)

          5,379        934,890  

Woori Financial Group Incorporated (Financials, Banks)

          9,800        67,869  
             2,599,968  
          

 

 

 
Spain: 0.59%  

Banco Santander Central Hispano SA (Financials, Banks)

          29,500        65,914  

Enagás SA (Utilities, Gas Utilities)

          1,900        44,349  

Faes Farma SA (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          25,800        112,810  

Grifols SA ADR (Health Care, Biotechnology)

          2,621        53,206  

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (Industrials, Airlines)

          17,900        49,930  

Repsol YPF SA (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          16,200        147,045  
             473,254  
          

 

 

 
Sweden: 0.67%  

Boliden AB (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          6,700        135,055  

Ericsson LM Class B (Information Technology, Communications Equipment)

          10,994        93,923  

Volvo AB Class B (Industrials, Machinery) †

          23,600        302,424  
             531,402  
          

 

 

 
Switzerland: 9.03%  

Baloise Holding AG (Financials, Insurance)

          1,400        209,464  

Idorsia Limited (Health Care, Biotechnology) †

          7,623        220,860  

LafargeHolcim Limited (Materials, Construction Materials)

          15,025        624,033  

Lonza Group AG (Health Care, Life Sciences Tools & Services)

          1,005        438,849  

Medacta Group SA (Health Care, Health Care Equipment & Supplies) 144A†

          1,901        132,313  

Nestle SA (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          10,637        1,126,565  

Novartis AG (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          15,074        1,286,392  

Roche Holding AG (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          4,566        1,581,194  

Swiss Life Holding AG (Financials, Insurance)

          700        248,236  

Swiss Reinsurance AG (Financials, Insurance)

          2,400        174,399  

Temenos AG (Information Technology, Software)

          1,429        185,172  

UBS Group AG (Financials, Capital Markets)

          64,272        688,192  

Valiant Holding AG (Financials, Banks)

          600        57,957  

Zurich Insurance Group AG (Financials, Insurance)

          700        221,938  
             7,195,564  
          

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund  |  11


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Taiwan: 0.52%  

Powertech Technology Incorporated (Information Technology, Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment)

          51,000      $ 170,547  

Tripod Technology Corporation (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          27,000        95,402  

Zhen Ding Technology Holding (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          42,000        150,709  
             416,658  
          

 

 

 
Turkey: 0.13%  

Coca-Cola Icecek Uretim AS (Consumer Staples, Beverages)

          19,900        105,276  
          

 

 

 
United Kingdom: 10.54%                           

3i Group plc (Financials, Capital Markets)

          21,200        208,266  

Amarin Corporation plc ADR (Health Care, Biotechnology) †

          20,749        157,900  

Anglo American plc (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          11,100        197,414  

AVEVA Group plc (Information Technology, Software)

          6,135        275,353  

Aviva plc (Financials, Insurance)

          22,000        66,531  

Babcock International Group plc (Industrials, Commercial Services & Supplies)

          2,100        11,123  

BAE Systems plc (Industrials, Aerospace & Defense)

          56,500        360,381  

Barratt Developments plc (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          23,400        152,553  

Bellway plc (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          4,200        140,538  

Bovis Homes Group plc (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          8,928        90,669  

BP plc (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          53,700        211,600  

British American Tobacco plc (Consumer Staples, Tobacco)

          5,700        219,702  

BT Group plc (Communication Services, Diversified Telecommunication Services)

          33,500        48,827  

Centrica plc (Utilities, Multi-Utilities)

          68,900        34,461  

Coca-Cola European Partners plc (Consumer Staples, Beverages)

          5,410        214,451  

Crest Nicholson Holdings plc (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          20,500        66,055  

Diageo plc (Consumer Staples, Beverages)

          15,351        528,533  

Fresnillo plc (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          58,071        515,857  

GlaxoSmithKline plc (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          23,900        498,616  

Imperial Tobacco Group plc (Consumer Staples, Tobacco)

          7,800        164,100  

Inchcape plc (Consumer Discretionary, Distributors)

          15,100        95,116  

J Sainsbury plc (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          37,300        92,832  

John Wood Group plc (Energy, Energy Equipment & Services)

          167,675        424,567  

Kingfisher plc (Consumer Discretionary, Specialty Retail)

          213,742        424,019  

Legal & General Group plc (Financials, Insurance)

          48,900        125,722  

Lloyds Banking Group plc (Financials, Banks)

          134,900        54,582  

Man Group plc (Financials, Capital Markets)

          176,869        296,328  

Marks & Spencer Group plc (Consumer Discretionary, Multiline Retail)

          44,100        51,379  

Melrose Industries plc (Industrials, Electrical Equipment)

          306,576        383,190  

QinetiQ Group plc (Industrials, Aerospace & Defense)

          31,800        121,608  

Redrow plc (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          23,047        133,910  

RELX plc (Industrials, Professional Services)

          9,500        214,337  

Royal Dutch Shell plc Class B (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          21,300        340,984  

Royal Mail plc (Industrials, Air Freight & Logistics)

          20,900        43,615  

Sensata Technologies Holding plc (Industrials, Electrical Equipment) †

          5,278        192,014  

Smiths Group plc (Industrials, Industrial Conglomerates)

          59,462        925,848  

Tate & Lyle plc (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          15,700        140,678  

Tesco plc (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          60,000        177,469  
             8,401,128  
          

 

 

 
United States: 4.64%  

Advance Auto Parts Incorporated (Consumer Discretionary, Specialty Retail)

          2,214        267,695  

Alphabet Incorporated Class A (Communication Services, Interactive Media & Services) †

          301        405,357  

Alphabet Incorporated Class C (Communication Services, Interactive Media & Services) †

          121        163,188  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

12  |  Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                    Shares      Value  
United States (continued)  

Amazon.com Incorporated (Consumer Discretionary, Internet & Direct Marketing Retail) †

         328      $ 811,472  

Berry Global Group Incorporated (Materials, Containers & Packaging) †

         21,457        853,774  

Gentex Corporation (Consumer Discretionary, Auto Components)

         31,450        762,348  

Intercontinental Exchange Incorporated (Financials, Capital Markets)

         4,830        432,044  
            3,695,878  
         

 

 

 
Virgin Islands (British): 0.38%  

HollySys Automation Technologies Limited (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

         20,976        300,796  
         

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks (Cost $77,473,147)

 

     75,377,005  
  

 

 

 
         
          Expiration
date
               
Participation Notes: 0.66%                          
Ireland: 0.66%                          

HSBC Bank plc (Ryanair Holdings plc) (Industrials, Airlines) †(a)

      10-29-2020        46,087        525,054  
         

 

 

 

Total Participation Notes (Cost $600,993)

            525,054  
         

 

 

 
         
    Dividend yield                      
Preferred Stocks: 0.42%                          
Brazil: 0.42%                          

Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

    3.30        100,417        333,314  
         

 

 

 

Total Preferred Stocks (Cost $593,050)

            333,314  
         

 

 

 

Rights: 0.00%

         
South Africa: 0.00%                          

Omnia Holdings Limited (Materials, Chemicals) †(a)

      5-5-2020        11,006        0  
         

 

 

 

Total Rights (Cost $24,508)

            0  
         

 

 

 
         
    Yield                      
Short-Term Investments: 4.07%                          

Investment Companies: 4.07%

         

Wells Fargo Government Money Market Fund Select Class (l)(u)

    0.19          3,244,163        3,244,163  
         

 

 

 

Total Short-Term Investments (Cost $3,244,163)

            3,244,163        
       

 

 

 

 

Total investments in securities (Cost $81,935,861)     99.71        79,479,536  

Other assets and liabilities, net

    0.29          227,593  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 
Total net assets     100.00      $ 79,707,129  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

Non-income-earning security

144A

The security may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers, pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933.

(a)

The security is fair valued in accordance with procedures approved by the Board of Trustees.

(l)

The issuer of the security is an affiliated person of the Fund as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

(u)

The rate represents the 7-day annualized yield at period end.

Abbreviations:

 

ADR

American depositary receipt

 

GDR

Global depositary receipt

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund  |  13


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

Forward Foreign Currency Contracts

 

Currency to be
received
     Currency to be
delivered
     Counterparty      Settlement
date
     Unrealized
gains
       Unrealized
losses
 
16,744,014 JPY      157,026 USD      State Street Bank      5-7-2020      $ 0        $ (999
11,048,113 JPY      103,610 USD      State Street Bank      5-7-2020        0          (659
1,390,221 USD      1,237,600 EUR      Credit Suisse      6-9-2020        33,075          0  
                   

 

 

      

 

 

 
                    $ 33,075        $ (1,658
                   

 

 

      

 

 

 

Investments in Affiliates

An affiliated investment is an investment in which the Fund owns at least 5% of the outstanding voting shares of the issuer or as a result of other relationships, such as the Fund and the issuer having the same investment manager. Transactions with issuers that were either affiliated persons of the Fund at the beginning of the period or the end of the period were as follows:

 

    Shares,
beginning of
period
    Shares
purchased
    Shares
sold
    Shares,
end of
period
    Net
realized
gains
(losses)
    Net
change in
unrealized
gains
(losses)
    Income
from
affiliated
securities
    Value,
end of
period
    % of
net
assets
 
Short-Term Investments                                                      

Investment Companies

                 

Securities Lending Cash Investments LLC *

    1,463,510       5,867,839       (7,331,349     0     $ 142     $ 1     $ 12,564 #    $ 0    

Wells Fargo Government Money Market Fund Select Class

    1,895,943       15,950,718       (14,602,498     3,244,163       0       0       14,830       3,244,163    
         

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
          $ 142     $ 1     $ 27,394     $ 3,244,163       4.07
         

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

*

No longer held at end of period

 

# 

Amount shown represents income before fees and rebates.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

14  |  Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund


Table of Contents

Statement of assets and liabilities—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

         

Assets

 

Investments in unaffiliated securities, at value (cost $78,691,698)

  $ 76,235,373  

Investments in affiliated securities, at value (cost $3,244,163)

    3,244,163  

Foreign currency, at value (cost $418,339)

    416,181  

Receivable for investments sold

    371,606  

Receivable for Fund shares sold

    16,411  

Receivable for dividends

    561,526  

Receivable for securities lending income, net

    528  

Unrealized gains on forward foreign currency contracts

    33,075  

Prepaid expenses and other assets

    6,755  
 

 

 

 

Total assets

    80,885,618  
 

 

 

 

Liabilities

 

Payable for investments purchased

    623,114  

Payable for Fund shares redeemed

    184,970  

Overdraft due to custodian bank

    71,199  

Unrealized losses on forward foreign currency contracts

    1,658  

Management fee payable

    18,439  

Administration fees payable

    9,245  

Distribution fee payable

    560  

Custody and accounting fees payable

    145,944  

Trustees’ fees and expenses payable

    8,804  

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

    114,556  
 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

    1,178,489  
 

 

 

 

Total net assets

  $ 79,707,129  
 

 

 

 

Net assets consist of

 

Paid-in capital

  $ 91,371,864  

Total distributable loss

    (11,664,735
 

 

 

 

Total net assets

  $ 79,707,129  
 

 

 

 

Computation of net asset value and offering price per share

 

Net assets – Class A

  $ 42,529,324  

Shares outstanding – Class A1

    4,031,206  

Net asset value per share – Class A

    $10.55  

Maximum offering price per share – Class A2

    $11.19  

Net assets – Class C

  $ 945,364  

Shares outstanding – Class C1

    97,092  

Net asset value per share – Class C

    $9.74  

Net assets – Class R6

  $ 21,293,115  

Shares outstanding – Class R61

    1,971,169  

Net asset value per share – Class R6

    $10.80  

Net assets – Administrator Class

  $ 10,704,292  

Shares outstanding – Administrator Class1

    995,642  

Net asset value per share – Administrator Class

    $10.75  

Net assets – Institutional Class

  $ 4,235,034  

Shares outstanding – Institutional Class1

    424,188  

Net asset value per share – Institutional Class

    $9.98  

 

1 

The Fund has an unlimited number of authorized shares.

 

2 

Maximum offering price is computed as 100/94.25 of net asset value. On investments of $50,000 or more, the offering price is reduced.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund  |  15


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Statement of operations—six months ended April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

         

Investment income

 

Dividends (net of foreign withholding taxes of $91,427)

  $ 849,031  

Income from affiliated securities

    25,243  
 

 

 

 

Total investment income

    874,274  
 

 

 

 

Expenses

 

Management fee

    391,720  

Administration fees

 

Class A

    52,663  

Class C

    1,174  

Class R6

    3,611  

Administrator Class

    8,035  

Institutional Class

    2,898  

Shareholder servicing fees

 

Class A

    62,694  

Class C

    1,398  

Administrator Class

    15,452  

Distribution fee

 

Class C

    4,184  

Custody and accounting fees

    94,795  

Professional fees

    21,967  

Registration fees

    34,787  

Shareholder report expenses

    25,531  

Trustees’ fees and expenses

    10,969  

Other fees and expenses

    35,381  
 

 

 

 

Total expenses

    767,259  

Less: Fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements

 

Fund-level

    (204,851

Class A

    (10,002

Class R6

    (3,611

Administrator Class

    (1,286

Institutional Class

    (819
 

 

 

 

Net expenses

    546,690  
 

 

 

 

Net investment income

    327,584  
 

 

 

 

Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

 

Net realized gains (losses) on

 

Unaffiliated securities

    (1,616,227

Affiliated securities

    142  

Forward foreign currency contracts

    (168,369
 

 

 

 

Net realized losses on investments

    (1,784,454
 

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on

 

Unaffiliated securities

    (14,651,200

Affiliated securities

    1  

Forward foreign currency contracts

    143,789  
 

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (14,507,410
 

 

 

 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (16,291,864
 

 

 

 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations

  $ (15,964,280
 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

16  |  Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund


Table of Contents

Statement of changes in net assets

 

     Six months ended
April 30, 2020
(unaudited)
    Year ended
October 31, 2019
 

Operations

 

 

Net investment income

    $ 327,584       $ 2,013,938  

Net realized gains (losses) on investments

      (1,784,454       431,264  

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments

      (14,507,410       6,134,831  
 

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

      (15,964,280       8,580,033  
 

 

 

 

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and net realized gains

       

Class A

      (1,068,698       (1,117,631

Class C

      (13,100       (23,783

Class R6

      (618,683       (716,722

Administrator Class

      (270,064       (270,088

Institutional Class

      (111,059       (126,725
 

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

      (2,081,604       (2,254,949
 

 

 

 

Capital share transactions

    Shares         Shares    

Proceeds from shares sold

 

Class A

    55,107       645,535       111,229       1,356,596  

Class C

    10,119       108,907       6,717       72,885  

Class R6

    54,710       544,500       57,338       686,446  

Administrator Class

    118,966       1,400,981       158,327       1,962,086  

Institutional Class

    155,534       1,533,664       76,896       887,473  
 

 

 

 
      4,233,587         4,965,486  
 

 

 

 

Reinvestment of distributions

 

Class A

    78,823       1,053,071       99,537       1,100,884  

Class C

    927       11,455       2,096       21,423  

Class R6

    7,562       103,306       17,878       202,018  

Administrator Class

    19,811       269,633       23,957       269,756  

Institutional Class

    8,697       109,848       11,996       125,479  
 

 

 

 
      1,547,313         1,719,560  
 

 

 

 

Payment for shares redeemed

 

Class A

    (287,106     (3,450,030     (500,862     (6,110,610

Class C

    (20,943     (242,605     (112,305     (1,263,134

Class R6

    (13,761     (150,571     (372,557     (4,728,700

Administrator Class

    (138,233     (1,644,635     (201,419     (2,495,504

Institutional Class

    (107,105     (1,115,193     (119,836     (1,388,392
 

 

 

 
      (6,603,034       (15,986,340
 

 

 

 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from capital share transactions

      (822,134       (9,301,294
 

 

 

 

Total decrease in net assets

      (18,868,018       (2,976,210
 

 

 

 

Net assets

   

Beginning of period

      98,575,147         101,551,357  
 

 

 

 

End of period

    $ 79,707,129       $ 98,575,147  
 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund  |  17


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS A   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $12.94       $12.15       $13.39       $11.08       $11.65       $12.01  

Net investment income

    0.03       0.23       0.21       0.19       0.17       0.13 1 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.16     0.81       (1.12     2.34       (0.63     (0.21
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.13     1.04       (0.91     2.53       (0.46     (0.08

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.26     (0.25     (0.33     (0.22     (0.11     (0.28

Net asset value, end of period

    $10.55       $12.94       $12.15       $13.39       $11.08       $11.65  

Total return2

    (16.89 )%      8.94     (7.00 )%      23.27     (3.96 )%      (0.66 )% 

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.79     1.77     1.71     1.80     1.79     1.85

Net expenses

    1.31     1.35     1.35     1.35     1.35     1.40

Net investment income

    0.53     1.91     1.61     1.64     1.67     1.07

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    23     28     39     42     50     31

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $42,529       $54,146       $54,358       $64,347       $61,031       $73,891  

 

 

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Total return calculations do not include any sales charges. Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

18  |  Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS C   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $11.88       $11.12       $12.27       $10.16       $10.74       $11.08  

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.08     0.12 1      0.10 1      0.10 1      0.10 1      0.04 1 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (1.93     0.76       (1.02     2.15       (0.60     (0.20
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.01     0.88       (0.92     2.25       (0.50     (0.16

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.13     (0.12     (0.23     (0.14     (0.08     (0.18

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.74       $11.88       $11.12       $12.27       $10.16       $10.74  

Total return2

    (17.16 )%      8.09     (7.76 )%      22.51     (4.72 )%      (1.44 )% 

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    2.54     2.51     2.46     2.55     2.54     2.60

Net expenses

    2.10     2.10     2.10     2.10     2.10     2.15

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.22 )%      1.08     0.81     0.92     1.01     0.33

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    23     28     39     42     50     31

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $945       $1,271       $2,340       $4,066       $4,351       $3,573  

 

 

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Total return calculations do not include any sales charges. Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund  |  19


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS R6   2019     2018     2017     2016     20151  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $13.28       $12.47       $13.71       $11.33       $11.87       $11.13  

Net investment income

    0.06       0.31       0.31       0.30 2      0.26 2      0.00 3 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.22     0.82       (1.18     2.34       (0.68     0.74  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.16     1.13       (0.87     2.64       (0.42     0.74  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.32     (0.32     (0.37     (0.26     (0.12     0.00  

Net asset value, end of period

    $10.80       $13.28       $12.47       $13.71       $11.33       $11.87  

Total return4

    (16.76 )%      9.52     (6.61 )%      23.88     (3.55 )%      6.65

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.37     1.34     1.28     1.34     1.36     1.46

Net expenses

    0.89     0.89     0.89     0.89     0.89     0.89

Net investment income

    1.02     2.37     2.11     2.37     2.30     0.05

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    23     28     39     42     50     31

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $21,293       $25,525       $27,692       $33,698       $5,523       $27  

 

 

 

1 

For the period from September 30, 2015 (commencement of class operations) to October 31, 2015

 

2 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

3 

Amount is less than $0.005.

 

4 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

20  |  Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
ADMINISTRATOR CLASS   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $13.19       $12.38       $13.64       $11.28       $11.87       $12.23  

Net investment income

    0.04       0.25 1      0.23 1      0.22 1      0.20 1      0.16 1 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.21     0.83       (1.15     2.37       (0.66     (0.22
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.17     1.08       (0.92     2.59       (0.46     (0.06

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.27     (0.27     (0.34     (0.23     (0.13     (0.30

Net asset value, end of period

    $10.75       $13.19       $12.38       $13.64       $11.28       $11.87  

Total return2

    (16.87 )%      9.07     (6.94 )%      23.46     (3.90 )%      (0.46 )% 

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.71     1.69     1.63     1.72     1.71     1.72

Net expenses

    1.25     1.25     1.25     1.25     1.25     1.25

Net investment income

    0.65     2.01     1.73     1.79     1.83     1.31

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    23     28     39     42     50     31

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $10,704       $13,125       $12,557       $13,714       $12,334       $10,540  

 

 

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund  |  21


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $12.28       $11.57       $12.84       $10.61       $11.14       $11.50  

Net investment income

    0.06 1      0.26 1      0.25 1      0.23 1      0.23 1      0.17 1 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.06     0.76       (1.07     2.25       (0.63     (0.20
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.00     1.02       (0.82     2.48       (0.40     (0.03

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.30     (0.31     (0.45     (0.25     (0.13     (0.33

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.98       $12.28       $11.57       $12.84       $10.61       $11.14  

Total return2

    (16.78 )%      9.30     (6.68 )%      23.91     (3.63 )%      (0.23 )% 

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.47     1.44     1.38     1.49     1.46     1.47

Net expenses

    0.99     0.99     0.99     0.99     0.99     0.99

Net investment income

    0.98     2.22     1.97     2.02     2.16     1.45

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    23     28     39     42     50     31

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $4,235       $4,508       $4,604       $8,146       $24,328       $7,106  

 

 

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

22  |  Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund


Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

1. ORGANIZATION

Wells Fargo Funds Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on March 10, 1999, is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). As an investment company, the Trust follows the accounting and reporting guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services – Investment Companies. These financial statements report on the Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund (the “Fund”) which is a diversified series of the Trust.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following significant accounting policies, which are consistently followed in the preparation of the financial statements of the Fund, are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Securities valuation

All investments are valued each business day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4 p.m. Eastern Time), although the Fund may deviate from this calculation time under unusual or unexpected circumstances.

Equity securities that are listed on a foreign or domestic exchange or market are valued at the official closing price or, if none, the last sales price. If no sale occurs on the principal exchange or market that day, a fair value price will be determined in accordance with the Fund’s Valuation Procedures.

Forward foreign currency contracts are recorded at the forward rate provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee at Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC (“Funds Management”).

The values of securities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at rates provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee.

Many securities markets and exchanges outside the U.S. close prior to the close of the New York Stock Exchange and therefore may not fully reflect trading or events that occur after the close of the principal exchange in which the foreign securities are traded, but before the close of the New York Stock Exchange. If such trading or events are expected to materially affect the value of such securities, then fair value pricing procedures approved by the Board of Trustees of the Fund are applied. These procedures take into account multiple factors including movements in U.S. securities markets after foreign exchanges close. Foreign securities that are fair valued under these procedures are categorized as Level 2 and the application of these procedures may result in transfers between Level 1 and Level 2. Depending on market activity, such fair valuations may be frequent. Such fair value pricing may result in net asset values that are higher or lower than net asset values based on the last reported sales price or latest quoted bid price. On April 30, 2020, such fair value pricing was used in pricing certain foreign securities.

Investments in registered open-end investment companies are valued at net asset value. Interests in non-registered investment companies that are redeemable at net asset value are fair valued normally at net asset value.

Investments which are not valued using any of the methods discussed above are valued at their fair value, as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees has established a Valuation Committee comprised of the Trustees and has delegated to it the authority to take any actions regarding the valuation of portfolio securities that the Valuation Committee deems necessary or appropriate, including determining the fair value of portfolio securities, unless the determination has been delegated to the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee. The Board of Trustees retains the authority to make or ratify any valuation decisions or approve any changes to the Valuation Procedures as it deems appropriate. On a quarterly basis, the Board of Trustees receives reports on any valuation actions taken by the Valuation Committee or the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee which may include items for ratification.

Foreign currency translation

The accounting records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. The values of other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at rates provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee. Purchases and sales of securities, and income and expenses are converted at the rate of exchange on the respective dates of such transactions. Net realized foreign exchange gains or losses arise from sales of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on securities transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually paid or received. Net unrealized foreign

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

exchange gains and losses arise from changes in the fair value of assets and liabilities other than investments in securities resulting from changes in exchange rates. The changes in net assets arising from changes in exchange rates of securities and the changes in net assets resulting from changes in market prices of securities are not separately presented. Such changes are included in net realized and unrealized gains or losses from investments.

Participation notes

The Fund may invest in participation notes to gain exposure to securities in certain foreign markets. Participation notes are issued by banks or broker-dealers and are designed to offer a return linked to a particular underlying foreign security. Participation notes involve transaction costs, which may be higher than those applicable to the underlying foreign security. The holder of the participation note is entitled to receive from the bank or broker-dealer, an amount equal to the dividend paid by the issuer of the underlying foreign security; however, the holder is not entitled to the same rights (i.e. voting rights) as an owner of the underlying foreign security. Investments in participation notes involve risks beyond those normally associated with a direct investment in an underlying security. The Fund has no rights against the issuer of the underlying foreign security and participation notes expose the Fund to counterparty risk in the event the counterparty does not perform. There is also no assurance there will be a secondary trading market for the participation note or that the trading price of the participation note will equal the underlying value of the foreign security that it seeks to replicate.

Forward foreign currency contracts

A forward foreign currency contract is an agreement between two parties to purchase or sell a specific currency for an agreed-upon price at a future date. The Fund enters into forward foreign currency contracts to facilitate transactions in foreign-denominated securities and to attempt to minimize the risk to the Fund from adverse changes in the relationship between currencies. Forward foreign currency contracts are recorded at the forward rate and marked-to-market daily. When the contracts are closed, realized gains and losses arising from such transactions are recorded as realized gains or losses on forward foreign currency contracts. The Fund is subject to foreign currency risk and may be exposed to risks if the counterparties to the contracts are unable to meet the terms of their contracts or if the value of the foreign currency changes unfavorably. The Fund’s maximum risk of loss from counterparty credit risk is the unrealized gains on the contracts. This risk may be mitigated if there is a master netting arrangement between the Fund and the counterparty.

Securities lending

The Fund may lend its securities from time to time in order to earn additional income in the form of fees or interest on securities received as collateral or the investment of any cash received as collateral. When securities are on loan, the Fund receives interest or dividends on those securities. Cash collateral received in connection with its securities lending transactions is invested in Securities Lending Cash Investments, LLC (the “Securities Lending Fund”). Investments in Securities Lending Fund are valued at the evaluated bid price provided by an independent pricing service. Income earned from investment in the Securities Lending Fund (net of fees and rebates), if any, is included in income from affiliated securities on the Statement of Operations.

In a securities lending transaction, the net asset value of the Fund is affected by an increase or decrease in the value of the securities loaned and by an increase or decrease in the value of the instrument in which collateral is invested. The amount of securities lending activity undertaken by the Fund fluctuates from time to time. The Fund has the right under the lending agreement to recover the securities from the borrower on demand. In the event of default or bankruptcy by the borrower, the Fund may be prevented from recovering the loaned securities or gaining access to the collateral or may experience delays or costs in doing so. In such an event, the terms of the agreement allows the unaffiliated securities lending agent to use the collateral to purchase replacement securities on behalf of the Fund or pay the Fund the market value of the loaned securities. The Fund bears the risk of loss with respect to depreciation of its investment of the cash collateral.

Security transactions and income recognition

Securities transactions are recorded on a trade date basis. Realized gains or losses are recorded on the basis of identified cost.

Dividend income is recognized on the ex-dividend date, except for certain dividends from foreign securities, which are recorded as soon as the custodian verifies the ex-dividend date. Dividend income from foreign securities is recorded net of foreign taxes withheld where recovery of such taxes is not assured.

Distributions to shareholders

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and any net realized gains are recorded on the ex-dividend date and paid at least annually. Such distributions are determined in accordance with income tax regulations and may differ from U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Dividend sources are estimated at the time of declaration. The tax character of distributions is determined as of the Fund’s fiscal year end. Therefore, a portion of the Fund’s distributions made prior to the

Fund’s fiscal year end may be categorized as a tax return of capital at year end.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Federal and other taxes

The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company by distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized capital gains (after reduction for capital loss carryforwards) sufficient to relieve it from all, or substantially all, federal income taxes. Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes was required.

The Fund’s income and federal excise tax returns and all financial records supporting those returns for the prior three fiscal years are subject to examination by the federal and Delaware revenue authorities. Management has analyzed the Fund’s tax positions taken on federal, state, and foreign tax returns for all open tax years and does not believe that there are any uncertain tax positions that require recognition of a tax liability.

As of April 30, 2020, the aggregate cost of all investments for federal income tax purposes was $81,403,107 and the unrealized gains (losses) consisted of:

 

Gross unrealized gains

   $ 9,460,706  

Gross unrealized losses

     (11,352,860

Net unrealized losses

   $ (1,892,154

As of October 31, 2019, the Fund had capital loss carryforwards which consisted of $7,024,446 in short-term capital losses.

Class allocations

The separate classes of shares offered by the Fund differ principally in applicable sales charges, distribution, shareholder servicing, and administration fees. Class specific expenses are charged directly to that share class. Investment income, common fund-level expenses, and realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments are allocated daily to each class of shares based on the relative proportion of net assets of each class.

3. FAIR VALUATION MEASUREMENTS

Fair value measurements of investments are determined within a framework that has established a fair value hierarchy based upon the various data inputs utilized in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. The three-level hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The Fund’s investments are classified within the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The inputs are summarized into three broad levels as follows:

 

 

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities

 

 

Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

 

 

Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing investments in securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

The following is a summary of the inputs used in valuing the Fund’s assets and liabilities as of April 30, 2020:

 

      Quoted prices
(Level 1)
     Other significant
observable inputs
(Level 2)
    

Significant
unobservable inputs

(Level 3)

     Total  

Assets

           

Investments in:

           

Common stocks

           

Australia

   $ 0      $ 1,024,545      $ 0      $ 1,024,545  

Austria

     0        156,729        0        156,729  

Brazil

     185,453        0        0        185,453  

Canada

     1,711,776        0        0        1,711,776  

China

     1,392,174        3,221,067        0        4,613,241  

Denmark

     65,150        1,224,416        0        1,289,566  

Finland

     0        96,209        0        96,209  

France

     0        6,604,263        0        6,604,263  

Germany

     0        8,267,274        0        8,267,274  

Hong Kong

     0        2,578,643        0        2,578,643  

Hungary

     0        74,791        0        74,791  

India

     0        430,821        0        430,821  

Ireland

     2,208,574        2,441,133        0        4,649,707  

Israel

     1,538,941        0        0        1,538,941  

Italy

     0        1,872,188        0        1,872,188  

Japan

     0        10,144,824        0        10,144,824  

Malaysia

     0        66,168        0        66,168  

Mexico

     0        515,857        0        515,857  

Netherlands

     0        3,766,098        0        3,766,098  

Norway

     0        741,670        0        741,670  

Portugal

     0        224,764        0        224,764  

Russia

     796,346        131,759        0        928,105  

Singapore

     0        876,680        0        876,680  

South Africa

     0        115,421        0        115,421  

South Korea

     0        2,599,968        0        2,599,968  

Spain

     53,206        420,048        0        473,254  

Sweden

     0        531,402        0        531,402  

Switzerland

     0        7,195,564        0        7,195,564  

Taiwan

     0        416,658        0        416,658  

Turkey

     0        105,276        0        105,276  

United Kingdom

     564,365        7,320,906        0        7,885,271  

United States

     3,695,878        0        0        3,695,878  

Participation notes

           

Ireland

     0        525,054        0        525,054  

Preferred stocks

           

Brazil

     333,314        0        0        333,314  

Rights

           

South Africa

     0        0        0        0  

Short-term investments

           

Investment companies

     3,244,163        0        0        3,244,163  
     15,789,340        63,690,196        0        79,479,536  

Forward foreign currency contracts

     0        33,075        0        33,075  

Total assets

   $ 15,789,340      $ 63,723,271      $ 0      $ 79,512,611  

Liabilities

           

Forward foreign currency contracts

   $ 0      $ 1,658      $ 0      $ 1,658  

Total liabilities

   $ 0      $ 1,658      $ 0      $ 1,658  

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Additional sector, industry or geographic detail is included in the Portfolio of Investments.

Forward foreign currency contracts are reported at their cumulative unrealized gains (losses) at measurement date as reported in the table following the Portfolio of Investments. All other assets and liabilities are reported at their market value at measurement date.

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, the Fund did not have any transfers into/out of Level 3.

4. TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES AND OTHER EXPENSES

Management fee

Funds Management, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), is the manager of the Fund and provides advisory and fund-level administrative services under an investment management agreement. Under the investment management agreement, Funds Management is responsible for, among other services, implementing the investment objectives and strategies of the Fund, supervising the subadvisers and providing fund-level administrative services in connection with the Fund’s operations. As compensation for its services under the investment management agreement, Funds Management is entitled to receive a management fee at the following annual rate based on the Fund’s average daily net assets:

 

Average daily net assets    Management fee  

First $500 million

     0.850

Next $500 million

     0.800  

Next $1 billion

     0.750  

Next $2 billion

     0.725  

Next $1 billion

     0.700  

Next $5 billion

     0.690  

Over $10 billion

     0.680  

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, the management fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 0.85% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Funds Management has retained the services of certain subadvisers to provide daily portfolio management to the Fund. The fee for subadvisory services is borne by Funds Management. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership, LSV Asset Management, and Wells Capital Management incorporated (“WellsCap”), an affiliate of Funds Management and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo, are the subadvisers to the Fund and are each entitled to receive a fee from Funds Management which is calculated based on the average daily net assets of the Fund. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership and LSV Asset Management are not affiliates of Funds Management.

 

       Annual subadvisory fee  
        starting at        Declining to  

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership

       0.80        0.50

LSV Asset Management

       0.35          0.30  

WellsCap

       0.45          0.40  

Administration fees

Under a class-level administration agreement, Funds Management provides class-level administrative services to the Fund, which includes paying fees and expenses for services provided by the transfer agent, sub-transfer agents, omnibus account servicers and record-keepers. As compensation for its services under the class-level administration agreement, Funds Management receives an annual fee which is calculated based on the average daily net assets of each class as follows:

 

     Class-level
administration fee
 

Class A, Class C

     0.21

Class R6

     0.03  

Administrator Class, Institutional Class

     0.13  

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Waivers and/or expense reimbursements

Funds Management has contractually waived and/or reimbursed management and administration fees to the extent necessary to maintain certain net operating expense ratios for the Fund. When each class of the Fund has exceeded its expense cap, Funds Management has waived fees and/or reimbursed expenses from fund-level expenses on a proportionate basis and then from class specific expenses. When only certain classes exceed their expense caps, waivers and/or reimbursements are applied against class specific expenses before fund-level expenses. Funds Management has committed through February 28, 2021 to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap the Fund’s expenses at 1.35% for Class A shares, 2.10% for Class C shares, 0.89% for Class R6 shares, 1.25% for Administrator Class shares, and 0.99% for Institutional Class shares. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. 

Distribution fee

The Trust has adopted a distribution plan for Class C shares of the Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. A distribution fee is charged to Class C shares and paid to Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (“Funds Distributor”), the principal underwriter, at an annual rate of 0.75% of the average daily net assets of Class C shares.

In addition, Funds Distributor is entitled to receive the front-end sales charge from the purchase of Class A shares and a contingent deferred sales charge on the redemption of certain Class A shares. Funds Distributor is also entitled to receive the contingent deferred sales charges from redemptions of Class C shares. For the six months ended April 30, 2020, Funds Distributor received $209 from the sale of Class A shares. No contingent deferred sales charges were incurred by Class A and Class C shares for the six months ended April 30, 2020.

Shareholder servicing fees

The Trust has entered into contracts with one or more shareholder servicing agents, whereby Class A, Class C, and Administrator Class of the Fund are charged a fee at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of each respective class. A portion of these total shareholder servicing fees were paid to affiliates of Wells Fargo.

Interfund transactions

The Fund may purchase or sell portfolio investment securities to certain other Wells Fargo affiliates pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act and under procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. The procedures have been designed to ensure that these interfund transactions, which do not incur broker commissions, are effected at current market prices.

5. INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

Purchases and sales of investments, excluding U.S. government obligations (if any) and short-term securities, for the six months ended April 30, 2020 were $ 20,795,549 and $ 24,506,208, respectively.

6. SECURITIES LENDING TRANSACTIONS

The Fund lends its securities through an unaffiliated securities lending agent and receives collateral in the form of cash or securities with a value at least equal to the value of the securities on loan. The value of the loaned securities is determined at the close of each business day and any increases or decreases in the required collateral are exchanged between the Fund and the counterparty on the next business day. Cash collateral received is invested in the Securities Lending Fund which seeks to provide a positive return compared to the daily Fed Funds Open Rate by investing in high-quality, U.S. dollar-denominated short-term money market instruments and is exempt from registration under Section 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act. Securities Lending Fund is managed by Funds Management and is subadvised by WellsCap. Funds Management receives an advisory fee starting at 0.05% and declining to 0.01% as the average daily net assets of the Securities Lending Fund increase. All of the fees received by Funds Management are paid to WellsCap for its services as subadviser.

In the event of counterparty default or the failure of a borrower to return a loaned security, the Fund has the right to use the collateral to offset any losses incurred. As of April 30, 2020, the Fund did not have any securities on loan.

7. DERIVATIVE TRANSACTIONS

During the six months ended April 30, 2020, the Fund entered into forward foreign currency contracts for economic hedging purposes. The Fund had average contract amounts of $959,120 and $2,586,396 in forward foreign currency contracts to buy and forward foreign currency contracts to sell, respectively, during the six months ended April 30, 2020.

The fair value, realized gains or losses and change in unrealized gains or losses, if any, on derivative instruments are reflected in the corresponding financial statement captions.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

For certain types of derivative transactions, the Fund has entered into International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. master agreements (“ISDA Master Agreements”) or similar agreements with approved counterparties. The ISDA Master Agreements or similar agreements may have requirements to deliver/deposit securities or cash to/with an exchange or broker-dealer as collateral and allows the Fund to offset, with each counterparty, certain derivative financial instrument’s assets and/or liabilities with collateral held or pledged. Collateral requirements differ by type of derivative. Collateral or margin requirements are set by the broker or exchange clearinghouse for exchange traded derivatives while collateral terms are contract specific for over-the-counter traded derivatives. Cash collateral that has been pledged to cover obligations of the Fund under ISDA Master Agreements or similar agreements, if any, are reported separately in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Securities pledged as collateral, if any, are noted in the Portfolio of Investments. With respect to balance sheet offsetting, absent an event of default by the counterparty or a termination of the agreement, the reported amounts of financial assets and financial liabilities in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities are not offset across transactions between the Fund and the applicable counterparty. A reconciliation of the gross amounts on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities to the net amounts by counterparty, including any collateral exposure, for OTC derivatives is as follows:

 

Counterparty      Gross amounts
of assets in the
Statement of
Assets and
Liabilities
     Amounts
subject to
netting
agreements
     Collateral
pledged
       Net amount
of assets
 

Credit Suisse

     $33,075
     $0      $ 0        $ 33,075  
Counterparty      Gross amounts
of liabilities in
the Statement
of Assets and
Liabilities
     Amounts
subject to
netting
agreements
     Collateral
pledged
       Net amount
of liabilities
 

State Street Bank

     1,658      $0      $ 0          1,658  

8. BANK BORROWINGS

The Trust (excluding the money market funds), Wells Fargo Master Trust and Wells Fargo Variable Trust are parties to a $280,000,000 revolving credit agreement whereby the Fund is permitted to use bank borrowings for temporary or emergency purposes, such as to fund shareholder redemption requests. Interest under the credit agreement is charged to the Fund based on a borrowing rate equal to the higher of the Federal Funds rate in effect on that day plus 1.25% or the overnight LIBOR rate in effect on that day plus 1.25%. In addition, an annual commitment fee equal to 0.25% of the unused balance is allocated to each participating fund.

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, there were no borrowings by the Fund under the agreement.

9. INDEMNIFICATION

Under the Fund’s organizational documents, the officers and Trustees have been granted certain indemnification rights against certain liabilities that may arise out of performance of their duties to the Fund. The Fund has entered into a separate agreement with each Trustee that converts indemnification rights currently existing under the Fund’s organizational documents into contractual rights that cannot be changed in the future without the consent of the Trustee. Additionally, in the normal course of business, the Fund may enter into contracts with service providers that contain a variety of indemnification clauses. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is dependent on future claims that may be made against the Fund and, therefore, cannot be estimated.

10. NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENT

In August 2018, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. ASU 2018-13 updates the disclosure requirements for fair value measurements by modifying or removing certain disclosures and adding certain new disclosures. The amendments are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. Management has adopted the removal and modification of disclosures early, as permitted, and will adopt the additional new disclosures at the effective date.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

11. CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that it had made the assessment that coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) is a pandemic. The impacts of COVID-19 are adversely affecting the entire global economy, individual companies and investment products, and the market in general. There is significant uncertainty around the extent and duration of business disruptions related to COVID-19 and the impacts may be short term or may last for an extended period of time. The risk of further spreading of COVID-19 has led to significant uncertainty and volatility in the financial markets. The value of the Fund and the securities in which the Fund invests have generally been adversely affected by impacts caused by COVID-19.

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

TAX INFORMATION

Pursuant to Section 853 of the Internal Revenue Code, the following amounts have been designated as foreign taxes paid for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2019. These amounts may be less than the actual foreign taxes paid for financial statement purposes. Foreign taxes paid or withheld should be included in taxable income with an offsetting deduction from gross income or as a credit for taxes paid to foreign governments. None of the income was derived from ineligible foreign sources as defined under Section 901(j) of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

Creditable

foreign taxes

paid

  

Per share

amount

  

Foreign

income as % of

ordinary income

distributions

$257,618    $0.0340    95.56%

PROXY VOTING INFORMATION

A description of the policies and procedures used to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available, upon request, by calling 1-800-222-8222, visiting our website at wfam.com, or visiting the SEC website at sec.gov. Information regarding how the proxies related to portfolio securities were voted during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available on the website at wfam.com or by visiting the SEC website at sec.gov.

QUARTERLY PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. Shareholders may view the filed Form N-PORT by visiting the SEC website at sec.gov.

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

Each of the Trustees and Officers1 listed in the table below acts in identical capacities for each fund in the Wells Fargo family of funds, which consists of 147 mutual funds comprising the Wells Fargo Funds Trust, Wells Fargo Variable Trust, Wells Fargo Master Trust and four closed-end funds (collectively the “Fund Complex”). This table should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information2. The mailing address of each Trustee and Officer is 525 Market Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105. Each Trustee and Officer serves an indefinite term, however, each Trustee serves such term until reaching the mandatory retirement age established by the Trustees.

Independent Trustees

 

Name and

year of birth

  Position held and
length of service*
  Principal occupations during past five years or longer   Current other
public company or
investment
company
directorships

William R. Ebsworth

(Born 1957)

  Trustee, since 2015   Retired. From 1984 to 2013, equities analyst, portfolio manager, research director and chief investment officer at Fidelity Management and Research Company in Boston, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, and retired in 2013 as Chief Investment Officer of Fidelity Strategic Advisers, Inc. where he led a team of investment professionals managing client assets. Prior thereto, Board member of Hong Kong Securities Clearing Co., Hong Kong Options Clearing Corp., the Thailand International Fund, Ltd., Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company, and Empire Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company. Audit Committee Chair and Investment Committee Chair of the Vincent Memorial Hospital Endowment (non-profit organization). Mr. Ebsworth is a CFA® charterholder.   N/A

Jane A. Freeman

(Born 1953)

  Trustee, since 2015; Chair Liaison, since 2018   Retired. From 2012 to 2014 and 1999 to 2008, Chief Financial Officer of Scientific Learning Corporation. From 2008 to 2012, Ms. Freeman provided consulting services related to strategic business projects. Prior to 1999, Portfolio Manager at Rockefeller & Co. and Scudder, Stevens & Clark. Board member of the Harding Loevner Funds from 1996 to 2014, serving as both Lead Independent Director and chair of the Audit Committee. Board member of the Russell Exchange Traded Funds Trust from 2011 to 2012 and the chair of the Audit Committee. Ms. Freeman is also an inactive Chartered Financial Analyst.   N/A

Isaiah Harris, Jr.

(Born 1952)

  Trustee, since 2009; Audit Committee Chairman, since 2019   Retired. Chairman of the Board of CIGNA Corporation since 2009, and Director since 2005. From 2003 to 2011, Director of Deluxe Corporation. Prior thereto, President and CEO of BellSouth Advertising and Publishing Corp. from 2005 to 2007, President and CEO of BellSouth Enterprises from 2004 to 2005 and President of BellSouth Consumer Services from 2000 to 2003. Emeritus member of the Iowa State University Foundation Board of Governors. Emeritus Member of the Advisory Board of Iowa State University School of Business. Advisory Board Member, Palm Harbor Academy (private school). Advisory Board Member, Child Evangelism Fellowship (non-profit). Mr. Harris is a certified public accountant (inactive status).   CIGNA Corporation

Judith M. Johnson

(Born 1949)

  Trustee, since 2008; Audit Committee Chairman, from 2009 to 2018   Retired. Prior thereto, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Minneapolis Employees Retirement Fund from 1996 to 2008. Ms. Johnson is an attorney, certified public accountant and a certified managerial accountant.   N/A

 

 

32  |  Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund


Table of Contents

Other information (unaudited)

 

Name and

year of birth

  Position held and
length of service*
  Principal occupations during past five years or longer   Current other
public company or
investment
company
directorships

David F. Larcker

(Born 1950)

  Trustee, since 2009   James Irvin Miller Professor of Accounting at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Director of the Corporate Governance Research Initiative and Senior Faculty of The Rock Center for Corporate Governance since 2006. From 2005 to 2008, Professor of Accounting at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Prior thereto, Ernst & Young Professor of Accounting at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania from 1985 to 2005.   N/A

Olivia S. Mitchell

(Born 1953)

  Trustee, since 2006; Nominating and Governance Committee Chair, since 2018   International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Professor, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania since 1993. Director of Wharton’s Pension Research Council and Boettner Center on Pensions & Retirement Research, and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Previously, Cornell University Professor from 1978 to 1993.   N/A

Timothy J. Penny

(Born 1951)

  Trustee, since 1996; Chairman, since 2018   President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, a non-profit organization, since 2007. Member of the Board of Trustees of NorthStar Education Finance, Inc., a non-profit organization, since 2007.   N/A

James G. Polisson

(Born 1959)

  Trustee, since 2018   Retired. Chief Marketing Officer, Source (ETF) UK Services, Ltd, from 2015 to 2017. From 2012 to 2015, Principal of The Polisson Group, LLC, a management consulting, corporate advisory and principal investing company. Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Russell Investments, Global Exchange Traded Funds from 2010 to 2012. Managing Director of Barclays Global Investors from 1998 to 2010 and Global Chief Marketing Officer for iShares and Barclays Global Investors from 2000 to 2010. Trustee of the San Francisco Mechanics’ Institute, a non-profit organization, from 2013 to 2015. Board member of the Russell Exchange Traded Fund Trust from 2011 to 2012. Director of Barclays Global Investors Holdings Deutschland GmbH from 2006 to 2009. Mr. Polisson is an attorney and has a retired status with the Massachusetts and District of Columbia Bar Associations.   N/A

Pamela Wheelock

(Born 1959)

  Trustee, since January 2020; previously Trustee from January 2018 to July 2019   Board member of the Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency, Rochester, Minnesota since 2019 and Interim President of the McKnight Foundation since 2020. Acting Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Human Services, July 2019 through September 2019. Human Services Manager (part-time), Minnesota Department of Human Services, October 2019 through December 2019. Chief Operating Officer, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity from 2017 to 2019. Vice President of University Services, University of Minnesota from 2012 to 2016. Prior thereto, on the Board of Directors, Governance Committee and Finance Committee for the Minnesota Philanthropy Partners (Saint Paul Foundation) from 2012 to 2018, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota from 2011 to 2012, Chairman of the Board from 2009 to 2012 and Board Director from 2003 to 2015. Vice President, Leadership and Community Engagement, Bush Foundation, Saint Paul, Minnesota (a private foundation) from 2009 to 2011. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Minnesota Sports and Entertainment from 2004 to 2009 and Senior Vice President from 2002 to 2004. Executive Vice President of the Minnesota Wild Foundation from 2004 to 2008. Commissioner of Finance, State of Minnesota, from 1999 to 2002. Currently Board Chair of the Minnesota Wild Foundation since 2010.   N/A

 

*

Length of service dates reflect the Trustee’s commencement of service with the Trust’s predecessor entities, where applicable.

 

 

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund  |  33


Table of Contents

Other information (unaudited)

 

Officers

 

Name and

year of birth

  Position held and
length of service
  Principal occupations during past five years or longer

Andrew Owen

(Born 1960)

  President, since 2017   Executive Vice President of Wells Fargo & Company and Head of Affiliated Managers, Wells Fargo Asset Management, since 2014. In addition, Mr. Owen is currently President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2017. Prior thereto, Executive Vice President responsible for marketing, investments and product development for Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC, from 2009 to 2014.

Jeremy DePalma1

(Born 1974)

  Treasurer, since 2012   Senior Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2009. Senior Vice President of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2008 to 2010 and head of the Fund Reporting and Control Team within Fund Administration from 2005 to 2010.

Michelle Rhee

(Born 1966)

  Chief Legal Officer, since 2019   Secretary of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC, Chief Legal Counsel of Wells Fargo Asset Management and Assistant General Counsel of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. since 2018. Associate General Counsel and Managing Director of Bank of America Corporation from 2004 to 2018.

Catherine Kennedy

(Born 1969)

  Secretary, since 2019   Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC and Senior Counsel of the Wells Fargo Legal Department since 2010. Vice President and Senior Counsel of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 1998 to 2010.

Michael H. Whitaker

(Born 1967)

  Chief Compliance Officer, since 2016   Chief Compliance Officer of Wells Fargo Asset Management since 2016. Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Fidelity Investments from 2007 to 2016.

David Berardi

(Born 1975)

  Assistant Treasurer, since 2009   Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2009. Vice President of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2008 to 2010. Manager of Fund Reporting and Control for Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2004 to 2010.

 

 

 

1

Jeremy DePalma acts as Treasurer of 82 funds and Assistant Treasurer of 65 funds in the Fund Complex.

 

2

The Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about the Trustees and is available, without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-222-8222 or by visiting the website at wfam.com.

 

 

34  |  Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund


Table of Contents

Appendix I (unaudited)

 

Effective on or about May 1, 2020, if you purchase Fund shares through a Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (“Janney”) brokerage account, you will be eligible for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”), or back-end sales charge, waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end sales charge* waivers on Class A shares available at Janney
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney.
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within ninety (90) days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e., right of reinstatement).
Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Class C shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are converted to Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to Janney’s policies and procedures.
CDSC waivers on Class A and Class C shares available at Janney
Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations.
Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Shares exchanged into the same share class of a different fund.
Front-end sales charge* discounts available at Janney; breakpoints, rights of accumulation and/or letters of intent
Breakpoints as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Rights of accumulation (“ROA”), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Janney. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney Montgomery Scott may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

*

Also referred to as an “initial sales charge.”

 

 

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund  |  35


Table of Contents

Appendix II (unaudited)

 

Effective on or after May 1, 2020, clients of Edward Jones (also referred to as “shareholders”) purchasing Fund shares on the Edward Jones commission and fee-based platforms are eligible only for the following sales charge discounts (also referred to as “breakpoints”) and waivers, which can differ from breakpoints and waivers described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI or through another broker-dealer. In all instances, it is the shareholder’s responsibility to inform Edward Jones at the time of purchase of any relationship, holdings of Wells Fargo Funds or other facts qualifying the purchaser for breakpoints or waivers. Edward Jones can ask for documentation of such circumstance.

 

Breakpoints available at Edward Jones
Rights of Accumulation (ROA)

The applicable sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares is determined by taking into account all share classes (except any money market funds and retirement plan share classes) of Wells Fargo Funds held by the shareholder or in an account grouped by Edward Jones with other accounts for the purpose of providing certain pricing considerations (“pricing groups”). This includes all share classes held on the Edward Jones platform and/or held on another platform. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the rights of accumulation calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation.

ROA is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value (current shares x NAV).

Letter of Intent (LOI)

Through a LOI, shareholders can receive the sales charge and breakpoint discounts for purchases shareholders intend to makeover a 13-month period from the date Edward Jones receives the LOI. The LOI is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value of qualifying holdings at LOI initiation in combination with the value that the shareholder intends to buy over a 13-month period to calculate the front-end sales charge and any breakpoint discounts. Each purchase the shareholder makes during that 13-month period will receive the sales charge and breakpoint discount that applies to the total amount. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the LOI calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation. Purchases made before the LOI is received by Edward Jones are not covered under the LOI and will not reduce the sales charge previously paid. Sales charges will be adjusted if LOI is not met.

Sales charges are waived for the following shareholders and in the following situations at Edward Jones:

   Associates of Edward Jones and its affiliates and their family members who are in the same pricing group (as determined by Edward Jones under its policies and procedures) as the associate. This waiver will continue for the remainder of the associate’s life if the associate retires from Edward Jones in good-standing.

   Shares purchased in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

   Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment.

   Shares purchased from the proceeds of redeemed shares of the same fund family so long as the following conditions are met: 1)the proceeds are from the sale of shares within 60 days of the purchase, and 2) the sale and purchase are made in the same share class and the same account or the purchase is made in an individual retirement account with proceeds from liquidations in anon-retirement account.

   Shares exchanged into Class A shares from another share class so long as the exchange is into the same fund and was initiated at the discretion of Edward Jones. Edward Jones is responsible for any remaining CDSC due to the fund company, if applicable. Any future purchases are subject to the applicable sales charge as disclosed in the prospectus.

   Exchanges from Class C shares to Class A shares of the same fund, generally, in the 84th month following the anniversary of the purchase date or earlier at the discretion of Edward Jones.

If the shareholder purchases shares that are subject to a CDSC and those shares are redeemed before the CDSC is expired, the shareholder
is responsible to pay the CDSC except in the following conditions available at Edward Jones:

   The death or disability of the shareholder.

   Systematic withdrawals with up to 10% per year of the account value.

   Return of excess contributions from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

   Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulation.

   Shares sold to pay Edward Jones fees or costs in such cases where the transaction is initiated by Edward Jones.

   Shares exchanged in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

   Shares acquired through NAV reinstatement.

 

 

36  |  Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund


Table of Contents

Appendix II (unaudited)

 

Other Important Information for accounts at Edward Jones:
Minimum Purchase Amounts

   $250 initial purchase minimum

   $50 subsequent purchase minimum

Minimum Balances
Edward Jones has the right to redeem at its discretion fund holdings with a balance of $250 or less. The following are examples of accounts that are not included in this policy:

   A fee-based account held on an Edward Jones platform

   A 529 account held on an Edward Jones platform

   An account with an active systematic investment plan or letter of intent (LOI)

Changing Share Classes
At any time it deems necessary, Edward Jones has the authority to exchange at NAV a shareholder’s holdings in a fund to Class A shares.

 

 

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund  |  37


Table of Contents

Appendix III (unaudited)

 

Effective June 1, 2020, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (“Oppenheimer”) platform or account are eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Oppenheimer
Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan.
Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan.
Shares purchased through an Oppenheimer affiliated investment advisory program.
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Restatement).
A shareholder in the Fund’s Class C shares will have their shares exchanged at net asset value to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of Oppenheimer.
Employees and registered representatives of Oppenheimer or its affiliates and their family members.
Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund’s investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the Prospectus.
CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Oppenheimer
Death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Prospectus.
Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the Prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Oppenheimer fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Oppenheimer.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load Discounts Available at Oppenheimer: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent
Breakpoints as described in the Prospectus.
Rights of Accumulation (ROA), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Oppenheimer. Eligible fund family assets not held at Oppenheimer may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

 

38  |  Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund


Table of Contents

Appendix IV (unaudited)

 

Effective June 15, 2020, shareholders purchasing fund shares through a Robert W. Baird & Co. (“Baird”) platform or account will only be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and CDSC waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or the SAI.

 

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Baird
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing share of the same fund.
Share purchase by employees and registers representatives of Baird or its affiliate and their family members as designated by Baird.
Shares purchase from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same accounts, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as rights of reinstatement).
A shareholder in the Funds Investor C Shares will have their share exchanged at net asset value to Investor A shares of the fund if the shares are no longer subject to CDSC and the exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of Baird.
Employer-sponsored retirement plans or charitable accounts in a transactional brokerage account at Baird, including 401(k)plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs.
CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Baird
Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares bought due to returns of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 72 as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Baird fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Baird.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load Discounts Available at Baird: Breakpoint and/or Rights of Accumulation
Breakpoints as described in the Prospectus.
Rights of accumulations which entitles shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Baird. Eligible fund family assets not held at Baird may be included in the rights of accumulations calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of Intent (LOI) allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family through Baird, over a 13-month period of time.

 

 

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund  |  39


Table of Contents

 

This page is intentionally left blank.


Table of Contents

LOGO

For more information

More information about Wells Fargo Funds is available free upon request. To obtain literature, please write, visit the Fund’s website, or call:

Wells Fargo Funds

P.O. Box 219967

Kansas City, MO 64121-9967

Website: wfam.com

Individual investors: 1-800-222-8222

Retail investment professionals: 1-888-877-9275

Institutional investment professionals: 1-866-765-0778

 

LOGO

 

This report and the financial statements contained herein are submitted for the general information of the shareholders of the Fund. If this report is used for promotional purposes, distribution of the report must be accompanied or preceded by a current prospectus. Before investing, please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the investment. For a current prospectus and, if available, a summary prospectus, containing this information, call 1-800-222-8222 or visit the Fund’s website at wfam.com. Read the prospectus carefully before you invest or send money.

Wells Fargo Asset Management (WFAM) is the trade name for certain investment advisory/management firms owned by Wells Fargo & Company. These firms include but are not limited to Wells Capital Management Incorporated and Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC. Certain products managed by WFAM entities are distributed by Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (a broker-dealer and Member FINRA).

This material is for general informational and educational purposes only and is NOT intended to provide investment advice or a recommendation of any kind—including a recommendation for any specific investment, strategy, or plan.

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED    NO BANK GUARANTEE     MAY LOSE VALUE


© 2019 Wells Fargo & Company. All rights reserved.

PAR-0520-00402 06-20

SA237/SAR237 04-20

 

 



Table of Contents

LOGO

Semi-Annual Report

April 30, 2020

 

Wells Fargo

International Equity Fund

 

 

 

 

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by new regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Wells Fargo Funds’ annual and semi-annual shareholder reports issued after this date will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, the reports will be made available on the Funds’ website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website address to access the report.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund electronically at any time by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) or, if you are a direct investor, by calling 1-800-222-8222 or by enrolling at wellsfargo.com/advantagedelivery.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can contact your financial intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports; if you invest directly with the Fund, you can call 1-800-222-8222. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Wells Fargo Funds held in your account with your financial intermediary or, if you are a direct investor, to all Wells Fargo Funds that you hold.


Table of Contents

 

 

Reduce clutter.

Save trees.

Sign up for electronic
delivery of prospectuses and
shareholder reports at wellsfargo.com/
advantagedelivery

 

The views expressed and any forward-looking statements are as of April 30, 2020, unless otherwise noted, and are those of the Fund managers and/or Wells Fargo Asset Management. Discussions of individual securities, or the markets generally, or any Wells Fargo Fund are not intended as individual recommendations. Future events or results may vary significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. The views expressed are subject to change at any time in response to changing circumstances in the market. Wells Fargo Asset Management and the Fund disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any views expressed or forward-looking statements.

 

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED    NO BANK GUARANTEE    MAY LOSE VALUE


 

 

Wells Fargo International Equity Fund  |  1


Table of Contents

Letter to shareholders (unaudited)

 

LOGO

Andrew Owen

President

Wells Fargo Funds

“The period began with a tailwind created by central bank support.”

Dear Shareholder:

We are pleased to offer you this semi-annual report for the Wells Fargo International Equity Fund for the six-month period that ended April 30, 2020. Global stock markets saw earlier gains erased in February and March as governments took unprecedented measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus at the expense of short-term economic output. Markets rebounded in April to lessen the losses as central banks attempted to bolster capital markets and confidence. Fixed-income markets performed better, with the exception of high-yield bonds, as U.S. bonds overall achieved modest gains.

For the six-month period, U.S. stocks, based on the S&P 500 Index,1 returned -3.16% and international stocks, as measured by the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net),2 fell 13.22%. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net)3 lost 10.50%. For bond investors, the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index4 added 4.86%, the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Index5 returned -0.97%, the Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index6 returned -1.33%, and the ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index7 lost 7.68%.

The period began with a tailwind created by central bank support.

The period began with a tailwind that had been created by U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cuts in the summer and early fall. Equity markets rallied in November despite ongoing geopolitical risks. Hopes for a U.S.-China trade deal buoyed investor confidence. U.S. business sentiment edged up, and manufacturing and services activity rose. With that positive backdrop, developed market equities outpaced those in emerging markets, and U.S. stocks outperformed non-U.S. stocks overall. While consumer confidence and purchasing manager activity rose in the eurozone, China reported weakening manufacturing and consumer data. Bond yields rose marginally, leading to slightly negative returns for global government and investment-grade corporate bonds.

Financial markets ended 2019 with a boost from the U.S. and China accord on a Phase One trade deal. That, along with the landslide win by the pro-Brexit U.K. Conservative Party in a national election and ongoing central bank support, gave investors greater confidence. U.S. economic indicators were positive overall, with the exception of manufacturing activity and business confidence. Consumer confidence was resilient, fed by a robust labor market, tame inflation, and lower interest rates, which boosted housing affordability and stimulated homebuyer activity. The impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump had little impact on markets. Meanwhile, slowing Chinese economic activity, partly attributable to the trade war, led to further government stimulus at year-end through lower reserve ratios, allowing banks to lend more money.

The year-end rally continued in early January 2020. However, capital market volatility spiked in late January on concerns over the potential impact of the coronavirus on the global economy and stock markets. With sentiment somewhat souring, perceived safe

 

 

 

1 

The S&P 500 Index consists of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation. It is a market-value-weighted index with each stock’s weight in the index proportionate to its market value. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

2 

The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) All Country World Index (ACWI) ex USA Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the United States. Source: MSCI. MSCI makes no express or implied warranties or representations and shall have no liability whatsoever with respect to any MSCI data contained herein. The MSCI data may not be further redistributed or used as a basis for other indices or any securities or financial products. This report is not approved, reviewed, or produced by MSCI. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

3 

The MSCI Emerging Markets (EM) Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure equity market performance of emerging markets. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

4 

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment-grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

5 

The Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Index is an unmanaged index that provides a broad-based measure of the global investment-grade fixed-income markets excluding the U.S. dollar-denominated debt market. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

6 

The Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index is an unmanaged index composed of long-term tax-exempt bonds with a minimum credit rating of Baa. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

7 

The ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index is a market-capitalization-weighted index of domestic and Yankee high-yield bonds. The index tracks the performance of high-yield securities traded in the U.S. bond market. You cannot invest directly in an index. Copyright 2020. ICE Data Indices, LLC. All rights reserved.

 

 

2  |  Wells Fargo International Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Letter to shareholders (unaudited)

 

havens did well in January. The U.S. dollar and Japanese yen both rose, and government bonds outperformed equities. While the S&P 500 Index held its ground, emerging market equities tumbled, including those in Asia.

In February, the coronavirus became the major market focus. Fears of the virus’s impact on global growth led to expectations of increased global central bank monetary policy support. That led the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield to fall to an all-time low of 1.1% by the end of the month. Although equity markets initially shrugged off concerns about the outbreak, focusing instead on strong fourth-quarter earnings and improving business confidence in January, market sentiment turned sharply lower toward month-end. Oil prices tumbled as Russia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries compounded a major decline in oil demand with a brutal price war, causing the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil to fall 13% in February alone.

The global spread of the coronavirus led many countries to clamp down on social and business-related activity in order to contain the virus from causing even greater devastation and overwhelming the health care system. This abrupt stoppage of economic activity led to the sharp deceleration of global output, sending economies into a deep contraction. Central bank responses were swift, as they slashed interest rates and expanded quantitative easing programs to restore liquidity and confidence to the markets. In the U.S., the Fed launched several lending programs, funding investment-grade bonds, money market mutual funds, and commercial paper while purchasing Treasuries, mortgage-backed securities, and overnight repurchase agreements . Meanwhile, stock markets tumbled quickly into a bear market, ending the longest bull stock market in U.S. history.

Markets rebounded strongly in April after the extreme volatility of the previous two months, with the S&P 500 Index gaining 12.8% for the month and the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net) returning 7.6%. The rebound was fueled by unprecedented stimulus measures taken by governments and central banks to buffer the economic damage created by mass shutdowns to try to contain the virus’s spread. The U.S. economy contracted by an annualized 4.8% pace in the first quarter, with 30 million new unemployment insurance claims in six weeks. In the eurozone, first-quarter real gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 3.8%, with the composite April Flash Purchasing Managers’ Index, a monthly survey of purchasing managers, falling to an all-time low of 13.5. The European Central Bank expanded its quantitative easing to include the purchase of additional government bonds of countries with the greatest virus-related need, including Italy and Spain. China’s first-quarter GDP fell by 6.8% year over year. However, retail sales, production, and investment showed signs of recovery. Extreme oil price volatility continued as global supply far exceeded demand.

Don’t let short-term uncertainty derail long-term investment goals.

Periods of investment uncertainty can present challenges, but experience has taught us that maintaining long-term investment goals can be an effective way to plan for the future. To help you create a sound strategy based on your personal goals and risk tolerance, Wells Fargo Funds offers more than 100 mutual funds spanning a wide range of asset classes and investment styles. Although diversification cannot guarantee an investment profit or prevent losses, we believe it can be an effective way to manage investment risk and potentially smooth out overall portfolio performance. We encourage investors to know their investments and to understand that appropriate levels of risk-taking may unlock opportunities.

Thank you for choosing to invest with Wells Fargo Funds. We appreciate your confidence in us and remain committed to helping you meet your financial needs.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Andrew Owen

President

Wells Fargo Funds

 

“The global spread of the coronavirus led many countries to clamp down on social and business-related activity in order to contain the virus from causing even greater devastation and overwhelming the health care system.”

 

 

For further information about your Fund, contact your investment professional, visit our website at wfam.com,

or call us directly at 1-800-222-8222.

 

 

 

Wells Fargo International Equity Fund  |  3


Table of Contents

Performance highlights (unaudited)

 

Investment objective

The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Manager

Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC

Subadviser

Wells Capital Management Incorporated

Portfolio managers

Venkateshwar (Venk) Lal

Dale A. Winner, CFA®

Average annual total returns (%) as of April 30, 20201    

 

 
        Including sales charge     Excluding sales charge     Expense ratios2 (%)  
 
    Inception date   1 year     5 year     10 year     1 year     5 year     10 year     Gross     Net3  
                   
Class A (WFEAX)   1-20-1998     -25.44       -4.62       1.35       -20.89       -3.48       1.95       1.45       1.15  
                   
Class C (WFEFX)   3-6-1998     -22.50       -4.21       1.19       -21.50       -4.21       1.19       2.20       1.90  
                   
Class R (WFERX)   10-10-2003                       -21.06       -3.72       1.70       1.70       1.40  
                   
Class R6 (WFEHX)4   9-30-2015                       -20.55       -3.18       2.21       1.02       0.80  
                   
Administrator Class (WFEDX)5   7-16-2010                       -20.82       -3.46       1.97       1.37       1.15  
                   
Institutional Class (WFENX)   3-9-1998                       -20.62       -3.21       2.22       1.12       0.85  
                   
MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net)6                         -11.51       -0.17       2.89              
                   
MSCI ACWI ex USA Value Index (Net)7                         -20.51       -3.39       0.83              

Figures quoted represent past performance, which is no guarantee of future results, and do not reflect taxes that a shareholder may pay on an investment in a fund. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance shown without sales charges would be lower if sales charges were reflected. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted, which assumes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. Current month-end performance is available on the Fund’s website, wfam.com.

Index returns do not include transaction costs associated with buying and selling securities, any mutual fund fees or expenses, or any taxes. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

For Class A shares, the maximum front-end sales charge is 5.75%. For Class C shares, the maximum contingent deferred sales charge is 1.00%. Performance including a contingent deferred sales charge assumes the sales charge for the corresponding time period. Class R, Class R6, Administrator Class, and Institutional Class shares are sold without a front-end sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge.

Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of individual companies and general market and economic conditions. Foreign investments are especially volatile and can rise or fall dramatically due to differences in the political and economic conditions of the host country. These risks are generally intensified in emerging markets. The use of derivatives may reduce returns and/or increase volatility. Certain investment strategies tend to increase the total risk of an investment (relative to the broader market). The Fund is exposed to smaller-company securities risk. Consult the Fund’s prospectus for additional information on these and other risks.

 

Please see footnotes on page 5.

 

 

4  |  Wells Fargo International Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Performance highlights (unaudited)

 

Ten largest holdings (%) as of April 30, 20208       
   

Check Point Software Technologies Limited

     3.51  
   

Sanofi SA

     3.36  
   

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

     3.35  
   

SK Telecom Company Limited

     3.19  
   

Midea Group Company Limited Class A

     3.15  
   

Orange SA

     3.10  
   

China Mobile Limited

     3.01  
   

Koninklijke Philips NV

     2.98  
   

NN Group NV

     2.84  
   

Muenchener Rueckversicherungs Gesellschaft AG

     2.75  
Sector allocation as of April 30, 20209
LOGO
 

 

Country allocation as of April 30, 20209
LOGO

    

 

 

 

CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

 

1 

Historical performance prior to July 19, 2010 is based on the performance of the Fund’s predecessor, Evergreen International Equity Fund.

 

2 

Reflects the expense ratios as stated in the most recent prospectuses, which include the impact of 0.01% in acquired fund fees and expenses. The expense ratios shown are subject to change and may differ from the annualized expense ratios shown in the financial highlights of this report, which do not include acquired fund fees and expenses.

 

3 

The manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2021, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers at 1.14% for Class A, 1.89% for Class C, 1.39% for Class R, 0.79% for Class R6, 1.14% for Administrator Class, and 0.84% for Institutional Class. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. Without this cap, the Fund’s returns would have been lower. The expense ratio paid by an investor is the net expense ratio (the total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers) as stated in the prospectuses.

 

4 

Historical performance shown for the Class R6 shares prior to their inception reflects the performance of the Institutional Class shares and includes the higher expenses applicable to the Institutional Class shares. If these expenses had not been included, returns for the Class R6 shares would be higher.

 

5 

Historical performance shown for the Administrator Class shares prior to their inception reflects the performance of the Institutional Class shares and has been adjusted to reflect the higher expenses applicable to the Administrator Class shares.

 

6 

The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) All Country World Index (ACWI) ex USA Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed and emerging markets, excluding the United States. Source: MSCI. MSCI makes no express or implied warranties or representations and shall have no liability whatsoever with respect to any MSCI data contained herein. The MSCI data may not be further redistributed or used as a basis for other indexes or any securities or financial products. This report is not approved, reviewed, or produced by MSCI. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

7 

The MSCI ACWI ex USA Value Index (Net) captures large and mid-cap securities exhibiting overall value style characteristics across developed and emerging markets countries excluding the United States. The value investment style characteristics for index construction are defined using three variables: book value to price, 12-month forward earnings to price, and dividend yield. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

8 

The ten largest holdings, excluding cash, cash equivalents and any money market funds, are calculated based on the value of the investments divided by total net assets of the Fund. Holdings are subject to change and may have changed since the date specified.

 

9 

Amounts are calculated based on the total long-term investments of the Fund. These amounts are subject to change and may have changed since the date specified.

 

 

Wells Fargo International Equity Fund  |  5


Table of Contents

Fund expenses (unaudited)

 

As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments and contingent deferred sales charges (if any) on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution (12b-1) and/or shareholder servicing fees, and other Fund expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the six-month period and held for the entire period from November 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020.

Actual expenses

The “Actual” line of the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the “Actual” line under the heading entitled “Expenses paid during period” for your applicable class of shares to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The “Hypothetical” line of the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads) and contingent deferred sales charges. Therefore, the “Hypothetical” line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     Beginning
account  value
11-1-2019
     Ending
account value
4-30-2020
     Expenses
paid during
the period¹
     Annualized net
expense ratio
 
         

Class A

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 816.92      $ 5.10        1.13

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,019.24      $ 5.67        1.13
         

Class C

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 813.60      $ 8.52        1.89

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,015.47      $ 9.47        1.89
         

Class R

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 815.12      $ 6.27        1.39

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,017.95      $ 6.97        1.39
         

Class R6

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 818.78      $ 3.57        0.79

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,020.93      $ 3.97        0.79
         

Administrator Class

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 816.97      $ 5.10        1.13

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,019.24      $ 5.67        1.13
         

Institutional Class

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 818.42      $ 3.80        0.84

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,020.69      $ 4.22        0.84

 

1

Expenses paid is equal to the annualized net expense ratio of each class multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent fiscal half-year divided by the number of days in the fiscal year (to reflect the one-half-year period).

 

 

6  |  Wells Fargo International Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Common Stocks: 95.77%

 

Australia: 0.79%  

Qantas Airways Limited (Industrials, Airlines)

          603,742      $ 1,499,488  
          

 

 

 
Canada: 2.74%  

Home Capital Group Incorporated (Financials, Thrifts & Mortgage Finance) †

          104,500        1,398,639  

Lundin Mining Corporation (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          775,645        3,800,351  
             5,198,990  
          

 

 

 
China: 13.18%  

Alibaba Group Holding Limited ADR (Consumer Discretionary, Internet & Direct Marketing Retail) †

          21,627        4,383,144  

China Mobile Limited (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services)

          711,000        5,715,769  

HollySys Automation Technologies Limited (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          263,124        3,773,198  

Midea Group Company Limited Class A (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          797,251        5,974,139  

OPPEIN Home Group Incorporated Class A (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          98,096        1,461,258  

Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding Company Limited H Shares (Health Care, Health Care Providers & Services)

          2,108,300        3,711,039  
             25,018,547  
          

 

 

 
France: 8.04%  

Compagnie de Saint-Gobain SA (Industrials, Building Products)

          113,395        3,017,204  

Orange SA (Communication Services, Diversified Telecommunication Services)

          483,601        5,875,285  

Sanofi SA (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          65,236        6,371,843  
             15,264,332  
          

 

 

 
Germany: 6.15%  

Metro AG (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          110,563        966,020  

Muenchener Rueckversicherungs Gesellschaft AG (Financials, Insurance)

          23,862        5,226,357  

Rheinmetall AG (Industrials, Industrial Conglomerates)

          4,029        272,679  

SAP SE (Information Technology, Software)

          29,749        3,543,319  

Siemens AG (Industrials, Industrial Conglomerates)

          17,947        1,656,205  
             11,664,580  
          

 

 

 
Hong Kong: 2.38%  

Xinyi Glass Holdings Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Auto Components)

          3,892,000        4,507,545  
          

 

 

 
India: 1.80%  

Tech Mahindra Limited (Information Technology, IT Services)

          475,669        3,421,050  
          

 

 

 
Ireland: 2.13%  

Greencore Group plc (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          1,760,162        4,031,241  
          

 

 

 
Israel: 3.51%  

Check Point Software Technologies Limited (Information Technology, Software) †

          63,024        6,664,158  
          

 

 

 
Italy: 1.99%  

Prysmian SpA (Industrials, Electrical Equipment)

          200,440        3,781,900  
          

 

 

 
Japan: 10.57%  

Alps Electric Company Limited (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          153,400        1,582,217  

Daiwa Securities Group Incorporated (Financials, Capital Markets)

          1,036,300        4,309,382  

Hitachi Limited (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          134,700        3,997,818  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo International Equity Fund  |  7


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Japan (continued)  

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Incorporated (Financials, Banks)

          943,700      $ 3,812,548  

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          176,400        6,361,238  
             20,063,203  
          

 

 

 
Malaysia: 0.40%  

CIMB Group Holdings Bhd (Financials, Banks)

          936,125        748,507  
          

 

 

 
Mexico: 1.01%  

Fresnillo plc (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          216,055        1,919,263  
          

 

 

 
Netherlands: 7.21%  

Koninklijke Philips NV (Health Care, Health Care Equipment & Supplies)

          129,811        5,658,783  

NN Group NV (Financials, Insurance)

          186,115        5,383,852  

OCI NV (Materials, Chemicals) †

          218,820        2,642,342  
             13,684,977  
          

 

 

 
Norway: 1.97%  

DnB ASA (Financials, Banks)

          308,218        3,731,875  
          

 

 

 
Russia: 2.72%  

Mobile TeleSystems PJSC ADR (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services)

          602,295        5,161,668  
          

 

 

 
Singapore: 2.07%  

Keppel Corporation Limited (Industrials, Industrial Conglomerates)

          928,900        3,921,559  
          

 

 

 
South Korea: 8.54%  

Hana Financial Group Incorporated (Financials, Banks)

          223,349        5,098,612  

Samsung Electronics Company Limited GDR (Information Technology, Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals) 144A

          4,877        5,067,844  

SK Telecom Company Limited (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services)

          34,795        6,047,500  
             16,213,956  
          

 

 

 
Switzerland: 4.67%  

LafargeHolcim Limited (Materials, Construction Materials)

          89,161        3,703,120  

Novartis AG (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          60,466        5,160,075  
             8,863,195  
          

 

 

 
Thailand: 0.60%  

Siam Commercial Bank plc (Financials, Banks)

          527,700        1,140,980  
          

 

 

 
United Kingdom: 7.30%  

John Wood Group plc (Energy, Energy Equipment & Services)

          1,061,867        2,688,737  

Kingfisher plc (Consumer Discretionary, Specialty Retail)

          781,863        1,551,053  

Man Group plc (Financials, Capital Markets)

          667,806        1,118,847  

Melrose Industries plc (Industrials, Electrical Equipment)

          1,779,050        2,223,639  

Sensata Technologies Holding plc (Industrials, Electrical Equipment) †

          30,619        1,113,919  

Smiths Group plc (Industrials, Industrial Conglomerates)

          330,933        5,152,763  
             13,848,958  
          

 

 

 
United States: 6.00%  

Advance Auto Parts Incorporated (Consumer Discretionary, Specialty Retail)

          13,183        1,593,957  

Berry Global Group Incorporated (Materials, Containers & Packaging) †

          127,541        5,074,856  

Gentex Corporation (Consumer Discretionary, Auto Components)

          194,587        4,716,789  
             11,385,602  
          

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks (Cost $189,635,320)

 

     181,735,574  
  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

8  |  Wells Fargo International Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

     Yield             Shares      Value  
Short-Term Investments: 4.54%                                             

Investment Companies: 4.54%

         

Wells Fargo Government Money Market Fund Select Class (l)(u)

    0.19        8,622,008      $ 8,622,008  
         

 

 

 

Total Short-Term Investments (Cost $8,622,008)

            8,622,008  
  

 

 

 

 

Total investments in securities (Cost $198,257,328)     100.31        190,357,582  

Other assets and liabilities, net

    (0.31        (588,714
 

 

 

      

 

 

 
Total net assets     100.00      $ 189,768,868  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

Non-income-earning security

144A

The security may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers, pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933.

(l)

The issuer of the security is an affiliated person of the Fund as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

(u)

The rate represents the 7-day annualized yield at period end.

Abbreviations:

 

ADR

American depositary receipt

 

GDR

Global depositary receipt

Forward Foreign Currency Contracts

 

Currency to be
received
     Currency to be
delivered
     Counterparty      Settlement
date
     Unrealized
gains
       Unrealized
losses
 
73,474,453 JPY      689,046 USD      State Street Bank      5-7-2020      $ 0        $ (4,384
111,378,381 JPY      1,044,510 USD      State Street Bank      5-7-2020        0          (6,646
11,078,182 USD      9,862,000 EUR      Credit Suisse      6-9-2020        263,562          0  
                   

 

 

      

 

 

 
                    $ 263,562        $ (11,030
                   

 

 

      

 

 

 

Investments in Affiliates

An affiliated investment is an investment in which the Fund owns at least 5% of the outstanding voting shares of the issuer or as a result of other relationships, such as the Fund and the issuer having the same investment manager. Transactions with issuers that were either affiliated persons of the Fund at the beginning of the period or the end of the period were as follows:

 

    Shares,
beginning of
period
    Shares
purchased
    Shares
sold
    Shares,
end of
period
    Net
realized
gains
(losses)
    Net
change in
unrealized
gains
(losses)
    Income
from
affiliated
securities
    Value,
end of
period
    % of
net
assets
 
Short-Term Investments                                                      

Investment Companies

                 

Securities Lending Cash Investments LLC *

    0       8,994,485       (8,994,485     0     $ 306     $ 0     $ 6,224 #    $ 0    

Wells Fargo Government Money Market Fund Select Class

    2,779,280       76,125,724       (70,282,996     8,622,008       0       0       35,710       8,622,008    
         

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
          $ 306     $ 0     $ 41,934     $ 8,622,008       4.54
         

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

*

No longer held at the end of the period

# 

Amount shown represents income before fees and rebates.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo International Equity Fund  |  9


Table of Contents

Statement of assets and liabilities—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

         

Assets

 

Investments in unaffiliated securities, at value (cost $189,635,320)

  $ 181,735,574  

Investments in affiliated securities, at value (cost $8,622,008)

    8,622,008  

Cash

    36,890  

Foreign currency, at value (cost $279,028)

    254,542  

Receivable for investments sold

    2,436,935  

Receivable for Fund shares sold

    68,842  

Receivable for dividends

    1,538,531  

Unrealized gains on forward foreign currency contracts

    263,562  
 

 

 

 

Total assets

    194,956,884  
 

 

 

 

Liabilities

 

Payable for investments purchased

    3,967,383  

Payable for Fund shares redeemed

    528,534  

Cash collateral due to broker

    320,000  

Unrealized losses on forward foreign currency contracts

    11,030  

Management fee payable

    71,128  

Administration fees payable

    21,364  

Distribution fees payable

    4,095  

Trustees’ fees and expenses payable

    8,545  

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

    255,937  
 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

    5,188,016  
 

 

 

 

Total net assets

  $ 189,768,868  
 

 

 

 

Net assets consist of

 

Paid-in capital

  $ 236,031,403  

Total distributable loss

    (46,262,535
 

 

 

 

Total net assets

  $ 189,768,868  
 

 

 

 

Computation of net asset value and offering price per share

 

Net assets – Class A

  $ 60,699,917  

Shares outstanding – Class A1

    6,562,806  

Net asset value per share – Class A

    $9.25  

Maximum offering price per share – Class A2

    $9.81  

Net assets – Class C

  $ 6,778,314  

Shares outstanding – Class C1

    741,543  

Net asset value per share – Class C

    $9.14  

Net assets – Class R

  $ 377,304  

Shares outstanding – Class R1

    40,041  

Net asset value per share – Class R

    $9.42  

Net assets – Class R6

  $ 29,920,084  

Shares outstanding – Class R61

    3,250,168  

Net asset value per share – Class R6

    $9.21  

Net assets – Administrator Class

  $ 640,004  

Shares outstanding – Administrator Class1

    70,214  

Net asset value per share – Administrator Class

    $9.12  

Net assets – Institutional Class

  $ 91,353,245  

Shares outstanding – Institutional Class1

    9,944,390  

Net asset value per share – Institutional Class

    $9.19  

 

 

1 

The Fund has an unlimited number of authorized shares.

 

2 

Maximum offering price is computed as 100/94.25 of net asset value. On investments of $50,000 or more, the offering price is reduced.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

10  |  Wells Fargo International Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Statement of operations—six months ended April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

         

Investment income

 

Dividends (net of foreign withholding taxes of $239,179)

  $ 2,047,348  

Income from affiliated securities

    42,764  
 

 

 

 

Total investment income

    2,090,112  
 

 

 

 

Expenses

 

Management fee

    1,060,409  

Administration fees

 

Class A

    77,572  

Class C

    9,617  

Class R

    639  

Class R6

    5,166  

Administrator Class

    651  

Institutional Class

    84,775  

Shareholder servicing fees

 

Class A

    92,318  

Class C

    11,444  

Class R

    716  

Administrator Class

    1,250  

Distribution fees

 

Class C

    34,248  

Class R

    674  

Custody and accounting fees

    72,354  

Professional fees

    32,152  

Registration fees

    44,850  

Shareholder report expenses

    35,428  

Trustees’ fees and expenses

    10,969  

Other fees and expenses

    14,758  
 

 

 

 

Total expenses

    1,589,990  

Less: Fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements

 

Fund-level

    (322,695

Class A

    (32,785

Class C

    (3,636

Class R

    (109

Institutional Class

    (31,764
 

 

 

 

Net expenses

    1,199,001  
 

 

 

 

Net investment income

    891,111  
 

 

 

 

Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

 

Net realized gains (losses) on

 

Unaffiliated securities

    (22,210,637

Affiliated securities

    306  

Forward foreign currency contracts

    (1,575,229
 

 

 

 

Net realized losses on investments

    (23,785,560
 

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on

 

Unaffiliated securities

    (26,279,858

Forward foreign currency contracts

    1,291,716  
 

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (24,988,142
 

 

 

 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (48,773,702
 

 

 

 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations

  $ (47,882,591
 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo International Equity Fund  |  11


Table of Contents

Statement of changes in net assets

 

    

Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)

    Year ended
October 31, 2019
 

Operations

 

 

Net investment income

    $ 891,111       $ 7,158,795  

Net realized losses on investments

      (23,785,560       (8,056,815

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments

      (24,988,142       (662,309
 

 

 

 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations

      (47,882,591       (1,560,329
 

 

 

 

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and net realized gains

       

Class A

      (423,778       (3,814,733

Class C

      (43,116       (465,349

Class R

      (3,818       (49,381

Class R6

      (211,627       (1,911,254

Administrator Class

      (5,794       (181,829

Institutional Class

      (828,362       (9,669,266
 

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

      (1,516,495       (16,091,812
 

 

 

 

Capital share transactions

    Shares         Shares    

Proceeds from shares sold

 

Class A

    235,586       2,488,994       1,147,071       13,224,286  

Class C

    16,236       188,639       86,880       957,728  

Class R

    8,029       82,913       25,185       292,558  

Class R6

    20,184       206,311       21,094       236,894  

Administrator Class

    1,315       15,362       120,528       1,364,756  

Institutional Class

    849,510       9,108,553       3,668,728       41,620,881  
 

 

 

 
      12,090,772         57,697,103  
 

 

 

 

Reinvestment of distributions

 

Class A

    33,005       397,705       321,829       3,507,776  

Class C

    3,189       38,076       39,404       419,685  

Class R

    128       1,574       1,096       12,180  

Class R6

    8,409       100,742       83,623       906,082  

Administrator Class

    466       5,533       16,761       179,650  

Institutional Class

    60,766       726,155       718,102       7,759,106  
 

 

 

 
      1,269,785         12,784,479  
 

 

 

 

Payment for shares redeemed

 

Class A

    (832,147     (8,641,554     (2,065,116     (23,490,494

Class C

    (226,409     (2,339,259     (1,162,599     (13,124,506

Class R

    (36,555     (407,007     (74,982     (874,682

Class R6

    (4,985     (54,577     (2,255,062     (24,783,491

Administrator Class

    (37,591     (355,725     (474,737     (5,303,913

Institutional Class

    (4,314,505     (43,442,815     (11,722,793     (131,578,072
 

 

 

 
      (55,240,937       (199,155,158
 

 

 

 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from capital share transactions

      (41,880,380       (128,673,576
 

 

 

 

Total decrease in net assets

      (91,279,466       (146,325,717
 

 

 

 

Net assets

   

Beginning of period

      281,048,334         427,374,051  
 

 

 

 

End of period

    $ 189,768,868       $ 281,048,334  
 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

12  |  Wells Fargo International Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS A   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $11.38       $11.81       $13.43       $11.07       $11.53       $11.28  

Net investment income

    0.03       0.24 1      0.27       0.22       0.22       0.18 1 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.10     (0.16     (1.40     2.47       (0.54     0.57  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.07     0.08       (1.13     2.69       (0.32     0.75  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.06     (0.51     (0.49     (0.33     (0.14     (0.50

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.25       $11.38       $11.81       $13.43       $11.07       $11.53  

Total return2

    (18.31 )%      0.93     (8.81 )%      24.91     (2.76 )%      6.85

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.48     1.45     1.39     1.47     1.47     1.53

Net expenses

    1.13     1.14     1.14     1.14     1.12     1.09

Net investment income

    0.57     2.13     1.97     1.82     2.04     1.50

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    38     49     62     59     65     27

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $60,700       $81,110       $91,206       $109,655       $122,248       $145,654  

 

 

 

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Total return calculations do not include any sales charges. Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo International Equity Fund  |  13


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS C   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $11.28       $11.57       $13.13       $10.82       $11.30       $11.06  

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.01 )1      0.12 1      0.15       0.14       0.14       0.08 1 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.08     (0.12     (1.35     2.40       (0.53     0.57  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.09     (0.00     (1.20     2.54       (0.39     0.65  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.05     (0.29     (0.36     (0.23     (0.09     (0.41

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.14       $11.28       $11.57       $13.13       $10.82       $11.30  

Total return2

    (18.64 )%      0.16     (9.47 )%      23.91     (3.43 )%      6.03

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    2.22     2.19     2.14     2.22     2.22     2.28

Net expenses

    1.89     1.89     1.89     1.89     1.87     1.84

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.22 )%      1.07     1.22     1.26     1.33     0.72

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    38     49     62     59     65     27

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $6,778       $10,700       $22,963       $28,919       $27,508       $29,080  

 

 

 

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Total return calculations do not include any sales charges. Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

14  |  Wells Fargo International Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS R   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $11.61       $11.98       $13.58       $11.20       $11.66       $11.40  

Net investment income

    0.01 1      0.22 1      0.23 1      0.20 1      0.19 1      0.15 1 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.14     (0.15     (1.41     2.48       (0.53     0.57  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.13     0.07       (1.18     2.68       (0.34     0.72  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.06     (0.44     (0.42     (0.30     (0.12     (0.46

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.42       $11.61       $11.98       $13.58       $11.20       $11.66  

Total return2

    (18.49 )%      0.79     (9.03 )%      24.47     (2.94 )%      6.53

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.68     1.64     1.64     1.72     1.72     1.78

Net expenses

    1.39     1.37     1.39     1.39     1.37     1.34

Net investment income

    0.17     1.88     1.72     1.66     1.77     1.23

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    38     49     62     59     65     27

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $377       $794       $1,404       $1,996       $2,029       $2,147  

 

 

 

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo International Equity Fund  |  15


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS R6   2019     2018     2017     2016     20151  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $11.31       $11.79       $13.44       $11.06       $11.49       $10.89  

Net investment income

    0.05       0.35       0.31       0.45 2      0.24       0.00 3 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.08     (0.23     (1.40     2.27       (0.52     0.60  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.03     0.12       (1.09     2.72       (0.28     0.60  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.07     (0.60     (0.56     (0.34     (0.15     0.00  

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.21       $11.31       $11.79       $13.44       $11.06       $11.49  

Total return4

    (18.12 )%      1.27     (8.57 )%      25.30     (2.46 )%      5.51

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.05     1.01     0.96     1.03     1.04     1.05

Net expenses

    0.79     0.81     0.84     0.84     0.85     0.88

Net investment income

    0.94     2.23     2.23     3.55     2.31     0.23

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    38     49     62     59     65     27

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $29,920       $36,505       $63,414       $74,405       $26       $26  

 

 

 

 

1 

For the period from September 30, 2015 (commencement of class operations) to October 31, 2015

 

2 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

3 

Amount is less than $0.005.

 

4 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

16  |  Wells Fargo International Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
ADMINISTRATOR CLASS   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $11.22       $11.62       $13.20       $10.88       $11.33       $11.09  

Net investment income

    0.03 1      0.23 1      0.20 1      0.21 1      0.22       0.17 1 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.07     (0.14     (1.31     2.43       (0.53     0.57  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.04     0.09       (1.11     2.64       (0.31     0.74  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.06     (0.49     (0.47     (0.32     (0.14     (0.50

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.12       $11.22       $11.62       $13.20       $10.88       $11.33  

Total return2

    (18.30 )%      0.98     (8.79 )%      24.84     (2.71 )%      6.89

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.39     1.36     1.31     1.39     1.38     1.40

Net expenses

    1.13     1.14     1.14     1.14     1.12     1.09

Net investment income

    0.49     2.00     1.53     1.79     1.93     1.44

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    38     49     62     59     65     27

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $640       $1,189       $5,152       $18,174       $36,032       $52,469  

 

 

 

 

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo International Equity Fund  |  17


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $11.29       $11.76       $13.40       $11.05       $11.49       $11.25  

Net investment income

    0.04 1      0.33       0.30 1      0.28 1      0.23       0.19 1 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.07     (0.22     (1.39     2.43       (0.52     0.58  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.03     0.11       (1.09     2.71       (0.29     0.77  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.07     (0.58     (0.55     (0.36     (0.15     (0.53

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.19       $11.29       $11.76       $13.40       $11.05       $11.49  

Total return2

    (18.16 )%      1.19     (8.56 )%      25.21     (2.48 )%      7.07

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.15     1.11     1.06     1.14     1.14     1.15

Net expenses

    0.84     0.86     0.89     0.89     0.87     0.84

Net investment income

    0.81     2.27     2.31     2.28     2.27     1.67

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    38     49     62     59     65     27

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $91,353       $150,749       $243,235       $236,946       $182,639       $192,799  

 

 

 

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

18  |  Wells Fargo International Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

1. ORGANIZATION

Wells Fargo Funds Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on March 10, 1999, is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). As an investment company, the Trust follows the accounting and reporting guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services – Investment Companies. These financial statements report on the Wells Fargo International Equity Fund (the “Fund”) which is a diversified series of the Trust.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following significant accounting policies, which are consistently followed in the preparation of the financial statements of the Fund, are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Securities valuation

All investments are valued each business day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4 p.m. Eastern Time), although the Fund may deviate from this calculation time under unusual or unexpected circumstances.

Equity securities that are listed on a foreign or domestic exchange or market are valued at the official closing price or, if none, the last sales price. If no sale occurs on the principal exchange or market that day, a fair value price will be determined in accordance with the Fund’s Valuation Procedures.

Forward foreign currency contracts are recorded at the forward rate provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee at Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC (“Funds Management”).

The values of securities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at rates provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee.

Many securities markets and exchanges outside the U.S. close prior to the close of the New York Stock Exchange and therefore may not fully reflect trading or events that occur after the close of the principal exchange in which the foreign securities are traded, but before the close of the New York Stock Exchange. If such trading or events are expected to materially affect the value of such securities, then fair value pricing procedures approved by the Board of Trustees of the Fund are applied. These procedures take into account multiple factors including movements in U.S. securities markets after foreign exchanges close. Foreign securities that are fair valued under these procedures are categorized as Level 2 and the application of these procedures may result in transfers between Level 1 and Level 2. Depending on market activity, such fair valuations may be frequent. Such fair value pricing may result in net asset values that are higher or lower than net asset values based on the last reported sales price or latest quoted bid price. On April 30, 2020, such fair value pricing was used in pricing certain foreign securities.

Investments in registered open-end investment companies are valued at net asset value. Interests in non-registered investment companies that are redeemable at net asset value are fair valued normally at net asset value.

Investments which are not valued using any of the methods discussed above are valued at their fair value, as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees has established a Valuation Committee comprised of the Trustees and has delegated to it the authority to take any actions regarding the valuation of portfolio securities that the Valuation Committee deems necessary or appropriate, including determining the fair value of portfolio securities, unless the determination has been delegated to the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee. The Board of Trustees retains the authority to make or ratify any valuation decisions or approve any changes to the Valuation Procedures as it deems appropriate. On a quarterly basis, the Board of Trustees receives reports on any valuation actions taken by the Valuation Committee or the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee which may include items for ratification.

Foreign currency translation

The accounting records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. The values of other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at rates provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee. Purchases and sales of securities, and income and expenses are converted at the rate of exchange on the respective dates of such transactions. Net realized foreign exchange gains or losses arise from sales of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on securities transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually paid or received. Net unrealized foreign exchange gains and losses arise from changes in the fair value of assets and liabilities other than investments in securities resulting from changes in exchange rates. The changes in net assets arising from changes in exchange rates of securities and the changes in net assets resulting from changes in market prices of securities are not separately presented. Such changes are included in net realized and unrealized gains or losses from investments.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Forward foreign currency contracts

A forward foreign currency contract is an agreement between two parties to purchase or sell a specific currency for an agreed-upon price at a future date. The Fund enters into forward foreign currency contracts to facilitate transactions in foreign-denominated securities and to attempt to minimize the risk to the Fund from adverse changes in the relationship between currencies. Forward foreign currency contracts are recorded at the forward rate and marked-to-market daily. When the contracts are closed, realized gains and losses arising from such transactions are recorded as realized gains or losses on forward foreign currency contracts. The Fund is subject to foreign currency risk and may be exposed to risks if the counterparties to the contracts are unable to meet the terms of their contracts or if the value of the foreign currency changes unfavorably. The Fund’s maximum risk of loss from counterparty credit risk is the unrealized gains on the contracts. This risk may be mitigated if there is a master netting arrangement between the Fund and the counterparty.

Securities lending

The Fund may lend its securities from time to time in order to earn additional income in the form of fees or interest on securities received as collateral or the investment of any cash received as collateral. When securities are on loan, the Fund receives interest or dividends on those securities. Cash collateral received in connection with its securities lending transactions is invested in Securities Lending Cash Investments, LLC (the “Securities Lending Fund”). Investments in Securities Lending Fund are valued at the evaluated bid price provided by an independent pricing service. Income earned from investment in the Securities Lending Fund (net of fees and rebates), if any, is included in income from affiliated securities on the Statement of Operations.

In a securities lending transaction, the net asset value of the Fund is affected by an increase or decrease in the value of the securities loaned and by an increase or decrease in the value of the instrument in which collateral is invested. The amount of securities lending activity undertaken by the Fund fluctuates from time to time. The Fund has the right under the lending agreement to recover the securities from the borrower on demand. In the event of default or bankruptcy by the borrower, the Fund may be prevented from recovering the loaned securities or gaining access to the collateral or may experience delays or costs in doing so. In such an event, the terms of the agreement allows the unaffiliated securities lending agent to use the collateral to purchase replacement securities on behalf of the Fund or pay the Fund the market value of the loaned securities. The Fund bears the risk of loss with respect to depreciation of its investment of the cash collateral.

Security transactions and income recognition

Securities transactions are recorded on a trade date basis. Realized gains or losses are recorded on the basis of identified cost.

Dividend income is recognized on the ex-dividend date, except for certain dividends from foreign securities, which are recorded as soon as the custodian verifies the ex-dividend date. Dividend income from foreign securities is recorded net of foreign taxes withheld where recovery of such taxes is not assured.

Distributions to shareholders

Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date and paid from net investment income quarterly and any net realized gains are paid at least annually. Such distributions are determined in accordance with income tax regulations and may differ from U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Dividend sources are estimated at the time of declaration. The tax character of distributions is determined as of the Fund’s fiscal year end. Therefore, a portion of the Fund’s distributions made prior to the Fund’s fiscal year end may be categorized as a tax return of capital at year end.

Federal and other taxes

The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company by distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized capital gains (after reduction for capital loss carryforwards) sufficient to relieve it from all, or substantially all, federal income taxes. Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes was required.

The Fund’s income and federal excise tax returns and all financial records supporting those returns for the prior three fiscal years are subject to examination by the federal and Delaware revenue authorities. Management has analyzed the Fund’s tax positions taken on federal, state, and foreign tax returns for all open tax years and does not believe that there are any uncertain tax positions that require recognition of a tax liability.

 

 

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Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

As of April 30, 2020, the aggregate cost of all investments for federal income tax purposes was $193,989,450 and the unrealized gains (losses) consisted of:

 

Gross unrealized gains

   $ 15,859,494  

Gross unrealized losses

     (19,238,830

Net unrealized losses

   $ (3,379,336

As of October 31, 2019, the Fund had capital loss carryforwards which consisted of $11,301,468 in short-term capital losses and $3,067,307 in long-term capital losses.

Class allocations

The separate classes of shares offered by the Fund differ principally in applicable sales charges, distribution, shareholder servicing, and administration fees. Class specific expenses are charged directly to that share class. Investment income, common fund-level expenses, and realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments are allocated daily to each class of shares based on the relative proportion of net assets of each class.

3. FAIR VALUATION MEASUREMENTS

Fair value measurements of investments are determined within a framework that has established a fair value hierarchy based upon the various data inputs utilized in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. The three-level hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The Fund’s investments are classified within the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The inputs are summarized into three broad levels as follows:

 

 

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities

 

 

Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

 

 

Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing investments in securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

The following is a summary of the inputs used in valuing the Fund’s assets and liabilities as of April 30, 2020:

 

      Quoted prices
(Level 1)
     Other significant
observable inputs
(Level 2)
    

Significant
unobservable inputs

(Level 3)

     Total  

Assets

           

Investments in:

           

Common stocks

           

Australia

   $ 0      $ 1,499,488      $ 0      $ 1,499,488  

Canada

     5,198,990        0        0        5,198,990  

China

     8,156,342        16,862,205        0        25,018,547  

France

     0        15,264,332        0        15,264,332  

Germany

     0        11,664,580        0        11,664,580  

Hong Kong

     0        4,507,545        0        4,507,545  

India

     0        3,421,050        0        3,421,050  

Ireland

     0        4,031,241        0        4,031,241  

Israel

     6,664,158        0        0        6,664,158  

Italy

     0        3,781,900        0        3,781,900  

Japan

     0        20,063,203        0        20,063,203  

Malaysia

     0        748,507        0        748,507  

Mexico

     0        1,919,263        0        1,919,263  

Netherlands

     0        13,684,977        0        13,684,977  

Norway

     0        3,731,875        0        3,731,875  

Russia

     5,161,668        0        0        5,161,668  

Singapore

     0        3,921,559        0        3,921,559  

South Korea

     0        16,213,956        0        16,213,956  

Switzerland

     0        8,863,195        0        8,863,195  

Thailand

     0        1,140,980        0        1,140,980  

United Kingdom

     1,113,919        12,735,039        0        13,848,958  

United States

     11,385,602        0        0        11,385,602  

Short-term investments

           

Investment companies

     8,622,008        0        0        8,622,008  
     46,302,687        144,054,895        0        190,357,582  

Forward foreign currency contracts

     0        263,562        0        263,562  

Total assets

   $ 46,302,687      $ 144,318,457      $ 0      $ 190,621,144  

Liabilities

           

Forward foreign currency contracts

   $ 0      $ 11,030      $ 0      $ 11,030  

Total liabilities

   $ 0      $ 11,030      $ 0      $ 11,030  

Additional sector, industry or geographic detail is included in the Portfolio of Investments.

Forward foreign currency contracts are reported at their cumulative unrealized gains (losses) at measurement date as reported in the table following the Portfolio of Investments. All other assets and liabilities are reported at their market value at measurement date.

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, the Fund did not have any transfers into/out of Level 3.

4. TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

Management fee

Funds Management, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), is the manager of the Fund and provides advisory and fund-level administrative services under an investment management agreement. Under the investment management agreement, Funds Management is responsible for, among other services, implementing the investment objectives and strategies of the Fund, supervising the subadviser and providing fund-level administrative services in

 

 

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Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

connection with the Fund’s operations. As compensation for its services under the investment management agreement, Funds Management is entitled to receive a management fee at the following annual rate based on the Fund’s average daily net assets:

 

Average daily net assets    Management fee  

First $500 million

     0.850

Next $500 million

     0.800  

Next $1 billion

     0.750  

Next $2 billion

     0.725  

Next $1 billion

     0.700  

Next $5 billion

     0.690  

Over $10 billion

     0.680  

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, the management fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 0.85% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Funds Management has retained the services of a subadviser to provide daily portfolio management to the Fund. The fee for subadvisory services is borne by Funds Management. Wells Capital Management Incorporated (“WellsCap”), an affiliate of Funds Management and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo, is the subadviser to the Fund and is entitled to receive a fee from Funds Management at an annual rate starting at 0.45% and declining to 0.40% as the average daily net assets of the Fund increase.

Administration fees

Under a class-level administration agreement, Funds Management provides class-level administrative services to the Fund, which includes paying fees and expenses for services provided by the transfer agent, sub-transfer agents, omnibus account servicers and record-keepers. As compensation for its services under the class-level administration agreement, Funds Management receives an annual fee which is calculated based on the average daily net assets of each class as follows:

 

      Class-level
administration fee
 

Class A, Class C, Class R

     0.21

Class R6

     0.03  

Administrator Class, Institutional Class

     0.13  

Waivers and/or expense reimbursements

Funds Management has contractually waived and/or reimbursed management and administration fees to the extent necessary to maintain certain net operating expense ratios for the Fund. When each class of the Fund has exceeded its expense cap, Funds Management has waived fees and/or reimbursed expenses from fund-level expenses on a proportionate basis and then from class specific expenses. When only certain classes exceed their expense caps, waivers and/or reimbursements are applied against class specific expenses before fund-level expenses. Funds Management has committed through February 28, 2021 to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap the Fund’s expenses at 1.14% for Class A shares, 1.89% for Class C shares, 1.39% for Class R shares, 0.79% for Class R6 shares, 1.14% for Administrator Class shares, and 0.84% for Institutional Class shares. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. 

Distribution fees

The Trust has adopted a distribution plan for Class C and Class R shares of the Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Distribution fees are charged to Class C and Class R shares and paid to Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (“Funds Distributor”), the principal underwriter, at an annual rate of 0.75% of the average daily net assets of Class C shares and 0.25% of the average daily net assets of Class R shares.

In addition, Funds Distributor is entitled to receive the front-end sales charge from the purchase of Class A shares and a contingent deferred sales charge on the redemption of certain Class A shares. Funds Distributor is also entitled to receive the contingent deferred sales charges from redemptions of Class C shares. For the six months ended April 30, 2020, Funds Distributor received $439 from the sale of Class A shares. No contingent deferred sales charges were incurred by Class A and Class C shares for the six months ended April 30, 2020.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Shareholder servicing fees

The Trust has entered into contracts with one or more shareholder servicing agents, whereby Class A, Class C, Class R, and Administrator Class of the Fund are charged a fee at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of each respective class. A portion of these total shareholder servicing fees were paid to affiliates of Wells Fargo.

Interfund transactions

The Fund may purchase or sell portfolio investment securities to certain other Wells Fargo affiliates pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act and under procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. The procedures have been designed to ensure that these interfund transactions, which do not incur broker commissions, are effected at current market prices.

5. INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

Purchases and sales of investments, excluding U.S. government obligations (if any) and short-term securities, for the six months ended April 30, 2020 were $90,058,080 and $134,254,837, respectively.

6. SECURITIES LENDING TRANSACTIONS

The Fund lends its securities through an unaffiliated securities lending agent and receives collateral in the form of cash or securities with a value at least equal to the value of the securities on loan. The value of the loaned securities is determined at the close of each business day and any increases or decreases in the required collateral are exchanged between the Fund and the counterparty on the next business day. Cash collateral received is invested in the Securities Lending Fund which seeks to provide a positive return compared to the daily Fed Funds Open Rate by investing in high-quality, U.S. dollar-denominated short-term money market instruments and is exempt from registration under Section 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act. Securities Lending Fund is managed by Funds Management and is subadvised by WellsCap. Funds Management receives an advisory fee starting at 0.05% and declining to 0.01% as the average daily net assets of the Securities Lending Fund increase. All of the fees received by Funds Management are paid to WellsCap for its services as subadviser.

In the event of counterparty default or the failure of a borrower to return a loaned security, the Fund has the right to use the collateral to offset any losses incurred. As of April 30, 2020, the Fund did not have any securities on loan.

7. DERIVATIVE TRANSACTIONS

During the six months ended April 30, 2020, the Fund entered into forward foreign currency contracts for economic hedging purposes. The Fund had average contract amounts of $8,973,445 and $22,429,870 in forward foreign currency contracts to buy and forward foreign currency contracts to sell, respectively, during the six months ended April 30, 2020.

The fair value, realized gains or losses and change in unrealized gains or losses, if any, on derivative instruments are reflected in the corresponding financial statement captions.

For certain types of derivative transactions, the Fund has entered into International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. master agreements (“ISDA Master Agreements”) or similar agreements with approved counterparties. The ISDA Master Agreements or similar agreements may have requirements to deliver/deposit securities or cash to/with an exchange or broker-dealer as collateral and allows the Fund to offset, with each counterparty, certain derivative financial instrument’s assets and/or liabilities with collateral held or pledged. Collateral requirements differ by type of derivative. Collateral or margin requirements are set by the broker or exchange clearinghouse for exchange traded derivatives while collateral terms are contract specific for over-the-counter traded derivatives. Cash collateral that has been pledged to cover obligations of the Fund under ISDA Master Agreements or similar agreements, if any, are reported separately in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Securities pledged as collateral, if any, are noted in the Portfolio of Investments. With respect to balance sheet offsetting, absent an event of default by the counterparty or a termination of the agreement, the reported amounts of financial assets and financial liabilities in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities are not offset across transactions between the Fund and the applicable counterparty. A reconciliation of the gross amounts on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities to the net amounts by counterparty, including any collateral exposure, for OTC derivatives is as follows:

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Counterparty      Gross amounts
of assets in the
Statement of
Assets and
Liabilities
     Amounts
subject to
netting
agreements
     Collateral
received
       Net
amount of
assets
 

Credit Suisse

     $263,562      $0      $ 0        $ 263,562  
Counterparty      Gross amounts
of liabilities in the
Statement of
Assets and
Liabilities
     Amounts
subject to
netting
agreements
     Collateral
pledged
       Net
amount
of liabilities
 

State Street Bank

     $11,030      $0      $ 0        $ 11,030  

8. BANK BORROWINGS

The Trust (excluding the money market funds), Wells Fargo Master Trust and Wells Fargo Variable Trust are parties to a $280,000,000 revolving credit agreement whereby the Fund is permitted to use bank borrowings for temporary or emergency purposes, such as to fund shareholder redemption requests. Interest under the credit agreement is charged to the Fund based on a borrowing rate equal to the higher of the Federal Funds rate in effect on that day plus 1.25% or the overnight LIBOR rate in effect on that day plus 1.25%. In addition, an annual commitment fee equal to 0.25% of the unused balance is allocated to each participating fund.

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, there were no borrowings by the Fund under the agreement.

9. INDEMNIFICATION

Under the Fund’s organizational documents, the officers and Trustees have been granted certain indemnification rights against certain liabilities that may arise out of performance of their duties to the Fund. The Fund has entered into a separate agreement with each Trustee that converts indemnification rights currently existing under the Fund’s organizational documents into contractual rights that cannot be changed in the future without the consent of the Trustee. Additionally, in the normal course of business, the Fund may enter into contracts with service providers that contain a variety of indemnification clauses. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is dependent on future claims that may be made against the Fund and, therefore, cannot be estimated.

10. NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENT

In August 2018, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. ASU 2018-13 updates the disclosure requirements for fair value measurements by modifying or removing certain disclosures and adding certain new disclosures. The amendments are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. Management has adopted the removal and modification of disclosures early, as permitted, and will adopt the additional new disclosures at the effective date.

11. CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that it had made the assessment that coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) is a pandemic. The impacts of COVID-19 are adversely affecting the entire global economy, individual companies and investment products, and the market in general. There is significant uncertainty around the extent and duration of business disruptions related to COVID-19 and the impacts may be short term or may last for an extended period of time. The risk of further spreading of COVID-19 has led to significant uncertainty and volatility in the financial markets. The value of the Fund and the securities in which the Fund invests have generally been adversely affected by impacts caused by COVID-19.

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

TAX INFORMATION

Pursuant to Section 853 of the Internal Revenue Code, the following amounts have been designated as foreign taxes paid for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2019. These amounts may be less than the actual foreign taxes paid for financial statement purposes. Foreign taxes paid or withheld should be included in taxable income with an offsetting deduction from gross income or as a credit for taxes paid to foreign governments. None of the income was derived from ineligible foreign sources as defined under Section 901(j) of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

Creditable

foreign taxes

paid

  

Per share

amount

  

Foreign

income as % of

ordinary income

distributions

$699,534    $0.0282    96.84%

PROXY VOTING INFORMATION

A description of the policies and procedures used to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available, upon request, by calling 1-800-222-8222, visiting our website at wfam.com, or visiting the SEC website at sec.gov. Information regarding how the proxies related to portfolio securities were voted during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available on the website at wfam.com or by visiting the SEC website at sec.gov.

QUARTERLY PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. Shareholders may view the filed Form N-PORT by visiting the SEC website at sec.gov.

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

Each of the Trustees and Officers1 listed in the table below acts in identical capacities for each fund in the Wells Fargo family of funds, which consists of 147 mutual funds comprising the Wells Fargo Funds Trust, Wells Fargo Variable Trust, Wells Fargo Master Trust and four closed-end funds (collectively the “Fund Complex”). This table should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information2. The mailing address of each Trustee and Officer is 525 Market Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105. Each Trustee and Officer serves an indefinite term, however, each Trustee serves such term until reaching the mandatory retirement age established by the Trustees.

Independent Trustees

 

Name and

year of birth

  Position held and
length of service*
  Principal occupations during past five years or longer   Current other
public company or
investment
company
directorships

William R. Ebsworth

(Born 1957)

  Trustee, since 2015   Retired. From 1984 to 2013, equities analyst, portfolio manager, research director and chief investment officer at Fidelity Management and Research Company in Boston, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, and retired in 2013 as Chief Investment Officer of Fidelity Strategic Advisers, Inc. where he led a team of investment professionals managing client assets. Prior thereto, Board member of Hong Kong Securities Clearing Co., Hong Kong Options Clearing Corp., the Thailand International Fund, Ltd., Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company, and Empire Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company. Audit Committee Chair and Investment Committee Chair of the Vincent Memorial Hospital Endowment (non-profit organization). Mr. Ebsworth is a CFA® charterholder.   N/A

Jane A. Freeman

(Born 1953)

  Trustee, since 2015; Chair Liaison, since 2018   Retired. From 2012 to 2014 and 1999 to 2008, Chief Financial Officer of Scientific Learning Corporation. From 2008 to 2012, Ms. Freeman provided consulting services related to strategic business projects. Prior to 1999, Portfolio Manager at Rockefeller & Co. and Scudder, Stevens & Clark. Board member of the Harding Loevner Funds from 1996 to 2014, serving as both Lead Independent Director and chair of the Audit Committee. Board member of the Russell Exchange Traded Funds Trust from 2011 to 2012 and the chair of the Audit Committee. Ms. Freeman is also an inactive Chartered Financial Analyst.   N/A

Isaiah Harris, Jr.

(Born 1952)

  Trustee, since 2009; Audit Committee Chairman, since 2019   Retired. Chairman of the Board of CIGNA Corporation since 2009, and Director since 2005. From 2003 to 2011, Director of Deluxe Corporation. Prior thereto, President and CEO of BellSouth Advertising and Publishing Corp. from 2005 to 2007, President and CEO of BellSouth Enterprises from 2004 to 2005 and President of BellSouth Consumer Services from 2000 to 2003. Emeritus member of the Iowa State University Foundation Board of Governors. Emeritus Member of the Advisory Board of Iowa State University School of Business. Advisory Board Member, Palm Harbor Academy (private school). Advisory Board Member, Child Evangelism Fellowship (non-profit). Mr. Harris is a certified public accountant (inactive status).   CIGNA Corporation

Judith M. Johnson

(Born 1949)

  Trustee, since 2008; Audit Committee Chairman, from 2009 to 2018   Retired. Prior thereto, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Minneapolis Employees Retirement Fund from 1996 to 2008. Ms. Johnson is an attorney, certified public accountant and a certified managerial accountant.   N/A

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

Name and

year of birth

  Position held and
length of service*
  Principal occupations during past five years or longer   Current other
public company or
investment
company
directorships

David F. Larcker

(Born 1950)

  Trustee, since 2009   James Irvin Miller Professor of Accounting at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Director of the Corporate Governance Research Initiative and Senior Faculty of The Rock Center for Corporate Governance since 2006. From 2005 to 2008, Professor of Accounting at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Prior thereto, Ernst & Young Professor of Accounting at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania from 1985 to 2005.   N/A

Olivia S. Mitchell

(Born 1953)

  Trustee, since 2006; Nominating and Governance Committee Chair, since 2018   International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Professor, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania since 1993. Director of Wharton’s Pension Research Council and Boettner Center on Pensions & Retirement Research, and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Previously, Cornell University Professor from 1978 to 1993.   N/A

Timothy J. Penny

(Born 1951)

  Trustee, since 1996; Chairman, since 2018   President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, a non-profit organization, since 2007. Member of the Board of Trustees of NorthStar Education Finance, Inc., a non-profit organization, since 2007.   N/A

James G. Polisson

(Born 1959)

  Trustee, since 2018   Retired. Chief Marketing Officer, Source (ETF) UK Services, Ltd, from 2015 to 2017. From 2012 to 2015, Principal of The Polisson Group, LLC, a management consulting, corporate advisory and principal investing company. Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Russell Investments, Global Exchange Traded Funds from 2010 to 2012. Managing Director of Barclays Global Investors from 1998 to 2010 and Global Chief Marketing Officer for iShares and Barclays Global Investors from 2000 to 2010. Trustee of the San Francisco Mechanics’ Institute, a non-profit organization, from 2013 to 2015. Board member of the Russell Exchange Traded Fund Trust from 2011 to 2012. Director of Barclays Global Investors Holdings Deutschland GmbH from 2006 to 2009. Mr. Polisson is an attorney and has a retired status with the Massachusetts and District of Columbia Bar Associations.   N/A

Pamela Wheelock

(Born 1959)

  Trustee, since January 2020; previously Trustee from January 2018 to July 2019   Board member of the Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency, Rochester, Minnesota since 2019 and Interim President of the McKnight Foundation since 2020. Acting Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Human Services, July 2019 through September 2019. Human Services Manager (part-time), Minnesota Department of Human Services, October 2019 through December 2019. Chief Operating Officer, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity from 2017 to 2019. Vice President of University Services, University of Minnesota from 2012 to 2016. Prior thereto, on the Board of Directors, Governance Committee and Finance Committee for the Minnesota Philanthropy Partners (Saint Paul Foundation) from 2012 to 2018, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota from 2011 to 2012, Chairman of the Board from 2009 to 2012 and Board Director from 2003 to 2015. Vice President, Leadership and Community Engagement, Bush Foundation, Saint Paul, Minnesota (a private foundation) from 2009 to 2011. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Minnesota Sports and Entertainment from 2004 to 2009 and Senior Vice President from 2002 to 2004. Executive Vice President of the Minnesota Wild Foundation from 2004 to 2008. Commissioner of Finance, State of Minnesota, from 1999 to 2002. Currently Board Chair of the Minnesota Wild Foundation since 2010.   N/A

 

*

Length of service dates reflect the Trustee’s commencement of service with the Trust’s predecessor entities, where applicable.

 

 

28  |  Wells Fargo International Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Other information (unaudited)

 

Officers

 

Name and

year of birth

  Position held and
length of service
  Principal occupations during past five years or longer

Andrew Owen

(Born 1960)

  President, since 2017   Executive Vice President of Wells Fargo & Company and Head of Affiliated Managers, Wells Fargo Asset Management, since 2014. In addition, Mr. Owen is currently President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2017. Prior thereto, Executive Vice President responsible for marketing, investments and product development for Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC, from 2009 to 2014.

Jeremy DePalma1

(Born 1974)

  Treasurer, since 2012   Senior Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2009. Senior Vice President of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2008 to 2010 and head of the Fund Reporting and Control Team within Fund Administration from 2005 to 2010.

Michelle Rhee

(Born 1966)

  Chief Legal Officer, since 2019   Secretary of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC, Chief Legal Counsel of Wells Fargo Asset Management and Assistant General Counsel of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. since 2018. Associate General Counsel and Managing Director of Bank of America Corporation from 2004 to 2018.

Catherine Kennedy

(Born 1969)

  Secretary, since 2019   Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC and Senior Counsel of the Wells Fargo Legal Department since 2010. Vice President and Senior Counsel of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 1998 to 2010.

Michael H. Whitaker

(Born 1967)

  Chief Compliance Officer, since 2016   Chief Compliance Officer of Wells Fargo Asset Management since 2016. Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Fidelity Investments from 2007 to 2016.

David Berardi

(Born 1975)

  Assistant Treasurer, since 2009   Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2009. Vice President of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2008 to 2010. Manager of Fund Reporting and Control for Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2004 to 2010.

 

 

 

1

Jeremy DePalma acts as Treasurer of 82 funds and Assistant Treasurer of 65 funds in the Fund Complex.

 

2

The Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about the Trustees and is available, without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-222-8222 or by visiting the website at wfam.com.

 

 

Wells Fargo International Equity Fund  |  29


Table of Contents

Appendix I (unaudited)

 

Effective on or about May 1, 2020, if you purchase Fund shares through a Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (“Janney”) brokerage account, you will be eligible for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”), or back-end sales charge, waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end sales charge* waivers on Class A shares available at Janney
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney.
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within ninety (90) days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e., right of reinstatement).
Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Class C shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are converted to Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to Janney’s policies and procedures.
CDSC waivers on Class A and Class C shares available at Janney
Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations.
Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Shares exchanged into the same share class of a different fund.
Front-end sales charge* discounts available at Janney; breakpoints, rights of accumulation and/or letters of intent
Breakpoints as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Rights of accumulation (“ROA”), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Janney. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney Montgomery Scott may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

*

Also referred to as an “initial sales charge.”

 

 

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Table of Contents

Appendix II (unaudited)

 

Effective on or after May 1, 2020, clients of Edward Jones (also referred to as “shareholders”) purchasing Fund shares on the Edward Jones commission and fee-based platforms are eligible only for the following sales charge discounts (also referred to as “breakpoints”) and waivers, which can differ from breakpoints and waivers described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI or through another broker-dealer. In all instances, it is the shareholder’s responsibility to inform Edward Jones at the time of purchase of any relationship, holdings of Wells Fargo Funds or other facts qualifying the purchaser for breakpoints or waivers. Edward Jones can ask for documentation of such circumstance.

 

Breakpoints available at Edward Jones
Rights of Accumulation (ROA)

The applicable sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares is determined by taking into account all share classes (except any money market funds and retirement plan share classes) of Wells Fargo Funds held by the shareholder or in an account grouped by Edward Jones with other accounts for the purpose of providing certain pricing considerations (“pricing groups”). This includes all share classes held on the Edward Jones platform and/or held on another platform. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the rights of accumulation calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation.

ROA is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value (current shares x NAV).

Letter of Intent (LOI)

Through a LOI, shareholders can receive the sales charge and breakpoint discounts for purchases shareholders intend to makeover a 13-month period from the date Edward Jones receives the LOI. The LOI is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value of qualifying holdings at LOI initiation in combination with the value that the shareholder intends to buy over a 13-month period to calculate the front-end sales charge and any breakpoint discounts. Each purchase the shareholder makes during that 13-month period will receive the sales charge and breakpoint discount that applies to the total amount. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the LOI calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation. Purchases made before the LOI is received by Edward Jones are not covered under the LOI and will not reduce the sales charge previously paid. Sales charges will be adjusted if LOI is not met.

Sales charges are waived for the following shareholders and in the following situations at Edward Jones:

   Associates of Edward Jones and its affiliates and their family members who are in the same pricing group (as determined by Edward Jones under its policies and procedures) as the associate. This waiver will continue for the remainder of the associate’s life if the associate retires from Edward Jones in good-standing.

   Shares purchased in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

   Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment.

   Shares purchased from the proceeds of redeemed shares of the same fund family so long as the following conditions are met: 1)the proceeds are from the sale of shares within 60 days of the purchase, and 2) the sale and purchase are made in the same share class and the same account or the purchase is made in an individual retirement account with proceeds from liquidations in anon-retirement account.

   Shares exchanged into Class A shares from another share class so long as the exchange is into the same fund and was initiated at the discretion of Edward Jones. Edward Jones is responsible for any remaining CDSC due to the fund company, if applicable. Any future purchases are subject to the applicable sales charge as disclosed in the prospectus.

   Exchanges from Class C shares to Class A shares of the same fund, generally, in the 84th month following the anniversary of the purchase date or earlier at the discretion of Edward Jones.

If the shareholder purchases shares that are subject to a CDSC and those shares are redeemed before the CDSC is expired, the shareholder
is responsible to pay the CDSC except in the following conditions available at Edward Jones:

   The death or disability of the shareholder.

   Systematic withdrawals with up to 10% per year of the account value.

   Return of excess contributions from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

   Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulation.

   Shares sold to pay Edward Jones fees or costs in such cases where the transaction is initiated by Edward Jones.

   Shares exchanged in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

   Shares acquired through NAV reinstatement.

 

 

Wells Fargo International Equity Fund  |  31


Table of Contents

Appendix II (unaudited)

 

Other Important Information for accounts at Edward Jones:
Minimum Purchase Amounts

   $250 initial purchase minimum

   $50 subsequent purchase minimum

Minimum Balances
Edward Jones has the right to redeem at its discretion fund holdings with a balance of $250 or less. The following are examples of accounts that are not included in this policy:

   A fee-based account held on an Edward Jones platform

   A 529 account held on an Edward Jones platform

   An account with an active systematic investment plan or letter of intent (LOI)

Changing Share Classes
At any time it deems necessary, Edward Jones has the authority to exchange at NAV a shareholder’s holdings in a fund to Class A shares.

 

 

32  |  Wells Fargo International Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Appendix III (unaudited)

 

Effective June 1, 2020, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (“Oppenheimer”) platform or account are eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Oppenheimer
Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan.
Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan.
Shares purchased through an Oppenheimer affiliated investment advisory program.
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Restatement).
A shareholder in the Fund’s Class C shares will have their shares exchanged at net asset value to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of Oppenheimer.
Employees and registered representatives of Oppenheimer or its affiliates and their family members.
Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund’s investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the Prospectus.
CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Oppenheimer
Death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Prospectus.
Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the Prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Oppenheimer fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Oppenheimer.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load Discounts Available at Oppenheimer: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent
Breakpoints as described in the Prospectus.
Rights of Accumulation (ROA), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Oppenheimer. Eligible fund family assets not held at Oppenheimer may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

 

Wells Fargo International Equity Fund  |  33


Table of Contents

Appendix IV (unaudited)

 

Effective June 15, 2020, shareholders purchasing fund shares through a Robert W. Baird & Co. (“Baird”) platform or account will only be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and CDSC waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or the SAI.

 

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Baird
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing share of the same fund.
Share purchase by employees and registers representatives of Baird or its affiliate and their family members as designated by Baird.
Shares purchase from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same accounts, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as rights of reinstatement).
A shareholder in the Funds Investor C Shares will have their share exchanged at net asset value to Investor A shares of the fund if the shares are no longer subject to CDSC and the exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of Baird.
Employer-sponsored retirement plans or charitable accounts in a transactional brokerage account at Baird, including 401(k)plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs.
CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Baird
Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares bought due to returns of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 72 as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Baird fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Baird.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load Discounts Available at Baird: Breakpoint and/or Rights of Accumulation
Breakpoints as described in the Prospectus.
Rights of accumulations which entitles shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Baird. Eligible fund family assets not held at Baird may be included in the rights of accumulations calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of Intent (LOI) allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family through Baird, over a 13-month period of time.

 

 

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LOGO

For more information

More information about Wells Fargo Funds is available free upon request. To obtain literature, please write, visit the Fund’s website, or call:

Wells Fargo Funds

P.O. Box 219967

Kansas City, MO 64121-9967

Website: wfam.com

Individual investors: 1-800-222-8222

Retail investment professionals: 1-888-877-9275

Institutional investment professionals: 1-866-765-0778

 

LOGO

 

This report and the financial statements contained herein are submitted for the general information of the shareholders of the Fund. If this report is used for promotional purposes, distribution of the report must be accompanied or preceded by a current prospectus. Before investing, please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the investment. For a current prospectus and, if available, a summary prospectus, containing this information, call 1-800-222-8222 or visit the Fund’s website at wfam.com. Read the prospectus carefully before you invest or send money.

Wells Fargo Asset Management (WFAM) is the trade name for certain investment advisory/management firms owned by Wells Fargo & Company. These firms include but are not limited to Wells Capital Management Incorporated and Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC. Certain products managed by WFAM entities are distributed by Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (a broker-dealer and Member FINRA).

This material is for general informational and educational purposes only and is NOT intended to provide investment advice or a recommendation of any kind—including a recommendation for any specific investment, strategy, or plan.

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED    NO BANK GUARANTEE     MAY LOSE VALUE


© 2019 Wells Fargo & Company. All rights reserved.

PAR-0520-00420 06-20

SA240/SAR240 04-20

 

 



Table of Contents

LOGO

Semi-Annual Report

April 30, 2020

 

Wells Fargo

Emerging Markets Equity Fund

 

 

 

 

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by new regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Wells Fargo Funds’ annual and semi-annual shareholder reports issued after this date will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, the reports will be made available on the Funds’ website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website address to access the report.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund electronically at any time by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) or, if you are a direct investor, by calling 1-800-222-8222 or by enrolling at wellsfargo.com/advantagedelivery.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can contact your financial intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports; if you invest directly with the Fund, you can call 1-800-222-8222. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Wells Fargo Funds held in your account with your financial intermediary or, if you are a direct investor, to all Wells Fargo Funds that you hold.


Table of Contents

 

 

Reduce clutter.

Save trees.

Sign up for electronic
delivery of prospectuses and
shareholder reports at wellsfargo.com/
advantagedelivery

 

The views expressed and any forward-looking statements are as of April 30, 2020, unless otherwise noted, and are those of the Fund managers and/or Wells Fargo Asset Management. Discussions of individual securities, or the markets generally, or any Wells Fargo Fund are not intended as individual recommendations. Future events or results may vary significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. The views expressed are subject to change at any time in response to changing circumstances in the market. Wells Fargo Asset Management and the Fund disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any views expressed or forward-looking statements.

 

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED    NO BANK GUARANTEE    MAY LOSE VALUE


 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  1


Table of Contents

Letter to shareholders (unaudited)

 

LOGO

Andrew Owen

President

Wells Fargo Funds

“The period began with a tailwind created by central bank support.”

Dear Shareholder:

We are pleased to offer you this semi-annual report for the Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund for the six-month period that ended April 30, 2020. Global stock markets saw earlier gains erased in February and March as governments took unprecedented measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus at the expense of short-term economic output. Markets rebounded in April to lessen the losses as central banks attempted to bolster capital markets and confidence. Fixed-income markets performed better, with the exception of high-yield bonds, as U.S. bonds overall achieved modest gains.

For the six-month period, U.S. stocks, based on the S&P 500 Index,1 returned -3.16% and international stocks, as measured by the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net),2 fell 13.22%. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net)3 lost 10.50%. For bond investors, the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index4 added 4.86%, the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Index5 returned -0.97%, the Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index6 returned -1.33%, and the ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index7 lost 7.68%.

The period began with a tailwind created by central bank support.

The period began with a tailwind that had been created by U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cuts in the summer and early fall. Equity markets rallied in November despite ongoing geopolitical risks. Hopes for a U.S.-China trade deal buoyed investor confidence. U.S. business sentiment edged up, and manufacturing and services activity rose. With that positive backdrop, developed market equities outpaced those in emerging markets, and U.S. stocks outperformed non-U.S. stocks overall. While consumer confidence and purchasing manager activity rose in the eurozone, China reported weakening manufacturing and consumer data. Bond yields rose marginally, leading to slightly negative returns for global government and investment-grade corporate bonds.

Financial markets ended 2019 with a boost from the U.S. and China accord on a Phase One trade deal. That, along with the landslide win by the pro-Brexit U.K. Conservative Party in a national election and ongoing central bank support, gave investors greater confidence. U.S. economic indicators were positive overall, with the exception of manufacturing activity and business confidence. Consumer confidence was resilient, fed by a robust labor market, tame inflation, and lower interest rates, which boosted housing affordability and stimulated homebuyer activity. The impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump had little impact on markets. Meanwhile, slowing Chinese economic activity, partly attributable to the trade war, led to further government stimulus at year-end through lower reserve ratios, allowing banks to lend more money.

The year-end rally continued in early January 2020. However, capital market volatility spiked in late January on concerns over the potential impact of the coronavirus on the global economy and stock markets. With sentiment somewhat souring, perceived safe

 

 

 

1 

The S&P 500 Index consists of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation. It is a market-value-weighted index with each stock’s weight in the index proportionate to its market value. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

2 

The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) All Country World Index (ACWI) ex USA Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the United States. Source: MSCI. MSCI makes no express or implied warranties or representations and shall have no liability whatsoever with respect to any MSCI data contained herein. The MSCI data may not be further redistributed or used as a basis for other indices or any securities or financial products. This report is not approved, reviewed, or produced by MSCI. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

3 

The MSCI Emerging Markets (EM) Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure equity market performance of emerging markets. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

4 

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment-grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

5 

The Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Index is an unmanaged index that provides a broad-based measure of the global investment-grade fixed-income markets excluding the U.S. dollar-denominated debt market. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

6 

The Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index is an unmanaged index composed of long-term tax-exempt bonds with a minimum credit rating of Baa. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

7 

The ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index is a market-capitalization-weighted index of domestic and Yankee high-yield bonds. The index tracks the performance of high-yield securities traded in the U.S. bond market. You cannot invest directly in an index. Copyright 2020. ICE Data Indices, LLC. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Table of Contents

Letter to shareholders (unaudited)

 

havens did well in January. The U.S. dollar and Japanese yen both rose, and government bonds outperformed equities. While the S&P 500 Index held its ground, emerging market equities tumbled, including those in Asia.

In February, the coronavirus became the major market focus. Fears of the virus’s impact on global growth led to expectations of increased global central bank monetary policy support. That led the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield to fall to an all-time low of 1.1% by the end of the month. Although equity markets initially shrugged off concerns about the outbreak, focusing instead on strong fourth-quarter earnings and improving business confidence in January, market sentiment turned sharply lower toward month-end. Oil prices tumbled as Russia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries compounded a major decline in oil demand with a brutal price war, causing the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil to fall 13% in February alone.

The global spread of the coronavirus led many countries to clamp down on social and business-related activity in order to contain the virus from causing even greater devastation and overwhelming the health care system. This abrupt stoppage of economic activity led to the sharp deceleration of global output, sending economies into a deep contraction. Central bank responses were swift, as they slashed interest rates and expanded quantitative easing programs to restore liquidity and confidence to the markets. In the U.S., the Fed launched several lending programs, funding investment-grade bonds, money market mutual funds, and commercial paper while purchasing Treasuries, mortgage-backed securities, and overnight repurchase agreements . Meanwhile, stock markets tumbled quickly into a bear market, ending the longest bull stock market in U.S. history.

Markets rebounded strongly in April after the extreme volatility of the previous two months, with the S&P 500 Index gaining 12.8% for the month and the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net) returning 7.6%. The rebound was fueled by unprecedented stimulus measures taken by governments and central banks to buffer the economic damage created by mass shutdowns to try to contain the virus’s spread. The U.S. economy contracted by an annualized 4.8% pace in the first quarter, with 30 million new unemployment insurance claims in six weeks. In the eurozone, first-quarter real gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 3.8%, with the composite April Flash Purchasing Managers’ Index, a monthly survey of purchasing managers, falling to an all-time low of 13.5. The European Central Bank expanded its quantitative easing to include the purchase of additional government bonds of countries with the greatest virus-related need, including Italy and Spain. China’s first-quarter GDP fell by 6.8% year over year. However, retail sales, production, and investment showed signs of recovery. Extreme oil price volatility continued as global supply far exceeded demand.

Don’t let short-term uncertainty derail long-term investment goals.

Periods of investment uncertainty can present challenges, but experience has taught us that maintaining long-term investment goals can be an effective way to plan for the future. To help you create a sound strategy based on your personal goals and risk tolerance, Wells Fargo Funds offers more than 100 mutual funds spanning a wide range of asset classes and investment styles. Although diversification cannot guarantee an investment profit or prevent losses, we believe it can be an effective way to manage investment risk and potentially smooth out overall portfolio performance. We encourage investors to know their investments and to understand that appropriate levels of risk-taking may unlock opportunities.

Thank you for choosing to invest with Wells Fargo Funds. We appreciate your confidence in us and remain committed to helping you meet your financial needs.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Andrew Owen

President

Wells Fargo Funds

 

“The global spread of the coronavirus led many countries to clamp down on social and business-related activity in order to contain the virus from causing even greater devastation and overwhelming the health care system.”

 

 

For further information about your Fund, contact your investment professional, visit our website at wfam.com,

or call us directly at 1-800-222-8222.

 

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  3


Table of Contents

Performance highlights (unaudited)

 

Investment objective

The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Manager

Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC

Subadviser

Wells Capital Management Incorporated

Portfolio managers

Derrick Irwin, CFA®

Richard Peck, CFA®

Yi (Jerry) Zhang, Ph.D., CFA®

Average annual total returns (%) as of April 30, 20201

 

 
        Including sales charge     Excluding sales charge     Expense ratios2 (%)  
 
    Inception date   1 year     5 year     10 year     1 year     5 year     10 year     Gross     Net3  
                   
Class A (EMGAX)   9-6-1994     -13.72       0.69       1.54       -8.45       1.89       2.14       1.59       1.56  
                   
Class C (EMGCX)   9-6-1994     -10.18       1.12       1.37       -9.18       1.12       1.37       2.34       2.31  
                   
Class R6 (EMGDX)4   6-28-2013                       -8.04       2.33       2.60       1.16       1.14  
                   
Administrator Class (EMGYX)   9-6-1994                       -8.35       2.00       2.29       1.51       1.43  
                   
Institutional Class (EMGNX)5   7-30-2010                       -8.15       2.27       2.56       1.26       1.18  
                   
MSCI EM Index (Net)6                         -12.00       -0.10       1.45              

Figures quoted represent past performance, which is no guarantee of future results, and do not reflect taxes that a shareholder may pay on an investment in a fund. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance shown without sales charges would be lower if sales charges were reflected. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted, which assumes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. Current month-end performance is available on the Fund’s website, wfam.com.

Index returns do not include transaction costs associated with buying and selling securities, any mutual fund fees or expenses, or any taxes. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

For Class A shares, the maximum front-end sales charge is 5.75%. For Class C shares, the maximum contingent deferred sales charge is 1.00%. Performance including a contingent deferred sales charge assumes the sales charge for the corresponding time period. Class R6, Administrator Class, and Institutional Class shares are sold without a front-end sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge.

Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of individual companies and general market and economic conditions. Foreign investments are especially volatile and can rise or fall dramatically due to differences in the political and economic conditions of the host country. These risks are generally intensified in emerging markets. The use of derivatives may reduce returns and/or increase volatility. Certain investment strategies tend to increase the total risk of an investment (relative to the broader market). The Fund is exposed to smaller-company securities risk. Consult the Fund’s prospectus for additional information on these and other risks.

 

Please see footnotes on page 5.

 

 

4  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Performance highlights (unaudited)

 

Ten largest holdings (%) as of April 30, 20207  
   

Samsung Electronics Company Limited

     5.14  
   

Tencent Holdings Limited

     4.86  
   

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited ADR

     3.27  
   

China Mobile Limited

     3.26  
   

Alibaba Group Holding Limited ADR

     3.23  
   

Vipshop Holdings Limited ADR

     2.74  
   

Reliance Industries Limited GDR

     2.50  
   

Li Ning Company Limited

     2.44  
   

AIA Group Limited

     2.37  
   

WH Group Limited

     2.29  
Sector allocation as of April 30, 20208
LOGO
 

 

Country allocation as of April 30, 20208
LOGO

    

 

 

 

CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

 

1 

Historical performance prior to July 19, 2010, is based on the performance of the same class of the Fund’s predecessor, Evergreen Emerging Markets Growth Fund.

 

2 

Reflects the expense ratios as stated in the most recent prospectuses, which include the impact of 0.01% in acquired fund fees and expenses. The expense ratios shown are subject to change and may differ from the annualized expense ratios shown in the financial highlights of this report, which do not include acquired fund fees and expenses.

 

3 

The manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2021, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers at 1.55% for Class A, 2.30% for Class C, 1.13% for Class R6, 1.42% for Administrator Class, and 1.17% for Institutional Class. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. Without this cap, the Fund’s returns would have been lower. The expense ratio paid by an investor is the net expense ratio (the total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers) as stated in the prospectuses.

 

4 

Historical performance shown for the Class R6 shares prior to their inception reflects the performance of the Institutional Class shares and includes the higher expenses applicable to the Institutional Class shares. If these expenses had not been included, returns for the Class R6 shares would have been higher.

 

5 

Historical performance shown for Institutional Class shares prior to their inception reflects the performance of Administrator Class shares and includes the higher expenses applicable to Administrator Class shares. If these expenses had not been included, returns for Institutional Class shares would be higher.

 

6 

The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Emerging Markets (EM) Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of emerging markets. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

7 

The ten largest holdings, excluding cash, cash equivalents and any money market funds, are calculated based on the value of the investments divided by total net assets of the Fund. Holdings are subject to change and may have changed since the date specified.

 

8 

Amounts are calculated based on the total long-term investments of the Fund. These amounts are subject to change and may have changed since the date specified.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  5


Table of Contents

Fund expenses (unaudited)

 

As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments and contingent deferred sales charges (if any) on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution (12b-1) and/or shareholder servicing fees, and other Fund expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the six-month period and held for the entire period from November 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020.

Actual expenses

The “Actual” line of the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the “Actual” line under the heading entitled “Expenses paid during period” for your applicable class of shares to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The “Hypothetical” line of the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads) and contingent deferred sales charges. Therefore, the “Hypothetical” line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

    

Beginning

account value

11-1-2019

    

Ending

account value

4-30-2020

    

Expenses

paid during

the period¹

    

Annualized net

expense ratio

 
         

Class A

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 894.86      $ 7.30        1.55

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,017.16      $ 7.77        1.55
         

Class C

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 891.42      $ 10.86        2.31

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,013.38      $ 11.56        2.31
         

Class R6

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 896.92      $ 5.33        1.13

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,019.24      $ 5.67        1.13
         

Administrator Class

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 895.38      $ 6.83        1.45

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,017.65      $ 7.27        1.45
         

Institutional Class

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 896.56      $ 5.56        1.18

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,019.00      $ 5.92        1.18

 

1

Expenses paid is equal to the annualized net expense ratio of each class multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent fiscal half-year divided by the number of days in the fiscal year (to reflect the one-half-year period).

 

 

6  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Common Stocks: 96.73%

 

Argentina: 0.28%                           

MercadoLibre Incorporated (Consumer Discretionary, Internet & Direct Marketing Retail) †

          17,216      $ 10,045,708  
          

 

 

 
Brazil: 6.09%                           

Ambev SA ADR (Consumer Staples, Beverages)

          3,764,500        8,093,675  

Atacadao Distribuicao Comercio e Industria Limitada (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          5,370,000        19,750,271  

B2W Companhia Digital (Consumer Discretionary, Internet & Direct Marketing Retail) †

          3,931,697        52,961,034  

B3 Brasil Bolsa Balcao SA (Financials, Capital Markets)

          4,623,005        32,662,582  

Banco Bradesco SA ADR (Financials, Banks)

          4,548,163        16,009,534  

BK Brasil Operacao e Assessoria a Restaurantes SA (Consumer Discretionary, Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure)

          2,735,794        4,759,303  

BRF Brazil Foods SA ADR (Consumer Staples, Food Products) †

          7,143,392        25,573,343  

Cogna Educacao (Consumer Discretionary, Diversified Consumer Services)

          3,346,000        3,408,823  

Hapvida Participacoes e Investimentos SA (Health Care, Health Care Providers & Services) 144A

          1,994,507        19,233,886  

Lojas Renner SA (Consumer Discretionary, Multiline Retail)

          2,920,175        20,615,590  

Multiplan Empreendimentos Imobiliarios SA (Real Estate, Real Estate Management & Development)

          1,636,906        6,288,267  

Raia Drogasil SA (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          423,600        8,162,123  
     217,518,431  
          

 

 

 
Chile: 1.20%                           

Banco Santander Chile SA ADR (Financials, Banks)

          1,080,492        18,173,875  

S.A.C.I. Falabella (Consumer Discretionary, Multiline Retail)

          9,060,549        24,743,145  
     42,917,020  
          

 

 

 
China: 40.11%                           

51job Incorporated ADR (Industrials, Professional Services) †

          517,541        31,021,408  

Alibaba Group Holding Limited ADR (Consumer Discretionary, Internet & Direct Marketing Retail) †

          568,837        115,286,195  

Best Incorporated ADR (Industrials, Air Freight & Logistics) †

          3,997,927        21,468,868  

Bilibili Incorporated ADR (Communication Services, Entertainment) †

          2,499,345        68,457,060  

China Distance Education ADR (Consumer Discretionary, Diversified Consumer Services)

          966,510        7,500,118  

China Life Insurance Company H Shares (Financials, Insurance)

          25,443,190        54,262,659  

China Literature Limited (Communication Services, Media) 144A†

          2,714,968        12,119,326  

China MeiDong Auto Holdings Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Specialty Retail)

          17,513,400        31,513,785  

China Mobile Limited (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services)

          14,495,865        116,533,084  

FinVolution Group ADR (Financials, Consumer Finance)

          4,401,985        8,451,811  

Greentree Hospitality Group Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure)

          1,215,741        15,123,818  

Hua Medicine Limited (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals) 144A†

          8,733,136        3,379,479  

Huami Corporation ADR (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components) †

          2,099,291        26,493,052  

IQIYI Incorporated ADR (Communication Services, Entertainment) †

          925,339        15,703,003  

Jianpu Technology Incorporated ADR (Financials, Consumer Finance) †

          3,070,490        3,009,080  

Koolearn Technology Holding Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Diversified Consumer Services) 144A†

          7,233,215        34,717,754  

Li Ning Company Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods)

          27,597,707        87,139,027  

Meituan Dianping (Consumer Discretionary, Internet & Direct Marketing Retail) †

          4,395,100        58,846,354  

New Oriental Education & Technology Group Incorporated ADR (Consumer Discretionary, Diversified Consumer Services) †

          565,289        72,164,794  

Pinduoduo Incorporated ADR (Consumer Discretionary, Internet & Direct Marketing Retail) †

          221,441        10,505,161  

Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer Company Limited H Shares (Health Care, Health Care Equipment & Supplies)

          17,890,600        27,178,398  

Shanghai Junshi Bioscience H Shares (Health Care, Biotechnology) 144A†

          1,533,169        7,383,972  

SINA Corporation (Communication Services, Interactive Media & Services) †

          879,207        29,690,820  

Tencent Holdings Limited (Communication Services, Interactive Media & Services)

          3,303,400        173,657,863  

Trip.com Group Limited ADR (Consumer Discretionary, Internet & Direct Marketing Retail) †

          1,538,013        39,619,215  

Tsingtao Brewery Company Limited H Shares (Consumer Staples, Beverages)

          6,554,500        39,818,109  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  7


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
China (continued)                           

Uxin Limited ADR (Consumer Discretionary, Internet & Direct Marketing Retail) †

          3,950,000      $ 6,359,500  

Vipshop Holdings Limited ADR (Consumer Discretionary, Internet & Direct Marketing Retail) †

          6,156,538        98,073,650  

Want Want China Holdings Limited (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          50,725,800        36,154,380  

Weibo Corporation ADR (Communication Services, Interactive Media & Services) †

          1,200,640        45,060,019  

WH Group Limited (Consumer Staples, Food Products) 144A

          85,815,700        81,846,925  

Wise Talent Information Technology Company Limited (Communication Services, Interactive Media & Services) †

          1,636,260        3,524,739  

Xiaomi Corporation Class B (Information Technology, Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals) 144A†

          28,477,100        37,350,403  

Zhou Hei Ya International Holding Company Limited (Consumer Staples, Food Products) 144A

          25,612,726        14,398,627  
     1,433,812,456  
          

 

 

 
Colombia: 0.32%                           

Bancolombia SA ADR (Financials, Banks)

          439,100        11,460,510  
          

 

 

 
Cyprus: 0.16%                           

Headhunter Group plc ADR (Industrials, Professional Services)

          350,160        5,777,640  
          

 

 

 
Hong Kong: 4.76%                           

AIA Group Limited (Financials, Insurance)

          9,237,500        84,779,618  

CNOOC Limited (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          28,759,600        31,797,233  

Johnson Electric Holdings Limited (Industrials, Electrical Equipment)

          4,183,050        7,023,779  

Sun Art Retail Group Limited (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          27,923,400        46,489,088  
     170,089,718  
          

 

 

 
India: 8.58%                           

AU Small Finance Bank Limited (Financials, Banks) 144A

          451,041        3,234,391  

Axis Bank Limited (Financials, Banks)

          2,670,819        15,604,135  

Bajaj Finance Limited (Financials, Consumer Finance)

          420,281        12,850,389  

Bandhan Bank Limited (Financials, Banks) 144A

          1,416,131        4,859,692  

Bharti Airtel Limited (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services) †

          3,909,052        26,621,117  

Bharti Infratel Limited (Communication Services, Diversified Telecommunication Services)

          3,073,851        7,111,716  

Dalmia Bharat Limited (Materials, Construction Materials)

          624,658        4,307,558  

Fortis Healthcare Limited (Health Care, Health Care Providers & Services) †

          5,634,970        9,423,402  

HDFC Bank Limited ADR (Financials, Banks)

          318,752        13,817,899  

Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (Financials, Thrifts & Mortgage Finance)

          1,115,700        28,221,406  

Indusind Bank Limited (Financials, Banks)

          802,217        4,894,305  

ITC Limited (Consumer Staples, Tobacco)

          12,883,960        31,039,920  

Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (Financials, Banks)

          1,057,262        18,986,999  

Max Financial Services Limited (Financials, Insurance) †

          925,389        5,750,376  

Oberoi Realty Limited (Real Estate, Real Estate Management & Development)

          1,064,750        4,817,587  

Reliance Industries Limited GDR (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels) 144A

          2,355,274        89,374,551  

SBI Life Insurance Company Limited (Financials, Insurance) 144A†

          914,273        8,788,299  

SH Kelkar & Company Limited (Materials, Chemicals)

          1,244,001        1,075,189  

Spandana Sphoorty Financial (Financials, Consumer Finance) †

          440,254        2,626,696  

Ultra Tech Cement Limited (Materials, Construction Materials)

          286,000        13,313,305  
     306,718,932  
          

 

 

 
Indonesia: 1.51%                           

PT Astra International Tbk (Consumer Discretionary, Automobiles)

          19,151,000        4,898,181  

PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (Financials, Banks)

          11,349,500        19,659,488  

PT Blue Bird Tbk (Industrials, Road & Rail)

          13,605,309        887,203  

PT Link Net Tbk (Communication Services, Diversified Telecommunication Services)

          38,278,161        7,153,834  

PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Persero Tbk ADR (Communication Services, Diversified Telecommunication Services)

          990,354        21,480,778  
     54,079,484  
          

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

8  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Malaysia: 0.20%                           

Genting Bhd (Consumer Discretionary, Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure)

          3,280,900      $ 3,173,023  

Genting Malaysia Bhd (Consumer Discretionary, Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure)

          7,196,300        3,955,560  
     7,128,583  
          

 

 

 
Mexico: 4.81%  

America Movil SAB de CV ADR (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services)

          1,605,920        19,335,277  

Banco Santander Mexico ADR (Financials, Banks)

          2,879,336        7,975,761  

Banco Santander Mexico SA (Financials, Banks)

          2,977,800        1,648,224  

Becle SAB de CV ADR (Consumer Staples, Beverages)

          12,967,225        19,783,613  

Cemex SAB de CV ADR (Materials, Construction Materials)

          4,011,948        8,505,330  

Fibra Uno Administracion SAB de CV (Real Estate, Equity REITs)

          38,957,464        32,344,668  

Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB de CV ADR (Consumer Staples, Beverages)

          920,420        59,210,619  

Grupo Financiero Banorte SAB de CV (Financials, Banks)

          3,350,488        9,172,449  

Wal-Mart de Mexico SAB de CV (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          5,842,900        14,102,381  
     172,078,322  
          

 

 

 
Peru: 0.21%                           

Compania de Minas Buenaventura SA ADR (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          1,006,695        7,540,146  
          

 

 

 
Philippines: 0.75%                           

Ayala Corporation (Industrials, Industrial Conglomerates)

          787,624        8,959,305  

San Miguel Food & Beverage Incorporated (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          3,495,810        4,106,411  

SM Investments Corporation (Industrials, Industrial Conglomerates)

          812,873        13,548,645  
     26,614,361  
          

 

 

 
Russia: 2.66%                           

LUKOIL PJSC ADR (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          422,149        27,540,046  

Magnit PJSC (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          150,816        7,463,423  

Sberbank PJSC ADR (Financials, Banks)

          1,450,395        15,398,030  

Yandex NV Class A (Communication Services, Interactive Media & Services) †

          1,184,406        44,746,859  
     95,148,358  
          

 

 

 
South Africa: 1.72%                           

AngloGold Ashanti Limited ADR (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          418,308        10,202,532  

MTN Group Limited (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services)

          3,278,543        8,615,548  

Oceana Group Limited (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          360,849        1,187,548  

Shoprite Holdings Limited (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          2,901,500        16,769,858  

Standard Bank Group Limited (Financials, Banks)

          1,757,090        9,681,509  

Tiger Brands Limited (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          1,531,933        14,917,261  
     61,374,256  
          

 

 

 
South Korea: 10.69%                           

KT Corporation ADR (Communication Services, Diversified Telecommunication Services)

          4,204,713        41,248,235  

KT&G Corporation (Consumer Staples, Tobacco)

          281,091        18,767,727  

Naver Corporation (Communication Services, Interactive Media & Services)

          487,500        79,038,653  

Samsung Electronics Company Limited (Information Technology, Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals)

          4,465,800        183,622,649  

Samsung Life Insurance Company Limited (Financials, Insurance)

          623,337        25,279,256  

SK Hynix Incorporated (Information Technology, Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment)

          495,500        34,099,096  
     382,055,616  
          

 

 

 
Taiwan: 10.23%                           

104 Corporation (Industrials, Professional Services)

          1,655,000        8,427,271  

Mediatek Incorporated (Information Technology, Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment)

          4,324,881        59,719,802  

President Chain Store Corporation (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          2,450,000        25,334,782  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  9


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                    Shares      Value  
Taiwan (continued)                          

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (Information Technology, Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment)

         7,635,224      $ 77,022,580  

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited ADR (Information Technology, Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment)

 

       2,197,552        116,755,938  

Uni-President Enterprises Corporation (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

 

       33,712,368        78,495,410  
            365,755,783  
         

 

 

 
Thailand: 1.92%                          

PTT Exploration & Production plc (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

         2,533,139        7,767,275  

PTT plc (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

         14,459,000        15,786,499  

Siam Commercial Bank plc (Financials, Banks)

         8,105,100        17,524,652  

Thai Beverage plc (Consumer Staples, Beverages)

         56,927,000        27,709,439  
            68,787,865  
         

 

 

 
Turkey: 0.10%                          

Avivasa Emeklilik Ve Hayat AS (Financials, Insurance)

         1,901,979        3,642,273  
         

 

 

 
United Arab Emirates: 0.04%                          

Emaar Malls Group (Real Estate, Real Estate Management & Development)

 

       3,773,147        1,314,871  
         

 

 

 
United Kingdom: 0.39%                          

Standard Chartered plc (Financials, Banks)

         2,714,444        13,869,950  
         

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks (Cost $2,960,874,311)

            3,457,730,283  
         

 

 

 
         
   

Interest

rate

   

Maturity

date

     Principal         
Convertible Debentures: 0.00%                          
Brazil: 0.00%                          

Lupatech SA (Energy, Energy Equipment & Services) †(a)

    6.50     4-15-2021      $ 303,000        0  
         

 

 

 

Total Convertible Debentures (Cost $160,691)

            0  
         

 

 

 
         
    Dividend yield            Shares         
Preferred Stocks: 1.34%                          
Brazil: 1.34%                          

Lojas Americanas SA (Consumer Discretionary, Multiline Retail)

    0.82          10,454,418        47,832,053  
         

 

 

 

Total Preferred Stocks (Cost $40,402,936)

            47,832,053  
         

 

 

 
         
    Yield                      
Short-Term Investments: 1.39%                          
Investment Companies: 1.39%                          

Securities Lending Cash Investments LLC (l)(u)

    0.00          1,000        1,000  

Wells Fargo Government Money Market Fund Select Class (l)(u)

    0.19          49,731,498        49,731,498  

Total Short-Term Investments (Cost $49,732,498)

            49,732,498        
         

 

 

 

 

Total investments in securities (Cost $3,051,170,436)     99.46        3,555,294,834  

Other assets and liabilities, net

    0.54          19,161,015  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 
Total net assets     100.00      $ 3,574,455,849  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

10  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund


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Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

 

Non-income-earning security

144A

The security may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers, pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933.

(a)

The security is fair valued in accordance with procedures approved by the Board of Trustees.

(l)

The issuer of the security is an affiliated person of the Fund as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

(u)

The rate represents the 7-day annualized yield at period end.

Abbreviations:

 

ADR

American depositary receipt

 

GDR

Global depositary receipt

 

REIT

Real estate investment trust

Investments in Affiliates

An affiliated investment is an investment in which the Fund owns at least 5% of the outstanding voting shares of the issuer or as a result of other relationships, such as the Fund and the issuer having the same investment manager. Transactions with issuers that were either affiliated persons of the Fund at the beginning of the period or the end of the period were as follows:

 

    Shares,
beginning of
period
    Shares
purchased
   

Shares

sold

   

Shares,

end of

period

   

Net

realized

gains

(losses)

   

Net

change in

unrealized

gains
(losses)

   

Income

from

affiliated

securities

   

Value,

end of

period

   

% of

net

assets

 
Short-Term Investments                                                      

Investment Companies

                 

Securities Lending Cash Investments LLC

    150,280,602       289,125,813       (439,405,415     1,000     $ 11,521     $ 21     $ 795,584 #    $ 1,000    

Wells Fargo Government Money Market Fund Select Class

    158,178,165       178,278,779       (286,725,446     49,731,498       0       0       581,513       49,731,498    
         

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
          $ 11,521     $ 21     $ 1,377,097     $ 49,732,498       1.39
         

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

# 

Amount shown represents income before fees and rebates.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  11


Table of Contents

Statement of assets and liabilities—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

         

Assets

 

Investments in unaffiliated securities, at value (cost $3,001,437,938)

  $ 3,505,562,336  

Investments in affiliated securities, at value (cost $49,732,498)

    49,732,498  

Foreign currency, at value (cost $7,484,257)

    6,485,007  

Receivable for investments sold

    4,110,071  

Receivable for Fund shares sold

    16,934,618  

Receivable for dividends

    2,511,601  

Receivable for securities lending income, net

    15,238  

Prepaid expenses and other assets

    19,565  
 

 

 

 

Total assets

    3,585,370,934  
 

 

 

 

Liabilities

 

Payable for Fund shares redeemed

    4,772,121  

Management fee payable

    4,386,311  

Administration fees payable

    357,290  

Distribution fee payable

    12,867  

Shareholder report expenses payable

    325,367  

Custody and accounting fees payable

    955,841  

Trustees’ fees and expenses payable

    8,822  

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

    96,466  
 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

    10,915,085  
 

 

 

 

Total net assets

  $ 3,574,455,849  
 

 

 

 

Net assets consist of

 

Paid-in capital

  $ 3,249,789,746  

Total distributable earnings

    324,666,103  
 

 

 

 

Total net assets

  $ 3,574,455,849  
 

 

 

 

Computation of net asset value and offering price per share

 

Net assets – Class A

  $ 182,611,322  

Shares outstanding – Class A1

    8,122,371  

Net asset value per share – Class A

    $22.48  

Maximum offering price per share – Class A2

    $23.85  

Net assets – Class C

  $ 21,349,369  

Shares outstanding – Class C1

    1,135,338  

Net asset value per share – Class C

    $18.80  

Net assets – Class R6

  $ 268,035,865  

Shares outstanding – Class R61

    11,445,618  

Net asset value per share – Class R6

    $23.42  

Net assets – Administrator Class

  $ 69,502,822  

Shares outstanding – Administrator Class1

    2,949,830  

Net asset value per share – Administrator Class

    $23.56  

Net assets – Institutional Class

  $ 3,032,956,471  

Shares outstanding – Institutional Class1

    129,531,257  

Net asset value per share – Institutional Class

    $23.41  

 

1 

The Fund has an unlimited number of authorized shares.

 

2 

Maximum offering price is computed as 100/94.25 of net asset value. On investments of $50,000 or more, the offering price is reduced.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

12  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund


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Statement of operations—six months ended April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

         

Investment income

 

Dividends (net of foreign withholding taxes of $3,966,561)

  $ 25,135,962  

Income from affiliated securities

    1,402,863  

Interest (net of foreign withholding taxes of $25,097)

    142,399  
 

 

 

 

Total investment income

    26,681,224  
 

 

 

 

Expenses

 

Management fee

    20,329,457  

Administration fees

 

Class A

    225,451  

Class C

    27,883  

Class R6

    45,191  

Administrator Class

    57,836  

Institutional Class

    2,187,148  

Shareholder servicing fees

 

Class A

    268,390  

Class C

    33,193  

Administrator Class

    110,572  

Distribution fee

 

Class C

    99,357  

Custody and accounting fees

    1,309,767  

Professional fees

    30,692  

Registration fees

    69,173  

Shareholder report expenses

    349,256  

Trustees’ fees and expenses

    10,969  

Interest expense

    495  

Other fees and expenses

    59,490  
 

 

 

 

Total expenses

    25,214,320  

Less: Fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements

 

Fund-level

    (317,603

Class A

    (5,365

Administrator Class

    (9,663

Institutional Class

    (644,135
 

 

 

 

Net expenses

    24,237,554  
 

 

 

 

Net investment income

    2,443,670  
 

 

 

 

Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

 

Net realized gains on

 

Unaffiliated securities

    20,134,058  

Affiliated securities

    11,521  

Forward foreign currency contracts

    205  
 

 

 

 

Net realized gains on investments

    20,145,784  
 

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on

 

Unaffiliated securities

    (427,823,600

Affiliated securities

    21  
 

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (427,823,579
 

 

 

 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (407,677,795
 

 

 

 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations

  $ (405,234,125
 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  13


Table of Contents

Statement of changes in net assets

 

    

Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)

    Year ended
October 31, 2019
 

Operations

       

Net investment income

    $ 2,443,670       $ 29,835,911  

Net realized gains on investments

      20,145,784         58,804,224  

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments

      (427,823,579       621,646,983  
 

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

      (405,234,125       710,287,118  
 

 

 

 

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and net realized gains

       

Class A

      (1,592,205       (710,399

Class R6

      (3,433,286       (2,908,247

Administrator Class

      (690,072       (528,015

Institutional Class

      (37,764,049       (24,412,544
 

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

      (43,479,612       (28,559,205
 

 

 

 

Capital share transactions

    Shares         Shares    

Proceeds from shares sold

       

Class A

    495,757       12,288,179       1,832,949       42,913,694  

Class C

    36,673       758,073       155,464       2,968,853  

Class R6

    2,556,703       61,258,967       4,297,288       100,909,236  

Administrator Class

    326,127       8,241,931       582,444       14,129,059  

Institutional Class

    17,070,053       416,131,927       34,734,070       844,578,848  
 

 

 

 
      498,679,077         1,005,499,690  
 

 

 

 

Reinvestment of distributions

       

Class A

    54,378       1,460,585       30,235       636,746  

Class R6

    89,034       2,487,612       88,834       1,945,455  

Administrator Class

    23,753       668,417       23,214       511,866  

Institutional Class

    1,335,293       37,308,081       1,100,826       24,108,081  
 

 

 

 
      41,924,695         27,202,148  
 

 

 

 

Payment for shares redeemed

       

Class A

    (1,437,111     (34,685,938     (2,378,845     (55,211,980

Class C

    (299,468     (6,047,467     (1,529,459     (30,114,110

Class R6

    (4,533,818     (113,012,996     (5,807,534     (144,080,345

Administrator Class

    (1,357,775     (35,717,631     (1,325,414     (32,354,466

Institutional Class

    (20,610,788     (517,276,083     (30,356,079     (733,923,145
 

 

 

 
      (706,740,115       (995,684,046
 

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from capital share transactions

      (166,136,343       37,017,792  
 

 

 

 

Total increase (decrease) in net assets

      (614,850,080       718,745,705  
 

 

 

 

Net assets

       

Beginning of period

      4,189,305,929         3,470,560,224  
 

 

 

 

End of period

    $ 3,574,455,849       $ 4,189,305,929  
 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

14  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS A   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $25.29       $21.16       $24.83       $20.49       $18.09       $21.44  

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.05     0.10       0.07       (0.03 )1      0.12       0.08  

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.58     4.11       (3.70     4.50       2.38       (3.29
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.63     4.21       (3.63     4.47       2.50       (3.21

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.18     (0.08     (0.04     (0.13     (0.10     (0.14

Net asset value, end of period

    $22.48       $25.29       $21.16       $24.83       $20.49       $18.09  

Total return2

    (10.51 )%      19.95     (14.65 )%      21.99     13.93     (15.02 )% 

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.57     1.57     1.58     1.58     1.64     1.64

Net expenses

    1.55     1.57     1.57     1.58     1.60     1.64

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.22 )%      0.43     0.38     (0.13 )%      0.64     0.37

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    2     8     11     13     8     8

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $182,611       $227,811       $201,515       $268,384       $874,625       $873,992  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Total return calculations do not include any sales charges. Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  15


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months  ended
April 30, 2020
(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS C   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $21.09       $17.71       $20.92       $17.28       $15.28       $18.11  

Net investment loss

    (0.10 )1      (0.07 )1      (0.08 )1      (0.08     (0.02 )1      (0.06 )1 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.19     3.45       (3.13     3.72       2.02       (2.77
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.29     3.38       (3.21     3.64       2.00       (2.83

Net asset value, end of period

    $18.80       $21.09       $17.71       $20.92       $17.28       $15.28  

Total return2

    (10.86 )%      19.09     (15.34 )%      21.06     13.09     (15.63 )% 

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    2.32     2.32     2.33     2.31     2.39     2.39

Net expenses

    2.31     2.32     2.32     2.31     2.35     2.39

Net investment loss

    (0.99 )%      (0.37 )%      (0.38 )%      (0.43 )%      (0.12 )%      (0.39 )% 

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    2     8     11     13     8     8

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $21,349       $29,484       $49,103       $69,845       $71,900       $84,004  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Total return calculations do not include any sales charges. Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

16  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months  ended
April 30, 2020
(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS R6   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $26.39       $22.10       $26.00       $21.46       $19.00       $22.53  

Net investment income

    0.05       0.22 1      0.23 1      0.17 1      0.23 1      0.19  

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.72     4.27       (3.92     4.59       2.46       (3.46
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.67     4.49       (3.69     4.76       2.69       (3.27

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.30     (0.20     (0.21     (0.22     (0.23     (0.26

Net asset value, end of period

    $23.42       $26.39       $22.10       $26.00       $21.46       $19.00  

Total return2

    (10.31 )%      20.50     (14.33 )%      22.53     14.43     (14.61 )% 

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.14     1.14     1.16     1.14     1.20     1.19

Net expenses

    1.13     1.14     1.15     1.14     1.17     1.18

Net investment income

    0.19     0.88     0.90     0.76     1.16     0.84

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    2     8     11     13     8     8

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $268,036       $351,829       $326,131       $192,929       $191,250       $95,190  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  17


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months  ended
April 30, 2020
(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
ADMINISTRATOR CLASS   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $26.50       $22.18       $26.08       $21.53       $18.99       $22.44  

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.02 )1      0.13 1      0.12 1      0.10 1      0.15 1      0.12 1 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.72     4.30       (3.90     4.61       2.50       (3.46
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.74     4.43       (3.78     4.71       2.65       (3.34

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.20     (0.11     (0.12     (0.16     (0.11     (0.11

Net asset value, end of period

    $23.56       $26.50       $22.18       $26.08       $21.53       $18.99  

Total return2

    (10.46 )%      20.09     (14.57 )%      22.10     14.07     (14.91 )% 

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.48     1.49     1.50     1.48     1.56     1.49

Net expenses

    1.45     1.46     1.46     1.46     1.49     1.48

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.14 )%      0.54     0.48     0.42     0.76     0.58

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    2     8     11     13     8     8

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $69,503       $104,869       $103,740       $144,421       $160,657       $181,224  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

18  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months  ended
April 30, 2020
(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $26.38       $22.10       $25.99       $21.46       $18.99       $22.52  

Net investment income

    0.02       0.19       0.19       0.19 1      0.20 1      0.17  

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.70     4.28       (3.89     4.55       2.49       (3.45
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (2.68     4.47       (3.70     4.74       2.69       (3.28

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.29     (0.19     (0.19     (0.21     (0.22     (0.25

Net asset value, end of period

    $23.41       $26.38       $22.10       $25.99       $21.46       $18.99  

Total return2

    (10.34 )%      20.40     (14.35 )%      22.42     14.40     (14.66 )% 

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.24     1.25     1.25     1.23     1.31     1.24

Net expenses

    1.18     1.19     1.19     1.20     1.22     1.22

Net investment income

    0.15     0.81     0.75     0.82     1.04     0.82

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    2     8     11     13     8     8

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $3,032,956       $3,475,314       $2,790,071       $3,423,366       $1,826,097       $2,146,675  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  19


Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

1. ORGANIZATION

Wells Fargo Funds Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on March 10, 1999, is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). As an investment company, the Trust follows the accounting and reporting guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services – Investment Companies. These financial statements report on the Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund (the “Fund”) which is a diversified series of the Trust.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following significant accounting policies, which are consistently followed in the preparation of the financial statements of the Fund, are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Securities valuation

All investments are valued each business day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4 p.m. Eastern Time), although the Fund may deviate from this calculation time under unusual or unexpected circumstances.

Equity securities that are listed on a foreign or domestic exchange or market are valued at the official closing price or, if none, the last sales price. If no sale occurs on the principal exchange or market that day, a fair value price will be determined in accordance with the Fund’s Valuation Procedures.

Forward foreign currency contracts are recorded at the forward rate provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee at Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC (“Funds Management”).

The values of securities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at rates provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee.

Many securities markets and exchanges outside the U.S. close prior to the close of the New York Stock Exchange and therefore may not fully reflect trading or events that occur after the close of the principal exchange in which the foreign securities are traded, but before the close of the New York Stock Exchange. If such trading or events are expected to materially affect the value of such securities, then fair value pricing procedures approved by the Board of Trustees of the Fund are applied. These procedures take into account multiple factors including movements in U.S. securities markets after foreign exchanges close. Foreign securities that are fair valued under these procedures are categorized as Level 2 and the application of these procedures may result in transfers between Level 1 and Level 2. Depending on market activity, such fair valuations may be frequent. Such fair value pricing may result in net asset values that are higher or lower than net asset values based on the last reported sales price or latest quoted bid price. On April 30, 2020, such fair value pricing was used in pricing certain foreign securities.

Debt securities are valued at the evaluated bid price provided by an independent pricing service (e.g. taking into account various factors, including yields, maturities, or credit ratings) or, if a reliable price is not available, the quoted bid price from an independent broker-dealer.

Investments in registered open-end investment companies are valued at net asset value. Interests in non-registered investment companies that are redeemable at net asset value are fair valued normally at net asset value.

Investments which are not valued using the methods discussed above are valued at their fair value, as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees has established a Valuation Committee comprised of the Trustees and has delegated to it the authority to take any actions regarding the valuation of portfolio securities that the Valuation Committee deems necessary or appropriate, including determining the fair value of portfolio securities, unless the determination has been delegated to the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee. The Board of Trustees retains the authority to make or ratify any valuation decisions or approve any changes to the Valuation Procedures as it deems appropriate. On a quarterly basis, the Board of Trustees receives reports on any valuation actions taken by the Valuation Committee or the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee which may include items for ratification.

Foreign currency translation

The accounting records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. The values of other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at rates provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee. Purchases and sales of securities, and income and expenses are converted at the rate of exchange on the respective dates of such transactions. Net realized foreign

 

 

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Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

exchange gains or losses arise from sales of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on securities transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually paid or received. Net unrealized foreign exchange gains and losses arise from changes in the fair value of assets and liabilities other than investments in securities resulting from changes in exchange rates. The changes in net assets arising from changes in exchange rates of securities and the changes in net assets resulting from changes in market prices of securities are not separately presented. Such changes are included in net realized and unrealized gains or losses from investments.

Forward foreign currency contracts

A forward foreign currency contract is an agreement between two parties to purchase or sell a specific currency for an agreed-upon price at a future date. The Fund enters into forward foreign currency contracts to facilitate transactions in foreign-denominated securities and to attempt to minimize the risk to the Fund from adverse changes in the relationship between currencies. Forward foreign currency contracts are recorded at the forward rate and marked-to-market daily. When the contracts are closed, realized gains and losses arising from such transactions are recorded as realized gains or losses on forward foreign currency contracts. The Fund is subject to foreign currency risk and may be exposed to risks if the counterparties to the contracts are unable to meet the terms of their contracts or if the value of the foreign currency changes unfavorably. The Fund’s maximum risk of loss from counterparty credit risk is the unrealized gains on the contracts. This risk may be mitigated if there is a master netting arrangement between the Fund and the counterparty.

Securities lending

The Fund may lend its securities from time to time in order to earn additional income in the form of fees or interest on securities received as collateral or the investment of any cash received as collateral. When securities are on loan, the Fund receives interest or dividends on those securities. Cash collateral received in connection with its securities lending transactions is invested in Securities Lending Cash Investments, LLC (the “Securities Lending Fund”). Investments in Securities Lending Fund are valued at the evaluated bid price provided by an independent pricing service. Income earned from investment in the Securities Lending Fund (net of fees and rebates), if any, is included in income from affiliated securities on the Statement of Operations.

In a securities lending transaction, the net asset value of the Fund is affected by an increase or decrease in the value of the securities loaned and by an increase or decrease in the value of the instrument in which collateral is invested. The amount of securities lending activity undertaken by the Fund fluctuates from time to time. The Fund has the right under the lending agreement to recover the securities from the borrower on demand. In the event of default or bankruptcy by the borrower, the Fund may be prevented from recovering the loaned securities or gaining access to the collateral or may experience delays or costs in doing so. In such an event, the terms of the agreement allows the unaffiliated securities lending agent to use the collateral to purchase replacement securities on behalf of the Fund or pay the Fund the market value of the loaned securities. The Fund bears the risk of loss with respect to depreciation of its investment of the cash collateral.

Security transactions and income recognition

Securities transactions are recorded on a trade date basis. Realized gains or losses are recorded on the basis of identified cost.

Dividend income is recognized on the ex-dividend date, except for certain dividends from foreign securities, which are recorded as soon as the custodian verifies the ex-dividend date.

Interest income is accrued daily and bond discounts are accreted and premiums are amortized daily. To the extent debt obligations are placed on non-accrual status, any related interest income may be reduced by writing off interest receivables when the collection of all or a portion of interest has been determined to be doubtful based on consistently applied procedures and the fair value has decreased. If the issuer subsequently resumes interest payments or when the collectability of interest is reasonably assured, the debt obligation is removed from non-accrual status.

Income from foreign securities is recorded net of foreign taxes withheld where recovery of such taxes is not assured.

Distributions to shareholders

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and any net realized gains are recorded on the ex-dividend date and paid at least annually. Such distributions are determined in accordance with income tax regulations and may differ from U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Dividend sources are estimated at the time of declaration. The tax character of distributions is determined as of the Fund’s fiscal year end. Therefore, a portion of the Fund’s distributions made prior to the Fund’s fiscal year end may be categorized as a tax return of capital at year end.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  21


Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Federal and other taxes

The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company by distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized capital gains (after reduction for capital loss carryforwards) sufficient to relieve it from all, or substantially all, federal income taxes. Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes was required.

The Fund’s income and federal excise tax returns and all financial records supporting those returns for the prior three fiscal years are subject to examination by the federal and Delaware revenue authorities. Management has analyzed the Fund’s tax positions taken on federal, state, and foreign tax returns for all open tax years and does not believe that there are any uncertain tax positions that require recognition of a tax liability.

As of April 30, 2020, the aggregate cost of all investments for federal income tax purposes was $3,086,399,439 and the unrealized gains (losses) consisted of:

 

Gross unrealized gains

   $ 1,271,094,888  

Gross unrealized losses

     (802,199,493

Net unrealized gains

   $ 468,895,395  

As of October 31, 2019, the Fund had capital loss carryforwards which consisted of $164,103,731 in long-term capital losses.

Class allocations

The separate classes of shares offered by the Fund differ principally in applicable sales charges, distribution, shareholder servicing, and administration fees. Class specific expenses are charged directly to that share class. Investment income, common fund-level expenses, and realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments are allocated daily to each class of shares based on the relative proportion of net assets of each class.

3. FAIR VALUATION MEASUREMENTS

Fair value measurements of investments are determined within a framework that has established a fair value hierarchy based upon the various data inputs utilized in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. The three-level hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The Fund’s investments are classified within the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The inputs are summarized into three broad levels as follows:

 

 

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities

 

 

Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

 

 

Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing investments in securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

 

 

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Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

The following is a summary of the inputs used in valuing the Fund’s assets and liabilities as of April 30, 2020:

 

     

Quoted prices

(Level 1)

    

Other significant

observable inputs

(Level 2)

    

Significant

unobservable inputs

(Level 3)

     Total  

Assets

           

Investments in:

           

Common stocks

           

Argentina

   $ 10,045,708      $ 0      $ 0      $ 10,045,708  

Brazil

     217,518,431        0        0        217,518,431  

Chile

     42,917,020        0        0        42,917,020  

China

     620,891,790        812,920,666        0        1,433,812,456  

Colombia

     11,460,510        0        0        11,460,510  

Cyprus

     5,777,640        0        0        5,777,640  

Hong Kong

     0        170,089,718        0        170,089,718  

India

     13,817,899        292,901,033        0        306,718,932  

Indonesia

     29,521,815        24,557,669        0        54,079,484  

Malaysia

     0        7,128,583        0        7,128,583  

Mexico

     172,078,322        0        0        172,078,322  

Peru

     7,540,146        0        0        7,540,146  

Philippines

     0        26,614,361        0        26,614,361  

Russia

     44,746,859        50,401,499        0        95,148,358  

South Africa

     37,841,447        23,532,809        0        61,374,256  

South Korea

     41,248,235        340,807,381        0        382,055,616  

Taiwan

     116,755,938        248,999,845        0        365,755,783  

Thailand

     0        68,787,865        0        68,787,865  

Turkey

     0        3,642,273        0        3,642,273  

United Arab Emirates

     0        1,314,871        0        1,314,871  

United Kingdom

     0        13,869,950        0        13,869,950  

Convertible debentures

     0        0        0        0  

Preferred stocks

           

Brazil

     47,832,053        0        0        47,832,053  

Short-term investments

           

Investment companies

     49,732,498        0        0        49,732,498  

Total assets

   $ 1,469,726,311      $ 2,085,568,523      $ 0      $ 3,555,294,834  

Additional sector, industry or geographic detail is included in the Portfolio of Investments.

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, the Fund did not have any transfers into/out of Level 3.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  23


Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

4. TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

Management fee

Funds Management, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), is the manager of the Fund and provides advisory and fund-level administrative services under an investment management agreement. Under the investment management agreement, Funds Management is responsible for, among other services, implementing the investment objectives and strategies of the Fund, supervising the subadviser and providing fund-level administrative services in connection with the Fund’s operations. As compensation for its services under the investment management agreement, Funds Management is entitled to receive a management fee at the following annual rate based on the Fund’s average daily net assets:

 

Average daily net assets    Management fee  

First $1 billion

     1.050

Next $1 billion

     1.025  

Next $2 billion

     1.000  

Next $1 billion

     0.975  

Next $3 billion

     0.965  

Next $2 billion

     0.955  

Over $10 billion

     0.945  

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, the management fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 1.02% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Funds Management has retained the services of a subadviser to provide daily portfolio management to the Fund. The fee for subadvisory services is borne by Funds Management. Wells Capital Management Incorporated (“WellsCap”), an affiliate of Funds Management and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo, is the subadviser to the Fund and is entitled to receive a fee from Funds Management at an annual rate starting at 0.65% and declining to 0.45% as the average daily net assets of the Fund increase.

Administration fees

Under a class-level administration agreement, Funds Management provides class-level administrative services to the Fund, which includes paying fees and expenses for services provided by the transfer agent, sub-transfer agents, omnibus account servicers and record-keepers. As compensation for its services under the class-level administration agreement, Funds Management receives an annual fee which is calculated based on the average daily net assets of each class as follows:

 

     

Class-level

administration fee

 

Class A, Class C

     0.21

Class R6

     0.03  

Administrator Class, Institutional Class

     0.13  

Waivers and/or expense reimbursements

Funds Management has contractually waived and/or reimbursed management and administration fees to the extent necessary to maintain certain net operating expense ratios for the Fund. When each class of the Fund has exceeded its expense cap, Funds Management has waived fees and/or reimbursed expenses from fund-level expenses on a proportionate basis and then from class specific expenses. When only certain classes exceed their expense caps, waivers and/or reimbursements are applied against class specific expenses before fund-level expenses. Funds Management has committed through February 28, 2021 to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap the Fund’s expenses at 1.55% for Class A shares, 2.30% for Class C shares, 1.13% for Class R6 shares, 1.42% for Administrator Class shares, and 1.17% for Institutional Class shares. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. Prior to March 1, 2020, the Fund’s expenses were capped at 1.58% for Class A shares, 2.33% for Class C shares, 1.15% for Class R6 shares, 1.46% for Administrator Class shares, and 1.19% for Institutional Class shares.

 

 

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Table of Contents

 

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Distribution fee

The Trust has adopted a distribution plan for Class C shares of the Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. A distribution fee is charged to Class C shares and paid to Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (“Funds Distributor”), the principal underwriter, at an annual rate of 0.75% of the average daily net assets of Class C shares.

In addition, Funds Distributor is entitled to receive the front-end sales charge from the purchase of Class A shares and a contingent deferred sales charge on the redemption of certain Class A shares. Funds Distributor is also entitled to receive the contingent deferred sales charges from redemptions of Class C shares. For the six months ended April 30, 2020, Funds Distributor received $5,134 from the sale of Class A shares. No contingent deferred sales charges were incurred by Class A and Class C shares for the six months ended April 30, 2020.

Shareholder servicing fees

The Trust has entered into contracts with one or more shareholder servicing agents, whereby Class A, Class C, and Administrator Class of the Fund are charged a fee at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of each respective class. A portion of these total shareholder servicing fees were paid to affiliates of Wells Fargo.

Interfund transactions

The Fund may purchase or sell portfolio investment securities to certain other Wells Fargo affiliates pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act and under procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. The procedures have been designed to ensure that these interfund transactions, which do not incur broker commissions, are effected at current market prices.

5. INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

Purchases and sales of investments, excluding U.S. government obligations (if any) and short-term securities, for the six months ended April 30, 2020 were $91,339,432 and $198,499,996, respectively.

6. SECURITIES LENDING TRANSACTIONS

The Fund lends its securities through an unaffiliated securities lending agent and receives collateral in the form of cash or securities with a value at least equal to the value of the securities on loan. The value of the loaned securities is determined at the close of each business day and any increases or decreases in the required collateral are exchanged between the Fund and the counterparty on the next business day. Cash collateral received is invested in the Securities Lending Fund which seeks to provide a positive return compared to the daily Fed Funds Open Rate by investing in high-quality, U.S. dollar-denominated short-term money market instruments and is exempt from registration under Section 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act. Securities Lending Fund is managed by Funds Management and is subadvised by WellsCap. Funds Management receives an advisory fee starting at 0.05% and declining to 0.01% as the average daily net assets of the Securities Lending Fund increase. All of the fees received by Funds Management are paid to WellsCap for its services as subadviser.

In the event of counterparty default or the failure of a borrower to return a loaned security, the Fund has the right to use the collateral to offset any losses incurred. As of April 30, 2020, the Fund did not have any securities on loan.

6. DERIVATIVE TRANSACTIONS

During the six months ended April 30, 2020, the Fund entered into forward foreign currency contracts for hedging purposes. The Fund had average contract amounts of $15,241 in forward foreign currency contracts to sell, respectively, during the six months ended April 30, 2020.

The fair value, realized gains or losses and change in unrealized gains or losses, if any, on derivative instruments are reflected in the corresponding financial statement captions.

7. BANK BORROWINGS

The Trust (excluding the money market funds), Wells Fargo Master Trust and Wells Fargo Variable Trust are parties to a $280,000,000 revolving credit agreement whereby the Fund is permitted to use bank borrowings for temporary or emergency purposes, such as to fund shareholder redemption requests. Interest under the credit agreement is charged to the Fund based on a borrowing rate equal to the higher of the Federal Funds rate in effect on that day plus 1.25% or the overnight LIBOR rate in effect on that day plus 1.25%. In addition, an annual commitment fee equal to 0.25% of the unused balance is allocated to each participating fund.

During the six months ended April 30, 2020, the Fund had average borrowings outstanding of $34,859 (on an annualized basis) at an average rate of 1.42% and paid interest in the amount of $495.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  25


Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

8. CONCENTRATION RISK

Concentration risk results from exposure to a limited number of geographic regions. As of the end of the period, the Fund invested a concentration of its portfolio in China. A fund that invests a substantial portion of its assets in any geographic region may be more affected by changes in that geographic region than would be a fund whose investments are not heavily weighted in any geographic region.

9. INDEMNIFICATION

Under the Fund’s organizational documents, the officers and Trustees have been granted certain indemnification rights against certain liabilities that may arise out of performance of their duties to the Fund. The Fund has entered into a separate agreement with each Trustee that converts indemnification rights currently existing under the Fund’s organizational documents into contractual rights that cannot be changed in the future without the consent of the Trustee. Additionally, in the normal course of business, the Fund may enter into contracts with service providers that contain a variety of indemnification clauses. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is dependent on future claims that may be made against the Fund and, therefore, cannot be estimated.

10. NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENT

In August 2018, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. ASU 2018-13 updates the disclosure requirements for fair value measurements by modifying or removing certain disclosures and adding certain new disclosures. The amendments are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. Management has adopted the removal and modification of disclosures early, as permitted, and will adopt the additional new disclosures at the effective date.

11. CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that it had made the assessment that coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) is a pandemic. The impacts of COVID-19 are adversely affecting the entire global economy, individual companies and investment products, and the market in general. There is significant uncertainty around the extent and duration of business disruptions related to COVID-19 and the impacts may be short term or may last for an extended period of time. The risk of further spreading of COVID-19 has led to significant uncertainty and volatility in the financial markets. The value of the Fund and the securities in which the Fund invests have generally been adversely affected by impacts caused by COVID-19.

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

TAX INFORMATION

Pursuant to Section 853 of the Internal Revenue Code, the following amounts have been designated as foreign taxes paid for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2019. These amounts may be less than the actual foreign taxes paid for financial statement purposes. Foreign taxes paid or withheld should be included in taxable income with an offsetting deduction from gross income or as a credit for taxes paid to foreign governments. None of the income was derived from ineligible foreign sources as defined under Section 901(j) of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

Creditable

foreign taxes

paid

  

Per share

amount

  

Foreign

income as % of

ordinary income

distributions

$6,641,324    $0.0417    80.92%

PROXY VOTING INFORMATION

A description of the policies and procedures used to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available, upon request, by calling 1-800-222-8222, visiting our website at wfam.com, or visiting the SEC website at sec.gov. Information regarding how the proxies related to portfolio securities were voted during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available on the website at wfam.com or by visiting the SEC website at sec.gov.

QUARTERLY PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. Shareholders may view the filed Form N-PORT by visiting the SEC website at sec.gov.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  27


Table of Contents

Other information (unaudited)

 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

Each of the Trustees and Officers1 listed in the table below acts in identical capacities for each fund in the Wells Fargo family of funds, which consists of 147 mutual funds comprising the Wells Fargo Funds Trust, Wells Fargo Variable Trust, Wells Fargo Master Trust and four closed-end funds (collectively the “Fund Complex”). This table should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information2. The mailing address of each Trustee and Officer is 525 Market Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105. Each Trustee and Officer serves an indefinite term, however, each Trustee serves such term until reaching the mandatory retirement age established by the Trustees.

Independent Trustees

 

Name and

year of birth

 

Position held and

length of service*

  Principal occupations during past five years or longer  

Current other

public company or

investment

company

directorships

William R. Ebsworth

(Born 1957)

  Trustee, since 2015   Retired. From 1984 to 2013, equities analyst, portfolio manager, research director and chief investment officer at Fidelity Management and Research Company in Boston, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, and retired in 2013 as Chief Investment Officer of Fidelity Strategic Advisers, Inc. where he led a team of investment professionals managing client assets. Prior thereto, Board member of Hong Kong Securities Clearing Co., Hong Kong Options Clearing Corp., the Thailand International Fund, Ltd., Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company, and Empire Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company. Audit Committee Chair and Investment Committee Chair of the Vincent Memorial Hospital Endowment (non-profit organization). Mr. Ebsworth is a CFA® charterholder.   N/A

Jane A. Freeman

(Born 1953)

  Trustee, since 2015; Chair Liaison, since 2018   Retired. From 2012 to 2014 and 1999 to 2008, Chief Financial Officer of Scientific Learning Corporation. From 2008 to 2012, Ms. Freeman provided consulting services related to strategic business projects. Prior to 1999, Portfolio Manager at Rockefeller & Co. and Scudder, Stevens & Clark. Board member of the Harding Loevner Funds from 1996 to 2014, serving as both Lead Independent Director and chair of the Audit Committee. Board member of the Russell Exchange Traded Funds Trust from 2011 to 2012 and the chair of the Audit Committee. Ms. Freeman is also an inactive Chartered Financial Analyst.   N/A

Isaiah Harris, Jr.

(Born 1952)

  Trustee, since 2009; Audit Committee Chairman, since 2019   Retired. Chairman of the Board of CIGNA Corporation since 2009, and Director since 2005. From 2003 to 2011, Director of Deluxe Corporation. Prior thereto, President and CEO of BellSouth Advertising and Publishing Corp. from 2005 to 2007, President and CEO of BellSouth Enterprises from 2004 to 2005 and President of BellSouth Consumer Services from 2000 to 2003. Emeritus member of the Iowa State University Foundation Board of Governors. Emeritus Member of the Advisory Board of Iowa State University School of Business. Advisory Board Member, Palm Harbor Academy (private school). Advisory Board Member, Child Evangelism Fellowship (non-profit). Mr. Harris is a certified public accountant (inactive status).   CIGNA Corporation

Judith M. Johnson

(Born 1949)

  Trustee, since 2008; Audit Committee Chairman, from 2009 to 2018   Retired. Prior thereto, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Minneapolis Employees Retirement Fund from 1996 to 2008. Ms. Johnson is an attorney, certified public accountant and a certified managerial accountant.   N/A

 

 

28  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Other information (unaudited)

 

Name and

year of birth

 

Position held and

length of service*

  Principal occupations during past five years or longer  

Current other

public company or

investment

company

directorships

David F. Larcker

(Born 1950)

  Trustee, since 2009   James Irvin Miller Professor of Accounting at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Director of the Corporate Governance Research Initiative and Senior Faculty of The Rock Center for Corporate Governance since 2006. From 2005 to 2008, Professor of Accounting at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Prior thereto, Ernst & Young Professor of Accounting at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania from 1985 to 2005.   N/A

Olivia S. Mitchell

(Born 1953)

  Trustee, since 2006; Nominating and Governance Committee Chair, since 2018   International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Professor, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania since 1993. Director of Wharton’s Pension Research Council and Boettner Center on Pensions & Retirement Research, and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Previously, Cornell University Professor from 1978 to 1993.   N/A

Timothy J. Penny

(Born 1951)

  Trustee, since 1996; Chairman, since 2018   President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, a non-profit organization, since 2007. Member of the Board of Trustees of NorthStar Education Finance, Inc., a non-profit organization, since 2007.   N/A

James G. Polisson

(Born 1959)

  Trustee, since 2018   Retired. Chief Marketing Officer, Source (ETF) UK Services, Ltd, from 2015 to 2017. From 2012 to 2015, Principal of The Polisson Group, LLC, a management consulting, corporate advisory and principal investing company. Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Russell Investments, Global Exchange Traded Funds from 2010 to 2012. Managing Director of Barclays Global Investors from 1998 to 2010 and Global Chief Marketing Officer for iShares and Barclays Global Investors from 2000 to 2010. Trustee of the San Francisco Mechanics’ Institute, a non-profit organization, from 2013 to 2015. Board member of the Russell Exchange Traded Fund Trust from 2011 to 2012. Director of Barclays Global Investors Holdings Deutschland GmbH from 2006 to 2009. Mr. Polisson is an attorney and has a retired status with the Massachusetts and District of Columbia Bar Associations.   N/A

Pamela Wheelock

(Born 1959)

  Trustee, since January 2020; previously Trustee from January 2018 to July 2019   Board member of the Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency, Rochester, Minnesota since 2019 and Interim President of the McKnight Foundation since 2020. Acting Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Human Services, July 2019 through September 2019. Human Services Manager (part-time), Minnesota Department of Human Services, October 2019 through December 2019. Chief Operating Officer, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity from 2017 to 2019. Vice President of University Services, University of Minnesota from 2012 to 2016. Prior thereto, on the Board of Directors, Governance Committee and Finance Committee for the Minnesota Philanthropy Partners (Saint Paul Foundation) from 2012 to 2018, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota from 2011 to 2012, Chairman of the Board from 2009 to 2012 and Board Director from 2003 to 2015. Vice President, Leadership and Community Engagement, Bush Foundation, Saint Paul, Minnesota (a private foundation) from 2009 to 2011. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Minnesota Sports and Entertainment from 2004 to 2009 and Senior Vice President from 2002 to 2004. Executive Vice President of the Minnesota Wild Foundation from 2004 to 2008. Commissioner of Finance, State of Minnesota, from 1999 to 2002. Currently Board Chair of the Minnesota Wild Foundation since 2010.   N/A

 

*

Length of service dates reflect the Trustee’s commencement of service with the Trust’s predecessor entities, where applicable.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  29


Table of Contents

Other information (unaudited)

 

Officers

 

Name and

year of birth

 

Position held and

length of service

  Principal occupations during past five years or longer

Andrew Owen

(Born 1960)

  President, since 2017   Executive Vice President of Wells Fargo & Company and Head of Affiliated Managers, Wells Fargo Asset Management, since 2014. In addition, Mr. Owen is currently President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2017. Prior thereto, Executive Vice President responsible for marketing, investments and product development for Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC, from 2009 to 2014.

Jeremy DePalma1

(Born 1974)

  Treasurer, since 2012   Senior Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2009. Senior Vice President of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2008 to 2010 and head of the Fund Reporting and Control Team within Fund Administration from 2005 to 2010.

Michelle Rhee

(Born 1966)

  Chief Legal Officer, since 2019   Secretary of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC, Chief Legal Counsel of Wells Fargo Asset Management and Assistant General Counsel of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. since 2018. Associate General Counsel and Managing Director of Bank of America Corporation from 2004 to 2018.

Catherine Kennedy

(Born 1969)

  Secretary, since 2019   Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC and Senior Counsel of the Wells Fargo Legal Department since 2010. Vice President and Senior Counsel of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 1998 to 2010.

Michael H. Whitaker

(Born 1967)

  Chief Compliance Officer, since 2016   Chief Compliance Officer of Wells Fargo Asset Management since 2016. Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Fidelity Investments from 2007 to 2016.

David Berardi

(Born 1975)

  Assistant Treasurer, since 2009   Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2009. Vice President of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2008 to 2010. Manager of Fund Reporting and Control for Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2004 to 2010.

 

1 

Jeremy DePalma acts as Treasurer of 82 funds and Assistant Treasurer of 65 funds in the Fund Complex.

 

2 

The Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about the Trustees and is available, without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-222-8222 or by visiting the website at wfam.com.

 

 

30  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Appendix I (unaudited)

 

Effective on or about May 1, 2020, if you purchase Fund shares through a Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (“Janney”) brokerage account, you will be eligible for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”), or back-end sales charge, waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end sales charge* waivers on Class A shares available at Janney
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney.
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within ninety (90) days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e., right of reinstatement).
Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Class C shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are converted to Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to Janney’s policies and procedures.
CDSC waivers on Class A and Class C shares available at Janney
Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations.
Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Shares exchanged into the same share class of a different fund.
Front-end sales charge* discounts available at Janney; breakpoints, rights of accumulation and/or letters of intent
Breakpoints as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Rights of accumulation (“ROA”), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Janney. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney Montgomery Scott may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

*

Also referred to as an “initial sales charge.”

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  31


Table of Contents

Appendix II (unaudited)

 

Effective on or after May 1, 2020, clients of Edward Jones (also referred to as “shareholders”) purchasing Fund shares on the Edward Jones commission and fee-based platforms are eligible only for the following sales charge discounts (also referred to as “breakpoints”) and waivers, which can differ from breakpoints and waivers described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI or through another broker-dealer. In all instances, it is the shareholder’s responsibility to inform Edward Jones at the time of purchase of any relationship, holdings of Wells Fargo Funds or other facts qualifying the purchaser for breakpoints or waivers. Edward Jones can ask for documentation of such circumstance.

 

Breakpoints available at Edward Jones
Rights of Accumulation (ROA)

The applicable sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares is determined by taking into account all share classes (except any money market funds and retirement plan share classes) of Wells Fargo Funds held by the shareholder or in an account grouped by Edward Jones with other accounts for the purpose of providing certain pricing considerations (“pricing groups”). This includes all share classes held on the Edward Jones platform and/or held on another platform. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the rights of accumulation calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation.

ROA is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value (current shares x NAV).

Letter of Intent (LOI)

Through a LOI, shareholders can receive the sales charge and breakpoint discounts for purchases shareholders intend to makeover a 13-month period from the date Edward Jones receives the LOI. The LOI is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value of qualifying holdings at LOI initiation in combination with the value that the shareholder intends to buy over a 13-month period to calculate the front-end sales charge and any breakpoint discounts. Each purchase the shareholder makes during that 13-month period will receive the sales charge and breakpoint discount that applies to the total amount. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the LOI calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation. Purchases made before the LOI is received by Edward Jones are not covered under the LOI and will not reduce the sales charge previously paid. Sales charges will be adjusted if LOI is not met.

Sales charges are waived for the following shareholders and in the following situations at Edward Jones:

   Associates of Edward Jones and its affiliates and their family members who are in the same pricing group (as determined by Edward Jones under its policies and procedures) as the associate. This waiver will continue for the remainder of the associate’s life if the associate retires from Edward Jones in good-standing.

   Shares purchased in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

   Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment.

   Shares purchased from the proceeds of redeemed shares of the same fund family so long as the following conditions are met: 1) the proceeds are from the sale of shares within 60 days of the purchase, and 2) the sale and purchase are made in the same share class and the same account or the purchase is made in an individual retirement account with proceeds from liquidations in anon-retirement account.

   Shares exchanged into Class A shares from another share class so long as the exchange is into the same fund and was initiated at the discretion of Edward Jones. Edward Jones is responsible for any remaining CDSC due to the fund company, if applicable. Any future purchases are subject to the applicable sales charge as disclosed in the prospectus.

   Exchanges from Class C shares to Class A shares of the same fund, generally, in the 84th month following the anniversary of the purchase date or earlier at the discretion of Edward Jones.

If the shareholder purchases shares that are subject to a CDSC and those shares are redeemed before the CDSC is expired, the shareholder
is responsible to pay the CDSC except in the following conditions available at Edward Jones:

   The death or disability of the shareholder.

   Systematic withdrawals with up to 10% per year of the account value.

   Return of excess contributions from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

   Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulation.

   Shares sold to pay Edward Jones fees or costs in such cases where the transaction is initiated by Edward Jones.

   Shares exchanged in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

   Shares acquired through NAV reinstatement.

 

 

32  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Appendix II (unaudited)

 

Other Important Information for accounts at Edward Jones:
Minimum Purchase Amounts

   $250 initial purchase minimum

   $50 subsequent purchase minimum

Minimum Balances
Edward Jones has the right to redeem at its discretion fund holdings with a balance of $250 or less. The following are examples of accounts that are not included in this policy:

   A fee-based account held on an Edward Jones platform

   A 529 account held on an Edward Jones platform

   An account with an active systematic investment plan or letter of intent (LOI)

Changing Share Classes
At any time it deems necessary, Edward Jones has the authority to exchange at NAV a shareholder’s holdings in a fund to Class A shares.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  33


Table of Contents

Appendix III (unaudited)

 

Effective June 1, 2020, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (“Oppenheimer”) platform or account are eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Oppenheimer
Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan.
Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan.
Shares purchased through an Oppenheimer affiliated investment advisory program.
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Restatement).
A shareholder in the Fund’s Class C shares will have their shares exchanged at net asset value to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of Oppenheimer.
Employees and registered representatives of Oppenheimer or its affiliates and their family members.
Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund’s investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the Prospectus.
CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Oppenheimer
Death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Prospectus.
Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the Prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Oppenheimer fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Oppenheimer.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load Discounts Available at Oppenheimer: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent
Breakpoints as described in the Prospectus.
Rights of Accumulation (ROA), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Oppenheimer. Eligible fund family assets not held at Oppenheimer may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

 

34  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Appendix IV (unaudited)

 

Effective June 15, 2020, shareholders purchasing fund shares through a Robert W. Baird & Co. (“Baird”) platform or account will only be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and CDSC waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or the SAI.

 

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Baird
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing share of the same fund.
Share purchase by employees and registers representatives of Baird or its affiliate and their family members as designated by Baird.
Shares purchase from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same accounts, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as rights of reinstatement).
A shareholder in the Funds Investor C Shares will have their share exchanged at net asset value to Investor A shares of the fund if the shares are no longer subject to CDSC and the exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of Baird.
Employer-sponsored retirement plans or charitable accounts in a transactional brokerage account at Baird, including 401(k)plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs.
CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Baird
Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares bought due to returns of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 72 as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Baird fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Baird.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load Discounts Available at Baird: Breakpoint and/or Rights of Accumulation
Breakpoints as described in the Prospectus.
Rights of accumulations which entitles shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Baird. Eligible fund family assets not held at Baird may be included in the rights of accumulations calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of Intent (LOI) allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family through Baird, over a 13-month period of time.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund  |  35


Table of Contents

 

This page is intentionally left blank.


Table of Contents

LOGO

For more information

More information about Wells Fargo Funds is available free upon request. To obtain literature, please write, visit the Fund’s website, or call:

Wells Fargo Funds

P.O. Box 219967

Kansas City, MO 64121-9967

Website: wfam.com

Individual investors: 1-800-222-8222

Retail investment professionals: 1-888-877-9275

Institutional investment professionals: 1-866-765-0778

 

LOGO

 

This report and the financial statements contained herein are submitted for the general information of the shareholders of the Fund. If this report is used for promotional purposes, distribution of the report must be accompanied or preceded by a current prospectus. Before investing, please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the investment. For a current prospectus and, if available, a summary prospectus, containing this information, call 1-800-222-8222 or visit the Fund’s website at wfam.com. Read the prospectus carefully before you invest or send money.

Wells Fargo Asset Management (WFAM) is the trade name for certain investment advisory/management firms owned by Wells Fargo & Company. These firms include but are not limited to Wells Capital Management Incorporated and Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC. Certain products managed by WFAM entities are distributed by Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (a broker-dealer and Member FINRA).

This material is for general informational and educational purposes only and is NOT intended to provide investment advice or a recommendation of any kind—including a recommendation for any specific investment, strategy, or plan.

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED    NO BANK GUARANTEE     MAY LOSE VALUE


© 2019 Wells Fargo & Company. All rights reserved.

PAR-0520-00406 06-20

SA238/SAR238 04-20

 

 



Table of Contents

LOGO

Semi-Annual Report

April 30, 2020

 

Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund

 

 

 

 

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by new regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Wells Fargo Funds’ annual and semi-annual shareholder reports issued after this date will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, the reports will be made available on the Funds’ website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website address to access the report.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund electronically at any time by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) or, if you are a direct investor, by calling 1-800-222-8222 or by enrolling at wellsfargo.com/advantagedelivery.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can contact your financial intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports; if you invest directly with the Fund, you can call 1-800-222-8222. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Wells Fargo Funds held in your account with your financial intermediary or, if you are a direct investor, to all Wells Fargo Funds that you hold.


Table of Contents

 

 

Reduce clutter.

Save trees.

Sign up for electronic
delivery of prospectuses and
shareholder reports at wellsfargo.com/
advantagedelivery

 

The views expressed and any forward-looking statements are as of April 30, 2020, unless otherwise noted, and are those of the Fund managers and/or Wells Fargo Asset Management. Discussions of individual securities, or the markets generally, or any Wells Fargo Fund are not intended as individual recommendations. Future events or results may vary significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. The views expressed are subject to change at any time in response to changing circumstances in the market. Wells Fargo Asset Management and the Fund disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any views expressed or forward-looking statements.

 

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED    NO BANK GUARANTEE    MAY LOSE VALUE


 

 

Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund  |  1


Table of Contents

Letter to shareholders (unaudited)

 

LOGO

Andrew Owen

President

Wells Fargo Funds

“The period began with a tailwind created by central bank support.”

Dear Shareholder:

We are pleased to offer you this semi-annual report for the Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund for the six-month period that ended April 30, 2020. Global stock markets saw earlier gains erased in February and March as governments took unprecedented measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus at the expense of short-term economic output. Markets rebounded in April to lessen the losses as central banks attempted to bolster capital markets and confidence. Fixed-income markets performed better, with the exception of high-yield bonds, as U.S. bonds overall achieved modest gains.

For the six-month period, U.S. stocks, based on the S&P 500 Index,1 returned -3.16% and international stocks, as measured by the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net),2 fell 13.22%. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net)3 lost 10.50%. For bond investors, the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index4 added 4.86%, the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Index5 returned -0.97%, the Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index6 returned -1.33%, and the ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index7 lost 7.68%.

The period began with a tailwind created by central bank support.

The period began with a tailwind that had been created by U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cuts in the summer and early fall. Equity markets rallied in November despite ongoing geopolitical risks. Hopes for a U.S.-China trade deal buoyed investor confidence. U.S. business sentiment edged up, and manufacturing and services activity rose. With that positive backdrop, developed market equities outpaced those in emerging markets, and U.S. stocks outperformed non-U.S. stocks overall. While consumer confidence and purchasing manager activity rose in the eurozone, China reported weakening manufacturing and consumer data. Bond yields rose marginally, leading to slightly negative returns for global government and investment-grade corporate bonds.

Financial markets ended 2019 with a boost from the U.S. and China accord on a Phase One trade deal. That, along with the landslide win by the pro-Brexit U.K. Conservative Party in a national election and ongoing central bank support, gave investors greater confidence. U.S. economic indicators were positive overall, with the exception of manufacturing activity and business confidence. Consumer confidence was resilient, fed by a robust labor market, tame inflation, and lower interest rates, which boosted housing affordability and stimulated homebuyer activity. The impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump had little impact on markets. Meanwhile, slowing Chinese economic activity, partly attributable to the trade war, led to further government stimulus at year-end through lower reserve ratios, allowing banks to lend more money.

The year-end rally continued in early January 2020. However, capital market volatility spiked in late January on concerns over the potential impact of the coronavirus on the global economy and stock markets. With sentiment somewhat souring, perceived safe

 

 

 

1 

The S&P 500 Index consists of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation. It is a market-value-weighted index with each stock’s weight in the index proportionate to its market value. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

2 

The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) All Country World Index (ACWI) ex USA Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the United States. Source: MSCI. MSCI makes no express or implied warranties or representations and shall have no liability whatsoever with respect to any MSCI data contained herein. The MSCI data may not be further redistributed or used as a basis for other indices or any securities or financial products. This report is not approved, reviewed, or produced by MSCI. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

3 

The MSCI Emerging Markets (EM) Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure equity market performance of emerging markets. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

4 

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment-grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

5 

The Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Index is an unmanaged index that provides a broad-based measure of the global investment-grade fixed-income markets excluding the U.S. dollar-denominated debt market. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

6 

The Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index is an unmanaged index composed of long-term tax-exempt bonds with a minimum credit rating of Baa. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

7 

The ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index is a market-capitalization-weighted index of domestic and Yankee high-yield bonds. The index tracks the performance of high-yield securities traded in the U.S. bond market. You cannot invest directly in an index. Copyright 2020. ICE Data Indices, LLC. All rights reserved.

 

 

2  |  Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund


Table of Contents

Letter to shareholders (unaudited)

 

havens did well in January. The U.S. dollar and Japanese yen both rose, and government bonds outperformed equities. While the S&P 500 Index held its ground, emerging market equities tumbled, including those in Asia.

In February, the coronavirus became the major market focus. Fears of the virus’s impact on global growth led to expectations of increased global central bank monetary policy support. That led the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield to fall to an all-time low of 1.1% by the end of the month. Although equity markets initially shrugged off concerns about the outbreak, focusing instead on strong fourth-quarter earnings and improving business confidence in January, market sentiment turned sharply lower toward month-end. Oil prices tumbled as Russia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries compounded a major decline in oil demand with a brutal price war, causing the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil to fall 13% in February alone.

The global spread of the coronavirus led many countries to clamp down on social and business-related activity in order to contain the virus from causing even greater devastation and overwhelming the health care system. This abrupt stoppage of economic activity led to the sharp deceleration of global output, sending economies into a deep contraction. Central bank responses were swift, as they slashed interest rates and expanded quantitative easing programs to restore liquidity and confidence to the markets. In the U.S., the Fed launched several lending programs, funding investment-grade bonds, money market mutual funds, and commercial paper while purchasing Treasuries, mortgage-backed securities, and overnight repurchase agreements. Meanwhile, stock markets tumbled quickly into a bear market, ending the longest bull stock market in U.S. history.

Markets rebounded strongly in April after the extreme volatility of the previous two months, with the S&P 500 Index gaining 12.8% for the month and the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net) returning 7.6%. The rebound was fueled by unprecedented stimulus measures taken by governments and central banks to buffer the economic damage created by mass shutdowns to try to contain the virus’s spread. The U.S. economy contracted by an annualized 4.8% pace in the first quarter, with 30 million new unemployment insurance claims in six weeks. In the eurozone, first-quarter real gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 3.8%, with the composite April Flash Purchasing Managers’ Index, a monthly survey of purchasing managers, falling to an all-time low of 13.5. The European Central Bank expanded its quantitative easing to include the purchase of additional government bonds of countries with the greatest virus-related need, including Italy and Spain. China’s first-quarter GDP fell by 6.8% year over year. However, retail sales, production, and investment showed signs of recovery. Extreme oil price volatility continued as global supply far exceeded demand.

Don’t let short-term uncertainty derail long-term investment goals.

Periods of investment uncertainty can present challenges, but experience has taught us that maintaining long-term investment goals can be an effective way to plan for the future. To help you create a sound strategy based on your personal goals and risk tolerance, Wells Fargo Funds offers more than 100 mutual funds spanning a wide range of asset classes and investment styles. Although diversification cannot guarantee an investment profit or prevent losses, we believe it can be an effective way to manage investment risk and potentially smooth out overall portfolio performance. We encourage investors to know their investments and to understand that appropriate levels of risk-taking may unlock opportunities.

Thank you for choosing to invest with Wells Fargo Funds. We appreciate your confidence in us and remain committed to helping you meet your financial needs.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Andrew Owen

President

Wells Fargo Funds

 

“The global spread of the coronavirus led many countries to clamp down on social and business-related activity in order to contain the virus from causing even greater devastation and overwhelming the health care system.”

 

 

For further information about your Fund, contact your investment professional, visit our website at wfam.com,

or call us directly at 1-800-222-8222.

 

 

 

Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund  |  3


Table of Contents

Performance highlights (unaudited)

 

Investment objective

The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Manager

Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC

Subadviser

Wells Capital Management Incorporated

Portfolio managers

Stephen Giggie, CFA®*

Oleg Makhorine

Brian Martin, CFA®*

James M. Tringas, CFA®

Bryant VanCronkhite, CFA®, CPA

Average annual total returns (%) as of April 30, 20201

 

 
        Including sales charge     Excluding sales charge     Expense ratios2 (%)  
 
    Inception date   1 year     5 year     10 year     1 year     5 year     10 year     Gross     Net3  
                   
Class A (EKGAX)   3-16-1988     -17.91       3.06       6.13       -12.90       4.29       6.76       1.54       1.54  
                   
Class C (EKGCX)   2-1-1993     -14.56       3.50       5.96       -13.56       3.50       5.96       2.29       2.29  
                   
Administrator Class (EKGYX)   1-13-1997                       -12.78       4.43       6.93       1.46       1.41  
                   
Institutional Class (EKGIX)4   7-30-2010                       -12.57       4.69       7.19       1.21       1.16  
                   
S&P Developed SmallCap Index5                         -14.43       2.44       7.05              

Figures quoted represent past performance, which is no guarantee of future results, and do not reflect taxes that a shareholder may pay on an investment in a fund. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance shown without sales charges would be lower if sales charges were reflected. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted, which assumes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. Current month-end performance is available on the Fund’s website, wfam.com.

Index returns do not include transaction costs associated with buying and selling securities, any mutual fund fees or expenses, or any taxes. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

For Class A shares, the maximum front-end sales charge is 5.75%. For Class C shares, the maximum contingent deferred sales charge is 1.00%. Performance including a contingent deferred sales charge assumes the sales charge for the corresponding time period. Administrator Class and Institutional Class shares are sold without a front-end sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge.

Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of individual companies and general market and economic conditions. Foreign investments are especially volatile and can rise or fall dramatically due to differences in the political and economic conditions of the host country. These risks are generally intensified in emerging markets. The use of derivatives may reduce returns and/or increase volatility. Certain investment strategies tend to increase the total risk of an investment (relative to the broader market). The Fund is exposed to geographic risk and smaller-company securities risk. Consult the Fund’s prospectus for additional information on these and other risks.

 

Please see footnotes on page 5.

 

 

4  |  Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund


Table of Contents

Performance highlights (unaudited)

 

Ten largest holdings (%) as of April 30, 20206  
   

Nomad Foods Limited

     2.75  
   

CBIZ Incorporated

     2.52  
   

Innospec Incorporated

     2.44  
   

CSW Industrials Incorporated

     2.36  
   

Novanta Incorporated

     2.34  
   

Stepan Company

     2.32  
   

MGE Energy Incorporated

     2.31  
   

Central Garden & Pet Company Class A

     2.22  
   

Hostess Brands Incorporated

     2.18  
   

ACI Worldwide Incorporated

     2.08  
Sector distribution as of April 30, 20207
LOGO
 

 

Country allocation as of April 30, 20207
LOGO

    

 

 

 

 

 

CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

 

*

Mr. Giggie and Mr. Martin became portfolio managers of the Fund on April 15, 2020.

 

1 

Historical performance prior to July 19, 2010, is based on the performance of the Fund’s predecessor, Evergreen Global Opportunities Fund.

 

2 

Reflects the expense ratios as stated in the most recent prospectuses, which include the impact of 0.01% in acquired fund fees and expenses. The expense ratios shown are subject to change and may differ from the annualized expense ratios shown in the financial highlights of this report, which do not include acquired fund fees and expenses.

 

3 

The manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2021, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers at 1.55% for Class A, 2.30% for Class C, 1.40% for Administrator Class, and 1.15% for Institutional Class. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. Without this cap, the Fund’s returns would have been lower. The expense ratio paid by an investor is the net expense ratio (the total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers) as stated in the prospectuses.

 

4 

Historical performance shown for the Institutional Class shares prior to their inception reflects the performance of the Administrator Class shares, and includes the higher expenses applicable to the Administrator Class shares. If these expenses had not been included, returns for the Institutional Class shares would be higher.

 

5 

The S&P Developed SmallCap Index is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the equity market performance of small-capitalization companies located in developed markets. The index is composed of companies within the bottom 15% of the cumulative market capitalization in developed markets. The index covers all publicly listed equities with float-adjusted market values of U.S. $100 million or more and annual dollar value traded of at least U.S. $50 million in all included countries. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

6 

The ten largest holdings, excluding cash, cash equivalents and any money market funds, are calculated based on the value of the investments divided by total net assets of the Fund. Holdings are subject to change and may have changed since the date specified.

 

7 

Amounts are calculated based on the total long-term investments of the Fund. These amounts are subject to change and may have changed since the date specified.

 

 

Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund  |  5


Table of Contents

Fund expenses (unaudited)

 

As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments and contingent deferred sales charges (if any) on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution (12b-1) and/or shareholder servicing fees, and other Fund expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the six-month period and held for the entire period from November 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020.

Actual expenses

The “Actual” line of the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the “Actual” line under the heading entitled “Expenses paid during period” for your applicable class of shares to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The “Hypothetical” line of the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads) and contingent deferred sales charges. Therefore, the “Hypothetical” line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     Beginning
account  value
11-1-2019
     Ending
account value
4-30-2020
     Expenses
paid during
the period¹
     Annualized net
expense ratio
 
         

Class A

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 864.03      $ 7.14        1.54

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,017.21      $ 7.72        1.54
         

Class C

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 860.79      $ 10.59        2.29

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,013.48      $ 11.46        2.29
         

Administrator Class

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 864.53      $ 6.49        1.40

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,017.90      $ 7.02        1.40
         

Institutional Class

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 865.57      $ 5.33        1.15

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,019.14      $ 5.77        1.15

 

1

Expenses paid is equal to the annualized net expense ratio of each class multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent fiscal half-year divided by the number of days in the fiscal year (to reflect the one-half-year period).

 

 

6  |  Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Common Stocks: 99.23%

 

Australia: 3.01%  

Ansell Limited (Health Care, Health Care Equipment & Supplies)

          189,308      $ 3,491,254  

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure)

          80,908        3,027,373  
     6,518,627  
  

 

 

 
Austria: 0.65%  

Mayr-Melnhof Karton AG (Materials, Containers & Packaging)

          10,200        1,401,253  
          

 

 

 
Belgium: 1.11%  

Barco NV (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          14,982        2,389,986  
          

 

 

 
Bermuda: 1.49%  

Lancashire Holdings Limited (Financials, Insurance)

          103,019        794,085  

White Mountains Insurance Group Limited (Financials, Insurance)

          2,500        2,432,500  
     3,226,585  
  

 

 

 
Canada: 5.00%  

BlackBerry Limited NYSE (Information Technology, Software) †

          307,627        1,316,643  

BlackBerry Limited TSX (Information Technology, Software) †

          144,600        617,065  

Novanta Incorporated (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components) †

          58,219        5,058,649  

Parex Resources Incorporated (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels) †

          52,800        578,848  

Primo Water Corporation (Consumer Staples, Beverages)

          176,935        1,811,361  

Stantec Incorporated (Industrials, Professional Services)

          48,700        1,435,512  
     10,818,078  
  

 

 

 
Denmark: 0.28%  

Scandinavian Tobacco Group (Consumer Staples, Tobacco) 144A

          53,208        611,459  
          

 

 

 
France: 3.15%  

Alten SA (Information Technology, IT Services)

          46,959        3,380,946  

M6 Métropole Télévision SA (Communication Services, Media)

          217,922        2,425,654  

Mersen SA (Industrials, Electrical Equipment)

          45,092        994,996  
     6,801,596  
  

 

 

 
Germany: 4.02%  

Cancom SE (Information Technology, IT Services)

          19,383        986,805  

Gerresheimer AG (Health Care, Life Sciences Tools & Services)

          41,447        3,296,250  

Krones AG (Industrials, Machinery)

          22,802        1,373,915  

TAG Immobilien AG (Real Estate, Real Estate Management & Development)

          138,519        3,034,075  
     8,691,045  
  

 

 

 
Hong Kong: 1.16%  

Sunlight REIT (Real Estate, Equity REITs)

          4,888,000        2,518,122  
          

 

 

 
Ireland: 0.80%  

Irish Residential Properties REIT plc (Real Estate, Equity REITs)

          1,222,375        1,725,326  
          

 

 

 
Italy: 1.75%  

De’Longhi SpA (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          105,834        1,912,868  

Interpump Group SpA (Industrials, Machinery)

          64,268        1,875,231  
     3,788,099  
  

 

 

 
Japan: 12.60%  

Aeon Delight Company Limited (Industrials, Commercial Services & Supplies)

          97,100        2,780,959  

Daiseki Company Limited (Industrials, Commercial Services & Supplies)

          103,300        2,282,156  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund  |  7


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Japan (continued)  

DTS Corporation (Information Technology, IT Services)

          138,300      $ 2,650,639  

Fuji Seal International Incorporated (Materials, Containers & Packaging)

          103,500        1,796,651  

Horiba Limited (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          28,600        1,513,325  

Kyushu Railway Company (Industrials, Road & Rail)

          40,700        1,094,957  

Meitec Corporation (Industrials, Professional Services)

          62,700        2,768,469  

Nihon Parkerizing Company Limited (Materials, Chemicals)

          276,200        2,826,466  

ORIX JREIT Incorporated (Real Estate, Equity REITs)

          2,273        2,717,350  

Paramount Bed Holdings Company Limited (Health Care, Health Care Equipment & Supplies)

          43,200        1,782,163  

San-A Company Limited (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          33,100        1,333,474  

Sumitomo Warehouse Company Limited (Industrials, Transportation Infrastructure)

          196,600        2,244,141  

Taikisha Limited (Industrials, Construction & Engineering)

          49,900        1,453,253  
     27,244,003  
  

 

 

 
Luxembourg: 0.15%  

Stabilus SA (Industrials, Machinery)

          7,496        320,858  
          

 

 

 
Netherlands: 1.03%  

Brunel International NV (Industrials, Professional Services)

          101,593        641,265  

IMCD Group NV (Industrials, Trading Companies & Distributors)

          12,581        1,110,953  

TKH Group NV (Industrials, Electrical Equipment)

          13,514        474,119  
     2,226,337  
  

 

 

 
Norway: 0.34%  

Atea ASA (Information Technology, IT Services)

          84,287        737,873  
          

 

 

 
Singapore: 0.36%  

CapitaLand Commercial Trust Limited (Real Estate, Equity REITs)

          685,100        778,510  
          

 

 

 
Spain: 2.18%  

Vidrala SA (Materials, Containers & Packaging)

          14,716        1,318,268  

Viscofan SA (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          53,042        3,399,367  
     4,717,635  
  

 

 

 
Sweden: 0.97%  

AAK AB (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          72,580        1,185,511  

Hexpol AB (Materials, Chemicals)

          127,715        917,535  
     2,103,046  
  

 

 

 
Switzerland: 2.02%  

Bossard Holding AG (Industrials, Trading Companies & Distributors)

          13,402        1,671,534  

Bucher Industries AG (Industrials, Machinery)

          4,847        1,367,024  

OC Oerlikon Corporation AG (Industrials, Machinery)

          176,181        1,323,126  
     4,361,684  
  

 

 

 
United Kingdom: 9.51%  

Britvic plc (Consumer Staples, Beverages)

          304,286        2,800,867  

Domino’s Pizza Group plc (Consumer Discretionary, Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure)

          679,433        2,944,245  

Elementis plc (Materials, Chemicals)

          709,883        625,868  

Mears Group plc (Industrials, Commercial Services & Supplies)

          169,951        351,929  

Morgan Advanced Materials plc (Industrials, Machinery)

          323,416        892,149  

NCC Group plc (Information Technology, IT Services)

          425,005        877,990  

Nomad Foods Limited (Consumer Staples, Food Products) †

          288,872        5,953,652  

S4 Capital plc (Communication Services, Media) †

          613,241        1,398,002  

Spectris plc (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          101,635        3,427,202  

Tate & Lyle plc (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          143,851        1,288,957  
     20,560,861  
  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

8  |  Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                    Shares      Value  
United States: 47.65%

 

ACI Worldwide Incorporated (Information Technology, Software) †

                                  164,300      $ 4,501,820  

Agree Realty Corporation (Real Estate, Equity REITs)

         19,700        1,282,667  

Balchem Corporation (Materials, Chemicals)

         32,700        2,918,148  

Blackbaud Incorporated (Information Technology, Software)

         35,100        1,939,626  

BMC Stock Holdings Incorporated (Industrials, Trading Companies & Distributors) †

         25,200        535,500  

Bottomline Technologies (DE) Incorporated (Information Technology, Software) †

         52,700        2,193,901  

CBIZ Incorporated (Industrials, Professional Services) †

         229,539        5,451,551  

Central Garden & Pet Company Class A (Consumer Staples, Household Products) †

         157,946        4,803,138  

CorVel Corporation (Health Care, Health Care Providers & Services) †

         63,300        3,335,277  

CSW Industrials Incorporated (Industrials, Building Products)

         77,062        5,104,587  

CyberArk Software Limited (Information Technology, Software) †

         43,000        4,246,680  

Denny’s Corporation (Consumer Discretionary, Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure) †

         399,037        4,497,147  

Euronet Worldwide Incorporated (Information Technology, IT Services) †

         15,300        1,403,928  

Forward Air Corporation (Industrials, Air Freight & Logistics)

         36,500        1,883,400  

Gibraltar Industries Incorporated (Industrials, Building Products) †

         86,800        4,018,840  

Globus Medical Incorporated Class A (Health Care, Health Care Equipment & Supplies) †

         36,000        1,708,560  

Healthcare Services Group Incorporated (Industrials, Commercial Services & Supplies)

         157,300        4,009,577  

HMS Holdings Corporation (Health Care, Health Care Technology) †

         47,800        1,370,665  

Hostess Brands Incorporated (Consumer Staples, Food Products) †

         391,600        4,707,032  

ICU Medical Incorporated (Health Care, Health Care Equipment & Supplies) †

         13,600        2,982,616  

Ingevity Corporation (Materials, Chemicals) †

         26,900        1,396,648  

Innospec Incorporated (Materials, Chemicals)

         72,671        5,270,101  

Mayville Engineering Company Incorporated (Industrials, Machinery) †

         461,000        2,406,420  

MGE Energy Incorporated (Utilities, Electric Utilities)

         77,292        4,997,701  

Movado Group Incorporated (Consumer Discretionary, Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods)

         37,659        388,264  

Natus Medical Incorporated (Health Care, Health Care Equipment & Supplies) †

         172,300        4,305,777  

Neogen Corporation (Health Care, Health Care Equipment & Supplies) †

         36,200        2,265,758  

Progress Software Corporation (Information Technology, Software)

         36,600        1,497,306  

Retail Value Incorporated (Real Estate, Equity REITs)

         133,059        1,925,364  

Standex International Corporation (Industrials, Machinery)

         33,251        1,657,230  

Stepan Company (Materials, Chemicals)

         52,500        5,008,500  

The Brink’s Company (Industrials, Commercial Services & Supplies)

         22,300        1,139,976  

Virtusa Corporation (Information Technology, IT Services) †

         110,419        3,643,827  

WD-40 Company (Consumer Staples, Household Products)

         24,400        4,252,432  
     103,049,964  
  

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks (Cost $214,785,555)

 

     214,590,947  
  

 

 

 
         
    Yield                      
Short-Term Investments: 1.31%  
Investment Companies: 1.31%  

Wells Fargo Government Money Market Fund Select Class (l)(u)

    0.19        2,836,011        2,836,011  
         

 

 

 

Total Short-Term Investments (Cost $2,836,011)

 

     2,836,011  
  

 

 

 

 

Total investments in securities (Cost $217,621,566)     100.54        217,426,958  

Other assets and liabilities, net

    (0.54        (1,176,318
 

 

 

      

 

 

 
Total net assets     100.00      $ 216,250,640  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

Non-income-earning security

144A

The security may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers, pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933.

(l)

The issuer of the security is an affiliated person of the Fund as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

(u)

The rate represents the 7-day annualized yield at period end.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund  |  9


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

Abbreviations:

 

REIT

Real estate investment trust

Investments in Affiliates

An affiliated investment is an investment in which the Fund owns at least 5% of the outstanding voting shares of the issuer or as a result of other relationships, such as the Fund and the issuer having the same investment manager. Transactions with issuers that were either affiliated persons of the Fund at the beginning of the period or the end of the period were as follows:    

 

    Shares,
beginning of
period
    Shares
purchased
    Shares
sold
    Shares,
end of
period
    Net
realized
gains
(losses)
    Net
change in
unrealized
gains
(losses)
    Income
from
affiliated
securities
    Value,
end of
period
    % of
net
assets
 
Short-Term Invesstments                                                      

Investment Companies

                 

Securities Lending Cash Investments LLC *

    9,479,729       38,788,081       (48,267,810     0     $ (277   $ 155     $ 52,095 #    $ 0    

Wells Fargo Government Money Market Fund Select Class

    14,798,744       46,962,630       (58,925,363     2,836,011       0       0       71,050       2,836,011    
         

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
          $ (277   $ 155     $ 123,145     $ 2,836,011       1.31
         

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

*

No longer held at the end of the period    

 

# 

Amount shown represents income before fees and rebates.    

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

10  |  Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund


Table of Contents

Statement of assets and liabilities—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

         

Assets

 

Investments in unaffiliated securities, at value (cost $214,785,555)

  $ 214,590,947  

Investments in affiliated securities, at value (cost $2,836,011)

    2,836,011  

Foreign currency, at value (cost $86,180)

    87,144  

Receivable for investments sold

    2,064,411  

Receivable for Fund shares sold

    111,552  

Receivable for dividends

    548,504  

Receivable for securities lending income, net

    45  

Prepaid expenses and other assets

    10,705  
 

 

 

 

Total assets

    220,249,319  
 

 

 

 

Liabilities

 

Payable for investments purchased

    3,363,171  

Payable for Fund shares redeemed

    269,009  

Management fee payable

    148,691  

Administration fees payable

    29,050  

Trustees’ fees and expenses payable

    8,794  

Distribution fee payable

    3,503  

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

    176,461  
 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

    3,998,679  
 

 

 

 

Total net assets

  $ 216,250,640  
 

 

 

 

Net assets consist of

 

Paid-in capital

  $ 227,986,948  

Total distributable loss

    (11,736,308
 

 

 

 

Total net assets

  $ 216,250,640  
 

 

 

 

Computation of net asset value and offering price per share

 

Net assets – Class A

  $ 110,353,958  

Shares outstanding – Class A1

    3,332,396  

Net asset value per share – Class A

    $33.12  

Maximum offering price per share – Class A2

    $35.14  

Net assets – Class C

  $ 6,032,415  

Shares outstanding – Class C1

    274,330  

Net asset value per share – Class C

    $21.99  

Net assets – Administrator Class

  $ 20,328,041  

Shares outstanding – Administrator Class1

    582,658  

Net asset value per share – Administrator Class

    $34.89  

Net assets – Institutional Class

  $ 79,536,226  

Shares outstanding – Institutional Class1

    2,290,612  

Net asset value per share – Institutional Class

    $34.72  

 

1 

The Fund has an unlimited number of authorized shares.

 

2 

Maximum offering price is computed as 100/94.25 of net asset value. On investments of $50,000 or more, the offering price is reduced.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund  |  11


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Statement of operations—six months ended April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

         

Investment income

 

Dividends (net of foreign withholding taxes of $148,328)

  $ 1,855,161  

Income from affiliated securities

    94,740  
 

 

 

 

Total investment income

    1,949,901  
 

 

 

 

Expenses

 

Management fee

    1,224,356  

Administration fees

 

Class A

    137,492  

Class C

    7,295  

Administrator Class

    15,150  

Institutional Class

    62,764  

Shareholder servicing fees

 

Class A

    163,675  

Class C

    8,684  

Administrator Class

    29,112  

Distribution fee

 

Class C

    26,006  

Custody and accounting fees

    55,148  

Professional fees

    25,971  

Registration fees

    43,169  

Shareholder report expenses

    27,378  

Trustees’ fees and expenses

    10,969  

Other fees and expenses

    12,403  
 

 

 

 

Total expenses

    1,849,572  

Less: Fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements

 

Fund-level

    (17,591

Administrator Class

    (6,054

Institutional Class

    (22,864
 

 

 

 

Net expenses

    1,803,063  
 

 

 

 

Net investment income

    146,838  
 

 

 

 

Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

 

Net realized losses on

 

Unaffiliated securities

    (7,572,626

Affiliated securities

    (277
 

 

 

 

Net realized losses on investments

    (7,572,903
 

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on

 

Unaffiliated securities

    (28,957,678

Affiliated securities

    155  
 

 

 

 

Net change in unrealized gains on investments

    (28,957,523
 

 

 

 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (36,530,426
 

 

 

 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations

  $ (36,383,588
 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

12  |  Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund


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Statement of changes in net assets

 

    

Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)

    Year ended
October 31, 2019
 

Operations

       

Net investment income

    $ 146,838       $ 1,734,804  

Net realized gains (losses) on investments

      (7,572,903       8,227,354  

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments

      (28,957,523       16,847,695  
 

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

      (36,383,588       26,809,853  
 

 

 

 

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and net realized gains

       

Class A

      (6,017,486       (11,274,268

Class C

      (322,666       (3,147,113

Administrator Class

      (1,051,538       (2,341,670

Institutional Class

      (4,699,341       (9,652,016
 

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

      (12,091,031       (26,415,067
 

 

 

 

Capital share transactions

    Shares         Shares    

Proceeds from shares sold

       

Class A

    61,902       2,283,902       576,819       21,721,631  

Class C

    31,364       823,406       51,591       1,282,247  

Administrator Class

    48,668       1,837,131       84,145       3,339,231  

Institutional Class

    213,487       8,092,635       582,827       22,915,443  
 

 

 

 
      13,037,074         49,258,552  
 

 

 

 

Reinvestment of distributions

       

Class A

    138,110       5,585,707       292,824       10,332,358  

Class C

    11,409       301,552       129,340       3,066,652  

Administrator Class

    24,314       1,036,689       62,335       2,314,119  

Institutional Class

    107,830       4,582,469       244,000       9,022,788  
 

 

 

 
      11,506,417         24,735,917  
 

 

 

 

Payment for shares redeemed

       

Class A

    (405,304     (14,545,652     (657,034     (25,025,424

Class C

    (52,060     (1,313,577     (831,182     (20,927,562

Administrator Class

    (78,745     (3,012,976     (225,448     (9,166,433

Institutional Class

    (511,923     (18,658,460     (1,183,246     (47,220,970
 

 

 

 
      (37,530,665       (102,340,389
 

 

 

 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from capital share transactions

      (12,987,174       (28,345,920
 

 

 

 

Total decrease in net assets

      (61,461,793       (27,951,134
 

 

 

 

Net assets

       

Beginning of period

      277,712,433         305,663,567  
 

 

 

 

End of period

    $ 216,250,640       $ 277,712,433  
 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund  |  13


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Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS A   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $39.97       $39.97       $45.81       $38.61       $37.23       $43.26  

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.00 )1,2       0.18 1       0.10       0.21 1       0.26 1       0.10 1  

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (5.14     3.26       (0.72     9.68       2.92       0.64  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (5.14     3.44       (0.62     9.89       3.18       0.74  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.54     (0.03     (0.22     (0.34     (0.21     (0.03

Net realized gains

    (1.17     (3.41     (5.00     (2.35     (1.59     (6.74
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

    (1.71     (3.44     (5.22     (2.69     (1.80     (6.77

Net asset value, end of period

    $33.12       $39.97       $39.97       $45.81       $38.61       $37.23  

Total return3

    (13.60 )%      9.75     (1.82 )%      26.90     9.12     2.12

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.55     1.53     1.54     1.54     1.55     1.57

Net expenses

    1.54     1.53     1.54     1.54     1.55     1.55

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.02 )%      0.47     0.16     0.52     0.73     0.27

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    32     62     51     70     70     42

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $110,354       $141,388       $132,906       $155,828       $138,805       $151,740  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Amount is less than $0.005.

 

3 

Total return calculations do not include any sales charges. Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

14  |  Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS C   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $26.68       $28.02       $33.65       $28.98       $28.39       $34.80  

Net investment loss

    (0.09 )1       (0.07 )1       (0.20     (0.06 )1       (0.01 )1       (0.14 )1  

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (3.43     2.14       (0.43     7.15       2.19       0.47  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (3.52     2.07       (0.63     7.09       2.18       0.33  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    0.00       0.00       0.00       (0.07     0.00       0.00  

Net realized gains

    (1.17     (3.41     (5.00     (2.35     (1.59     (6.74
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

    (1.17     (3.41     (5.00     (2.42     (1.59     (6.74

Net asset value, end of period

    $21.99       $26.68       $28.02       $33.65       $28.98       $28.39  

Total return2

    (13.92 )%      8.90     (2.56 )%      25.95     8.31     1.34

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    2.30     2.28     2.29     2.29     2.30     2.32

Net expenses

    2.29     2.28     2.29     2.29     2.30     2.30

Net investment loss

    (0.75 )%      (0.26 )%      (0.59 )%      (0.20 )%      (0.02 )%      (0.48 )% 

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    32     62     51     70     70     42

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $6,032       $7,567       $26,167       $31,487       $32,863       $36,215  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Total return calculations do not include any sales charges. Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund  |  15


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
ADMINISTRATOR CLASS   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $42.06       $41.90       $47.78       $40.15       $38.65       $44.60  

Net investment income

    0.03       0.25 1       0.14 1       0.29 1       0.41       0.16 1  

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (5.42     3.42       (0.73     10.07       2.95       0.66  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (5.39     3.67       (0.59     10.36       3.36       0.82  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.61     (0.10     (0.29     (0.38     (0.27     (0.03

Net realized gains

    (1.17     (3.41     (5.00     (2.35     (1.59     (6.74
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

    (1.78     (3.51     (5.29     (2.73     (1.86     (6.77

Net asset value, end of period

    $34.89       $42.06       $41.90       $47.78       $40.15       $38.65  

Total return2

    (13.55 )%      9.90     (1.68 )%      27.04     9.30     2.27

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.47     1.45     1.46     1.46     1.47     1.43

Net expenses

    1.40     1.40     1.40     1.40     1.40     1.40

Net investment income

    0.12     0.63     0.30     0.68     0.90     0.41

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    32     62     51     70     70     42

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $20,328       $24,746       $27,965       $30,327       $30,832       $31,765  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

16  |  Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $41.92       $41.80       $47.68       $40.08       $38.63       $44.67  

Net investment income

    0.06       0.36       0.25       0.38       0.45       0.20  

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (5.37     3.39       (0.74     10.06       3.00       0.72  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (5.31     3.75       (0.49     10.44       3.45       0.92  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.72     (0.22     (0.39     (0.49     (0.41     (0.22

Net realized gains

    (1.17     (3.41     (5.00     (2.35     (1.59     (6.74
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

    (1.89     (3.63     (5.39     (2.84     (2.00     (6.96

Net asset value, end of period

    $34.72       $41.92       $41.80       $47.68       $40.08       $38.63  

Total return1

    (13.44 )%      10.17     (1.45 )%      27.38     9.56     2.53

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.22     1.20     1.21     1.21     1.22     1.18

Net expenses

    1.15     1.15     1.15     1.15     1.15     1.15

Net investment income

    0.36     0.86     0.54     1.01     1.20     0.66

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    32     62     51     70     70     42

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $79,536       $104,011       $118,625       $41,087       $12,531       $10,369  

 

1 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund  |  17


Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

1. ORGANIZATION

Wells Fargo Funds Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on March 10, 1999, is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). As an investment company, the Trust follows the accounting and reporting guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services – Investment Companies. These financial statements report on the Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund (the “Fund”) which is a diversified series of the Trust.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following significant accounting policies, which are consistently followed in the preparation of the financial statements of the Fund, are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Securities valuation

All investments are valued each business day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4 p.m. Eastern Time), although the Fund may deviate from this calculation time under unusual or unexpected circumstances.

Equity securities that are listed on a foreign or domestic exchange or market are valued at the official closing price or, if none, the last sales price. If no sale occurs on the principal exchange or market that day, a fair value price will be determined in accordance with the Fund’s Valuation Procedures.

The values of securities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at rates provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee at Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC (“Funds Management”).

Many securities markets and exchanges outside the U.S. close prior to the close of the New York Stock Exchange and therefore may not fully reflect trading or events that occur after the close of the principal exchange in which the foreign securities are traded, but before the close of the New York Stock Exchange. If such trading or events are expected to materially affect the value of such securities, then fair value pricing procedures approved by the Board of Trustees of the Fund are applied. These procedures take into account multiple factors including movements in U.S. securities markets after foreign exchanges close. Foreign securities that are fair valued under these procedures are categorized as Level 2 and the application of these procedures may result in transfers between Level 1 and Level 2. Depending on market activity, such fair valuations may be frequent. Such fair value pricing may result in net asset values that are higher or lower than net asset values based on the last reported sales price or latest quoted bid price. On April 30, 2020, such fair value pricing was used in pricing certain foreign securities.

Investments in registered open-end investment companies are valued at net asset value. Interests in non-registered investment companies that are redeemable at net asset value are fair valued normally at net asset value.

Investments which are not valued using any of the methods discussed above are valued at their fair value, as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees has established a Valuation Committee comprised of the Trustees and has delegated to it the authority to take any actions regarding the valuation of portfolio securities that the Valuation Committee deems necessary or appropriate, including determining the fair value of portfolio securities, unless the determination has been delegated to the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee. The Board of Trustees retains the authority to make or ratify any valuation decisions or approve any changes to the Valuation Procedures as it deems appropriate. On a quarterly basis, the Board of Trustees receives reports on any valuation actions taken by the Valuation Committee or the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee which may include items for ratification.

Foreign currency translation

The accounting records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. The values of other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at rates provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee. Purchases and sales of securities, and income and expenses are converted at the rate of exchange on the respective dates of such transactions. Net realized foreign exchange gains or losses arise from sales of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on securities transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually paid or received. Net unrealized foreign exchange gains and losses arise from changes in the fair value of assets and liabilities other than investments in securities resulting from changes in exchange rates. The changes in net assets arising from changes in exchange rates of securities and the changes in net assets resulting from changes in market prices of securities are not separately presented. Such changes are included in net realized and unrealized gains or losses from investments.

 

 

18  |  Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund


Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Securities lending

The Fund may lend its securities from time to time in order to earn additional income in the form of fees or interest on securities received as collateral or the investment of any cash received as collateral. When securities are on loan, the Fund receives interest or dividends on those securities. Cash collateral received in connection with its securities lending transactions is invested in Securities Lending Cash Investments, LLC (the “Securities Lending Fund”). Investments in Securities Lending Fund are valued at the evaluated bid price provided by an independent pricing service. Income earned from investment in the Securities Lending Fund (net of fees and rebates), if any, is included in income from affiliated securities on the Statement of Operations.

In a securities lending transaction, the net asset value of the Fund is affected by an increase or decrease in the value of the securities loaned and by an increase or decrease in the value of the instrument in which collateral is invested. The amount of securities lending activity undertaken by the Fund fluctuates from time to time. The Fund has the right under the lending agreement to recover the securities from the borrower on demand. In the event of default or bankruptcy by the borrower, the Fund may be prevented from recovering the loaned securities or gaining access to the collateral or may experience delays or costs in doing so. In such an event, the terms of the agreement allows the unaffiliated securities lending agent to use the collateral to purchase replacement securities on behalf of the Fund or pay the Fund the market value of the loaned securities. The Fund bears the risk of loss with respect to depreciation of its investment of the cash collateral.

Security transactions and income recognition

Securities transactions are recorded on a trade date basis. Realized gains or losses are recorded on the basis of identified cost.

Dividend income is recognized on the ex-dividend date, except for certain dividends from foreign securities, which are recorded as soon as the custodian verifies the ex-dividend date. Dividend income from foreign securities is recorded net of foreign taxes withheld where recovery of such taxes is not assured.

Distributions to shareholders

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and any net realized gains are recorded on the ex-dividend date and paid at least annually. Such distributions are determined in accordance with income tax regulations and may differ from U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Dividend sources are estimated at the time of declaration. The tax character of distributions is determined as of the Fund’s fiscal year end. Therefore, a portion of the Fund’s distributions made prior to the Fund’s fiscal year end may be categorized as a tax return of capital at year end.

Federal and other taxes

The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company by distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized capital gains (after reduction for capital loss carryforwards) sufficient to relieve it from all, or substantially all, federal income taxes. Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes was required.

The Fund’s income and federal excise tax returns and all financial records supporting those returns for the prior three fiscal years are subject to examination by the federal and Delaware revenue authorities. Management has analyzed the Fund’s tax positions taken on federal, state, and foreign tax returns for all open tax years and does not believe that there are any uncertain tax positions that require recognition of a tax liability.

As of April 30, 2020, the aggregate cost of all investments for federal income tax purposes was $220,413,785 and the unrealized gains (losses) consisted of:

 

Gross unrealized gains

   $ 26,919,068  

Gross unrealized losses

     (29,905,895

Net unrealized losses

   $ (2,986,827

Class allocations

The separate classes of shares offered by the Fund differ principally in applicable sales charges, distribution, shareholder servicing, and administration fees. Class specific expenses are charged directly to that share class. Investment income, common fund-level expenses, and realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments are allocated daily to each class of shares based on the relative proportion of net assets of each class.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

3. FAIR VALUATION MEASUREMENTS

Fair value measurements of investments are determined within a framework that has established a fair value hierarchy based upon the various data inputs utilized in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. The three-level hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The Fund’s investments are classified within the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The inputs are summarized into three broad levels as follows:

 

 

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities

 

 

Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

 

 

Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing investments in securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

The following is a summary of the inputs used in valuing the Fund’s assets and liabilities as of April 30, 2020:

 

      Quoted prices
(Level 1)
     Other significant
observable inputs
(Level 2)
    

Significant
unobservable inputs

(Level 3)

     Total  

Assets

           

Investments in:

           

Common stocks

           

Australia

   $ 0      $ 6,518,627      $ 0      $ 6,518,627  

Austria

     0        1,401,253        0        1,401,253  

Belgium

     0        2,389,986        0        2,389,986  

Bermuda

     3,226,585        0        0        3,226,585  

Canada

     10,818,078        0        0        10,818,078  

Denmark

     0        611,459        0        611,459  

France

     0        6,801,596        0        6,801,596  

Germany

     0        8,691,045        0        8,691,045  

Hong Kong

     0        2,518,122        0        2,518,122  

Ireland

     1,725,326        0        0        1,725,326  

Italy

     0        3,788,099        0        3,788,099  

Japan

     0        27,244,003        0        27,244,003  

Luxembourg

     320,858        0        0        320,858  

Netherlands

     641,265        1,585,072        0        2,226,337  

Norway

     0        737,873        0        737,873  

Singapore

     0        778,510        0        778,510  

Spain

     0        4,717,635        0        4,717,635  

Sweden

     0        2,103,046        0        2,103,046  

Switzerland

     0        4,361,684        0        4,361,684  

United Kingdom

     7,977,522        12,583,339        0        20,560,861  

United States

     103,049,964        0        0        103,049,964  

Short-term investments

           

Investment companies

     2,836,011        0        0        2,836,011  

Total assets

   $ 130,595,609      $ 86,831,349      $ 0      $ 217,426,958  

Additional sector, industry or geographic detail is included in the Portfolio of Investments.

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, the Fund did not have any transfers into/out of Level 3.

4. TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

Management fee

Funds Management, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), is the manager of the Fund and provides advisory and fund-level administrative services under an investment management agreement. Under the investment management agreement, Funds Management is responsible for, among other services, implementing the

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

investment objectives and strategies of the Fund, supervising the subadviser and providing fund-level administrative services in connection with the Fund’s operations. As compensation for its services under the investment management agreement, Funds Management is entitled to receive a management fee at the following annual rate based on the Fund’s average daily net assets:

 

Average daily net assets    Management fee  

First $500 million

     0.950

Next $500 million

     0.925  

Next $1 billion

     0.900  

Next $2 billion

     0.875  

Next $1 billion

     0.850  

Next $5 billion

     0.840  

Over $10 billion

     0.830  

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, the management fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 0.95% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Funds Management has retained the services of a subadviser to provide daily portfolio management to the Fund. The fee for subadvisory services is borne by Funds Management. Wells Capital Management Incorporated (“WellsCap”), an affiliate of Funds Management and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo, is the subadviser to the Fund and is entitled to receive a fee from Funds Management at an annual rate starting at 0.55% and declining to 0.40% as the average daily net assets of the Fund increase.

Administration fees

Under a class-level administration agreement, Funds Management provides class-level administrative services to the Fund, which includes paying fees and expenses for services provided by the transfer agent, sub-transfer agents, omnibus account servicers and record-keepers. As compensation for its services under the class-level administration agreement, Funds Management receives an annual fee which is calculated based on the average daily net assets of each class as follows:

 

     

Class-level

administration fee

 

Class A, Class C

     0.21

Administrator Class, Institutional Class

     0.13  

Waivers and/or expense reimbursements

Funds Management has contractually waived and/or reimbursed management and administration fees to the extent necessary to maintain certain net operating expense ratios for the Fund. When each class of the Fund has exceeded its expense cap, Funds Management has waived fees and/or reimbursed expenses from fund-level expenses on a proportionate basis and then from class specific expenses. When only certain classes exceed their expense caps, waivers and/or reimbursements are applied against class specific expenses before fund-level expenses. Funds Management has committed through February 28, 2021 to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap the Fund’s expenses at 1.55% for Class A shares, 2.30% for Class C shares, 1.40% for Administrator Class shares, and 1.15% for Institutional Class shares. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees.

Distribution fee

The Trust has adopted a distribution plan for Class C shares of the Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. A distribution fee is charged to Class C shares and paid to Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (“Funds Distributor”), the principal underwriter, at an annual rate of 0.75% of the average daily net assets of Class C shares.

In addition, Funds Distributor is entitled to receive the front-end sales charge from the purchase of Class A shares and a contingent deferred sales charge on the redemption of certain Class A shares. Funds Distributor is also entitled to receive the contingent deferred sales charges from redemptions of Class C shares. For the six months ended April 30, 2020, Funds Distributor received $1,371 from the sale of Class A shares. No contingent deferred sales charges were incurred by Class A and Class C shares for the six months ended April 30, 2020.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Shareholder servicing fees

The Trust has entered into contracts with one or more shareholder servicing agents, whereby Class A, Class C, and Administrator Class of the Fund are charged a fee at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of each respective class. A portion of these total shareholder servicing fees were paid to affiliates of Wells Fargo.

Interfund transactions

The Fund may purchase or sell portfolio investment securities to certain other Wells Fargo affiliates pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act and under procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. The procedures have been designed to ensure that these interfund transactions, which do not incur broker commissions, are effected at current market prices.

5. INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

Purchases and sales of investments, excluding U.S. government obligations (if any) and short-term securities, for the six months ended April 30, 2020 were $80,155,776 and $90,901,033, respectively.

6. SECURITIES LENDING TRANSACTIONS

The Fund lends its securities through an unaffiliated securities lending agent and receives collateral in the form of cash or securities with a value at least equal to the value of the securities on loan. The value of the loaned securities is determined at the close of each business day and any increases or decreases in the required collateral are exchanged between the Fund and the counterparty on the next business day. Cash collateral received is invested in the Securities Lending Fund which seeks to provide a positive return compared to the daily Fed Funds Open Rate by investing in high-quality, U.S. dollar-denominated short-term money market instruments and is exempt from registration under Section 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act. Securities Lending Fund is managed by Funds Management and is subadvised by WellsCap. Funds Management receives an advisory fee starting at 0.05% and declining to 0.01% as the average daily net assets of the Securities Lending Fund increase. All of the fees received by Funds Management are paid to WellsCap for its services as subadviser.

In the event of counterparty default or the failure of a borrower to return a loaned security, the Fund has the right to use the collateral to offset any losses incurred. As of April 30, 2020, the Fund did not have any securities on loan.

7. BANK BORROWINGS

The Trust (excluding the money market funds), Wells Fargo Master Trust and Wells Fargo Variable Trust are parties to a $280,000,000 revolving credit agreement whereby the Fund is permitted to use bank borrowings for temporary or emergency purposes, such as to fund shareholder redemption requests. Interest under the credit agreement is charged to the Fund based on a borrowing rate equal to the higher of the Federal Funds rate in effect on that day plus 1.25% or the overnight LIBOR rate in effect on that day plus 1.25%. In addition, an annual commitment fee equal to 0.25% of the unused balance is allocated to each participating fund.

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, there were no borrowings by the Fund under the agreement.

8. CONCENTRATION RISKS

Concentration risks result from exposure to a limited number of sectors. As of the end of the period, the Fund invests a concentration of its portfolio in the industrials sector. A fund that invests a substantial portion of its assets in any sector may be more affected by changes in that sector than would be a fund whose investments are not heavily weighted in any sector.

9. INDEMNIFICATION

Under the Fund’s organizational documents, the officers and Trustees have been granted certain indemnification rights against certain liabilities that may arise out of performance of their duties to the Fund. The Fund has entered into a separate agreement with each Trustee that converts indemnification rights currently existing under the Fund’s organizational documents into contractual rights that cannot be changed in the future without the consent of the Trustee. Additionally, in the normal course of business, the Fund may enter into contracts with service providers that contain a variety of indemnification clauses. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is dependent on future claims that may be made against the Fund and, therefore, cannot be estimated.

10. NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENT

In August 2018, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. ASU 2018-13 updates the disclosure

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

requirements for fair value measurements by modifying or removing certain disclosures and adding certain new disclosures. The amendments are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. Management has adopted the removal and modification of disclosures early, as permitted, and will adopt the additional new disclosures at the effective date.

11. CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that it had made the assessment that coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) is a pandemic. The impacts of COVID-19 are adversely affecting the entire global economy, individual companies and investment products, and the market in general. There is significant uncertainty around the extent and duration of business disruptions related to COVID-19 and the impacts may be short term or may last for an extended period of time. The risk of further spreading of COVID-19 has led to significant uncertainty and volatility in the financial markets. The value of the Fund and the securities in which the Fund invests have generally been adversely affected by impacts caused by COVID-19.

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

PROXY VOTING INFORMATION

A description of the policies and procedures used to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available, upon request, by calling 1-800-222-8222, visiting our website at wfam.com, or visiting the SEC website at sec.gov. Information regarding how the proxies related to portfolio securities were voted during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available on the website at wfam.com or by visiting the SEC website at sec.gov.

QUARTERLY PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. Shareholders may view the filed Form N-PORT by visiting the SEC website at sec.gov.

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

Each of the Trustees and Officers1 listed in the table below acts in identical capacities for each fund in the Wells Fargo family of funds, which consists of 147 mutual funds comprising the Wells Fargo Funds Trust, Wells Fargo Variable Trust, Wells Fargo Master Trust and four closed-end funds (collectively the “Fund Complex”). This table should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information2. The mailing address of each Trustee and Officer is 525 Market Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105. Each Trustee and Officer serves an indefinite term, however, each Trustee serves such term until reaching the mandatory retirement age established by the Trustees.

Independent Trustees

 

Name and

year of birth

  Position held and
length of service*
  Principal occupations during past five years or longer   Current other
public company or
investment
company
directorships

William R. Ebsworth

(Born 1957)

  Trustee, since 2015   Retired. From 1984 to 2013, equities analyst, portfolio manager, research director and chief investment officer at Fidelity Management and Research Company in Boston, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, and retired in 2013 as Chief Investment Officer of Fidelity Strategic Advisers, Inc. where he led a team of investment professionals managing client assets. Prior thereto, Board member of Hong Kong Securities Clearing Co., Hong Kong Options Clearing Corp., the Thailand International Fund, Ltd., Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company, and Empire Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company. Audit Committee Chair and Investment Committee Chair of the Vincent Memorial Hospital Endowment (non-profit organization). Mr. Ebsworth is a CFA® charterholder.   N/A

Jane A. Freeman

(Born 1953)

  Trustee, since 2015; Chair Liaison, since 2018   Retired. From 2012 to 2014 and 1999 to 2008, Chief Financial Officer of Scientific Learning Corporation. From 2008 to 2012, Ms. Freeman provided consulting services related to strategic business projects. Prior to 1999, Portfolio Manager at Rockefeller & Co. and Scudder, Stevens & Clark. Board member of the Harding Loevner Funds from 1996 to 2014, serving as both Lead Independent Director and chair of the Audit Committee. Board member of the Russell Exchange Traded Funds Trust from 2011 to 2012 and the chair of the Audit Committee. Ms. Freeman is also an inactive Chartered Financial Analyst.   N/A

Isaiah Harris, Jr.

(Born 1952)

  Trustee, since 2009; Audit Committee Chairman, since 2019   Retired. Chairman of the Board of CIGNA Corporation since 2009, and Director since 2005. From 2003 to 2011, Director of Deluxe Corporation. Prior thereto, President and CEO of BellSouth Advertising and Publishing Corp. from 2005 to 2007, President and CEO of BellSouth Enterprises from 2004 to 2005 and President of BellSouth Consumer Services from 2000 to 2003. Emeritus member of the Iowa State University Foundation Board of Governors. Emeritus Member of the Advisory Board of Iowa State University School of Business. Advisory Board Member, Palm Harbor Academy (private school). Advisory Board Member, Child Evangelism Fellowship (non-profit). Mr. Harris is a certified public accountant (inactive status).   CIGNA Corporation

Judith M. Johnson

(Born 1949)

  Trustee, since 2008; Audit Committee Chairman, from 2009 to 2018   Retired. Prior thereto, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Minneapolis Employees Retirement Fund from 1996 to 2008. Ms. Johnson is an attorney, certified public accountant and a certified managerial accountant.   N/A

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

Name and

year of birth

  Position held and
length of service*
  Principal occupations during past five years or longer   Current other
public company or
investment
company
directorships

David F. Larcker

(Born 1950)

  Trustee, since 2009   James Irvin Miller Professor of Accounting at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Director of the Corporate Governance Research Initiative and Senior Faculty of The Rock Center for Corporate Governance since 2006. From 2005 to 2008, Professor of Accounting at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Prior thereto, Ernst & Young Professor of Accounting at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania from 1985 to 2005.   N/A

Olivia S. Mitchell

(Born 1953)

  Trustee, since 2006; Nominating and Governance Committee Chair, since 2018   International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Professor, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania since 1993. Director of Wharton’s Pension Research Council and Boettner Center on Pensions & Retirement Research, and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Previously, Cornell University Professor from 1978 to 1993.   N/A

Timothy J. Penny

(Born 1951)

  Trustee, since 1996; Chairman, since 2018   President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, a non-profit organization, since 2007. Member of the Board of Trustees of NorthStar Education Finance, Inc., a non-profit organization, since 2007.   N/A

James G. Polisson

(Born 1959)

  Trustee, since 2018   Retired. Chief Marketing Officer, Source (ETF) UK Services, Ltd, from 2015 to 2017. From 2012 to 2015, Principal of The Polisson Group, LLC, a management consulting, corporate advisory and principal investing company. Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Russell Investments, Global Exchange Traded Funds from 2010 to 2012. Managing Director of Barclays Global Investors from 1998 to 2010 and Global Chief Marketing Officer for iShares and Barclays Global Investors from 2000 to 2010. Trustee of the San Francisco Mechanics’ Institute, a non-profit organization, from 2013 to 2015. Board member of the Russell Exchange Traded Fund Trust from 2011 to 2012. Director of Barclays Global Investors Holdings Deutschland GmbH from 2006 to 2009. Mr. Polisson is an attorney and has a retired status with the Massachusetts and District of Columbia Bar Associations.   N/A

Pamela Wheelock

(Born 1959)

  Trustee, since January 2020; previously Trustee from January 2018 to July 2019   Board member of the Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency, Rochester, Minnesota since 2019 and Interim President of the McKnight Foundation since 2020. Acting Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Human Services, July 2019 through September 2019. Human Services Manager (part-time), Minnesota Department of Human Services, October 2019 through December 2019. Chief Operating Officer, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity from 2017 to 2019. Vice President of University Services, University of Minnesota from 2012 to 2016. Prior thereto, on the Board of Directors, Governance Committee and Finance Committee for the Minnesota Philanthropy Partners (Saint Paul Foundation) from 2012 to 2018, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota from 2011 to 2012, Chairman of the Board from 2009 to 2012 and Board Director from 2003 to 2015. Vice President, Leadership and Community Engagement, Bush Foundation, Saint Paul, Minnesota (a private foundation) from 2009 to 2011. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Minnesota Sports and Entertainment from 2004 to 2009 and Senior Vice President from 2002 to 2004. Executive Vice President of the Minnesota Wild Foundation from 2004 to 2008. Commissioner of Finance, State of Minnesota, from 1999 to 2002. Currently Board Chair of the Minnesota Wild Foundation since 2010.   N/A

 

*

Length of service dates reflect the Trustee’s commencement of service with the Trust’s predecessor entities, where applicable.

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

Officers

 

Name and

year of birth

  Position held and
length of service
  Principal occupations during past five years or longer

Andrew Owen

(Born 1960)

  President, since 2017   Executive Vice President of Wells Fargo & Company and Head of Affiliated Managers, Wells Fargo Asset Management, since 2014. In addition, Mr. Owen is currently President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2017. Prior thereto, Executive Vice President responsible for marketing, investments and product development for Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC, from 2009 to 2014.

Jeremy DePalma1

(Born 1974)

  Treasurer, since 2012   Senior Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2009. Senior Vice President of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2008 to 2010 and head of the Fund Reporting and Control Team within Fund Administration from 2005 to 2010.

Michelle Rhee

(Born 1966)

  Chief Legal Officer, since 2019   Secretary of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC, Chief Legal Counsel of Wells Fargo Asset Management and Assistant General Counsel of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. since 2018. Associate General Counsel and Managing Director of Bank of America Corporation from 2004 to 2018.

Catherine Kennedy

(Born 1969)

  Secretary, since 2019   Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC and Senior Counsel of the Wells Fargo Legal Department since 2010. Vice President and Senior Counsel of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 1998 to 2010.

Michael H. Whitaker

(Born 1967)

  Chief Compliance Officer, since 2016   Chief Compliance Officer of Wells Fargo Asset Management since 2016. Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Fidelity Investments from 2007 to 2016.

David Berardi

(Born 1975)

  Assistant Treasurer, since 2009   Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2009. Vice President of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2008 to 2010. Manager of Fund Reporting and Control for Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2004 to 2010.

 

 

 

1

Jeremy DePalma acts as Treasurer of 82 funds and Assistant Treasurer of 65 funds in the Fund Complex.

 

2

The Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about the Trustees and is available, without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-222-8222 or by visiting the website at wfam.com.

 

 

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Appendix I (unaudited)

 

Effective on or about May 1, 2020, if you purchase Fund shares through a Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (“Janney”) brokerage account, you will be eligible for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”), or back-end sales charge, waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end sales charge* waivers on Class A shares available at Janney
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney.
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within ninety (90) days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e., right of reinstatement).
Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Class C shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are converted to Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to Janney’s policies and procedures.
CDSC waivers on Class A and Class C shares available at Janney
Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations.
Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Shares exchanged into the same share class of a different fund.
Front-end sales charge* discounts available at Janney; breakpoints, rights of accumulation and/or letters of intent
Breakpoints as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Rights of accumulation (“ROA”), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Janney. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney Montgomery Scott may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

*

Also referred to as an “initial sales charge.”

 

 

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Appendix II (unaudited)

 

Effective on or after May 1, 2020, clients of Edward Jones (also referred to as “shareholders”) purchasing Fund shares on the Edward Jones commission and fee-based platforms are eligible only for the following sales charge discounts (also referred to as “breakpoints”) and waivers, which can differ from breakpoints and waivers described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI or through another broker-dealer. In all instances, it is the shareholder’s responsibility to inform Edward Jones at the time of purchase of any relationship, holdings of Wells Fargo Funds or other facts qualifying the purchaser for breakpoints or waivers. Edward Jones can ask for documentation of such circumstance.

 

Breakpoints available at Edward Jones
Rights of Accumulation (ROA)

The applicable sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares is determined by taking into account all share classes (except any money market funds and retirement plan share classes) of Wells Fargo Funds held by the shareholder or in an account grouped by Edward Jones with other accounts for the purpose of providing certain pricing considerations (“pricing groups”). This includes all share classes held on the Edward Jones platform and/or held on another platform. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the rights of accumulation calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation.

ROA is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value (current shares x NAV).

Letter of Intent (LOI)

Through a LOI, shareholders can receive the sales charge and breakpoint discounts for purchases shareholders intend to makeover a 13-month period from the date Edward Jones receives the LOI. The LOI is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value of qualifying holdings at LOI initiation in combination with the value that the shareholder intends to buy over a 13-month period to calculate the front-end sales charge and any breakpoint discounts. Each purchase the shareholder makes during that 13-month period will receive the sales charge and breakpoint discount that applies to the total amount. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the LOI calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation. Purchases made before the LOI is received by Edward Jones are not covered under the LOI and will not reduce the sales charge previously paid. Sales charges will be adjusted if LOI is not met.

Sales charges are waived for the following shareholders and in the following situations at Edward Jones:

   Associates of Edward Jones and its affiliates and their family members who are in the same pricing group (as determined by Edward Jones under its policies and procedures) as the associate. This waiver will continue for the remainder of the associate’s life if the associate retires from Edward Jones in good-standing.

   Shares purchased in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

   Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment.

   Shares purchased from the proceeds of redeemed shares of the same fund family so long as the following conditions are met: 1)the proceeds are from the sale of shares within 60 days of the purchase, and 2) the sale and purchase are made in the same share class and the same account or the purchase is made in an individual retirement account with proceeds from liquidations in anon-retirement account.

   Shares exchanged into Class A shares from another share class so long as the exchange is into the same fund and was initiated at the discretion of Edward Jones. Edward Jones is responsible for any remaining CDSC due to the fund company, if applicable. Any future purchases are subject to the applicable sales charge as disclosed in the prospectus.

   Exchanges from Class C shares to Class A shares of the same fund, generally, in the 84th month following the anniversary of the purchase date or earlier at the discretion of Edward Jones.

If the shareholder purchases shares that are subject to a CDSC and those shares are redeemed before the CDSC is expired, the shareholder
is responsible to pay the CDSC except in the following conditions available at Edward Jones:

   The death or disability of the shareholder.

   Systematic withdrawals with up to 10% per year of the account value.

   Return of excess contributions from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

   Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulation.

   Shares sold to pay Edward Jones fees or costs in such cases where the transaction is initiated by Edward Jones.

   Shares exchanged in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

   Shares acquired through NAV reinstatement.

 

 

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Appendix II (unaudited)

 

Other Important Information for accounts at Edward Jones:
Minimum Purchase Amounts

   $250 initial purchase minimum

   $50 subsequent purchase minimum

Minimum Balances
Edward Jones has the right to redeem at its discretion fund holdings with a balance of $250 or less. The following are examples of accounts that are not included in this policy:

   A fee-based account held on an Edward Jones platform

   A 529 account held on an Edward Jones platform

   An account with an active systematic investment plan or letter of intent (LOI)

Changing Share Classes
At any time it deems necessary, Edward Jones has the authority to exchange at NAV a shareholder’s holdings in a fund to Class A shares.

 

 

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Table of Contents

Appendix III (unaudited)

 

Effective June 1, 2020, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (“Oppenheimer”) platform or account are eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Oppenheimer
Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan.
Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan.
Shares purchased through an Oppenheimer affiliated investment advisory program.
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Restatement).
A shareholder in the Fund’s Class C shares will have their shares exchanged at net asset value to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of Oppenheimer.
Employees and registered representatives of Oppenheimer or its affiliates and their family members.
Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund’s investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the Prospectus.
CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Oppenheimer
Death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Prospectus.
Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the Prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Oppenheimer fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Oppenheimer.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load Discounts Available at Oppenheimer: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent
Breakpoints as described in the Prospectus.
Rights of Accumulation (ROA), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Oppenheimer. Eligible fund family assets not held at Oppenheimer may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

 

Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund  |  31


Table of Contents

Appendix IV (unaudited)

 

Effective June 15, 2020, shareholders purchasing fund shares through a Robert W. Baird & Co. (“Baird”) platform or account will only be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and CDSC waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or the SAI.

 

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Baird
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing share of the same fund.
Share purchase by employees and registers representatives of Baird or its affiliate and their family members as designated by Baird.
Shares purchase from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same accounts, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as rights of reinstatement).
A shareholder in the Funds Investor C Shares will have their share exchanged at net asset value to Investor A shares of the fund if the shares are no longer subject to CDSC and the exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of Baird.
Employer-sponsored retirement plans or charitable accounts in a transactional brokerage account at Baird, including 401(k)plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs.
CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Baird
Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares bought due to returns of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 72 as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Baird fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Baird.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load Discounts Available at Baird: Breakpoint and/or Rights of Accumulation
Breakpoints as described in the Prospectus.
Rights of accumulations which entitles shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Baird. Eligible fund family assets not held at Baird may be included in the rights of accumulations calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of Intent (LOI) allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family through Baird, over a 13-month period of time.

 

 

32  |  Wells Fargo Global Small Cap Fund


Table of Contents

LOGO

For more information

More information about Wells Fargo Funds is available free upon request. To obtain literature, please write, visit the Fund’s website, or call:

Wells Fargo Funds

P.O. Box 219967

Kansas City, MO 64121-9967

Website: wfam.com

Individual investors: 1-800-222-8222

Retail investment professionals: 1-888-877-9275

Institutional investment professionals: 1-866-765-0778

 

LOGO

 

This report and the financial statements contained herein are submitted for the general information of the shareholders of the Fund. If this report is used for promotional purposes, distribution of the report must be accompanied or preceded by a current prospectus. Before investing, please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the investment. For a current prospectus and, if available, a summary prospectus, containing this information, call 1-800-222-8222 or visit the Fund’s website at wfam.com. Read the prospectus carefully before you invest or send money.

Wells Fargo Asset Management (WFAM) is the trade name for certain investment advisory/management firms owned by Wells Fargo & Company. These firms include but are not limited to Wells Capital Management Incorporated and Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC. Certain products managed by WFAM entities are distributed by Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (a broker-dealer and Member FINRA).

This material is for general informational and educational purposes only and is NOT intended to provide investment advice or a recommendation of any kind—including a recommendation for any specific investment, strategy, or plan.

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED    NO BANK GUARANTEE     MAY LOSE VALUE


© 2019 Wells Fargo & Company. All rights reserved.

PAR-0520-00416 06-20

SA239/SAR239 04-20

 

 



Table of Contents

LOGO

Semi-Annual Report

April 30, 2020

 

Wells Fargo

Intrinsic World Equity Fund

 

 

 

 

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by new regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Wells Fargo Funds’ annual and semi-annual shareholder reports issued after this date will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, the reports will be made available on the Funds’ website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website address to access the report.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund electronically at any time by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) or, if you are a direct investor, by calling 1-800-222-8222 or by enrolling at wellsfargo.com/advantagedelivery.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can contact your financial intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports; if you invest directly with the Fund, you can call 1-800-222-8222. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Wells Fargo Funds held in your account with your financial intermediary or, if you are a direct investor, to all Wells Fargo Funds that you hold.


Table of Contents

 

 

Reduce clutter.

Save trees.

Sign up for electronic
delivery of prospectuses and
shareholder reports at wellsfargo.com/
advantagedelivery

 

The views expressed and any forward-looking statements are as of April 30, 2020, unless otherwise noted, and are those of the Fund managers and/or Wells Fargo Asset Management. Discussions of individual securities, or the markets generally, or any Wells Fargo Fund are not intended as individual recommendations. Future events or results may vary significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. The views expressed are subject to change at any time in response to changing circumstances in the market. Wells Fargo Asset Management and the Fund disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any views expressed or forward-looking statements.

 

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED    NO BANK GUARANTEE    MAY LOSE VALUE


 

 

Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund  |  1


Table of Contents

Letter to shareholders (unaudited)

 

LOGO

Andrew Owen

President

Wells Fargo Funds

“The period began with a tailwind created by central bank support.”

Dear Shareholder:

We are pleased to offer you this semi-annual report for the Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund for the six-month period that ended April 30, 2020. Global stock markets saw earlier gains erased in February and March as governments took unprecedented measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus at the expense of short-term economic output. Markets rebounded in April to lessen the losses as central banks attempted to bolster capital markets and confidence. Fixed-income markets performed better, with the exception of high-yield bonds, as U.S. bonds overall achieved modest gains.

For the six-month period, U.S. stocks, based on the S&P 500 Index,1 returned -3.16% and international stocks, as measured by the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net),2 fell 13.22%. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net)3 lost 10.50%. For bond investors, the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index4 added 4.86%, the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Index5 returned -0.97%, the Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index6 returned -1.33%, and the ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index7 lost 7.68%.

The period began with a tailwind created by central bank support.

The period began with a tailwind that had been created by U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cuts in the summer and early fall. Equity markets rallied in November despite ongoing geopolitical risks. Hopes for a U.S.-China trade deal buoyed investor confidence. U.S. business sentiment edged up, and manufacturing and services activity rose. With that positive backdrop, developed market equities outpaced those in emerging markets, and U.S. stocks outperformed non-U.S. stocks overall. While consumer confidence and purchasing manager activity rose in the eurozone, China reported weakening manufacturing and consumer data. Bond yields rose marginally, leading to slightly negative returns for global government and investment-grade corporate bonds.

Financial markets ended 2019 with a boost from the U.S. and China accord on a Phase One trade deal. That, along with the landslide win by the pro-Brexit U.K. Conservative Party in a national election and ongoing central bank support, gave investors greater confidence. U.S. economic indicators were positive overall, with the exception of manufacturing activity and business confidence. Consumer confidence was resilient, fed by a robust labor market, tame inflation, and lower interest rates, which boosted housing affordability and stimulated homebuyer activity. The impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump had little impact on markets. Meanwhile, slowing Chinese economic activity, partly attributable to the trade war, led to further government stimulus at year-end through lower reserve ratios, allowing banks to lend more money.

The year-end rally continued in early January 2020. However, capital market volatility spiked in late January on concerns over the potential impact of the coronavirus on the global economy and stock markets. With sentiment somewhat souring, perceived safe

 

 

 

1 

The S&P 500 Index consists of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation. It is a market-value-weighted index with each stock’s weight in the index proportionate to its market value. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

2 

The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) All Country World Index (ACWI) ex USA Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the United States. Source: MSCI. MSCI makes no express or implied warranties or representations and shall have no liability whatsoever with respect to any MSCI data contained herein. The MSCI data may not be further redistributed or used as a basis for other indices or any securities or financial products. This report is not approved, reviewed, or produced by MSCI. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

3 

The MSCI Emerging Markets (EM) Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure equity market performance of emerging markets. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

4 

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment-grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

5 

The Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Index is an unmanaged index that provides a broad-based measure of the global investment-grade fixed-income markets excluding the U.S. dollar-denominated debt market. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

6 

The Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index is an unmanaged index composed of long-term tax-exempt bonds with a minimum credit rating of Baa. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

7 

The ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index is a market-capitalization-weighted index of domestic and Yankee high-yield bonds. The index tracks the performance of high-yield securities traded in the U.S. bond market. You cannot invest directly in an index. Copyright 2020. ICE Data Indices, LLC. All rights reserved.

 

 

2  |  Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Letter to shareholders (unaudited)

 

havens did well in January. The U.S. dollar and Japanese yen both rose, and government bonds outperformed equities. While the S&P 500 Index held its ground, emerging market equities tumbled, including those in Asia.

In February, the coronavirus became the major market focus. Fears of the virus’s impact on global growth led to expectations of increased global central bank monetary policy support. That led the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield to fall to an all-time low of 1.1% by the end of the month. Although equity markets initially shrugged off concerns about the outbreak, focusing instead on strong fourth-quarter earnings and improving business confidence in January, market sentiment turned sharply lower toward month-end. Oil prices tumbled as Russia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries compounded a major decline in oil demand with a brutal price war, causing the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil to fall 13% in February alone.

The global spread of the coronavirus led many countries to clamp down on social and business-related activity in order to contain the virus from causing even greater devastation and overwhelming the health care system. This abrupt stoppage of economic activity led to the sharp deceleration of global output, sending economies into a deep contraction. Central bank responses were swift, as they slashed interest rates and expanded quantitative easing programs to restore liquidity and confidence to the markets. In the U.S., the Fed launched several lending programs, funding investment-grade bonds, money market mutual funds, and commercial paper while purchasing Treasuries, mortgage-backed securities, and overnight repurchase agreements. Meanwhile, stock markets tumbled quickly into a bear market, ending the longest bull stock market in U.S. history.

Markets rebounded strongly in April after the extreme volatility of the previous two months, with the S&P 500 Index gaining 12.8% for the month and the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net) returning 7.6%. The rebound was fueled by unprecedented stimulus measures taken by governments and central banks to buffer the economic damage created by mass shutdowns to try to contain the virus’s spread. The U.S. economy contracted by an annualized 4.8% pace in the first quarter, with 30 million new unemployment insurance claims in six weeks. In the eurozone, first-quarter real gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 3.8%, with the composite April Flash Purchasing Managers’ Index, a monthly survey of purchasing managers, falling to an all-time low of 13.5. The European Central Bank expanded its quantitative easing to include the purchase of additional government bonds of countries with the greatest virus-related need, including Italy and Spain. China’s first-quarter GDP fell by 6.8% year over year. However, retail sales, production, and investment showed signs of recovery. Extreme oil price volatility continued as global supply far exceeded demand.

Don’t let short-term uncertainty derail long-term investment goals.

Periods of investment uncertainty can present challenges, but experience has taught us that maintaining long-term investment goals can be an effective way to plan for the future. To help you create a sound strategy based on your personal goals and risk tolerance, Wells Fargo Funds offers more than 100 mutual funds spanning a wide range of asset classes and investment styles. Although diversification cannot guarantee an investment profit or prevent losses, we believe it can be an effective way to manage investment risk and potentially smooth out overall portfolio performance. We encourage investors to know their investments and to understand that appropriate levels of risk-taking may unlock opportunities.

Thank you for choosing to invest with Wells Fargo Funds. We appreciate your confidence in us and remain committed to helping you meet your financial needs.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Andrew Owen

President

Wells Fargo Funds

 

“The global spread of the coronavirus led many countries to clamp down on social and business-related activity in order to contain the virus from causing even greater devastation and overwhelming the health care system.”

 

 

For further information about your Fund, contact your investment professional, visit our website at wfam.com,

or call us directly at 1-800-222-8222.

 

 

 

Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund  |  3


Table of Contents

Performance highlights (unaudited)

 

Investment objective

The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Manager

Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC

Subadviser

Wells Capital Management Incorporated

Portfolio managers

Miguel E. Giaconi, CFA®

Amit Kumar

Jean-Baptiste Nadal, CFA®

Average annual total returns (%) as of April 30, 20201

 

 
        Including sales charge     Excluding sales charge     Expense ratios2 (%)  
 
    Inception date   1 year     5 year     10 year     1 year     5 year     10 year     Gross     Net3  
                   
Class A (EWEAX)   4-30-1996     -16.14       1.80       6.65       -11.01       3.01       7.28       1.47       1.35  
                   
Class C (EWECX)   5-18-2007     -12.63       2.25       6.49       -11.63       2.25       6.49       2.22       2.10  
                   
Administrator Class (EWEIX)   5-18-2007                       -10.87       3.14       7.49       1.39       1.25  
                   
Institutional Class (EWENX)4   7-30-2010                       -10.62       3.43       7.74       1.14       0.95  
                   
MSCI World Index (Net)5                         -4.00       4.92       7.68              

Figures quoted represent past performance, which is no guarantee of future results, and do not reflect taxes that a shareholder may pay on an investment in a fund. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance shown without sales charges would be lower if sales charges were reflected. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted, which assumes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. Current month-end performance is available on the Fund’s website, wfam.com.

Index returns do not include transaction costs associated with buying and selling securities, any mutual fund fees or expenses, or any taxes. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

For Class A shares, the maximum front-end sales charge is 5.75%. For Class C shares, the maximum contingent deferred sales charge is 1.00%. Performance including a contingent deferred sales charge assumes the sales charge for the corresponding time period. Administrator Class and Institutional Class shares are sold without a front-end sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge.

Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of individual companies and general market and economic conditions. Foreign investments are especially volatile and can rise or fall dramatically due to differences in the political and economic conditions of the host country. These risks are generally intensified in emerging markets. The use of derivatives may reduce returns and/or increase volatility. Certain investment strategies tend to increase the total risk of an investment (relative to the broader market). The Fund is exposed to focused portfolio risk, geographic risk, and smaller company securities risk. Consult the Fund’s prospectus for additional information on these and other risks.

 

Please see footnotes on page 5.

 

 

4  |  Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Performance highlights (unaudited)

 

Ten largest holdings (%) as of April 30, 20206       
   

Microsoft Corporation

     5.02  
   

Alphabet Incorporated Class C

     3.89  
   

Visa Incorporated Class A

     3.85  
   

Amazon.com Incorporated

     3.56  
   

Cigna Corporation

     2.99  
   

Motorola Solutions Incorporated

     2.76  
   

Medtronic plc

     2.69  
   

Merck & Company Incorporated

     2.67  
   

Northrop Grumman Corporation

     2.54  
   

Intercontinental Exchange Incorporated

     2.51  
Sector allocation as of April 30, 20207
LOGO
 

 

Country allocation as of April 30, 20207
LOGO

    

 

 

 

 

CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

 

1 

Historical performance prior to July 19, 2010, is based on the performance of the Fund’s predecessor, Evergreen Intrinsic World Equity Fund.

 

2 

Reflects the expense ratios as stated in the most recent prospectuses. The expense ratios shown are subject to change and may differ from the annualized expense ratios shown in the financial highlights of this report.

 

3 

The manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2021, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers at 1.35% for Class A, 2.10% for Class C, 1.25% for Administrator Class, and 0.95% for Institutional Class. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. Without this cap, the Fund’s returns would have been lower. The expense ratio paid by an investor is the net expense ratio (the total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers) as stated in the prospectuses.

 

4 

Historical performance shown for the Institutional Class shares prior to their inception reflects the performance of the Administrator Class shares, and includes the higher expenses applicable to the Administrator Class shares. If these expenses had not been included, returns for the Institutional Class shares would be higher.

 

5 

The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) World Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets. Source: MSCI. MSCI makes no express or implied warranties or representations and shall have no liability whatsoever with respect to any MSCI data contained herein. The MSCI data may not be further redistributed or used as a basis for other indices or any securities or financial products. This report is not approved, reviewed, or produced by MSCI. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

6 

The ten largest holdings, excluding cash, cash equivalents and any money market funds, are calculated based on the value of the investments divided by total net assets of the Fund. Holdings are subject to change and may have changed since the date specified.

 

7 

Amounts are calculated based on the total long-term investments of the Fund. These amounts are subject to change and may have changed since the date specified.

 

 

Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund  |  5


Table of Contents

Fund expenses (unaudited)

 

As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments and contingent deferred sales charges (if any) on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution (12b-1) and/or shareholder servicing fees, and other Fund expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the six-month period and held for the entire period from November 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020.

Actual expenses

The “Actual” line of the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the “Actual” line under the heading entitled “Expenses paid during period” for your applicable class of shares to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The “Hypothetical” line of the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads) and contingent deferred sales charges. Therefore, the “Hypothetical” line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

    

Beginning

account value
11-1-2019

    

Ending

account value

4-30-2020

    

Expenses

paid during

the period¹

    

Annualized net

expense ratio

 
         

Class A

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 856.89      $ 6.19        1.34

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,018.20      $ 6.72        1.34
         

Class C

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 854.01      $ 9.68        2.10

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,014.42      $ 10.52        2.10
         

Administrator Class

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 857.28      $ 5.63        1.22

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,018.80      $ 6.12        1.22
         

Institutional Class

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 858.55      $ 4.39        0.95

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,020.14      $ 4.77        0.95

 

1

Expenses paid is equal to the annualized net expense ratio of each class multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent fiscal half-year divided by the number of days in the fiscal year (to reflect the one-half-year period).

 

 

6  |  Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Common Stocks: 99.60%

 

Belgium: 1.12%  

Anheuser-Busch InBev NV ADR (Consumer Staples, Beverages)

          29,600      $ 1,376,992  
          

 

 

 
France: 6.38%  

Air Liquide SA (Materials, Chemicals)

          20,300        2,579,201  

AXA SA (Financials, Insurance)

          89,400        1,589,218  

Capgemini SA (Information Technology, IT Services)

          28,400        2,669,906  

Societe Generale SA (Financials, Banks)

          65,300        1,024,493  
             7,862,818  
          

 

 

 
Germany: 3.03%  

Deutsche Telekom AG (Communication Services, Diversified Telecommunication Services) †

          160,700        2,349,372  

SAP SE (Information Technology, Software)

          11,600        1,381,643  
             3,731,015  
          

 

 

 
Hong Kong: 3.07%  

AIA Group Limited (Financials, Insurance)

          304,000        2,790,041  

Samsonite International SA (Consumer Discretionary, Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods) 144A

          1,170,090        995,307  
             3,785,348  
          

 

 

 
Ireland: 2.69%  

Medtronic plc (Health Care, Health Care Equipment & Supplies)

          33,900        3,309,657  
          

 

 

 
Japan: 8.18%  

Nidec Corporation (Industrials, Electrical Equipment)

          51,800        3,015,488  

ORIX Corporation (Financials, Diversified Financial Services)

          157,900        1,858,087  

Renesas Electronics Corporation (Information Technology, Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment) †

          400,700        2,115,866  

Sony Corporation (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          47,840        3,078,699  
             10,068,140  
          

 

 

 
Netherlands: 4.29%  

AerCap Holdings NV (Industrials, Trading Companies & Distributors) †

          52,700        1,481,924  

Airbus SE (Industrials, Aerospace & Defense)

          19,900        1,260,038  

Unilever NV (Consumer Staples, Personal Products)

          51,300        2,535,246  
             5,277,208  
          

 

 

 
Switzerland: 6.23%  

Nestle SA (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          28,400        3,007,845  

Novartis AG ADR (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          28,100        2,380,913  

Roche Holding AG (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

          6,600        2,285,562  
             7,674,320  
          

 

 

 
United Kingdom: 2.53%  

Royal Dutch Shell plc Class A (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          53,700        897,565  

Vodafone Group plc (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services)

          1,568,000        2,211,936  
             3,109,501  
          

 

 

 
United States: 62.08%  

Advance Auto Parts Incorporated (Consumer Discretionary, Specialty Retail)

          18,200        2,200,562  

Alphabet Incorporated Class C (Communication Services, Interactive Media & Services) †

          3,550        4,787,743  

Amazon.com Incorporated (Consumer Discretionary, Internet & Direct Marketing Retail) †

          1,774        4,388,876  

American International Group Incorporated (Financials, Insurance)

          71,800        1,825,874  

Apple Incorporated (Information Technology, Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals)

          6,500        1,909,700  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund  |  7


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                    Shares      Value  
United States (continued)  

Bank of America Corporation (Financials, Banks)

                                  98,300      $ 2,364,115  

Chevron Corporation (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

         20,800        1,913,600  

Cigna Corporation (Health Care, Health Care Providers & Services)

         18,800        3,680,664  

Comcast Corporation Class A (Communication Services, Media)

         79,800        3,002,874  

Dollar Tree Incorporated (Consumer Discretionary, Multiline Retail) †

         26,200        2,087,354  

Eli Lilly & Company (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

         10,200        1,577,328  

EOG Resources Incorporated (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

         20,950        995,335  

Honeywell International Incorporated (Industrials, Industrial Conglomerates)

         18,400        2,610,960  

Intercontinental Exchange Incorporated (Financials, Capital Markets)

         34,500        3,086,025  

Marsh & McLennan Companies Incorporated (Financials, Insurance)

         23,200        2,258,056  

Merck & Company Incorporated (Health Care, Pharmaceuticals)

         41,500        3,292,610  

Microsoft Corporation (Information Technology, Software)

         34,500        6,182,743  

Mondelez International Incorporated Class A (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

         56,400        2,901,216  

Motorola Solutions Incorporated (Information Technology, Communications Equipment)

         23,600        3,393,916  

Northrop Grumman Corporation (Industrials, Aerospace & Defense)

         9,450        3,124,832  

ON Semiconductor Corporation (Information Technology, Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment) †

         178,700        2,867,242  

Stryker Corporation (Health Care, Health Care Equipment & Supplies)

         12,400        2,311,732  

The Walt Disney Company (Communication Services, Entertainment)

         25,900        2,801,085  

Truist Financial Corporation (Financials, Banks)

         52,500        1,959,300  

United Parcel Service Incorporated Class B (Industrials, Air Freight & Logistics)

         11,800        1,116,988  

Visa Incorporated Class A (Information Technology, IT Services)

         26,500        4,736,080  

Vulcan Materials Company (Materials, Construction Materials)

         16,600        1,875,302  

Waste Management Incorporated (Industrials, Commercial Services & Supplies)

         12,000        1,200,240  
            76,452,352  
         

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks (Cost $104,447,545)

            122,647,351        
         

 

 

 
         
    Yield                      
Short-Term Investments: 0.10%                          
Investment Companies: 0.10%                          

Wells Fargo Government Money Market Fund Select Class (l)(u)

    0.19        126,480        126,480  
         

 

 

 

Total Short-Term Investments (Cost $126,480)

            126,480  
         

 

 

 

 

Total investments in securities (Cost $104,574,025)     99.70        122,773,831  

Other assets and liabilities, net

    0.30          373,566  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 
Total net assets     100.00      $ 123,147,397  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

Non-income-earning security

144A

The security may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers, pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933.

(l)

The issuer of the security is an affiliated person of the Fund as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

(u)

The rate represents the 7-day annualized yield at period end.

Abbreviations:

 

ADR

American depositary receipt

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

8  |  Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

Investments in Affiliates

An affiliated investment is an investment in which the Fund owns at least 5% of the outstanding voting shares of the issuer or as a result of other relationships, such as the Fund and the issuer having the same investment manager. Transactions with issuers that were either affiliated persons of the Fund at the beginning of the period or the end of the period were as follows:

 

    Shares,
beginning of
period
    Shares
purchased
    Shares
sold
    Shares,
end of
period
    Net
realized
gains
(losses)
    Net
change in
unrealized
gains
(losses)
    Income
from
affiliated
securities
    Value,
end of
period
    % of
net
assets
 
Short-Term Investments                                                      

Investment Companies

                 

Securities Lending Cash Investments LLC *

    1,698,009       15,782,754       (17,480,763     0     $ (156   $ 0     $ 16,392 #    $ 0    

Wells Fargo Government Money Market Fund Select Class

    1,542,025       12,140,923       (13,556,468     126,480       0       0       4,267       126,480    
         

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
          $ (156   $ 0     $ 20,659     $ 126,480       0.10
         

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

*

No longer held at the end of the period

 

# 

Amount shown represents income before fees and rebates.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund  |  9


Table of Contents

Statement of assets and liabilities—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

         

Assets

 

Investments in unaffiliated securities, at value (cost $104,447,545)

  $ 122,647,351  

Investments in affiliated securities, at value (cost $126,480)

    126,480  

Foreign currency, at value (cost $51,227)

    51,714  

Receivable for investments sold

    354,943  

Receivable for Fund shares sold

    17,024  

Receivable for dividends

    281,000  

Receivable for securities lending income, net

    99  
 

 

 

 

Total assets

    123,478,611  
 

 

 

 

Liabilities

 

Payable for Fund shares redeemed

    114,952  

Management fee payable

    65,902  

Administration fees payable

    19,591  

Distribution fee payable

    436  

Shareholder report expenses payable

    22,275  

Custody and accounting fees payable

    41,639  

Shareholder servicing fees payable

    22,387  

Professional fees payable

    23,884  

Trustees’ fees and expenses payable

    8,826  

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

    11,322  
 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

    331,214  
 

 

 

 

Total net assets

  $ 123,147,397  
 

 

 

 

Net assets consist of

 

Paid-in capital

  $ 103,878,758  

Total distributable earnings

    19,268,639  
 

 

 

 

Total net assets

  $ 123,147,397  
 

 

 

 

Computation of net asset value and offering price per share

 

Net assets – Class A

  $ 112,916,142  

Shares outstanding – Class A1

    6,142,781  

Net asset value per share – Class A

    $18.38  

Maximum offering price per share – Class A2

    $19.50  

Net assets – Class C

  $ 763,703  

Shares outstanding – Class C1

    43,525  

Net asset value per share – Class C

    $17.55  

Net assets – Administrator Class

  $ 1,263,588  

Shares outstanding – Administrator Class1

    69,086  

Net asset value per share – Administrator Class

    $18.29  

Net assets – Institutional Class

  $ 8,203,964  

Shares outstanding – Institutional Class1

    447,503  

Net asset value per share – Institutional Class

    $18.33  

 

1 

The Fund has an unlimited number of authorized shares.

 

2 

Maximum offering price is computed as 100/94.25 of net asset value. On investments of $50,000 or more, the offering price is reduced.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

10  |  Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Statement of operations—six months ended April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

         

Investment income

 

Dividends (net of foreign withholding taxes of $76,467)

  $ 1,227,226  

Income from affiliated securities

    10,644  
 

 

 

 

Total investment income

    1,237,870  
 

 

 

 

Expenses

 

Management fee

    602,032  

Administration fees

 

Class A

    136,166  

Class C

    1,062  

Administrator Class

    971  

Institutional Class

    6,154  

Shareholder servicing fees

 

Class A

    162,101  

Class C

    1,261  

Administrator Class

    1,849  

Distribution fee

 

Class C

    3,777  

Custody and accounting fees

    19,651  

Professional fees

    24,304  

Registration fees

    33,734  

Shareholder report expenses

    18,402  

Trustees’ fees and expenses

    10,969  

Other fees and expenses

    9,540  
 

 

 

 

Total expenses

    1,031,973  

Less: Fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements

 

Fund-level

    (97,050
 

 

 

 

Net expenses

    934,923  
 

 

 

 

Net investment income

    302,947  
 

 

 

 

Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

 

Net realized gains (losses) on

 

Unaffiliated securities

    1,916,077  

Affiliated securities

    (156
 

 

 

 

Net realized gains on investments

    1,915,921  

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (23,380,100
 

 

 

 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (21,464,179
 

 

 

 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations

  $ (21,161,232
 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund  |  11


Table of Contents

Statement of changes in net assets

 

    

Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)

    Year ended
October 31, 2019
 

Operations

       

Net investment income

    $ 302,947       $ 1,199,906  

Net realized gains (losses) on investments

      1,915,921         (425,308

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments

      (23,380,100       15,848,146  
 

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

      (21,161,232       16,622,744  
 

 

 

 

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and net realized gains

       

Class A

      (796,359       (14,576,126

Class C

      0         (592,441

Administrator Class

      (11,384       (175,917

Institutional Class

      (97,694       (858,807
 

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

      (905,437       (16,203,291
 

 

 

 

Capital share transactions

    Shares         Shares    

Proceeds from shares sold

       

Class A

    74,979       1,524,636       290,011       5,707,019  

Class C

    2,489       46,339       13,297       265,090  

Administrator Class

    3,569       77,486       1,768       36,870  

Institutional Class

    54,512       1,111,851       191,017       3,930,471  
 

 

 

 
      2,760,312         9,939,450  
 

 

 

 

Reinvestment of distributions

       

Class A

    34,668       776,904       748,086       14,204,308  

Class C

    0       0       30,481       552,615  

Administrator Class

    486       10,839       8,882       167,765  

Institutional Class

    2,761       61,615       33,977       643,675  
 

 

 

 
      849,358         15,568,363  
 

 

 

 

Payment for shares redeemed

       

Class A

    (400,697     (8,037,834     (696,508     (14,099,229

Class C

    (18,849     (354,526     (251,793     (4,719,953

Administrator Class

    (6,874     (124,627     (14,119     (284,467

Institutional Class

    (60,670     (1,155,704     (117,795     (2,393,973
 

 

 

 
      (9,672,691       (21,497,622
 

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from capital share transactions

      (6,063,021       4,010,191  
 

 

 

 

Total increase (decrease) in net assets

      (28,129,690       4,429,644  
 

 

 

 

Net assets

       

Beginning of period

      151,277,087         146,847,443  
 

 

 

 

End of period

    $ 123,147,397       $ 151,277,087  
 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

12  |  Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS A   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $21.57       $21.70       $23.08       $19.53       $22.82       $22.39  

Net investment income

    0.04       0.17 1      0.16       0.19       0.20       0.19  

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (3.10     2.09       0.35       4.54       (0.83     0.73  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (3.06     2.26       0.51       4.73       (0.63     0.92  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.13     (0.18     (0.20     (0.23     (0.20     (0.12

Net realized gains

    0.00       (2.21     (1.69     (0.95     (2.46     (0.37
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

    (0.13     (2.39     (1.89     (1.18     (2.66     (0.49

Net asset value, end of period

    $18.38       $21.57       $21.70       $23.08       $19.53       $22.82  

Total return2

    (14.31 )%      12.02     2.10     25.44     (2.54 )%      4.23

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.47     1.47     1.47     1.47     1.46     1.48

Net expenses

    1.34     1.35     1.35     1.35     1.37     1.40

Net investment income

    0.41     0.81     0.73     0.88     1.09     0.79

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    23     13     20     21     23     32

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $112,916       $138,784       $132,207       $141,831       $127,428       $149,492  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Total return calculations do not include any sales charges. Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund  |  13


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS C   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $20.55       $20.74       $22.15       $18.77       $21.99       $21.64  

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.03 )1      (0.04 )1      (0.00 )1,2      0.03 1      0.05       0.01 1 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (2.97     2.06       0.33       4.38       (0.80     0.71  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (3.00     2.02       0.33       4.41       (0.75     0.72  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    0.00       (0.00 )3      (0.05     (0.08     (0.01     0.00  

Net realized gains

    0.00       (2.21     (1.69     (0.95     (2.46     (0.37
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

    0.00       (2.21     (1.74     (1.03     (2.47     (0.37

Net asset value, end of period

    $17.55       $20.55       $20.74       $22.15       $18.77       $21.99  

Total return4

    (14.60 )%      11.19     1.33     24.54     (3.26 )%      3.41

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    2.22     2.22     2.22     2.22     2.21     2.23

Net expenses

    2.10     2.10     2.10     2.10     2.12     2.15

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.35 )%      (0.18 )%      (0.01 )%      0.13     0.32     0.05

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    23     13     20     21     23     32

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $764       $1,231       $5,556       $7,015       $7,252       $8,958  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Amount is more than $(0.005).

 

3 

Amount is less than $0.005.

 

4 

Total return calculations do not include any sales charges. Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

14  |  Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
ADMINISTRATOR CLASS   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $21.48       $21.60       $22.98       $19.43       $22.76       $22.33  

Net investment income

    0.05 1      0.19 1      0.15 1      0.20 1      0.24 1      0.23 1 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (3.09     2.08       0.39       4.54       (0.84     0.75  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (3.04     2.27       0.54       4.74       (0.60     0.98  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.15     (0.18     (0.23     (0.24     (0.27     (0.18

Net realized gains

    0.00       (2.21     (1.69     (0.95     (2.46     (0.37
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

    (0.15     (2.39     (1.92     (1.19     (2.73     (0.55

Net asset value, end of period

    $18.29       $21.48       $21.60       $22.98       $19.43       $22.76  

Total return2

    (14.27 )%      12.13     2.22     25.60     (2.43 )%      4.51

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.39     1.39     1.38     1.38     1.37     1.34

Net expenses

    1.22     1.25     1.25     1.25     1.22     1.15

Net investment income

    0.53     0.92     0.65     0.95     1.27     1.01

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    23     13     20     21     23     32

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $1,264       $1,544       $1,628       $4,727       $4,735       $6,239  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund  |  15


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $21.55       $21.69       $23.05       $19.51       $22.83       $22.40  

Net investment income

    0.08       0.27       0.25 1      0.27       0.26       0.28  

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (3.09     2.06       0.35       4.53       (0.80     0.75  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (3.01     2.33       0.60       4.80       (0.54     1.03  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.21     (0.26     (0.27     (0.31     (0.32     (0.23

Net realized gains

    0.00       (2.21     (1.69     (0.95     (2.46     (0.37
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

    (0.21     (2.47     (1.96     (1.26     (2.78     (0.60

Net asset value, end of period

    $18.33       $21.55       $21.69       $23.05       $19.51       $22.83  

Total return2

    (14.14 )%      12.49     2.52     25.92     (2.13 )%      4.72

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.15     1.14     1.14     1.14     1.13     1.09

Net expenses

    0.95     0.95     0.95     0.95     0.95     0.95

Net investment income

    0.80     1.21     1.10     1.28     1.47     1.23

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    23     13     20     21     23     32

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $8,204       $9,718       $7,456       $6,681       $4,357       $5,058  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

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Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

1. ORGANIZATION

Wells Fargo Funds Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on March 10, 1999, is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). As an investment company, the Trust follows the accounting and reporting guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services – Investment Companies. These financial statements report on the Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund (the “Fund”) which is a diversified series of the Trust.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following significant accounting policies, which are consistently followed in the preparation of the financial statements of the Fund, are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Securities valuation

All investments are valued each business day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4 p.m. Eastern Time), although the Fund may deviate from this calculation time under unusual or unexpected circumstances.

Equity securities that are listed on a foreign or domestic exchange or market are valued at the official closing price or, if none, the last sales price. If no sale occurs on the principal exchange or market that day, a fair value price will be determined in accordance with the Fund’s Valuation Procedures.

The values of securities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at rates provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee at Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC (“Funds Management”).

Many securities markets and exchanges outside the U.S. close prior to the close of the New York Stock Exchange and therefore may not fully reflect trading or events that occur after the close of the principal exchange in which the foreign securities are traded, but before the close of the New York Stock Exchange. If such trading or events are expected to materially affect the value of such securities, then fair value pricing procedures approved by the Board of Trustees of the Fund are applied. These procedures take into account multiple factors including movements in U.S. securities markets after foreign exchanges close. Foreign securities that are fair valued under these procedures are categorized as Level 2 and the application of these procedures may result in transfers between Level 1 and Level 2. Depending on market activity, such fair valuations may be frequent. Such fair value pricing may result in net asset values that are higher or lower than net asset values based on the last reported sales price or latest quoted bid price. On April 30, 2020, such fair value pricing was used in pricing certain foreign securities.

Investments in registered open-end investment companies are valued at net asset value. Interests in non-registered investment companies that are redeemable at net asset value are fair valued normally at net asset value.

Investments which are not valued using any of the methods discussed above are valued at their fair value, as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees has established a Valuation Committee comprised of the Trustees and has delegated to it the authority to take any actions regarding the valuation of portfolio securities that the Valuation Committee deems necessary or appropriate, including determining the fair value of portfolio securities, unless the determination has been delegated to the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee. The Board of Trustees retains the authority to make or ratify any valuation decisions or approve any changes to the Valuation Procedures as it deems appropriate. On a quarterly basis, the Board of Trustees receives reports on any valuation actions taken by the Valuation Committee or the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee which may include items for ratification.

Foreign currency translation

The accounting records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. The values of other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at rates provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee. Purchases and sales of securities, and income and expenses are converted at the rate of exchange on the respective dates of such transactions. Net realized foreign exchange gains or losses arise from sales of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on securities transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually paid or received. Net unrealized foreign exchange gains and losses arise from changes in the fair value of assets and liabilities other than investments in securities resulting from changes in exchange rates. The changes in net assets arising from changes in exchange rates of securities and the

 

 

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Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

changes in net assets resulting from changes in market prices of securities are not separately presented. Such changes are included in net realized and unrealized gains or losses from investments.

Securities lending

The Fund may lend its securities from time to time in order to earn additional income in the form of fees or interest on securities received as collateral or the investment of any cash received as collateral. When securities are on loan, the Fund receives interest or dividends on those securities. Cash collateral received in connection with its securities lending transactions is invested in Securities Lending Cash Investments, LLC (the “Securities Lending Fund”). Investments in Securities Lending Fund are valued at the evaluated bid price provided by an independent pricing service. Income earned from investment in the Securities Lending Fund (net of fees and rebates), if any, is included in income from affiliated securities on the Statement of Operations.

In a securities lending transaction, the net asset value of the Fund is affected by an increase or decrease in the value of the securities loaned and by an increase or decrease in the value of the instrument in which collateral is invested. The amount of securities lending activity undertaken by the Fund fluctuates from time to time. The Fund has the right under the lending agreement to recover the securities from the borrower on demand. In the event of default or bankruptcy by the borrower, the Fund may be prevented from recovering the loaned securities or gaining access to the collateral or may experience delays or costs in doing so. In such an event, the terms of the agreement allows the unaffiliated securities lending agent to use the collateral to purchase replacement securities on behalf of the Fund or pay the Fund the market value of the loaned securities. The Fund bears the risk of loss with respect to depreciation of its investment of the cash collateral.

Security transactions and income recognition

Securities transactions are recorded on a trade date basis. Realized gains or losses are recorded on the basis of identified cost.

Dividend income is recognized on the ex-dividend date, except for certain dividends from foreign securities, which are recorded as soon as the custodian verifies the ex-dividend date. Dividend income from foreign securities is recorded net of foreign taxes withheld where recovery of such taxes is not assured.

Distributions to shareholders

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and any net realized gains are recorded on the ex-dividend date and paid at least annually. Such distributions are determined in accordance with income tax regulations and may differ from U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Dividend sources are estimated at the time of declaration. The tax character of distributions is determined as of the Fund’s fiscal year end. Therefore, a portion of the Fund’s distributions made prior to the Fund’s fiscal year end may be categorized as a tax return of capital at year end.

Federal and other taxes

The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company by distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized capital gains (after reduction for capital loss carryforwards) sufficient to relieve it from all, or substantially all, federal income taxes. Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes was required.

The Fund’s income and federal excise tax returns and all financial records supporting those returns for the prior three fiscal years are subject to examination by the federal and Delaware revenue authorities. Management has analyzed the Fund’s tax positions taken on federal, state, and foreign tax returns for all open tax years and does not believe that there are any uncertain tax positions that require recognition of a tax liability.

As of April 30, 2020, the aggregate cost of all investments for federal income tax purposes was $105,210,831 and the unrealized gains (losses) consisted of:

 

Gross unrealized gains

   $ 31,884,457  

Gross unrealized losses

     (14,321,457

Net unrealized gains

     17,563,000  

As of October 31, 2019, the Fund had capital loss carryforward which consisted of $440,984 in long-term capital losses.

Class allocations

The separate classes of shares offered by the Fund differ principally in applicable sales charges, distribution, shareholder servicing, and administration fees. Class specific expenses are charged directly to that share class. Investment income, common fund-level expenses, and realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments are allocated daily to each class of shares based on the relative proportion of net assets of each class.

 

 

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Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

3. FAIR VALUATION MEASUREMENTS

Fair value measurements of investments are determined within a framework that has established a fair value hierarchy based upon the various data inputs utilized in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. The three-level hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The Fund’s investments are classified within the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The inputs are summarized into three broad levels as follows:

 

 

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities

 

 

Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

 

 

Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing investments in securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

The following is a summary of the inputs used in valuing the Fund’s assets and liabilities as of April 30, 2020:

 

     

Quoted prices

(Level 1)

    

Other significant

observable inputs

(Level 2)

    

Significant

unobservable inputs

(Level 3)

     Total  

Assets

           

Investments in:

           

Common stocks

           

Belgium

   $ 1,376,992      $ 0      $ 0      $ 1,376,992  

France

     0        7,862,818        0        7,862,818  

Germany

     0        3,731,015        0        3,731,015  

Hong Kong

     0        3,785,348        0        3,785,348  

Ireland

     3,309,657        0        0        3,309,657  

Japan

     0        10,068,140        0        10,068,140  

Netherlands

     4,017,170        1,260,038        0        5,277,208  

Switzerland

     2,380,913        5,293,407        0        7,674,320  

United Kingdom

     0        3,109,501        0        3,109,501  

United States

     76,452,352        0        0        76,452,352  

Short-term investments

           

Investment companies

     126,480        0        0        126,480  

Total assets

   $ 87,663,564      $ 35,110,267      $ 0      $ 122,773,831  

Additional sector, industry or geographic detail is included in the Portfolio of Investments.

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, the Fund did not have any transfers into/out of Level 3.

 

 

Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund  |  19


Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

4. TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

Management fee

Funds Management, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), is the manager of the Fund and provides advisory and fund-level administrative services under an investment management agreement. Under the investment management agreement, Funds Management is responsible for, among other services, implementing the investment objectives and strategies of the Fund, supervising the subadviser and providing fund-level administrative services in connection with the Fund’s operations. As compensation for its services under the investment management agreement, Funds Management is entitled to receive a management fee at the following annual rate based on the Fund’s average daily net assets:

 

Average daily net assets    Management fee  

First $500 million

     0.850

Next $500 million

     0.800  

Next $1 billion

     0.750  

Next $2 billion

     0.725  

Next $1 billion

     0.700  

Next $5 billion

     0.690  

Over $10 billion

     0.680  

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, the management fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 0.85% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Funds Management has retained the services of a subadviser to provide daily portfolio management to the Fund. The fee for subadvisory services is borne by Funds Management. Wells Capital Management Incorporated (“WellsCap”), an affiliate of Funds Management and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo, is the subadviser to the Fund and is entitled to receive a fee from Funds Management at an annual rate starting at 0.35% and declining to 0.20% as the average daily net assets of the Fund increase.

Administration fees

Under a class-level administration agreement, Funds Management provides class-level administrative services to the Fund, which includes paying fees and expenses for services provided by the transfer agent, sub-transfer agents, omnibus account servicers and record-keepers. As compensation for its services under the class-level administration agreement, Funds Management receives an annual fee which is calculated based on the average daily net assets of each class as follows:

 

     

Class-level

administration fee

 

Class A, Class C

     0.21

Administrator Class, Institutional Class

     0.13  

Waivers and/or expense reimbursements

Funds Management has contractually waived and/or reimbursed management and administration fees to the extent necessary to maintain certain net operating expense ratios for the Fund. When each class of the Fund has exceeded its expense cap, Funds Management has waived fees and/or reimbursed expenses from fund-level expenses on a proportionate basis and then from class specific expenses. When only certain classes exceed their expense caps, waivers and/or reimbursements are applied against class specific expenses before fund-level expenses. Funds Management has committed through February 28, 2021 to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap the Fund’s expenses at 1.35% for Class A shares, 2.10% for Class C shares, 1.25% for Administrator Class shares, and 0.95% for Institutional Class shares. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees.

Distribution fee

The Trust has adopted a distribution plan for Class C shares of the Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. A distribution fee is charged to Class C shares and paid to Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (“Funds Distributor”), the principal underwriter, at an annual rate of 0.75% of the average daily net assets of Class C shares.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

In addition, Funds Distributor is entitled to receive the front-end sales charge from the purchase of Class A shares and a contingent deferred sales charge on the redemption of certain Class A shares. Funds Distributor is also entitled to receive the contingent deferred sales charges from redemptions of Class C shares. For the six months ended April 30, 2020, Funds Distributor received $1,085 from the sale of Class A shares. No contingent deferred sales charges were incurred by Class A and Class C shares for the six months ended April 30, 2020.

Shareholder servicing fees

The Trust has entered into contracts with one or more shareholder servicing agents, whereby Class A, Class C, and Administrator Class of the Fund are charged a fee at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of each respective class. A portion of these total shareholder servicing fees were paid to affiliates of Wells Fargo.

Interfund transactions

The Fund may purchase or sell portfolio investment securities to certain other Wells Fargo affiliates pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act and under procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. The procedures have been designed to ensure that these interfund transactions, which do not incur broker commissions, are effected at current market prices.

5. INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

Purchases and sales of investments, excluding U.S. government obligations (if any) and short-term securities, for the six months ended April 30, 2020 were $32,532,592 and $38,121,242, respectively.

6. SECURITIES LENDING TRANSACTIONS

The Fund lends its securities through an unaffiliated securities lending agent and receives collateral in the form of cash or securities with a value at least equal to the value of the securities on loan. The value of the loaned securities is determined at the close of each business day and any increases or decreases in the required collateral are exchanged between the Fund and the counterparty on the next business day. Cash collateral received is invested in the Securities Lending Fund which seeks to provide a positive return compared to the daily Fed Funds Open Rate by investing in high-quality, U.S. dollar-denominated short-term money market instruments and is exempt from registration under Section 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act. Securities Lending Fund is managed by Funds Management and is subadvised by WellsCap. Funds Management receives an advisory fee starting at 0.05% and declining to 0.01% as the average daily net assets of the Securities Lending Fund increase. All of the fees received by Funds Management are paid to WellsCap for its services as subadviser.

In the event of counterparty default or the failure of a borrower to return a loaned security, the Fund has the right to use the collateral to offset any losses incurred. As of April 30, 2020, the Fund did not have any securities on loan.

7. BANK BORROWINGS

The Trust (excluding the money market funds), Wells Fargo Master Trust and Wells Fargo Variable Trust are parties to a $280,000,000 revolving credit agreement whereby the Fund is permitted to use bank borrowings for temporary or emergency purposes, such as to fund shareholder redemption requests. Interest under the credit agreement is charged to the Fund based on a borrowing rate equal to the higher of the Federal Funds rate in effect on that day plus 1.25% or the overnight LIBOR rate in effect on that day plus 1.25%. In addition, an annual commitment fee equal to 0.25% of the unused balance is allocated to each participating fund.

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, there were no borrowings by the Fund under the agreement.

8. INDEMNIFICATION

Under the Fund’s organizational documents, the officers and Trustees have been granted certain indemnification rights against certain liabilities that may arise out of performance of their duties to the Fund. The Fund has entered into a separate agreement with each Trustee that converts indemnification rights currently existing under the Fund’s organizational documents into contractual rights that cannot be changed in the future without the consent of the Trustee. Additionally, in the normal course of business, the Fund may enter into contracts with service providers that contain a variety of indemnification clauses. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is dependent on future claims that may be made against the Fund and, therefore, cannot be estimated.

9. NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENT

In August 2018, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. ASU 2018-13 updates the disclosure requirements for fair value measurements by modifying or removing certain disclosures and adding certain new disclosures. The amendments are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Early adoption is permitted. Management has adopted the removal and modification of disclosures early, as permitted, and will adopt the additional new disclosures at the effective date.

10. CORONAVIRUS (COVID -19) PANDEMIC

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that it had made the assessment that coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) is a pandemic. The impacts of COVID-19 are adversely affecting the entire global economy, individual companies and investment products, and the market in general. There is significant uncertainty around the extent and duration of business disruptions related to COVID-19 and the impacts may be short term or may last for an extended period of time. The risk of further spreading of COVID-19 has led to significant uncertainty and volatility in the financial markets. The value of the Fund and the securities in which the Fund invests have generally been adversely affected by impacts caused by COVID-19.

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

PROXY VOTING INFORMATION

A description of the policies and procedures used to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available, upon request, by calling 1-800-222-8222, visiting our website at wfam.com, or visiting the SEC website at sec.gov. Information regarding how the proxies related to portfolio securities were voted during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available on the website at wfam.com or by visiting the SEC website at sec.gov.

QUARTERLY PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. Shareholders may view the filed Form N-PORT by visiting the SEC website at sec.gov.

 

 

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Table of Contents

Other information (unaudited)

 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

Each of the Trustees and Officers1 listed in the table below acts in identical capacities for each fund in the Wells Fargo family of funds, which consists of 147 mutual funds comprising the Wells Fargo Funds Trust, Wells Fargo Variable Trust, Wells Fargo Master Trust and four closed-end funds (collectively the “Fund Complex”). This table should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information2. The mailing address of each Trustee and Officer is 525 Market Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105. Each Trustee and Officer serves an indefinite term, however, each Trustee serves such term until reaching the mandatory retirement age established by the Trustees.

Independent Trustees

 

Name and

year of birth

 

Position held and

length of service*

  Principal occupations during past five years or longer  

Current other

public company or

investment

company

directorships

William R. Ebsworth

(Born 1957)

  Trustee, since 2015   Retired. From 1984 to 2013, equities analyst, portfolio manager, research director and chief investment officer at Fidelity Management and Research Company in Boston, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, and retired in 2013 as Chief Investment Officer of Fidelity Strategic Advisers, Inc. where he led a team of investment professionals managing client assets. Prior thereto, Board member of Hong Kong Securities Clearing Co., Hong Kong Options Clearing Corp., the Thailand International Fund, Ltd., Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company, and Empire Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company. Audit Committee Chair and Investment Committee Chair of the Vincent Memorial Hospital Endowment (non-profit organization). Mr. Ebsworth is a CFA® charterholder.   N/A

Jane A. Freeman

(Born 1953)

  Trustee, since 2015; Chair Liaison, since 2018   Retired. From 2012 to 2014 and 1999 to 2008, Chief Financial Officer of Scientific Learning Corporation. From 2008 to 2012, Ms. Freeman provided consulting services related to strategic business projects. Prior to 1999, Portfolio Manager at Rockefeller & Co. and Scudder, Stevens & Clark. Board member of the Harding Loevner Funds from 1996 to 2014, serving as both Lead Independent Director and chair of the Audit Committee. Board member of the Russell Exchange Traded Funds Trust from 2011 to 2012 and the chair of the Audit Committee. Ms. Freeman is also an inactive Chartered Financial Analyst.   N/A

Isaiah Harris, Jr.

(Born 1952)

  Trustee, since 2009; Audit Committee Chairman, since 2019   Retired. Chairman of the Board of CIGNA Corporation since 2009, and Director since 2005. From 2003 to 2011, Director of Deluxe Corporation. Prior thereto, President and CEO of BellSouth Advertising and Publishing Corp. from 2005 to 2007, President and CEO of BellSouth Enterprises from 2004 to 2005 and President of BellSouth Consumer Services from 2000 to 2003. Emeritus member of the Iowa State University Foundation Board of Governors. Emeritus Member of the Advisory Board of Iowa State University School of Business. Advisory Board Member, Palm Harbor Academy (private school). Advisory Board Member, Child Evangelism Fellowship (non-profit). Mr. Harris is a certified public accountant (inactive status).   CIGNA Corporation

Judith M. Johnson

(Born 1949)

  Trustee, since 2008; Audit Committee Chairman, from 2009 to 2018   Retired. Prior thereto, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Minneapolis Employees Retirement Fund from 1996 to 2008. Ms. Johnson is an attorney, certified public accountant and a certified managerial accountant.   N/A

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

Name and

year of birth

 

Position held and

length of service*

  Principal occupations during past five years or longer  

Current other

public company or

investment

company

directorships

David F. Larcker

(Born 1950)

  Trustee, since 2009   James Irvin Miller Professor of Accounting at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Director of the Corporate Governance Research Initiative and Senior Faculty of The Rock Center for Corporate Governance since 2006. From 2005 to 2008, Professor of Accounting at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Prior thereto, Ernst & Young Professor of Accounting at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania from 1985 to 2005.   N/A

Olivia S. Mitchell

(Born 1953)

  Trustee, since 2006; Nominating and Governance Committee Chair, since 2018   International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Professor, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania since 1993. Director of Wharton’s Pension Research Council and Boettner Center on Pensions & Retirement Research, and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Previously, Cornell University Professor from 1978 to 1993.   N/A

Timothy J. Penny

(Born 1951)

  Trustee, since 1996; Chairman, since 2018   President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, a non-profit organization, since 2007. Member of the Board of Trustees of NorthStar Education Finance, Inc., a non-profit organization, since 2007.   N/A

James G. Polisson

(Born 1959)

  Trustee, since 2018   Retired. Chief Marketing Officer, Source (ETF) UK Services, Ltd, from 2015 to 2017. From 2012 to 2015, Principal of The Polisson Group, LLC, a management consulting, corporate advisory and principal investing company. Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Russell Investments, Global Exchange Traded Funds from 2010 to 2012. Managing Director of Barclays Global Investors from 1998 to 2010 and Global Chief Marketing Officer for iShares and Barclays Global Investors from 2000 to 2010. Trustee of the San Francisco Mechanics’ Institute, a non-profit organization, from 2013 to 2015. Board member of the Russell Exchange Traded Fund Trust from 2011 to 2012. Director of Barclays Global Investors Holdings Deutschland GmbH from 2006 to 2009. Mr. Polisson is an attorney and has a retired status with the Massachusetts and District of Columbia Bar Associations.   N/A

Pamela Wheelock

(Born 1959)

  Trustee, since January 2020; previously Trustee from January 2018 to July 2019   Board member of the Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency, Rochester, Minnesota since 2019 and Interim President of the McKnight Foundation since 2020. Acting Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Human Services, July 2019 through September 2019. Human Services Manager (part-time), Minnesota Department of Human Services, October 2019 through December 2019. Chief Operating Officer, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity from 2017 to 2019. Vice President of University Services, University of Minnesota from 2012 to 2016. Prior thereto, on the Board of Directors, Governance Committee and Finance Committee for the Minnesota Philanthropy Partners (Saint Paul Foundation) from 2012 to 2018, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota from 2011 to 2012, Chairman of the Board from 2009 to 2012 and Board Director from 2003 to 2015. Vice President, Leadership and Community Engagement, Bush Foundation, Saint Paul, Minnesota (a private foundation) from 2009 to 2011. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Minnesota Sports and Entertainment from 2004 to 2009 and Senior Vice President from 2002 to 2004. Executive Vice President of the Minnesota Wild Foundation from 2004 to 2008. Commissioner of Finance, State of Minnesota, from 1999 to 2002. Currently Board Chair of the Minnesota Wild Foundation since 2010.   N/A

 

*

Length of service dates reflect the Trustee’s commencement of service with the Trust’s predecessor entities, where applicable.

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

Officers

 

Name and

year of birth

 

Position held and

length of service

  Principal occupations during past five years or longer

Andrew Owen

(Born 1960)

  President, since 2017   Executive Vice President of Wells Fargo & Company and Head of Affiliated Managers, Wells Fargo Asset Management, since 2014. In addition, Mr. Owen is currently President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2017. Prior thereto, Executive Vice President responsible for marketing, investments and product development for Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC, from 2009 to 2014.

Jeremy DePalma1

(Born 1974)

  Treasurer, since 2012   Senior Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2009. Senior Vice President of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2008 to 2010 and head of the Fund Reporting and Control Team within Fund Administration from 2005 to 2010.

Michelle Rhee

(Born 1966)

  Chief Legal Officer, since 2019   Secretary of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC, Chief Legal Counsel of Wells Fargo Asset Management and Assistant General Counsel of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. since 2018. Associate General Counsel and Managing Director of Bank of America Corporation from 2004 to 2018.

Catherine Kennedy

(Born 1969)

  Secretary, since 2019   Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC and Senior Counsel of the Wells Fargo Legal Department since 2010. Vice President and Senior Counsel of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 1998 to 2010.

Michael H. Whitaker

(Born 1967)

  Chief Compliance Officer, since 2016   Chief Compliance Officer of Wells Fargo Asset Management since 2016. Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Fidelity Investments from 2007 to 2016.

David Berardi

(Born 1975)

  Assistant Treasurer, since 2009   Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2009. Vice President of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2008 to 2010. Manager of Fund Reporting and Control for Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2004 to 2010.

 

1 

Jeremy DePalma acts as Treasurer of 82 funds and Assistant Treasurer of 65 funds in the Fund Complex.

 

2 

The Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about the Trustees and is available, without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-222-8222 or by visiting the website at wfam.com.

 

 

26  |  Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Appendix I (unaudited)

 

Effective on or about May 1, 2020, if you purchase Fund shares through a Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (“Janney”) brokerage account, you will be eligible for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”), or back-end sales charge, waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end sales charge* waivers on Class A shares available at Janney
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney.
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within ninety (90) days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e., right of reinstatement).
Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Class C shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are converted to Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to Janney’s policies and procedures.
CDSC waivers on Class A and Class C shares available at Janney
Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations.
Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Shares exchanged into the same share class of a different fund.
Front-end sales charge* discounts available at Janney; breakpoints, rights of accumulation and/or letters of intent
Breakpoints as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Rights of accumulation (“ROA”), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Janney. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney Montgomery Scott may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

*

Also referred to as an “initial sales charge.”

 

 

Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund  |  27


Table of Contents

Appendix II (unaudited)

 

Effective on or after May 1, 2020, clients of Edward Jones (also referred to as “shareholders”) purchasing Fund shares on the Edward Jones commission and fee-based platforms are eligible only for the following sales charge discounts (also referred to as “breakpoints”) and waivers, which can differ from breakpoints and waivers described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI or through another broker-dealer. In all instances, it is the shareholder’s responsibility to inform Edward Jones at the time of purchase of any relationship, holdings of Wells Fargo Funds or other facts qualifying the purchaser for breakpoints or waivers. Edward Jones can ask for documentation of such circumstance.

 

Breakpoints available at Edward Jones
Rights of Accumulation (ROA)

The applicable sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares is determined by taking into account all share classes (except any money market funds and retirement plan share classes) of Wells Fargo Funds held by the shareholder or in an account grouped by Edward Jones with other accounts for the purpose of providing certain pricing considerations (“pricing groups”). This includes all share classes held on the Edward Jones platform and/or held on another platform. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the rights of accumulation calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation.

ROA is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value (current shares x NAV).

Letter of Intent (LOI)

Through a LOI, shareholders can receive the sales charge and breakpoint discounts for purchases shareholders intend to makeover a 13-month period from the date Edward Jones receives the LOI. The LOI is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value of qualifying holdings at LOI initiation in combination with the value that the shareholder intends to buy over a 13-month period to calculate the front-end sales charge and any breakpoint discounts. Each purchase the shareholder makes during that 13-month period will receive the sales charge and breakpoint discount that applies to the total amount. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the LOI calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation. Purchases made before the LOI is received by Edward Jones are not covered under the LOI and will not reduce the sales charge previously paid. Sales charges will be adjusted if LOI is not met.

Sales charges are waived for the following shareholders and in the following situations at Edward Jones:

   Associates of Edward Jones and its affiliates and their family members who are in the same pricing group (as determined by Edward Jones under its policies and procedures) as the associate. This waiver will continue for the remainder of the associate’s life if the associate retires from Edward Jones in good-standing.

   Shares purchased in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

   Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment.

   Shares purchased from the proceeds of redeemed shares of the same fund family so long as the following conditions are met: 1) the proceeds are from the sale of shares within 60 days of the purchase, and 2) the sale and purchase are made in the same share class and the same account or the purchase is made in an individual retirement account with proceeds from liquidations in anon-retirement account.

   Shares exchanged into Class A shares from another share class so long as the exchange is into the same fund and was initiated at the discretion of Edward Jones. Edward Jones is responsible for any remaining CDSC due to the fund company, if applicable. Any future purchases are subject to the applicable sales charge as disclosed in the prospectus.

   Exchanges from Class C shares to Class A shares of the same fund, generally, in the 84th month following the anniversary of the purchase date or earlier at the discretion of Edward Jones.

If the shareholder purchases shares that are subject to a CDSC and those shares are redeemed before the CDSC is expired, the shareholder
is responsible to pay the CDSC except in the following conditions available at Edward Jones:

   The death or disability of the shareholder.

   Systematic withdrawals with up to 10% per year of the account value.

   Return of excess contributions from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

   Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulation.

   Shares sold to pay Edward Jones fees or costs in such cases where the transaction is initiated by Edward Jones.

   Shares exchanged in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

   Shares acquired through NAV reinstatement.

 

 

28  |  Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Appendix II (unaudited)

 

Other Important Information for accounts at Edward Jones:
Minimum Purchase Amounts

   $250 initial purchase minimum

   $50 subsequent purchase minimum

Minimum Balances
Edward Jones has the right to redeem at its discretion fund holdings with a balance of $250 or less. The following are examples of accounts that are not included in this policy:

   A fee-based account held on an Edward Jones platform

   A 529 account held on an Edward Jones platform

   An account with an active systematic investment plan or letter of intent (LOI)

Changing Share Classes
At any time it deems necessary, Edward Jones has the authority to exchange at NAV a shareholder’s holdings in a fund to Class A shares.

 

 

Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund  |  29


Table of Contents

Appendix III (unaudited)

 

Effective June 1, 2020, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (“Oppenheimer”) platform or account are eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Oppenheimer
Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan.
Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan.
Shares purchased through an Oppenheimer affiliated investment advisory program.
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Restatement).
A shareholder in the Fund’s Class C shares will have their shares exchanged at net asset value to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of Oppenheimer.
Employees and registered representatives of Oppenheimer or its affiliates and their family members.
Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund’s investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the Prospectus.
CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Oppenheimer
Death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Prospectus.
Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the Prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Oppenheimer fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Oppenheimer.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load Discounts Available at Oppenheimer: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent
Breakpoints as described in the Prospectus.
Rights of Accumulation (ROA), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Oppenheimer. Eligible fund family assets not held at Oppenheimer may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

 

30  |  Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund


Table of Contents

Appendix IV (unaudited)

 

Effective June 15, 2020, shareholders purchasing fund shares through a Robert W. Baird & Co. (“Baird”) platform or account will only be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and CDSC waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or the SAI.

 

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Baird
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing share of the same fund.
Share purchase by employees and registers representatives of Baird or its affiliate and their family members as designated by Baird.
Shares purchase from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same accounts, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as rights of reinstatement).
A shareholder in the Funds Investor C Shares will have their share exchanged at net asset value to Investor A shares of the fund if the shares are no longer subject to CDSC and the exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of Baird.
Employer-sponsored retirement plans or charitable accounts in a transactional brokerage account at Baird, including 401(k)plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs.
CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Baird
Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares bought due to returns of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 72 as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Baird fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Baird.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load Discounts Available at Baird: Breakpoint and/or Rights of Accumulation
Breakpoints as described in the Prospectus.
Rights of accumulations which entitles shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Baird. Eligible fund family assets not held at Baird may be included in the rights of accumulations calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of Intent (LOI) allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family through Baird, over a 13-month period of time.

 

 

Wells Fargo Intrinsic World Equity Fund  |  31


Table of Contents

 

This page is intentionally left blank.


Table of Contents

LOGO

For more information

More information about Wells Fargo Funds is available free upon request. To obtain literature, please write, visit the Fund’s website, or call:

Wells Fargo Funds

P.O. Box 219967

Kansas City, MO 64121-9967

Website: wfam.com

Individual investors: 1-800-222-8222

Retail investment professionals: 1-888-877-9275

Institutional investment professionals: 1-866-765-0778

 

LOGO

 

This report and the financial statements contained herein are submitted for the general information of the shareholders of the Fund. If this report is used for promotional purposes, distribution of the report must be accompanied or preceded by a current prospectus. Before investing, please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the investment. For a current prospectus and, if available, a summary prospectus, containing this information, call 1-800-222-8222 or visit the Fund’s website at wfam.com. Read the prospectus carefully before you invest or send money.

Wells Fargo Asset Management (WFAM) is the trade name for certain investment advisory/management firms owned by Wells Fargo & Company. These firms include but are not limited to Wells Capital Management Incorporated and Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC. Certain products managed by WFAM entities are distributed by Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (a broker-dealer and Member FINRA).

This material is for general informational and educational purposes only and is NOT intended to provide investment advice or a recommendation of any kind—including a recommendation for any specific investment, strategy, or plan.

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED    NO BANK GUARANTEE     MAY LOSE VALUE


© 2019 Wells Fargo & Company. All rights reserved.

PAR-0520-00421 06-20

SA241/SAR241 04-20

 

 



Table of Contents

LOGO

Semi-Annual Report

April 30, 2020

 

Wells Fargo

Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund

 

 

 

 

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by new regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Wells Fargo Funds’ annual and semi-annual shareholder reports issued after this date will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, the reports will be made available on the Funds’ website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website address to access the report.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund electronically at any time by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) or, if you are a direct investor, by calling 1-800-222-8222 or by enrolling at wellsfargo.com/advantagedelivery.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can contact your financial intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports; if you invest directly with the Fund, you can call 1-800-222-8222. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Wells Fargo Funds held in your account with your financial intermediary or, if you are a direct investor, to all Wells Fargo Funds that you hold.


Table of Contents

 

 

Reduce clutter.

Save trees.

Sign up for electronic
delivery of prospectuses and
shareholder reports at wellsfargo.com/
advantagedelivery

 

The views expressed and any forward-looking statements are as of April 30, 2020, unless otherwise noted, and are those of the Fund managers and/or Wells Fargo Asset Management. Discussions of individual securities, or the markets generally, or any Wells Fargo Fund are not intended as individual recommendations. Future events or results may vary significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. The views expressed are subject to change at any time in response to changing circumstances in the market. Wells Fargo Asset Management and the Fund disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any views expressed or forward-looking statements.

 

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED    NO BANK GUARANTEE    MAY LOSE VALUE


 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund  |  1


Table of Contents

Letter to shareholders (unaudited)

 

LOGO

Andrew Owen

President

Wells Fargo Funds

“The period began with a tailwind created by central bank support.”

Dear Shareholder:

We are pleased to offer you this semi-annual report for the Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund for the six-month period that ended April 30, 2020. Global stock markets saw earlier gains erased in February and March as governments took unprecedented measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus at the expense of short-term economic output. Markets rebounded in April to lessen the losses as central banks attempted to bolster capital markets and confidence. Fixed-income markets performed better, with the exception of high-yield bonds, as U.S. bonds overall achieved modest gains.

For the six-month period, U.S. stocks, based on the S&P 500 Index,1 returned -3.16% and international stocks, as measured by the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net),2 fell 13.22%. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net)3 lost 10.50%. For bond investors, the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index4 added 4.86%, the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Index5 returned -0.97%, the Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index6 returned -1.33%, and the ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index7 lost 7.68%.

The period began with a tailwind created by central bank support.

The period began with a tailwind that had been created by U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cuts in the summer and early fall. Equity markets rallied in November despite ongoing geopolitical risks. Hopes for a U.S.-China trade deal buoyed investor confidence. U.S. business sentiment edged up, and manufacturing and services activity rose. With that positive backdrop, developed market equities outpaced those in emerging markets, and U.S. stocks outperformed non-U.S. stocks overall. While consumer confidence and purchasing manager activity rose in the eurozone, China reported weakening manufacturing and consumer data. Bond yields rose marginally, leading to slightly negative returns for global government and investment-grade corporate bonds.

Financial markets ended 2019 with a boost from the U.S. and China accord on a Phase One trade deal. That, along with the landslide win by the pro-Brexit U.K. Conservative Party in a national election and ongoing central bank support, gave investors greater confidence. U.S. economic indicators were positive overall, with the exception of manufacturing activity and business confidence. Consumer confidence was resilient, fed by a robust labor market, tame inflation, and lower interest rates, which boosted housing affordability and stimulated homebuyer activity. The impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump had little impact on markets. Meanwhile, slowing Chinese economic activity, partly attributable to the trade war, led to further government stimulus at year-end through lower reserve ratios, allowing banks to lend more money.

The year-end rally continued in early January 2020. However, capital market volatility spiked in late January on concerns over the potential impact of the coronavirus on the global economy and stock markets. With sentiment somewhat souring, perceived safe

 

 

 

1 

The S&P 500 Index consists of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation. It is a market-value-weighted index with each stock’s weight in the index proportionate to its market value. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

2 

The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) All Country World Index (ACWI) ex USA Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the United States. Source: MSCI. MSCI makes no express or implied warranties or representations and shall have no liability whatsoever with respect to any MSCI data contained herein. The MSCI data may not be further redistributed or used as a basis for other indices or any securities or financial products. This report is not approved, reviewed, or produced by MSCI. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

3 

The MSCI Emerging Markets (EM) Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure equity market performance of emerging markets. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

4 

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment-grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

5 

The Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Index is an unmanaged index that provides a broad-based measure of the global investment-grade fixed-income markets excluding the U.S. dollar-denominated debt market. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

6 

The Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index is an unmanaged index composed of long-term tax-exempt bonds with a minimum credit rating of Baa. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

7 

The ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index is a market-capitalization-weighted index of domestic and Yankee high-yield bonds. The index tracks the performance of high-yield securities traded in the U.S. bond market. You cannot invest directly in an index. Copyright 2020. ICE Data Indices, LLC. All rights reserved.

 

 

2  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund


Table of Contents

Letter to shareholders (unaudited)

 

havens did well in January. The U.S. dollar and Japanese yen both rose, and government bonds outperformed equities. While the S&P 500 Index held its ground, emerging market equities tumbled, including those in Asia.

In February, the coronavirus became the major market focus. Fears of the virus’s impact on global growth led to expectations of increased global central bank monetary policy support. That led the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield to fall to an all-time low of 1.1% by the end of the month. Although equity markets initially shrugged off concerns about the outbreak, focusing instead on strong fourth-quarter earnings and improving business confidence in January, market sentiment turned sharply lower toward month-end. Oil prices tumbled as Russia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries compounded a major decline in oil demand with a brutal price war, causing the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil to fall 13% in February alone.

The global spread of the coronavirus led many countries to clamp down on social and business-related activity in order to contain the virus from causing even greater devastation and overwhelming the health care system. This abrupt stoppage of economic activity led to the sharp deceleration of global output, sending economies into a deep contraction. Central bank responses were swift, as they slashed interest rates and expanded quantitative easing programs to restore liquidity and confidence to the markets. In the U.S., the Fed launched several lending programs, funding investment-grade bonds, money market mutual funds, and commercial paper while purchasing Treasuries, mortgage-backed securities, and overnight repurchase agreements . Meanwhile, stock markets tumbled quickly into a bear market, ending the longest bull stock market in U.S. history.

Markets rebounded strongly in April after the extreme volatility of the previous two months, with the S&P 500 Index gaining 12.8% for the month and the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net) returning 7.6%. The rebound was fueled by unprecedented stimulus measures taken by governments and central banks to buffer the economic damage created by mass shutdowns to try to contain the virus’s spread. The U.S. economy contracted by an annualized 4.8% pace in the first quarter, with 30 million new unemployment insurance claims in six weeks. In the eurozone, first-quarter real gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 3.8%, with the composite April Flash Purchasing Managers’ Index, a monthly survey of purchasing managers, falling to an all-time low of 13.5. The European Central Bank expanded its quantitative easing to include the purchase of additional government bonds of countries with the greatest virus-related need, including Italy and Spain. China’s first-quarter GDP fell by 6.8% year over year. However, retail sales, production, and investment showed signs of recovery. Extreme oil price volatility continued as global supply far exceeded demand.

Don’t let short-term uncertainty derail long-term investment goals.

Periods of investment uncertainty can present challenges, but experience has taught us that maintaining long-term investment goals can be an effective way to plan for the future. To help you create a sound strategy based on your personal goals and risk tolerance, Wells Fargo Funds offers more than 100 mutual funds spanning a wide range of asset classes and investment styles. Although diversification cannot guarantee an investment profit or prevent losses, we believe it can be an effective way to manage investment risk and potentially smooth out overall portfolio performance. We encourage investors to know their investments and to understand that appropriate levels of risk-taking may unlock opportunities.

Thank you for choosing to invest with Wells Fargo Funds. We appreciate your confidence in us and remain committed to helping you meet your financial needs.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Andrew Owen

President

Wells Fargo Funds

 

“The global spread of the coronavirus led many countries to clamp down on social and business-related activity in order to contain the virus from causing even greater devastation and overwhelming the health care system.”

 

 

For further information about your Fund, contact your investment professional, visit our website at wfam.com,

or call us directly at 1-800-222-8222.

 

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund  |  3


Table of Contents

Performance highlights (unaudited)

 

Investment objective

The Fund seeks to achieve long-term capital appreciation and current income.

Manager

Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC

Subadviser

Wells Capital Management Incorporated

Portfolio managers

Alison Shimada

Elaine Tse

Average annual total returns (%) as of April 30, 2020    

 

 
        Including sales charge     Excluding sales charge     Expense ratios1 (%)  
 
    Inception date   1 year     5 year     Since
inception
    1 year     5 year     Since
inception
    Gross     Net2  
                   
Class A (EQIAX)   5-31-2012     -21.03       -3.70       1.19       -16.21       -2.55       1.95       1.70       1.56  
                   
Class C (EQICX)   5-31-2012     -17.90       -3.30       1.18       -16.90       -3.30       1.18       2.45       2.31  
                   
Class R (EQIHX)3   9-30-2015                       -16.45       -2.80       1.70       1.95       1.81  
                   
Class R6 (EQIRX)4   9-30-2015                       -15.90       -2.12       2.38       1.27       1.18  
                   
Administrator Class (EQIDX)   5-31-2012                       -16.20       -2.38       2.14       1.62       1.46  
                   
Institutional Class (EQIIX)   5-31-2012                       -15.96       -2.17       2.35       1.37       1.23  
                   
MSCI EM Index (Net)5                         -12.00       -0.10       2.68            
*   Return based on the inception date of Fund’s oldest class.

Figures quoted represent past performance, which is no guarantee of future results, and do not reflect taxes that a shareholder may pay on an investment in a fund. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance shown without sales charges would be lower if sales charges were reflected. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted, which assumes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. Current month-end performance is available on the Fund’s website, wfam.com.

Index returns do not include transaction costs associated with buying and selling securities, any mutual fund fees or expenses, or any taxes. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

For Class A shares, the maximum front-end sales charge is 5.75%. For Class C shares, the maximum contingent deferred sales charge is 1.00%. Performance including a contingent deferred sales charge assumes the sales charge for the corresponding time period. Class R, Class R6, Administrator Class, and Institutional Class shares are sold without a front-end sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge.

Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of individual companies and general market and economic conditions. Foreign investments are especially volatile and can rise or fall dramatically due to differences in the political and economic conditions of the host country. These risks are generally intensified in emerging markets. The use of derivatives may reduce returns and/or increase volatility. Certain investment strategies tend to increase the total risk of investment (relative to the broader market). The Fund is exposed to smaller-company securities risk. Consult the Fund’s prospectus for additional information on these and other risks.

 

Please see footnotes on page 5.

 

 

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Table of Contents

Performance highlights (unaudited)

 

Ten largest holdings (%) as of April 30, 20206  
   

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited

     5.82  
   

Samsung Electronics Company Limited

     5.37  
   

China Construction Bank H Shares

     2.77  
   

China Mobile Limited

     2.52  
   

Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Limited H Shares

     2.41  
   

Ping An Insurance Group Company H Shares

     2.28  
   

Naspers Limited

     1.70  
   

Infosys Limited

     1.63  
   

Samsung Electronics Company Limited

     1.49  
   

SK Hynix Incorporated

     1.46  

 

Sector allocation as of April 30, 20207
LOGO
 

 

Country allocation as of April 30, 20207
LOGO

    

 

 

 

1 

Reflects the expense ratios as stated in the most recent prospectuses, which include the impact of 0.01% in acquired fund fees and expenses. The expense ratios shown are subject to change and may differ from the annualized expense ratios shown in the financial highlights of this report, which do not include acquired fund fees and expenses.

 

2 

The manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2021, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers at 1.55% for Class A, 2.30% for Class C, 1.80% for Class R, 1.17% for Class R6, 1.45% for Administrator Class, and 1.22% for Institutional Class. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. Without this cap, the Fund’s returns would have been lower. The expense ratio paid by an investor is the net expense ratio (the total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers) as stated in the prospectuses.

 

3 

Historical performance shown for the Class R shares prior to their inception reflects the performance of the Administrator Class shares, adjusted to reflect the higher expenses applicable to the Class R shares.

 

4 

Historical performance shown for the Class R6 shares prior to their inception reflects the performance of the Institutional Class shares, and includes the higher expenses applicable to the Institutional Class shares. If these expenses had not been included, returns for the Class R6 shares would be higher.

 

5 

The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Emerging Markets (EM) Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of emerging markets. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

6 

The ten largest holdings, excluding cash, cash equivalents and any money market funds, are calculated based on the value of the investments divided by total net assets of the Fund. Holdings are subject to change and may have changed since the date specified.

 

7 

Amounts are calculated based on the total long-term investments of the Fund. These amounts are subject to change and may have changed since the date specified.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund  |  5


Table of Contents

Fund expenses (unaudited)

 

As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments and contingent deferred sales charges (if any) on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution (12b-1) and/or shareholder servicing fees, and other Fund expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the six-month period and held for the entire period from November 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020.

Actual expenses

The “Actual” line of the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the “Actual” line under the heading entitled “Expenses paid during period” for your applicable class of shares to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The “Hypothetical” line of the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads) and contingent deferred sales charges. Therefore, the “Hypothetical” line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     Beginning
account value
11-1-2019
     Ending
account value
4-30-2020
     Expenses
paid during
the period¹
     Annualized net
expense ratio
 
         

Class A

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 831.87      $ 6.92        1.52

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,017.30      $ 7.62        1.52
         

Class C

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 828.19      $ 10.50        2.31

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,013.38      $ 11.56        2.31
         

Class R

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 830.49      $ 8.24        1.81

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,015.86      $ 9.07        1.81
         

Class R6

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 833.17      $ 5.33        1.17

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,019.05      $ 5.87        1.17
         

Administrator Class

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 831.68      $ 6.60        1.45

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,017.65      $ 7.27        1.45
         

Institutional Class

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 833.04      $ 5.56        1.22

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,018.80      $ 6.12        1.22

 

1

Expenses paid is equal to the annualized net expense ratio of each class multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent fiscal half-year divided by the number of days in the fiscal year (to reflect the one-half-year period).

 

 

6  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Common Stocks: 92.74%

 

Brazil: 2.93%  

B3 Brasil Bolsa Balcao SA (Financials, Capital Markets)

          531,100      $ 3,752,342  

Banco BTG Pactual SA (Financials, Capital Markets)

          441,300        3,432,757  

Petrobras Distribuidora SA (Consumer Discretionary, Specialty Retail)

          885,200        3,179,160  

Vale SA (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          609,674        5,029,511  
             15,393,770  
          

 

 

 
Chile: 0.51%  

Sociedad Quimica Minera de Chile (Materials, Chemicals)

          116,616        2,658,845  
          

 

 

 
China: 36.65%  

Beijing Enterprises Water Group Limited (Utilities, Water Utilities)

          6,640,000        2,576,663  

China Communications Services Corporation Limited H Shares (Industrials, Construction & Engineering)

          7,858,000        5,601,280  

China Construction Bank H Shares (Financials, Banks)

          18,126,000        14,549,072  

China Life Insurance Company H Shares (Financials, Insurance)

          1,937,000        4,131,037  

China Merchants Bank Company Limited H Shares (Financials, Banks)

          997,500        4,720,478  

China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Holdings Company Limited Class A (Real Estate, Real Estate Management & Development)

          1,274,280        3,054,646  

China Mobile Limited (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services)

          1,647,000        13,240,327  

China Overseas Land & Investment Limited (Real Estate, Real Estate Management & Development)

          1,540,000        5,688,676  

China Resources Land Limited (Real Estate, Real Estate Management & Development)

          1,520,000        6,280,949  

China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited Class A (Industrials, Construction & Engineering)

          5,048,300        3,710,597  

China State Construction International Holdings (Industrials, Construction & Engineering)

          5,722,000        4,436,301  

China Vanke Company Limited Class A (Real Estate, Real Estate Management & Development)

          1,298,064        4,870,967  

China Yongda Automobile Service Holding Company (Consumer Discretionary, Specialty Retail)

          3,413,500        3,441,273  

ENN Energy Holdings Limited (Utilities, Gas Utilities)

          381,700        4,302,699  

Geely Automobile Holdings Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Automobiles)

          1,786,000        2,778,162  

Haier Smart Home Company Limited Class A (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          2,210,621        4,771,433  

Hangzhou Robam Appliances Company Limited Class A (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          753,285        3,360,900  

Hengan International Group Company Limited (Consumer Staples, Personal Products)

          784,500        6,976,515  

Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Limited H Shares (Financials, Banks)

          18,829,000        12,625,016  

Kunlun Energy Company Limited (Utilities, Gas Utilities)

          3,946,000        2,570,800  

Lenovo Group Limited (Information Technology, Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals)

          5,946,000        3,212,011  

Midea Group Company Limited Class A (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          772,160        5,786,121  

Nari Technology Company Limited Class A (Industrials, Electrical Equipment)

          1,604,968        4,529,994  

NetEase Incorporated ADR (Communication Services, Entertainment)

          13,921        4,802,188  

PetroChina Company Limited H Shares (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          6,986,000        2,509,312  

PICC Property & Casualty Company Limited H Shares (Financials, Insurance)

          3,314,000        3,171,318  

Ping An Insurance Group Company H Shares (Financials, Insurance)

          1,175,000        11,957,104  

Sands China Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure)

          642,000        2,599,134  

Shimao Property Holding Limited (Real Estate, Real Estate Management & Development)

          939,500        3,818,949  

Sinopharm Group Company Limited H Shares (Health Care, Health Care Providers & Services)

          1,779,200        4,797,363  

Suzhou Gold Mantis Construction Decoration Company Limited Class A (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          4,888,800        5,527,643  

Tingyi Holding Corporation (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          2,912,000        5,169,091  

Topsports International Holdings Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods)

          2,487,000        3,143,971  

Uni-President China Holdings Limited (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          2,539,000        2,548,999  

Wanhua Chemical Group Company Limited Class A (Materials, Chemicals)

          477,500        3,007,500  

Weichai Power Company Limited H Shares (Industrials, Machinery)

          2,280,000        4,005,980  

WH Group Limited (Consumer Staples, Food Products) 144A

          4,027,500        3,841,238  

Zhengzhou Yutong Bus Company Limited Class A (Industrials, Machinery)

          2,303,211        4,237,543  
             192,353,250  
          

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund  |  7


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Greece: 0.83%

 

Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA (Communication Services, Diversified Telecommunication Services)

          328,104      $ 4,334,742  
          

 

 

 
Hong Kong: 2.65%  

ASM Pacific Technology (Information Technology, Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment)

          372,700        3,766,024  

China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (Industrials, Transportation Infrastructure)

          3,878,000        4,991,232  

CNOOC Limited (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          2,232,000        2,467,747  

Man Wah Holdings Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          4,675,200        2,684,874  
             13,909,877  
          

 

 

 
India: 7.95%  

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          1,481,945        7,250,145  

Embassy Office Parks REIT (Real Estate, Equity REITs)

          841,000        4,127,846  

Gail India Limited (Utilities, Gas Utilities)

          2,985,069        3,777,109  

Hero Motorcorp Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Automobiles)

          138,710        3,956,481  

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          1,743,982        5,089,787  

Infosys Limited (Information Technology, IT Services)

          916,802        8,569,467  

Mahanagar Gas Limited (Utilities, Gas Utilities)

          297,291        3,831,477  

Tech Mahindra Limited (Information Technology, IT Services)

          711,389        5,116,368  
             41,718,680  
          

 

 

 
Indonesia: 1.77%  

PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia Tbk (Financials, Banks)

          15,714,500        2,858,269  

PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Persero Tbk (Communication Services, Diversified Telecommunication Services)

          27,932,300        6,423,088  
             9,281,357  
          

 

 

 
Malaysia: 0.90%  

CIMB Group Holdings Bhd (Financials, Banks)

          2,670,961        2,135,647  

RHB Bank Bhd (Financials, Banks)

          2,370,200        2,608,391  
             4,744,038  
          

 

 

 
Mexico: 1.91%  

Infraestructura Energetica Nova SAB de CV (Utilities, Gas Utilities)

          1,166,100        3,869,743  

Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CV Class A (Consumer Staples, Household Products)

          1,721,225        2,431,754  

Walmart de Mexico SAB de CV (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          1,542,191        3,722,221  
             10,023,718  
          

 

 

 
Netherlands: 0.79%  

X5 Retail Group NV GDR (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          140,064        4,133,734  
          

 

 

 
Peru: 0.43%  

Credicorp Limited (Financials, Banks)

          15,178        2,261,826  
          

 

 

 
Philippines: 0.43%  

Bank of the Philippine Islands (Financials, Banks)

          1,982,560        2,277,071  
          

 

 

 
Qatar: 0.45%  

Qatar National Bank (Financials, Banks)

          497,916        2,348,489  
          

 

 

 
Russia: 2.65%  

LUKOIL PJSC ADR (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          43,179        2,816,900  

Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works PJSC (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          5,326,100        2,874,709  

Mobile TeleSystems PJSC ADR (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services)

          377,085        3,231,618  

NovaTek OAO GDR (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

          15,075        2,113,997  

Sberbank PJSC ADR (Financials, Banks)

          269,889        2,865,260  
             13,902,484  
          

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

8  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Saudi Arabia: 0.89%

 

National Commercial Bank (Financials, Banks)

          471,843      $ 4,656,781  
          

 

 

 
South Africa: 3.62%  

Gold Fields Limited ADR (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          583,371        4,281,943  

Naspers Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Internet & Direct Marketing Retail)

          57,413        8,936,241  

Standard Bank Group Limited (Financials, Banks)

          475,723        2,621,218  

The Bidvest Group Limited (Industrials, Industrial Conglomerates)

          392,250        3,185,434  
             19,024,836  
          

 

 

 
South Korea: 10.36%  

Coway Company Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          45,632        2,312,712  

KB Financial Group Incorporated (Financials, Banks)

          158,016        4,521,044  

NH Investment & Securities Company Limited (Financials, Capital Markets)

          455,189        3,622,285  

Samsung Electronics Company Limited (Information Technology, Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals)

          686,059        28,209,049  

Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance (Financials, Insurance)

          16,890        2,648,897  

SK Hynix Incorporated (Information Technology, Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment)

          111,489        7,672,400  

SK Telecom Company Limited (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services)

          31,137        5,411,726  
             54,398,113  
          

 

 

 
Taiwan: 13.13%  

Accton Technology Corporation (Information Technology, Communications Equipment)

          525,000        3,805,760  

ASE Technology Holding Company Limited (Information Technology, Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment)

          1,350,350        3,008,190  

CTBC Financial Holding Company Limited (Financials, Banks)

          8,016,000        5,341,802  

Delta Electronics Incorporated (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          861,000        4,015,881  

Hon Hai Precision Industry Company Limited (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          1,526,704        3,923,578  

Largan Precision Company Limited (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          17,800        2,426,381  

Mediatek Incorporated (Information Technology, Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment)

          313,000        4,322,038  

Quanta Computer Incorporated (Information Technology, Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals)

          2,559,000        5,529,147  

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (Information Technology, Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment)

          3,028,000        30,545,846  

Uni-President Enterprises Corporation (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          1,189,000        2,768,451  

Wiwynn Corporation (Information Technology, Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals)

          125,500        3,220,219  
             68,907,293  
          

 

 

 
Thailand: 1.25%  

Advanced Info Service PCL (Communication Services, Wireless Telecommunication Services)

          619,100        3,764,623  

Bangkok Commercial Asset Management Public Company Limited (Financials, Capital Markets)

          3,806,000        2,823,180  
             6,587,803  
          

 

 

 
United Arab Emirates: 0.46%  

First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC (Financials, Banks)

          779,546        2,430,877  
          

 

 

 
United Kingdom: 1.40%  

Polymetal International plc (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          358,007        7,331,591  
          

 

 

 
United States: 0.78%  

Southern Copper Corporation (Materials, Metals & Mining)

          126,456        4,102,233  
          

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks (Cost $493,346,301)

 

     486,781,408  
  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund  |  9


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

     Dividend yield             Shares      Value  
Preferred Stocks: 3.28%  
Brazil: 1.79%  

Banco Bradesco SA (Financials, Banks)

    2.81        940,218      $ 3,311,053  

Itaúsa Investimentos Itaú SA (Financials, Banks)

    5.44                                   2,032,119        3,363,260  

Petroleo Brasil SP ADR (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels)

    3.30          407,383        2,717,245  
                        9,391,558  
         

 

 

 
South Korea: 1.49%  

Samsung Electronics Company Limited (Information Technology, Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals)

    1.79          225,149        7,804,925  
         

 

 

 
Total Preferred Stocks (Cost $18,603,445)      17,196,483  
  

 

 

 
         
    Yield                      
Short-Term Investments: 3.70%  
Investment Companies: 3.70%  

Wells Fargo Government Money Market Fund Select Class (l)(u)

    0.19          19,443,373        19,443,373        
         

 

 

 

Total Short-Term Investments (Cost $19,443,373)

 

     19,443,373  
  

 

 

 

 

Total investments in securities (Cost $531,393,119)     99.72        523,421,264  

Other assets and liabilities, net

    0.28          1,459,447  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 
Total net assets     100.00      $ 524,880,711  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

144A

The security may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers, pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933.

(l)

The issuer of the security is an affiliated person of the Fund as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

(u)

The rate represents the 7-day annualized yield at period end.

Abbreviations:

 

ADR

American depositary receipt

 

GDR

Global depositary receipt

 

REIT

Real estate investment trust

Investments in Affiliates

An affiliated investment is an investment in which the Fund owns at least 5% of the outstanding voting shares of the issuer or as a result of other relationships, such as the Fund and the issuer having the same investment manager. Transactions with issuers that were either affiliated persons of the Fund at the beginning of the period or the end of the period were as follows:

 

    Shares,
beginning of
period
    Shares
purchased
    Shares
sold
    Shares,
end of
period
    Net
realized
gains
(losses)
    Net
change in
unrealized
gains
(losses)
    Income
from
affiliated
securities
    Value,
end of
period
    % of
net
assets
 
Short-Term Investments                                                      

Investment Companies

                 

Wells Fargo Government Money Market Fund Select Class

    11,617,435       220,772,785       (212,946,847     19,443,373     $ 0     $ 0     $ 115,559     $ 19,443,373       3.70

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

10  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund


Table of Contents

Statement of assets and liabilities—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

         

Assets

 

Investments in unaffiliated securities, at value (cost $511,949,746)

  $ 503,977,891  

Investments in affiliated securities, at value (cost $19,443,373)

    19,443,373  

Cash

    207,346  

Foreign currency, at value (cost $2,143,202)

    2,170,566  

Receivable for investments sold

    940,828  

Receivable for Fund shares sold

    750,064  

Receivable for dividends

    672,173  
 

 

 

 

Total assets

    528,162,241  
 

 

 

 

Liabilities

 

Payable for investments purchased

    1,000,986  

Payable for Fund shares redeemed

    941,771  

Management fee payable

    365,579  

Administration fees payable

    54,202  

Distribution fees payable

    5,678  

Custody and accounting fees payable

    716,022  

Trustees’ fees and expenses payable

    8,979  

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

    188,313  
 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

    3,281,530  
 

 

 

 

Total net assets

  $ 524,880,711  
 

 

 

 

Net assets consist of

 

Paid-in capital

  $ 606,243,384  

Total distributable loss

    (81,362,673
 

 

 

 

Total net assets

  $ 524,880,711  
 

 

 

 

Computation of net asset value and offering price per share

 

Net assets – Class A

  $ 82,251,609  

Shares outstanding – Class A1

    8,860,296  

Net asset value per share – Class A

    $9.28  

Maximum offering price per share – Class A2

    $9.85  

Net assets – Class C

  $ 9,336,177  

Shares outstanding – Class C1

    1,013,440  

Net asset value per share – Class C

    $9.21  

Net assets – Class R

  $ 83,884  

Shares outstanding – Class R1

    9,035  

Net asset value per share – Class R

    $9.28  

Net assets – Class R6

  $ 70,763,423  

Shares outstanding – Class R61

    7,609,762  

Net asset value per share – Class R6

    $9.30  

Net assets – Administrator Class

  $ 3,803,568  

Shares outstanding – Administrator Class1

    406,244  

Net asset value per share – Administrator Class

    $9.36  

Net assets – Institutional Class

  $ 358,642,050  

Shares outstanding – Institutional Class1

    38,517,056  

Net asset value per share – Institutional Class

    $9.31  

 

1 

The Fund has an unlimited number of authorized shares.

 

2 

Maximum offering price is computed as 100/94.25 of net asset value. On investments of $50,000 or more, the offering price is reduced.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund  |  11


Table of Contents

Statement of operations—six months ended April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

         

Investment income

 

Dividends (net of foreign withholding taxes of $888,093)

  $ 6,883,681  

Income from affiliated securities

    115,559  
 

 

 

 

Total investment income

    6,999,240  
 

 

 

 

Expenses

 

Management fee

    3,232,504  

Administration fees

 

Class A

    85,853  

Class C

    12,032  

Class R

    96  

Class R6

    11,726  

Administrator Class

    3,025  

Institutional Class

    285,724  

Shareholder servicing fees

 

Class A

    102,206  

Class C

    14,323  

Class R

    114  

Administrator Class

    5,504  

Distribution fees

 

Class C

    42,927  

Class R

    95  

Custody and accounting fees

    382,242  

Professional fees

    23,334  

Registration fees

    51,950  

Shareholder report expenses

    49,249  

Trustees’ fees and expenses

    10,969  

Other fees and expenses

    23,003  
 

 

 

 

Total expenses

    4,336,876  

Less: Fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements

 

Fund-level

    (256,652

Class A

    (34,461

Class C

    (2,188

Class R6

    (1,716

Administrator Class

    (1,356

Institutional Class

    (115,296
 

 

 

 

Net expenses

    3,925,207  
 

 

 

 

Net investment income

    3,074,033  
 

 

 

 

Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

 

Net realized gains (losses) on

 

Unaffiliated securities

    (47,782,114

Forward foreign currency contracts

    17,645  
 

 

 

 

Net realized losses on investments

    (47,764,469

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (64,180,308
 

 

 

 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (111,944,777
 

 

 

 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations

  $ (108,870,744
 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

12  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund


Table of Contents

Statement of changes in net assets

 

    

Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)

    Year ended
October 31, 2019
 

Operations

       

Net investment income

    $ 3,074,033       $ 14,642,116  

Net realized losses on investments

      (47,764,469       (17,671,623

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments

      (64,180,308       62,604,509  
 

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

      (108,870,744       59,575,002  
 

 

 

 

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and net realized gains

       

Class A

      (244,445       (418,262

Class C

      (30,648       (162,480

Class R

      (377       (2,026

Class R6

      (500,281       (1,924,372

Administrator Class

      (23,940       (96,365

Institutional Class

      (2,694,498       (11,264,878
 

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

      (3,494,189       (13,868,383
 

 

 

 

Capital share transactions

    Shares         Shares    

Proceeds from shares sold

       

Class A

    639,279       6,616,581       890,759       9,653,613  

Class C

    41,711       444,051       187,678       2,023,175  

Class R

    1,289       12,822       2,473       27,033  

Class R6

    446,267       4,110,630       4,899,992       51,938,484  

Administrator Class

    16,024       167,693       64,933       717,682  

Institutional Class

    8,270,113       79,969,560       12,066,746       132,238,601  
 

 

 

 
      91,321,337         196,598,588  
 

 

 

 

Reinvestment of distributions

       

Class A

    20,718       234,461       36,560       397,529  

Class C

    2,440       27,031       13,107       141,943  

Class R

    23       257       136       1,481  

Class R6

    37,766       424,020       148,340       1,620,864  

Administrator Class

    2,042       23,093       8,471       92,927  

Institutional Class

    223,725       2,516,314       961,076       10,479,060  
 

 

 

 
      3,225,176         12,733,804  
 

 

 

 

Payment for shares redeemed

       

Class A

    (1,761,010     (18,219,379     (1,047,749     (11,379,904

Class C

    (197,508     (2,014,730     (481,016     (5,160,401

Class R

    (775     (8,156     (3,032     (33,352

Class R6

    (307,728     (3,352,316     (1,153,400     (12,803,248

Administrator Class

    (94,101     (965,417     (116,130     (1,269,026

Institutional Class

    (13,608,549     (136,277,289     (14,855,796     (160,766,339
 

 

 

 
      (160,837,287       (191,412,270
 

 

 

 

Net asset value of shares issued in acquisition

       

Class A

    8,175,872       91,018,144       0       0  

Class C

    94,417       1,044,435       0       0  

Administrator Class

    67,995       763,172       0       0  

Institutional Class

    1,739,066       19,405,947       0       0  
 

 

 

 
      112,231,698         0  
 

 

 

 

Net increase in net assets resulting from capital share transactions

      45,940,924         17,920,122  
 

 

 

 

Total increase (decrease) in net assets

      (66,424,009       63,626,741  
 

 

 

 

Net assets

       

Beginning of period

      591,304,720         527,677,979  
 

 

 

 

End of period

    $ 524,880,711       $ 591,304,720  
 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund  |  13


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS A   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $11.21       $10.33       $11.68       $10.27       $9.97       $11.33  

Net investment income

    0.04       0.24       0.27       0.18 1      0.23 1      0.20  

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (1.92     0.86       (1.36     1.43       0.29       (1.36
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (1.88     1.10       (1.09     1.61       0.52       (1.16

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.05     (0.22     (0.26     (0.20     (0.22     (0.20

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.28       $11.21       $10.33       $11.68       $10.27       $9.97  

Total return2

    (16.81 )%      10.78     (9.47 )%      15.79     5.29     (10.34 )% 

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.68     1.69     1.67     1.68     1.79     1.89

Net expenses

    1.52     1.62     1.62     1.63     1.65     1.65

Net investment income

    1.02     2.12     2.30     1.72     2.34     2.22

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    49     73     69     80     64     84

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $82,252       $20,017       $19,684       $22,774       $26,459       $22,866  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Total return calculations do not include any sales charges. Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

14  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS C   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $11.15       $10.27       $11.63       $10.23       $9.94       $11.32  

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.00 )1,2      0.15       0.18       0.13       0.16 1      0.14  

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (1.91     0.87       (1.35     1.39       0.28       (1.38
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (1.91     1.02       (1.17     1.52       0.44       (1.24

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.03     (0.14     (0.19     (0.12     (0.15     (0.14

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.21       $11.15       $10.27       $11.63       $10.23       $9.94  

Total return3

    (17.18 )%      10.01     (10.20 )%      14.91     4.53     (10.95 )% 

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    2.44     2.44     2.42     2.42     2.54     2.64

Net expenses

    2.31     2.37     2.37     2.38     2.40     2.40

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.07 )%      1.30     1.53     1.18     1.62     1.45

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    49     73     69     80     64     84

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $9,336       $11,958       $13,896       $16,898       $13,327       $10,190  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Amount is more than $(0.005).

 

3 

Total return calculations do not include any sales charges. Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund  |  15


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS R   2019     2018     2017     2016     20151  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $11.22       $10.34       $11.71       $10.30       $9.99       $9.44  

Net investment income (loss)

    0.02 2      0.20       0.24       0.18       0.20 2      (0.01 )2 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (1.92     0.88       (1.37     1.40       0.30       0.56  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (1.90     1.08       (1.13     1.58       0.50       0.55  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.04     (0.20     (0.24     (0.17     (0.19     (0.00 )3 

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.28       $11.22       $10.34       $11.71       $10.30       $9.99  

Total return4

    (16.95 )%      10.61     (9.70 )%      15.39     5.13     5.87

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.89     1.93     1.94     1.91     2.04     2.10

Net expenses

    1.81     1.87     1.87     1.87     1.90     1.90

Net investment income (loss)

    0.42     1.97     2.64     1.69     2.08     (0.90 )% 

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    49     73     69     80     64     84

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $84       $95       $92       $32       $28       $26  

 

1 

For the period from September 30, 2015 (commencement of class operations) to October 31, 2015

 

2 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

3 

Amount is less than $0.005.

 

4 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

16  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
CLASS R6   2019     2018     2017     2016     20151  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $11.23       $10.34       $11.69       $10.29       $9.97       $9.42  

Net investment income (loss)

    0.06       0.31 2      0.32       0.33 2      0.30 2      (0.00 )2,3 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (1.92     0.85       (1.35     1.32       0.27       0.56  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (1.86     1.16       (1.03     1.65       0.57       0.56  

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.07     (0.27     (0.32     (0.25     (0.25     (0.01

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.30       $11.23       $10.34       $11.69       $10.29       $9.97  

Total return4

    (16.68 )%      11.34     (9.05 )%      16.25     5.90     5.91

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.26     1.26     1.24     1.20     1.36     1.40

Net expenses

    1.17     1.17     1.17     1.17     1.20     1.20

Net investment income (loss)

    1.06     2.81     2.58     2.96     3.03     (0.19 )% 

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    49     73     69     80     64     84

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $70,763       $83,481       $36,597       $57,765       $2,592       $26  

 

1 

For the period from September 30, 2015 (commencement of class operations) to October 31, 2015

 

2 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

3 

Amount is more than $(0.005).

 

4 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund  |  17


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
ADMINISTRATOR CLASS   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $11.31       $10.41       $11.76       $10.32       $10.00       $11.35  

Net investment income

    0.04 1      0.25 1      0.22 1      0.18 1      0.25 1      0.23  

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (1.93     0.89       (1.29     1.46       0.29       (1.37
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (1.89     1.14       (1.07     1.64       0.54       (1.14

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.06     (0.24     (0.28     (0.20     (0.22     (0.21

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.36       $11.31       $10.41       $11.76       $10.32       $10.00  

Total return2

    (16.83 )%      11.01     (9.29 )%      15.99     5.56     (10.12 )% 

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.59     1.61     1.57     1.58     1.71     1.76

Net expenses

    1.45     1.45     1.45     1.45     1.45     1.45

Net investment income

    0.81     2.24     1.86     1.73     2.54     2.38

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    49     73     69     80     64     84

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $3,804       $4,686       $4,758       $13,940       $50,970       $43,928  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

18  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

    Six months ended
April 30, 2020

(unaudited)
    Year ended October 31  
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS   2019     2018     2017     2016     2015  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $11.24       $10.35       $11.70       $10.30       $9.98       $11.34  

Net investment income

    0.05 1      0.28       0.32       0.25       0.27 1      0.25 1 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (1.92     0.87       (1.36     1.39       0.30       (1.36
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (1.87     1.15       (1.04     1.64       0.57       (1.11

Distributions to shareholders from

           

Net investment income

    (0.06     (0.26     (0.31     (0.24     (0.25     (0.25

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.31       $11.24       $10.35       $11.70       $10.30       $9.98  

Total return2

    (16.70 )%      11.24     (9.11 )%      16.11     5.84     (9.95 )% 

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

           

Gross expenses

    1.36     1.36     1.34     1.33     1.45     1.51

Net expenses

    1.22     1.22     1.22     1.23     1.25     1.25

Net investment income

    1.01     2.54     2.73     2.32     2.75     2.41

Supplemental data

           

Portfolio turnover rate

    49     73     69     80     64     84

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $358,642       $471,068       $452,650       $514,624       $426,801       $132,918  

 

1 

Calculated based upon average shares outstanding

 

2 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund  |  19


Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

1. ORGANIZATION

Wells Fargo Funds Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on March 10, 1999, is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). As an investment company, the Trust follows the accounting and reporting guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services – Investment Companies. These financial statements report on the Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund (the “Fund”) which is a diversified series of the Trust.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following significant accounting policies, which are consistently followed in the preparation of the financial statements of the Fund, are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Securities valuation

All investments are valued each business day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4 p.m. Eastern Time), although the Fund may deviate from this calculation time under unusual or unexpected circumstances.

Equity securities that are listed on a foreign or domestic exchange or market are valued at the official closing price or, if none, the last sales price. If no sale occurs on the principal exchange or market that day, a fair value price will be determined in accordance with the Fund’s Valuation Procedures.

Forward foreign currency contracts are recorded at the forward rate provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee at Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC (“Funds Management”).

The values of securities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at rates provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee.

Many securities markets and exchanges outside the U.S. close prior to the close of the New York Stock Exchange and therefore may not fully reflect trading or events that occur after the close of the principal exchange in which the foreign securities are traded, but before the close of the New York Stock Exchange. If such trading or events are expected to materially affect the value of such securities, then fair value pricing procedures approved by the Board of Trustees of the Fund are applied. These procedures take into account multiple factors including movements in U.S. securities markets after foreign exchanges close. Foreign securities that are fair valued under these procedures are categorized as Level 2 and the application of these procedures may result in transfers between Level 1 and Level 2. Depending on market activity, such fair valuations may be frequent. Such fair value pricing may result in net asset values that are higher or lower than net asset values based on the last reported sales price or latest quoted bid price. On April 30, 2020, such fair value pricing was used in pricing certain foreign securities.

Investments in registered open-end investment companies are valued at net asset value.

Investments which are not valued using any of the methods discussed above are valued at their fair value, as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees has established a Valuation Committee comprised of the Trustees and has delegated to it the authority to take any actions regarding the valuation of portfolio securities that the Valuation Committee deems necessary or appropriate, including determining the fair value of portfolio securities, unless the determination has been delegated to the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee. The Board of Trustees retains the authority to make or ratify any valuation decisions or approve any changes to the Valuation Procedures as it deems appropriate. On a quarterly basis, the Board of Trustees receives reports on any valuation actions taken by the Valuation Committee or the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee which may include items for ratification.

Foreign currency translation

The accounting records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. The values of other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at rates provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee. Purchases and sales of securities, and income and expenses are converted at the rate of exchange on the respective dates of such transactions. Net realized foreign exchange gains or losses arise from sales of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on securities transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually paid or received. Net unrealized foreign exchange gains and losses arise from changes in the fair value of assets and liabilities other than investments in securities resulting from changes in exchange rates. The changes in net assets arising from changes in exchange rates of securities and the

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

changes in net assets resulting from changes in market prices of securities are not separately presented. Such changes are included in net realized and unrealized gains or losses from investments.

Participation notes

The Fund may invest in participation notes to gain exposure to securities in certain foreign markets. Participation notes are issued by banks or broker-dealers and are designed to offer a return linked to a particular underlying foreign security. Participation notes involve transaction costs, which may be higher than those applicable to the underlying foreign security. The holder of the participation note is entitled to receive from the bank or broker-dealer, an amount equal to the dividend paid by the issuer of the underlying foreign security; however, the holder is not entitled to the same rights (i.e. voting rights) as an owner of the underlying foreign security. Investments in participation notes involve risks beyond those normally associated with a direct investment in an underlying security. The Fund has no rights against the issuer of the underlying foreign security and participation notes expose the Fund to counterparty risk in the event the counterparty does not perform. There is also no assurance there will be a secondary trading market for the participation note or that the trading price of the participation note will equal the underlying value of the foreign security that it seeks to replicate.

Forward foreign currency contracts

A forward foreign currency contract is an agreement between two parties to purchase or sell a specific currency for an agreed-upon price at a future date. The Fund enters into forward foreign currency contracts to facilitate transactions in foreign-denominated securities and to attempt to minimize the risk to the Fund from adverse changes in the relationship between currencies. Forward foreign currency contracts are recorded at the forward rate and marked-to-market daily. When the contracts are closed, realized gains and losses arising from such transactions are recorded as realized gains or losses on forward foreign currency contracts. The Fund is subject to foreign currency risk and may be exposed to risks if the counterparties to the contracts are unable to meet the terms of their contracts or if the value of the foreign currency changes unfavorably. The Fund’s maximum risk of loss from counterparty credit risk is the unrealized gains on the contracts. This risk may be mitigated if there is a master netting arrangement between the Fund and the counterparty.

Security transactions and income recognition

Securities transactions are recorded on a trade date basis. Realized gains or losses are recorded on the basis of identified cost.

Dividend income is recognized on the ex-dividend date, except for certain dividends from foreign securities, which are recorded as soon as the custodian verifies the ex-dividend date. Dividend income from foreign securities is recorded net of foreign taxes withheld where recovery of such taxes is not assured.

Distributions to shareholders

Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date and paid from net investment income monthly and any net realized gains are paid at least annually. Such distributions are determined in accordance with income tax regulations and may differ from U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Dividend sources are estimated at the time of declaration. The tax character of distributions is determined as of the Fund’s fiscal year end. Therefore, a portion of the Fund’s distributions made prior to the Fund’s fiscal year end may be categorized as a tax return of capital at year end.

Federal and other taxes

The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company by distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized capital gains (after reduction for capital loss carryforwards) sufficient to relieve it from all, or substantially all, federal income taxes. Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes was required.

The Fund’s income and federal excise tax returns and all financial records supporting those returns for the prior three fiscal years are subject to examination by the federal and Delaware revenue authorities. Management has analyzed the Fund’s tax positions taken on federal, state, and foreign tax returns for all open tax years and does not believe that there are any uncertain tax positions that require recognition of a tax liability.

As of April 30, 2020, the aggregate cost of all investments for federal income tax purposes was $529,220,930 and the unrealized gains (losses) consisted of:

 

Gross unrealized gains

   $ 43,167,889  

Gross unrealized losses

     (48,967,555

Net unrealized losses

   $ (5,799,666

As of October 31, 2019, the Fund had capital loss carryforwards which consisted of $13,252,661 in short-term capital losses and $12,173,464 in long-term capital losses.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Class allocations

The separate classes of shares offered by the Fund differ principally in applicable sales charges, distribution, shareholder servicing, and administration fees. Class specific expenses are charged directly to that share class. Investment income, common fund-level expenses, and realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments are allocated daily to each class of shares based on the relative proportion of net assets of each class.

3. FAIR VALUATION MEASUREMENTS

Fair value measurements of investments are determined within a framework that has established a fair value hierarchy based upon the various data inputs utilized in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. The three-level hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The Fund’s investments are classified within the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The inputs are summarized into three broad levels as follows:

 

 

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities

 

 

Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

 

 

Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing investments in securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

The following is a summary of the inputs used in valuing the Fund’s assets and liabilities as of April 30, 2020:

 

      Quoted prices
(Level 1)
     Other significant
observable inputs
(Level 2)
    

Significant
unobservable inputs

(Level 3)

     Total  

Assets

           

Investments in:

           

Common stocks

           

Brazil

   $ 15,393,770      $ 0      $ 0      $ 15,393,770  

Chile

     2,658,845        0        0        2,658,845  

China

     4,802,188        187,551,062        0        192,353,250  

Greece

     0        4,334,742        0        4,334,742  

Hong Kong

     0        13,909,877        0        13,909,877  

India

     0        41,718,680        0        41,718,680  

Indonesia

     0        9,281,357        0        9,281,357  

Malaysia

     0        4,744,038        0        4,744,038  

Mexico

     10,023,718        0        0        10,023,718  

Netherlands

     0        4,133,734        0        4,133,734  

Peru

     2,261,826        0        0        2,261,826  

Philippines

     0        2,277,071        0        2,277,071  

Qatar

     0        2,348,489        0        2,348,489  

Russia

     3,231,618        10,670,866        0        13,902,484  

Saudi Arabia

     0        4,656,781        0        4,656,781  

South Africa

     6,903,161        12,121,675        0        19,024,836  

South Korea

     0        54,398,113        0        54,398,113  

Taiwan

     0        68,907,293        0        68,907,293  

Thailand

     2,823,180        3,764,623        0        6,587,803  

United Arab Emirates

     0        2,430,877        0        2,430,877  

United Kingdom

     0        7,331,591        0        7,331,591  

United States

     4,102,233        0        0        4,102,233  

Preferred stocks

           

Brazil

     9,391,558        0        0        9,391,558  

South Korea

     0        7,804,925        0        7,804,925  

Short-term investments

           

Investment companies

     19,443,373        0        0        19,443,373  

Total assets

   $ 81,035,470      $ 442,385,794      $ 0      $ 523,421,264  

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Additional sector, industry or geographic detail is included in the Portfolio of Investments.

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, the Fund did not have any transfers into/out of Level 3.

4. TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

Management fee

Funds Management, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), is the manager of the Fund and provides advisory and fund-level administrative services under an investment management agreement. Under the investment management agreement, Funds Management is responsible for, among other services, implementing the investment objectives and strategies of the Fund, supervising the subadviser and providing fund-level administrative services in connection with the Fund’s operations. As compensation for its services under the investment management agreement, Funds Management is entitled to receive a management fee at the following annual rate based on the Fund’s average daily net assets:

 

Average daily net assets    Management fee  

First $1 billion

     1.050

Next $1 billion

     1.025  

Next $2 billion

     1.000  

Next $1 billion

     0.975  

Next $3 billion

     0.965  

Next $2 billion

     0.955  

Over $10 billion

     0.945  

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, the management fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 1.05% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Funds Management has retained the services of a subadviser to provide daily portfolio management to the Fund. The fee for subadvisory services is borne by Funds Management. Wells Capital Management Incorporated, an affiliate of Funds Management and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo, is the subadviser to the Fund and is entitled to receive a fee from Funds Management at an annual rate starting at 0.65% and declining to 0.45% as the average daily net assets of the Fund increase.

Administration fees

Under a class-level administration agreement, Funds Management provides class-level administrative services to the Fund, which includes paying fees and expenses for services provided by the transfer agent, sub-transfer agents, omnibus account servicers and record-keepers. As compensation for its services under the class-level administration agreement, Funds Management receives an annual fee which is calculated based on the average daily net assets of each class as follows:

 

     

Class-level

administration fee

 

Class A, Class C, Class R

     0.21

Class R6

     0.03  

Administrator Class, Institutional Class

     0.13  

Waivers and/or expense reimbursements

Funds Management has contractually waived and/or reimbursed management and administration fees to the extent necessary to maintain certain net operating expense ratios for the Fund. When each class of the Fund has exceeded its expense cap, Funds Management has waived fees and/or reimbursed expenses from fund-level expenses on a proportionate basis and then from class specific expenses. When only certain classes exceed their expense caps, waivers and/or reimbursements are applied against class specific expenses before fund-level expenses. Funds Management has committed through February 28, 2021 to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap the Fund’s expenses at 1.55% for Class A shares, 2.30% for Class C shares, 1.80% for Class R shares, 1.17% for Class R6 shares, 1.45% for Administrator Class shares, and 1.22% for Institutional Class shares. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. Prior to December 7, 2019, the Fund’s expenses were capped at 1.62% for Class A shares, 2.37% for Class C shares, and 1.87% for Class R shares.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Distribution fees

The Trust has adopted a distribution plan for Class C and Class R shares of the Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Distribution fees are charged to Class C and Class R shares and paid to Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (“Funds Distributor”), the principal underwriter, at an annual rate of 0.75% of the average daily net assets of Class C shares and 0.25% of the average daily net assets of Class R shares.

In addition, Funds Distributor is entitled to receive the front-end sales charge from the purchase of Class A shares and a contingent deferred sales charge on the redemption of certain Class A shares. Funds Distributor is also entitled to receive the contingent deferred sales charges from redemptions of Class C shares. For the six months ended April 30, 2020, Funds Distributor received $1,605 from the sale of Class A shares. No contingent deferred sales charges were incurred by Class A and Class C shares for the six months ended April 30, 2020.

Shareholder servicing fees

The Trust has entered into contracts with one or more shareholder servicing agents, whereby Class A, Class C, Class R, and Administrator Class of the Fund are charged a fee at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of each respective class. A portion of these total shareholder servicing fees were paid to affiliates of Wells Fargo.

Interfund transactions

The Fund may purchase or sell portfolio investment securities to certain other Wells Fargo affiliates pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act and under procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. The procedures have been designed to ensure that these interfund transactions, which do not incur broker commissions, are effected at current market prices.

5. INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

Purchases and sales of investments, excluding U.S. government obligations (if any) and short-term securities, for the six months ended April 30, 2020 were $296,285,045 and $287,851,270, respectively.

6. DERIVATIVE TRANSACTIONS

During the six months ended April 30, 2020, the Fund entered into forward foreign currency contracts for hedging purposes. The Fund had average contract amounts of $147,855 and $276,384 in forward foreign currency contracts to buy and forward foreign currency contracts to sell, respectively, during the six months ended April 30, 2020.

The fair value, realized gains or losses and change in unrealized gains or losses, if any, on derivative instruments are reflected in the corresponding financial statement captions.

7. ACQUISITION

After the close of business on December 6, 2019, the Fund acquired the net assets of Wells Fargo Asia Pacific Fund. The purpose of the transaction was to combine two funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. Shareholders holding Class A, Class C, Administrator Class, and Institutional Class shares of Wells Fargo Asia Pacific Fund received Class A, Class C, Administrator Class, and Institutional Class shares, respectively, of the Fund in the reorganization. The acquisition was accomplished by a tax-free exchange of all of the shares of Wells Fargo Asia Pacific Fund for 10,077,350 shares of the Fund valued at $112,231,698 at an exchange ratio of 1.01, 0.96, 0.99, and 0.98 for Class A, Class C, Administrator Class, and Institutional Class shares, respectively. The investment portfolio of Wells Fargo Asia Pacific Fund with a fair value of $30,620,761, identified cost of $29,928,769 and unrealized gains of $691,992 at December 6, 2019 were the principal assets acquired by the Fund. The aggregate net assets of Wells Fargo Asia Pacific Fund and the Fund immediately prior to the acquisition were $112,231,698 and $583,919,847, respectively. The aggregate net assets of the Fund immediately after the acquisition were $696,151,545. For financial reporting purposes, assets received and shares issued by the Fund were recorded at fair value; however, the cost basis of the investments received from Wells Fargo Asia Pacific Fund was carried forward to align with ongoing reporting of the Fund’s realized and unrealized gains and losses with amounts distributable to shareholders for tax purposes.

Assuming the acquisition had been completed November 1, 2019, the beginning of the annual reporting period for the Fund, the pro forma results of operations for the six months ended April 30, 2020 would have been as follows:

 

Net investment income

   $ 3,125,454  

Net realized and unrealized losses on investments

     (95,311,225

Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations

   $ (92,185,771

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Because the combined investment portfolios have been managed as a single integrated portfolio since the acquisition was completed, it is not practicable to separate the amounts of revenue and earnings of Wells Fargo Asia Pacific Fund that have been included in the Fund’s Statement of Operations since December 7, 2019.

8. BANK BORROWINGS

The Trust (excluding the money market funds), Wells Fargo Master Trust and Wells Fargo Variable Trust are parties to a $280,000,000 revolving credit agreement whereby the Fund is permitted to use bank borrowings for temporary or emergency purposes, such as to fund shareholder redemption requests. Interest under the credit agreement is charged to the Fund based on a borrowing rate equal to the higher of the Federal Funds rate in effect on that day plus 1.25% or the overnight LIBOR rate in effect on that day plus 1.25%. In addition, an annual commitment fee equal to 0.25% of the unused balance is allocated to each participating fund.

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, there were no borrowings by the Fund under the agreement.

9. CONCENTRATION RISKS

Concentration risks result from exposure to a limited number of sectors or geographic regions. As of the end of the period, the Fund invests a concentration of its portfolio in the information technology sector and in China. A fund that invests a substantial portion of its assets in any sector or geographic region may be more affected by changes in that sector or geographic region than would be a fund whose investments are not heavily weighted in any sector or geographic region.

10. INDEMNIFICATION

Under the Fund’s organizational documents, the officers and Trustees have been granted certain indemnification rights against certain liabilities that may arise out of performance of their duties to the Fund. The Fund has entered into a separate agreement with each Trustee that converts indemnification rights currently existing under the Fund’s organizational documents into contractual rights that cannot be changed in the future without the consent of the Trustee. Additionally, in the normal course of business, the Fund may enter into contracts with service providers that contain a variety of indemnification clauses. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is dependent on future claims that may be made against the Fund and, therefore, cannot be estimated.

11. NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENT

In August 2018, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. ASU 2018-13 updates the disclosure requirements for fair value measurements by modifying or removing certain disclosures and adding certain new disclosures. The amendments are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. Management has adopted the removal and modification of disclosures early, as permitted, and will adopt the additional new disclosures at the effective date.

12. CORONAVIRUS (COVID -19) PANDEMIC

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that it had made the assessment that coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) is a pandemic. The impacts of COVID-19 are adversely affecting the entire global economy, individual companies and investment products, and the market in general. There is significant uncertainty around the extent and duration of business disruptions related to COVID-19 and the impacts may be short term or may last for an extended period of time. The risk of further spreading of COVID-19 has led to significant uncertainty and volatility in the financial markets. The value of the Fund and the securities in which the Fund invests have generally been adversely affected by impacts caused by COVID-19.

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

TAX INFORMATION

Pursuant to Section 853 of the Internal Revenue Code, the following amounts have been designated as foreign taxes paid for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2019. These amounts may be less than the actual foreign taxes paid for financial statement purposes. Foreign taxes paid or withheld should be included in taxable income with an offsetting deduction from gross income or as a credit for taxes paid to foreign governments. None of the income was derived from ineligible foreign sources as defined under Section 901(j) of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

Creditable

foreign taxes

paid

  

Per share

amount

  

Foreign

income as % of

ordinary income

distributions

$2,034,893    $0.0387    93.79%

PROXY VOTING INFORMATION

A description of the policies and procedures used to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available, upon request, by calling 1-800-222-8222, visiting our website at wfam.com, or visiting the SEC website at sec.gov. Information regarding how the proxies related to portfolio securities were voted during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available on the website at wfam.com or by visiting the SEC website at sec.gov.

QUARTERLY PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. Shareholders may view the filed Form N-PORT by visiting the SEC website at sec.gov.

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

Each of the Trustees and Officers1 listed in the table below acts in identical capacities for each fund in the Wells Fargo family of funds, which consists of 147 mutual funds comprising the Wells Fargo Funds Trust, Wells Fargo Variable Trust, Wells Fargo Master Trust and four closed-end funds (collectively the “Fund Complex”). This table should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information2. The mailing address of each Trustee and Officer is 525 Market Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105. Each Trustee and Officer serves an indefinite term, however, each Trustee serves such term until reaching the mandatory retirement age established by the Trustees.

Independent Trustees

 

Name and

year of birth

 

Position held and

length of service*

  Principal occupations during past five years or longer  

Current other

public company or

investment

company

directorships

William R. Ebsworth

(Born 1957)

  Trustee, since 2015   Retired. From 1984 to 2013, equities analyst, portfolio manager, research director and chief investment officer at Fidelity Management and Research Company in Boston, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, and retired in 2013 as Chief Investment Officer of Fidelity Strategic Advisers, Inc. where he led a team of investment professionals managing client assets. Prior thereto, Board member of Hong Kong Securities Clearing Co., Hong Kong Options Clearing Corp., the Thailand International Fund, Ltd., Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company, and Empire Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company. Audit Committee Chair and Investment Committee Chair of the Vincent Memorial Hospital Endowment (non-profit organization). Mr. Ebsworth is a CFA® charterholder.   N/A

Jane A. Freeman

(Born 1953)

  Trustee, since 2015; Chair Liaison, since 2018   Retired. From 2012 to 2014 and 1999 to 2008, Chief Financial Officer of Scientific Learning Corporation. From 2008 to 2012, Ms. Freeman provided consulting services related to strategic business projects. Prior to 1999, Portfolio Manager at Rockefeller & Co. and Scudder, Stevens & Clark. Board member of the Harding Loevner Funds from 1996 to 2014, serving as both Lead Independent Director and chair of the Audit Committee. Board member of the Russell Exchange Traded Funds Trust from 2011 to 2012 and the chair of the Audit Committee. Ms. Freeman is also an inactive Chartered Financial Analyst.   N/A

Isaiah Harris, Jr.

(Born 1952)

  Trustee, since 2009; Audit Committee Chairman, since 2019   Retired. Chairman of the Board of CIGNA Corporation since 2009, and Director since 2005. From 2003 to 2011, Director of Deluxe Corporation. Prior thereto, President and CEO of BellSouth Advertising and Publishing Corp. from 2005 to 2007, President and CEO of BellSouth Enterprises from 2004 to 2005 and President of BellSouth Consumer Services from 2000 to 2003. Emeritus member of the Iowa State University Foundation Board of Governors. Emeritus Member of the Advisory Board of Iowa State University School of Business. Advisory Board Member, Palm Harbor Academy (private school). Advisory Board Member, Child Evangelism Fellowship (non-profit). Mr. Harris is a certified public accountant (inactive status).   CIGNA Corporation

Judith M. Johnson

(Born 1949)

  Trustee, since 2008; Audit Committee Chairman, from 2009 to 2018   Retired. Prior thereto, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Minneapolis Employees Retirement Fund from 1996 to 2008. Ms. Johnson is an attorney, certified public accountant and a certified managerial accountant.   N/A

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

Name and

year of birth

 

Position held and

length of service*

  Principal occupations during past five years or longer  

Current other

public company or

investment

company

directorships

David F. Larcker

(Born 1950)

  Trustee, since 2009   James Irvin Miller Professor of Accounting at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Director of the Corporate Governance Research Initiative and Senior Faculty of The Rock Center for Corporate Governance since 2006. From 2005 to 2008, Professor of Accounting at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Prior thereto, Ernst & Young Professor of Accounting at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania from 1985 to 2005.   N/A

Olivia S. Mitchell

(Born 1953)

  Trustee, since 2006; Nominating and Governance Committee Chair, since 2018   International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Professor, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania since 1993. Director of Wharton’s Pension Research Council and Boettner Center on Pensions & Retirement Research, and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Previously, Cornell University Professor from 1978 to 1993.   N/A

Timothy J. Penny

(Born 1951)

  Trustee, since 1996; Chairman, since 2018   President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, a non-profit organization, since 2007. Member of the Board of Trustees of NorthStar Education Finance, Inc., a non-profit organization, since 2007.   N/A

James G. Polisson

(Born 1959)

  Trustee, since 2018   Retired. Chief Marketing Officer, Source (ETF) UK Services, Ltd, from 2015 to 2017. From 2012 to 2015, Principal of The Polisson Group, LLC, a management consulting, corporate advisory and principal investing company. Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Russell Investments, Global Exchange Traded Funds from 2010 to 2012. Managing Director of Barclays Global Investors from 1998 to 2010 and Global Chief Marketing Officer for iShares and Barclays Global Investors from 2000 to 2010. Trustee of the San Francisco Mechanics’ Institute, a non-profit organization, from 2013 to 2015. Board member of the Russell Exchange Traded Fund Trust from 2011 to 2012. Director of Barclays Global Investors Holdings Deutschland GmbH from 2006 to 2009. Mr. Polisson is an attorney and has a retired status with the Massachusetts and District of Columbia Bar Associations.   N/A

Pamela Wheelock

(Born 1959)

  Trustee, since January 2020; previously Trustee from January 2018 to July 2019   Board member of the Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency, Rochester, Minnesota since 2019 and Interim President of the McKnight Foundation since 2020. Acting Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Human Services, July 2019 through September 2019. Human Services Manager (part-time), Minnesota Department of Human Services, October 2019 through December 2019. Chief Operating Officer, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity from 2017 to 2019. Vice President of University Services, University of Minnesota from 2012 to 2016. Prior thereto, on the Board of Directors, Governance Committee and Finance Committee for the Minnesota Philanthropy Partners (Saint Paul Foundation) from 2012 to 2018, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota from 2011 to 2012, Chairman of the Board from 2009 to 2012 and Board Director from 2003 to 2015. Vice President, Leadership and Community Engagement, Bush Foundation, Saint Paul, Minnesota (a private foundation) from 2009 to 2011. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Minnesota Sports and Entertainment from 2004 to 2009 and Senior Vice President from 2002 to 2004. Executive Vice President of the Minnesota Wild Foundation from 2004 to 2008. Commissioner of Finance, State of Minnesota, from 1999 to 2002. Currently Board Chair of the Minnesota Wild Foundation since 2010.   N/A

 

*

Length of service dates reflect the Trustee’s commencement of service with the Trust’s predecessor entities, where applicable.

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

Officers

 

Name and

year of birth

 

Position held and

length of service

  Principal occupations during past five years or longer

Andrew Owen

(Born 1960)

  President, since 2017   Executive Vice President of Wells Fargo & Company and Head of Affiliated Managers, Wells Fargo Asset Management, since 2014. In addition, Mr. Owen is currently President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2017. Prior thereto, Executive Vice President responsible for marketing, investments and product development for Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC, from 2009 to 2014.

Jeremy DePalma1

(Born 1974)

  Treasurer, since 2012   Senior Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2009. Senior Vice President of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2008 to 2010 and head of the Fund Reporting and Control Team within Fund Administration from 2005 to 2010.

Michelle Rhee

(Born 1966)

  Chief Legal Officer, since 2019   Secretary of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC, Chief Legal Counsel of Wells Fargo Asset Management and Assistant General Counsel of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. since 2018. Associate General Counsel and Managing Director of Bank of America Corporation from 2004 to 2018.

Catherine Kennedy

(Born 1969)

  Secretary, since 2019   Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC and Senior Counsel of the Wells Fargo Legal Department since 2010. Vice President and Senior Counsel of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 1998 to 2010.

Michael H. Whitaker

(Born 1967)

  Chief Compliance Officer, since 2016   Chief Compliance Officer of Wells Fargo Asset Management since 2016. Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Fidelity Investments from 2007 to 2016.

David Berardi

(Born 1975)

  Assistant Treasurer, since 2009   Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2009. Vice President of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2008 to 2010. Manager of Fund Reporting and Control for Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2004 to 2010.

 

1

Jeremy DePalma acts as Treasurer of 82 funds and Assistant Treasurer of 65 funds in the Fund Complex.

 

2

The Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about the Trustees and is available, without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-222-8222 or by visiting the website at wfam.com.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund  |  29


Table of Contents

Appendix I (unaudited)

 

Effective on or about May 1, 2020, if you purchase Fund shares through a Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (“Janney”) brokerage account, you will be eligible for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”), or back-end sales charge, waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end sales charge* waivers on Class A shares available at Janney
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney.
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within ninety (90) days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e., right of reinstatement).
Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Class C shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are converted to Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to Janney’s policies and procedures.
CDSC waivers on Class A and Class C shares available at Janney
Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations.
Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Shares exchanged into the same share class of a different fund.
Front-end sales charge* discounts available at Janney; breakpoints, rights of accumulation and/or letters of intent
Breakpoints as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Rights of accumulation (“ROA”), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Janney. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney Montgomery Scott may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

*

Also referred to as an “initial sales charge.”

 

 

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Table of Contents

Appendix II (unaudited)

 

Effective on or after May 1, 2020, clients of Edward Jones (also referred to as “shareholders”) purchasing Fund shares on the Edward Jones commission and fee-based platforms are eligible only for the following sales charge discounts (also referred to as “breakpoints”) and waivers, which can differ from breakpoints and waivers described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI or through another broker-dealer. In all instances, it is the shareholder’s responsibility to inform Edward Jones at the time of purchase of any relationship, holdings of Wells Fargo Funds or other facts qualifying the purchaser for breakpoints or waivers. Edward Jones can ask for documentation of such circumstance.

 

Breakpoints available at Edward Jones
Rights of Accumulation (ROA)

The applicable sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares is determined by taking into account all share classes (except any money market funds and retirement plan share classes) of Wells Fargo Funds held by the shareholder or in an account grouped by Edward Jones with other accounts for the purpose of providing certain pricing considerations (“pricing groups”). This includes all share classes held on the Edward Jones platform and/or held on another platform. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the rights of accumulation calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation.

ROA is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value (current shares x NAV).

Letter of Intent (LOI)

Through a LOI, shareholders can receive the sales charge and breakpoint discounts for purchases shareholders intend to makeover a 13-month period from the date Edward Jones receives the LOI. The LOI is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value of qualifying holdings at LOI initiation in combination with the value that the shareholder intends to buy over a 13-month period to calculate the front-end sales charge and any breakpoint discounts. Each purchase the shareholder makes during that 13-month period will receive the sales charge and breakpoint discount that applies to the total amount. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the LOI calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation. Purchases made before the LOI is received by Edward Jones are not covered under the LOI and will not reduce the sales charge previously paid. Sales charges will be adjusted if LOI is not met.

Sales charges are waived for the following shareholders and in the following situations at Edward Jones:

   Associates of Edward Jones and its affiliates and their family members who are in the same pricing group (as determined by Edward Jones under its policies and procedures) as the associate. This waiver will continue for the remainder of the associate’s life if the associate retires from Edward Jones in good-standing.

   Shares purchased in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

   Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment.

   Shares purchased from the proceeds of redeemed shares of the same fund family so long as the following conditions are met: 1)the proceeds are from the sale of shares within 60 days of the purchase, and 2) the sale and purchase are made in the same share class and the same account or the purchase is made in an individual retirement account with proceeds from liquidations in anon-retirement account.

   Shares exchanged into Class A shares from another share class so long as the exchange is into the same fund and was initiated at the discretion of Edward Jones. Edward Jones is responsible for any remaining CDSC due to the fund company, if applicable. Any future purchases are subject to the applicable sales charge as disclosed in the prospectus.

   Exchanges from Class C shares to Class A shares of the same fund, generally, in the 84th month following the anniversary of the purchase date or earlier at the discretion of Edward Jones.

If the shareholder purchases shares that are subject to a CDSC and those shares are redeemed before the CDSC is expired, the shareholder
is responsible to pay the CDSC except in the following conditions available at Edward Jones:

   The death or disability of the shareholder.

   Systematic withdrawals with up to 10% per year of the account value.

   Return of excess contributions from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

   Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulation.

   Shares sold to pay Edward Jones fees or costs in such cases where the transaction is initiated by Edward Jones.

   Shares exchanged in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

   Shares acquired through NAV reinstatement.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund  |  31


Table of Contents

Appendix II (unaudited)

 

Other Important Information for accounts at Edward Jones:
Minimum Purchase Amounts

   $250 initial purchase minimum

   $50 subsequent purchase minimum

Minimum Balances
Edward Jones has the right to redeem at its discretion fund holdings with a balance of $250 or less. The following are examples of accounts that are not included in this policy:

   A fee-based account held on an Edward Jones platform

   A 529 account held on an Edward Jones platform

   An account with an active systematic investment plan or letter of intent (LOI)

Changing Share Classes
At any time it deems necessary, Edward Jones has the authority to exchange at NAV a shareholder’s holdings in a fund to Class A shares.

 

 

32  |  Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund


Table of Contents

Appendix III (unaudited)

 

Effective June 1, 2020, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (“Oppenheimer”) platform or account are eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Oppenheimer
Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan.
Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan.
Shares purchased through an Oppenheimer affiliated investment advisory program.
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Restatement).
A shareholder in the Fund’s Class C shares will have their shares exchanged at net asset value to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of Oppenheimer.
Employees and registered representatives of Oppenheimer or its affiliates and their family members.
Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund’s investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the Prospectus.
CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Oppenheimer
Death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Prospectus.
Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the Prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Oppenheimer fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Oppenheimer.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load Discounts Available at Oppenheimer: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent
Breakpoints as described in the Prospectus.
Rights of Accumulation (ROA), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Oppenheimer. Eligible fund family assets not held at Oppenheimer may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

 

Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund  |  33


Table of Contents

Appendix IV (unaudited)

 

Effective June 15, 2020, shareholders purchasing fund shares through a Robert W. Baird & Co. (“Baird”) platform or account will only be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and CDSC waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or the SAI.

 

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Baird
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing share of the same fund.
Share purchase by employees and registers representatives of Baird or its affiliate and their family members as designated by Baird.
Shares purchase from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same accounts, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as rights of reinstatement).
A shareholder in the Funds Investor C Shares will have their share exchanged at net asset value to Investor A shares of the fund if the shares are no longer subject to CDSC and the exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of Baird.
Employer-sponsored retirement plans or charitable accounts in a transactional brokerage account at Baird, including 401(k)plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs.
CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Baird
Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares bought due to returns of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 72 as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Baird fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Baird.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load Discounts Available at Baird: Breakpoint and/or Rights of Accumulation
Breakpoints as described in the Prospectus.
Rights of accumulations which entitles shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Baird. Eligible fund family assets not held at Baird may be included in the rights of accumulations calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of Intent (LOI) allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family through Baird, over a 13-month period of time.

 

 

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LOGO

For more information

More information about Wells Fargo Funds is available free upon request. To obtain literature, please write, visit the Fund’s website, or call:

Wells Fargo Funds

P.O. Box 219967

Kansas City, MO 64121-9967

Website: wfam.com

Individual investors: 1-800-222-8222

Retail investment professionals: 1-888-877-9275

Institutional investment professionals: 1-866-765-0778

 

LOGO

 

This report and the financial statements contained herein are submitted for the general information of the shareholders of the Fund. If this report is used for promotional purposes, distribution of the report must be accompanied or preceded by a current prospectus. Before investing, please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the investment. For a current prospectus and, if available, a summary prospectus, containing this information, call 1-800-222-8222 or visit the Fund’s website at wfam.com. Read the prospectus carefully before you invest or send money.

Wells Fargo Asset Management (WFAM) is the trade name for certain investment advisory/management firms owned by Wells Fargo & Company. These firms include but are not limited to Wells Capital Management Incorporated and Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC. Certain products managed by WFAM entities are distributed by Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (a broker-dealer and Member FINRA).

This material is for general informational and educational purposes only and is NOT intended to provide investment advice or a recommendation of any kind—including a recommendation for any specific investment, strategy, or plan.

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED    NO BANK GUARANTEE     MAY LOSE VALUE


© 2019 Wells Fargo & Company. All rights reserved.

PAR-0520-00409 06-20

SA262/SAR262 04-20

 

 



Table of Contents

LOGO

Semi-Annual Report

April 30, 2020

 

Wells Fargo

Special International Small Cap Fund

 

 

 

 

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by new regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Wells Fargo Funds’ annual and semi-annual shareholder reports issued after this date will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, the reports will be made available on the Funds’ website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website address to access the report.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund electronically at any time by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) or, if you are a direct investor, by calling 1-800-222-8222 or by enrolling at wellsfargo.com/advantagedelivery.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can contact your financial intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports; if you invest directly with the Fund, you can call 1-800-222-8222. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Wells Fargo Funds held in your account with your financial intermediary or, if you are a direct investor, to all Wells Fargo Funds that you hold.


Table of Contents

 

 

Reduce clutter.

Save trees.

Sign up for electronic
delivery of prospectuses and
shareholder reports at wellsfargo.com/
advantagedelivery

 

The views expressed and any forward-looking statements are as of April 30, 2020, unless otherwise noted, and are those of the Fund managers and/or Wells Fargo Asset Management. Discussions of individual securities, or the markets generally, or any Wells Fargo Fund are not intended as individual recommendations. Future events or results may vary significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. The views expressed are subject to change at any time in response to changing circumstances in the market. Wells Fargo Asset Management and the Fund disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any views expressed or forward-looking statements.

 

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED    NO BANK GUARANTEE    MAY LOSE VALUE


 

 

Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund  |  1


Table of Contents

Letter to shareholders (unaudited)

 

LOGO

Andrew Owen

President

Wells Fargo Funds

“The period began with a tailwind created by central bank support.”

Dear Shareholder:

We are pleased to offer you this semi-annual report for the Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund for the six-month period that ended April 30, 2020. Global stock markets saw earlier gains erased in February and March as governments took unprecedented measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus at the expense of short-term economic output. Markets rebounded in April to lessen the losses as central banks attempted to bolster capital markets and confidence. Fixed-income markets performed better, with the exception of high-yield bonds, as U.S. bonds overall achieved modest gains.

For the six-month period, U.S. stocks, based on the S&P 500 Index,1 returned -3.16% and international stocks, as measured by the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net),2 fell 13.22%. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net)3 lost 10.50%. For bond investors, the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index4 added 4.86%, the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Index5 returned -0.97%, the Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index6 returned -1.33%, and the ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index7 lost 7.68%.

The period began with a tailwind created by central bank support.

The period began with a tailwind that had been created by U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cuts in the summer and early fall. Equity markets rallied in November despite ongoing geopolitical risks. Hopes for a U.S.-China trade deal buoyed investor confidence. U.S. business sentiment edged up, and manufacturing and services activity rose. With that positive backdrop, developed market equities outpaced those in emerging markets, and U.S. stocks outperformed non-U.S. stocks overall. While consumer confidence and purchasing manager activity rose in the eurozone, China reported weakening manufacturing and consumer data. Bond yields rose marginally, leading to slightly negative returns for global government and investment-grade corporate bonds.

Financial markets ended 2019 with a boost from the U.S. and China accord on a Phase One trade deal. That, along with the landslide win by the pro-Brexit U.K. Conservative Party in a national election and ongoing central bank support, gave investors greater confidence. U.S. economic indicators were positive overall, with the exception of manufacturing activity and business confidence. Consumer confidence was resilient, fed by a robust labor market, tame inflation, and lower interest rates, which boosted housing affordability and stimulated homebuyer activity. The impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump had little impact on markets. Meanwhile, slowing Chinese economic activity, partly attributable to the trade war, led to further government stimulus at year-end through lower reserve ratios, allowing banks to lend more money.

The year-end rally continued in early January 2020. However, capital market volatility spiked in late January on concerns over the potential impact of the coronavirus on the global economy and stock markets. With sentiment somewhat souring, perceived safe

 

 

 

1 

The S&P 500 Index consists of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation. It is a market-value-weighted index with each stock’s weight in the index proportionate to its market value. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

2 

The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) All Country World Index (ACWI) ex USA Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the United States. Source: MSCI. MSCI makes no express or implied warranties or representations and shall have no liability whatsoever with respect to any MSCI data contained herein. The MSCI data may not be further redistributed or used as a basis for other indices or any securities or financial products. This report is not approved, reviewed, or produced by MSCI. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

3 

The MSCI Emerging Markets (EM) Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure equity market performance of emerging markets. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

4 

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment-grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage pass-throughs), asset-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

5 

The Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Index is an unmanaged index that provides a broad-based measure of the global investment-grade fixed-income markets excluding the U.S. dollar-denominated debt market. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

6 

The Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index is an unmanaged index composed of long-term tax-exempt bonds with a minimum credit rating of Baa. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

7 

The ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index is a market-capitalization-weighted index of domestic and Yankee high-yield bonds. The index tracks the performance of high-yield securities traded in the U.S. bond market. You cannot invest directly in an index. Copyright 2020. ICE Data Indices, LLC. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Table of Contents

Letter to shareholders (unaudited)

 

havens did well in January. The U.S. dollar and Japanese yen both rose, and government bonds outperformed equities. While the S&P 500 Index held its ground, emerging market equities tumbled, including those in Asia.

In February, the coronavirus became the major market focus. Fears of the virus’s impact on global growth led to expectations of increased global central bank monetary policy support. That led the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield to fall to an all-time low of 1.1% by the end of the month. Although equity markets initially shrugged off concerns about the outbreak, focusing instead on strong fourth-quarter earnings and improving business confidence in January, market sentiment turned sharply lower toward month-end. Oil prices tumbled as Russia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries compounded a major decline in oil demand with a brutal price war, causing the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil to fall 13% in February alone.

The global spread of the coronavirus led many countries to clamp down on social and business-related activity in order to contain the virus from causing even greater devastation and overwhelming the health care system. This abrupt stoppage of economic activity led to the sharp deceleration of global output, sending economies into a deep contraction. Central bank responses were swift, as they slashed interest rates and expanded quantitative easing programs to restore liquidity and confidence to the markets. In the U.S., the Fed launched several lending programs, funding investment-grade bonds, money market mutual funds, and commercial paper while purchasing Treasuries, mortgage-backed securities, and overnight repurchase agreements . Meanwhile, stock markets tumbled quickly into a bear market, ending the longest bull stock market in U.S. history.

Markets rebounded strongly in April after the extreme volatility of the previous two months, with the S&P 500 Index gaining 12.8% for the month and the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net) returning 7.6%. The rebound was fueled by unprecedented stimulus measures taken by governments and central banks to buffer the economic damage created by mass shutdowns to try to contain the virus’s spread. The U.S. economy contracted by an annualized 4.8% pace in the first quarter, with 30 million new unemployment insurance claims in six weeks. In the eurozone, first-quarter real gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 3.8%, with the composite April Flash Purchasing Managers’ Index, a monthly survey of purchasing managers, falling to an all-time low of 13.5. The European Central Bank expanded its quantitative easing to include the purchase of additional government bonds of countries with the greatest virus-related need, including Italy and Spain. China’s first-quarter GDP fell by 6.8% year over year. However, retail sales, production, and investment showed signs of recovery. Extreme oil price volatility continued as global supply far exceeded demand.

Don’t let short-term uncertainty derail long-term investment goals.

Periods of investment uncertainty can present challenges, but experience has taught us that maintaining long-term investment goals can be an effective way to plan for the future. To help you create a sound strategy based on your personal goals and risk tolerance, Wells Fargo Funds offers more than 100 mutual funds spanning a wide range of asset classes and investment styles. Although diversification cannot guarantee an investment profit or prevent losses, we believe it can be an effective way to manage investment risk and potentially smooth out overall portfolio performance. We encourage investors to know their investments and to understand that appropriate levels of risk-taking may unlock opportunities.

Thank you for choosing to invest with Wells Fargo Funds. We appreciate your confidence in us and remain committed to helping you meet your financial needs.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Andrew Owen

President

Wells Fargo Funds

 

“The global spread of the coronavirus led many countries to clamp down on social and business-related activity in order to contain the virus from causing even greater devastation and overwhelming the health care system.”

 

 

For further information about your Fund, contact your investment professional, visit our website at wfam.com,

or call us directly at 1-800-222-8222.

 

 

 

Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund  |  3


Table of Contents

Performance highlights (unaudited)

 

Investment objective

The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Manager

Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC

Subadviser

Wells Capital Management Incorporated

Portfolio managers

Stephen Giggie, CFA®*

Oleg Makhorine

James M. Tringas, CFA®

Bryant VanCronkhite, CFA®, CPA

Average annual total returns (%) as of April 30, 2020

 

 
              Expense ratios1 (%)  
 
    Inception date  

Since

inception

    Gross     Net2  
         
Class R6 (WICRX)   5-31-2019     -7.26       7.81       0.95  
         
Institutional Class (WICIX)   5-31-2019     -7.32       7.91       1.05  
         
MSCI World ex USA Small Cap Index (Net)3       -7.09            
*   Return is based on the oldest Fund class.

Figures quoted represent past performance, which is no guarantee of future results, and do not reflect taxes that a shareholder may pay on an investment in a fund. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance shown without sales charges would be lower if sales charges were reflected. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted, which assumes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. Current month-end performance is available on the Fund’s website, wfam.com.

Index returns do not include transaction costs associated with buying and selling securities, any mutual fund fees or expenses, or any taxes. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

Class R6 and Institutional Class shares are sold without a front-end sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge.

Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of individual companies and general market and economic conditions. Foreign investments are especially volatile and can rise or fall dramatically due to differences in the political and economic conditions of the host country. These risks are generally intensified in emerging markets. The use of derivatives may reduce returns and/or increase volatility. Certain investment strategies tend to increase the total risk of an investment (relative to the broader market). The Fund is exposed to geographic risk and smaller-company securities risk. Consult the Fund’s prospectus for additional information on these and other risks.

 

Please see footnotes on page 5.

 

 

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Table of Contents

Performance highlights (unaudited)

 

Ten largest holdings (%) as of April 30, 20204  
   

Ansell Limited

     3.40  
   

Viscofan SA

     3.39  
   

Spectris plc

     3.30  
   

Gerresheimer AG

     3.15  
   

Alten SA

     3.14  
   

TAG Immobilien AG

     2.97  
   

Nomad Foods Limited

     2.95  
   

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Limited

     2.93  
   

Domino’s Pizza Group plc

     2.84  
   

Britvic plc

     2.74  
Sector allocation as of April 30, 20205
LOGO
 

 

Country allocation as of April 30, 20205
LOGO

    

 

 

 

*

Mr. Giggie became a portfolio manager of the Fund on April 15, 2020.

 

CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

 

1 

Reflects the expense ratios as stated in the most recent prospectuses. The expense ratios shown are subject to change and may differ from the annualized expense ratios shown in the financial highlights of this report.

 

2 

The manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2021, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers at 0.95% for Class R6 and 1.05% for Institutional Class. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. Without this cap, the Fund’s returns would have been lower. The expense ratio paid by an investor is the net expense ratio (the total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers) as stated in the prospectuses.

 

3 

The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) World ex USA Small Cap Index (Net) is a free-float-adjusted market-capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets excluding the United States. You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

4 

The ten largest holdings, excluding cash, cash equivalents and any money market funds, are calculated based on the value of the investments divided by total net assets of the Fund. Holdings are subject to change and may have changed since the date specified.

 

5 

Amounts are calculated based on the total long-term investments of the Fund. These amounts are subject to change and may have changed since the date specified.

 

 

Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund  |  5


Table of Contents

Fund expenses (unaudited)

 

As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur ongoing costs, including management fees and other Fund expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the six-month period and held for the entire period from November 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020.

Actual expenses

The “Actual” line of the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the “Actual” line under the heading entitled “Expenses paid during period” for your applicable class of shares to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The “Hypothetical” line of the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only. Therefore, the “Hypothetical” line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds.

 

    

Beginning

account value

11-1-2019

    

Ending

account value

4-30-2020

    

Expenses

paid during

the period¹

    

Annualized net

expense ratio

 
         

Class R6

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 876.52      $ 4.43        0.95

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,020.14      $ 4.77        0.95
         

Institutional Class

           

Actual

   $ 1,000.00      $ 876.85      $ 4.90        1.05

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   $ 1,000.00      $ 1,019.64      $ 5.27        1.05

 

1 

Expenses paid is equal to the annualized net expense ratio of each class multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent fiscal half-year divided by the number of days in the fiscal year (to reflect the one-half-year period).

 

 

6  |  Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Common Stocks: 97.24%           

Australia: 6.33%

          

Ansell Limited (Health Care, Health Care Equipment & Supplies)

          8,379      $ 154,527  

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Limited (Consumer Discretionary, Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure)

          3,555        133,019  
             287,546  
          

 

 

 
Austria: 1.37%                           

Mayr-Melnhof Karton AG (Materials, Containers & Packaging)

          452        62,095  
          

 

 

 
Belgium: 2.33%                           

Barco NV (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          662        105,605  
          

 

 

 
Canada: 4.38%                           

Blackberry Limited TSX (Information Technology, Software) †

          6,500        27,738  

Parex Resources Incorporated (Energy, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels) †

          2,400        26,311  

Primo Water Corporation (Consumer Staples, Beverages)

          7,800        79,852  

Stantec Incorporated (Industrials, Professional Services)

          2,200        64,849  
             198,750  
          

 

 

 
Denmark: 0.62%                           

Scandinavian Tobacco Group (Consumer Staples, Tobacco) 144A

          2,459        28,259  
          

 

 

 
France: 6.36%                           

Alten SA (Information Technology, IT Services)

          1,978        142,412  

M6 Métropole Télévision SA (Communication Services, Media)

          9,181        102,192  

Mersen SA (Industrials, Electrical Equipment)

          2,002        44,176  
             288,780  
          

 

 

 
Germany: 8.42%                           

Cancom SE (Information Technology, IT Services)

          861        43,834  

Gerresheimer AG (Health Care, Life Sciences Tools & Services)

          1,796        142,835  

Krones AG (Industrials, Machinery)

          1,009        60,796  

TAG Immobilien AG (Real Estate, Real Estate Management & Development)

          6,153        134,773  
             382,238  
          

 

 

 
Hong Kong: 2.45%                           

Sunlight REIT (Real Estate, Equity REITs)

          216,000        111,275  
          

 

 

 
Ireland: 1.69%                           

Irish Residential Properties REIT plc (Real Estate, Equity REITs)

          54,301        76,643  
          

 

 

 
Italy: 3.67%                           

De’Longhi SpA (Consumer Discretionary, Household Durables)

          4,625        83,593  

Interpump Group SpA (Industrials, Machinery)

          2,844        82,983  
             166,576  
          

 

 

 
Japan: 26.80%                           

Aeon Delight Company Limited (Industrials, Commercial Services & Supplies)

          4,300        123,153  

Daiseki Company Limited (Industrials, Commercial Services & Supplies)

          4,700        103,835  

DTS Corporation (Information Technology, IT Services)

          6,100        116,912  

Fuji Seal International Incorporated (Materials, Containers & Packaging)

          4,600        79,851  

Horiba Limited (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          1,300        68,788  

Kyushu Railway Company (Industrials, Road & Rail)

          1,800        48,426  

Meitec Corporation (Industrials, Professional Services)

          2,800        123,632  

Nihon Parkerizing Company Limited (Materials, Chemicals)

          12,100        123,824  

ORIX JREIT Incorporated (Real Estate, Equity REITs)

          101        120,745  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund  |  7


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

                     Shares      Value  
Japan (continued)                           

Paramount Bed Holdings Company Limited (Health Care, Health Care Equipment & Supplies)

          1,900      $ 78,382  

San-A Company Limited (Consumer Staples, Food & Staples Retailing)

          1,600        64,458  

Sumitomo Warehouse Company Limited (Industrials, Transportation Infrastructure)

          8,600        98,167  

Taikisha Limited (Industrials, Construction & Engineering)

          2,300        66,984  
             1,217,157  
          

 

 

 
Luxembourg: 0.33%                           

Stabilus SA (Industrials, Machinery)

          346        14,988  
          

 

 

 
Netherlands: 2.14%                           

Brunel International NV (Industrials, Professional Services)

          4,152        26,208  

IMCD Group NV (Industrials, Trading Companies & Distributors)

          568        50,157  

TKH Group NV (Industrials, Electrical Equipment)

          597        20,945  
             97,310  
          

 

 

 
Norway: 0.73%                           

Atea ASA (Information Technology, IT Services)

          3,804        33,301  
          

 

 

 
Singapore: 0.77%                           

CapitaLand Commercial Trust Limited (Real Estate, Equity REITs)

          30,800        34,999  
          

 

 

 
Spain: 4.68%                           

Vidrala SA (Materials, Containers & Packaging)

          653        58,496  

Viscofan SA (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          2,402        153,940  
             212,436  
          

 

 

 
Sweden: 2.04%                           

AAK AB (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          3,178        51,909  

Hexpol AB (Materials, Chemicals)

          5,673        40,756  
             92,665  
          

 

 

 
Switzerland: 4.29%                           

Bossard Holding AG (Industrials, Trading Companies & Distributors)

          595        74,210  

Bucher Industries AG (Industrials, Machinery)

          218        61,484  

OC Oerlikon Corporation AG (Industrials, Machinery)

          7,869        59,096  
             194,790  
          

 

 

 
United Kingdom: 17.84%                           

Britvic plc (Consumer Staples, Beverages)

          13,517        124,420  

Domino’s Pizza Group plc (Consumer Discretionary, Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure)

          29,814        129,196  

Elementis plc (Materials, Chemicals)

          29,809        26,281  

Lancashire Holdings Limited (Financials, Insurance)

          4,601        35,465  

Mears Group plc (Industrials, Commercial Services & Supplies)

          7,369        15,259  

Morgan Advanced Materials plc (Industrials, Machinery)

          14,060        38,785  

NCC Group plc (Information Technology, IT Services)

          18,517        38,253  

Nomad Foods Limited (Consumer Staples, Food Products) †

          6,504        134,047  

S4 Capital plc (Communication Services, Media) †

          26,855        61,221  

Spectris plc (Information Technology, Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components)

          4,450        150,057  

Tate & Lyle plc (Consumer Staples, Food Products)

          6,394        57,293  
             810,277  
          

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks (Cost $4,801,361)

             4,415,690  
          

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

8  |  Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund


Table of Contents

Portfolio of investments—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

     Yield                               Shares      Value  
Short-Term Investments: 3.28%          
Investment Companies: 3.28%                          

Wells Fargo Government Money Market Fund Select Class (l)(u)

    0.19        149,154      $ 149,154  
         

 

 

 

Total Short-Term Investments (Cost $149,154)

 

          149,154        
       

 

 

 

 

Total investments in securities (Cost $4,950,515)     100.52        4,564,844  

Other assets and liabilities, net

    (0.52        (23,648
 

 

 

      

 

 

 
Total net assets     100.00      $ 4,541,196  
 

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

Non-income-earning security

144A

The security may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers, pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933.

(l)

The issuer of the security is an affiliated person of the Fund as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

(u)

The rate represents the 7-day annualized yield at period end.

Abbreviations:

 

REIT

Real estate investment trust

Investments in Affiliates

An affiliated investment is an investment in which the Fund owns at least 5% of the outstanding voting shares of the issuer or as a result of other relationships, such as the Fund and the issuer having the same investment manager. Transactions with issuers that were either affiliated persons of the Fund at the beginning of the period or the end of the period were as follows:

 

    Shares,
beginning of
period
    Shares
purchased
    Shares
sold
    Shares,
end of
period
    Net
realized
gains
(losses)
    Net
change in
unrealized
gains
(losses)
    Income
from
affiliated
securities
    Value,
end of
period
    % of
net
assets
 
Short-Term Investments                                                      

Investment Companies

                 

Wells Fargo Government Money Market Fund Select Class

    263,637       574,552       (689,035     149,154     $ 0     $ 0     $ 1,222     $ 149,154       3.28

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund  |  9


Table of Contents

Statement of assets and liabilities—April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

         

Assets

 

Investments in unaffiliated securities, at value (cost $4,801,361)

  $ 4,415,690  

Investments in affiliated securities, at value (cost $149,154)

    149,154  

Foreign currency, at value (cost $68,345)

    69,290  

Receivable for investments sold

    5,618  

Receivable for Fund shares sold

    5,352  

Receivable for dividends

    19,941  

Receivable from manager

    5,400  
 

 

 

 

Total assets

    4,670,445  
 

 

 

 

Liabilities

 

Payable for investments purchased

    14,958  

Administration fees payable

    112  

Shareholder report expenses payable

    41,415  

Professional fees payable

    41,703  

Custody and accounting fees payable

    5,078  

Trustees’ fees and expenses payable

    5,361  

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

    20,622  
 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

    129,249  
 

 

 

 

Total net assets

  $ 4,541,196  
 

 

 

 

Net assets consist of

 

Paid-in capital

  $ 5,011,233  

Total distributable loss

    (470,037
 

 

 

 

Total net assets

  $ 4,541,196  
 

 

 

 

Computation of net asset value

 

Net assets – Class R6

  $ 4,440,341  

Shares outstanding – Class R61

    490,000  

Net asset value per share – Class R6

    $9.06  

Net assets – Institutional Class

  $ 100,855  

Shares outstanding – Institutional Class1

    11,121  

Net asset value per share – Institutional Class

    $9.07  

 

1 

The Fund has an unlimited number of authorized shares.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

10  |  Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund


Table of Contents

Statement of operations—six months ended April 30, 2020 (unaudited)

 

         

Investment income

 

Dividends (net of foreign withholding taxes of $6,391)

  $ 47,642  

Income from affiliated securities

    1,222  
 

 

 

 

Total investment income

    48,864  
 

 

 

 

Expenses

 

Management fee

    23,735  

Administration fees

 

Class R6

    734  

Institutional Class

    68  

Custody and accounting fees

    19,945  

Professional fees

    49,115  

Registration fees

    31,513  

Shareholder report expenses

    47,582  

Trustees’ fees and expenses

    10,470  

Other fees and expenses

    14,959  
 

 

 

 

Total expenses

    198,121  

Less: Fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements

 

Fund-level

    (173,532

Class R6

    (734

Institutional Class

    (68
 

 

 

 

Net expenses

    23,787  
 

 

 

 

Net investment income

    25,077  
 

 

 

 

Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

 

Net realized losses on investments

    (67,875

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (587,045
 

 

 

 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (654,920
 

 

 

 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations

  $ (629,843
 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund  |  11


Table of Contents

Statement of changes in net assets

 

     Six months ended
April 30, 2020
(unaudited)
    Year ended
October 31, 20191
 

Operations

        

Net investment income

    $ 25,077        $ 26,127  

Net realized gains (losses) on investments

      (67,875        59,852  

Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments

      (587,045        202,492  
 

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

      (629,843        288,471  
 

 

 

 

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and net realized gains

        

Class R6

      (126,151        0  

Institutional Class

      (2,514        0  
 

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

      (128,665        0  
 

 

 

 

Capital share transactions

    Shares         Shares     

Proceeds from shares sold

        

Class R6

    0       0       490,000        4,900,000  

Institutional Class

    1,121       11,233       10,000        100,000  
 

 

 

 
      11,233          5,000,000  
 

 

 

 

Reinvestment of distributions

        

Institutional Class

    12       128       0        0  
 

 

 

 
      128          0  
 

 

 

 

Payment for shares redeemed

        

Institutional Class

    (12     (128     0        0  
 

 

 

 
      (128        0  
 

 

 

 

Net increase in net assets resulting from capital share transactions

      11,233          5,000,000  
 

 

 

 

Total increase (decrease) in net assets

      (747,275        5,288,471  
 

 

 

 

Net assets

        

Beginning of period

      5,288,471          0  
 

 

 

 

End of period

    $ 4,541,196        $ 5,288,471  
 

 

 

 

 

1 

For the period from May 31, 2019 (commencement of operations) to October 31, 2019

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

12  |  Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

CLASS R6   Six months ended
April 30, 2020
(unaudited)
   

Year ended

October 31 20191

 

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $10.58       $10.00  

Net investment income

    0.05       0.05  

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (1.31     0.53  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (1.26     0.58  

Distributions to shareholders from

   

Net investment income

    (0.15     0.00  

Net realized gains

    (0.11     0.00  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

    (0.26     0.00  

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.06       $10.58  

Total return2

    (12.35 )%      5.80

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

   

Gross expenses

    7.93     7.81

Net expenses

    0.95     0.95

Net investment income

    1.01     1.24

Supplemental data

   

Portfolio turnover rate

    24     14

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $4,440       $5,183  

 

1 

For the period from May 31, 2019 (commencement of class operations) to October 31, 2019

 

2 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund  |  13


Table of Contents

Financial highlights

 

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

INSTITUTIONAL CLASS   Six months ended
April 30, 2020
(unaudited)
    Year ended
October 31, 20191
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $10.57       $10.00  

Net investment income

    0.04       0.05  

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments

    (1.30     0.52  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total from investment operations

    (1.26     0.57  

Distributions to shareholders from

   

Net investment income

    (0.13     0.00  

Net realized gains

    (0.11     0.00  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total distributions to shareholders

    (0.24     0.00  

Net asset value, end of period

    $9.07       $10.57  

Total return2

    (12.32 )%      5.70

Ratios to average net assets (annualized)

   

Gross expenses

    8.04     7.91

Net expenses

    1.05     1.05

Net investment income

    0.92     1.14

Supplemental data

   

Portfolio turnover rate

    24     14

Net assets, end of period (000s omitted)

    $101       $106  

 

1 

For the period from May 31, 2019 (commencement of class operations) to October 31, 2019

 

2 

Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

14  |  Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund


Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

1. ORGANIZATION

Wells Fargo Fund Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on March 10, 1999, is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). As an investment company, the Trust follows the accounting and reporting guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services – Investment Companies. These financial statements report on the Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund (the “Fund”) which is a diversified series of the Trust.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following significant accounting policies, which are consistently followed in the preparation of the financial statements of the Fund, are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Securities valuation

All investments are valued each business day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4 p.m. Eastern Time), although the Fund may deviate from this calculation time under unusual or unexpected circumstances.

Equity securities that are listed on a foreign or domestic exchange or market are valued at the official closing price or, if none, the last sales price. If no sale occurs on the principal exchange or market that day, a fair value price will be determined in accordance with the Fund’s Valuation Procedures.

The values of securities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at rates provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee at Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC (“Funds Management”).

Many securities markets and exchanges outside the U.S. close prior to the close of the New York Stock Exchange and therefore may not fully reflect trading or events that occur after the close of the principal exchange in which the foreign securities are traded, but before the close of the New York Stock Exchange. If such trading or events are expected to materially affect the value of such securities, then fair value pricing procedures approved by the Board of Trustees of the Fund are applied. These procedures take into account multiple factors including movements in U.S. securities markets after foreign exchanges close. Foreign securities that are fair valued under these procedures are categorized as Level 2 and the application of these procedures may result in transfers between Level 1 and Level 2. Depending on market activity, such fair valuations may be frequent. Such fair value pricing may result in net asset values that are higher or lower than net asset values based on the last reported sales price or latest quoted bid price. On April 30, 2020, such fair value pricing was used in pricing certain foreign securities.

Investments in registered open-end investment companies are valued at net asset value.

Investments which are not valued using any of the methods discussed above are valued at their fair value, as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees has established a Valuation Committee comprised of the Trustees and has delegated to it the authority to take any actions regarding the valuation of portfolio securities that the Valuation Committee deems necessary or appropriate, including determining the fair value of portfolio securities, unless the determination has been delegated to the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee. The Board of Trustees retains the authority to make or ratify any valuation decisions or approve any changes to the Valuation Procedures as it deems appropriate. On a quarterly basis, the Board of Trustees receives reports on any valuation actions taken by the Valuation Committee or the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee which may include items for ratification.

Foreign currency translation

The accounting records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. The values of other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at rates provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee. Purchases and sales of securities, and income and expenses are converted at the rate of exchange on the respective dates of such transactions. Net realized foreign exchange gains or losses arise from sales of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on securities transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually paid or received. Net unrealized foreign exchange gains and losses arise from changes in the fair value of assets and liabilities other than investments in securities resulting from changes in exchange rates. The changes in net assets arising from changes in exchange rates of securities and the changes in net assets resulting from changes in market prices of securities are not separately presented. Such changes are included in net realized and unrealized gains or losses from investments.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

Security transactions and income recognition

Securities transactions are recorded on a trade date basis. Realized gains or losses are recorded on the basis of identified cost.

Dividend income is recognized on the ex-dividend date, except for certain dividends from foreign securities, which are recorded as soon as the custodian verifies the ex-dividend date. Dividend income from foreign securities is recorded net of foreign taxes withheld where recovery of such taxes is not assured.

Distributions to shareholders

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and any net realized gains are recorded on the ex-dividend date and paid at least annually. Such distributions are determined in accordance with income tax regulations and may differ from U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Dividend sources are estimated at the time of declaration. The tax character of distributions is determined as of the Fund’s fiscal year end. Therefore, a portion of the Fund’s distributions made prior to the Fund’s fiscal year end may be categorized as a tax return of capital at year end.

Federal and other taxes

The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company by distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized capital gains (after reduction for capital loss carryforwards) sufficient to relieve it from all, or substantially all, federal income taxes. Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes was required.

The Fund’s income and federal excise tax returns and all financial records supporting those returns for the fiscal year since commencement of operations will be subject to examination by the federal and Delaware revenue authorities. Management has analyzed the Fund’s tax positions taken on federal, state, and foreign tax returns for all open tax years and does not believe that there are any uncertain tax positions that require recognition of a tax liability.

As of April 30, 2020, the aggregate cost of all investments for federal income tax purposes was $4,981,829 and the unrealized gains (losses) consisted of:

 

Gross unrealized gains

   $ 210,495  

Gross unrealized losses

     (627,480

Net unrealized losses

   $ (416,985

Class allocations

The separate classes of shares offered by the Fund differ principally in administration fees. Class specific expenses are charged directly to that share class. Investment income, common fund-level expenses, and realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments are allocated daily to each class of shares based on the relative proportion of net assets of each class.

3. FAIR VALUATION MEASUREMENTS

Fair value measurements of investments are determined within a framework that has established a fair value hierarchy based upon the various data inputs utilized in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. The three-level hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The Fund’s investments are classified within the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The inputs are summarized into three broad levels as follows:

 

 

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities

 

 

Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

 

 

Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing investments in securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

The following is a summary of the inputs used in valuing the Fund’s assets and liabilities as of April 30, 2020:

 

      Quoted prices
(Level 1)
     Other significant
observable inputs
(Level 2)
    

Significant
unobservable inputs

(Level 3)

     Total  

Assets

           

Investments in:

           

Common stocks

           

Australia

   $ 0      $ 287,546      $ 0      $ 287,546  

Austria

     0        62,095        0        62,095  

Belgium

     0        105,605        0        105,605  

Canada

     198,750        0        0        198,750  

Denmark

     0        28,259        0        28,259  

France

     0        288,780        0        288,780  

Germany

     0        382,238        0        382,238  

Hong Kong

     0        111,275        0        111,275  

Ireland

     76,643        0        0        76,643  

Italy

     0        166,576        0        166,576  

Japan

     0        1,217,157        0        1,217,157  

Luxembourg

     14,988        0        0        14,988  

Netherlands

     26,208        71,102        0        97,310  

Norway

     0        33,301        0        33,301  

Singapore

     0        34,999        0        34,999  

Spain

     0        212,436        0        212,436  

Sweden

     0        92,665        0        92,665  

Switzerland

     0        194,790        0        194,790  

United Kingdom

     257,014        553,263        0        810,277  

Short-term investments

           

Investment companies

     149,154        0        0        149,154  

Total assets

   $ 722,757      $ 3,842,087      $ 0      $ 4,564,844  

Additional sector, industry or geographic detail is included in the Portfolio of Investments.

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, the Fund did not have any transfers into/out of Level 3.

4. TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

Management fee

Funds Management, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), is the manager of the Fund and provides advisory and fund-level administrative services under an investment management agreement. Under the investment management agreement, Funds Management is responsible for, among other services, implementing the investment objectives and strategies of the Fund, supervising the subadviser and providing fund-level administrative services in connection with the Fund’s operations. As compensation for its services under the investment management agreement, Funds Management is entitled to receive a management fee at the following annual rate based on the Fund’s average daily net assets:

 

Average daily net assets    Management fee  

First $500 million

     0.950

Next $500 million

     0.925  

Next $1 billion

     0.900  

Next $2 billion

     0.875  

Next $1 billion

     0.850  

Next $5 billion

     0.840  

Over $10 billion

     0.830  

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, the management fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 0.95% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Funds Management has retained the services of a subadviser to provide daily portfolio management to the Fund. The fee for subadvisory services is borne by Funds Management. Wells Capital Management Incorporated, an affiliate of Funds Management and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo, is the subadviser to the Fund and is entitled to receive a fee from Funds Management at an annual rate starting at 0.55% and declining to 0.40% as the average daily net assets of the Fund increase.

Administration fees

Under a class-level administration agreement, Funds Management provides class-level administrative services to the Fund, which includes paying fees and expenses for services provided by the transfer agent, sub-transfer agents, omnibus account servicers and record-keepers. As compensation for its services under the class-level administration agreement, Funds Management receives an annual fee which is calculated based on the average daily net assets of each class as follows:

 

      Class-level
administration fee
 

Class R6

     0.03

Institutional Class

     0.13  

Waivers and/or expense reimbursements

Funds Management has contractually waived and/or reimbursed management and administration fees to the extent necessary to maintain certain net operating expense ratios for the Fund. When each class of the Fund has exceeded its expense cap, Funds Management has waived fees and/or reimbursed expenses from fund-level expenses on a proportionate basis and then from class specific expenses. When only certain classes exceed their expense caps, waivers and/or reimbursements are applied against class specific expenses before fund-level expenses. Funds Management has committed through February 28, 2021 to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap the Fund’s expenses at 0.95% for Class R6 shares and 1.05% for Institutional Class shares. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. 

Interfund transactions

The Fund may purchase or sell portfolio investment securities to certain other Wells Fargo affiliates pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act and under procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. The procedures have been designed to ensure that these interfund transactions, which do not incur broker commissions, are effected at current market prices.

5. INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

Purchases and sales of investments, excluding U.S. government obligations (if any) and short-term securities, for the six months ended April 30, 2020 were $1,189,237 and $1,168,356, respectively.

6. BANK BORROWINGS

The Trust (excluding the money market funds), Wells Fargo Master Trust and Wells Fargo Variable Trust are parties to a $280,000,000 revolving credit agreement whereby the Fund is permitted to use bank borrowings for temporary or emergency purposes, such as to fund shareholder redemption requests. Interest under the credit agreement is charged to the Fund based on a borrowing rate equal to the higher of the Federal Funds rate in effect on that day plus 1.25% or the overnight LIBOR rate in effect on that day plus 1.25%. In addition, an annual commitment fee equal to 0.25% of the unused balance is allocated to each participating fund.

For the six months ended April 30, 2020, there were no borrowings by the Fund under the agreement.

7. CONCENTRATION RISKS

Concentration risks result from exposure to a limited number of sectors or geographic regions. As of the end of the period, the Fund invests a concentration of its portfolio in the industrials sector and in Japan. A fund that invests a substantial portion of its assets in any sector or geographic region may be more affected by changes in that sector or geographic region than would be a fund whose investments are not heavily weighted in any sector or geographic region.

 

 

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Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

 

8. INDEMNIFICATION

Under the Fund’s organizational documents, the officers and Trustees have been granted certain indemnification rights against certain liabilities that may arise out of performance of their duties to the Fund. The Fund has entered into a separate agreement with each Trustee that converts indemnification rights currently existing under the Fund’s organizational documents into contractual rights that cannot be changed in the future without the consent of the Trustee. Additionally, in the normal course of business, the Fund may enter into contracts with service providers that contain a variety of indemnification clauses. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is dependent on future claims that may be made against the Fund and, therefore, cannot be estimated.

9. NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENT

In August 2018, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. ASU 2018-13 updates the disclosure requirements for fair value easurements by modifying or removing certain disclosures and adding certain new disclosures. The amendments are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. Management has adopted the removal and modification of disclosures early, as permitted, and will adopt the additional new disclosures at the effective date.

10. CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that it had made the assessment that coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) is a pandemic. The impacts of COVID-19 are adversely affecting the entire global economy, individual companies and investment products, and the market in general. There is significant uncertainty around the extent and duration of business disruptions related to COVID-19 and the impacts may be short term or may last for an extended period of time. The risk of further spreading of COVID-19 has led to significant uncertainty and volatility in the financial markets. The value of the Fund and the securities in which the Fund invests have generally been adversely affected by impacts caused by COVID-19.

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

PROXY VOTING INFORMATION

A description of the policies and procedures used to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available, upon request, by calling 1-800-222-8222, visiting our website at wfam.com, or visiting the SEC website at sec.gov. Information regarding how the proxies related to portfolio securities were voted during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available on the website at wfam.com or by visiting the SEC website at sec.gov.

QUARTERLY PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. Shareholders may view the filed Form N-PORT by visiting the SEC website at sec.gov.

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

Each of the Trustees and Officers1 listed in the table below acts in identical capacities for each fund in the Wells Fargo family of funds, which consists of 147 mutual funds comprising the Wells Fargo Funds Trust, Wells Fargo Variable Trust, Wells Fargo Master Trust and four closed-end funds (collectively the “Fund Complex”). This table should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information2. The mailing address of each Trustee and Officer is 525 Market Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105. Each Trustee and Officer serves an indefinite term, however, each Trustee serves such term until reaching the mandatory retirement age established by the Trustees.

Independent Trustees

 

Name and

year of birth

  Position held and
length of service*
  Principal occupations during past five years or longer   Current other
public company or
investment
company
directorships
William R. Ebsworth (Born 1957)   Trustee,
since 2015
  Retired. From 1984 to 2013, equities analyst, portfolio manager, research director and chief investment officer at Fidelity Management and Research Company in Boston, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, and retired in 2013 as Chief Investment Officer of Fidelity Strategic Advisers, Inc. where he led a team of investment professionals managing client assets. Prior thereto, Board member of Hong Kong Securities Clearing Co., Hong Kong Options Clearing Corp., the Thailand International Fund, Ltd., Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company, and Empire Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company. Audit Committee Chair and Investment Committee Chair of the Vincent Memorial Hospital Endowment (non-profit organization). Mr. Ebsworth is a CFA® charterholder.   N/A
Jane A. Freeman (Born 1953)   Trustee, since 2015; Chair Liaison, since 2018   Retired. From 2012 to 2014 and 1999 to 2008, Chief Financial Officer of Scientific Learning Corporation. From 2008 to 2012, Ms. Freeman provided consulting services related to strategic business projects. Prior to 1999, Portfolio Manager at Rockefeller & Co. and Scudder, Stevens & Clark. Board member of the Harding Loevner Funds from 1996 to 2014, serving as both Lead Independent Director and chair of the Audit Committee. Board member of the Russell Exchange Traded Funds Trust from 2011 to 2012 and the chair of the Audit Committee. Ms. Freeman is also an inactive Chartered Financial Analyst.   N/A
Isaiah Harris, Jr. (Born 1952)   Trustee, since 2009; Audit Committee Chairman, since 2019   Retired. Chairman of the Board of CIGNA Corporation since 2009, and Director since 2005. From 2003 to 2011, Director of Deluxe Corporation. Prior thereto, President and CEO of BellSouth Advertising and Publishing Corp. from 2005 to 2007, President and CEO of BellSouth Enterprises from 2004 to 2005 and President of BellSouth Consumer Services from 2000 to 2003. Emeritus member of the Iowa State University Foundation Board of Governors. Emeritus Member of the Advisory Board of Iowa State University School of Business. Advisory Board Member, Palm Harbor Academy (private school). Advisory Board Member, Child Evangelism Fellowship (non-profit). Mr. Harris is a certified public accountant (inactive status).   CIGNA Corporation
Judith M. Johnson (Born 1949)   Trustee, since 2008; Audit Committee Chairman, from 2009 to 2018   Retired. Prior thereto, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Minneapolis Employees Retirement Fund from 1996 to 2008. Ms. Johnson is an attorney, certified public accountant and a certified managerial accountant.   N/A

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

Name and

year of birth

  Position held and
length of service*
  Principal occupations during past five years or longer   Current other
public company or
investment
company
directorships
David F. Larcker (Born 1950)   Trustee, since 2009   James Irvin Miller Professor of Accounting at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Director of the Corporate Governance Research Initiative and Senior Faculty of The Rock Center for Corporate Governance since 2006. From 2005 to 2008, Professor of Accounting at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Prior thereto, Ernst & Young Professor of Accounting at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania from 1985 to 2005.   N/A
Olivia S. Mitchell (Born 1953)   Trustee, since 2006; Nominating and Governance Committee Chair, since 2018   International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Professor, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania since 1993. Director of Wharton’s Pension Research Council and Boettner Center on Pensions & Retirement Research, and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Previously, Cornell University Professor from 1978 to 1993.   N/A
Timothy J. Penny (Born 1951)   Trustee, since 1996; Chairman, since 2018   President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, a non-profit organization, since 2007. Member of the Board of Trustees of NorthStar Education Finance, Inc., a non-profit organization, since 2007.   N/A
James G. Polisson (Born 1959)   Trustee, since 2018   Retired. Chief Marketing Officer, Source (ETF) UK Services, Ltd, from 2015 to 2017. From 2012 to 2015, Principal of The Polisson Group, LLC, a management consulting, corporate advisory and principal investing company. Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Russell Investments, Global Exchange Traded Funds from 2010 to 2012. Managing Director of Barclays Global Investors from 1998 to 2010 and Global Chief Marketing Officer for iShares and Barclays Global Investors from 2000 to 2010. Trustee of the San Francisco Mechanics’ Institute, a non-profit organization, from 2013 to 2015. Board member of the Russell Exchange Traded Fund Trust from 2011 to 2012. Director of Barclays Global Investors Holdings Deutschland GmbH from 2006 to 2009. Mr. Polisson is an attorney and has a retired status with the Massachusetts and District of Columbia Bar Associations.   N/A
Pamela Wheelock (Born 1959)   Trustee, since January 2020; previously Trustee from January 2018 to July 2019   Board member of the Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency, Rochester, Minnesota since 2019 and Interim President of the McKnight Foundation since 2020. Acting Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Human Services, July 2019 through September 2019. Human Services Manager (part-time), Minnesota Department of Human Services, October 2019 through December 2019. Chief Operating Officer, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity from 2017 to 2019. Vice President of University Services, University of Minnesota from 2012 to 2016. Prior thereto, on the Board of Directors, Governance Committee and Finance Committee for the Minnesota Philanthropy Partners (Saint Paul Foundation) from 2012 to 2018, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota from 2011 to 2012, Chairman of the Board from 2009 to 2012 and Board Director from 2003 to 2015. Vice President, Leadership and Community Engagement, Bush Foundation, Saint Paul, Minnesota (a private foundation) from 2009 to 2011. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Minnesota Sports and Entertainment from 2004 to 2009 and Senior Vice President from 2002 to 2004. Executive Vice President of the Minnesota Wild Foundation from 2004 to 2008. Commissioner of Finance, State of Minnesota, from 1999 to 2002. Currently Board Chair of the Minnesota Wild Foundation since 2010.   N/A

 

*

Length of service dates reflect the Trustee’s commencement of service with the Trust’s predecessor entities, where applicable.    

 

 

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Other information (unaudited)

 

Officers    

 

Name and

year of birth

  Position held and
length of service
  Principal occupations during past five years or longer
Andrew Owen (Born 1960)   President, since 2017   Executive Vice President of Wells Fargo & Company and Head of Affiliated Managers, Wells Fargo Asset Management, since 2014. In addition, Mr. Owen is currently President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2017. Prior thereto, Executive Vice President responsible for marketing, investments and product development for Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC, from 2009 to 2014.
Jeremy DePalma1 (Born 1974)   Treasurer, since 2012   Senior Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2009. Senior Vice President of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2008 to 2010 and head of the Fund Reporting and Control Team within Fund Administration from 2005 to 2010.
Michelle Rhee (Born 1966)   Chief Legal Officer, since 2019   Secretary of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC, Chief Legal Counsel of Wells Fargo Asset Management and Assistant General Counsel of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. since 2018. Associate General Counsel and Managing Director of Bank of America Corporation from 2004 to 2018.
Catherine Kennedy (Born 1969)   Secretary, since 2019   Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC and Senior Counsel of the Wells Fargo Legal Department since 2010. Vice President and Senior Counsel of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 1998 to 2010.
Michael H. Whitaker (Born 1967)   Chief Compliance Officer, since 2016   Chief Compliance Officer of Wells Fargo Asset Management since 2016. Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Fidelity Investments from 2007 to 2016.
David Berardi (Born 1975)   Assistant Treasurer, since 2009   Vice President of Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC since 2009. Vice President of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2008 to 2010. Manager of Fund Reporting and Control for Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC from 2004 to 2010.

 

 

 

 

 

1

Jeremy DePalma acts as Treasurer of 82 funds and Assistant Treasurer of 65 funds in the Fund Complex.

 

2

The Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about the Trustees and is available, without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-222-8222 or by visiting the website at wfam.com.

 

 

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Appendix I (unaudited)

 

Effective on or about May 1, 2020, if you purchase Fund shares through a Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (“Janney”) brokerage account, you will be eligible for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”), or back-end sales charge, waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end sales charge* waivers on Class A shares available at Janney
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney.
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within ninety (90) days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e., right of reinstatement).
Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Class C shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are converted to Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to Janney’s policies and procedures.
CDSC waivers on Class A and Class C shares available at Janney
Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations.
Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Shares exchanged into the same share class of a different fund.
Front-end sales charge* discounts available at Janney; breakpoints, rights of accumulation and/or letters of intent
Breakpoints as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Rights of accumulation (“ROA”), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Janney. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney

Montgomery Scott may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

*

Also referred to as an “initial sales charge.”

 

 

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Appendix II (unaudited)

 

Effective on or after May 1, 2020, clients of Edward Jones (also referred to as “shareholders”) purchasing Fund shares on the Edward Jones commission and fee-based platforms are eligible only for the following sales charge discounts (also referred to as “breakpoints”) and waivers, which can differ from breakpoints and waivers described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI or through another broker-dealer. In all instances, it is the shareholder’s responsibility to inform Edward Jones at the time of purchase of any relationship, holdings of Wells Fargo Funds or other facts qualifying the purchaser for breakpoints or waivers. Edward Jones can ask for documentation of such circumstance.

 

Breakpoints available at Edward Jones
Rights of Accumulation (ROA)

The applicable sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares is determined by taking into account all share classes (except any money market funds and retirement plan share classes) of Wells Fargo Funds held by the shareholder or in an account grouped by Edward Jones with other accounts for the purpose of providing certain pricing considerations (“pricing groups”). This includes all share classes held on the Edward Jones platform and/or held on another platform. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the rights of accumulation calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation.

ROA is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value (current shares x NAV).

Letter of Intent (LOI)

Through a LOI, shareholders can receive the sales charge and breakpoint discounts for purchases shareholders intend to makeover a 13-month period from the date Edward Jones receives the LOI. The LOI is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value of qualifying holdings at LOI initiation in combination with the value that the shareholder intends to buy over a 13-month period to calculate the front-end sales charge and any breakpoint discounts. Each purchase the shareholder makes during that 13-month period will receive the sales charge and breakpoint discount that applies to the total amount. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the LOI calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation. Purchases made before the LOI is received by Edward Jones are not covered under the LOI and will not reduce the sales charge previously paid. Sales charges will be adjusted if LOI is not met.

Sales charges are waived for the following shareholders and in the following situations at Edward Jones:

   Associates of Edward Jones and its affiliates and their family members who are in the same pricing group (as determined by Edward Jones under its policies and procedures) as the associate. This waiver will continue for the remainder of the associate’s life if the associate retires from Edward Jones in good-standing.

   Shares purchased in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

   Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment.

   Shares purchased from the proceeds of redeemed shares of the same fund family so long as the following conditions are met: 1)the proceeds are from the sale of shares within 60 days of the purchase, and 2) the sale and purchase are made in the same share class and the same account or the purchase is made in an individual retirement account with proceeds from liquidations in anon-retirement account.

   Shares exchanged into Class A shares from another share class so long as the exchange is into the same fund and was initiated at the discretion of Edward Jones. Edward Jones is responsible for any remaining CDSC due to the fund company, if applicable. Any future purchases are subject to the applicable sales charge as disclosed in the prospectus.

   Exchanges from Class C shares to Class A shares of the same fund, generally, in the 84th month following the anniversary of the purchase date or earlier at the discretion of Edward Jones.

If the shareholder purchases shares that are subject to a CDSC and those shares are redeemed before the CDSC is expired, the shareholder
is responsible to pay the CDSC except in the following conditions available at Edward Jones:

   The death or disability of the shareholder.

   Systematic withdrawals with up to 10% per year of the account value.

   Return of excess contributions from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

   Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulation.

   Shares sold to pay Edward Jones fees or costs in such cases where the transaction is initiated by Edward Jones.

   Shares exchanged in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

   Shares acquired through NAV reinstatement.

 

 

Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund  |  25


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Appendix II (unaudited)

 

Other Important Information for accounts at Edward Jones:
Minimum Purchase Amounts

   $250 initial purchase minimum

   $50 subsequent purchase minimum

Minimum Balances
Edward Jones has the right to redeem at its discretion fund holdings with a balance of $250 or less. The following are examples of accounts that are not included in this policy:

   A fee-based account held on an Edward Jones platform

   A 529 account held on an Edward Jones platform

   An account with an active systematic investment plan or letter of intent (LOI)

Changing Share Classes
At any time it deems necessary, Edward Jones has the authority to exchange at NAV a shareholder’s holdings in a fund to Class A shares.

 

 

26  |  Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund


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Appendix III (unaudited)

 

Effective June 1, 2020, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (“Oppenheimer”) platform or account are eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Oppenheimer
Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan.
Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan.
Shares purchased through an Oppenheimer affiliated investment advisory program.
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Restatement).
A shareholder in the Fund’s Class C shares will have their shares exchanged at net asset value to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of Oppenheimer.
Employees and registered representatives of Oppenheimer or its affiliates and their family members.
Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund’s investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the Prospectus.
CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Oppenheimer
Death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Prospectus.
Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the Prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Oppenheimer fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Oppenheimer.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load Discounts Available at Oppenheimer: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent
Breakpoints as described in the Prospectus.
Rights of Accumulation (ROA), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Oppenheimer. Eligible fund family assets not held at Oppenheimer may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

 

Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund  |  27


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Appendix IV (unaudited)

 

Effective June 15, 2020, shareholders purchasing fund shares through a Robert W. Baird & Co. (“Baird”) platform or account will only be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and CDSC waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or the SAI.

 

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Baird
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing share of the same fund.
Share purchase by employees and registers representatives of Baird or its affiliate and their family members as designated by Baird.
Shares purchase from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same accounts, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as rights of reinstatement).
A shareholder in the Funds Investor C Shares will have their share exchanged at net asset value to Investor A shares of the fund if the shares are no longer subject to CDSC and the exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of Baird.
Employer-sponsored retirement plans or charitable accounts in a transactional brokerage account at Baird, including 401(k)plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs.
CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at Baird
Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares bought due to returns of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 72 as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Baird fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Baird.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load Discounts Available at Baird: Breakpoint and/or Rights of Accumulation
Breakpoints as described in the Prospectus.
Rights of accumulations which entitles shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Baird. Eligible fund family assets not held at Baird may be included in the rights of accumulations calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of Intent (LOI) allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family through Baird, over a13-month period of time.

 

 

28  |  Wells Fargo Special International Small Cap Fund


Table of Contents

LOGO

For more information

More information about Wells Fargo Funds is available free upon request. To obtain literature, please write, visit the Fund’s website, or call:

Wells Fargo Funds

P.O. Box 219967

Kansas City, MO 64121-9967

Website: wfam.com

Individual investors: 1-800-222-8222

Retail investment professionals: 1-888-877-9275

Institutional investment professionals: 1-866-765-0778

 

LOGO

 

This report and the financial statements contained herein are submitted for the general information of the shareholders of the Fund. If this report is used for promotional purposes, distribution of the report must be accompanied or preceded by a current prospectus. Before investing, please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the investment. For a current prospectus and, if available, a summary prospectus, containing this information, call 1-800-222-8222 or visit the Fund’s website at wfam.com. Read the prospectus carefully before you invest or send money.

Wells Fargo Asset Management (WFAM) is the trade name for certain investment advisory/management firms owned by Wells Fargo & Company. These firms include but are not limited to Wells Capital Management Incorporated and Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC. Certain products managed by WFAM entities are distributed by Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (a broker-dealer and Member FINRA).

This material is for general informational and educational purposes only and is NOT intended to provide investment advice or a recommendation of any kind—including a recommendation for any specific investment, strategy, or plan.

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED    NO BANK GUARANTEE     MAY LOSE VALUE


© 2019 Wells Fargo & Company. All rights reserved.

PAR-0520-00387 06-20

SA296/SAR296 04-20

 

 



Table of Contents

ITEM 2.  CODE OF ETHICS

=======================

Not applicable.

ITEM 3.  AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT

=========================================

Not applicable.

ITEM 4.  PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

===============================================

Not applicable.

ITEM 5.  AUDIT COMMITTEE OF LISTED REGISTRANTS

==============================================

Not applicable.

ITEM 6.  INVESTMENTS

====================

A Portfolio of Investments for each series of Wells Fargo Funds Trust is included as part of the report to shareholders filed under Item 1 of this Form.

 

ITEM 7. 

DISCLOSURE OF PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

==============================================================================================

Not applicable.

ITEM 8.  PORTFOLIO MANAGERS OF CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

==============================================================================

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 9. 

PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY CLOSED-END MANAGEMEENT INVESTMENT COMPANY AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS    

================================================================================================

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 10. 

SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

============================================================

There have been no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the registrant’s Board of Trustees that have been implemented since the registrant’s last provided disclosure in response to the requirements of this Item.


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ITEM 11. 

CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

==================================

(a) The President and Treasurer have concluded that the Wells Fargo Funds Trust disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) provide reasonable assurances that material information relating to the registrant is made known to them by the appropriate persons, based on their evaluation of these controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing of this report.

(b) There were no significant changes in the registrant’s internal controls over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) that occurred during the most recent fiscal half-year of the period covered by this report that materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

ITEM 12. 

DISCLOSURES OF SECURITIES LENDING ACTIVITES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

===================================================================================================

Not applicable.

ITEM 13.  EXHIBITS

=================

(a)(1)   Not applicable.
(a)(2)   Certifications pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
(b)   Certifications pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.


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LOGO

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

Wells Fargo Funds Trust
By:  
  /s/ Andrew Owen
  Andrew Owen
  President
Date:   June 26, 2020

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

Wells Fargo Funds Trust
By:  
  /s/ Andrew Owen
  Andrew Owen
  President
Date:   June 26, 2020
By:  
  /s/ Jeremy DePalma
  Jeremy DePalma
  Treasurer
Date:   June 26, 2020