Wells Fargo, the owner of Wells Fargo Advantage Funds brand, is one of the four largest banks in the U.S. and has a legacy spanning 150 years in the financial services sector. With over $121.5 billion (excluding money market assets) of assets invested in more than 110 mutual funds, Wells Fargo Advantage Funds diversify their assets across a wide range of mutual fund categories. These include both domestic and foreign funds, asset allocation funds and fixed-income funds.

In 2010, the boards of trustees of Wells Fargo Advantage Funds and Evergreen Funds had approved the merger of the fund families to create a new fund lineup under the brand name Wells Fargo Advantage Funds. The Wells Fargo fund family claims that “each fund is guided by a premier investment team chosen for its focused attention to a particular investment style. There's a fund to meet the investment goals and risk tolerance of almost any investment portfolio.”

Below we share with you 3 top-rated Wells Fargo Advantage Funds. Each has earned a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and is expected to outperform its peers in the future. To view the Zacks Rank and past performance of all Wells Fargo Advantage Funds, investors can click here to see the complete list of Wells Fargo Advantage Funds.

Wells Fargo International Equity A (WFEAX - MF report) seeks capital growth over the long run. WFEAX invests a lion’s share of its assets in equity securities of companies located in foreign lands. WFEAX invests a maximum of 30% of its assets in securities issued in emerging nations. WFEAX is believed to allocate its assets across a minimum of three countries, which may also include the U.S. WFEAX invests in equity securities including preferred stock, common stock and American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). The Wells Fargo International Equity A fund has a three-year annualized return of 6.2%.

WFEAX has an expense ratio of 1.09% as compared to the category average of 1.16%.

Wells Fargo Disciplined U.S. Core A (EVSAX - MF report) invests a large chunk of its assets in equity securities of domestic large-cap companies. EVSAX considers companies with market capitalizations within the universe of the S&P 500 Index. As of Oct 31, 2015, the index had a market capitalization range between $1.5 billion and $666.2 billion. The Wells Fargo Disciplined U.S. Core A fund has a three-year annualized return of 17.3%.

Greg W. Golden is the fund manager of EVSAX since 2011.

Wells Fargo Short-Term Bond A (SSTVX - MF report) seeks current income with preservation of capital. SSTVX invests a major portion of its assets in debt securities. SSTVX may invest not more than a quarter of its assets in foreign debt securities that are not denominated in the U.S. dollar. SSTVX may also invest a maximum of 15% of its assets in securities that are below investment-grade. SSTVX invests in securities including corporate and U.S. government obligations. The Wells Fargo Short-Term Bond A fund has a three-year annualized return of 0.8%.

As of October 2015, SSTVX held 308 issues with 28.85% of its assets invested in Us 2yr Note (Cbt) Dec15 Xcbt 20151231.