Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is CXHYX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Muni - Bonds fund seekers should consider taking a look at Delaware National High Yield Municipals A (CXHYX - Free Report) . CXHYX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

CXHYX is one of many Muni - Bonds funds to choose from. Muni - Bonds funds invest in debt securities issued by states and local municipalities, which are typically used to pay for infrastructure construction, schools, and other government functions. These securities can be backed by taxes (revenue bonds), but others are known as " general obligation " and are not necessarily backed by a defined source. These bonds are especially attractive because of their inherent tax benefits.

History of Fund/Manager

Delaware Investments is based in Philadelphia, PA, and is the manager of CXHYX. Delaware National High Yield Municipals A debuted in September of 1986. Since then, CXHYX has accumulated assets of about $188.56 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals.

Performance

Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. CXHYX has a 5-year annualized total return of 5.31% and is in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 5.82%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.

When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 11.69%, the standard deviation of CXHYX over the past three years is 8.67%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 7.29% compared to the category average of 10.08%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

With a beta of 1.06, this fund is more volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, CXHYX has a negative alpha of -0.27, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.

Ratings

Investors should also consider a bond's rating, which is a grade ( 'AAA' to 'D' ) given to a bond that indicates its credit quality. With this letter scale in mind, CXHYX 's junk bond component-bonds rated 'BB' or below-is at 20.88%. This means that the fund has an average quality of BBB, and focuses on medium quality securities.

However, it is worth noting that 44 % of the bonds in this fund are not ranked, so take the average quality level with a bit of caution.

Expenses

As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, CXHYX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.85% compared to the category average of 0.83%. So, CXHYX is actually more expensive than its peers from a cost perspective.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $1,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $100.

Bottom Line

Overall, Delaware National High Yield Municipals A ( CXHYX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, Delaware National High Yield Municipals A ( CXHYX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

Your research on the Muni - Bonds segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer as well for additional information. Want to learn even more? We have a full suite of tools on stocks that you can use to find the best choices for your portfolio too, no matter what kind of investor you are.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Delaware National H/Y Muni A (CXHYX) - free report >>

Published in