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Is Hartford Balanced Income C (HBLCX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
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Having trouble finding a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund? Well, Hartford Balanced Income C (HBLCX - Free Report) would not be a good potential starting point right now. HBLCX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
Hartford is responsible for HBLCX, and the company is based out of Woodbury, MN. Since Hartford Balanced Income C made its debut in July of 2006, HBLCX has garnered more than $2.21 billion in assets. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 3.93%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 2.78%, 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. Over the past three years, HBLCX's standard deviation comes in at 11.05%, compared to the category average of 15%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 9.52% compared to the category average of 13.28%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
With a 5-year beta of 0.5, the fund is likely to be less volatile than the market average. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. HBLCX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -2.62, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Expenses
Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, HBLCX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.61% compared to the category average of 0.86%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, HBLCX is actually more expensive than its peers.
This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $2,000, and each subsequent investment should be at least $50.
Bottom Line
Overall, Hartford Balanced Income C ( HBLCX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, Hartford Balanced Income C ( HBLCX ) looks like a poor potential choice for investors right now.
Your research on the Mutual Fund Equity Report 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. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike.
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Is Hartford Balanced Income C (HBLCX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
Having trouble finding a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund? Well, Hartford Balanced Income C (HBLCX - Free Report) would not be a good potential starting point right now. HBLCX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
Hartford is responsible for HBLCX, and the company is based out of Woodbury, MN. Since Hartford Balanced Income C made its debut in July of 2006, HBLCX has garnered more than $2.21 billion in assets. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 3.93%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 2.78%, 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. Over the past three years, HBLCX's standard deviation comes in at 11.05%, compared to the category average of 15%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 9.52% compared to the category average of 13.28%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
With a 5-year beta of 0.5, the fund is likely to be less volatile than the market average. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. HBLCX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -2.62, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Expenses
Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, HBLCX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.61% compared to the category average of 0.86%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, HBLCX is actually more expensive than its peers.
This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $2,000, and each subsequent investment should be at least $50.
Bottom Line
Overall, Hartford Balanced Income C ( HBLCX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, Hartford Balanced Income C ( HBLCX ) looks like a poor potential choice for investors right now.
Your research on the Mutual Fund Equity Report 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. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike.