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Is VAIPX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?

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Any investors hoping to find a Mutual Fund Bond fund could think about starting with Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securites Admiral (VAIPX - Free Report) . VAIPX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

VAIPX finds itself in the Vanguard Group family, based out of Malvern, PA. The Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securites Admiral made its debut in June of 2005 and VAIPX has managed to accumulate roughly $18.08 billion in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, John Madziyire, has been in charge of the fund since November of 2021.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 2.03%, and it sits in the middle third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 1.12%, which places it in the middle 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, VAIPX's standard deviation comes in at 6.77%, compared to the category average of 13.64%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 5.61% compared to the category average of 11.68%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

VAIPX carries a beta of 0.87, meaning that the fund is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. With this in mind, it has a positive alpha of 2.62, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.

Expenses

For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, VAIPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.10% compared to the category average of 0.83%. VAIPX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $50,000; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $1.

Bottom Line

Overall, Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securites Admiral ( VAIPX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, better downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.

Don't stop here for your research on Mutual Fund Bond funds. We also have plenty more on our site in order to help you find the best possible fund for your portfolio. Make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for more information about the world of funds, and feel free to compare VAIPX to its peers 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.


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