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Is VFIJX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?

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If you've been stuck searching for Mutual Fund Bond funds, consider Vanguard GNMA Admiral (VFIJX - Free Report) as a possibility. VFIJX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

Vanguard Group is based in Malvern, PA, and is the manager of VFIJX. Vanguard GNMA Admiral made its debut in February of 2001, and since then, VFIJX has accumulated about $10.32 billion in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Josh Saltman who has been in charge of the fund since December of 2019.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. VFIJX has a 5-year annualized total return of -0.54% and is in the middle third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of -4.44%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.

It is important to note that the product's returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund's [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower.

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, VFIJX's standard deviation comes in at 6.15%, compared to the category average of 9.85%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 5.11% compared to the category average of 10.07%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

With a beta of 0.97, this fund is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, VFIJX has a negative alpha of -0.92, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.

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, VFIJX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.11% compared to the category average of 0.77%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, VFIJX is actually cheaper than its peers.

This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $50,000, and each subsequent investment should be at least $1.

Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.

Bottom Line

Overall, Vanguard GNMA Admiral ( VFIJX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Vanguard GNMA Admiral ( VFIJX ) looks like a great potential 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 VFIJX 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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