Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Vanguard REIT Index Admiraliral (VGSLX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Are you on the hunt for a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund? You should think about starting with Vanguard REIT Index Admiraliral (VGSLX - Free Report) . VGSLX has no Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, but we have been able to look into other metrics like performance, volatility, and cost.

History of Fund/Manager

VGSLX finds itself in the Vanguard Group family, based out of Malvern, PA. The Vanguard REIT Index Admiraliral made its debut in November of 2001 and VGSLX has managed to accumulate roughly $24.77 billion in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Gerard O'Reilly who has been in charge of the fund since November of 2001.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. VGSLX has a 5-year annualized total return of 7.79% and is in the top 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 10.68%, 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. The standard deviation of VGSLX over the past three years is 18.93% compared to the category average of 15.97%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 17.08% compared to the category average of 14.18%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. VGSLX has a 5-year beta of 0.85, which means it is likely to be less volatile than the market average. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -4.14. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

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, VGSLX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.12% compared to the category average of 0.78%. VGSLX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $3,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $1.

Bottom Line

Want even more information about VGSLX? Then go over to Zacks.com and check out our mutual fund comparison tool, and all of the other great features that we have to help you with your mutual fund analysis 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.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


VANGUARD REAL ESTATE INDEX FD (VGSLX) - free report >>

Published in