Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is CPHYX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Mutual Fund Bond fund seekers may want to consider taking a look at Principal High Yield A (CPHYX - Free Report) . CPHYX 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

Principal Financial Group is responsible for CPHYX, and the company is based out of Des Moines, IA. Principal High Yield A debuted in April of 1998. Since then, CPHYX has accumulated assets of about $484.90 million, according to the most recently available information. A team of investment professionals is the fund's current manager.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 3.2%, and is 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 2.91%, 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 13.24%, the standard deviation of CPHYX over the past three years is 8.47%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 7.15% compared to the category average of 11.6%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

This fund has a beta of 0.33, meaning that it is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, CPHYX has a positive alpha of 2.26, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.

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, CPHYX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.91% compared to the category average of 0.98%. From a cost perspective, CPHYX is actually cheaper than its peers.

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

Bottom Line

Overall, Principal High Yield A ( CPHYX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average 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 CPHYX 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.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


PRINCIPAL HIGH YIELD FUND (CPHYX) - free report >>

Published in