We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
If you have been looking for Mutual Fund Bond fund category, a potential starting could be Vanguard Long-Term Investment-Grade Income Investor (VWESX - Free Report) . VWESX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), 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 VWESX. Since Vanguard Long-Term Investment-Grade Income Investor made its debut in July of 1973, VWESX has garnered more than $3.78 billion in assets. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. VWESX has a 5-year annualized total return of 0.48% 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 -8.49%, which places it in the middle 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, VWESX's standard deviation comes in at 13.49%, compared to the category average of 13.37%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 12.94% compared to the category average of 13.66%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
This fund has a beta of 1.86, meaning that it is more volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, VWESX has a positive alpha of 1.99, 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, VWESX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.21% compared to the category average of 0.82%. VWESX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.
This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $3,000, 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 Long-Term Investment-Grade Income Investor ( VWESX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Vanguard Long-Term Investment-Grade Income Investor ( VWESX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.
This could just be the start of your research on VWESXin the Mutual Fund Bond category. Consider going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information about this fund, and all the others that we rank 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:
Image: Bigstock
Is VWESX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?
If you have been looking for Mutual Fund Bond fund category, a potential starting could be Vanguard Long-Term Investment-Grade Income Investor (VWESX - Free Report) . VWESX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), 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 VWESX. Since Vanguard Long-Term Investment-Grade Income Investor made its debut in July of 1973, VWESX has garnered more than $3.78 billion in assets. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. VWESX has a 5-year annualized total return of 0.48% 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 -8.49%, which places it in the middle 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, VWESX's standard deviation comes in at 13.49%, compared to the category average of 13.37%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 12.94% compared to the category average of 13.66%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
This fund has a beta of 1.86, meaning that it is more volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, VWESX has a positive alpha of 1.99, 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, VWESX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.21% compared to the category average of 0.82%. VWESX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.
This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $3,000, 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 Long-Term Investment-Grade Income Investor ( VWESX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Vanguard Long-Term Investment-Grade Income Investor ( VWESX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.
This could just be the start of your research on VWESXin the Mutual Fund Bond category. Consider going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information about this fund, and all the others that we rank 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.