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If investors are looking at the Muni - Bonds fund category, Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Admiral (VWALX - Free Report) could be a potential option. VWALX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
VWALX is one of many Muni - Bonds funds to choose from. Muni - Bonds funds invest in debt securities issued by states and local municipalities, which are typically used to pay for infrastructure construction, schools, and other government functions. These securities can be backed by taxes (revenue bonds), but others are known as " general obligation " and are not necessarily backed by a defined source. These bonds are especially attractive because of their inherent tax benefits.
History of Fund/Manager
Vanguard Group is based in Malvern, PA, and is the manager of VWALX. Since Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Admiral made its debut in November of 2001, VWALX has garnered more than $14.51 billion in assets. The fund is currently managed by Mathew Kiselak who has been in charge of the fund since July of 2010.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 2.04%, 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 0.23%, 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. The standard deviation of VWALX over the past three years is 9.02% compared to the category average of 11.38%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 8.18% compared to the category average of 11.48%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
VWALX carries a beta of 0.89, 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 1.04, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.
Ratings
Investors should also consider a bond's rating, which is a grade ( 'AAA' to 'D' ) given to a bond that indicates its credit quality. With this letter scale in mind, VWALX has 23.29% in high quality bonds rated at least 'AA' or higher, while 51.72% are of medium quality, with ratings of 'A' to 'BBB'. The fund has an average quality of A, and focuses on high quality securities.
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, VWALX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.09% compared to the category average of 0.79%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, VWALX 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 High-Yield Tax-Exempt Admiral ( VWALX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Admiral ( VWALX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.
For additional information on the Muni - Bonds area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds. There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into VWALX too 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.
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Is VWALX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?
If investors are looking at the Muni - Bonds fund category, Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Admiral (VWALX - Free Report) could be a potential option. VWALX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
VWALX is one of many Muni - Bonds funds to choose from. Muni - Bonds funds invest in debt securities issued by states and local municipalities, which are typically used to pay for infrastructure construction, schools, and other government functions. These securities can be backed by taxes (revenue bonds), but others are known as " general obligation " and are not necessarily backed by a defined source. These bonds are especially attractive because of their inherent tax benefits.
History of Fund/Manager
Vanguard Group is based in Malvern, PA, and is the manager of VWALX. Since Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Admiral made its debut in November of 2001, VWALX has garnered more than $14.51 billion in assets. The fund is currently managed by Mathew Kiselak who has been in charge of the fund since July of 2010.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 2.04%, 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 0.23%, 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. The standard deviation of VWALX over the past three years is 9.02% compared to the category average of 11.38%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 8.18% compared to the category average of 11.48%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
VWALX carries a beta of 0.89, 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 1.04, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.
Ratings
Investors should also consider a bond's rating, which is a grade ( 'AAA' to 'D' ) given to a bond that indicates its credit quality. With this letter scale in mind, VWALX has 23.29% in high quality bonds rated at least 'AA' or higher, while 51.72% are of medium quality, with ratings of 'A' to 'BBB'. The fund has an average quality of A, and focuses on high quality securities.
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, VWALX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.09% compared to the category average of 0.79%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, VWALX 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 High-Yield Tax-Exempt Admiral ( VWALX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Admiral ( VWALX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.
For additional information on the Muni - Bonds area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds. There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into VWALX too 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.