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There are plenty of choices in the Muni - Bonds category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that might be worth investigating is Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Investor (VWAHX - Free Report) . VWAHX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
VWAHX 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
VWAHX is a part of the Vanguard Group family of funds, a company based out of Malvern, PA. Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Investor debuted in December of 1978. Since then, VWAHX has accumulated assets of about $1.83 billion, according to the most recently available information. 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 carries a 5-year annualized total return of 1.57%, and is in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of -0.41%, 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 VWAHX over the past three years is 9.07% compared to the category average of 11.5%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 8.22% compared to the category average of 11.58%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
This fund has a beta of 0.88, meaning that it is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, VWAHX has a positive alpha of 1.01, 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, VWAHX 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
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, VWAHX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.17% compared to the category average of 0.79%. From a cost perspective, VWAHX is actually cheaper than its peers.
Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $3,000; each subsequent investment needs to 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 Investor ( VWAHX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.
For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Muni - Bonds, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well.
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Is VWAHX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?
There are plenty of choices in the Muni - Bonds category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that might be worth investigating is Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Investor (VWAHX - Free Report) . VWAHX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
VWAHX 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
VWAHX is a part of the Vanguard Group family of funds, a company based out of Malvern, PA. Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Investor debuted in December of 1978. Since then, VWAHX has accumulated assets of about $1.83 billion, according to the most recently available information. 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 carries a 5-year annualized total return of 1.57%, and is in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of -0.41%, 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 VWAHX over the past three years is 9.07% compared to the category average of 11.5%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 8.22% compared to the category average of 11.58%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
This fund has a beta of 0.88, meaning that it is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, VWAHX has a positive alpha of 1.01, 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, VWAHX 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
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, VWAHX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.17% compared to the category average of 0.79%. From a cost perspective, VWAHX is actually cheaper than its peers.
Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $3,000; each subsequent investment needs to 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 Investor ( VWAHX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.
For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Muni - Bonds, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well.