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If investors are looking at the Muni - Bonds fund category, American Century High Yield Municipals Investor (ABHYX - Free Report) could be a potential option. ABHYX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
ABHYX 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
ABHYX finds itself in the American Century family, based out of Kansas City, MO. Since American Century High Yield Municipals Investor made its debut in March of 1998, ABHYX has garnered more than $225.41 million in assets. The fund's current manager, Joseph Gotelli, has been in charge of the fund since January of 2012.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 2.25%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3 -year annualized total return of 1.55%, which places it in the bottom 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 ABHYX over the past three years is 8.44% compared to the category average of 12.7%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 7.6% compared to the category average of 12.29%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
This fund has a beta of 0.86, meaning that it is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, ABHYX has a positive alpha of 2.16, 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, ABHYX has 20.19% in high quality bonds rated at least 'AA' or higher, while 28.68% are of medium quality, with ratings of 'A' to 'BBB'. The fund has an average quality of BBB, and focuses on medium quality securities.
However, it is worth noting that 39 % of the bonds in this fund are not ranked, so take the average quality level with a bit of caution.
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, ABHYX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.59% compared to the category average of 0.92%. ABHYX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.
Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $2,500; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $50.
Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.
Bottom Line
Overall, American Century High Yield Municipals Investor ( ABHYX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, American Century High Yield Municipals Investor ( ABHYX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.
Your research on the Muni - Bonds segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer as well for additional information. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio - both funds and stocks - in the most efficient way possible.
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Is ABHYX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?
If investors are looking at the Muni - Bonds fund category, American Century High Yield Municipals Investor (ABHYX - Free Report) could be a potential option. ABHYX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
ABHYX 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
ABHYX finds itself in the American Century family, based out of Kansas City, MO. Since American Century High Yield Municipals Investor made its debut in March of 1998, ABHYX has garnered more than $225.41 million in assets. The fund's current manager, Joseph Gotelli, has been in charge of the fund since January of 2012.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 2.25%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3 -year annualized total return of 1.55%, which places it in the bottom 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 ABHYX over the past three years is 8.44% compared to the category average of 12.7%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 7.6% compared to the category average of 12.29%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
This fund has a beta of 0.86, meaning that it is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, ABHYX has a positive alpha of 2.16, 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, ABHYX has 20.19% in high quality bonds rated at least 'AA' or higher, while 28.68% are of medium quality, with ratings of 'A' to 'BBB'. The fund has an average quality of BBB, and focuses on medium quality securities.
However, it is worth noting that 39 % of the bonds in this fund are not ranked, so take the average quality level with a bit of caution.
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, ABHYX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.59% compared to the category average of 0.92%. ABHYX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.
Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $2,500; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $50.
Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.
Bottom Line
Overall, American Century High Yield Municipals Investor ( ABHYX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, American Century High Yield Municipals Investor ( ABHYX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.
Your research on the Muni - Bonds segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer as well for additional information. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio - both funds and stocks - in the most efficient way possible.