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Having trouble finding a Government Bond - Long fund? Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Investor (VUSTX - Free Report) is a possible starting point. VUSTX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
Zacks Categorizes VUSTX as a Government Bond - Long, which is an area packed with options. In their portfolios,Government Bond - Long funds hold securities issued by the United States' federal government, which are often seen as risk-free assets and described as extremely low-risk from a default perspective. Focusing on the long end of the curve, this fund category results in higher yields, but greater sensitivity to interest rate fluctuations.
History of Fund/Manager
Vanguard Group is responsible for VUSTX, and the company is based out of Malvern, PA. The Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Investor made its debut in May of 1986 and VUSTX has managed to accumulate roughly $525.25 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.
Performance
Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of -6.91%, and it sits in the middle 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 2.71%, 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. Compared to the category average of 13.73%, the standard deviation of VUSTX over the past three years is 14.22%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 13.85% compared to the category average of 13.88%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Bond Duration
Modified duration is a measure of a given bond's interest rate sensitivity, and is a metric that's a good way to judge how fixed income securities will respond in a shifting rate environment.
For those that believe interest rates will rise, this is an important factor to consider. VUSTX has a modified duration of 14.6, which suggests that the fund will decline 14.6% for every hundred-basis-point increase in interest rates.
Income
We must remember to consider the fund's average coupon, as income is traditionally a big reason for purchasing a fixed income security. A fund's average coupon is simply its average payout in a given year. For example, this fund's average coupon of 3.2% means that a $10,000 investment should result in a yearly payout of $320.
A higher coupon is good for those seeking a strong level of current income, but it could also pose a reinvestment risk if rates are lower in the future when compared to the initial purchase date of the bond. Since income is just one part of the bond picture, investors need to consider risk relative to broad benchmarks.
With a beta of 2.12, this fund is more volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, VUSTX has a negative alpha of -2.76 , which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.
Expenses
As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, VUSTX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.20% compared to the category average of 0.62%. VUSTX 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 $3,000; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $1.
Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into consideration. Returns would be less if those were included.
Bottom Line
Overall, Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Investor ( VUSTX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Investor ( VUSTX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.
For additional information on the Government Bond - Long 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 VUSTX too 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 VUSTX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?
Having trouble finding a Government Bond - Long fund? Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Investor (VUSTX - Free Report) is a possible starting point. VUSTX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
Zacks Categorizes VUSTX as a Government Bond - Long, which is an area packed with options. In their portfolios,Government Bond - Long funds hold securities issued by the United States' federal government, which are often seen as risk-free assets and described as extremely low-risk from a default perspective. Focusing on the long end of the curve, this fund category results in higher yields, but greater sensitivity to interest rate fluctuations.
History of Fund/Manager
Vanguard Group is responsible for VUSTX, and the company is based out of Malvern, PA. The Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Investor made its debut in May of 1986 and VUSTX has managed to accumulate roughly $525.25 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.
Performance
Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of -6.91%, and it sits in the middle 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 2.71%, 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. Compared to the category average of 13.73%, the standard deviation of VUSTX over the past three years is 14.22%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 13.85% compared to the category average of 13.88%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Bond Duration
Modified duration is a measure of a given bond's interest rate sensitivity, and is a metric that's a good way to judge how fixed income securities will respond in a shifting rate environment.
For those that believe interest rates will rise, this is an important factor to consider. VUSTX has a modified duration of 14.6, which suggests that the fund will decline 14.6% for every hundred-basis-point increase in interest rates.
Income
We must remember to consider the fund's average coupon, as income is traditionally a big reason for purchasing a fixed income security. A fund's average coupon is simply its average payout in a given year. For example, this fund's average coupon of 3.2% means that a $10,000 investment should result in a yearly payout of $320.
A higher coupon is good for those seeking a strong level of current income, but it could also pose a reinvestment risk if rates are lower in the future when compared to the initial purchase date of the bond. Since income is just one part of the bond picture, investors need to consider risk relative to broad benchmarks.
With a beta of 2.12, this fund is more volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, VUSTX has a negative alpha of -2.76 , which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.Expenses
As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, VUSTX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.20% compared to the category average of 0.62%. VUSTX 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 $3,000; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $1.
Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into consideration. Returns would be less if those were included.
Bottom Line
Overall, Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Investor ( VUSTX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Investor ( VUSTX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.
For additional information on the Government Bond - Long 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 VUSTX too 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.