Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is WFCMX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

If you've been stuck searching for Mutual Fund Bond funds, consider Wells Fargo Coreblder Shares Series M (WFCMX - Free Report) as a possibility. WFCMX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

Allspring is based in San Francisco, CA, and is the manager of WFCMX. Wells Fargo Coreblder Shares Series M debuted in February of 2009. Since then, WFCMX has accumulated assets of about $742.37 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 2.45%, and it sits 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 1.73%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.

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. WFCMX's standard deviation over the past three years is 6.02% compared to the category average of 5.79%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 5.66% compared to the category average of 5.19%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

With a beta of 0.83, this fund is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, WFCMX has a positive alpha of 1.25, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.

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, WFCMX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0% compared to the category average of 0.77%. From a cost perspective, WFCMX is actually cheaper than its peers.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $0 and that each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.

Bottom Line

Overall, Wells Fargo Coreblder Shares Series M ( WFCMX ) 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.

This could just be the start of your research on WFCMXin 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. For analysis of the rest of your portfolio, make sure to visit Zacks.com for our full suite of tools which will help you investigate all of your stocks and funds in one place.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Allspring Coreblder Shares Series M (WFCMX) - free report >>

Published in