Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond Index Admiral (VBILX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Are you on the hunt for a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund? You should think about starting with Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond Index Admiral (VBILX - Free Report) . VBILX has no Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, but we have been able to look into other metrics like performance, volatility, and cost.

History of Fund/Manager

VBILX finds itself in the Vanguard Group family, based out of Malvern, PA. The Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond Index Admiral made its debut in November of 2001 and VBILX has managed to accumulate roughly $16.29 billion in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Joshua Barrickman who has been in charge of the fund since April of 2008.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. VBILX has a 5-year annualized total return of 1.47% 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 0.33%, 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. VBILX's standard deviation over the past three years is 5.27% compared to the category average of 12.36%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 4.58% compared to the category average of 11%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

The fund has a 5-year beta of 1.15, so investors should note that it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. VBILX's 5-year performance has produced a positive alpha of 0.29, which means managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

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, VBILX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.07% compared to the category average of 0.78%. From a cost perspective, VBILX is actually cheaper than its peers.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $3,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $1.

Bottom Line

Want even more information about VBILX? Then go over to Zacks.com and check out our mutual fund comparison tool, and all of the other great features that we have to help you with your mutual fund analysis 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.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


VANGUARD INTERMEDIATE TERM BD (VBILX) - free report >>

Published in