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Is Vanguard Utilities Index Admiral (VUIAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
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Looking for a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund? You may want to consider Vanguard Utilities Index Admiral (VUIAX - Free Report) as a possible option. VUIAX 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
Vanguard Group is based in Malvern, PA, and is the manager of VUIAX. Since Vanguard Utilities Index Admiral made its debut in January of 2004, VUIAX has garnered more than $1.62 billion in assets. The fund's current manager, Awais Khan, has been in charge of the fund since November of 2017.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 8.94%, and is in the middle third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 4.63%, which places it in the bottom 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. The standard deviation of VUIAX over the past three years is 18.5% compared to the category average of 18.64%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 16.1% compared to the category average of 15.64%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.52, which means it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. Another factor to consider is alpha, as it reflects a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark-in this case, the S&P 500. VUIAX's 5-year performance has produced a positive alpha of 3.46, which means managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
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, VUIAX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.10% compared to the category average of 1.17%. From a cost perspective, VUIAX is actually cheaper than its peers.
This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $100,000, and each subsequent investment should be at least $1.
Bottom Line
Want even more information about VUIAX? 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. Want to learn even more? We have a full suite of tools on stocks that you can use to find the best choices for your portfolio too, no matter what kind of investor you are.
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Is Vanguard Utilities Index Admiral (VUIAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
Looking for a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund? You may want to consider Vanguard Utilities Index Admiral (VUIAX - Free Report) as a possible option. VUIAX 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
Vanguard Group is based in Malvern, PA, and is the manager of VUIAX. Since Vanguard Utilities Index Admiral made its debut in January of 2004, VUIAX has garnered more than $1.62 billion in assets. The fund's current manager, Awais Khan, has been in charge of the fund since November of 2017.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 8.94%, and is in the middle third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 4.63%, which places it in the bottom 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. The standard deviation of VUIAX over the past three years is 18.5% compared to the category average of 18.64%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 16.1% compared to the category average of 15.64%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.52, which means it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. Another factor to consider is alpha, as it reflects a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark-in this case, the S&P 500. VUIAX's 5-year performance has produced a positive alpha of 3.46, which means managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
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, VUIAX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.10% compared to the category average of 1.17%. From a cost perspective, VUIAX is actually cheaper than its peers.
This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $100,000, and each subsequent investment should be at least $1.
Bottom Line
Want even more information about VUIAX? 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. Want to learn even more? We have a full suite of tools on stocks that you can use to find the best choices for your portfolio too, no matter what kind of investor you are.