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If investors are looking at the Mutual Fund Bond fund category, Baird Core Plus Bond Investor (BCOSX - Free Report) could be a potential option. BCOSX holds 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
Baird is responsible for BCOSX, and the company is based out of Milwaukee, WI. Baird Core Plus Bond Investor debuted in September of 2000. Since then, BCOSX has accumulated assets of $28 billion, according to the most recently available information. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. BCOSX has a 5-year annualized total return of 0.4% 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 -5.07%, 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. Over the past three years, BCOSX's standard deviation comes in at 6.26%, compared to the category average of 10.5%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 5.95% compared to the category average of 10.72%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
This fund has a beta of 0.94, meaning that it is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, BCOSX has a positive alpha of 0.5, 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, BCOSX has 52.2% in high quality bonds rated at least 'AA' or higher, while 44.4% are of medium quality, with ratings of 'A' to 'BBB'. The fund has an average quality of AA, and focuses on high quality securities.
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, BCOSX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.55% compared to the category average of 0.80%. BCOSX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.
While the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100.
Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.
Bottom Line
Overall, Baird Core Plus Bond Investor ( BCOSX ) 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.
Your research on the Mutual Fund Bond 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. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike.
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Is BCOSX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?
If investors are looking at the Mutual Fund Bond fund category, Baird Core Plus Bond Investor (BCOSX - Free Report) could be a potential option. BCOSX holds 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
Baird is responsible for BCOSX, and the company is based out of Milwaukee, WI. Baird Core Plus Bond Investor debuted in September of 2000. Since then, BCOSX has accumulated assets of $28 billion, according to the most recently available information. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. BCOSX has a 5-year annualized total return of 0.4% 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 -5.07%, 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. Over the past three years, BCOSX's standard deviation comes in at 6.26%, compared to the category average of 10.5%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 5.95% compared to the category average of 10.72%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
This fund has a beta of 0.94, meaning that it is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, BCOSX has a positive alpha of 0.5, 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, BCOSX has 52.2% in high quality bonds rated at least 'AA' or higher, while 44.4% are of medium quality, with ratings of 'A' to 'BBB'. The fund has an average quality of AA, and focuses on high quality securities.
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, BCOSX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.55% compared to the category average of 0.80%. BCOSX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.
While the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100.
Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.
Bottom Line
Overall, Baird Core Plus Bond Investor ( BCOSX ) 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.
Your research on the Mutual Fund Bond 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. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike.