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Is BHYIX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?

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Having trouble finding a High Yield - Bonds fund? BlackRock High Yield Bond Institutional (BHYIX - Free Report) is a potential starting point. BHYIX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

BHYIX is classified in the High Yield - Bonds segment by Zacks, an area full of investment possibilities. High Yield - Bonds funds come in below investment grade, and are referred to as " junk " bonds for this reason. Compared to their investment grade peers, these funds are at a higher default risk, but typically pay out higher yields while posing similar interest rate risks.

History of Fund/Manager

BlackRock is based in New York, NY, and is the manager of BHYIX. BlackRock High Yield Bond Institutional made its debut in November of 1998, and since then, BHYIX has accumulated about $11.93 billion in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Mitchell Garfin who has been in charge of the fund since December of 2009.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 4.15%, and is 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 2.25%, which places it in the top 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. BHYIX's standard deviation over the past three years is 8.3% compared to the category average of 13.15%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 9.43% compared to the category average of 14.13%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

This fund has a beta of 0.19, meaning that it is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, BHYIX has a positive alpha of 4.36, 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, BHYIX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.57% compared to the category average of 0.94%. BHYIX 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 $2 million; each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.

Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.

Bottom Line

Overall, BlackRock High Yield Bond Institutional ( BHYIX ) 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 BHYIXin the High Yield - Bonds 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. 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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