Is VTAPX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?

Looking for a Government Bond - Short fund? You may want to consider Vanguard Short Term Inflation Protected Security Index Advisor (VTAPX) as a possible option. While this fund is not tracked by the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, we were able to examine other factors like performance, volatility, and cost.

Objective

VTAPX is one of many Government Bond - Short funds to choose from. Often seen as risk-free assets and described as extremely low-risk from a default perspective,Government Bond - Short funds hold securities issued by the federal government of the United States. Focusing on the short end of the curve, this category can result in n lower yields, but less sensitivity to interest rate fluctuations.

History of Fund/Manager

Vanguard Group is responsible for VTAPX, and the company is based out of Malvern, PA. Vanguard Short Term Inflation Protected Security Index Advisor debuted in October of 2012. Since then, VTAPX has accumulated assets of about $23.57 billion, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Joshua Barrickman who has been in charge of the fund since October of 2012.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. VTAPX has a 5-year annualized total return of 3.69%, and is in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 5.02%, 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. Over the past three years, VTAPX's standard deviation comes in at 2.02%, compared to the category average of 9.28%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 2.74% compared to the category average of 10.91%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Bond Duration

Modified duration is a measure of a given bond's interest rate sensitivity, and is a metric that's a good way to judge how fixed income securities will respond in a shifting rate environment.

For those that believe interest rates will rise, this is an important factor to consider. VTAPX has a modified duration of 2.38, which suggests that the fund will decline 2.38% for every hundred-basis-point increase in interest rates.

Income

It is important to consider the fund's average coupon because income is often a big reason for purchasing a fixed income security. This metric calculates the fund's average payout in a given year. For example, this fund's average coupon of 1% means that a $10,000 investment should result in a yearly payout of $100.

While a higher coupon is good for when you want a strong level of current income, it could present a reinvestment risk if rates are lower in the future when compared to the initial purchase date of the bond. Income is only one part of the bond picture, investors also need to consider risk relative to broad benchmarks.

Expenses

For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, VTAPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.06% compared to the category average of 0.82%. So, VTAPX is actually cheaper than its peers from a cost perspective.

This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $3,000, and each subsequent investment should be at least $1.

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

Bottom Line

Want even more information about VTAPX? 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.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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