AXA WF US High Yield - Bronze

FUND RESEARCH UPDATE: New Fund Rating of Bronze

Mara Dobrescu 18 April, 2016 | 1:55PM
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We have initiated coverage of AXA WF US High Yieldwith a Morningstar Analyst Ratingof Bronze. This fund boasts an experienced management team, led since 2011 by Carl “Pepper” Whitbeck. The fund is managed with a largely bottom-up strategy that aims to generate income return rather than price return. The manager is thus unafraid to invest a significant portion of the portfolio in lower-rated issuers (CCC) if he is comfortable with their creditworthiness over the investment horizon and if their yield is sufficiently attractive. The success of such an approach depends largely on the team’s ability to select the right issuers and to avoid defaults, which has been the case under the manager’s tenure. On the other hand, given the volume of assets under management (the team managed close to USD 20 billion in high-yield bonds at year-end 2015), we are keeping a close eye on the capacity of the strategy. Taking into account the fund’s strengths, but also the risks inherent in its approach, we have assigned it a Bronze rating.

See the latest Morningstar fund rating news here.

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Securities Mentioned in Article

Security NamePriceChange (%)Morningstar
Rating
AXAWF US High Yield Bonds F Cap USD305.09 USD0.39Rating

About Author

Mara Dobrescu

Mara Dobrescu  is a fund analyst at Morningstar France.

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