There are plenty of choices in the Diversified Bonds category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that might be worth investigating is PGIM Total Return Bond Z (PDBZX). PDBZX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

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We classify PDBZX in the Diversified Bonds category, an area that is rife with potential choices. Diversified Bonds funds offer exposure to a wide variety of fixed income types, stretching across various issuers, credit levels, and maturities. Generally speaking, bond funds here will have sizable exposure to government debt, as well as modest holdings in the corporate bond market too.

PDBZX finds itself in the PGIM family, based out of Providence, RI. Since PGIM Total Return Bond Z made its debut in September of 1996, PDBZX has garnered more than $21.38 billion in assets. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals.

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 0.2%, and it sits in the bottom third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of -1.74%, which places it in the bottom 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.

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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. PDBZX’s standard deviation over the past three years is 7.92% compared to the category average of 13.27%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund’s standard deviation is 7.56% compared to the category average of 14%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

This fund has a beta of 0.88, meaning that it is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, PDBZX has a positive alpha of 0.49, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.

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, PDBZX has 60.79% in high quality bonds rated at least ‘AA’ or higher, while 26.45% are of medium quality, with ratings of ‘A’ to ‘BBB’. The fund has an average quality of AA, and focuses on high quality securities.

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