Intermediate Bond Fund
Investment Objective and Strategy
Is this fund a good choice for me?
The Intermediate Bond Fund may be appropriate if you want the potential to earn a higher level of current income than short-term fixed-income investments typically provide. The fund’s share price is likely to be more volatile than a short-term bond fund’s because longer-term bonds are usually more sensitive to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities.
Investment objective and strategy
The fund seeks a high level of income consistent with preservation of capital by investing in bonds and other debt securities. These investments include: commercial paper; corporate bonds; U.S. Treasury securities; securities issued or guaranteed by U.S. government entities, agencies or instrumentalities; municipal bonds; mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities; mortgage pass-through securities; U.S. dollar-denominated debt securities of foreign issuers (Yankee Bonds); sovereign and supranational debt securities; and other income-producing debt instruments with fixed, floating or variable interest rates.
The fund may invest in securities of any credit quality and may invest up to 15% of assets in securities rated below investment grade. The average maturity of the portfolio, under normal circumstances, is expected to be between three and 10 years.
Fund Profile
| Inception | May 01, 2019 |
|---|---|
| Asset Allocation | Bond |
| Benchmark | Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index |
| Ticker Symbol | HOIBX |
| CUSIP Number | 437771108 |
| Fee Structure | No Load |
| Gross Expense Ratio | 0.89% (Net 0.80%) (12/31/2023) |
| Gross Median Expense Ratio for Peer Group | 0.80% (Net 0.71%) (12/31/2023) |
| Fee Waiver | Contractual through 4/30/2025 |
| Transaction Fees | NONE |
| 30-Day SEC Yield | 3.91% (12/31/2024) |
The expense ratio shows the percentage of fund assets deducted annually to cover operating costs. Fund expense ratios shown here do not include acquired fund fees and expenses. If applicable, these additional costs are disclosed in the prospectus. The net expense ratio is the expense ratio minus the portion of expenses waived or reimbursed. Please see the current prospectus for additional details. The peer ratio is according to Morningstar Direct, based on each fund’s Morningstar classification.
Homestead Advisers has contractually agreed, through at least April 30, 2025, to limit the Fund’s operating expenses to an amount not to exceed 0.80% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Operating expenses exclude interest; taxes; brokerage commissions; other expenditures that are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business; and acquired fund fees and expenses such as the fees and expenses associated with an investment in (i) an investment company or (ii) any company that would be an investment company under Section 3(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), but for the exceptions to that definition provided for in Sections 3(c)(1) and 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act. This waiver agreement will terminate immediately upon termination of the Fund’s Management Agreement and may be terminated by the Fund upon 60 days’ notice.
Performance
Total Returns
As of 9/30/2024
Calendar-Year Total Returns
*The inception date of this fund is May 1, 2019.
The total returns shown above represent past performance, which does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate. An investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be higher or lower than the performance data quoted. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, call 800.258.3030 or visit homesteadfunds.com.
Fund total returns include changes in principal value and reinvested dividends, income and capital gain distributions.
Debt securities are subject to interest rate risk, credit risk, extension risk, income risk, issuer risk and market risk. The value of U.S. government securities can decrease due to, among other factors, changes in interest rates or changes to the financial condition or credit rating of the U.S. government. Investments in asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities are also subject to prepayment risk, as well as increased susceptibility to adverse economic developments. High-yield, lower-rated, securities involve greater risk than higher-rated securities.
The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment-grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market. Indices are unmanaged, and investors cannot invest directly in an index. Unless otherwise noted, performance of indices does not account for any fees, commissions or other expenses that would be incurred. Returns do not include reinvested dividends.
Growth of $10,000
This line chart is a comparison of the change in value of a $10,000 investment in the Fund and the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index. The chart represents past performance, which is no guarantee of future results. Current performance may be higher or lower than that shown above. Returns and the principal value of your investment will fluctuate such that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. The fund’s average annual total returns are net of any fee waivers and reimbursements. Returns do not reflect taxes that the shareholder may pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares.
Industry Rankings
For the month ending 12/31/2024
Morningstar |
|
| Category | Intermediate Core Bond |
|---|---|
| Rating* |
★★★★
|
*Overall, out of 431 funds, according to risk-adjusted return
Morningstar rated this fund, in Morningstar’s intermediate core bond category, 4 stars for the Overall period out of 431 fund, 4 stars for the five-year period out of 387 funds, and 4 stars for the three-year period out of 431 funds for performance month ending 12/31/24. The Morningstar RatingTM for funds, or “star rating,” is calculated for managed products (including mutual funds, variable annuity and variable life subaccounts, exchange-traded funds, close-end funds and separate accounts) with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product’s monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The Morningstar Rating does not include any adjustments for sales loads. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-year, five-year, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10-year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods.
©2025 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Ratings are updated regularly. More information is available at morningstar.com.
Share Price History
As of 01/17/2025
The chart plots daily share prices for the last 10 years. The interactive calendar will retrieve the share price for any business day since the fund's inception.
Composition
Security Weightings
As of 9/30/2024
Portfolio Characteristics
As of 9/30/2024
| Net Assets | $140,985,664 |
|---|---|
| Number of Holdings | 329 |
| Weighted Average Maturity | 8.45 years |
| Duration | 6 years |
Distributions
Income and/or capital gains distributions for this fund, if any, are listed in the table below for the current and previous calendar year. Mutual funds are required to pass through to their shareholders substantially all of the interest income and capital gains earned by the fund during the year. These distributions are paid on a regular schedule as shown in the table below.
2024 Earnings Distribution
| Distribution Type | Record Date | Declaration Date | $/Per Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary Income | Daily | 1/31/24 | $0.0132 |
| Ordinary Income | Daily | 2/29/24 | $0.0133 |
| Ordinary Income | Daily | 3/28/24 | $0.0136 |
| Ordinary Income | Daily | 4/30/24 | $0.0138 |
| Ordinary Income | Daily | 5/31/24 | $0.0141 |
| Ordinary Income | Daily | 6/28/24 | $0.0142 |
| Ordinary Income | Daily | 7/31/24 | $0.0142 |
| Ordinary Income | Daily | 8/30/24 | $0.014 |
| Ordinary Income | Daily | 9/30/24 | $0.0141 |
| Ordinary Income | Daily | 10/31/24 | $0.0139 |
| Ordinary Income | Daily | 11/30/24 | $0.014 |
| Ordinary Income | Daily | 12/31/24 | $0.014 |
The record date is the date on which you must be a shareholder in order to receive a portion of the fund’s distribution.
The declaration date, typically the business day after the record date, is the date the amount of the distribution is announced and deducted from fund assets. On this day, the amount of the distribution is deducted from fund assets and calculated as a per share amount to be passed through to shareholders. The fund’s share price will decline by the amount of the distribution (plus or minus any share price change related to market activity). The following business day, shareholders will see their portion of the distribution posted to their account as either a cash dividend or dividend reinvestment.
Portfolio Management
Debt securities are subject to interest rate risk, credit risk, extension risk, income risk, issuer risk and market risk. The value of U.S. government securities can decrease due to, among other factors, changes in interest rates or changes to the financial condition or credit rating of the U.S. government. Investments in asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities are also subject to prepayment risk, as well as increased susceptibility to adverse economic developments. High-yield, lower-rated, securities involve greater risk than higher-rated securities.
