Figuring out whether a fund is worth the investment can be a time-consuming, analytical process. The Morningstar Ratings™ are one way to make this task easier.
The ratings allow investors to see how a fund's past risk-adjusted performance stacks up against that of its category peers: 5 stars is the best; 1 star is the worst. Therefore, if a fund charges a low fee and has superb management, it will perform better than similar funds in a given category and will compare favorably to its related index. Consequently, it will have a higher Morningstar Rating™.
These ratings can help you choose the best performing funds. However, you have to dig in a little deeper and consider other fundamental factors, such as manager experience and consistency of their investment process. Sometimes, a two star fund is a smarter buy than a five star fund for a given investor.
Morningstar Proprietary ratings reflect historical risk-adjusted performance as of January 31, 2010. The Overall Morningstar Rating™ for a fund is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its 3-, 5-, and 10-year Morningstar Rating™ metrics.
©2010 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1)is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its 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, rankings and ratings are no guarantee of future results. Rankings and ratings change monthly. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that your shares, when redeemed may be worth more or less than their original purchase price.
The Overall Morningstar Rating™ for a fund is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its 3-, 5-, and 10-year Morningstar Rating™ metrics. As of 1/31/10 the Select Value Fund was rated against 357, 253 and 84 mid-cap value funds over the 3-, 5- and 10-year periods, respectively. The Value Plus Fund was rated against 308, 240, and 130 small value funds over the 3-, 5- and 10-year periods, respectively. The Value Fund was rated against 308, 240, and 130 small value funds over the 3-, 5- and 10-year periods, respectively. The Select Value Fund has received Morningstar's 5-star rating for the 5-year period and 4-star rating for the 3- and 10-year periods. The Value Plus Fund has received Morningstar's 5-star rating for the 3- and 5-year periods and 4-star rating for the 10-year period. The Value Fund has received Morningstar's 3-star rating for the 3-, 5- and 10-year periods. For each fund with at least a 3-year history, Morningstar calculates a Morningstar Rating™ based on Morningstar's risk-adjusted return measure that accounts for variation in a fund's monthly performance (including the effects of sales charges, loads and redemption fees), placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of funds in a 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. (Each share class is counted as a fraction of one fund within this scale and rated separately which may cause slight variations in the distribution percentages.) The Morningstar Ratings™ are for the specified share class; other classes may have different performance characteristics.
Past performance does not guarantee future results. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month end, please visit the Funds' Returns pages of our website, or call 1-800-432-7856.
The Funds invest in small companies selected on a value basis. Such securities generally are more volatile and less liquid than those of larger companies. Value-based investments are subject to the risk that the broad market may not recognize their intrinsic values. The Select Value and Value Plus Funds also invest in a smaller number of stocks (generally 30 to 60) than the average mutual fund. The performance of these holdings generally will increase the volatility of the Funds’ returns.
I found this:
(This is for feedback purposes only. Your comments will not be posted on the website.)
Name (optional):
Thank you for your feedback.
We'll send you our Investment Kit in the mail Request Your Kit!
Receive your Heartland Mail via E-Mail How to sign up