Category Review
Municipal bond funds are down for the year after a third-quarter selloff erased the first-half gain
Hartford Core Bond ETF
$33.51+0.05 (+0.15%)
- 0.29%
- $436M
- −2.3%
- 4.40%
- 0M sh
- $33.41
- low $33.20high $36.05
The ETF.net HCRB Grade
B
Score 64 out of 100
- 50 of 117
Score 64 of 100 falls in the B band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.B60 out of 100Rank 43 of 117Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A100 out of 100Rank 1 of 101Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C49 out of 100Rank 67 of 116Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.C42 out of 100Rank 75 of 117Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.C51 out of 100Rank 68 of 116Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B59 out of 100Rank 51 of 117
Our read on HCRB
BHartford's take on the boring middle of the bond market is actively run, not index-tracked: roughly 900 investment-grade bonds, monthly distributions, and a price tag closer to a passive fund than to a typical active manager.
The Fund seeks long-term total return through an actively managed portfolio of fixed-income securities selected for total-return potential, with at least 80% of net assets normally invested in fixed income and a primary focus on investment-grade securities.
Why people hold it
- Active management at a near-passive price. The 0.29% expense ratio undercuts the typical cost in its aggregate-bond cohort, so you get a human at the wheel without the usual active-manager toll.
- Tight mandate discipline. At least 80% of net assets normally sit in fixed income with a primary focus on investment grade, and the portfolio has tracked that stated job closely.
- Roughly 900 bonds and a monthly payout cadence, so income lands on a steady drumbeat instead of in quarterly lumps.
- Live since 2020 with a real asset base behind it, and it sits in the upper half of a very crowded core-bond field.
Worth knowing
- The index heavyweights in this category (BND, SCHZ, SPAB) charge a tiny sliver of what active costs. That fee gap is the hurdle the managers are paid to clear.
- It trades thinly next to the category's giants. Limit orders and avoiding the open and close are the standard tools for keeping spreads from nibbling at a position.
- This is core investment-grade exposure, so interest-rate moves are the main lever on the ride, not credit drama.
HCRB Holdings
- Bonds
- 833
- 24%
- Fnma Tba 30 Yr 5 Single Family Mortgage
Geography
- United States94.86%
- Mexico1.19%
- France0.58%
- Luxembourg0.56%
- United Kingdom0.45%
- Italy0.41%
- Ireland0.41%
- Israel0.30%
- 1.26%
HCRB Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
Not enough history yet.
HCRB$9,774
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | HCRB |
|---|---|
| Year to date | −2.6% |
| 1 month | −1.2% |
| 3 months | −2.8% |
| 1 year | −2.3% |
| 3 years | +4.8% |
| 5 years | −0.5% |
| 10 years | — |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | HCRB |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | −2.6% | |
| 2025 | +7.0% | |
| 2024 | +2.2% | |
| 2023 | +7.0% | |
| 2022 | −14.6% | |
| 2021 | −1.8% | |
| 2020 | +6.8% |
HCRB in the news
HCRB Dividends
- 4.40%
- $1.47
- $0.13 per share
- Monthly
Distribution history
HCRB Risk
- 5.8%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- −0.01
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −18.9%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 1.02
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
HCRB Cost
0.29%
HCRB0.29%
- The middle half of US Aggregate Bond funds
- Median 0.34%
46 of the 113 US Aggregate Bond funds charge less.
Other funds in US Aggregate Bond
- BPABPGIM Active Aggregate Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.19%1 year return −1.9%
- BBDBTBluemonte Core Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.28%1 year return −1.9%
- BJCPBJPMorgan Core Plus Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.40%1 year return −1.2%
- BJSCPJPMorgan Short Duration Core Plus ETFExpense ratio 0.33%1 year return +1.2%
- BBYLDiShares Yield Optimized Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.41%1 year return −0.1%