Category Review
Municipal bond funds are down for the year after a third-quarter selloff erased the first-half gain
Hartford Total Return Bond ETF
$32.19+0.03 (+0.09%)
- 0.29%
- $2.2B
- −2.3%
- 4.90%
- 0.2M sh
- $32.16
- low $31.93high $34.82
The ETF.net HTRB Grade
A
Score 70 out of 100
- 32 of 117
Score 70 of 100 falls in the A 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.D38 out of 100Rank 88 of 116Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A80 out of 100Rank 11 of 117Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B67 out of 100Rank 42 of 116Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B63 out of 100Rank 48 of 117
Our read on HTRB
AA core bond portfolio that answers to an objective, not an index: roughly 1,500 bonds, monthly income, and a fee under the typical bond ETF. Hartford's 2017 answer to the passive giants.
The Fund seeks competitive total return, with income as a secondary objective.
Why people hold it
- Costs 0.29% a year, below the typical fund in its aggregate-bond peer group, and low for a portfolio built by decisions rather than index rules.
- Roughly 1,500 bonds and monthly distributions: broad spread across issuers, with a payout rhythm rather than a lump at year end.
- Holdings line up closely with the prospectus mandate (total return first, income second), one of the tighter fits in its peer group.
- Multi-billion-dollar asset base and a live record since 2017, not a launch still hunting for its first shareholders.
Worth knowing
- Index rivals like BND, SPAB and SCHZ run at a few basis points. The extra fee here buys manager discretion instead of index replication.
- No declared index to track, so the mix of rate and credit exposure reflects the manager's judgment and can look different from aggregate trackers.
- Trading is moderate for the category rather than heavyweight, which matters most on large or hurried orders.
HTRB Holdings
- Bonds
- 1,844
- 19%
- Fnma Tba 30 Yr 5.5 Single Family Mortgage
Sectors
- Communication67.6%
- Utilities32.4%
Geography
- United States83.31%
- Germany1.87%
- Mexico1.58%
- United Kingdom1.46%
- France1.05%
- Luxembourg1.01%
- Romania0.53%
- Italy0.53%
- 8.66%
HTRB 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.
HTRB$9,772
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 | HTRB |
|---|---|
| Year to date | −2.7% |
| 1 month | −1.3% |
| 3 months | −3.0% |
| 1 year | −2.3% |
| 3 years | +5.1% |
| 5 years | −0.3% |
| 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 | HTRB |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | −2.7% | |
| 2025 | +7.4% | |
| 2024 | +2.3% | |
| 2023 | +7.2% | |
| 2022 | −14.4% | |
| 2021 | −0.8% | |
| 2020 | +8.9% |
HTRB in the news
HTRB Dividends
- 4.90%
- $1.58
- $0.13 per share
- Monthly
Distribution history
HTRB Risk
- 6.0%
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.
- 0.03
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.
- −19.2%
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.
- 1.03
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
HTRB Cost
0.29%
HTRB0.29%
- 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
- AILTBiShares Core 10+ Year USD Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.06%1 year return −6.9%
- ANXUSNuveen International Aggregate Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.07%1 year return −0.9%
- BGTOInvesco Total Return Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return −1.4%
- AJBNDJPMorgan Active Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.25%1 year return −1.6%
- BSYSBiShares Systematic Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.25%1 year return −2.0%