Fund Evaluator:
Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston A (EVIBX)
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Best Performing in High Yield Bond Over the Last Year
| 11.4% | Fidelity Capital & Income (FAGIX) |
| 10.5% | Fidelity Advisor Capital & Income Z (FIQTX) |
| 7.4% | American Beacon SiM High Yld Opps Inv (SHYPX) |
| 7.4% | Fidelity Advisor High Income Z (FGUMX) |
| 7.2% | Fidelity High Income (SPHIX) |
Fund Details
Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston A Overview
Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston A (EVIBX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond High Yield Bond fund. Eaton Vance launched the fund in 1972.
The investment seeks to provide a high level of current income; the fund's secondary objectives are to seek growth of income and capital. The fund currently invests primarily in high yield, high risk corporate bonds (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") which are rated lower than investment grade (i.e., bonds rated lower than Baa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or lower than BBB by S&P Global Ratings ("S&P") or Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”)) or are unrated and of comparable quality as determined by the investment adviser.
About Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston A (EVIBX)
There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 5.38 years: Justin Bourgette (2025), Stephen Concannon (2014), Jeffrey Mueller (2019), Bo Hunt (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US Universal TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and ICE BofA US High Yield TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston A has 428 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 10.7% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston A is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston A has 10.3% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 1.4%. There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 1.8% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 92.2% (81.9% domestic bond, 10.3% foreign bond and 1.1% convertible bond). Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston A has 3.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $493 million in total assets, which is below the $545 million average for the High Yield Bond category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
EVIBX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the High Yield Bond category. Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston A has an expense ratio of 0.96%, which is 5% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a D. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston A has a portfolio turnover rate of 48%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 72% for the High Yield Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston A returned -0.5%, which earned it a grade of D, as the High Yield Bond category had an average return of -0.3%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston A has a trailing yield of 6.18%, which is below the 6.28% category average. The fund normally distributes its income monthly and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 1.1%, 0.6 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 4.4% over the past year (grade of D), 7.2% over the past three years (grade of D) and 4.1% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 4.9% per year over the past 10 years (grade of C).
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EVIBX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| EVIBX Return (NAV) | -0.5% | 0.4% | 4.4% | 7.2% | 4.1% | 4.9% |
| EVIBX Grade | D | C | D | D | B | C |
| +/- Category | -0.2% | -0.1% | -0.4% | -0.3% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| High Yield Bond Avg | -0.3% | 0.4% | 4.9% | 7.5% | 3.7% | 4.8% |
| EVIBX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.2% |
EVIBX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| EVIBX Return (NAV) | 1.1% | 8.2% | 7.1% | 11.8% | -8.2% | 5.5% | 4.8% | 13.3% | -2.8% | 6.0% | 12.7% |
| EVIBX Grade | D | C | D | C | A | B | C | C | C | D | D |
| +/- Category | -0.6% | 0.3% | -0.5% | -0.1% | 1.9% | 0.4% | -0.4% | 0.2% | -0.1% | -0.7% | -0.8% |
| High Yield Bond Avg | 1.6% | 7.9% | 7.6% | 11.9% | -10.0% | 5.1% | 5.2% | 13.0% | -2.7% | 6.7% | 13.4% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 3.8% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.31 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.95 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (21% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.57 |
| R-Squared: | 72% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Value |
| Bond Investment Style: | Medium Quality Limited Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 6.2% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $3949 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 494 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 48% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 4 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 11.8 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 5.4 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Concannon Stephen (2014), Mueller Jeffrey (2019), Hunt Bo (2025), Bourgette Justin (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 5/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 428 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 10.7% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 10.3% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 1.4% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 1.8% |
| Domestic Bond: | 81.9% |
| Foreign Bond: | 10.3% |
| Convertible Bond: | 1.1% |
| Other: | 0.4% |
| Cash: | 3.1% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Eaton Vance |
| Phone Number: | 800-262-1122 |
| Website: | www.eatonvance.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | June 15, 1972 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 3.25% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.96% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.92% |
| Share Class: | Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston A |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
