Fund Evaluator:
Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB (HUBBX)
Follow This Fund
Best Performing in Ultrashort Bond Over the Last Year
| 5.6% | Medlst Shrt Dur Inv (SEMRX) |
| 4.9% | T. Rowe Price Ultra Short-Term Bond Z (TRZWX) |
| 4.4% | Touchstone Ultra Short Dur F/I Y (TSYYX) |
| 4.4% | Angel Oak UltraShort Income A (AOUAX) |
| 4.4% | Western Asset Ultra-Short Income A (ARMZX) |
Fund Details
Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB Overview
Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB (HUBBX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Ultrashort Bond fund. Hartford Mutual Funds launched the fund in 1998.
The investment seeks total return and income consistent with preserving capital and maintaining liquidity. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its assets in fixed income securities. It normally invests in "investment grade" securities. The fund normally will maintain a dollar weighted average duration of less than 1.5 years. The fund may also use repurchase agreements to achieve its investment objective.
About Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB (HUBBX)
There are 1 members of the management team with an average tenure of 3.88 years: Marc K. Piccuirro (2022). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Bloomberg 9-12Mon U.S. short Try TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB has 290 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 28.5% 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.
Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB has 8.4% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0%. There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 77.5% (69.1% domestic bond, 8.4% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB has 22.5% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $60 million in total assets, which is below the $950 million average for the Ultrashort 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.
HUBBX 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 Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Ultrashort Bond category. Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB has an expense ratio of 0.70%, which is 56% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. 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. Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB has a portfolio turnover rate of 70%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 77% for the Ultrashort Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB returned 0.2%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Ultrashort 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.
Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB has a trailing yield of 4.88%, which is above the 4.21% category average. The fund normally distributes its income semi-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.
Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 1.4%, 0.7 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 3.2% over the past year (grade of F), 4.4% over the past three years (grade of F) and 2.9% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 2.0% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
For more mutual fund grades, analysis and screening tools to help your investment discovery, join AAII for a $2, full-access trial. Learn more here: https://invest.aaii.com/membership.
Otherwise, for more information about Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
HUBBX 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 |
|
| HUBBX Return (NAV) | 0.2% | 0.6% | 3.2% | 4.4% | 2.9% | 2.0% |
| HUBBX Grade | F | F | F | F | F | F |
| +/- Category | -0.1% | -0.3% | -0.9% | -0.8% | -0.7% | -0.6% |
| Ultrashort Bond Avg | 0.3% | 0.9% | 4.1% | 5.2% | 3.6% | 2.7% |
| HUBBX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.0% | 1.3% | 0.9% | 0.6% |
HUBBX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| HUBBX Return (NAV) | 1.4% | 4.3% | 4.9% | 5.0% | -0.5% | -0.5% | 1.3% | 2.5% | 1.3% | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| HUBBX Grade | F | F | F | F | D | F | D | D | F | F | F |
| +/- Category | -0.7% | -0.5% | -0.9% | -0.9% | -0.3% | -0.6% | -0.3% | -0.5% | -0.4% | -0.8% | -0.9% |
| Ultrashort Bond Avg | 2.1% | 4.9% | 5.9% | 5.9% | -0.2% | 0.1% | 1.5% | 3.1% | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.5% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 0.6% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.05 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.13 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | D (73% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.08 |
| R-Squared: | 69% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Limited Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 4.9% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Semi-Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | |
| Total Assets: | $470 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 60 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 70% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 1 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 3.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 3.9 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Piccuirro Marc K. (2022) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 290 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 28.5% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 8.4% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 69.1% |
| Foreign Bond: | 8.4% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 22.5% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Hartford Mutual Funds |
| Phone Number: | 888-843-7824 |
| Website: | www.hartfordfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | April 1, 1998 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.70% ( Rating : Above Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.45% |
| Share Class: | Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS IB |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
