Fund Evaluator:
Westwood Real Estate Inc Inst (KIFYX)
Follow This Fund
Best Performing in Preferred Stock Over the Last Year
| 5.5% | Cohen & Steers Preferred Sec & Inc Z (CPXZX) |
Fund Details
Westwood Real Estate Inc Inst Overview
Westwood Real Estate Inc Inst (KIFYX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Preferred Stock fund. Westwood launched the fund in 2006.
The investment seeks high current income and potential for modest long-term growth of capital. Under normal conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes, if any, in income-producing securities of companies in the real estate industry. It invests primarily in securities of companies in the real estate industry, such as real estate investment trusts ("REITs"), master limited partnerships and other real estate firms.
About Westwood Real Estate Inc Inst (KIFYX)
There are 1 members of the management team with an average tenure of 5.25 years: John Palmer (2021). 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 ICE BofA Fxd Rate Pref TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Westwood Real Estate Inc Inst has 46 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 37.5% 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.
Westwood Real Estate Inc Inst is part of the Hybrid Securities global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Westwood Real Estate Inc Inst has 0.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 28.4%. There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 71.5% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Westwood Real Estate Inc Inst has 0.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $163 million in total assets, which is below the $549 million average for the Preferred Stock 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.
KIFYX 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 Westwood Real Estate Inc Inst expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Preferred Stock category. Westwood Real Estate Inc Inst has an expense ratio of 0.85%, which is 23% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. 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. Westwood Real Estate Inc Inst has a portfolio turnover rate of 67%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 37% for the Preferred Stock category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Westwood Real Estate Inc Inst returned 2.2%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Preferred Stock 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.
Westwood Real Estate Inc Inst has a trailing yield of 7.89%, which is above the 5.56% category average. The fund normally distributes its income quarterly 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.
Westwood Real Estate Inc Inst Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 4.4%, 2.9 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 6.7% over the past year (grade of A), 6.8% over the past three years (grade of F) and 3.0% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 3.4% 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 Westwood Real Estate Inc Inst, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
KIFYX 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 |
|
| KIFYX Return (NAV) | 2.2% | 2.1% | 6.7% | 6.8% | 3.0% | 3.4% |
| KIFYX Grade | A | A | A | F | B | F |
| +/- Category | 2.4% | 1.8% | 1.4% | -1.5% | 0.3% | -1.1% |
| Preferred Stock Avg | -0.3% | 0.4% | 5.2% | 8.3% | 2.8% | 4.4% |
| KIFYX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 3.1% | 3.0% | 2.8% | 2.6% |
KIFYX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| KIFYX Return (NAV) | 4.4% | 1.8% | 7.1% | 14.6% | -14.1% | 15.4% | -2.8% | 18.6% | -8.5% | 1.8% | 14.1% |
| KIFYX Grade | A | F | F | A | F | A | F | A | F | F | A |
| +/- Category | 2.9% | -6.3% | -2.9% | 7.8% | -2.8% | 10.6% | -8.0% | 1.8% | -3.9% | -8.3% | 8.6% |
| Preferred Stock Avg | 1.5% | 8.1% | 9.9% | 6.8% | -11.3% | 4.8% | 5.3% | 16.8% | -4.6% | 10.1% | 5.4% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 8.7% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.71 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.87 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (100% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.10 |
| R-Squared: | 51% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Small-Cap Value |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 7.9% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Quarterly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $231 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 164 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 67% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 1 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 5.3 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 5.3 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Palmer John (2021) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 46 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 37.5% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 28.4% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 71.5% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.1% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Westwood |
| Phone Number: | 877-386-3944 |
| Website: |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | April 28, 2006 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $100,000 |
| 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: | na |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.85% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.11% |
| Share Class: | Westwood Real Estate Income A |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
