Fund Evaluator:
Nuveen High Yield Income C (NCFCX)
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Fund Details
Nuveen High Yield Income C Overview
Nuveen High Yield Income C (NCFCX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond High Yield Bond fund. Nuveen launched the fund in 2010.
The investment seeks current income and capital appreciation. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in debt instruments (e.g., bonds and loans) rated below investment grade or, if unrated, deemed by the fund's portfolio managers to be of comparable quality. The fund invests both in debt issued by U.S. companies and in U.S. dollar-denominated debt issued by non-U.S. companies that is traded over-the-counter or listed on an exchange.
About Nuveen High Yield Income C (NCFCX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 3.75 years: Scott Caraher (2019), Kristal Seales (2023), James Kim (2025). 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 US High Yield TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Nuveen High Yield Income C has 334 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 13.4% 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.
Nuveen High Yield Income C is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Nuveen High Yield Income C has 12.1% 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 0.1% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 92.9% (80.8% domestic bond, 12.1% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Nuveen High Yield Income C has 7.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $13 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.
NCFCX 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 Nuveen High Yield Income C expense ratio is high compared to funds in the High Yield Bond category. Nuveen High Yield Income C has an expense ratio of 1.77%, which is 93% 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. Nuveen High Yield Income C has a portfolio turnover rate of 170%, 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, Nuveen High Yield Income C returned -0.3%, 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.
Nuveen High Yield Income C has a trailing yield of 6.42%, which is above 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.
Nuveen High Yield Income C Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 2.0%, 0.4 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 5.5% over the past year (grade of B), 7.8% over the past three years (grade of B) and 3.6% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 4.5% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
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NCFCX 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 |
|
| NCFCX Return (NAV) | -0.3% | 0.4% | 5.5% | 7.8% | 3.6% | 4.5% |
| NCFCX Grade | D | C | B | B | C | D |
| +/- Category | -0.1% | -0.0% | 0.7% | 0.2% | -0.2% | -0.3% |
| High Yield Bond Avg | -0.3% | 0.4% | 4.9% | 7.5% | 3.7% | 4.8% |
| NCFCX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.2% |
NCFCX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| NCFCX Return (NAV) | 2.0% | 7.1% | 8.3% | 11.9% | -11.2% | 5.6% | 1.0% | 12.1% | -1.6% | 5.0% | 19.5% |
| NCFCX Grade | B | D | B | C | D | B | F | D | B | F | A |
| +/- Category | 0.4% | -0.8% | 0.7% | -0.0% | -1.2% | 0.5% | -4.2% | -0.9% | 1.0% | -1.7% | 6.0% |
| 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: | 4.0% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.33 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.99 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (35% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.56 |
| R-Squared: | 62% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Limited Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 6.4% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $568 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 14 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | C |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 170% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 7.2 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 3.8 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Caraher Scott (2019), Seales Kristal (2023), Kim James (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 334 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 13.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 12.1% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.1% |
| Domestic Bond: | 80.8% |
| Foreign Bond: | 12.1% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 7.0% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Nuveen |
| Phone Number: | 800-257-8787 |
| Website: | www.nuveen.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | April 28, 2010 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $2,500 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $2,000 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 1.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 1.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.77% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.92% |
| Share Class: | Nuveen High Yield Income I |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
