Fund Evaluator:
Harbor Core Plus Institutional (HABDX)
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Fund Details
Harbor Core Plus Institutional Overview
Harbor Core Plus Institutional (HABDX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Core-Plus Bond fund. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc launched the fund in 1987.
The investment seeks total return. The fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in a diversified portfolio of fixed income instruments. Its average duration, as calculated by the sub-adviser, is normally equal to that of its benchmark, plus or minus 0.5 years. The fund invests primarily in investment-grade securities, but may invest up to 25% of its total assets in below investment-grade securities.
About Harbor Core Plus Institutional (HABDX)
There are 8 members of the management team with an average tenure of 3.23 years: Jake Remley (2022), Mike Sheldon (2025), Bill O'Neill (2022), James Gubitosi (2022), Matt Walker (2022), Wesly Pate (2025), Rachel Campbell (2022), Ginny Schiappa (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Harbor Core Plus Institutional has 658 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 13.5% 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.
Harbor Core Plus Institutional is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Harbor Core Plus Institutional has 6.5% 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 0.8% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 97.7% (91.2% domestic bond, 6.5% foreign bond and 0.8% convertible bond). Harbor Core Plus Institutional has 0.7% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Intermediate Core-Plus 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.
HABDX 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 Harbor Core Plus Institutional expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category. Harbor Core Plus Institutional has an expense ratio of 0.38%, which is 52% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. 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. Harbor Core Plus Institutional has a portfolio turnover rate of 44%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 180% for the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, Harbor Core Plus Institutional returned 0.4%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Intermediate Core-Plus 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.
Harbor Core Plus Institutional has a trailing yield of 4.74%, which is above the 4.29% 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.
Harbor Core Plus Institutional Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 1.0%, 0.3 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 4.2% over the past year (grade of B), 4.8% over the past three years (grade of C) and 0.6% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 2.3% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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HABDX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| HABDX Return (NAV) | 0.4% | 1.0% | 4.2% | 4.8% | 0.6% | 2.3% |
| HABDX Grade | A | C | B | C | B | B |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Avg | 0.3% | 0.9% | 3.9% | 4.7% | 0.3% | 2.1% |
| HABDX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.7% | 1.6% |
HABDX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| HABDX Return (NAV) | 1.0% | 7.3% | 2.6% | 6.7% | -13.2% | -0.6% | 8.9% | 8.4% | -0.2% | 4.9% | 3.2% |
| HABDX Grade | B | C | B | B | B | C | B | D | B | B | D |
| +/- Category | 0.3% | -0.1% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 0.2% | -0.0% | 0.2% | -0.7% | 0.7% | 0.4% | -1.1% |
| Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Avg | 0.7% | 7.3% | 2.3% | 6.1% | -13.4% | -0.6% | 8.6% | 9.1% | -0.9% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 5.6% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.46 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.01 - Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | C (46% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.00 |
| R-Squared: | 99% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Moderate Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 4.7% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $1276 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $1,161 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 44% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 8 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 4.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 3.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): O'Neill Bill (2022), Gubitosi James (2022), Walker Matt (2022), Remley Jake (2022), Campbell Rachel (2022), Schiappa Ginny (2025), Sheldon Mike (2025), Pate Wesly (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 3/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 658 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 13.5% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 6.5% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.8% |
| Domestic Bond: | 91.2% |
| Foreign Bond: | 6.5% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.8% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.7% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Harbor Capital Advisors Inc |
| Phone Number: | 800-422-1050 |
| Website: | www.harborfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | December 29, 1987 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $1,000 |
| 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 (%): | 0.38% ( Rating : Below Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.78% |
| Share Class: | Harbor Core Plus Institutional |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
