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Mutual Fund Fixed Income Leveraged Finance

Virtus Seix High Yield Fund

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Ticker
HYPSX
CUSIP
92837F698
POP
$ (as of )
Inception
12/21/2001
Total Assets by Class
$33,965,602.70 (as of 04/26/2024)
Total Assets by Fund
$390,578,385.70 (as of 04/26/2024)
Morningstar Category
High Yield Bond

Portfolio Overview

Investment Overview

The Fund seeks high current income and total return by investing primarily in high yield corporate bonds and other U.S. dollar denominated debt instruments of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, with up to 100% of assets invested in securities rated below investment grade. A sound, transparent, and repeatable process leverages competitive advantages and aims to capture upside potential while limiting downside risk.

Management Team

Investment Partner

Seix Investment Advisors

Seix Investment Advisors is an investment management boutique focused exclusively on managing fixed income securities since 1992. Seix seeks to generate competitive absolute and relative risk-adjusted returns over the full market cycle through a bottom-up focused, top-down aware process. Seix employs multi-dimensional approaches based on strict portfolio construction methodology, sell disciplines and trading strategies with prudent risk management as a cornerstone.

Seix Investment Advisors is a division of Virtus Fixed Income Advisers, LLC ("VFIA"), an SEC registered investment adviser.


Learn more about Seix Investment Advisors

Investment Professionals

Michael Kirkpatrick - 400x400

Michael Kirkpatrick

Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager

Industry start date: 1991
Start date as fund Portfolio Manager: 2007

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James FitzPatrick

James FitzPatrick, CFA

Managing Director, Head of Leveraged Finance Trading, Portfolio Manager

Industry start date: 1996
Start date as fund Portfolio Manager: 2013

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Key Features

Higher Quality High Yield

Emphasizes BB- and B-rated corporate bonds; seeks to invest in what are believed to be the healthiest and most undervalued credits in the non-investment grade space, identified through extensive bottom-up fundamental credit research

Diversification

High yield bonds may offer minimal correlation to investment grade fixed income sectors and only modest correlation to equities

Risk Management

Strict focus on bottom-up credit research, controls around portfolio construction, sell discipline, and trading strategy in an effort to mitigate downside exposure

Portfolio Characteristics

Characteristics4

(as of 03/28/2024)
Effective Duration (years) 2.56

Top Holdings (% Fund)

(as of 03/28/2024)
Security
Cable One Inc, 4.0000% 11/15/2030
1.51
 1.51%
Virtus Seix Senior Loan ETF
1.27
 1.27%
CCO Holdings LLC / CCO Holdings Capital Corp, 7.3750% 03/01/2031
1.26
 1.26%
Enact Holdings Inc, 6.5000% 08/15/2025
1.25
 1.25%
United Wholesale Mortgage LLC, 5.5000% 04/15/2029
1.22
 1.22%
Uber Technologies Inc, 7.5000% 09/15/2027
1.19
 1.19%
Ford Motor Credit Co LLC, 6.9500% 03/06/2026
1.16
 1.16%
Magnolia Oil & Gas Operating LLC / Magnolia Oil & Gas Finance Corp, 6.0000% 08/01/2026
1.14
 1.14%
Vector Group Ltd, 5.7500% 02/01/2029
1.13
 1.13%
LCPR Senior Secured Financing DAC, 6.7500% 10/15/2027
1.07
 1.07%

Holdings are subject to change.

Sector Allocation (% Fund)

(as of 03/28/2024)
Energy
17.38
 17.38%
Financial
14.72
 14.72%
Cable Satellite
8.65
 8.65%
Building Construction
8.49
 8.49%
Gaming & Leisure
7.42
 7.42%
Transportation/Automotive/Aerospace
5.57
 5.57%
Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals
5.06
 5.06%
Retailers
4.46
 4.46%
Telecommunication
3.08
 3.08%
Hotels & REITS
3.02
 3.02%
Metals & Mining
2.71
 2.71%
Diversified Manufacturing/Other Industrial
2.70
 2.70%
Technology
2.63
 2.63%
Consumer Products/Textile/Tobacco
2.35
 2.35%
Services/Environmental
2.32
 2.32%
Chemicals
2.14
 2.14%
Media Non Cable
1.97
 1.97%
Paper & Packaging
1.54
 1.54%
Cash & Equivalents
1.45
 1.45%
Utility
1.12
 1.12%
Restaurants/Food/Beverage/Supermarkets
0.81
 0.81%
Government Owned, No Guarantee
0.31
 0.31%
Equity/Warrants
0.10
 0.10%

Performance & Risk

Growth of $10,000 Investment

From to
This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on for Class ddd shares including any applicable sales charges. Performance assumes reinvestment of dividends and capital gain distributions.

Performance

As of
As of

Performance data quoted represents past results. Past performance is no guarantee of future results and current performance may be higher or lower than the performance shown. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so your shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

Sales Charge and Expenses

The Index shown represents the Fund's performance index, which may differ from the Fund's regulatory index included in the Fund's Prospectus.

Yields / Distributions1

(as of )
30-day SEC Yield
30-day SEC Yield (unsubsidized)
Distribution Rate (at NAV)
Income Distributions Current Month
Income Distributions YTD

Distribution History2

(as of )
Ex-Date
Income
STCG
LTCG
Reinvest NAV

Risk Statistics3

(as of )
Fund Index
R2
Beta
Alpha
Std Dev

Risk Considerations

Credit & Interest: Debt instruments are subject to various risks, including credit and interest rate risk. The issuer of a debt security may fail to make interest and/or principal payments. Values of debt instruments may rise or fall in response to changes in interest rates, and this risk may be enhanced with longer-term maturities.
High Yield Fixed Income Securities: There is a greater risk of issuer default, less liquidity, and increased price volatility related to high yield securities than investment grade securities.
Foreign Investing: Investing in foreign securities subjects the portfolio to additional risks such as increased volatility; currency fluctuations; less liquidity; less publicly available information about the foreign investment; and political, regulatory, economic, and market risk.
Market Volatility: The value of the securities in the portfolio may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies and/or general economic conditions. Local, regional, or global events such as war or military conflict, terrorism, pandemic, or recession could impact the portfolio, including hampering the ability of the portfolio's manager(s) to invest its assets as intended.
Prospectus: For additional information on risks, please see the fund's prospectus.

Commentary

z - Cover Image: Virtus Seix High Yield Fund Commentary
Virtus Seix High Yield Fund Commentary
The commentary is the opinion of the subadviser. This material has been prepared using sources of information generally believed to be reliable; however, its accuracy is not guaranteed. Opinions represented are subject to change and should not be considered investment advice or an offer of securities.

Related Literature

Marketing Materials

Virtus Seix High Yield Fund Fact Sheet
Virtus Seix High Yield Fund Enhanced Fact Sheet
Virtus Seix High Yield Fund Commentary
High Yield Spread Widening: Waiting for Godot
Inside ESG Investing at Seix
Seix Market Review - Leveraged Finance

Financial Materials

Virtus Asset Trust Statutory Prospectus
Virtus Seix High Yield Fund Summary Prospectus
Virtus Asset Trust SAI
Virtus Asset Trust Annual Report - Fixed Income
Virtus Asset Trust Semi-Annual Report - Fixed Income

Holdings

Virtus Seix High Yield Fund Monthly Holdings
Virtus Seix High Yield Fund Top Holdings
Virtus Seix High Yield Fund Holdings Fiscal Q1
Virtus Seix High Yield Fund Holdings Fiscal Q3

Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of any Virtus Mutual Fund before investing. The prospectus and summary prospectus contains this and other information about the fund. Please contact your financial representative, call 1-800-243-4361 to obtain a current prospectus and/or summary prospectus. You should read the prospectus and/or summary prospectus carefully before you invest or send money.

Performance data quoted represents past results. Past performance is no guarantee of future results and current performance may be higher or lower than the performance shown. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so your shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

Average annual total return is the annual compound return for the indicated period. It reflects the change in share price and the reinvestment of all dividends and capital gains. NAV returns do not include the effect of any applicable sales charges. POP and w/CDSC returns include the effect of maximum applicable sales charges.

Returns for periods of less than one year are cumulative total returns.

1 Yields/Distributions: 30-day SEC Yield is a standardized yield calculated according to a formula set by the SEC, and is subject to change. 30-day SEC Yield (unsubsidized) is the 30-day SEC Yield without the effect of applicable expense waivers. Distribution Rate is calculated by (a) annualizing the latest income distribution for fixed income funds or funds less than 1 year old, or (b) summing all income distributions over the preceding 12 months for all other funds, and dividing by the NAV on the last business date of the period, unless otherwise indicated. The Distribution Rate may be comprised of ordinary income, net realized capital gains and returns of capital.

2 Distribution History: Distributions are represented on a cash basis and may be reclassified at year end for tax purposes. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes. STCG: Short Term Capital Gain, LTCG: Long Term Capital Gain

3 Risk Statistics: R2 is a statistical measure that represents the percentage of a fund or security's movements that can be explained by movements in a benchmark index. Beta is a quantitative measure of the volatility of a given portfolio to the overall market. Alpha is a risk adjusted measure of an investment's excess return relative to a benchmark. A positive Alpha indicates that the investment produced a return greater than expected for the risk (as measured by Beta) taken. Standard Deviation measures variability of returns around the average return for an investment fund. Higher standard deviation suggests greater risk. Risk Statistics are calculated using 36 monthly returns.

4 Characteristics: For Equity Funds: Avg. Weighted Market Cap (bn): The sum of each security's weight within the fund (or index) multiplied by the security's market capitalization. Trailing P/E Ex-Negative Earnings: Per-share stock price divided by the latest 12-months Earnings per Share; Price/Cash Flow: Per-share stock price divided by the per-share operating cash flow; Price/Book: Per-share stock price divided by the latest 12-month per-share Book Value; 3-Year EPS Growth Rate: Average of earnings per share growth for latest 3-year period. The 3-Year EPS Growth Rate is not a forecast of the fund's performance.

4 Characteristics: For Fixed Income Funds: Effective Duration represents the interest rate sensitivity of a fixed income fund. For example, if a fund's effective duration is five years, a 1% increase in interest rates would result in a 5% decline in the fund's price. Similarly, a 1% decline in interest rates would result in a 5% gain in the fund's price.

Morningstar Disclosures:
The Morningstar Rating for funds, or "star rating", is calculated for managed products (including mutual funds, variable annuity and variable life subaccounts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, and separate accounts) with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product's monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10-year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods. Ratings do not take into account the effects of sales charges and loads.

© year Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete, or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.