Wells Fargo Advantage High Yield Bond Fund
EKHAX
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ADVISER | Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC
SUB-ADVISER | Wells Capital Management Incorporated ("Wells Capital Management")
PORTFOLIO MANAGER

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Margaret D. Patel Years of investment experience: 41
View biography
Ms. Patel has been with Wells Capital Management or one of its predecessors since 2007. She is currently a managing director and senior portfolio manager with Wells Capital Management's Fundamental Equity group. Ms. Patel has more than 30 years experience managing various fixed income and equity funds. Previously, she served as a senior vice president and portfolio manager with Pioneer Investments, as well as a vice president with Third Avenue Funds and Northstar Investment Management While working at Pioneer Investments, she was nominated twice for Morningstar's "Fixed Income Manager of the Year." She was featured among the nation's top 20 mutual fund managers in Market Masters by Kirk Kazanjian, published by John Wiley Sons (February 2005), in World Beaters published by Citywire Group (UK: December 2004), and in The Mutual Fund Masters: A Revealing Look Into the Minds and Strategies of Wall Street's Best and Brightest by Bill Griffeth, published by Irwin Professional Publishing (December 1994). For her extensive knowledge and expertise in the investment world, Ms. Patel has been quoted regularly in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, Money, and Bloomberg BusinessWeek. She is also a frequent guest on CNBC-TV, Bloomberg Business News, and FOX Business television as well as Bloomberg Radio. Ms. Patel has been working in the investment management field since 1972. She is a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts. Ms. Patel received a B.S. in economics from the University of Pittsburgh.
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THE FUND | The Wells Fargo Advantage High Yield Bond Fund seeks current income by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of non-investment-grade corporate debt securities.
FUND STRATEGY
- Seeks to outperform the broad high-yield fixed-income market (represented by the BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. High Yield Master II Index) over a full market cycle.
- Principally invests in below-investment-grade debt securities of corporate issuers, including traditional corporate bonds and convertible bonds.
- Seeks to identify the best relatively valued debt securities by evaluating the entire capital structure of a company.
- Uses a top-down macroeconomic approach to determine which sectors and industries to invest in and applies fundamental research to indentify the most attractive companies within those sectors and industries.
- Seeks to invest in debt securities issued by companies with sustainable competitive advantages and high barriers to entry, specifically preferring companies with strong management teams and financial flexibility.
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES
- More than 30 years of investment management experience: The portfolio manager has extensive experience in the high-yield bond markets, managing through virtually all market conditions, and has built a legacy of competitive returns through diligent evaluation of each company's entire capital structure to determine the best relatively valued securities.
- Depth of resources: Management of the fund draws on a deep network of investment professionals across the company, including economic strategists, fixed-income and equity research analysts, and risk management consultants.
- Top-down approach fortified by rigorous credit analysis: Security selection is founded on a top-down evaluation of the best sectors and industries to invest in while being supported by an extensive team of credit analysts that focus on individual credit fundamentals. This combination of resources empowers the portfolio manager to execute her top-down strategy through a discerning selection of the best relatively valued debt securities within each company's entire capital structure.
RISKS |
Bond fund values fluctuate in response to the financial condition of individual issuers, general market and economic conditions, and changes in interest rates. In general, when interest rates rise, bond fund values fall and investors may lose principal value. High-yield securities have a greater risk of default and tend to be more volatile than higher-rated debt securities. Loans are subject to risks similar to those associated with other below-investment-grade bond investments, such as credit risk (for example, risk of issuer default), below-investment-grade bond risk (for example, risk of greater volatility in value), and risk that the loan may become illiquid or difficult to price. Consult the fund's prospectus for additional information on these and other risks.
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TOP HOLDINGS – % of net assets as of 05-31-2013


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| Iron Mountain Incorporated, 5.75%, 2024-08-15 |
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5.10% |


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| Nrg Energy Incorporated Company Guar 144a, 6.62%, 2023-03-15 |
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5.05% |


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| Hertz Corporation, 6.25%, 2022-10-15 |
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4.87% |


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| Tronox Finance LLC Company Guar 144a, 6.37%, 2020-08-15 |
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4.56% |


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| Olin Corp Sr Unsecured, 5.50%, 2022-08-15 |
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4.50% |


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| General Cable Corporation, 5.75%, 2022-10-01 |
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4.33% |


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| Fresenius Med Care Ii, 5.87%, 2022-01-31 |
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4.31% |


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| Seagate Hdd Cayman Company Guar, 7.00%, 2021-11-01 |
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4.18% |


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| Davita Incorporated Company Guar, 5.75%, 2022-08-15 |
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4.07% |


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| Bristow Group Incorporated Company Guar, 6.25%, 2022-10-15 |
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4.02% |


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