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American Funds American Balanced Fund Class A (ABA...
Performance
Return for Risk
Dividends
Drawdowns
Volatility

Fund Info

ISIN
US0240711020
CUSIP
024071102
Inception Date
Jul 26, 1975
Distribution Policy
Distributing
Asset Class
Multi-Asset

Share Price Chart


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Performance

Performance Chart

The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in American Funds American Balanced Fund Class A, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.


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S&P 500 Index

Returns By Period

American Funds American Balanced Fund Class A (ABALX) has returned -2.86% so far this year and 15.33% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, ABALX has returned 8.98% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 12.16% annually.


American Funds American Balanced Fund Class A

1D
-0.14%
1M
-6.82%
YTD
-2.86%
6M
0.85%
1Y
15.33%
3Y*
13.40%
5Y*
8.00%
10Y*
8.98%

Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)

1D
2.91%
1M
-5.09%
YTD
-4.63%
6M
-2.39%
1Y
16.33%
3Y*
16.69%
5Y*
10.18%
10Y*
12.16%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Monthly Returns

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Jan 2, 1986, ABALX's average daily return is +0.03%, while the average monthly return is +0.71%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 8.2 years.

Historically, 66% of months were positive and 34% were negative. The best month was Apr 2020 with a return of +7.8%, while the worst month was Oct 2008 at -11.9%. The longest winning streak lasted 10 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.

On a daily basis, ABALX closed higher 52% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 13, 2008 with a return of +6.6%, while the worst single day was Dec 5, 1986 at -8.2%.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
20262.64%1.56%-6.82%-2.86%
20252.88%-0.23%-2.81%-0.29%3.96%4.53%0.90%1.59%2.95%1.71%1.86%0.22%18.45%
20240.72%2.58%2.76%-3.25%2.99%2.79%1.85%1.68%1.74%-1.10%2.90%-1.68%14.63%
20234.03%-3.24%2.12%1.32%-0.74%3.35%2.06%-1.38%-3.52%-1.52%6.63%4.31%13.65%
2022-3.35%-1.48%0.79%-5.53%1.59%-6.15%4.52%-3.08%-7.11%5.19%5.61%-2.75%-12.13%
2021-0.66%1.53%2.86%2.95%1.80%0.60%1.13%1.48%-3.14%3.71%-0.95%3.63%15.75%

Benchmark Metrics

American Funds American Balanced Fund Class A has an annualized alpha of 3.34%, beta of 0.53, and R² of 0.81 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since January 03, 1986.

  • This fund participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (62.38%) than losses (57.80%) — typical of diversified or defensive assets.
  • This fund generated an annualized alpha of 3.34% versus S&P 500 Index — delivering returns beyond what market exposure alone would predict.
  • Beta of 0.53 indicates this fund moves significantly less than S&P 500 Index — a genuinely defensive profile with reduced participation in both market rallies and downturns.

Alpha
3.34%
Beta
0.53
0.81
Upside Capture
62.38%
Downside Capture
57.80%

Expense Ratio

ABALX has an expense ratio of 0.56%, placing it in the medium range.


Return for Risk

Risk / Return Rank

ABALX ranks 80 for risk / return — better than 80% of mutual funds on our site. You're getting solid returns for the risk taken. A good sign, especially for investors who want growth without excessive volatility.


ABALX Risk / Return Rank: 8080
Overall Rank
ABALX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 7878
Sharpe Ratio Rank
ABALX Sortino Ratio Rank: 8181
Sortino Ratio Rank
ABALX Omega Ratio Rank: 7676
Omega Ratio Rank
ABALX Calmar Ratio Rank: 8282
Calmar Ratio Rank
ABALX Martin Ratio Rank: 8484
Martin Ratio Rank
The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

Return / Risk — by metrics

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for American Funds American Balanced Fund Class A (ABALX) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).


ABALXBenchmarkDifference

Sharpe ratio

Return per unit of total volatility

1.43

0.90

+0.53

Sortino ratio

Return per unit of downside risk

2.09

1.39

+0.70

Omega ratio

Gain probability vs. loss probability

1.29

1.21

+0.08

Calmar ratio

Return relative to maximum drawdown

2.00

1.40

+0.60

Martin ratio

Return relative to average drawdown

8.51

6.61

+1.91

Explore ABALX risk-adjusted metrics in detail

Dive deeper into individual metrics with historical trends, benchmark comparisons, and performance across different time periods.

Dividends

Dividend History

American Funds American Balanced Fund Class A provided a 8.54% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $3.10 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 2 consecutive years.


2.00%3.00%4.00%5.00%6.00%7.00%8.00%$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.50$3.00$3.5020152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Dividends
Dividend Yield
PeriodTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Dividend$3.10$3.10$2.36$0.66$0.66$1.44$1.31$1.00$1.37$1.28$1.05$1.34

Dividend yield

8.54%8.27%6.87%2.05%2.30%4.30%4.35%3.49%5.49%4.72%4.24%5.60%

Monthly Dividends

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for American Funds American Balanced Fund Class A. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2026$0.00$0.00$0.11$0.11
2025$0.00$0.00$0.11$0.00$0.00$0.31$0.00$0.00$0.11$0.00$0.00$2.58$3.10
2024$0.00$0.00$0.11$0.00$0.00$0.11$0.00$0.00$0.11$0.00$0.00$2.03$2.36
2023$0.00$0.00$0.10$0.00$0.00$0.10$0.00$0.00$0.10$0.00$0.00$0.36$0.66
2022$0.00$0.00$0.10$0.00$0.00$0.28$0.00$0.00$0.10$0.00$0.00$0.19$0.66
2021$0.00$0.00$0.10$0.00$0.00$0.28$0.00$0.00$0.10$0.00$0.00$0.96$1.44

Drawdowns

Drawdowns Chart

The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.


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Worst Drawdowns

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the American Funds American Balanced Fund Class A. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.

The maximum drawdown for the American Funds American Balanced Fund Class A was 40.20%, occurring on Mar 9, 2009. Recovery took 469 trading sessions.

The current American Funds American Balanced Fund Class A drawdown is 7.03%.


Depth

Start

To Bottom

Bottom

To Recover

End

Total

-40.2%Oct 10, 2007355Mar 9, 2009469Jan 14, 2011824
-22.6%Aug 18, 198782Dec 11, 1987410Jul 27, 1989492
-22.34%Feb 20, 202023Mar 23, 202094Aug 5, 2020117
-21.13%Mar 20, 2002142Oct 9, 2002168Jun 11, 2003310
-18.76%Jan 5, 2022186Sep 30, 2022311Dec 27, 2023497

Volatility

Volatility Chart

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.


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