Any investors hoping to find a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund could think about starting with Hartford Healthcare Fund HLS IB (HBGHX Quick QuoteHBGHX - Free Report) . HBGHX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

HBGHX is a part of the Hartford family of funds, a company based out of Woodbury, MN. Since Hartford Healthcare Fund HLS IB made its debut in October of 2002, HBGHX has garnered more than $35.31 million in assets. A team of investment professionals is the fund's current manager.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. HBGHX has a 5-year annualized total return of 11.24% and it sits in the top third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 12.67%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.

When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. The standard deviation of HBGHX over the past three years is 17.09% compared to the category average of 16.62%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 16.52% compared to the category average of 15.29%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

With a 5-year beta of 0.88, the fund is likely to be less volatile than the market average. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. With a negative alpha of -1.59, managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

Expenses

For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, HBGHX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.16% compared to the category average of 1.30%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, HBGHX is actually cheaper than its peers.

This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $0, while there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.

Bottom Line

Overall, Hartford Healthcare Fund HLS IB ( HBGHX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.

Want even more information about HBGHX? Then go over to Zacks.com and check out our mutual fund comparison tool, and all of the other great features that we have to help you with your mutual fund analysis for additional information. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike.