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Is Semper MBS Total Return Investor (SEMPX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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Any investors hoping to find a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund could think about starting with Semper MBS Total Return Investor (SEMPX - Free Report) . SEMPX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

SEMPX finds itself in the Semper family, based out of New York, NY. Since Semper MBS Total Return Investor made its debut in July of 2013, SEMPX has garnered more than $37.36 million in assets. The fund's current manager, Thomas Mandel, has been in charge of the fund since January of 2015.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 1.27%, and is in the bottom 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 -0.74%, which places it in the bottom 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. Over the past three years, SEMPX's standard deviation comes in at 13.81%, compared to the category average of 11.78%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 10.67% compared to the category average of 10.34%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

The fund has a 5-year beta of 0.51, so investors should note that it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. Another factor to consider is alpha, as it reflects a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark-in this case, the S&P 500. SEMPX's 5-year performance has produced a positive alpha of 0.28, which means managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking 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, SEMPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.05% compared to the category average of 0.78%. SEMPX is actually more expensive than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $1,000.

Bottom Line

Overall, Semper MBS Total Return Investor ( SEMPX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

For additional information on the Mutual Fund Equity Report area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds. There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into SEMPX too for additional information. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio - both funds and stocks - in the most efficient way possible.


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