We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
Is MSIFT Mid Cap Growth Portfolio I (MPEGX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
Read MoreHide Full Article
Mutual Fund Equity Report fund seekers should consider taking a look at MSIFT Mid Cap Growth Portfolio I (MPEGX - Free Report) . MPEGX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
MorgStanley is based in New York, NY, and is the manager of MPEGX. The MSIFT Mid Cap Growth Portfolio I made its debut in March of 1990 and MPEGX has managed to accumulate roughly $820.10 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. MPEGX has a 5-year annualized total return of 11.28% and is 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 -0.2%, 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. MPEGX's standard deviation over the past three years is 40.03% compared to the category average of 17.92%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 33.74% compared to the category average of 15.92%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
The fund has a 5-year beta of 1.24, so investors should note that it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. 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. MPEGX's 5-year performance has produced a positive alpha of 0.87, which means managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Holdings
Examining the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is primarily on equities that are traded in the United States.
Right now, 83.06% of this mutual fund's holdings are stocks, and these companies have an average market capitalization of $16.13 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors:
Technology
Retail Trade
Health
This fund's turnover is about 78%, so the fund managers are making more trades per year than the comparable average.
Expenses
As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, MPEGX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.77% compared to the category average of 1.14%. From a cost perspective, MPEGX is actually cheaper than its peers.
While the minimum initial investment for the product is $5 million, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.
Bottom Line
Overall, MSIFT Mid Cap Growth Portfolio I ( MPEGX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and lower fees, MSIFT Mid Cap Growth Portfolio I ( MPEGX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.
Your research on the Mutual Fund Equity Report segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer as well 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.
See More Zacks Research for These Tickers
Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:
Image: Bigstock
Is MSIFT Mid Cap Growth Portfolio I (MPEGX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
Mutual Fund Equity Report fund seekers should consider taking a look at MSIFT Mid Cap Growth Portfolio I (MPEGX - Free Report) . MPEGX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
MorgStanley is based in New York, NY, and is the manager of MPEGX. The MSIFT Mid Cap Growth Portfolio I made its debut in March of 1990 and MPEGX has managed to accumulate roughly $820.10 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. MPEGX has a 5-year annualized total return of 11.28% and is 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 -0.2%, 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. MPEGX's standard deviation over the past three years is 40.03% compared to the category average of 17.92%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 33.74% compared to the category average of 15.92%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
The fund has a 5-year beta of 1.24, so investors should note that it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. 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. MPEGX's 5-year performance has produced a positive alpha of 0.87, which means managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Holdings
Examining the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is primarily on equities that are traded in the United States.
Right now, 83.06% of this mutual fund's holdings are stocks, and these companies have an average market capitalization of $16.13 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors:
- Technology
- Retail Trade
- Health
This fund's turnover is about 78%, so the fund managers are making more trades per year than the comparable average.Expenses
As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, MPEGX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.77% compared to the category average of 1.14%. From a cost perspective, MPEGX is actually cheaper than its peers.
While the minimum initial investment for the product is $5 million, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.
Bottom Line
Overall, MSIFT Mid Cap Growth Portfolio I ( MPEGX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and lower fees, MSIFT Mid Cap Growth Portfolio I ( MPEGX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.
Your research on the Mutual Fund Equity Report segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer as well 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.