If you're looking for a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund category, then a potential option is Meridian Contrarian Legacy (MVALX Quick QuoteMVALX - Free Report) . MVALX holds 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

Meridian is based in Providence, RI, and is the manager of MVALX. Since Meridian Contrarian Legacy made its debut in February of 1994, MVALX has garnered more than $560.55 million in assets. James England is the fund's current manager and has held that role since December of 2001.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. MVALX has a 5-year annualized total return of 9.78% and it sits in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 12.34%, 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. Compared to the category average of 18.63%, the standard deviation of MVALX over the past three years is 26.48%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 23.2% compared to the category average of 16.47%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.16, which means it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -1.15. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick 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 principally on equities that are traded in the United States.

This fund is currently holding about 97.08% stock in stocks, which have an average market capitalization of $13.25 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors:

1. Other
2. Finance
3. Technology

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, MVALX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.12% compared to the category average of 1.22%. MVALX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $1,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $50.

Bottom Line

Overall, Meridian Contrarian Legacy ( MVALX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and lower fees, Meridian Contrarian Legacy ( MVALX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.

For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Mutual Fund Equity Report, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well.