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 Fidelity International Small Cap Opportunities (FSCOX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
Read MoreHide Full Article
There are plenty of choices in the Mutual Fund Equity Report category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that you should consider investigating is Fidelity International Small Cap Opportunities (FSCOX - Free Report) . FSCOX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
Fidelity is based in Boston, MA, and is the manager of FSCOX. Fidelity International Small Cap Opportunities made its debut in August of 2005, and since then, FSCOX has accumulated about $727.99 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Jed Weiss who has been in charge of the fund since December of 2008.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 2.57%, 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 5.73%, which places it in the middle 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 18.36%, the standard deviation of FSCOX over the past three years is 22.51%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 19.33% compared to the category average of 16.09%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
With a 5-year beta of 0.92, 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. FSCOX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -5.8, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Expenses
Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, FSCOX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.19% compared to the category average of 1.13%. From a cost perspective, FSCOX is actually more expensive than its peers.
Investors should also note, that according to our data, the fund does not have any minimum investment requirements.
Bottom Line
Overall, Fidelity International Small Cap Opportunities ( FSCOX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, Fidelity International Small Cap Opportunities ( FSCOX ) looks like a somewhat average 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 FSCOX too for additional information. Want to learn even more? We have a full suite of tools on stocks that you can use to find the best choices for your portfolio too, no matter what kind of investor you are.
See More Zacks Research for These Tickers
Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:
Image: Bigstock
Is Fidelity International Small Cap Opportunities (FSCOX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
There are plenty of choices in the Mutual Fund Equity Report category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that you should consider investigating is Fidelity International Small Cap Opportunities (FSCOX - Free Report) . FSCOX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
Fidelity is based in Boston, MA, and is the manager of FSCOX. Fidelity International Small Cap Opportunities made its debut in August of 2005, and since then, FSCOX has accumulated about $727.99 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Jed Weiss who has been in charge of the fund since December of 2008.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 2.57%, 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 5.73%, which places it in the middle 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 18.36%, the standard deviation of FSCOX over the past three years is 22.51%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 19.33% compared to the category average of 16.09%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
With a 5-year beta of 0.92, 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. FSCOX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -5.8, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Expenses
Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, FSCOX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.19% compared to the category average of 1.13%. From a cost perspective, FSCOX is actually more expensive than its peers.
Investors should also note, that according to our data, the fund does not have any minimum investment requirements.
Bottom Line
Overall, Fidelity International Small Cap Opportunities ( FSCOX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, Fidelity International Small Cap Opportunities ( FSCOX ) looks like a somewhat average 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 FSCOX too for additional information. Want to learn even more? We have a full suite of tools on stocks that you can use to find the best choices for your portfolio too, no matter what kind of investor you are.