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Is Mairs & Power Balanced Fund (MAPOX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
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Mutual Fund Equity Report fund seekers should consider taking a look at Mairs & Power Balanced Fund (MAPOX - Free Report) . MAPOX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
MAPOX finds itself in the Mairs & Power family, based out of St. Paul, MN. Mairs & Power Balanced Fund made its debut in December of 1961, and since then, MAPOX has accumulated about $767 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund's current manager, Kevin Earley, has been in charge of the fund since January of 2015.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 6.65%, and is 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 6.84%, 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. Over the past three years, MAPOX's standard deviation comes in at 12.4%, compared to the category average of 14.56%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 12.67% compared to the category average of 12.69%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
The fund has a 5-year beta of 0.66, 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. MAPOX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -1.31, demonstrating that 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, MAPOX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.69% compared to the category average of 0.86%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, MAPOX is actually cheaper than its peers.
Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $2,500; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100.
Bottom Line
Overall, Mairs & Power Balanced Fund ( MAPOX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund 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.
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Is Mairs & Power Balanced Fund (MAPOX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
Mutual Fund Equity Report fund seekers should consider taking a look at Mairs & Power Balanced Fund (MAPOX - Free Report) . MAPOX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
MAPOX finds itself in the Mairs & Power family, based out of St. Paul, MN. Mairs & Power Balanced Fund made its debut in December of 1961, and since then, MAPOX has accumulated about $767 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund's current manager, Kevin Earley, has been in charge of the fund since January of 2015.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 6.65%, and is 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 6.84%, 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. Over the past three years, MAPOX's standard deviation comes in at 12.4%, compared to the category average of 14.56%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 12.67% compared to the category average of 12.69%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
The fund has a 5-year beta of 0.66, 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. MAPOX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -1.31, demonstrating that 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, MAPOX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.69% compared to the category average of 0.86%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, MAPOX is actually cheaper than its peers.
Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $2,500; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100.
Bottom Line
Overall, Mairs & Power Balanced Fund ( MAPOX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund 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.