Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Vericimetry U.S. Small Cap Value Fund (VYSVX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

If you have been looking for Mutual Fund Equity Report funds, a place to start could be Vericimetry U.S. Small Cap Value Fund (VYSVX - Free Report) . VYSVX carries 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

Vericimetry is responsible for VYSVX, and the company is based out of Pasadena, CA. Vericimetry U.S. Small Cap Value Fund debuted in December of 2011. Since then, VYSVX has accumulated assets of about $158.51 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Mendel Fygenson who has been in charge of the fund since September of 2014.

Performance

Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 3.25%, and it sits in the middle 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 18.58%, 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, VYSVX's standard deviation comes in at 22.27%, compared to the category average of 27.33%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 25.34% compared to the category average of 24.98%. 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 1.15, so it is likely going to be 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. With a negative alpha of -7.11, 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, VYSVX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.60% compared to the category average of 1.21%. From a cost perspective, VYSVX is actually cheaper than its peers.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $0 and that each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.

Bottom Line

Overall, Vericimetry U.S. Small Cap Value Fund ( VYSVX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

This could just be the start of your research on VYSVXin the Mutual Fund Equity Report category. Consider going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information about this fund, and all the others that we rank as well for additional information. For analysis of the rest of your portfolio, make sure to visit Zacks.com for our full suite of tools which will help you investigate all of your stocks and funds in one place.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Vericimetry U.S. SmallCap Value (VYSVX) - free report >>

Published in