Mutual Fund Equity Report fund seekers should consider taking a look at Vanguard Global Capital Cycles Fund Investor (VGPMX Quick QuoteVGPMX - Free Report) . VGPMX 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

Vanguard Group is based in Malvern, PA, and is the manager of VGPMX. The Vanguard Global Capital Cycles Fund Investor made its debut in May of 1984 and VGPMX has managed to accumulate roughly $1.47 billion in assets, as of the most recently available information. Keith White is the fund's current manager and has held that role since July of 2018.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. VGPMX has a 5-year annualized total return of 8.49% and it sits in the middle third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 17.96%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.

It is important to note that the product's returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund's [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower.

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. The standard deviation of VGPMX over the past three years is 18.09% compared to the category average of 18.44%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 20.34% compared to the category average of 18.87%. 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 0.84, so it is likely going to be 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. VGPMX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -1.2, which means 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, VGPMX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.43% compared to the category average of 1.33%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, VGPMX is actually cheaper than its peers.

Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $3,000; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $1.

Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.

Bottom Line

Overall, Vanguard Global Capital Cycles Fund Investor ( VGPMX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Vanguard Global Capital Cycles Fund Investor ( VGPMX ) looks like a great potential choice for investors right now.

This could just be the start of your research on VGPMXin 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.