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Is American Funds Cap Income Builder A (CAIBX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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On the lookout for a Large Cap Blend fund? Starting with American Funds Cap Income Builder A (CAIBX - Free Report) is one possibility. CAIBX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

CAIBX is part of the Large Cap Blend section, an area that boasts an array of many possible options. Large Cap Blend mutual funds most often invest in firms with a market capitalization of $10 billion or more. By investing in bigger companies, these funds offer more stability, and are often well-suited for investors with a " buy and hold " mindset. Blended funds mix large, established companies into their holdings, which gives investors exposure to both value and growth at the same time.

History of Fund/Manager

American Funds is based in Los Angeles, CA, and is the manager of CAIBX. Since American Funds Cap Income Builder A made its debut in July of 1987, CAIBX has garnered more than $63.35 billion in assets. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.

Performance

Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. CAIBX has a 5-year annualized total return of 4.16% and is in the bottom third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 7%, which places it in the bottom 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. CAIBX's standard deviation over the past three years is 7.14% compared to the category average of 9.25%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 7.55% compared to the category average of 9.18%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

Investors cannot discount the risks to this segment though, as it is always important to remember the downside for any potential investment. In CAIBX's case, the fund lost 40.71% in the most recent bear market and outperformed its peer group by 8.61%. This means that the fund could possibly be a better choice than its peers during a down market environment.

Nevertheless, investors should also note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.57, which means 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. With a negative alpha of -2.04, 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, CAIBX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.58% compared to the category average of 0.96%. From a cost perspective, CAIBX is actually cheaper than its peers.

Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $250; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $50.

Bottom Line

Overall, American Funds Cap Income Builder A ( CAIBX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, weak performance, average downside risk, and lower fees compared to its peers.

Want even more information about CAIBX? Then go over to Zacks.com and check out our mutual fund comparison tool, and all of the other great features that we have to help you with your mutual fund analysis 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.


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