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Is Fidelity Advisor Technology A (FADTX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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Any investors hoping to find a Sector - Tech fund might consider looking past Fidelity Advisor Technology A (FADTX - Free Report) . FADTX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

We note that FADTX is a Sector - Tech option, and this area is loaded with many options. Found in a wide number of industries such as semiconductors, software, internet, and networking, tech companies are everywhere. Thus, Sector - Tech mutual funds that invest in technology let investors own a stake in a notoriously volatile sector, but with a much more diversifies approach.

History of Fund/Manager

Fidelity is based in Boston, MA, and is the manager of FADTX. Since Fidelity Advisor Technology A made its debut in September of 1996, FADTX has garnered more than $864.36 million in assets. Yun-Min Chai is the fund's current manager and has held that role since January of 2005.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 16.62%, and is in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 25.74%, 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, FADTX's standard deviation comes in at 17.57%, compared to the category average of 11.19%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 16.79% compared to the category average of 11.28%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

One cannot ignore the volatility of this segment, however, as it is always important for investors to remember the downside to any potential investment. In the most recent bear market, FADTX lost 59.78% and underperformed comparable funds by 6.64%. This means that the fund could possibly be a worse choice than its peers during a down market environment.

Nevertheless, with a 5-year beta of 1.19, the fund is likely to be more volatile than the market average. 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. FADTX has generated a positive alpha over the past five years of 4.08, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking 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, FADTX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.03% compared to the category average of 1.30%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, FADTX is actually cheaper than its peers.

This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $0, while there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.

Bottom Line

Overall, Fidelity Advisor Technology A ( FADTX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, strong performance, worse downside risk, and lower fees compared to its peers.

Don't stop here for your research on Sector - Tech funds. We also have plenty more on our site in order to help you find the best possible fund for your portfolio. Make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for more information about the world of funds, and feel free to compare FADTX to its peers as well 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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