Index fund seekers may want to consider taking a look at Semper MBS Total Return Investor (SEMPX Quick QuoteSEMPX - Free Report) . SEMPX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

SEMPX finds itself in the Semper family, based out of New York, NY. Semper MBS Total Return Investor made its debut in July of 2013, and since then, SEMPX has accumulated about $207.88 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. Thomas Mandel is the fund's current manager and has held that role since January of 2015.

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 4.17%, and is 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 4.62%, which places it in the middle 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. SEMPX's standard deviation over the past three years is 1.86% compared to the category average of 8.83%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 1.72% compared to the category average of 9.29%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

It's always important to be aware of the downsides to any future investment, so one should not discount the risks that come with this segment.

Nevertheless, investors should also note that the fund has a 5-year beta of -0.1, which means it is hypothetically less 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 positive alpha of 3.43, managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking 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, SEMPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.03% compared to the category average of 0.86%. From a cost perspective, SEMPX is actually more expensive than its peers.

While the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $1,000.

Bottom Line

Overall, Semper MBS Total Return Investor ( SEMPX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, better downside risk, and higher fees, Semper MBS Total Return Investor ( SEMPX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.

Don't stop here for your research on Index 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 SEMPX to its peers as well for additional information. If you want to check out our stock reports as well, make sure to go to Zacks.com to see all of the great tools we have to offer, including our time-tested Zacks Rank.