Mutual Fund Equity Report fund seekers may want to consider taking a look at Fidelity International Growth (FIGFX - Free Report) . FIGFX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
FIGFX finds itself in the Fidelity family, based out of Boston, MA. Fidelity International Growth debuted in November of 2007. Since then, FIGFX has accumulated assets of about $1.39 billion, according to the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Jes Weiss, has been in charge of the fund since November of 2007.
Performance
Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 6.34%, 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 11.57%, 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. Compared to the category average of 17.99%, the standard deviation of FIGFX over the past three years is 20.26%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 18.48% compared to the category average of 15.78%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. FIGFX has a 5-year beta of 0.92, which means it is likely to be less 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. The fund has produced a negative alpha over the past 5 years of -3.51, which shows that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Expenses
As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, FIGFX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.01% compared to the category average of 1.13%. FIGFX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.
While the minimum initial investment for the product is $0, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.
Bottom Line
Overall, Fidelity International Growth ( FIGFX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Fidelity International Growth ( FIGFX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.
Want even more information about FIGFX? 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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Mutual Fund Equity Report fund seekers may want to consider taking a look at Fidelity International Growth (FIGFX - Free Report) . FIGFX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
FIGFX finds itself in the Fidelity family, based out of Boston, MA. Fidelity International Growth debuted in November of 2007. Since then, FIGFX has accumulated assets of about $1.39 billion, according to the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Jes Weiss, has been in charge of the fund since November of 2007.
Performance
Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 6.34%, 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 11.57%, 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. Compared to the category average of 17.99%, the standard deviation of FIGFX over the past three years is 20.26%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 18.48% compared to the category average of 15.78%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. FIGFX has a 5-year beta of 0.92, which means it is likely to be less 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. The fund has produced a negative alpha over the past 5 years of -3.51, which shows that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Expenses
As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, FIGFX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.01% compared to the category average of 1.13%. FIGFX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.
While the minimum initial investment for the product is $0, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.
Bottom Line
Overall, Fidelity International Growth ( FIGFX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Fidelity International Growth ( FIGFX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.
Want even more information about FIGFX? 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.
Free – 5 Dividend Stocks to Fund Your Retirement
Zacks Investment Research has released a Special Report to help you prepare for retirement with 5 diverse stocks that pay whopping dividends. They cut across property management, upscale outlets, financial institutions, and a couple of strong energy producers.
5 Dividend Stocks to Include in Your Retirement Strategy is packed with unconventional wisdom and insights you won’t get from your neighborhood financial planner.
Download Now – Today It’s FREE >>
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