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Is Kinetics Small Cap Opportunity Adviser A (KSOAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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On the lookout for a Global - Equity fund? Starting with Kinetics Small Cap Opportunity Adviser A (KSOAX - Free Report) should not be a possibility at this time. KSOAX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

Zacks categorizes KSOAX as Global - Equity, which is a segment packed with options. Global - Equity mutual funds invest in large markets like the U.S., Europe, and Japan, and operate with very few geographical limitations. They also provide an investment technique that leverages the diverse nature of the global economy in the hopes of providing a stable return.

History of Fund/Manager

Kinetics is based in Sleepy Hollow, NY, and is the manager of KSOAX. Since Kinetics Small Cap Opportunity Adviser A made its debut in February of 2003, KSOAX has garnered more than $6.07 million in assets. A team of investment professionals is the fund's current manager.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. KSOAX has a 5-year annualized total return of 6.59% and it sits 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 -0.42%, 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. Over the past three years, KSOAX's standard deviation comes in at 27.25%, compared to the category average of 16.45%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 22.37% compared to the category average of 14.1%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

The fund has a 5-year beta of 1.21, so investors should note that it is hypothetically more 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. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -5.3. This means 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, KSOAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.89% compared to the category average of 1.16%. So, KSOAX is actually more expensive than its peers from a cost perspective.

This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $2,500, while there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.

Bottom Line

Overall, Kinetics Small Cap Opportunity Adviser A ( KSOAX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, this fund looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.

Don't stop here for your research on Global - Equity 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 KSOAX 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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