There are plenty of choices in the Sector - Health category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that might be worth investigating is Fidelity Select Health Care (FSPHX Quick QuoteFSPHX - Free Report) . FSPHX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

We note that FSPHX is a Sector - Health fund, and this area is also loaded with various options. Sector - Health mutual funds give investors an opportunity to focus on one of the largest sectors of the American economy, healthcare. Funds in this category can include everything from for-profit hospitals to pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers.

History of Fund/Manager

FSPHX finds itself in the Fidelity family, based out of Boston, MA. Fidelity Select Health Care made its debut in July of 1981, and since then, FSPHX has accumulated about $10.81 billion in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Edward Yoon who has been in charge of the fund since October of 2008.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 17.87%, and is in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 18.92%, 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, FSPHX's standard deviation comes in at 18.26%, compared to the category average of 19.33%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 16.44% compared to the category average of 17.4%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.82, so it is likely going to be 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. FSPHX has generated a positive alpha over the past five years of 3.29, demonstrating that 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, FSPHX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.69% compared to the category average of 1.32%. FSPHX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $0 and that each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.

Bottom Line

Overall, Fidelity Select Health Care ( FSPHX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Fidelity Select Health Care ( FSPHX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

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