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Is ProFunds Internet UltraSector Investor (INPIX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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On the lookout for a Sector - Tech fund? Starting with ProFunds Internet UltraSector Investor (INPIX - Free Report) is one possibility. INPIX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

INPIX is part of the Sector - Tech category, which boasts an array of different possible selections. With a much more diversified approach, Sector - Tech mutual funds give investors a way to own a stake in a notoriously risky sector. Tech companies are in various industries like semiconductors, software, internet, and networking, among others.

History of Fund/Manager

INPIX finds itself in the ProFunds family, based out of Columbus, OH. Since ProFunds Internet UltraSector Investor made its debut in June of 2000, INPIX has garnered more than $201.37 million in assets. Michael Neches is the fund's current manager and has held that role since October of 2013.

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 35.52%, and it sits 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 27.73%, 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, INPIX's standard deviation comes in at 35.07%, compared to the category average of 26.46%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 28.99% compared to the category average of 22.21%. 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. INPIX has a 5-year beta of 1.56, which means it is likely to be more volatile than the market average. 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. INPIX has generated a positive alpha over the past five years of 8.71, 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, INPIX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.58% compared to the category average of 1.35%. From a cost perspective, INPIX is actually more expensive than its peers.

Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $15,000; each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.

Bottom Line

Overall, ProFunds Internet UltraSector Investor ( INPIX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Sector - Tech, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well.


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