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Is Fidelity Select Consumer Discretion (FSCPX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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Any investors hoping to find a Sector - Other fund could think about starting with Fidelity Select Consumer Discretion (FSCPX - Free Report) . FSCPX 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

Fidelity is responsible for FSCPX, and the company is based out of Boston, MA. Fidelity Select Consumer Discretion debuted in June of 1990. Since then, FSCPX has accumulated assets of about $658.50 million, according to the most recently available information. Katherine Shaw is the fund's current manager and has held that role since August of 2017.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. FSCPX has a 5-year annualized total return of 18.82% and it sits in the top 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 18.44%, 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. Compared to the category average of 24.41%, the standard deviation of FSCPX over the past three years is 22.63%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 18.53% compared to the category average of 19.96%. This makes the fund less 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. FSCPX has a 5-year beta of 1.17, which means it is likely to be more volatile than the market average. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. The fund has produced a negative alpha over the past 5 years of -1.51, 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, FSCPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.75% compared to the category average of 1.27%. FSCPX 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 Select Consumer Discretion ( FSCPX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Fidelity Select Consumer Discretion ( FSCPX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.

Want even more information about FSCPX? 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. 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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