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Is BlackRock Science & Technology Opportunities A (BGSAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
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On the lookout for a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund? Starting with BlackRock Science & Technology Opportunities A (BGSAX - Free Report) is one possibility. BGSAX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
BlackRock is based in New York, NY, and is the manager of BGSAX. Since BlackRock Science & Technology Opportunities A made its debut in May of 2000, BGSAX has garnered more than $2.74 billion in assets. The fund's current manager, Tony Kim, has been in charge of the fund since June of 2013.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. BGSAX has a 5-year annualized total return of 34.63% 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 42.52%, 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, BGSAX's standard deviation comes in at 21.76%, compared to the category average of 15.85%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 19.96% compared to the category average of 14.08%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
With a 5-year beta of 1.03, the fund is likely to be as volatile as 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. BGSAX's 5-year performance has produced a positive alpha of 14.08, which means managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking 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, BGSAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.17% compared to the category average of 1.29%. From a cost perspective, BGSAX is actually cheaper than its peers.
Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $1,000; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $50.
Bottom Line
Overall, BlackRock Science & Technology Opportunities A ( BGSAX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.
Don't stop here for your research on Mutual Fund Equity Report 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 BGSAX 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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Is BlackRock Science & Technology Opportunities A (BGSAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
On the lookout for a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund? Starting with BlackRock Science & Technology Opportunities A (BGSAX - Free Report) is one possibility. BGSAX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
BlackRock is based in New York, NY, and is the manager of BGSAX. Since BlackRock Science & Technology Opportunities A made its debut in May of 2000, BGSAX has garnered more than $2.74 billion in assets. The fund's current manager, Tony Kim, has been in charge of the fund since June of 2013.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. BGSAX has a 5-year annualized total return of 34.63% 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 42.52%, 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, BGSAX's standard deviation comes in at 21.76%, compared to the category average of 15.85%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 19.96% compared to the category average of 14.08%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
With a 5-year beta of 1.03, the fund is likely to be as volatile as 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. BGSAX's 5-year performance has produced a positive alpha of 14.08, which means managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking 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, BGSAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.17% compared to the category average of 1.29%. From a cost perspective, BGSAX is actually cheaper than its peers.
Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $1,000; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $50.
Bottom Line
Overall, BlackRock Science & Technology Opportunities A ( BGSAX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.
Don't stop here for your research on Mutual Fund Equity Report 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 BGSAX 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.