Any investors hoping to find a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund could think about starting with Fidelity Select Software & Company Services (FSCSX Quick QuoteFSCSX - Free Report) . FSCSX carries 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

FSCSX is a part of the Fidelity family of funds, a company based out of Boston, MA. The Fidelity Select Software & Company Services made its debut in July of 1985 and FSCSX has managed to accumulate roughly $13.22 billion in assets, as of the most recently available information. Ali Khan is the fund's current manager and has held that role since July of 2014.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 28.03%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 33.6%, 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. FSCSX's standard deviation over the past three years is 19% compared to the category average of 22.06%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 17.27% compared to the category average of 20.26%. 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 1, which means it is hypothetically as volatile as the market at large. 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 positive alpha over the past 5 years of 8.44, which shows 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, FSCSX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.68% compared to the category average of 1.29%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, FSCSX is actually cheaper than its peers.

This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $0, while there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.

Bottom Line

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

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