Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is ProFunds UltraChina Investor (UGPIX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

On the lookout for a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund? Starting with ProFunds UltraChina Investor (UGPIX - Free Report) should not be a possibility at this time. UGPIX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

ProFunds is based in Columbus, OH, and is the manager of UGPIX. The ProFunds UltraChina Investor made its debut in February of 2008 and UGPIX has managed to accumulate roughly $17.63 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Scott Hanson, has been in charge of the fund since August of 2016.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of -9.5%, and it sits in the middle third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of -20.57%, which places it in the middle 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. The standard deviation of UGPIX over the past three years is 50.45% compared to the category average of 25.34%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 47.02% compared to the category average of 22.47%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

With a 5-year beta of 1.58, the fund is likely to be more volatile than the market average. Another factor to consider is alpha, as it reflects a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark-in this case, the S&P 500. With a negative alpha of -21.59, managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick 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, UGPIX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.67% compared to the category average of 1.50%. UGPIX is actually more expensive than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

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 UltraChina Investor ( UGPIX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, this fund looks like a poor potential choice for investors right now.

For additional information on the Mutual Fund Equity Report area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds. There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into UGPIX too 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.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


ProFunds UltraChina Inv (UGPIX) - free report >>

Published in