If investors are looking at the Mutual Fund Equity Report fund category, make sure to pass over Nuveen International Growth A . NBQAX carries 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
NBQAX is a part of the Nuveen family of funds, a company based out of Chicago, IL. Nuveen International Growth A debuted in June of 2010. Since then, NBQAX has accumulated assets of about $39.33 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Jason Campbell, has been in charge of the fund since June of 2022.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 0.91%, and it sits in the bottom 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 -2.8%, which places it in the bottom 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, NBQAX's standard deviation comes in at 18.39%, compared to the category average of 15.75%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 17.96% compared to the category average of 14.07%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
The fund has a 5-year beta of 0.95, so investors should note that it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. 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. With a negative alpha of -8.68, 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, NBQAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.04% compared to the category average of 1.15%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, NBQAX is actually cheaper than its peers.
Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $3,000; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100.
Bottom Line
Overall, Nuveen International Growth A ( NBQAX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Nuveen International Growth A ( NBQAX ) looks like a somewhat weak 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 NBQAX too for additional information. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio - both funds and stocks - in the most efficient way possible.
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Is Nuveen International Growth A (NBQAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
If investors are looking at the Mutual Fund Equity Report fund category, make sure to pass over Nuveen International Growth A . NBQAX carries 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
NBQAX is a part of the Nuveen family of funds, a company based out of Chicago, IL. Nuveen International Growth A debuted in June of 2010. Since then, NBQAX has accumulated assets of about $39.33 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Jason Campbell, has been in charge of the fund since June of 2022.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 0.91%, and it sits in the bottom 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 -2.8%, which places it in the bottom 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, NBQAX's standard deviation comes in at 18.39%, compared to the category average of 15.75%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 17.96% compared to the category average of 14.07%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
The fund has a 5-year beta of 0.95, so investors should note that it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. 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. With a negative alpha of -8.68, 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, NBQAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.04% compared to the category average of 1.15%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, NBQAX is actually cheaper than its peers.
Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $3,000; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100.
Bottom Line
Overall, Nuveen International Growth A ( NBQAX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Nuveen International Growth A ( NBQAX ) looks like a somewhat weak 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 NBQAX too for additional information. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio - both funds and stocks - in the most efficient way possible.