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Is Vanguard Global Minimum Volatility Fund Admiral (VMNVX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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Mutual Fund Equity Report fund seekers should not consider taking a look at Vanguard Global Minimum Volatility Fund Admiral (VMNVX - Free Report) at this time. VMNVX 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

Vanguard Group is based in Malvern, PA, and is the manager of VMNVX. Since Vanguard Global Minimum Volatility Fund Admiral made its debut in December of 2013, VMNVX has garnered more than $1.87 billion in assets. The fund is currently managed by John Ameriks who has been in charge of the fund since July of 2022.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 5.41%, and it sits in the bottom 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 2.54%, 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, VMNVX's standard deviation comes in at 14%, compared to the category average of 17.13%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 12.09% compared to the category average of 15.3%. 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 0.62, so it is likely going to be less volatile than 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. With a negative alpha of -2.76, 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, VMNVX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.14% compared to the category average of 1.11%. From a cost perspective, VMNVX is actually cheaper than its peers.

This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $50,000, and each subsequent investment should be at least $1.

Bottom Line

Overall, Vanguard Global Minimum Volatility Fund Admiral ( VMNVX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Vanguard Global Minimum Volatility Fund Admiral ( VMNVX ) looks like a somewhat weak 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 VMNVX to its peers as well 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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