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Is Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies (FJSCX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
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If you've been stuck searching for Mutual Fund Equity Report funds, consider Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies (FJSCX - Free Report) as a possibility. FJSCX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
Fidelity is based in Boston, MA, and is the manager of FJSCX. Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies made its debut in November of 1995, and since then, FJSCX has accumulated about $382.02 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund's current manager, Masaki Nakamura, has been in charge of the fund since February of 2022.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. FJSCX has a 5-year annualized total return of -1.99% and is 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 1.72%, 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, FJSCX's standard deviation comes in at 16%, compared to the category average of 18.88%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 14.91% compared to the category average of 16.79%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
With a 5-year beta of 0.59, the fund is likely to be less volatile than 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. FJSCX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -7.75, demonstrating that 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, FJSCX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.91% compared to the category average of 1.46%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, FJSCX is actually cheaper than its peers.
Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $0 and that each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.
Bottom Line
Overall, Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies ( FJSCX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a great potential choice for investors right now.
Your research on the Mutual Fund Equity Report segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer as well for additional information. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike.
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Is Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies (FJSCX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
If you've been stuck searching for Mutual Fund Equity Report funds, consider Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies (FJSCX - Free Report) as a possibility. FJSCX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
Fidelity is based in Boston, MA, and is the manager of FJSCX. Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies made its debut in November of 1995, and since then, FJSCX has accumulated about $382.02 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund's current manager, Masaki Nakamura, has been in charge of the fund since February of 2022.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. FJSCX has a 5-year annualized total return of -1.99% and is 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 1.72%, 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, FJSCX's standard deviation comes in at 16%, compared to the category average of 18.88%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 14.91% compared to the category average of 16.79%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
With a 5-year beta of 0.59, the fund is likely to be less volatile than 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. FJSCX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -7.75, demonstrating that 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, FJSCX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.91% compared to the category average of 1.46%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, FJSCX is actually cheaper than its peers.
Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $0 and that each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.
Bottom Line
Overall, Fidelity Japan Smaller Companies ( FJSCX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a great potential choice for investors right now.
Your research on the Mutual Fund Equity Report segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer as well for additional information. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike.