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Is Fidelity International Capital Appreciation (FIVFX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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Having trouble finding a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund? Fidelity International Capital Appreciation (FIVFX - Free Report) is a possible starting point. FIVFX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), 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 FIVFX. Fidelity International Capital Appreciation debuted in November of 1994. Since then, FIVFX has accumulated assets of about $4.18 billion, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Sammy Simnegar who has been in charge of the fund since January of 2008.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 4.56%, and is in the top 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 4.53%, 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 FIVFX over the past three years is 22.61% compared to the category average of 22.23%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 19.15% compared to the category average of 19.25%. 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 0.92, which means it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. 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. The fund has produced a negative alpha over the past 5 years of -4, which shows 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, FIVFX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.98% compared to the category average of 1.13%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, FIVFX is actually cheaper than its peers.

While the minimum initial investment for the product is $0, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.

Bottom Line

Overall, Fidelity International Capital Appreciation ( FIVFX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Fidelity International Capital Appreciation ( FIVFX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.

This could just be the start of your research on FIVFXin the Mutual Fund Equity Report category. Consider going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information about this fund, and all the others that we rank as well for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well.


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