Back to top

Image: Bigstock

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

Read MoreHide Full Article

If you're looking for a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund category, then a possible option is ProFunds UltraChina Investor (UGPIX - Free Report) . UGPIX has no Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, but we have been able to look into other metrics like performance, volatility, and cost.

History of Fund/Manager

UGPIX is a part of the ProFunds family of funds, a company based out of Columbus, OH. Since ProFunds UltraChina Investor made its debut in February of 2008, UGPIX has garnered more than $31.38 million in assets. The fund is currently managed by Alexander Ilyasov who has been in charge of the fund since August of 2020.

Performance

Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of -27.44%, 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 -40.89%, which places it in the bottom third during this time-frame.

It is important to note that the product's returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund's [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower.

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 86.19% compared to the category average of 26.36%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 73.67% compared to the category average of 27.1%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.26, which means it is hypothetically more 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. UGPIX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -20.36, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

Expenses

For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, UGPIX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.86% compared to the category average of 1.53%. UGPIX is actually more expensive than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $15,000 and that each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.

Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.

Bottom Line

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 UGPIX 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.


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