Any investors hoping to find a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund might consider looking past Virtus KAR Small-Cap Growth I (PXSGX Quick QuotePXSGX - Free Report) . PXSGX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

Virtus Funds is responsible for PXSGX, and the company is based out of Hartford, CT. Virtus KAR Small-Cap Growth I made its debut in June of 2006, and since then, PXSGX has accumulated about $2.68 billion in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Todd Beiley who has been in charge of the fund since April of 2008.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 8.29%, and it sits in the top 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 -0.27%, 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 PXSGX over the past three years is 20.08% compared to the category average of 16.3%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 21.8% compared to the category average of 17.57%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

The fund has a 5-year beta of 0.94, so investors should note that it is hypothetically 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. PXSGX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -1.32, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

Expenses

As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, PXSGX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.12% compared to the category average of 1.18%. PXSGX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $100,000; 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

Overall, even with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Virtus KAR Small-Cap Growth I ( PXSGX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and therefore looks a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.

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