Back to top

Image: Bigstock

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

Read MoreHide Full Article

There are plenty of choices in the Index category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that might be worth investigating is Fidelity Capital Appreciation (FDCAX - Free Report) . FDCAX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

FDCAX finds itself in the Fidelity family, based out of Boston, MA. Fidelity Capital Appreciation made its debut in November of 1986, and since then, FDCAX has accumulated about $6.03 billion in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund's current manager, Jason Weiner, has been in charge of the fund since October of 2018.

Performance

Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. FDCAX has a 5-year annualized total return of 15.12% 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 7.58%, which places it in the top 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. Compared to the category average of 17.7%, the standard deviation of FDCAX over the past three years is 18.66%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 18.95% compared to the category average of 18.11%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

The fund has a 5-year beta of 0.99, so investors should note that it is hypothetically as volatile as 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. FDCAX has generated a positive alpha over the past five years of 1.89, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking 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, FDCAX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.64% compared to the category average of 0.94%. FDCAX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $0, while there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.

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

Bottom Line

Overall, Fidelity Capital Appreciation ( FDCAX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

Your research on the Index 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. Want to learn even more? We have a full suite of tools on stocks that you can use to find the best choices for your portfolio too, no matter what kind of investor you are.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Fidelity Capital Appreciation (FDCAX) - free report >>

Published in