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Buy 3 Consumer Discretionary Mutual Funds With Increasing Retail Sales

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The Commerce Department reported that retail sales in November in the United States rose by 0.7% after a 0.5% increase in October. On a year-on-year basis, retail sales increased by 3.8%, which shows that consumers are still confident about the economy and are willing to spend.

Growth Drivers: Autos and E-Commerce Lead the Way

Motor vehicle automotive sales increased by sectors 2.6%, this being due to replacement demand after the recent hurricanes. Retail e-commerce also grew by 1.8% due to early holiday sales. Also, other product categories including sporting goods and home improvement products recorded high growth, indicating that the sector is flexible enough to meet the ever-evolving consumer trends.

Why the Consumer Discretionary Sector Is a Good Investment

The consumer discretionary sector has strong growth prospects since the consumption of major consumer products remains high and is expected to grow even more during the holiday season. Consumer spending is still a key driver of the economy, and therefore the consumer discretionary sector is expected to continue to perform well.

We have chosen three consumer discretionary sector mutual funds, Fidelity Select Retailing (FSRPX - Free Report) , Fidelity Select Leisure Portfolio (FDLSX - Free Report) and Fidelity Select Consumer Staples Port (FDFAX - Free Report) , that investors should buy now for the long term. These funds have a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy), positive three-year and five-year annualized returns, minimum initial investments within $5000 and expense ratios considerably lower than the category average. So, these funds have provided a comparatively stronger performance and carry a lower fee.

Fidelity Select Retailing Portfolio fund aims for capital appreciation. FSRPX invests a large portion of its assets in the common stock of companies engaged in merchandising finished goods and services, primarily to individual consumers.

Boris Shepo has been one of the lead managers of FSRPX since Sept. 30, 2003. Most of the fund's holdings were in companies like Amazon.com, Inc. (25.2%), The Home Depot, Inc. (7.5%) and Walmart Inc. (6.9%) as of Aug. 30, 2024.

FSRPX’s 3-year and 5-year annualized returns are 3.7% and 14.2%, respectively, and its net expense ratio is 0.64%. FSRPX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1.

To see how this fund performed compared to its category, and other 1 and 2 Ranked Mutual Funds, please click here.

Fidelity Select Leisure Portfolio fund invests the majority of its assets in common stocks of companies principally engaged in the design, production, or distribution of goods or services in the leisure industries. FDLSX uses fundamental analysis of factors such as each issuer's financial condition and industry position, as well as market and economic conditions, for its decisions.

Kevin Francfort has been one of the lead managers of FDLSX since Sept. 8, 2022. Most of the fund's holdings were in companies like McDonald's Corp (16.2%), Booking Holdings Inc. (10.9%) and Starbucks Corp (8.9%) as of Aug. 31, 2024.

FDLSX’s 3-year and 5-year annualized returns are 14.9% and 15.9%, respectively, and its net expense ratio is 0.69%. FDLSX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #2.

Fidelity Select Consumer Staples Port fund aims for capital growth. FDFAX invests the majority of its assets in securities of companies primarily engaged in manufacturing, marketing, or distribution of consumer staples products.

Ben Shuleva has been one of the lead managers of FDFAX since Jan. 1, 2020. Most of the fund's holdings were in companies like The Coca-Cola Co (14.2%), The Procter & Gamble Co (14.2%) and Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (9.8%) as of Aug. 31, 2024.

FDFAX’s 3-year and 5-year annualized returns are 8% and 8.2%, respectively, and its net expense ratio is 0.68%. FDFAX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #2.

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