If you're looking for a Large Cap Growth fund category, then a possible option is Vanguard Consumer Discret Index Admiral (VCDAX Quick QuoteVCDAX - Free Report) . VCDAX has no Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, but we have been able to look into other metrics like performance, volatility, and cost.

Objective

VCDAX is classified in the Large Cap Growth segment by Zacks, an area full of possibilities. Companies are usually considered to be large-cap if their stock market valuation is more than $10 billion. Large Cap Growth mutual funds invest in many large U.S. firms that are projected to grow at a faster rate than their large-cap peers.

History of Fund/Manager

Vanguard Group is responsible for VCDAX, and the company is based out of Malvern, PA. The Vanguard Consumer Discret Index Admiral made its debut in January of 2004 and VCDAX has managed to accumulate roughly $739.98 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. Nick Birkett is the fund's current manager and has held that role since July of 2021.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 16.6%, 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 9.25%, which places it in the middle 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 VCDAX over the past three years is 24.87% compared to the category average of 23.52%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 26.34% compared to the category average of 24.89%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

With a 5-year beta of 1.32, the fund is likely to be more volatile than the market average. 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. VCDAX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -1.2, which means 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, VCDAX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.10% compared to the category average of 1.01%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, VCDAX is actually more expensive than its peers.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $100,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $1

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

Bottom Line

For additional information on the Large Cap Growth area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds. There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into VCDAX too for additional information. If you want to check out our stock reports as well, make sure to go to Zacks.com to see all of the great tools we have to offer, including our time-tested Zacks Rank.