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Is Oakmark Investor (OAKMX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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There are plenty of choices in the All Cap Value category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that you should consider investigating is Oakmark Investor (OAKMX - Free Report) . OAKMX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

Zacks categorizes OAKMX as All Cap Value, which is a segment packed with options. All Cap Value mutual funds, as the name suggests, invest across the cap spectrum in small-cap, mid-cap, and large-cap companies. However, in practice, these funds generally end up focusing on larger companies thanks to their percentage of assets. Regardless, these funds look for value positions, targeting firms whose share prices do not reflect their full worth, as well as low P/E Ratios and high dividend yields.

History of Fund/Manager

OAKMX finds itself in the Oakmark family, based out of Kansas City, MO. Oakmark Investor made its debut in August of 1991, and since then, OAKMX has accumulated about $10.33 billion in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 18.6%, and is 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 12.04%, 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. The standard deviation of OAKMX over the past three years is 20.4% compared to the category average of 14.7%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 22.88% compared to the category average of 16.19%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

With a 5-year beta of 1.16, 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. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a positive alpha of 0.27. This means that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

Expenses

Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, OAKMX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.89% compared to the category average of 0.95%. OAKMX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

While the minimum initial investment for the product is $0, investors should also note that 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, Oakmark Investor ( OAKMX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and lower fees, Oakmark Investor ( OAKMX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.

This could just be the start of your research on OAKMXin the All Cap Value category. Consider going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information about this fund, and all the others that we rank 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.


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