Any investors hoping to find an Index fund could think about starting with Medalist MBS Total Return Investor (SEMPX Quick QuoteSEMPX - Free Report) . SEMPX carries 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

Semper is based in New York, NY, and is the manager of SEMPX. Since Medalist MBS Total Return Investor made its debut in July of 2013, SEMPX has garnered more than $23.55 million in assets. The fund's current manager, Thomas Mandel, has been in charge of the fund since January of 2015.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. SEMPX has a 5-year annualized total return of 6.97% and it sits in the bottom 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 5.48%, 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. Over the past three years, SEMPX's standard deviation comes in at 5.24%, compared to the category average of 10.95%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 5.32% compared to the category average of 12.06%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

With a 5-year beta of 0.32, the fund is likely to be less volatile than the market average. 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. The fund has produced a positive alpha over the past 5 years of 5.32, which shows 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, SEMPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.17% compared to the category average of 1.05%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, SEMPX is actually more expensive than its peers.

While the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $1,000.

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

Bottom Line

Overall, Medalist MBS Total Return Investor ( SEMPX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, better downside risk, and higher fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Index, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well.