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Is Hartford Small Company HLS IA (HIASX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
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On the lookout for a Small Cap Growth fund? Starting with Hartford Small Company HLS IA (HIASX - Free Report) is one possibility. HIASX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
The world of Small Cap Growth funds is an area filled with options, such as HIASX. These funds tend to create their portfolios around stocks that sport large growth opportunities and market capitalization of less than $2 billion. The companies in these portfolios are usually on the smaller side, and are in up-and-coming industries and markets.
History of Fund/Manager
Hartford is based in Woodbury, MN, and is the manager of HIASX. Hartford Small Company HLS IA debuted in December of 2001. Since then, HIASX has accumulated assets of about $351.16 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Ranjit Ramachandran who has been in charge of the fund since February of 2020.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 6.11%, and it sits in the middle 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 5.29%, which places it in the bottom 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 17.77%, the standard deviation of HIASX over the past three years is 21.16%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 21.34% compared to the category average of 17.77%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
The fund has a 5-year beta of 1.09, so investors should note that it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. 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. HIASX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -8.85, 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, HIASX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.80% compared to the category average of 1.06%. From a cost perspective, HIASX is actually cheaper than its peers.
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, Hartford Small Company HLS IA ( HIASX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Hartford Small Company HLS IA ( HIASX ) looks like a great potential choice for investors right now.
For additional information on the Small 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 HIASX too for additional information. For analysis of the rest of your portfolio, make sure to visit Zacks.com for our full suite of tools which will help you investigate all of your stocks and funds in one place.
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Is Hartford Small Company HLS IA (HIASX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
On the lookout for a Small Cap Growth fund? Starting with Hartford Small Company HLS IA (HIASX - Free Report) is one possibility. HIASX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
The world of Small Cap Growth funds is an area filled with options, such as HIASX. These funds tend to create their portfolios around stocks that sport large growth opportunities and market capitalization of less than $2 billion. The companies in these portfolios are usually on the smaller side, and are in up-and-coming industries and markets.
History of Fund/Manager
Hartford is based in Woodbury, MN, and is the manager of HIASX. Hartford Small Company HLS IA debuted in December of 2001. Since then, HIASX has accumulated assets of about $351.16 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Ranjit Ramachandran who has been in charge of the fund since February of 2020.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 6.11%, and it sits in the middle 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 5.29%, which places it in the bottom 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 17.77%, the standard deviation of HIASX over the past three years is 21.16%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 21.34% compared to the category average of 17.77%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
The fund has a 5-year beta of 1.09, so investors should note that it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. 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. HIASX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -8.85, 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, HIASX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.80% compared to the category average of 1.06%. From a cost perspective, HIASX is actually cheaper than its peers.
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, Hartford Small Company HLS IA ( HIASX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Hartford Small Company HLS IA ( HIASX ) looks like a great potential choice for investors right now.
For additional information on the Small 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 HIASX too for additional information. For analysis of the rest of your portfolio, make sure to visit Zacks.com for our full suite of tools which will help you investigate all of your stocks and funds in one place.