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Is Fidelity Select Portfolio Medical Technology and Devices (FSMEX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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If you've been stuck searching for Sector - Health funds, consider Fidelity Select Portfolio Medical Technology and Devices (FSMEX - Free Report) as a possibility. FSMEX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

Zacks categorizes FSMEX as Sector - Health, a segment packed with options. Sector - Health mutual funds offer investors a focus on the healthcare industry, one of the largest sectors in the American economy. These funds can include everything from pharmaceutical companies to medical device manufacturers and for-profit hospitals.

History of Fund/Manager

Fidelity is responsible for FSMEX, and the company is based out of Boston, MA. The Fidelity Select Portfolio Medical Technology and Devices made its debut in April of 1998 and FSMEX has managed to accumulate roughly $4.34 billion in assets, as of the most recently available information. Edward Yoon is the fund's current manager and has held that role since May of 2007.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 2.96%, 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 5.6%, 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. FSMEX's standard deviation over the past three years is 16.39% compared to the category average of 15.41%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 18.87% compared to the category average of 16.92%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

With a 5-year beta of 0.97, the fund is likely to be as volatile as 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. FSMEX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -9.84, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick 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, FSMEX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.62% compared to the category average of 1.12%. From a cost perspective, FSMEX is actually cheaper than its peers.

This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $0, while there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.

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

Bottom Line

Overall, even with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Fidelity Select Portfolio Medical Technology and Devices ( FSMEX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and therefore looks a great potential choice for investors right now.

Don't stop here for your research on Sector - Health funds. We also have plenty more on our site in order to help you find the best possible fund for your portfolio. Make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for more information about the world of funds, and feel free to compare FSMEX to its peers as well 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.


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