Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is JPMorgan US Rsrch Enhanc Equity A (JDEAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

If investors are looking at the Large Cap Blend fund category, JPMorgan US Rsrch Enhanc Equity A (JDEAX - Free Report) could be a potential option. JDEAX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

JDEAX is classified in the Large Cap Blend segment by Zacks, which is an area full of potential. Targeting companies with market caps of more than $10 billion, Large Cap Blend mutual funds offer a stable investment choice; these funds are perfect for investors with a 'buy and hold' mindset. Since blended funds mix large, more established firms into their portfolios, investors are exposed to both value and growth opportunities.

History of Fund/Manager

JDEAX is a part of the J.P. Morgan family of funds, a company based out of Boston, MA. JPMorgan US Rsrch Enhanc Equity A made its debut in January of 1997, and since then, JDEAX has accumulated about $701.15 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund's current manager, Raffaele Zingone, has been in charge of the fund since July of 2002.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 14.46%, 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 22.73%, 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. JDEAX's standard deviation over the past three years is 11.68% compared to the category average of 11.76%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 14.99% compared to the category average of 13.45%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

The fund has a 5-year beta of 0.99, so investors should note that it is hypothetically as volatile as the market at large. 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. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a positive alpha of 0.08. This means that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

Holdings

Investigating the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is principally on equities that are traded in the United States.

This fund is currently holding about 82.48% in stocks, which have an average market capitalization of $636.65 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors:

  • Technology
  • Finance

With turnover at about 28%, this fund makes fewer trades than comparable funds.

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, JDEAX is a load fund and it has an expense ratio of 0.60%.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $1,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $50.

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

Bottom Line

This puts this fund from J.P. Morgan in the top 20% of all mutual funds we have a rank on right now. As a result, this is likely an excellent choice for investors seeking an option in the Large Cap Blend category.

This could just be the start of your research on JDEAX in the Large Cap Blend 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. 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.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


JPMORGAN US RES ENH EQUITY FD (JDEAX) - free report >>

Published in