If you're looking for a Large Cap Growth fund category, then a potential option is Loomis Sayles Growth Fund A (LGRRX Quick QuoteLGRRX - Free Report) . LGRRX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

We classify LGRRX in the Large Cap Growth category, an area rife with potential choices. Large Cap Growth funds invest in many large U.S. companies that are expected to grow much faster compared to other large-cap stocks. To be considered large-cap, companies must have a market cap over $10 billion.

History of Fund/Manager

LGRRX is a part of the Natixis Funds family of funds, a company based out of Kansas City, MO. The Loomis Sayles Growth Fund A made its debut in May of 1991 and LGRRX has managed to accumulate roughly $1.18 billion in assets, as of the most recently available information. Aziz Hamzaogullari is the fund's current manager and has held that role since May of 2010.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 13.25%, and is in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 25.06%, 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. The standard deviation of LGRRX over the past three years is 16.52% compared to the category average of 11.79%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 19.55% compared to the category average of 14.17%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

The fund has a 5-year beta of 1.21, 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. The fund has produced a negative alpha over the past 5 years of -2.36, which shows that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick 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, LGRRX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.90% compared to the category average of 0.93%. LGRRX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

While the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500, investors should also note that 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, Loomis Sayles Growth Fund A ( LGRRX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and lower fees, Loomis Sayles Growth Fund A ( LGRRX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.

This could just be the start of your research on LGRRX in the Large Cap Growth 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. 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.