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Is American Beacon London Company Income Equity Y (ABCYX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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On the lookout for a Large Cap Value fund? Starting with American Beacon London Company Income Equity Y (ABCYX - Free Report) should not be a possibility at this time. ABCYX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

ABCYX is classified in the Large Cap Value segment by Zacks, which is an area full of possibilities. Investors interested in a stable income stream find these mutual funds very appealing because they have a unique investing strategy. Large Cap Value funds invest in stocks with a market capitalization of $10 billion or more, but whose share prices do not reflect their intrinsic value. This tactic often leads to low P/E ratios and high dividend yields; however, these funds' high growth opportunities are often slowed, as large-cap securities are generally in stable industries with low to moderate growth prospects.

History of Fund/Manager

American Beacon is responsible for ABCYX, and the company is based out of Irving, TX. Since American Beacon London Company Income Equity Y made its debut in May of 2012, ABCYX has garnered more than $628.36 million in assets. A team of investment professionals is the fund's current manager.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 7.72%, and is in the bottom third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 11.28%, 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. Over the past three years, ABCYX's standard deviation comes in at 11.88%, compared to the category average of 10.67%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 14.09% compared to the category average of 12.82%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. ABCYX has a 5-year beta of 0.81, which means it is likely to be less volatile than the market average. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. The fund has produced a negative alpha over the past 5 years of -2.39, which shows that 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, ABCYX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.83% compared to the category average of 0.92%. From a cost perspective, ABCYX is actually cheaper than its peers.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $100,000 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

Overall, American Beacon London Company Income Equity Y ( ABCYX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, American Beacon London Company Income Equity Y ( ABCYX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.

For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Large Cap Value, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds 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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