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Is BlackRock Equity Dividend R (MRDVX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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Large Cap Value fund seekers should not consider taking a look at BlackRock Equity Dividend R (MRDVX - Free Report) at this time. MRDVX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

MRDVX 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

MRDVX finds itself in the BlackRock family, based out of New York, NY. BlackRock Equity Dividend R debuted in January of 2003. Since then, MRDVX has accumulated assets of about $411.36 million, according to the most recently available information. David Zhao is the fund's current manager and has held that role since August of 2017.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 11.03%, and is in the middle 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 18.04%, 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. Over the past three years, MRDVX's standard deviation comes in at 10.67%, compared to the category average of 11.2%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 13.67% compared to the category average of 13.14%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

The fund has a 5-year beta of 0.72, so investors should note that it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. 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. MRDVX has generated a positive alpha over the past five years of 0.65, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking 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, MRDVX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.21% compared to the category average of 0.93%. MRDVX is actually more expensive than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $100, 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, BlackRock Equity Dividend R ( MRDVX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, BlackRock Equity Dividend R ( MRDVX ) looks like a poor potential choice for investors right now.

Don't stop here for your research on Large Cap Value 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 MRDVX to its peers 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.

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