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Is Fidelity Advisor Equity Growth A (EPGAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Mutual Fund Equity Report fund seekers may want to consider taking a look at Fidelity Advisor Equity Growth A (EPGAX). EPGAX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

EPGAX is a part of the Fidelity family of funds, a company based out of Boston, MA. Since Fidelity Advisor Equity Growth A made its debut in November of 1983, EPGAX has garnered more than $1.50 billion in assets. The fund is currently managed by Jason Weiner who has been in charge of the fund since November of 2006.

Performance

Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. EPGAX has a 5-year annualized total return of 13.23% and it sits in the top 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 13.64%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.

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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, EPGAX's standard deviation comes in at 19.5%, compared to the category average of 18.51%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 19.69% compared to the category average of 16.31%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

The fund has a 5-year beta of 1.01, so investors should note that it is hypothetically as volatile as 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. With a positive alpha of 1.73, 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 primarily on equities that are traded in the United States.

As of the last filing date, the mutual fund has 76.73% of its assets in stocks, which have an average market capitalization of $332.30 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors:

  • Technology

  • Finance

Turnover is 40%, which means this fund makes fewer trades than comparable funds.

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, EPGAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.97% compared to the category average of 0.99%. From a cost perspective, EPGAX is actually cheaper than its peers.

While the minimum initial investment for the product is $0, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.

Bottom Line

Overall, Fidelity Advisor Equity Growth A ( EPGAX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.

Don't stop here for your research on Mutual Fund Equity Report 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 EPGAX to its peers as well for additional information. Want to learn even more? We have a full suite of tools on stocks that you can use to find the best choices for your portfolio too, no matter what kind of investor you are.

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