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Is Fidelity Advisor Semiconductors I (FELIX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Does Zebra Technologies (ZBRA) have what it takes to be a top stock pick for momentum investors? Let's find out.

If you've been stuck searching for Sector - Tech funds, consider Fidelity Advisor Semiconductors I FELIX as a possibility. FELIX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

FELIX is part of the Sector - Tech category, which boasts an array of different possible selections. With a much more diversified approach, Sector - Tech mutual funds give investors a way to own a stake in a notoriously risky sector. Tech companies are in various industries like semiconductors, software, internet, and networking, among others.

History of Fund/Manager

Fidelity is based in Boston, MA, and is the manager of FELIX. Since Fidelity Advisor Semiconductors I made its debut in December of 2000, FELIX has garnered more than $128.60 million in assets. The fund is currently managed by Stephen Barwikowski who has been in charge of the fund since January of 2009.

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Performance

Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 27.54%, 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 22.25%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.

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 FELIX over the past three years is 17.1% compared to the category average of 10.34%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 15.26% compared to the category average of 10.11%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

Investors cannot discount the risks to this segment though, as it is always important to remember the downside for any potential investment. In the most recent bear market, FELIX lost 57.08% and underperformed its peer group by 3.77%. This makes the fund a possibly worse choice than its peers during a sliding market environment.

Nevertheless, with a 5-year beta of 1.09, the fund is likely to be more volatile than the market average. 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. With a positive alpha of 10.62, 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, FELIX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.87% compared to the category average of 1.36%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, FELIX is actually cheaper than its peers.

While the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.

Bottom Line

Overall, Fidelity Advisor Semiconductors I has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Sector - Tech, 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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