Is American Funds EuroPacific Growth F (AEGFX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

If you have been looking for Non US - Equity funds, it would not be wise to start your search with American Funds EuroPacific Growth F (AEGFX). AEGFX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.ObjectiveWe classify AEGFX in the Non US - Equity category, which is an area rife with potential choices. Investing in companies outside the United States is how Non US - Equity funds set themselves apart, since global funds tend to keep a good portion of their portfolio stateside. Many of these funds like to allocate across emerging and developed markets, and will often focus on all cap levels.History of Fund/ManagerAmerican Funds is based in Los Angeles, CA, and is the manager of AEGFX. The American Funds EuroPacific Growth F made its debut in April of 1984 and AEGFX has managed to accumulate roughly $1.33 billion in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals.PerformanceInvestors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 5.2%, and is in the middle third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3 -year annualized total return of -0.42%, 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 AEGFX over the past three years is 17.6% compared to the category average of 14.54%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 18.71% compared to the category average of 15.43%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.Risk FactorsInvestors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. AEGFX has a 5-year beta of 0.92, which means it is likely to be less 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. The fund has produced a negative alpha over the past 5 years of -8.07, which shows that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.ExpensesCosts are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, AEGFX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.85% compared to the category average of 0.95%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, AEGFX is actually cheaper than its peers.Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $250; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $50.Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.Bottom LineOverall, American Funds EuroPacific Growth F ( AEGFX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, American Funds EuroPacific Growth F ( AEGFX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.Your research on the Non US - Equity segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer as well for additional information. 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