Is Franklin Biotechnology Discovery A (FBDIX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

There are plenty of choices in the Sector - Health category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that might be worth investigating is Franklin Biotechnology Discovery A (FBDIX). FBDIX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.ObjectiveWe note that FBDIX is a Sector - Health fund, and this area is also loaded with various options. Sector - Health mutual funds give investors an opportunity to focus on one of the largest sectors of the American economy, healthcare. Funds in this category can include everything from for-profit hospitals to pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers.History of Fund/ManagerFranklin is responsible for FBDIX, and the company is based out of San Mateo, CA. The Franklin Biotechnology Discovery A made its debut in September of 1997 and FBDIX has managed to accumulate roughly $661.94 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Evan McCulloch who has been in charge of the fund since September of 1997.PerformanceObviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 4.4%, and is in the bottom 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 7.15%, which places it in the top 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 FBDIX over the past three years is 18.62% compared to the category average of 14.67%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 19.8% compared to the category average of 15.97%. 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. FBDIX has a 5-year beta of 0.64, 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. FBDIX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -4.73, demonstrating 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, FBDIX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.01% compared to the category average of 0.99%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, FBDIX is actually more expensive than its peers.While the minimum initial investment for the product is $1,000, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.Bottom LineOverall, even with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, Franklin Biotechnology Discovery A ( FBDIX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and therefore looks a good potential choice for investors right now.Want even more information about FBDIX? Then go over to Zacks.com and check out our mutual fund comparison tool, and all of the other great features that we have to help you with your mutual fund analysis 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.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.3% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Get Your Free (FBDIX): Fund Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks