Is Wasatch Emerging India Fund (WAINX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

On the lookout for a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund? Starting with Wasatch Emerging India Fund (WAINX) is one possibility. WAINX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

Wasatch is based in Salt Lake City, UT, and is the manager of WAINX. Wasatch Emerging India Fund debuted in April of 2011. Since then, WAINX has accumulated assets of about $238.94 million, according to the most recently available information. Ajay Krishnan is the fund's current manager and has held that role since April of 2011.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 10.21%, and is 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 16.05%, 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. Compared to the category average of 20.16%, the standard deviation of WAINX over the past three years is 25.79%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 22.36% compared to the category average of 17.84%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

With a 5-year beta of 0.73, the fund 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. With a positive alpha of 2.78, managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

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, WAINX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.45% compared to the category average of 1.29%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, WAINX is actually more expensive than its peers.

Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $2,000; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100.

Bottom Line

Overall, Wasatch Emerging India Fund ( WAINX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, Wasatch Emerging India Fund ( WAINX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

Want even more information about WAINX? 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.

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