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Is Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity A (GEMAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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There are plenty of choices in the Mutual Fund Equity Report category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that you should consider investigating is Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity A (GEMAX - Free Report) . GEMAX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

Goldman Sachs is responsible for GEMAX, and the company is based out of New York, NY. Since Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity A made its debut in December of 1997, GEMAX has garnered more than $214.07 million in assets. The fund is currently managed by Basak Yavuz who has been in charge of the fund since February of 2015.

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 1.34%, and it sits in the middle 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 1.59%, which places it in the middle 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. GEMAX's standard deviation over the past three years is 19.52% compared to the category average of 15.96%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 17.95% compared to the category average of 14.31%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.76, so it is likely going to be less volatile than 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. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -7.41. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick 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, GEMAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.29% compared to the category average of 1.15%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, GEMAX is actually more expensive than its peers.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $1,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $50.

Bottom Line

Overall, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity A ( GEMAX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity A ( GEMAX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.

Want even more information about GEMAX? 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. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike.


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