Any investors hoping to find a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund could think about starting with JPMorgan Dynamic Small Cap Growth A (VSCOX Quick QuoteVSCOX - Free Report) . VSCOX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

VSCOX finds itself in the J.P. Morgan family, based out of Boston, MA. JPMorgan Dynamic Small Cap Growth A debuted in May of 1997. Since then, VSCOX has accumulated assets of about $298.68 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Eytan Shapiro, has been in charge of the fund since September of 2004.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 11.94%, 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 9.06%, 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 VSCOX over the past three years is 22.63% compared to the category average of 17.76%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 20.98% compared to the category average of 15.96%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

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. VSCOX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -1.21, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

Holdings

Investigating the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is largely on equities that are traded in the United States.

Currently, this mutual fund is holding 83.99% stock in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $4.21 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors:

1. Finance
2. Industrial Cyclical
3. Health
4. Technology
5. Other

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, VSCOX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.24% compared to the category average of 1.09%. So, VSCOX is actually more expensive than its peers from a cost perspective.

Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $1,000; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $50.

Bottom Line

Overall, JPMorgan Dynamic Small Cap Growth A ( VSCOX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, JPMorgan Dynamic Small Cap Growth A ( VSCOX ) 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 Mutual Fund Equity Report, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well.