Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Carillon Scout Mid Cap I (UMBMX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

If you've been stuck searching for Mutual Fund Equity Report funds, you might want to consider passing on by Carillon Scout Mid Cap I (UMBMX - Free Report) as a possibility. UMBMX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

UMBMX finds itself in the Eagle Funds family, based out of St. Petersburg, FL. Since Carillon Scout Mid Cap I made its debut in November of 2006, UMBMX has garnered more than $2.88 billion in assets. A team of investment professionals is the fund's current manager.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. UMBMX has a 5-year annualized total return of 4.64% and it sits in the bottom third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 6.11%, which places it in the bottom 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 UMBMX over the past three years is 18.37% compared to the category average of 15.07%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 20.85% compared to the category average of 16.25%. 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 1.02, so it is likely going to be as volatile as the market at large. 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. UMBMX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -4.67, demonstrating that 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 primarily on equities that are traded in the United States.

This fund is currently holding about 82.45% in stocks, which have an average market capitalization of $23.94 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors:

  • Industrial Cyclical
  • Technology
  • Finance
  • Other
  • Non-Durable
Turnover is 120%, which means, on average, the fund makes more trades in a given year than the average of comparable funds.

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, UMBMX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.98% compared to the category average of 1.15%. UMBMX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

While the minimum initial investment for the product is $10,000, 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 Line

Overall, Carillon Scout Mid Cap I ( UMBMX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Carillon Scout Mid Cap I ( UMBMX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.

Want even more information about UMBMX? 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. For analysis of the rest of your portfolio, make sure to visit Zacks.com for our full suite of tools which will help you investigate all of your stocks and funds in one place.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Carillon Scout Mid Cap I (UMBMX) - free report >>

Published in