There are plenty of choices in the Small Cap Growth category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that might be worth investigating is Vanguard Explorer Fund Investor (VEXPX Quick QuoteVEXPX - Free Report) . VEXPX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

VEXPX is one of many different Small Cap Growth funds to choose from. Small Cap Growth mutual funds build portfolios around stocks with markets caps under $2 billion and large growth opportunities. Additionally, these portfolios typically highlight smaller companies in promising markets and industries.

History of Fund/Manager

Vanguard Group is based in Malvern, PA, and is the manager of VEXPX. Since Vanguard Explorer Fund Investor made its debut in December of 1967, VEXPX has garnered more than $3.08 billion in assets. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. VEXPX has a 5-year annualized total return of 10.16% and is in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 1.02%, 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. Compared to the category average of 18.06%, the standard deviation of VEXPX over the past three years is 20%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 22.68% compared to the category average of 19.75%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. VEXPX has a 5-year beta of 1.13, which means it is likely to be more volatile than the market average. 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. VEXPX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -4.46, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

Holdings

Examining 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 principally on equities that are traded in the United States.

Right now, 90.92% of this mutual fund's holdings are stocks, with an average market capitalization of $7.34 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors:

• Technology
• Industrial Cyclical
• Health
• Finance

Turnover is 40%, which means this fund makes fewer trades than comparable funds.

Expenses

Costs 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, VEXPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.45% compared to the category average of 1.08%. VEXPX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $3,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $1

Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.

Bottom Line

Overall, Vanguard Explorer Fund Investor ( VEXPX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Vanguard Explorer Fund Investor ( VEXPX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

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