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Is Driehaus International Small Cap Growth (DRIOX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
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If you've been stuck searching for Non US - Equity funds, you might want to consider passing on by Driehaus International Small Cap Growth (DRIOX - Free Report) as a possibility. DRIOX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
We classify DRIOX in the Non US - Equity category, which is an area rife with potential choices. Investing in companies outside the United States is how Non US - Equity funds set themselves apart, since global funds tend to keep a good portion of their portfolio stateside. Many of these funds like to allocate across emerging and developed markets, and will often focus on all cap levels.
History of Fund/Manager
Driehaus is responsible for DRIOX, and the company is based out of Chicago, IL. Driehaus International Small Cap Growth made its debut in September of 2007, and since then, DRIOX has accumulated about $238.90 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. A team of investment professionals is the fund's current manager.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. DRIOX has a 5-year annualized total return of 9.37% 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 -3.16%, 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 20.41%, the standard deviation of DRIOX over the past three years is 18.16%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 19.97% compared to the category average of 21.24%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
The fund has a 5-year beta of 1.01, so investors should note that it is hypothetically as volatile as the market at large. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. DRIOX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -5.35, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
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, DRIOX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.16% compared to the category average of 1.21%. From a cost perspective, DRIOX is actually cheaper than its peers.
Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $10,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $2,000
Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.
Bottom Line
Overall, even with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Driehaus International Small Cap Growth ( DRIOX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and therefore looks a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.
This could just be the start of your research on DRIOXin the Non US - Equity category. Consider going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information about this fund, and all the others that we rank as well 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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Is Driehaus International Small Cap Growth (DRIOX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
If you've been stuck searching for Non US - Equity funds, you might want to consider passing on by Driehaus International Small Cap Growth (DRIOX - Free Report) as a possibility. DRIOX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
We classify DRIOX in the Non US - Equity category, which is an area rife with potential choices. Investing in companies outside the United States is how Non US - Equity funds set themselves apart, since global funds tend to keep a good portion of their portfolio stateside. Many of these funds like to allocate across emerging and developed markets, and will often focus on all cap levels.
History of Fund/Manager
Driehaus is responsible for DRIOX, and the company is based out of Chicago, IL. Driehaus International Small Cap Growth made its debut in September of 2007, and since then, DRIOX has accumulated about $238.90 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. A team of investment professionals is the fund's current manager.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. DRIOX has a 5-year annualized total return of 9.37% 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 -3.16%, 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 20.41%, the standard deviation of DRIOX over the past three years is 18.16%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 19.97% compared to the category average of 21.24%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
The fund has a 5-year beta of 1.01, so investors should note that it is hypothetically as volatile as the market at large. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. DRIOX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -5.35, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
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, DRIOX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.16% compared to the category average of 1.21%. From a cost perspective, DRIOX is actually cheaper than its peers.
Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $10,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $2,000
Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.
Bottom Line
Overall, even with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Driehaus International Small Cap Growth ( DRIOX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and therefore looks a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.
This could just be the start of your research on DRIOXin the Non US - Equity category. Consider going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information about this fund, and all the others that we rank as well 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.