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Is JPMorgan Disciplined Equity A (JDEAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

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Large Cap Blend fund seekers should consider taking a look at JPMorgan Disciplined Equity A (JDEAX - Free Report) . JDEAX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

JDEAX is classified in the Large Cap Blend segment by Zacks, which is an area full of potential. Targeting companies with market caps of more than $10 billion, Large Cap Blend mutual funds offer a stable investment choice; these funds are perfect for investors with a " buy and hold " mindset. Since blended funds mix large, more established firms into their portfolios, investors are exposed to both value and growth opportunities.

History of Fund/Manager

J.P. Morgan is responsible for JDEAX, and the company is based out of Boston, MA. JPMorgan Disciplined Equity A debuted in January of 1997. Since then, JDEAX has accumulated assets of about $189.20 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Raffaele Zingone, has been in charge of the fund since July of 2002.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 16.12%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3 -year annualized total return of 10.74%, 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. The standard deviation of JDEAX over the past three years is 17.75% compared to the category average of 15.34%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 18.32% compared to the category average of 16.22%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

With a 5-year beta of 1.01, the fund is likely to be as volatile as 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. JDEAX has generated a positive alpha over the past five years of 0.85, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking 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, JDEAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.60% compared to the category average of 0.89%. JDEAX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

Investors should also note, that according to our data, the fund does not have any minimum investment requirements.

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

Bottom Line

Overall, JPMorgan Disciplined Equity A ( JDEAX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, JPMorgan Disciplined Equity A ( JDEAX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

Don't stop here for your research on Large Cap Blend funds. We also have plenty more on our site in order to help you find the best possible fund for your portfolio. Make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for more information about the world of funds, and feel free to compare JDEAX to its peers as well 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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