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Is Ivy Science & Technology Y (WSTYX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
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On the lookout for a Sector - Tech fund? Starting with Ivy Science & Technology Y (WSTYX - Free Report) should not be a possibility at this time. WSTYX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
We note that WSTYX is a Sector - Tech option, and this area is loaded with many options. Found in a wide number of industries such as semiconductors, software, internet, and networking, tech companies are everywhere. Thus, Sector - Tech mutual funds that invest in technology let investors own a stake in a notoriously volatile sector, but with a much more diversifies approach.
History of Fund/Manager
WSTYX finds itself in the Delaware Investments family, based out of Philadelphia, PA. Ivy Science & Technology Y debuted in June of 1998. Since then, WSTYX has accumulated assets of about $302.99 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Bradley Warden, has been in charge of the fund since October of 2016.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. WSTYX has a 5-year annualized total return of 16.16% and is in the middle 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 7.35%, which places it in the middle 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 WSTYX over the past three years is 23.62% compared to the category average of 16.21%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 22.25% compared to the category average of 16.84%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
The fund has a 5-year beta of 1.14, so investors should note that it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. 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. WSTYX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -0.03, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Holdings
Exploring 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, 79.49% of this mutual fund's holdings are stocks, which have an average market capitalization of $746.47 billion. With turnover at about 29%, this fund makes fewer trades than its comparable peers.
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, WSTYX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.16% compared to the category average of 1%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, WSTYX is actually more expensive than its peers.
Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $0; each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.
Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.
Bottom Line
Overall, Ivy Science & Technology Y ( WSTYX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, this fund looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.
Want even more information about WSTYX? 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. 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 Ivy Science & Technology Y (WSTYX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
On the lookout for a Sector - Tech fund? Starting with Ivy Science & Technology Y (WSTYX - Free Report) should not be a possibility at this time. WSTYX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
We note that WSTYX is a Sector - Tech option, and this area is loaded with many options. Found in a wide number of industries such as semiconductors, software, internet, and networking, tech companies are everywhere. Thus, Sector - Tech mutual funds that invest in technology let investors own a stake in a notoriously volatile sector, but with a much more diversifies approach.
History of Fund/Manager
WSTYX finds itself in the Delaware Investments family, based out of Philadelphia, PA. Ivy Science & Technology Y debuted in June of 1998. Since then, WSTYX has accumulated assets of about $302.99 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Bradley Warden, has been in charge of the fund since October of 2016.
Performance
Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. WSTYX has a 5-year annualized total return of 16.16% and is in the middle 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 7.35%, which places it in the middle 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 WSTYX over the past three years is 23.62% compared to the category average of 16.21%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 22.25% compared to the category average of 16.84%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
The fund has a 5-year beta of 1.14, so investors should note that it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. 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. WSTYX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -0.03, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Holdings
Exploring 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, 79.49% of this mutual fund's holdings are stocks, which have an average market capitalization of $746.47 billion. With turnover at about 29%, this fund makes fewer trades than its comparable peers.
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, WSTYX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.16% compared to the category average of 1%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, WSTYX is actually more expensive than its peers.
Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $0; each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.
Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.
Bottom Line
Overall, Ivy Science & Technology Y ( WSTYX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, this fund looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.
Want even more information about WSTYX? 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. 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.