Having trouble finding a Sector – Tech fund? ProFunds Tech UltraSector Investor (TEPIX) is a potential starting point. TEPIX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
TEPIX is part of the Sector – Tech category, which boasts an array of different possible selections. With a much more diversified approach, Sector – Tech mutual funds give investors a way to own a stake in a notoriously risky sector. Tech companies are in various industries like semiconductors, software, internet, and networking, among others.
ProFunds is based in Columbus, OH, and is the manager of TEPIX. ProFunds Tech UltraSector Investor made its debut in June of 2000, and since then, TEPIX has accumulated about $87.36 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Michael Neches who has been in charge of the fund since October of 2013.
Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 26.1%, and it sits 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 6.3%, 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. Over the past three years, TEPIX’s standard deviation comes in at 35.06%, compared to the category average of 26.06%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund’s standard deviation is 34.6% compared to the category average of 27.41%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
The fund has a 5-year beta of 1.73, 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. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a positive alpha of 2.92. This means that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
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