On the lookout for a Sector – Tech fund? Starting with DWS Science and Technology A (KTCAX) is one possibility. KTCAX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective The world of Sector – Tech funds is an area filled with options, and KTCAX is one of them. Sector – Tech mutual funds allow investors to own a stake in a notoriously volatile sector with a much more diversified approach. Tech companies can be in any number of industries such as semiconductors, software, internet, networking just to name a few. History of Fund/Manager DWS is based in New York, NY, and is the manager of KTCAX. DWS Science and Technology A debuted in September of 1948. Since then, KTCAX has accumulated assets of about $1.64 billion, according to the most recently available information. The fund’s current manager, Sebastian Werner, has been in charge of the fund since December of 2017. Performance Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 15.94%, 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 34.76%, 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 13.18%, the standard deviation of KTCAX over the past three years is 19.36%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 21.65% compared to the category average of 15.28%. 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. KTCAX has a 5-year beta of 1.25, 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. The fund has produced a positive alpha over the past 5 years of 1.23, which shows that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Investigating 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. This fund is currently holding about 86.65% in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $742.87 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors: Technology Turnover is about 22%, so those in charge of the fund make fewer trades than the average comparable fund. Expenses For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, KTCAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.88% compared to the category average of 0.99%. So, KTCAX is actually cheaper than its peers from a cost perspective. This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $1,000, and each subsequent investment should be at least $50. Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into consideration. Returns would be less if those were included. Bottom Line Overall, DWS Science and Technology A ( KTCAX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and lower fees, DWS Science and Technology A ( KTCAX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now. This could just be the start of your research on KTCAX in the Sector – Tech 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. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio – both funds and stocks – in the most efficient way possible. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Get Your Free (KTCAX): Fund Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research
