Is Janus Henderson Global Life Science A (JFNAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

On the lookout for a Sector - Health fund? Starting with Janus Henderson Global Life Science A (JFNAX) is one possibility. JFNAX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

Zacks categorizes JFNAX as Sector - Health, a segment packed with options. Sector - Health mutual funds offer investors a focus on the healthcare industry, one of the largest sectors in the American economy. These funds can include everything from pharmaceutical companies to medical device manufacturers and for-profit hospitals.

History of Fund/Manager

Janus Fund is based in Boston, MA, and is the manager of JFNAX. Janus Henderson Global Life Science A made its debut in July of 2009, and since then, JFNAX has accumulated about $269.99 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Andrew Acker who has been in charge of the fund since July of 2009.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. JFNAX has a 5-year annualized total return of 14.48% and it sits 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 16.32%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.

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. JFNAX's standard deviation over the past three years is 17.44% compared to the category average of 15.58%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 15.83% compared to the category average of 13.11%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

The fund has a 5-year beta of 0.85, so investors should note that it is hypothetically less volatile than 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. JFNAX's 5-year performance has produced a positive alpha of 0.23, which means 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, JFNAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.98% compared to the category average of 1.32%. JFNAX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $2,500; each subsequent investment has no minimum amount.

Bottom Line

Overall, Janus Henderson Global Life Science A ( JFNAX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

For additional information on the Sector - Health area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds. There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into JFNAX too for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well.

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