Is Glenmede Disciplined US Eq (GTLOX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

There are plenty of choices in the Large Cap Growth category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that may not be worth investigating is Glenmede Disciplined US Eq (GTLOX). GTLOX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.ObjectiveWe classify GTLOX in the Large Cap Growth category, an area rife with potential choices. Large Cap Growth funds invest in many large U.S. companies that are expected to grow much faster compared to other large-cap stocks. To be considered large-cap, companies must have a market cap over $10 billion.History of Fund/ManagerGlenmede is based in Philadelphia, PA, and is the manager of GTLOX. The Glenmede Disciplined US Eq made its debut in March of 2004 and GTLOX has managed to accumulate roughly $431.78 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.PerformanceOf course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 11.72%, and is in the bottom third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 11.92%, which places it in the bottom 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 15.09%, the standard deviation of GTLOX over the past three years is 15.92%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 16.31% compared to the category average of 14.61%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.Risk FactorsInvestors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.94, which means it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. Another factor to consider is alpha, as it reflects a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark-in this case, the S&P 500. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -3.4. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.HoldingsExploring 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.Currently, this mutual fund is holding 88.59% in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $88.96 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors:TechnologyFinanceThis fund's turnover is about 61%, so the fund managers are making more trades in a given year than the average of comparable funds.ExpensesAs competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, GTLOX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.86% compared to the category average of 0.93%. From a cost perspective, GTLOX is actually cheaper than its peers.This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $0, while there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into consideration. Returns would be less if those were included.Bottom LineOverall, Glenmede Disciplined US Eq ( GTLOX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Glenmede Disciplined US Eq ( GTLOX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.This could just be the start of your research on GTLOX in the Large Cap Growth 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. Want to learn even more? 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Click to get this free report Get Your Free (GTLOX): Fund Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks