In 60th Year, Fidelity Has Cause for Celebration

As Fidelity Investments turns 60 this month, the fund giant again has cause for celebration. Recent efforts to overhaul its fund management--with new portfolio managers, more lenient investment mandates and a smattering of new funds--have paid off, with performance of many of its funds returning to strong levels, The Boston Globe reports.

The flagship Fidelity Magellan Fund, for instance, is up 10.6% in the past 12 months, beating the 15.4% return of its benchmark, the S&P 500.

At the end of last year, 65% of Fidelity's funds had beaten their peers during the year, up from 50% in 2004.

And analysts expect more of Fidelity's funds to outpace their benchmarks this year. "It has all been good news," said John Bonnanzio, group editor at Fidelity Insight. "One thing you have to say about Fidelity is that they are not afraid of change and that they are constantly assessing themselves," noted Morningstar Analyst Dan Lefkovitz.

Flows have also been improving, with the company taking in a net $3.85 billion in March, compared to $481 million a year earlier.

Still, flows to Vanguard and American Funds continue to outpace those to Fidelity.