Have you been searching for a Mutual Fund Equity Report fund? You might want to begin with T. Rowe Price Growth Stock I (PRUFX Quick QuotePRUFX - Free Report) . PRUFX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

PRUFX is a part of the T. Rowe Price family of funds, a company based out of Baltimore, MD. T. Rowe Price Growth Stock I made its debut in September of 2015, and since then, PRUFX has accumulated about $14.15 billion in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Joseph Fath who has been in charge of the fund since September of 2015.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 6.83%, and it sits in the bottom 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 3.6%, which places it in the bottom 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. The standard deviation of PRUFX over the past three years is 24.33% compared to the category average of 17.39%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 21.33% compared to the category average of 15.49%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.1, which means it is hypothetically more 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. With a negative alpha of -2.48, managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

Holdings

Exploring 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 primarily on equities that are traded in the United States.

The mutual fund currently has 98.27% of its holdings in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $514.35 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors:

1. Technology
2. Retail Trade

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, PRUFX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.52% compared to the category average of 0.99%. From a cost perspective, PRUFX is actually cheaper than its peers.

This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $500,000, while there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.

Bottom Line

Overall, T. Rowe Price Growth Stock I ( PRUFX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, worse downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.

For additional information on the Mutual Fund Equity Report 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 PRUFX 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.