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Is T. Rowe Price Japan Fund (PRJPX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
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If you've been stuck searching for Mutual Fund Equity Report funds, you might want to consider passing on by T. Rowe Price Japan Fund (PRJPX - Free Report) as a possibility. PRJPX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
T. Rowe Price is responsible for PRJPX, and the company is based out of Baltimore, MD. T. Rowe Price Japan Fund debuted in December of 1991. Since then, PRJPX has accumulated assets of about $264.66 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Archibald Ciganer who has been in charge of the fund since December of 2013.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of -0.68%, and is in the middle third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of -4.54%, 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. PRJPX's standard deviation over the past three years is 19.89% compared to the category average of 17.86%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 17.93% compared to the category average of 15.8%. 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 0.71, so it is likely going to be less volatile than the market at large. 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 negative alpha over the past 5 years of -6.89, which shows that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Expenses
As 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, PRJPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.05% compared to the category average of 1.44%. PRJPX 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 needs to be at least $100.
Bottom Line
Overall, T. Rowe Price Japan Fund ( PRJPX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, T. Rowe Price Japan Fund ( PRJPX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.
Your research on the Mutual Fund Equity Report segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer as well 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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Is T. Rowe Price Japan Fund (PRJPX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
If you've been stuck searching for Mutual Fund Equity Report funds, you might want to consider passing on by T. Rowe Price Japan Fund (PRJPX - Free Report) as a possibility. PRJPX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
History of Fund/Manager
T. Rowe Price is responsible for PRJPX, and the company is based out of Baltimore, MD. T. Rowe Price Japan Fund debuted in December of 1991. Since then, PRJPX has accumulated assets of about $264.66 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Archibald Ciganer who has been in charge of the fund since December of 2013.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of -0.68%, and is in the middle third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of -4.54%, 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. PRJPX's standard deviation over the past three years is 19.89% compared to the category average of 17.86%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 17.93% compared to the category average of 15.8%. 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 0.71, so it is likely going to be less volatile than the market at large. 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 negative alpha over the past 5 years of -6.89, which shows that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
Expenses
As 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, PRJPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.05% compared to the category average of 1.44%. PRJPX 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 needs to be at least $100.
Bottom Line
Overall, T. Rowe Price Japan Fund ( PRJPX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, T. Rowe Price Japan Fund ( PRJPX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.
Your research on the Mutual Fund Equity Report segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer as well 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.