Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is T. Rowe Price Emerging Markets Stock (PRMSX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

If investors are looking at the Non US - Equity fund category, make sure to pass over T. Rowe Price Emerging Markets Stock (PRMSX - Free Report) . PRMSX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

Zacks categorizes PRMSX as Non US - Equity, a segment stacked high with options. Non US - Equity mutual funds like to invest in companies outside of the United States, an important characteristic since global mutual funds are known to keep a good portion of their portfolio stateside. These kinds of funds can often extend across all cap levels, and will typically allocate their investments between emerging and developed markets.

History of Fund/Manager

T. Rowe Price is based in Baltimore, MD, and is the manager of PRMSX. The T. Rowe Price Emerging Markets Stock made its debut in March of 1995 and PRMSX has managed to accumulate roughly $693 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. Eric Moffett is the fund's current manager and has held that role since April of 2021.

Performance

Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of -2.35%, 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 -5.9%, 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. Over the past three years, PRMSX's standard deviation comes in at 18.03%, compared to the category average of 15.27%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 19% compared to the category average of 16.63%. 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. 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. PRMSX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -12.76, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

Expenses

For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, PRMSX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.22% compared to the category average of 0.99%. So, PRMSX is actually more expensive than its peers from a cost perspective.

While the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100.

Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.

Bottom Line

Overall, T. Rowe Price Emerging Markets Stock ( PRMSX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, T. Rowe Price Emerging Markets Stock ( PRMSX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.

This could just be the start of your research on PRMSXin the Non US - Equity 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. 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.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


T. Rowe Price Emerging Mkts Stk (PRMSX) - free report >>

Published in