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Is T. Rowe Price Japan Fund (PRJPX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
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Have you been searching for a Japan - Equity fund? You might want to begin with T. Rowe Price Japan Fund (PRJPX - Free Report) . PRJPX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
PRJPX is part of the Japan - Equity section, which is a segment that boasts many possible selections. Japan - Equity mutual funds mostly invest in Japan-based companies, which is one of the world's richest and most diversified economies. Japan's focus on exports allows them to be somewhat exposed to global economic trends, but investors should note that the country's lack of natural resources can also have an impact.
History of Fund/Manager
T. Rowe Price is based in Baltimore, MD, and is the manager of PRJPX. T. Rowe Price Japan Fund made its debut in December of 1991, and since then, PRJPX has accumulated about $719.73 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. Archibald A. Ciganer is the fund's current manager and has held that role since December of 2013.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 8.68%, and it sits in the top 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 10.75%, which places it in the top 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. Over the past three years, PRJPX's standard deviation comes in at 13.3%, compared to the category average of 16.09%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 12.51% compared to the category average of 16.18%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
One cannot ignore the volatility of this segment, however, as it is always important for investors to remember the downside to any potential investment. PRJPX lost 50.7% in the most recent bear market and outperformed its peer group by 6%. This makes the fund a possibly better choice than its peers during a sliding market environment.
Nevertheless, investors should also note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.72, which means it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a positive alpha of 1. This means that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
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, PRJPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.95% compared to the category average of 1.21%. From a cost perspective, PRJPX is actually cheaper than its peers.
Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $100.
Bottom Line
Overall, T. Rowe Price Japan Fund ( PRJPX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, T. Rowe Price Japan Fund ( PRJPX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.
Don't stop here for your research on Japan - Equity funds. We also have plenty more on our site in order to help you find the best possible fund for your portfolio. Make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for more information about the world of funds, and feel free to compare PRJPX to its peers 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?
Have you been searching for a Japan - Equity fund? You might want to begin with T. Rowe Price Japan Fund (PRJPX - Free Report) . PRJPX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
PRJPX is part of the Japan - Equity section, which is a segment that boasts many possible selections. Japan - Equity mutual funds mostly invest in Japan-based companies, which is one of the world's richest and most diversified economies. Japan's focus on exports allows them to be somewhat exposed to global economic trends, but investors should note that the country's lack of natural resources can also have an impact.
History of Fund/Manager
T. Rowe Price is based in Baltimore, MD, and is the manager of PRJPX. T. Rowe Price Japan Fund made its debut in December of 1991, and since then, PRJPX has accumulated about $719.73 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. Archibald A. Ciganer is the fund's current manager and has held that role since December of 2013.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 8.68%, and it sits in the top 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 10.75%, which places it in the top 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. Over the past three years, PRJPX's standard deviation comes in at 13.3%, compared to the category average of 16.09%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 12.51% compared to the category average of 16.18%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
Risk Factors
One cannot ignore the volatility of this segment, however, as it is always important for investors to remember the downside to any potential investment. PRJPX lost 50.7% in the most recent bear market and outperformed its peer group by 6%. This makes the fund a possibly better choice than its peers during a sliding market environment.
Nevertheless, investors should also note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.72, which means it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a positive alpha of 1. This means that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.
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, PRJPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.95% compared to the category average of 1.21%. From a cost perspective, PRJPX is actually cheaper than its peers.
Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $100.
Bottom Line
Overall, T. Rowe Price Japan Fund ( PRJPX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, T. Rowe Price Japan Fund ( PRJPX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.
Don't stop here for your research on Japan - Equity funds. We also have plenty more on our site in order to help you find the best possible fund for your portfolio. Make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for more information about the world of funds, and feel free to compare PRJPX to its peers 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.