Is T. Rowe Price Global Growth Stock Retail (RPGEX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

If you have been looking for Global - Equity funds, it would not be wise to start your search with T. Rowe Price Global Growth Stock Retail (RPGEX). RPGEX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.ObjectiveZacks categorizes RPGEX as Global - Equity, which is a segment packed with options. Global - Equity mutual funds invest in large markets like the U.S., Europe, and Japan, and operate with very few geographical limitations. They also provide an investment technique that leverages the diverse nature of the global economy in the hopes of providing a stable return.History of Fund/ManagerT. Rowe Price is based in Baltimore, MD, and is the manager of RPGEX. Since T. Rowe Price Global Growth Stock Retail made its debut in October of 2008, RPGEX has garnered more than $377.29 million in assets. The fund is currently managed by R. Scott Berg who has been in charge of the fund since October of 2008.PerformanceInvestors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 10.79%, and is in the middle 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 4.92%, 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, RPGEX's standard deviation comes in at 16.2%, compared to the category average of 15.11%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 18.83% compared to the category average of 16.42%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.Risk FactorsInvestors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.99, which means it is hypothetically as volatile as 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. RPGEX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -4.91, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.ExpensesFor 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, RPGEX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.92% compared to the category average of 0.96%. So, RPGEX is actually cheaper 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 LineOverall, T. Rowe Price Global Growth Stock Retail ( RPGEX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, T. Rowe Price Global Growth Stock Retail ( RPGEX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.Don't stop here for your research on Global - 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 RPGEX to its peers as well for additional information. Want to learn even more? We have a full suite of tools on stocks that you can use to find the best choices for your portfolio too, no matter what kind of investor you are.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.3% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Get Your Free (RPGEX): Fund Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks