Is T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund (PRWCX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

If you've been stuck searching for All Cap Value funds, consider T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund (PRWCX) as a possibility. PRWCX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.ObjectiveZacks categorizes PRWCX as All Cap Value, which is a segment packed with options. All Cap Value mutual funds, as the name suggests, invest across the cap spectrum in small-cap, mid-cap, and large-cap companies. However, in practice, these funds generally end up focusing on larger companies thanks to their percentage of assets. Regardless, these funds look for value positions, targeting firms whose share prices do not reflect their full worth, as well as low P/E Ratios and high dividend yields.History of Fund/ManagerT. Rowe Price is responsible for PRWCX, and the company is based out of Baltimore, MD. Since T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund made its debut in June of 1986, PRWCX has garnered more than $34.86 billion in assets. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals.PerformanceOf course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 11.3%, and is in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 11.39%, which places it in the top 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. PRWCX's standard deviation over the past three years is 10.2% compared to the category average of 13.19%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 11.28% compared to the category average of 12.74%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.Risk FactorsInvestors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. PRWCX has a 5-year beta of 0.67, which means it is likely to be less volatile than the market average. 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. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -0.3. This means 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, PRWCX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.70% compared to the category average of 0.92%. From a cost perspective, PRWCX is actually cheaper than its peers.Investors should also note, that according to our data, the fund does not have any minimum investment requirements.Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into consideration. Returns would be less if those were included.Bottom LineOverall, T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund ( PRWCX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.This could just be the start of your research on PRWCX in the All Cap Value 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. 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.Free Report: Profiting from the 2nd Wave of AI ExplosionThe next phase of the AI explosion is poised to create significant wealth for investors, especially those who get in early. 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