Is T. Rowe Price Mid-Cap Growth Fund (RPMGX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Mid Cap Growth fund seekers should consider taking a look at T. Rowe Price Mid-Cap Growth Fund (RPMGX). RPMGX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.ObjectiveWe note that RPMGX is a Mid Cap Growth fund, and this area is also loaded with many different options. Companies are usually considered growth stocks when they consistently report notable sales and/or earnings growth. Thus, Mid Cap Growth funds pick stocks--usually companies with a market cap between $2 billion and $10 billion--that demonstrate extensive growth opportunities for investors compared to their peers.History of Fund/ManagerT. Rowe Price is responsible for RPMGX, and the company is based out of Baltimore, MD. Since T. Rowe Price Mid-Cap Growth Fund made its debut in June of 1992, RPMGX has garnered more than $11.90 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 in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 7.4%, and is in the middle third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 8.28%, 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. Compared to the category average of 15.37%, the standard deviation of RPMGX over the past three years is 16.96%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 17.16% compared to the category average of 14.93%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.Risk FactorsThe fund has a 5-year beta of 0.99, so investors should note that 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. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -7.05. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.HoldingsExamining the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is primarily on equities that are traded in the United States.Right now, 92.58% of this mutual fund's holdings are stocks, which have an average market capitalization of $23.80 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors:TechnologyIndustrial CyclicalTurnover is about 22.6%, so those in charge of the fund make fewer trades than the average comparable fund.ExpensesAs 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, RPMGX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.75% compared to the category average of 0.97%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, RPMGX is actually cheaper than its peers.This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $2,500, and each subsequent investment should be at least $100.Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into consideration. Returns would be less if those were included.Bottom LineOverall, T. Rowe Price Mid-Cap Growth Fund ( RPMGX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a great potential choice for investors right now.For additional information on the Mid Cap Growth area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds. There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into RPMGX too for additional information. Want to learn even more? 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Click to get this free report Get Your Free (RPMGX): 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