Topic: Growth Stocks

T. ROWE PRICE GROUP INC. $77

T. ROWE PRICE GROUP INC. $77 (Nasdaq symbol TROW; Aggressive Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 248.2 million; Market cap: $19.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.6; Dividend yield: 2.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.troweprice.com) sells mutual funds and wealth management services.

Due to the downturn in stock markets since the start of the year, T. Rowe Price’s assets under management fell 1.0%, to $764.6 million as of March 31, 2016, from $772.7 billion a year earlier. However, its assets under management have increased 0.2% from $763.1 billion at the end of 2015.

T. Rowe Price’s fee income varies with the value of the securities it administers, so its revenue during the first quarter of 2016 declined 3.2%, to $994.1 million from $1.0 billion.

Earnings fell 4.6%, to $295.2 million from $309.5 million. The company spent $206.7 million on share buybacks during the quarter. Due to fewer shares outstanding, per-share earnings gained 1.8%, to $1.15 from $1.13.

Despite the recent market volatility, T. Rowe Price continues to see strong demand for its “Retirement Funds.”They invest in other Price Group mutual funds and automatically adjust the buyer’s portfolio balance according to their age. In the latest quarter, Retirement Funds accounted for 82% of $5.1 billion in fund sales (net of redemptions).

T. Rowe Price now plans to invest $180 million in its operations in 2016, up 20% from 2015. About two-thirds of this spending will go to upgrading its computer systems. That should increase its long-term efficiency.

The company can easily afford these outlays. It’s debt free, and held cash of $1.3 billion, or $5.33 a share, as of March 31, 2016.

T. Rowe Price will probably earn $4.60 a share in 2016. The stock trades at a moderate 16.7 times that forecast. The $2.16 dividend yields 2.8%.

T. Rowe Price is a buy.

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