Market surge lifts T. Rowe Price

Article Excerpt

T. ROWE PRICE GROUP INC. $188 is a buy. The company’s (Nasdaq symbol TROW; Aggressive Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 226.4 million; Market cap: $42.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 6.5; Dividend yield: 2.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.troweprice.com) fee income rises with the value of the securities it manages. Thanks to the strong stock-market rebound since March 2020, T. Rowe Price’s assets under administration rose 50.5%, to $1.52 trillion as of March 31, 2021, from $1.01 trillion a year earlier. As a result, revenue in the quarter gained 24.9%, to $1.83 billion from $1.46 billion a year earlier. Overall earnings before unusual items also rose 56.7%, to $712.0 million from $454.3 million; per-share earnings jumped 61.0%, to $3.01 from $1.87, on fewer shares outstanding. Investors should expect T. Rowe Price to earn $12.29 a share in 2021, and the stock trades at a moderate 15.3 times that forecast. The $4.32 dividend yields 2.3%. T. Rowe Price is a buy. buy…