UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-CSR
CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED
MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES
Investment Company Act File Number: 811-07749
| T. Rowe Price Financial Services Fund, Inc. |
| (Exact name of registrant as specified in charter) |
| 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 |
| (Address of principal executive offices) |
| David Oestreicher |
| 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 |
| (Name and address of agent for service) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (410) 345-2000
Date of fiscal year end: December 31
Date of reporting period: June 30, 2022
 |
| Financial Services Fund | June 30, 2022 |
| PRISX | Investor Class |
| TFIFX | I Class |
| T. ROWE PRICE Financial Services Fund |
HIGHLIGHTS
| ■ | Stocks of financial services companies declined in the first half of 2022, as elevated inflation prompted investor fears of an economic slowdown. Your fund declined but outperformed the benchmark Russell 3000 Financial Index, the Lipper peer group index, and the Morningstar Financial Average. |
| ■ | Most major financial services industries declined, including U.S. money center banks, regional banks, and capital markets companies. Our property and casualty (P&C) insurers were mixed, however. The P&C pricing cycle, now in its fifth year, remains favorable, though it is decelerating. |
| ■ | In the last six months, we reduced our overall exposure to regional banks and non-U.S. banks but increased our exposure to U.S. money center banks. We also increased our commitment to capital markets businesses, establishing or adding to positions in several companies, including alternative asset managers. |
| ■ | While an economic slowdown is possible as interest rates rise, a downturn could prove to be shallow or short-lived, which means many financial services firms are overly discounting a scenario that may not come to pass. Fundamentals in the sector have been generally improving, and valuations are more attractive today than they were six months ago. |
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Market Commentary
Dear Shareholder
Major stock and bond indexes produced sharply negative results during the first half of 2022 as investors contended with persistently high inflation, tightening financial conditions, and slowing growth.
After reaching an all-time high on January 3, the S&P 500 Index finished the period down about 20%, the worst first half of a calendar year for the index since 1970. Double-digit losses were common in equity markets around the globe, and bond investors also faced a historically tough environment amid a sharp rise in interest rates.
Value shares outperformed growth stocks as equity investors turned risk averse and rising rates put downward pressure on growth stock valuations. Emerging markets stocks held up somewhat better than shares in developed markets due to the strong performance of some oil-exporting countries. Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar strengthened during the period, which weighed on returns for U.S. investors in international securities.
Within the S&P 500, energy was the only bright spot, gaining more than 30% as oil prices jumped in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing commodity supply crunch. Typically defensive shares, such as utilities, consumer staples, and health care, finished in negative territory but held up relatively well. The consumer discretionary, communication services, and information technology sectors were the weakest performers. Shares of some major retailers fell sharply following earnings misses driven in part by overstocked inventories.
Inflation remained the leading concern for investors throughout the period. Despite hopes in 2021 that the problem was transitory, and later expectations that inflation would peak in the spring, headline consumer prices continued to grind higher throughout the first half of 2022. The war in Ukraine exacerbated already existing supply chain problems, and other factors, such as the impact of the fiscal and monetary stimulus enacted during the pandemic and strong consumer demand, also pushed prices higher. The May consumer price index report (the last to be issued during our reporting period) showed prices increasing 8.6% over the 12-month period, the largest jump since late 1981.
In response, the Federal Reserve, which at the end of 2021 had forecast that only three 25-basis-point (0.25 percentage point) rate hikes would be necessary in all of 2022, rapidly shifted in a hawkish direction and executed three rate increases in the first six months of the year. The policy moves included hikes of 25, 50, and 75 basis points—the largest single increase since 1994—increasing the central bank’s short-term lending benchmark from near zero to a target range of 1.50% to 1.75% by the end of June. In addition, the Fed ended the purchases of Treasuries and agency mortgage-backed securities that it had begun to support the economy early in the pandemic and started reducing its balance sheet in June.
Longer-term bond yields also increased considerably as the Fed tightened monetary policy, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note reaching 3.49% on June 14, its highest level in more than a decade. (Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.) Higher mortgage rates led to signs of cooling in the housing market.
The economy continued to add jobs during the period, and other indicators pointed to a slowing but still expanding economy. However, the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index dropped in June to its lowest level since records began in 1978 as higher inflation expectations undermined confidence.
Looking ahead, investors are likely to remain focused on whether the Fed can tame inflation without sending the economy into recession, a backdrop that could produce continued volatility. We believe this environment makes skilled active management a critical tool for identifying risks and opportunities, and our investment teams will continue to use fundamental research to identify companies that can add value to your portfolio over the long term.
Thank you for your continued confidence in T. Rowe Price.
Sincerely,
Robert Sharps
CEO and President
Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The fund seeks long-term growth of capital and a modest level of income.
FUND COMMENTARY
How did the fund perform in the past six months?
Stocks of financial services companies declined in the first half of 2022, as elevated inflation prompted the Federal Reserve to begin raising short-term interest rates starting in March. As Fed officials’ rhetoric turned more hawkish and Fed rate hikes increased in magnitude, investors feared that the Fed’s actions would result in an economic slowdown.
Your fund returned -17.32% in the last six months but outperformed the benchmark Russell 3000 Financial Index, the Lipper peer group index, and the Morningstar Financial Average. Because the Russell benchmark is highly concentrated in large financial companies, we believe that the Lipper index and the Morningstar average are better representations of our opportunity set. (Returns for I Class shares will vary, reflecting its different fee structure. Past performance cannot guarantee future results.)
What factors influenced the fund’s performance?
Most major financial services industries declined in the last six months. Money center banks such as Wells Fargo fared poorly. Although banking fundamentals have remained favorable and material credit losses have yet to manifest, money center banks have sold off as investors are anticipating the potential for a recession to reduce their fee income from mortgage banking, investment banking, and other business lines. We believe Wells Fargo has the best risk/reward trade-off among money center banks, even in the event of a mild to moderate recession. Wells Fargo, which continues to operate under a regulatory asset cap, has not grown as much as other major banks in recent years—a plus from a credit perspective—and has the potential to return more of its excess capital to shareholders via dividends and share repurchases. (Please refer to the portfolio of investments for a complete list of holdings and the amount each represents in the portfolio.)
In the regional bank space, a few of our investments held up well, but Fifth Third Bancorp, Huntington Bancshares, and PNC Financial Services Group fared poorly. Regional banks tend to be credit sensitive, and many regional bank stocks have declined—as with money center banks—in anticipation of credit losses that have not yet materialized. Shares of Signature Bank, which operates in the New York metropolitan area but is increasing its business on the West Coast, also fell sharply, even though the company issued a solid first-quarter earnings report reflecting strong deposit and loan growth. Although we trimmed our stake, we continue to have high conviction in Signature Bank and believe it is capable of strong earnings growth for the next few years, in part through smart deployment of cash on its balance sheet.
In the insurance industry, our property and casualty (P&C) insurers produced mixed results. Hanover Insurance Group, which focuses on the small and mid-size and specialty commercial P&C market, and Definity Financial, a Canadian non-life insurer whose topline growth is being driven by its commercial, personal home, and direct auto insurance businesses, performed well. In contrast, personal auto insurer Kemper, global P&C insurer American International Group, and UK non-life insurer Direct Line Insurance Group declined. The P&C pricing cycle, now in its fifth year, remains favorable, though it is decelerating, as we are seeing an increase in loss amounts driven by rising inflation. For example, if an insured building is destroyed in a catastrophe, the cost of rebuilding it could be notably higher due to increased costs of labor and materials.
Our capital markets companies fell broadly, as many world markets and most asset classes declined materially amid increases in inflation, bond yields, commodity prices, and geopolitical risks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Asset managers declined, especially Virtus Investment Partners, due to a more challenging investment climate. Broker-dealers also declined in value, though Raymond James Financial held up relatively well. The company, which is the largest publicly traded independent retail broker, also has a proprietary asset management division, a wealth management business that benefits from higher interest rates, and a capital markets division specializing in public company middle market equity and debt underwriting. We particularly like that it has excess capital that can be returned to shareholders via dividends or share repurchases or used to grow the business. Our positions in trust banks State Street and Bank of New York Mellon also declined substantially. Although they are beneficiaries of higher short-term interest rates because they earn interest on the large amounts of cash that they hold for institutions, they are also very sensitive to asset valuations given that they each have more than $40 trillion in assets under custody.
How is the portfolio positioned?
In the last six months, we reduced our overall exposure to regional banks, with a preference for keeping larger banks in the portfolio rather than smaller ones. We eliminated Seacoast Banking and Pacific Premier Bancorp, as well as smaller positions in a few other regional banks. We also trimmed our holdings of PNC Financial Services Group and Fifth Third Bancorp. However, we added to our stakes in a few banks in which we have higher conviction, such as Popular, a retail and commercial bank that we believe is best positioned to capitalize on Puerto Rico’s recovery from bankruptcy and from years of depressed economic activity.
We also reduced our investments in non-U.S. banks, eliminating Swedbank and Austria’s Erste Group Bank due in part to our reduced confidence in the health of European economies amid elevated energy costs as they attempt to reduce reliance on Russian energy exports. However, we increased our exposure to U.S. money center banks. Specifically, we boosted our stake in Citigroup and established a position in JPMorgan Chase. Citigroup, whose shares are trading below book value and whose dividend exceeds 3%, is in the early stages of divesting a number of overseas businesses in an effort to focus on higher-return business lines in which the company has a competitive edge, including global corporate banking, global wealth management, and U.S. credit cards. As the company frees up capital and grows its more profitable businesses, we believe its book value will increase, in part from share repurchases. JPMorgan Chase is, in our view, the best run of large money center banks, with all of its major business segments demonstrating best-in-class operating metrics. As its share price fell and its premium valuation versus competitors disappeared, we initiated a position. We believe JPMorgan Chase would perform relatively well in a hypothetical moderate recession and could have strong upside potential if the economy continues to expand.
In the insurance industry, we trimmed our stakes in Assurant and Switzerland’s Zurich Insurance Group but initiated a sizable new position in Arthur J. Gallagher, one of the world’s largest insurance brokers and a leading P&C third-party claims administrator. We believe that the company has a strong market position in an attractive industry characterized by steady revenue growth, high incremental margins, and solid free cash generation. Among P&C insurers, we reduced our stake in CNA Financial and initiated a new position in The Travelers Companies, which has leading positions in commercial lines and personal lines, such as auto and home insurance. The company has a history of consistently returning capital to shareholders via stock repurchases and dividend increases for nearly two decades. We also boosted our investment in Hartford Financial Services Group, whose strong earnings have been driven by its P&C business, though it also has a group benefits business and an asset management operation. Hartford is a quality insurance company that should also benefit from the rising interest rate environment.
In the capital markets segment, we purchased shares of Apollo Global Management and Ameriprise Financial. Apollo is an alternative asset manager with a large portion of its yield-related assets derived from its management of insurance investment portfolios associated with Athene, an insurance company that Apollo acquired in early 2021 and that we believe is underappreciated by investors. Ameriprise Financial sells financial planning and insurance through thousands of financial advisers, as well as asset and wealth management through its planners and other third parties. The company generates a lot of excess cash, and we believe its valuation discounts a lot of bad news, much of which has yet to happen—and may not happen. We also increased our commitment to broker-dealer firms, adding to positions in several companies, especially Raymond James Financial, and establishing a small stake in StepStone Group. StepStone is an asset manager that creates customized portfolios of alternative assets—including private equity, private debt, and real estate assets—for its clients.
What is portfolio management’s outlook?
Stocks of financial services companies—which, in general, are closely tied to the health of the economy—have declined amid growing expectations that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate increases will tip the economy into a recession, resulting in credit losses. While an economic slowdown is possible as interest rates rise, we have reason to believe that a downturn, if it happens, could prove to be shallow or short-lived and that financial services firms are overly discounting a scenario that may not come to pass.
Fundamentals for various financial services companies have been generally improving, rather than deteriorating, and valuations are more attractive today than they were six months ago. Also, banks today are much healthier than they were during the 2008 global financial crisis, as indicated by higher capital standards and a significant decrease in riskier lending practices, and the outlook for credit is benign, as credit losses have yet to materialize in a concerning way. In fact, alternative lenders that are willing to take greater risks with their balance sheets are enjoying the best operating environment since 2008. They are stealing market share from traditional lenders and earning higher returns by deploying capital in an environment of higher rates and wider credit spreads. In addition, consumers are still generally healthy, including low-end consumers who are enjoying strong wage growth that has been elusive for some time. This is one of the main reasons we boosted our stake in Capital One Financial, a credit card company that also has consumer banking operations and a fair amount of exposure to lower-end consumer activity.
Regardless of how the economy evolves, we remain committed to seeking the best risk/reward trade-offs among financials and other businesses that serve the sector. We will continue to use our fundamental, proprietary research to assess the long-term opportunity and risk profile of each investment candidate. We appreciate your confidence in our stewardship of your investments.
The views expressed reflect the opinions of T. Rowe Price as of the date of this report and are subject to change based on changes in market, economic, or other conditions. These views are not intended to be a forecast of future events and are no guarantee of future results.
RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND
Stocks generally fluctuate in value more than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. The value of stocks held by the fund may decline due to general weakness or volatility in the stock markets in which the fund invests or because of factors that affect a particular company or industry.
A fund that focuses its investments in specific industries or sectors is more susceptible to adverse developments affecting those industries and sectors than a more broadly diversified fund. Because the fund invests significantly in financial services companies, the fund may perform poorly during a downturn in the financial services industry. Financial services companies can be adversely affected by, among other things, regulatory changes, the availability of capital and cost to borrow, the rate of debt defaults, interest rate movements, and price competition.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers may be adversely affected by local, political, social, and economic conditions overseas; greater volatility; reduced liquidity; or decreases in foreign currency values relative to the U.S. dollar. The risks of investing outside the U.S. are heightened for any investments in emerging markets, which are susceptible to greater volatility than investments in developed markets.
BENCHMARK INFORMATION
Note: Portions of the mutual fund information contained in this report were supplied by Lipper, a Refinitiv Company, subject to the following: Copyright 2022 © Refinitiv. All rights reserved. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Lipper content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Lipper. Lipper shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
Note: ©2022 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete, or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Note: London Stock Exchange Group plc and its group undertakings (collectively, the “LSE Group”). © LSE Group 2022. FTSE Russell is a trading name of certain of the LSE Group companies. “Russell®” is a trademark of the relevant LSE Group companies and is used by any other LSE Group company under license. All rights in the FTSE Russell indexes or data vest in the relevant LSE Group company which owns the index or the data. Neither LSE Group nor its licensors accept any liability for any errors or omissions in the indexes or data and no party may rely on any indexes or data contained in this communication. No further distribution of data from the LSE Group is permitted without the relevant LSE Group company’s express written consent. The LSE Group does not promote, sponsor or endorse the content of this communication. The LSE Group is not responsible for the formatting or configuration of this material or for any inaccuracy in T. Rowe Price’s presentation thereof.
GROWTH OF $10,000
This chart shows the value of a hypothetical $10,000 investment in the fund over the past 10 fiscal year periods or since inception (for funds lacking 10-year records). The result is compared with benchmarks, which include a broad-based market index and may also include a peer group average or index. Market indexes do not include expenses, which are deducted from fund returns as well as mutual fund averages and indexes.
AVERAGE ANNUAL COMPOUND TOTAL RETURN
EXPENSE RATIO
FUND EXPENSE EXAMPLE
As a mutual fund shareholder, you may incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, such as redemption fees or sales loads, and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution and service (12b-1) fees, and other fund expenses. The following example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the most recent six-month period and held for the entire period.
Please note that the fund has two share classes: The original share class (Investor Class) charges no distribution and service (12b-1) fee, and the I Class shares are also available to institutionally oriented clients and impose no 12b-1 or administrative fee payment. Each share class is presented separately in the table.
Actual Expenses
The first line of the following table (Actual) provides information about actual account values and expenses based on the fund’s actual returns. You may use the information on this line, together with your account balance, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number on the first line under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.
Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes
The information on the second line of the table (Hypothetical) is based on hypothetical account values and expenses derived from the fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed 5% per year rate of return before expenses (not the fund’s actual return). You may compare the ongoing costs of investing in the fund with other funds by contrasting this 5% hypothetical example and the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period.
Note: T. Rowe Price charges an annual account service fee of $20, generally for accounts with less than $10,000. The fee is waived for any investor whose T. Rowe Price mutual fund accounts total $50,000 or more; accounts electing to receive electronic delivery of account statements, transaction confirmations, prospectuses, and shareholder reports; or accounts of an investor who is a T. Rowe Price Personal Services or Enhanced Personal Services client (enrollment in these programs generally requires T. Rowe Price assets of at least $250,000). This fee is not included in the accompanying table. If you are subject to the fee, keep it in mind when you are estimating the ongoing expenses of investing in the fund and when comparing the expenses of this fund with other funds.
You should also be aware that the expenses shown in the table highlight only your ongoing costs and do not reflect any transaction costs, such as redemption fees or sales loads. Therefore, the second line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. To the extent a fund charges transaction costs, however, the total cost of owning that fund is higher.
Unaudited
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
Unaudited
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
June 30, 2022 (Unaudited)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
June 30, 2022 (Unaudited)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
Unaudited
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
Unaudited
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
Unaudited
| NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
T. Rowe Price Financial Services Fund, Inc. (the fund) is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act) as a diversified, open-end management investment company. The fund seeks long-term growth of capital and a modest level of income. The fund has two classes of shares: the Financial Services Fund (Investor Class) and the Financial Services Fund–I Class (I Class). I Class shares require a $500,000 initial investment minimum, although the minimum generally is waived or reduced for financial intermediaries, eligible retirement plans, and certain other accounts. Prior to November 15, 2021, the initial investment minimum was $1 million and was generally waived for financial intermediaries, eligible retirement plans, and other certain accounts. As a result of the reduction in the I Class minimum, certain assets transferred from the Investor Class to the I Class. This transfer of shares from Investor Class to I Class is reflected in the Statement of Changes in Net Assets within the Capital shares transactions as Shares redeemed and Shares sold, respectively. Each class has exclusive voting rights on matters related solely to that class; separate voting rights on matters that relate to both classes; and, in all other respects, the same rights and obligations as the other class.
NOTE 1 - SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Preparation The fund is an investment company and follows accounting and reporting guidance in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946 (ASC 946). The accompanying financial statements were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP), including, but not limited to, ASC 946. GAAP requires the use of estimates made by management. Management believes that estimates and valuations are appropriate; however, actual results may differ from those estimates, and the valuations reflected in the accompanying financial statements may differ from the value ultimately realized upon sale or maturity.
Investment Transactions, Investment Income, and Distributions Investment transactions are accounted for on the trade date basis. Income and expenses are recorded on the accrual basis. Realized gains and losses are reported on the identified cost basis. Income tax-related interest and penalties, if incurred, are recorded as income tax expense. Dividends received from mutual fund investments are reflected as dividend income; capital gain distributions are reflected as realized gain/loss. Dividend income and capital gain distributions are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Distributions from REITs are initially recorded as dividend income and, to the extent such represent a return of capital or capital gain for tax purposes, are reclassified when such information becomes available. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded at the fair market value of the asset received. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income distributions, if any, are declared and paid by each class annually. A capital gain distribution may also be declared and paid by the fund annually.
Currency Translation Assets, including investments, and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollar values each day at the prevailing exchange rate, using the mean of the bid and asked prices of such currencies against U.S. dollars as provided by an outside pricing service. Purchases and sales of securities, income, and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing exchange rate on the respective date of such transaction. The effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on realized and unrealized security gains and losses is not bifurcated from the portion attributable to changes in market prices.
Class Accounting Shareholder servicing, prospectus, and shareholder report expenses incurred by each class are charged directly to the class to which they relate. Expenses common to all classes, investment income, and realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated to the classes based upon the relative daily net assets of each class.
Capital Transactions Each investor’s interest in the net assets of the fund is represented by fund shares. The fund’s net asset value (NAV) per share is computed at the close of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), normally 4 p.m. ET, each day the NYSE is open for business. However, the NAV per share may be calculated at a time other than the normal close of the NYSE if trading on the NYSE is restricted, if the NYSE closes earlier, or as may be permitted by the SEC. Purchases and redemptions of fund shares are transacted at the next-computed NAV per share, after receipt of the transaction order by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., or its agents.
Indemnification In the normal course of business, the fund may provide indemnification in connection with its officers and directors, service providers, and/or private company investments. The fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown; however, the risk of material loss is currently considered to be remote.
NOTE 2 - VALUATION
Fair Value The fund’s financial instruments are valued at the close of the NYSE and are reported at fair value, which GAAP defines as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The T. Rowe Price Valuation Committee (the Valuation Committee) is an internal committee that has been delegated certain responsibilities by the fund’s Board of Directors (the Board) to ensure that financial instruments are appropriately priced at fair value in accordance with GAAP and the 1940 Act. Subject to oversight by the Board, the Valuation Committee develops and oversees pricing-related policies and procedures and approves all fair value determinations. Specifically, the Valuation Committee establishes policies and procedures used in valuing financial instruments, including those which cannot be valued in accordance with normal procedures or using pricing vendors; determines pricing techniques, sources, and persons eligible to effect fair value pricing actions; evaluates the services and performance of the pricing vendors; oversees the pricing process to ensure policies and procedures are being followed; and provides guidance on internal controls and valuation-related matters. The Valuation Committee provides periodic reporting to the Board on valuation matters.
Various valuation techniques and inputs are used to determine the fair value of financial instruments. GAAP establishes the following fair value hierarchy that categorizes the inputs used to measure fair value:
Level 1 – quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical financial instruments that the fund can access at the reporting date
Level 2 – inputs other than Level 1 quoted prices that are observable, either directly or indirectly (including, but not limited to, quoted prices for similar financial instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar financial instruments in inactive markets, interest rates and yield curves, implied volatilities, and credit spreads)
Level 3 – unobservable inputs (including the fund’s own assumptions in determining fair value)
Observable inputs are developed using market data, such as publicly available information about actual events or transactions, and reflect the assumptions that market participants would use to price the financial instrument. Unobservable inputs are those for which market data are not available and are developed using the best information available about the assumptions that market participants would use to price the financial instrument. GAAP requires valuation techniques to maximize the use of relevant observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. When multiple inputs are used to derive fair value, the financial instrument is assigned to the level within the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest-level input that is significant to the fair value of the financial instrument. Input levels are not necessarily an indication of the risk or liquidity associated with financial instruments at that level but rather the degree of judgment used in determining those values.
Valuation Techniques Equity securities, including exchange-traded funds, listed or regularly traded on a securities exchange or in the over-the-counter (OTC) market are valued at the last quoted sale price or, for certain markets, the official closing price at the time the valuations are made. OTC Bulletin Board securities are valued at the mean of the closing bid and asked prices. A security that is listed or traded on more than one exchange is valued at the quotation on the exchange determined to be the primary market for such security. Listed securities not traded on a particular day are valued at the mean of the closing bid and asked prices for domestic securities and the last quoted sale or closing price for international securities.
The last quoted prices of non-U.S. equity securities may be adjusted to reflect the fair value of such securities at the close of the NYSE, if the fund determines that developments between the close of a foreign market and the close of the NYSE will affect the value of some or all of its portfolio securities. Each business day, the fund uses information from outside pricing services to evaluate and, if appropriate, decide whether it is necessary to adjust quoted prices to reflect fair value by reviewing a variety of factors, including developments in foreign markets, the performance of U.S. securities markets, and the performance of instruments trading in U.S. markets that represent foreign securities and baskets of foreign securities. The fund uses outside pricing services to provide it with quoted prices and information to evaluate or adjust those prices. The fund cannot predict how often it will use quoted prices and how often it will determine it necessary to adjust those prices to reflect fair value.
Investments in mutual funds are valued at the mutual fund’s closing NAV per share on the day of valuation. Assets and liabilities other than financial instruments, including short-term receivables and payables, are carried at cost, or estimated realizable value, if less, which approximates fair value.
Investments for which market quotations or market-based valuations are not readily available or deemed unreliable are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Valuation Committee, in accordance with fair valuation policies and procedures. The objective of any fair value pricing determination is to arrive at a price that could reasonably be expected from a current sale. Financial instruments fair valued by the Valuation Committee are primarily private placements, restricted securities, warrants, rights, and other securities that are not publicly traded. Factors used in determining fair value vary by type of investment and may include market or investment specific considerations. The Valuation Committee typically will afford greatest weight to actual prices in arm’s length transactions, to the extent they represent orderly transactions between market participants, transaction information can be reliably obtained, and prices are deemed representative of fair value. However, the Valuation Committee may also consider other valuation methods such as market-based valuation multiples; a discount or premium from market value of a similar, freely traded security of the same issuer; discounted cash flows; yield to maturity; or some combination. Fair value determinations are reviewed on a regular basis and updated as information becomes available, including actual purchase and sale transactions of the investment. Because any fair value determination involves a significant amount of judgment, there is a degree of subjectivity inherent in such pricing decisions, and fair value prices determined by the Valuation Committee could differ from those of other market participants.
Valuation Inputs The following table summarizes the fund’s financial instruments, based on the inputs used to determine their fair values on June 30, 2022 (for further detail by category, please refer to the accompanying Portfolio of Investments):
NOTE 3 - OTHER INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS
Consistent with its investment objective, the fund engages in the following practices to manage exposure to certain risks and/or to enhance performance. The investment objective, policies, program, and risk factors of the fund are described more fully in the fund’s prospectus and Statement of Additional Information.
Restricted Securities The fund invests in securities that are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale. Prompt sale of such securities at an acceptable price may be difficult and may involve substantial delays and additional costs.
Securities Lending The fund may lend its securities to approved borrowers to earn additional income. Its securities lending activities are administered by a lending agent in accordance with a securities lending agreement. Security loans generally do not have stated maturity dates, and the fund may recall a security at any time. The fund receives collateral in the form of cash or U.S. government securities. Collateral is maintained over the life of the loan in an amount not less than the value of loaned securities; any additional collateral required due to changes in security values is delivered to the fund the next business day. Cash collateral is invested in accordance with investment guidelines approved by fund management. Additionally, the lending agent indemnifies the fund against losses resulting from borrower default. Although risk is mitigated by the collateral and indemnification, the fund could experience a delay in recovering its securities and a possible loss of income or value if the borrower fails to return the securities, collateral investments decline in value, and the lending agent fails to perform. Securities lending revenue consists of earnings on invested collateral and borrowing fees, net of any rebates to the borrower, compensation to the lending agent, and other administrative costs. In accordance with GAAP, investments made with cash collateral are reflected in the accompanying financial statements, but collateral received in the form of securities is not. At June 30, 2022, the value of loaned securities was $2,801,000; the value of cash collateral and related investments was $2,873,000.
Other Purchases and sales of portfolio securities other than short-term securities aggregated $433,594,000 and $327,705,000, respectively, for the six months ended June 30, 2022.
NOTE 4 - FEDERAL INCOME TAXES
No provision for federal income taxes is required since the fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code and distribute to shareholders all of its taxable income and gains. Distributions determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations may differ in amount or character from net investment income and realized gains for financial reporting purposes. Financial reporting records are adjusted for permanent book/tax differences to reflect tax character but are not adjusted for temporary differences. The amount and character of tax-basis distributions and composition of net assets are finalized at fiscal year-end; accordingly, tax-basis balances have not been determined as of the date of this report.
The fund intends to retain realized gains to the extent of available capital loss carryforwards. Net realized capital losses may be carried forward indefinitely to offset future realized capital gains. As of December 31, 2021, the fund had $64,000 of available capital loss carryforwards.
At June 30, 2022, the cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was $1,530,965,000. Net unrealized gain aggregated $82,942,000 at period-end, of which $197,737,000 related to appreciated investments and $114,795,000 related to depreciated investments.
NOTE 5 - FOREIGN TAXES
The fund is subject to foreign income taxes imposed by certain countries in which it invests. Additionally, capital gains realized upon disposition of securities issued in or by certain foreign countries are subject to capital gains tax imposed by those countries. All taxes are computed in accordance with the applicable foreign tax law, and, to the extent permitted, capital losses are used to offset capital gains. Taxes attributable to income are accrued by the fund as a reduction of income. Current and deferred tax expense attributable to capital gains is reflected as a component of realized or change in unrealized gain/loss on securities in the accompanying financial statements. To the extent that the fund has country specific capital loss carryforwards, such carryforwards are applied against net unrealized gains when determining the deferred tax liability. Any deferred tax liability incurred by the fund is included in either Other liabilities or Deferred tax liability on the accompanying Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
NOTE 6 - RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
The fund is managed by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (Price Associates), a wholly owned subsidiary of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (Price Group). Price Associates has entered into a sub-advisory agreement(s) with one or more of its wholly owned subsidiaries, to provide investment advisory services to the fund. The investment management agreement between the fund and Price Associates provides for an annual investment management fee, which is computed daily and paid monthly. The fee consists of an individual fund fee, equal to 0.35% of the fund’s average daily net assets, and a group fee. The group fee rate is calculated based on the combined net assets of certain mutual funds sponsored by Price Associates (the group) applied to a graduated fee schedule, with rates ranging from 0.48% for the first $1 billion of assets to 0.260% for assets in excess of $845 billion. The fund’s group fee is determined by applying the group fee rate to the fund’s average daily net assets. The fee is computed daily and paid monthly. At June 30, 2022, the effective annual group fee rate was 0.29%.
The Investor Class is subject to a contractual expense limitation through the expense limitation date indicated in the table below. During the limitation period, Price Associates is required to waive its management fee or pay any expenses (excluding interest; expenses related to borrowings, taxes, and brokerage; and other non-recurring expenses permitted by the investment management agreement) that would otherwise cause the class’s ratio of annualized total expenses to average net assets (net expense ratio) to exceed its expense limitation. The class is required to repay Price Associates for expenses previously waived/paid to the extent the class’s net assets grow or expenses decline sufficiently to allow repayment without causing the class’s net expense ratio (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed the lesser of: (1) the expense limitation in place at the time such amounts were waived; or (2) the class’s current expense limitation. However, no repayment will be made more than three years after the date of a payment or waiver.
The I Class is also subject to an operating expense limitation (I Class Limit) pursuant to which Price Associates is contractually required to pay all operating expenses of the I Class, excluding management fees; interest; expenses related to borrowings, taxes, and brokerage; and other non-recurring expenses permitted by the investment management agreement, to the extent such operating expenses, on an annualized basis, exceed the I Class Limit. This agreement will continue through the expense limitation date indicated in the table below, and may be renewed, revised, or revoked only with approval of the fund’s Board. The I Class is required to repay Price Associates for expenses previously paid to the extent the class’s net assets grow or expenses decline sufficiently to allow repayment without causing the class’s operating expenses (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed the lesser of: (1) the I Class Limit in place at the time such amounts were paid; or (2) the current I Class Limit. However, no repayment will be made more than three years after the date of a payment or waiver.
Pursuant to these agreements, expenses were waived/paid by and/or repaid to Price Associates during the six months ended June 30, 2022 as indicated in the table below. Including these amounts, expenses previously waived/paid by Price Associates in the amount of $121,000 remain subject to repayment by the fund at June 30, 2022. Any repayment of expenses previously waived/paid by Price Associates during the period would be included in the net investment income and expense ratios presented on the accompanying Financial Highlights.
In addition, the fund has entered into service agreements with Price Associates and two wholly owned subsidiaries of Price Associates, each an affiliate of the fund (collectively, Price). Price Associates provides certain accounting and administrative services to the fund. T. Rowe Price Services, Inc. provides shareholder and administrative services in its capacity as the fund’s transfer and dividend-disbursing agent. T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc. provides subaccounting and recordkeeping services for certain retirement accounts invested in the Investor Class. For the six months ended June 30, 2022, expenses incurred pursuant to these service agreements were $53,000 for Price Associates; $553,000 for T. Rowe Price Services, Inc.; and $35,000 for T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc. All amounts due to and due from Price, exclusive of investment management fees payable, are presented net on the accompanying Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
Additionally, the fund is one of several mutual funds in which certain college savings plans managed by Price Associates may invest. As approved by the fund’s Board of Directors, shareholder servicing costs associated with each college savings plan are borne by the fund in proportion to the average daily value of its shares owned by the college savings plan. Price has agreed to waive/reimburse shareholder servicing costs in excess of 0.05% of the fund’s average daily value of its shares owned by the college savings plan. Any amounts waived/paid by Price under this voluntary agreement are not subject to repayment by the fund. Price may amend or terminate this voluntary arrangement at any time without prior notice. For the six months ended June 30, 2022, the fund was charged $67,000 for shareholder servicing costs related to the college savings plans, of which $50,000 was for services provided by Price. All amounts due to and due from Price, exclusive of investment management fees payable, are presented net on the accompanying Statement of Assets and Liabilities. At June 30, 2022, approximately 5% of the outstanding shares of the Investor Class were held by college savings plans.
The fund may invest its cash reserves in certain open-end management investment companies managed by Price Associates and considered affiliates of the fund: the T. Rowe Price Government Reserve Fund or the T. Rowe Price Treasury Reserve Fund, organized as money market funds, or the T. Rowe Price Short-Term Fund, a short-term bond fund (collectively, the Price Reserve Funds). The Price Reserve Funds are offered as short-term investment options to mutual funds, trusts, and other accounts managed by Price Associates or its affiliates and are not available for direct purchase by members of the public. Cash collateral from securities lending, if any, is invested in the T. Rowe Price Government Reserve Fund; prior to December 13, 2021, the cash collateral from securities lending was invested in the T. Rowe Price Short-Term Fund. The Price Reserve Funds pay no investment management fees.
The fund may participate in securities purchase and sale transactions with other funds or accounts advised by Price Associates (cross trades), in accordance with procedures adopted by the fund’s Board and Securities and Exchange Commission rules, which require, among other things, that such purchase and sale cross trades be effected at the independent current market price of the security. During the six months ended June 30, 2022, the fund had no purchases or sales cross trades with other funds or accounts advised by Price Associates.
Price Associates has voluntarily agreed to reimburse the fund from its own resources on a monthly basis for the cost of investment research embedded in the cost of the fund’s securities trades. This agreement may be rescinded at any time. For the six months ended June 30, 2022, this reimbursement amounted to $26,000, which is included in Net realized gain (loss) on Securities in the Statement of Operations.
NOTE 7 - OTHER MATTERS
Unpredictable events such as environmental or natural disasters, war, terrorism, pandemics, outbreaks of infectious diseases, and similar public health threats may significantly affect the economy and the markets and issuers in which a fund invests. Certain events may cause instability across global markets, including reduced liquidity and disruptions in trading markets, while some events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors, and industries more significantly than others, and exacerbate other pre-existing political, social, and economic risks. Since 2020, a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in disruptions to global business activity and caused significant volatility and declines in global financial markets. In February 2022, Russian forces entered Ukraine and commenced an armed conflict leading to economic sanctions being imposed on Russia and certain of its citizens, creating impacts on Russian-related stocks and debt and greater volatility in global markets. These are recent examples of global events which may have an impact on the fund’s performance, which could be negatively impacted if the value of a portfolio holding were harmed by these and such other events. Management is actively monitoring the risks and financial impacts arising from these events.
INFORMATION ON PROXY VOTING POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND RECORDS
A description of the policies and procedures used by T. Rowe Price funds to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available in each fund’s Statement of Additional Information. You may request this document by calling 1-800-225-5132 or by accessing the SEC’s website, sec.gov.
The description of our proxy voting policies and procedures is also available on our corporate website. To access it, please visit the following Web page:
https://www.troweprice.com/corporate/us/en/utility/policies.html
Scroll down to the section near the bottom of the page that says, “Proxy Voting Guidelines.” Click on the links in the shaded box.
Each fund’s most recent annual proxy voting record is available on our website and through the SEC’s website. To access it through T. Rowe Price, visit the website location shown above, and scroll down to the section near the bottom of the page that says, “Proxy Voting Records.” Click on the Proxy Voting Records link in the shaded box.
HOW TO OBTAIN QUARTERLY PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The fund files a complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The fund’s reports on Form N-PORT are available electronically on the SEC’s website (sec.gov). In addition, most T. Rowe Price funds disclose their first and third fiscal quarter-end holdings on troweprice.com.
APPROVAL OF INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
Each year, the fund’s Board of Directors (Board) considers the continuation of the investment management agreement (Advisory Contract) between the fund and its investment adviser, T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (Adviser). In that regard, at a meeting held on March 7–8, 2022 (Meeting), the Board, including all of the fund’s independent directors, approved the continuation of the fund’s Advisory Contract. At the Meeting, the Board considered the factors and reached the conclusions described below relating to the selection of the Adviser and the approval of the Advisory Contract. The independent directors were assisted in their evaluation of the Advisory Contract by independent legal counsel from whom they received separate legal advice and with whom they met separately.
In providing information to the Board, the Adviser was guided by a detailed set of requests for information submitted by independent legal counsel on behalf of the independent directors. In considering and approving the Advisory Contract, the Board considered the information it believed was relevant, including, but not limited to, the information discussed below. The Board considered not only the specific information presented in connection with the Meeting but also the knowledge gained over time through interaction with the Adviser about various topics. The Board meets regularly and, at each of its meetings, covers an extensive agenda of topics and materials and considers factors that are relevant to its annual consideration of the renewal of the T. Rowe Price funds’ advisory contracts, including performance and the services and support provided to the funds and their shareholders.
Services Provided by the Adviser
The Board considered the nature, quality, and extent of the services provided to the fund by the Adviser. These services included, but were not limited to, directing the fund’s investments in accordance with its investment program and the overall management of the fund’s portfolio, as well as a variety of related activities such as financial, investment operations, and administrative services; compliance; maintaining the fund’s records and registrations; and shareholder communications. The Board also reviewed the background and experience of the Adviser’s senior management team and investment personnel involved in the management of the fund, as well as the Adviser’s compliance record. The Board concluded that it was satisfied with the nature, quality, and extent of the services provided by the Adviser.
Investment Performance of the Fund
The Board took into account discussions with the Adviser and reports that it receives throughout the year relating to fund performance. In connection with the Meeting, the Board reviewed the fund’s total returns for various periods through December 31, 2021, and compared these returns with the performance of a peer group of funds with similar investment programs and a wide variety of other previously agreed-upon comparable performance measures and market data, including relative performance information as of September 30, 2021, supplied by Broadridge, which is an independent provider of mutual fund data.
On the basis of this evaluation and the Board’s ongoing review of investment results, and factoring in the relative market conditions during certain of the performance periods, the Board concluded that the fund’s performance was satisfactory.
Costs, Benefits, Profits, and Economies of Scale
The Board reviewed detailed information regarding the revenues received by the Adviser under the Advisory Contract and other direct and indirect benefits that the Adviser (and its affiliates) may have realized from its relationship with the fund. In considering soft-dollar arrangements pursuant to which research may be received from broker-dealers that execute the fund’s portfolio transactions, the Board noted that the Adviser bears the cost of research services for all client accounts that it advises, including the T. Rowe Price funds. The Board received information on the estimated costs incurred and profits realized by the Adviser from managing the T. Rowe Price funds. The Board also reviewed estimates of the profits realized from managing the fund in particular, and the Board concluded that the Adviser’s profits were reasonable in light of the services provided to the fund.
The Board also considered whether the fund benefits under the fee levels set forth in the Advisory Contract or otherwise from any economies of scale realized by the Adviser. Under the Advisory Contract, the fund pays a fee to the Adviser for investment management services composed of two components—a group fee rate based on the combined average net assets of most of the T. Rowe Price funds (including the fund) that declines at certain asset levels and an individual fund fee rate based on the fund’s average daily net assets—and the fund pays its own expenses of operations. The Board concluded that the advisory fee structure for the fund continued to provide for a reasonable sharing of benefits from any economies of scale with the fund’s investors.
Fees and Expenses
The Board was provided with information regarding industry trends in management fees and expenses. Among other things, the Board reviewed data for peer groups that were compiled by Broadridge, which compared: (i) contractual management fees, actual management fees, nonmanagement expenses, and total expenses of the Investor Class of the fund with a group of competitor funds selected by Broadridge (Expense Group) and (ii) actual management fees, nonmanagement expenses, and total expenses of the Investor Class of the fund with a broader set of funds within the Lipper investment classification (Expense Universe). The Board considered the fund’s contractual management fee rate, actual management fee rate (which reflects the management fees actually received from the fund by the Adviser after any applicable waivers, reductions, or reimbursements), operating expenses, and total expenses (which reflect the net total expense ratio of the fund after any waivers, reductions, or reimbursements) in comparison with the information for the Broadridge peer groups. Broadridge generally constructed the peer groups by seeking the most comparable funds based on similar investment classifications and objectives, expense structure, asset size, and operating components and attributes and ranked funds into quintiles, with the first quintile representing the funds with the lowest relative expenses and the fifth quintile representing the funds with the highest relative expenses. The information provided to the Board indicated that the fund’s contractual management fee ranked in the second quintile (Expense Group), the fund’s actual management fee rate ranked in the second quintile (Expense Group and Expense Universe), and the fund’s total expenses ranked in the second quintile (Expense Group and Expense Universe).
The Board also reviewed the fee schedules for other investment portfolios with similar mandates that are advised or subadvised by the Adviser and its affiliates, including separately managed accounts for institutional and individual investors; subadvised funds; and other sponsored investment portfolios, including collective investment trusts and pooled vehicles organized and offered to investors outside the United States. Management provided the Board with information about the Adviser’s responsibilities and services provided to subadvisory and other institutional account clients, including information about how the requirements and economics of the institutional business are fundamentally different from those of the proprietary mutual fund business. The Board considered information showing that the Adviser’s mutual fund business is generally more complex from a business and compliance perspective than its institutional account business and considered various relevant factors, such as the broader scope of operations and oversight, more extensive shareholder communication infrastructure, greater asset flows, heightened business risks, and differences in applicable laws and regulations associated with the Adviser’s proprietary mutual fund business. In assessing the reasonableness of the fund’s management fee rate, the Board considered the differences in the nature of the services required for the Adviser to manage its mutual fund business versus managing a discrete pool of assets as a subadviser to another institution’s mutual fund or for an institutional account and that the Adviser generally performs significant additional services and assumes greater risk in managing the fund and other T. Rowe Price funds than it does for institutional account clients, including subadvised funds.
On the basis of the information provided and the factors considered, the Board concluded that the fees paid by the fund under the Advisory Contract are reasonable.
Approval of the Advisory Contract
As noted, the Board approved the continuation of the Advisory Contract. No single factor was considered in isolation or to be determinative to the decision. Rather, the Board concluded, in light of a weighting and balancing of all factors considered, that it was in the best interests of the fund and its shareholders for the Board to approve the continuation of the Advisory Contract (including the fees to be charged for services thereunder).
Item 1. (b) Notice pursuant to Rule 30e-3.
Not applicable.
Item 2. Code of Ethics.
A code of ethics, as defined in Item 2 of Form N-CSR, applicable to its principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions is filed as an exhibit to the registrant’s annual Form N-CSR. No substantive amendments were approved or waivers were granted to this code of ethics during the registrant’s most recent fiscal half-year.
Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert.
Disclosure required in registrant’s annual Form N-CSR.
Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
Disclosure required in registrant’s annual Form N-CSR.
Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants.
Not applicable.
Item 6. Investments.
(a) Not applicable. The complete schedule of investments is included in Item 1 of this Form N-CSR.
(b) Not applicable.
Item 7. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable.
Item 8. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable.
Item 9. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers.
Not applicable.
Item 10. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
There has been no change to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the registrant’s board of directors.
Item 11. Controls and Procedures.
(a) The registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer have evaluated the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures within 90 days of this filing and have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective, as of that date, in ensuring that information required to be disclosed by the registrant in this Form N-CSR was recorded, processed, summarized, and reported timely.
(b) The registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer are aware of no change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
Item 12. Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable.
Item 13. Exhibits.
(a)(1) The registrant’s code of ethics pursuant to Item 2 of Form N-CSR is filed with the registrant’s annual Form N-CSR.
(3) Written solicitation to repurchase securities issued by closed-end companies: not applicable.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
T. Rowe Price Financial Services Fund, Inc.
| By | /s/ David Oestreicher | |||||
| David Oestreicher | ||||||
| Principal Executive Officer | ||||||
| Date | August 17, 2022 | |||||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| By | /s/ David Oestreicher | |||||
| David Oestreicher | ||||||
| Principal Executive Officer | ||||||
| Date | August 17, 2022 | |||||
| By | /s/ Alan S. Dupski | |||||
| Alan S. Dupski | ||||||
| Principal Financial Officer | ||||||
| Date | August 17, 2022 | |||||