N-CSR

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: 811-03894

T. Rowe Price Short-Term Bond 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: May 31
 
 
Date of reporting period: May 31, 2020

Item 1. Reports to Shareholders

(a) Report pursuant to Rule 30e-1.

Short-Term Bond Fund May 31, 2020

PRWBX	Investor Class
PASHX	Advisor Class
TBSIX	I Class

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by SEC regulations, paper copies of the T. Rowe Price funds’ annual and semiannual shareholder reports will no longer be mailed, unless you specifically request them. Instead, shareholder reports will be made available on the funds’ website (troweprice.com/prospectus), and you will be notified by mail with a website link to access the reports each time a report is posted to the site.

If you already elected to receive reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and need not take any action. At any time, shareholders who invest directly in T. Rowe Price funds may generally elect to receive reports or other communications electronically by enrolling at troweprice.com/paperless or, if you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the funds through a financial intermediary (such as an investment advisor, broker-dealer, insurance company, or bank), by contacting your representative or your financial intermediary.

You may elect to continue receiving paper copies of future shareholder reports free of charge. To do so, if you invest directly with T. Rowe Price, please call T. Rowe Price as follows: IRA, nonretirement account holders, and institutional investors, 1-800-225-5132; small business retirement accounts, 1-800-492-7670. If you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the T. Rowe Price funds through a financial intermediary, please contact your representative or financial intermediary or follow additional instructions if included with this document. Your election to receive paper copies of reports will apply to all funds held in your account with your financial intermediary or, if you invest directly in the T. Rowe Price funds, with T. Rowe Price. Your election can be changed at any time in the future.

T. ROWE PRICE SHORT-TERM BOND FUND

HIGHLIGHTS

■ The Short-Term Bond Fund returned 3.45%, underperforming its benchmark while outperforming its Lipper peer group average.

■ Our out-of-benchmark allocations to securitized sectors—mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities, and asset-backed securities—hindered relative performance.

■ Relative to the benchmark, we continue to underweight U.S. Treasuries while aiming to add yield by overweighting non-Treasury sectors and taking out-of-benchmark positions in higher-yielding securitized debt.

■ As we enter a rebuilding phase, we look for dislocations in prices to allocate into high-conviction positions, selectively pursue the new issue calendar, and eliminate bonds that develop credit issues.

Log in to your account at troweprice.com for more information.

*Certain mutual fund accounts that are assessed an annual account service fee can also save money by switching to e-delivery.

CIO Market Commentary

Dear Shareholder

Financial markets recorded mixed results during your fund’s fiscal year, the 12-month period ended May 31, 2020, as the spread of the coronavirus disrupted global economies. Although stocks and bonds experienced extraordinary volatility, historic levels of fiscal and monetary stimulus helped mitigate the losses.

As we entered January, the outlook for 2020 appeared promising. China and the U.S. completed a phase one trade deal that lowered some tariffs, and central bank stimulus in the second half of 2019 appeared to position the economy for further growth. However, market sentiment began to shift amid news of a coronavirus outbreak in China’s Hubei province.

Although the effect was initially muted, with the S&P 500 Index advancing to a record high on February 19, stocks began falling as the virus spread outside China. The major indexes continued their slide as cases mounted in the U.S. and New York City became the epicenter of the pandemic. Governments throughout the world issued stay-at-home orders to contain the virus, and some sectors, such as travel, restaurants, and shopping malls, nearly came to a halt.

Over 40 million Americans filed unemployment claims during the last 10 weeks of the period, and many measures of economic activity, including retail sales and industrial production, experienced record-setting declines. By March 23, the S&P 500 Index had fallen by about a third from the start of the year.

In response to the rapid economic contraction, global central banks took bold accommodative steps, and many governments around the world passed emergency spending packages. The Federal Reserve cut its short-term lending rate to near zero and began purchasing government and corporate bonds to stimulate the economy and supply liquidity in the fixed income market. As a result, the Fed’s balance sheet increased by nearly $3 trillion in three months.

The federal government also provided trillions of dollars in fiscal help in the form of direct payments to many Americans, expanded unemployment insurance, and subsidies to sectors, such as transportation and health care, that had been directly impacted by the pandemic. Boosted by the support, most sectors recouped some of their losses—and the Nasdaq index moved back into positive territory for the year—by the end of May.

For the 12-month period, U.S. large- and mid-cap growth stocks produced robust returns and outperformed small-caps and value shares, which lost ground. Technology and health care stocks performed best within the S&P 500, while energy stocks plunged in response to falling oil prices. A stronger U.S. dollar generally weighed on returns for U.S. investors in foreign securities, but non-U.S. markets were broadly mixed. Japanese stocks posted solid gains, while some emerging regions suffered substantial losses.

In the fixed income universe, Treasuries were the top performers as yields dropped to record lows during the period, and other U.S. investment-grade bonds were also generally positive. High yield bonds finished lower as the default rate in the sector rose to a 10-year high amid the economic downturn.

By the end of the period, markets were encouraged as local governments began to roll back shutdown orders and pharmaceutical companies were focused on developing treatments and a vaccine for the coronavirus. While we are hopeful that a recovery has begun, it is difficult to gauge just how long the acute economic disruption might last. With so much uncertainty still surrounding the pandemic, it is possible that the time frame for returning to a “normalized” environment could be longer than anticipated.

Our portfolio managers are mindful that extreme market dislocations provide opportunities but also present risks, and careful analysis will be required to seek out quality companies that have the financial strength, competitive position, and capable managements to survive the crisis and perhaps emerge even stronger.

We will be carefully monitoring developments, and I believe that our disciplined fundamental research and strategic investing approach will continue to serve our shareholders well in this uncertain environment.

Thank you for your continued confidence in T. Rowe Price.

Sincerely,

Robert Sharps
Group Chief Investment Officer

Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The fund seeks a high level of income consistent with minimal fluctuation in principal value and liquidity.

FUND COMMENTARY

How did the fund perform in the past 12 months?

The Short-Term Bond Fund returned 3.45% in the 12 months ended May 31, 2020, underperforming its benchmark, the Bloomberg Barclays 1–3 Year U.S. Government/Credit Bond Index, while outperforming its Lipper peer group average. (Returns for the Advisor Class and I Class shares varied slightly, reflecting their different fee structures. Past performance cannot guarantee future results.)

What factors influenced the fund’s performance?

Though most of the period was characterized by healthy investor demand for risk assets, global financial markets were roiled in March by measures taken to contain the coronavirus outbreak that halted global trade. U.S. Treasury yields and oil prices fell to record lows. The U.S. Federal Reserve cut its target overnight rate by 150 basis points to a range of 0.00%–0.25% and introduced wide-reaching programs to support liquidity. (One hundred basis points equal one percentage point.) At the end of March, the U.S. government passed fiscal stimulus legislation equivalent to almost 10% of gross domestic product. Yields on two-year Treasury notes fell to 0.16% from 1.95% at the start of the period. U.S.-China tensions, negative or low interest rates in most developed markets, and volatile geopolitical and economic developments all adversely affected performance measures.

Sector allocation drove underperformance. Although securitized credit sectors entered the coronavirus crisis possessing strong fundamentals due to generally solid household balance sheets and a healthy real estate market, our overweights to these sectors—in particular, commercial mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities—were detrimental as the economy shut down in response to the coronavirus. In addition to concerns about a rise in loan delinquencies stemming from business closures and a spike in unemployment, securitized credit was also harshly impacted by a lack of market liquidity in mid-March after initially holding up relatively well.

With less direct support from the Federal Reserve, liquidity in securitized markets has been slower to recover than in sectors such as agency mortgage-backed securities and investment-grade corporates. We believe that there has been a large liquidity premium priced into securitized markets that should gradually recede as the coronavirus peaks and economic uncertainty diminishes. A small allocation to crossover corporate bonds (bonds that are split rated on the lower end of the investment-grade credit rating spectrum or the highest end of the noninvestment-grade rating spectrum) was beneficial, however, as higher-yielding assets were in demand during most of the period.

Security selection provided a slight boost to relative results, particularly among select BBB rated corporate names. Holdings in Charter Communications advanced as technology companies increased in prominence as essential service providers. (Please refer to the portfolio of investments for a complete list of holdings and the amount each represents in the portfolio.)

We did not make large bets with the portfolio’s duration—rather, we stayed relatively neutral versus the benchmark in terms of both total duration and curve exposure. (Duration measures a bond’s or a bond fund’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates.) During the period, we maintained a duration slightly longer than that of the benchmark. Yield curve positioning contributed slightly over the reporting period, and our use of interest rate swaps made a small contribution to performance. The Treasury yield curve steepened over the first quarter of 2020, led by decreases in short-term yields, which fell as a result of monetary easing and intense demand for cash-like securities. Long-term yields declined less than short- and intermediate-term yields, partially due to expectations for a jump in long-term debt issuance to finance federal stimulus spending.

How is the fund positioned?

Relative to the benchmark, we continue to underweight U.S. Treasuries while aiming to add yield by overweighting non-Treasury sectors and taking out-of-benchmark positions in higher-yielding securitized debt. For a short-term bond portfolio, we believe yield plays a greater role than price appreciation in generating excess returns and limiting volatility. As corporate bonds and securitized issues typically have greater yields than Treasuries, advantageous yield can be achieved by selectively overweighting these sectors in the portfolio.

Corporate debt represented greater than 50% of the portfolio as of May 31, 2020, and much of that was BBB rated, which is often debt that our research analysts believe is mispriced and represents attractive relative value. During bouts of volatility, we redeployed the proceeds of our maturing short-term bond holdings into corporate credits that we believed offered compelling relative value. Recently, this was via new issue in the primary market as the secondary market experienced periods of illiquidity.

Within the securitized space, the portfolio did not make any sizable moves. We believe that securitized sectors remain fundamentally sound and are supported by solid long-term consumer fundamentals. Additionally, the sector offers an incremental yield advantage over Treasuries.

While we are primarily a cash bond manager, we occasionally employ the limited use of derivatives in our strategy for hedging purposes. Derivatives may include futures and options, as well as credit default and interest rate swaps.

What is portfolio management’s outlook?

The economy and markets are likely moving from a crisis phase into a prototypical recessionary phase. March appears to have been the peak of the financial market crisis, and April the peak of the economic crisis. As the economy reopens in phases, we expect a slow, steady recovery in the second half of 2020 into 2021. This recovery phase will likely be less linear going forward as the primary risk becomes the long tail of the lockdown and associated solvency risk. Fiscal risk will also move to the forefront as the current emergency provisions enacted by Congress must be extended to address consumer and small business solvency. Fiscal risk is likely to be resolved, particularly in an election year, but not without causing volatility.

While the fiscal debate plays out, monetary policy can largely work in the background with the appropriate forward guidance, which the Fed is highly likely to convey in June. The combination of fiscal and monetary support can help the economy weather a potential second wave of the virus, in our view, as there is now a better understanding of virus risk and progress toward a vaccine.

Risks around the outlook and market narrative are now more balanced than they were earlier in the second quarter. Bouts of volatility will continue and should provide opportunities, particularly with the view that we will transition into a classic early-cycle environment as 2021 approaches. Spreads remain attractive from a long-run perspective, and fiscal and monetary policy continue to support an overall low-volatility environment.

Credit markets are recovering at different speeds, and we expect the more cyclical sectors and securities—which were more strongly impacted by the virus—to experience significant recoveries alongside the economy into 2021. Our continued goal is to provide stable returns appropriate for a short-term bond strategy with modest credit and duration risk. In terms of interest rate management, we will likely position for a steeper curve but keep duration tactically around neutral until the midcycle phase, when Fed rate hikes may start to come into view. In such an environment, we believe credit selection is paramount and that we have the research platform to opportunistically take advantage of this situation.

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 FIXED INCOME SECURITIES

Funds that invest in fixed income securities are subject to price declines due to rising interest rates, with long-term securities generally most sensitive to rate fluctuations. Other risks include credit rating downgrades and defaults on scheduled interest and principal payments. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, particularly if falling rates lead to heavy refinancing activity, and extension risk, which is an increase in interest rates that causes a fund’s average maturity to lengthen unexpectedly due to a drop in mortgage prepayments. This would increase the fund’s sensitivity to rising interest rates and its potential for price declines.

BENCHMARK INFORMATION

Note: Bloomberg Index Services Ltd. Copyright © 2020, Bloomberg Index Services Ltd. Used with permission.

Note: Lipper, a Thomson Reuters Company, is the source for all Lipper content reflected in these materials. Copyright 2020 © 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.

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 three share classes: The original share class (Investor Class) charges no distribution and service (12b-1) fee, the Advisor Class shares are offered only through unaffiliated brokers and other financial intermediaries and charge a 0.25% 12b-1 fee, and I Class shares are 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.

QUARTER-END RETURNS

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

May 31, 2020

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

May 31, 2020

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

T. Rowe Price Short-Term Bond Fund, Inc. (the corporation) is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act). The Short-Term Bond Fund (the fund) is a diversified, open-end management investment company established by the corporation. The fund seeks a high level of income consistent with minimal fluctuation in principal value and liquidity. The fund has three classes of shares: the Short-Term Bond Fund (Investor Class), the Short-Term Bond Fund–Advisor Class (Advisor Class), and the Short-Term Bond Fund–I Class (I Class). Advisor Class shares are sold only through various brokers and other financial intermediaries. I Class shares require a $1 million initial investment minimum, although the minimum generally is waived for retirement plans, financial intermediaries, and certain other accounts. The Advisor Class operates under a Board-approved Rule 12b-1 plan pursuant to which the class compensates financial intermediaries for distribution, shareholder servicing, and/or certain administrative services; the Investor and I Classes do not pay Rule 12b-1 fees. Each class has exclusive voting rights on matters related solely to that class; separate voting rights on matters that relate to all classes; and, in all other respects, the same rights and obligations as the other classes.

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. Premiums and discounts on debt securities are amortized for financial reporting purposes. Paydown gains and losses are recorded as an adjustment to interest income. 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. 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 are declared by each class daily and paid monthly. A capital gain distribution may also be declared and paid by the fund annually.

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 and investment income are allocated to the classes based upon the relative daily net assets of each class’s settled shares; realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated based upon the relative daily net assets of each class’s outstanding shares. The Advisor Class pays Rule 12b-1 fees, in an amount not exceeding 0.25% of the class’s average daily net assets.

New Accounting Guidance Effective June 1, 2019, the fund adopted FASB guidance that shortened the amortization period for certain callable debt securities held at a premium. Adoption had no effect on the fund’s net assets or results of operations.

In March 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU), ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848) – Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting, which provides optional, temporary relief with respect to the financial reporting of contracts subject to certain types of modifications due to the planned discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and other interbank-offered based reference rates as of the end of 2021. The guidance is effective for certain reference rate-related contract modifications that occur during the period March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. Management is currently evaluating the impact, if any, of the ASU on the fund’s financial statements.

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

The fund’s financial instruments are valued and each class’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.

Fair Value The fund’s financial instruments 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 procedures to value securities; determines pricing techniques, sources, and persons eligible to effect fair value pricing actions; oversees the selection, services, and performance of pricing vendors; oversees valuation-related business continuity practices; and provides guidance on internal controls and valuation-related matters. The Valuation Committee reports to the Board and has representation from legal, portfolio management and trading, operations, risk management, and the fund’s treasurer.

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

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 Debt securities generally are traded in the over-the-counter (OTC) market and are valued at prices furnished by independent pricing services or by broker dealers who make markets in such securities. When valuing securities, the independent pricing services consider the yield or price of bonds of comparable quality, coupon, maturity, and type, as well as prices quoted by dealers who make markets in such securities. Generally, debt securities are categorized in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy; however, to the extent the valuations include significant unobservable inputs, the securities would be categorized in Level 3.

Investments in mutual funds are valued at the mutual fund’s closing NAV per share on the day of valuation and are categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Financial futures contracts are valued at closing settlement prices and are categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Swaps are valued at prices furnished by an independent pricing service or independent swap dealers and generally are categorized in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy; however, if unobservable inputs are significant to the valuation, the swap would be categorized in Level 3. 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.

Thinly traded financial instruments and those for which the above valuation procedures are inappropriate or are deemed not to reflect fair value are stated at fair value as determined in good faith by the Valuation Committee. 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.

Subject to oversight by the Board, the Valuation Committee regularly makes good faith judgments to establish and adjust the fair valuations of certain securities as events occur and circumstances warrant. For instance, in determining the fair value of troubled or thinly traded debt instruments, the Valuation Committee considers a variety of factors, which may include, but are not limited to, the issuer’s business prospects, its financial standing and performance, recent investment transactions in the issuer, strategic events affecting the company, market liquidity for the issuer, and general economic conditions and events. In consultation with the investment and pricing teams, the Valuation Committee will determine an appropriate valuation technique based on available information, which may include both observable and unobservable inputs. 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 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 issue. 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. Depending on the relative significance of unobservable inputs, including the valuation technique(s) used, fair valued securities may be categorized in Level 2 or 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

Valuation Inputs The following table summarizes the fund’s financial instruments, based on the inputs used to determine their fair values on May 31, 2020 (for further detail by category, please refer to the accompanying Portfolio of Investments):

NOTE 3 - DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS

During the year ended May 31, 2020, the fund invested in derivative instruments. As defined by GAAP, a derivative is a financial instrument whose value is derived from an underlying security price, foreign exchange rate, interest rate, index of prices or rates, or other variable; it requires little or no initial investment and permits or requires net settlement. The fund invests in derivatives only if the expected risks and rewards are consistent with its investment objectives, policies, and overall risk profile, as described in its prospectus and Statement of Additional Information. The fund may use derivatives for a variety of purposes, such as seeking to hedge against declines in principal value, increase yield, invest in an asset with greater efficiency and at a lower cost than is possible through direct investment, to enhance return, or to adjust portfolio duration and credit exposure. The risks associated with the use of derivatives are different from, and potentially much greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the instruments on which the derivatives are based. The fund at all times maintains sufficient cash reserves, liquid assets, or other SEC-permitted asset types to cover its settlement obligations under open derivative contracts.

The fund values its derivatives at fair value and recognizes changes in fair value currently in its results of operations. Accordingly, the fund does not follow hedge accounting, even for derivatives employed as economic hedges. Generally, the fund accounts for its derivatives on a gross basis. It does not offset the fair value of derivative liabilities against the fair value of derivative assets on its financial statements, nor does it offset the fair value of derivative instruments against the right to reclaim or obligation to return collateral. The following table summarizes the fair value of the fund’s derivative instruments held as of May 31, 2020, and the related location on the accompanying Statement of Assets and Liabilities, presented by primary underlying risk exposure:

Additionally, the amount of gains and losses on derivative instruments recognized in fund earnings during the year ended May 31, 2020, and the related location on the accompanying Statement of Operations is summarized in the following table by primary underlying risk exposure:

Counterparty Risk and Collateral The fund invests in derivatives in various markets, which expose it to differing levels of counterparty risk. Counterparty risk on exchange-traded and centrally cleared derivative contracts, such as futures, exchange-traded options, and centrally cleared swaps, is minimal because the clearinghouse provides protection against counterparty defaults. For futures and centrally cleared swaps, the fund is required to deposit collateral in an amount specified by the clearinghouse and the clearing firm (margin requirement), and the margin requirement must be maintained over the life of the contract. Each clearinghouse and clearing firm, in its sole discretion, may adjust the margin requirements applicable to the fund.

Derivatives, such as bilateral swaps, forward currency exchange contracts, and OTC options, that are transacted and settle directly with a counterparty (bilateral derivatives) may expose the fund to greater counterparty risk. To mitigate this risk, the fund has entered into master netting arrangements (MNAs) with certain counterparties that permit net settlement under specified conditions and, for certain counterparties, also require the exchange of collateral to cover mark-to-market exposure. MNAs may be in the form of International Swaps and Derivatives Association master agreements (ISDAs) or foreign exchange letter agreements (FX letters).

MNAs provide the ability to offset amounts the fund owes a counterparty against amounts the counterparty owes the fund (net settlement). Both ISDAs and FX letters generally allow termination of transactions and net settlement upon the occurrence of contractually specified events, such as failure to pay or bankruptcy. In addition, ISDAs specify other events, the occurrence of which would allow one of the parties to terminate. For example, a downgrade in credit rating of a counterparty below a specified rating would allow the fund to terminate, while a decline in the fund’s net assets of more than a specified percentage would allow the counterparty to terminate. Upon termination, all transactions with that counterparty would be liquidated and a net termination amount settled. ISDAs include collateral agreements whereas FX letters do not. Collateral requirements are determined daily based on the net aggregate unrealized gain or loss on all bilateral derivatives with a counterparty, subject to minimum transfer amounts that typically range from $100,000 to $250,000. Any additional collateral required due to changes in security values is typically transferred the next business day.

Collateral may be in the form of cash or debt securities issued by the U.S. government or related agencies. Cash posted by the fund is reflected as cash deposits in the accompanying financial statements and generally is restricted from withdrawal by the fund; securities posted by the fund are so noted in the accompanying Portfolio of Investments; both remain in the fund’s assets. Collateral pledged by counterparties is not included in the fund’s assets because the fund does not obtain effective control over those assets. For bilateral derivatives, collateral posted or received by the fund is held in a segregated account at the fund’s custodian. While typically not sold in the same manner as equity or fixed income securities, exchange-traded or centrally cleared derivatives may be closed out only on the exchange or clearinghouse where the contracts were traded, and OTC and bilateral derivatives may be unwound with counterparties or transactions assigned to other counterparties to allow the fund to exit the transaction. This ability is subject to the liquidity of underlying positions. As of May 31, 2020, securities valued at $3,263,000 had been pledged or posted by the fund to counterparties for bilateral derivatives. As of May 31, 2020, no collateral was pledged by counterparties to the fund for bilateral derivatives. As of May 31, 2020, securities valued at $4,318,000 had been posted by the fund for exchange-traded and/or centrally cleared derivatives.

Futures Contracts The fund is subject to interest rate risk in the normal course of pursuing its investment objectives and uses futures contracts to help manage such risk. The fund may enter into futures contracts to manage exposure to interest rate and yield curve movements, security prices, foreign currencies, credit quality, and mortgage prepayments; as an efficient means of adjusting exposure to all or part of a target market; to enhance income; as a cash management tool; or to adjust portfolio duration and credit exposure. A futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and purchase by another of a specified amount of a specific underlying financial instrument at an agreed upon price, date, time, and place. The fund currently invests only in exchange-traded futures, which generally are standardized as to maturity date, underlying financial instrument, and other contract terms. Payments are made or received by the fund each day to settle daily fluctuations in the value of the contract (variation margin), which reflect changes in the value of the underlying financial instrument. Variation margin is recorded as unrealized gain or loss until the contract is closed. The value of a futures contract included in net assets is the amount of unsettled variation margin; net variation margin receivable is reflected as an asset and net variation margin payable is reflected as a liability on the accompanying Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Risks related to the use of futures contracts include possible illiquidity of the futures markets, contract prices that can be highly volatile and imperfectly correlated to movements in hedged security values and/or interest rates, and potential losses in excess of the fund’s initial investment. During the year ended May 31, 2020, the volume of the fund’s activity in futures, based on underlying notional amounts, was generally between 28% and 34% of net assets.

Options The fund is subject to interest rate risk and credit risk in the normal course of pursuing its investment objectives and uses options to help manage such risks. The fund may use options to manage exposure to security prices, interest rates, foreign currencies, and credit quality; as an efficient means of adjusting exposure to all or a part of a target market; to enhance income; as a cash management tool; or to adjust credit exposure. Options are included in net assets at fair value, options purchased are included in Investments in Securities, and Options written are separately reflected as a liability on the accompanying Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Premiums on unexercised, expired options are recorded as realized gains or losses; premiums on exercised options are recorded as an adjustment to the proceeds from the sale or cost of the purchase. The difference between the premium and the amount received or paid in a closing transaction is also treated as realized gain or loss. In return for a premium paid, call and put options on futures give the holder the right, but not the obligation, to purchase or sell, respectively, a position in a particular futures contract at a specified exercise price. In return for a premium paid, options on swaps give the holder the right, but not the obligation, to enter a specified swap contract on predefined terms. The exercise price of an option on a credit default swap is stated in terms of a specified spread that represents the cost of credit protection on the reference asset, including both the upfront premium to open the position and future periodic payments. The exercise price of an interest rate swap is stated in terms of a fixed interest rate; generally, there is no upfront payment to open the position. Risks related to the use of options include possible illiquidity of the options markets; trading restrictions imposed by an exchange or counterparty; movements in the underlying asset values and interest rate and credit ratings; and, for options written, potential losses in excess of the fund’s initial investment. During the year ended May 31, 2020, the volume of the fund’s activity in options, based on underlying notional amounts, was generally between 0% and 5% of net assets.

Swaps The fund is subject to credit risk in the normal course of pursuing its investment objectives and uses swap contracts to help manage such risk. The fund may use swaps in an effort to manage both long and short exposure to changes in interest rates, inflation rates, and credit quality; to adjust overall exposure to certain markets; to enhance total return or protect the value of portfolio securities; to serve as a cash management tool; or to adjust portfolio duration and credit exposure. Swap agreements can be settled either directly with the counterparty (bilateral swap) or through a central clearinghouse (centrally cleared swap). Fluctuations in the fair value of a contract are reflected in unrealized gain or loss and are reclassified to realized gain or loss upon contract termination or cash settlement. Net periodic receipts or payments required by a contract increase or decrease, respectively, the value of the contract until the contractual payment date, at which time such amounts are reclassified from unrealized to realized gain or loss. For bilateral swaps, cash payments are made or received by the fund on a periodic basis in accordance with contract terms; unrealized gain on contracts and premiums paid are reflected as assets and unrealized loss on contracts and premiums received are reflected as liabilities on the accompanying Statement of Assets and Liabilities. For bilateral swaps, premiums paid or received are amortized over the life of the swap and are recognized as realized gain or loss in the Statement of Operations. For centrally cleared swaps, payments are made or received by the fund each day to settle the daily fluctuation in the value of the contract (variation margin). Accordingly, the value of a centrally cleared swap included in net assets is the unsettled variation margin; net variation margin receivable is reflected as an asset and net variation margin payable is reflected as a liability on the accompanying Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

Credit default swaps are agreements where one party (the protection buyer) agrees to make periodic payments to another party (the protection seller) in exchange for protection against specified credit events, such as certain defaults and bankruptcies related to an underlying credit instrument, or issuer or index of such instruments. Upon occurrence of a specified credit event, the protection seller is required to pay the buyer the difference between the notional amount of the swap and the value of the underlying credit, either in the form of a net cash settlement or by paying the gross notional amount and accepting delivery of the relevant underlying credit. For credit default swaps where the underlying credit is an index, a specified credit event may affect all or individual underlying securities included in the index and will be settled based upon the relative weighting of the affected underlying security(ies) within the index. Generally, the payment risk for the seller of protection is inversely related to the current market price or credit rating of the underlying credit or the market value of the contract relative to the notional amount, which are indicators of the markets’ valuation of credit quality. As of May 31, 2020, the notional amount of protection sold by the fund totaled $103,990,000 (2.0% of net assets), which reflects the maximum potential amount the fund could be required to pay under such contracts. Risks related to the use of credit default swaps include the possible inability of the fund to accurately assess the current and future creditworthiness of underlying issuers, the possible failure of a counterparty to perform in accordance with the terms of the swap agreements, potential government regulation that could adversely affect the fund’s swap investments, and potential losses in excess of the fund’s initial investment.

During the year ended May 31, 2020, the volume of the fund’s activity in swaps, based on underlying notional amounts, was generally between 0% and 3% of net assets.

NOTE 4 - 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.

Collateralized Loan Obligations The fund invests in collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) which are entities backed by a diversified pool of syndicated bank loans. The cash flows of the CLO can be split into multiple segments, called “tranches” or “classes”, which will vary in risk profile and yield. The riskiest segments, which are the subordinate or “equity” tranches, bear the greatest risk of loss from defaults in the underlying assets of the CLO and serve to protect the other, more senior, tranches. Senior tranches will typically have higher credit ratings and lower yields than the securities underlying the CLO. Despite the protection from the more junior tranches, senior tranches can experience substantial losses.

TBA Purchase, Sale Commitments and Forward Settling Mortgage Obligations The fund enters into to-be-announced (TBA) purchase or sale commitments (collectively, TBA transactions), pursuant to which it agrees to purchase or sell, respectively, mortgage-backed securities for a fixed unit price, with payment and delivery at a scheduled future date beyond the customary settlement period for such securities. With TBA transactions, the particular securities to be received or delivered by the fund are not identified at the trade date; however, the securities must meet specified terms, including rate and mortgage term, and be within industry-accepted “good delivery” standards. The fund may enter into TBA transactions with the intention of taking possession of or relinquishing the underlying securities, may elect to extend the settlement by “rolling” the transaction, and/or may use TBA transactions to gain or reduce interim exposure to underlying securities. Until settlement, the fund maintains liquid assets sufficient to settle its commitment to purchase a TBA or, in the case of a sale commitment, the fund maintains an entitlement to the security to be sold.

To mitigate counterparty risk, the fund has entered into Master Securities Forward Transaction Agreements (MSFTA) with counterparties that provide for collateral and the right to offset amounts due to or from those counterparties under specified conditions. Subject to minimum transfer amounts, collateral requirements are determined and transfers made based on the net aggregate unrealized gain or loss on all TBA commitments and other forward settling mortgage obligations with a particular counterparty (collectively, MSFTA Transactions). At any time, the fund’s risk of loss from a particular counterparty related to its MSFTA Transactions is the aggregate unrealized gain on appreciated MSFTA Transactions in excess of unrealized loss on depreciated MSFTA Transactions and collateral received, if any, from such counterparty. As of May 31, 2020, no collateral was pledged by the fund or counterparties for MSFTA Transactions.

When-Issued Securities The fund enters into when-issued purchase or sale commitments, pursuant to which it agrees to purchase or sell, respectively, an authorized but not yet issued security for a fixed unit price, with payment and delivery not due until issuance of the security on a scheduled future date. When-issued securities may be new securities or securities issued through a corporate action, such as a reorganization or restructuring. Until settlement, the fund maintains liquid assets sufficient to settle its commitment to purchase a when-issued security or, in the case of a sale commitment, the fund maintains an entitlement to the security to be sold. Amounts realized on when-issued transactions are included in realized gain/loss on securities in the accompanying financial statements.

Mortgage-Backed Securities The fund invests in mortgage-backed securities (MBS or pass-through certificates) that represent an interest in a pool of specific underlying mortgage loans and entitle the fund to the periodic payments of principal and interest from those mortgages. MBS may be issued by government agencies or corporations, or private issuers. Most MBS issued by government agencies are guaranteed; however, the degree of protection differs based on the issuer. MBS are sensitive to changes in economic conditions that affect the rate of prepayments and defaults on the underlying mortgages; accordingly, the value, income, and related cash flows from MBS may be more volatile than other debt instruments.

Other Purchases and sales of portfolio securities other than short-term and U.S. government securities aggregated $2,279,896,000 and $2,275,824,000, respectively, for the year ended May 31, 2020. Purchases and sales of U.S. government securities aggregated $1,464,277,000 and $1,718,522,000, respectively, for the year ended May 31, 2020.

NOTE 5 - 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.

The fund files U.S. federal, state, and local tax returns as required. The fund’s tax returns are subject to examination by the relevant tax authorities until expiration of the applicable statute of limitations, which is generally three years after the filing of the tax return but which can be extended to six years in certain circumstances. Tax returns for open years have incorporated no uncertain tax positions that require a provision for income taxes.

Financial reporting records are adjusted for permanent book/tax differences to reflect tax character but are not adjusted for temporary differences. The permanent book/tax adjustments have no impact on results of operations or net assets and relate primarily to the recharacterization of distributions.

Distributions during the years ended May 31, 2020 and May 31, 2019, totaled $128,465,000 and $135,633,000, respectively, and were characterized as ordinary income for tax purposes. At May 31, 2020, the tax-basis cost of investments, including derivatives, and components of net assets were as follows:

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. During the year ended May 31, 2020, the fund utilized $59,537,000 of capital loss carryforwards.

In accordance with federal tax laws applicable to investment companies, all or a portion of losses resulting from (a) net specified losses realized between November 1 and the fund’s fiscal year-end or (b) ordinary losses realized between January 1 and the fund’s fiscal year-end are not recognized for tax purposes until the subsequent year (late-year ordinary loss deferrals); however, such losses are recognized for financial reporting purposes in the year realized.

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). 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 0.05% 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 May 31, 2020, the effective annual group fee rate was 0.29%.

The I Class is 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.

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 and Advisor Class. For the year ended May 31, 2020, expenses incurred pursuant to these service agreements were $71,000 for Price Associates; $1,102,000 for T. Rowe Price Services, Inc.; and $83,000 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. For the year ended May 31, 2020, the fund was charged $1,154,000 for shareholder servicing costs related to the college savings plans, of which $1,005,000 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 May 31, 2020, approximately 18% of the outstanding shares of the Investor Class were held by college savings plans.

The fund is also one of several mutual funds sponsored by Price Associates (underlying Price Funds) in which the T. Rowe Price Spectrum Funds (Spectrum Funds) may invest. The Spectrum Funds do not invest in the underlying Price Funds for the purpose of exercising management or control. Pursuant to special servicing agreements, expenses associated with the operation of the Spectrum Funds are borne by each underlying Price Fund to the extent of estimated savings to it and in proportion to the average daily value of its shares owned by the Spectrum Funds. Expenses allocated under these special servicing agreements are reflected as shareholder servicing expense in the accompanying financial statements. For the year ended May 31, 2020, the fund was allocated $430,000 of Spectrum Funds’ expenses. Of these amounts, $298,000 related to 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 May 31, 2020, approximately 6% of the outstanding shares of the Investor Class were held by the Spectrum Funds.

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 is invested in the T. Rowe Price Short-Term Fund. The Price Reserve Funds pay no investment management fees.

As of May 31, 2020, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., or its wholly owned subsidiaries owned 162,472,575 shares of the Investor Class, representing 18% of the Investor Class’s net assets.

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 year ended May 31, 2020, the fund had no purchases or sales cross trades with other funds or accounts advised by Price Associates.

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.

These types of events may also cause widespread fear and uncertainty, and result in, among other things: quarantines and travel restrictions, including border closings; disruptions to business operations and supply chains; exchange trading suspensions and closures, and overall reduced liquidity of securities, derivatives, and commodities trading markets; reductions in consumer demand and economic output; and significant challenges in healthcare service preparation and delivery. The funds could be negatively impacted if the value of a portfolio holding were harmed by such political or economic conditions or events. In addition, the operations of the funds, their investment advisers, and the funds’ service providers may be significantly impacted, or even temporarily halted, as a result of extensive employee illnesses or unavailability, government quarantine measures, and restrictions on travel or meetings and other factors related to public emergencies. Recently, 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.

Governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators have in the past responded to major economic disruptions with a variety of significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, including but not limited to, direct capital infusions into companies, new monetary programs, and dramatically lower interest rates. An unexpected or quick reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of these policies, could negatively impact overall investor sentiment and further increase volatility in securities markets.

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors of T. Rowe Price Short-Term Bond Fund, Inc. and
Shareholders of T. Rowe Price Short-Term Bond Fund

Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the portfolio of investments, of T. Rowe Price Short-Term Bond Fund (one of the funds constituting T. Rowe Price Short-Term Bond Fund, Inc., referred to hereafter as the “Fund”) as of May 31, 2020, the related statement of operations for the year ended May 31, 2020, the statement of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period ended May 31, 2020, including the related notes, and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated therein (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of May 31, 2020, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period ended May 31, 2020 and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated therein, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of May 31, 2020 by correspondence with the custodians, transfer agent and brokers; when replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Baltimore, Maryland
July 17, 2020

We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies in the T. Rowe Price group of investment companies since 1973.

TAX INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) FOR THE TAX YEAR ENDED 5/31/20

We are providing this information as required by the Internal Revenue Code. The amounts shown may differ from those elsewhere in this report because of differences between tax and financial reporting requirements.

The fund’s distributions to shareholders included $769,000 from short-term capital gains.

INFORMATION ON PROXY VOTING POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND RECORDS

A description of the policies and procedures used by T. Rowe Price funds and portfolios 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/en/utility/policies.html

Scroll down to the section near the bottom of the page that says, “Proxy Voting Policies.” Click on the Proxy Voting Policies link 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

Effective for reporting periods on or after March 1, 2019, a fund, except a money market 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. Prior to March 1, 2019, a fund, including a money market fund, filed a complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. A money market fund files detailed month-end portfolio holdings information on Form N-MFP with the SEC each month and posts a complete schedule of portfolio holdings on its website (troweprice.com) as of each month-end for the previous six months. A fund’s Forms N-PORT, N-MFP, and N-Q are available electronically on the SEC’s website (sec.gov).

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 advisor, T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (Advisor), on behalf of the fund. In that regard, at a meeting held on March 9–10, 2020 (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 Advisor 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 Advisor 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 Advisor 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 Advisor
The Board considered the nature, quality, and extent of the services provided to the fund by the Advisor. 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 Advisor’s senior management team and investment personnel involved in the management of the fund, as well as the Advisor’s compliance record. The Board concluded that it was satisfied with the nature, quality, and extent of the services provided by the Advisor.

Investment Performance of the Fund
The Board took into account discussions with the Advisor and reports that it receives throughout the year relating to fund performance. In connection with the Meeting, the Board reviewed the fund’s net annualized total returns for the 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 10-year periods as of September 30, 2019, 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 those 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 Advisor under the Advisory Contract and other benefits that the Advisor (and its affiliates) may have realized from its relationship with the fund, including any research received under “soft dollar” agreements and commission-sharing arrangements with broker-dealers. The Board considered that the Advisor may have received some benefit from soft-dollar arrangements pursuant to which research is received from broker-dealers that execute the fund’s portfolio transactions. However, the Board also considered that, effective January 2020, the Advisor began bearing the cost of research activities 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 Advisor 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 Advisor’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 from any economies of scale realized by the Advisor. Under the Advisory Contract, the fund pays a fee to the Advisor 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. At the Meeting, the Board approved an additional 0.005% breakpoint to the group fee schedule, effective May 1, 2020. With the new breakpoint, the group fee rate will decline to 0.260% when the combined average net assets of the applicable T. Rowe Price funds exceed $845 billion. 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, total expenses, actual management fees, and nonmanagement expenses of the Investor Class of the fund with a group of competitor funds selected by Broadridge (Investor Class Expense Group); (ii) total expenses and actual management fees of the Advisor Class of the fund with a group of competitor funds selected by Broadridge (Advisor Class Expense Group); and (iii) total expenses, actual management fees, and nonmanagement 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 Advisor 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 third quintile (Investor Class Expense Group); the fund’s actual management fee rate ranked in the third quintile (Investor Class Expense Group and Expense Universe) and second quintile (Advisor Class Expense Group); and the fund’s total expenses ranked in the first and third quintiles (Investor Class Expense Group), first quintile (Advisor Class Expense Group), and first and second quintiles (Expense Universe).

The Board also reviewed the fee schedules for other investment portfolios with similar mandates that are advised or subadvised by the Advisor 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 Advisor’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 mutual fund business. The Board considered information showing that the Advisor’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 Advisor’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 Advisor to manage its mutual fund business versus managing a discrete pool of assets as a subadvisor to another institution’s mutual fund or for an institutional account and that the Advisor 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.

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).

LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

In accordance with Rule 22e-4 (Liquidity Rule) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the fund has established a liquidity risk management program (Liquidity Program) reasonably designed to assess and manage the fund’s liquidity risk, which generally represents the risk that the fund would not be able to meet redemption requests without significant dilution of remaining investors’ interests in the fund. The fund’s Board of Directors (Board) has appointed the fund’s investment advisor, T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (Price Associates), as the administrator of the Liquidity Program. As administrator, Price Associates is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Liquidity Program and, among other things, is responsible for assessing, managing, and reviewing with the Board at least annually the liquidity risk of each T. Rowe Price fund. Price Associates has delegated oversight of the Liquidity Program to a Liquidity Risk Committee (LRC), which is a cross-functional committee composed of personnel from multiple departments within Price Associates.

The Liquidity Program’s principal objectives include supporting the T. Rowe Price funds’ compliance with limits on investments in illiquid assets and mitigating the risk that the fund will be unable to timely meet its redemption obligations. The Liquidity Program also includes a number of elements that support the management and assessment of liquidity risk, including an annual assessment of factors that influence the fund’s liquidity and the periodic classification and reclassification of a fund’s investments into categories that reflect the LRC’s assessment of their relative liquidity under current market conditions. Under the Liquidity Program, every investment held by the fund is classified at least monthly into one of four liquidity categories based on estimations of the investment’s ability to be sold during designated time frames in current market conditions without significantly changing the investment’s market value.

As required by the Liquidity Rule, at a meeting held on May 4, 2020, the Board was presented with an annual assessment prepared by the LRC, on behalf of Price Associates, that addressed the operation of the Liquidity Program and assessed its adequacy and effectiveness of implementation, including any material changes to the Liquidity Program and the determination of each fund’s Highly Liquid Investment Minimum (HLIM). The annual assessment included consideration of the following factors, as applicable: the fund’s investment strategy and liquidity of portfolio investments during normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions, including whether the investment strategy is appropriate for an open-end fund, the extent to which the strategy involves a relatively concentrated portfolio or large positions in particular issuers, and the use of borrowings for investment purposes and derivatives; short-term and long-term cash flow projections covering both normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions; and holdings of cash and cash equivalents, as well as available borrowing arrangements.

For the fund and other T. Rowe Price funds, the annual assessment incorporated a report related to a fund’s holdings, shareholder and portfolio concentration, any borrowings during the period, cash flow projections, and other relevant data for the period of June 1, 2019, through March 31, 2020. The report described the methodology for classifying a fund’s investments (including derivative transactions) into one of four liquidity categories, as well as the percentage of a fund’s investments assigned to each category. It also explained the methodology for establishing a fund’s HLIM and noted that the LRC reviews the HLIM assigned to each fund no less frequently than annually.

Certain provisions of the Liquidity Program initially became effective on December 1, 2018, and the full Liquidity Program was formally approved by the Board in April 2019. During the period covered by the annual assessment, the LRC has concluded, and reported to the Board, that the Liquidity Program since its implementation has operated adequately and effectively and is reasonably designed to assess and manage the fund’s liquidity risk.

ABOUT THE FUND’S DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

Your fund is overseen by a Board of Directors (Board) that meets regularly to review a wide variety of matters affecting or potentially affecting the fund, including performance, investment programs, compliance matters, advisory fees and expenses, service providers, and business and regulatory affairs. The Board elects the fund’s officers, who are listed in the final table. At least 75% of the Board’s members are considered to be independent, i.e., not “interested persons” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act, of the Boards of T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (T. Rowe Price), and its affiliates; “inside” or “interested” directors are employees or officers of T. Rowe Price. The business address of each director and officer is 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. The Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about the fund directors and is available without charge by calling a T. Rowe Price representative at 1-800-638-5660.

INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS(a)
Name (Year of Birth) Year Elected [Number of T. Rowe Price Portfolios Overseen]	Principal Occupation(s) and Directorships of Public Companies and Other Investment Companies During the Past Five Years
Teresa Bryce Bazemore (1959) 2018 [185]	President, Radian Guaranty (2008 to 2017); Chief Executive Officer, Bazemore Consulting LLC (2018 to present); Director, Chimera Investment Corporation (2017 to present); Director, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (2017 to February 2019)
Ronald J. Daniels (1959) 2018 [185]	President, The Johns Hopkins University(b) and Professor, Political Science Department, The Johns Hopkins University (2009 to present); Director, Lyndhurst Holdings (2015 to present); Director, BridgeBio Pharma, Inc. (2020 to present)
Bruce W. Duncan (1951) 2013 [185]	Chief Executive Officer and Director (January 2009 to December 2016), Chairman of the Board (January 2016 to present), and President (January 2009 to September 2016), First Industrial Realty Trust, an owner and operator of industrial properties; Chairman of the Board (2005 to September 2016) and Director (1999 to September 2016), Starwood Hotels & Resorts, a hotel and leisure company; Member, Investment Company Institute Board of Governors (2017 to December 2019); Member, Independent Directors Council Governing Board (2017 to December 2019); Senior Advisor, KKR (November 2018 to present); Director, Boston Properties (May 2016 to present); Director, Marriott International, Inc. (September 2016 to present)
Robert J. Gerrard, Jr. (1952) 2013 [185]	Advisory Board Member, Pipeline Crisis/Winning Strategies, a collaborative working to improve opportunities for young African Americans (1997 to January 2016); Chairman of the Board, all funds (July 2018 to present)
Paul F. McBride (1956) 2013 [185]	Advisory Board Member, Vizzia Technologies (2015 to present); Board Member, Dunbar Armored (2012 to 2018)
Cecilia E. Rouse, Ph.D. (1963) 2013 [185]	Dean, Woodrow Wilson School (2012 to present); Professor and Researcher, Princeton University (1992 to present); Director, MDRC, a nonprofit education and social policy research organization (2011 to present); Member, National Academy of Education (2010 to present); Research Associate of Labor Studies Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research (2011 to 2015); Board Member, National Bureau of Economic Research (2011 to present); Chair of Committee on the Status of Minority Groups in the Economic Profession of the American Economic Association (2012 to 2018); Vice President (2015 to 2016) and Board Member (2018 to present), American Economic Association
John G. Schreiber (1946) 1992 [185]	Owner/President, Centaur Capital Partners, Inc., a real estate investment company (1991 to present); Cofounder, Partner, and Cochairman of the Investment Committee, Blackstone Real Estate Advisors, L.P. (1992 to 2015); Director, Blackstone Mortgage Trust, a real estate finance company (2012 to 2016); Director and Chairman of the Board, Brixmor Property Group, Inc. (2013 to present); Director, Hilton Worldwide (2007 to present); Director, Hudson Pacific Properties (2014 to 2016); Director, Invitation Homes (2014 to 2017); Director, JMB Realty Corporation (1980 to present)
(a)All information about the independent directors was current as of December 31, 2019, unless otherwise indicated, except for the number of portfolios overseen, which is current as of the date of this report.
(b)William J. Stromberg, president and chief executive officer of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., the parent company of the Price Funds’ investment advisor, has served on the Board of Trustees of Johns Hopkins University since 2014.
INSIDE DIRECTORS(a)
Name (Year of Birth) Year Elected [Number of T. Rowe Price Portfolios Overseen]	Principal Occupation(s) and Directorships of Public Companies and Other Investment Companies During the Past Five Years
David Oestreicher (1967) 2018 [185]	Chief Legal Officer, Vice President, and Secretary, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.; Director, Vice President, and Secretary, T. Rowe Price Investment Services, Inc., T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc., T. Rowe Price Services, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company; Vice President and Secretary, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Hong Kong (Price Hong Kong), and T. Rowe Price International; Vice President, T. Rowe Price Japan (Price Japan) and T. Rowe Price Singapore (Price Singapore); Principal Executive Officer and Executive Vice President, all funds
Robert W. Sharps, CFA, CPA (1971) 2019 [185]	Director and Vice President, T. Rowe Price; Vice President, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company
(a)All information about the inside directors was current as of December 31, 2019, unless otherwise indicated, except for the number of portfolios overseen, which is current as of the date of this report.

OFFICERS
Name (Year of Birth) Position Held With Short-Term Bond Fund	Principal Occupation(s)
Stephen L. Bartolini, CFA (1977) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company
Darrell N. Braman (1963) Vice President and Secretary	Vice President, Price Hong Kong, Price Singapore, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., T. Rowe Price International, T. Rowe Price Investment Services, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Services, Inc.
Jason T. Collins, CFA (1971) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.
M. Helena Condez (1962) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.
Michael P. Daley (1981) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.
Levent Demirekler, CFA (1974) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.
Alan S. Dupski, CPA (1982) Principal Financial Officer, Vice President, and Treasurer	Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.; formerly, Assistant Chief Accountant, Division of Investment Management, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (to 2015)
Stephanie A. Gentile, CFA (1956) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.
John R. Gilner (1961) Chief Compliance Officer	Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President, T. Rowe Price; Vice President, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Investment Services, Inc.
Gary J. Greb (1961) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price International, and T. Rowe Price Trust Company
Charles B. Hill, CFA (1961) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.
Keir R. Joyce, CFA (1972) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.
Steven M. Kohlenstein, CFA (1987) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.
Paul J. Krug, CPA (1964) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company
Joseph K. Lynagh, CFA (1958) Executive Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company
Cheryl A. Mickel, CFA (1967) President	Director and Vice President, T. Rowe Price Trust Company; Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.
Alexander S. Obaza (1981) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company
Shannon H. Rauser (1987) Assistant Secretary	Assistant Vice President, T. Rowe Price
Michael F. Reinartz, CFA (1973) Executive Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company
Chen Shao (1980) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.
Tyrone Smith (1977) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.; formerly, Fixed Income Credit Trader, Aberdeen Asset Management Inc. (to 2018)
Douglas D. Spratley, CFA (1969) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company
Megan Warren (1968) Vice President	Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc., T. Rowe Price Services, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company; formerly, Executive Director, JPMorgan Chase (to 2017)
Unless otherwise noted, officers have been employees of T. Rowe Price or T. Rowe Price International for at least 5 years.

Item 1. (b) Notice pursuant to Rule 30e-3.

Not applicable.

Item 2. Code of Ethics.

The registrant has adopted 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. A copy of this code of ethics is filed as an exhibit to this Form N-CSR. No substantive amendments were approved or waivers were granted to this code of ethics during the period covered by this report.

Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert.

The registrant’s Board of Directors/Trustees has determined that Mr. Bruce W. Duncan qualifies as an audit committee financial expert, as defined in Item 3 of Form N-CSR. Mr. Duncan is considered independent for purposes of Item 3 of Form N-CSR.

Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

(a) – (d) Aggregate fees billed for the last two fiscal years for professional services rendered to, or on behalf of, the registrant by the registrant’s principal accountant were as follows:

Audit fees include amounts related to the audit of the registrant’s annual financial statements and services normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings. Audit-related fees include amounts reasonably related to the performance of the audit of the registrant’s financial statements and specifically include the issuance of a report on internal controls and, if applicable, agreed-upon procedures related to fund acquisitions. Tax fees include amounts related to services for tax compliance, tax planning, and tax advice. The nature of these services specifically includes the review of distribution calculations and the preparation of Federal, state, and excise tax returns. All other fees include the registrant’s pro-rata share of amounts for agreed-upon procedures in conjunction with service contract approvals by the registrant’s Board of Directors/Trustees.

(e)(1) The registrant’s audit committee has adopted a policy whereby audit and non-audit services performed by the registrant’s principal accountant for the registrant, its investment adviser, and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment adviser that provides ongoing services to the registrant require pre-approval in advance at regularly scheduled audit committee meetings. If such a service is required between regularly scheduled audit committee meetings, pre-approval may be authorized by one audit committee member with ratification at the next scheduled audit committee meeting. Waiver of pre-approval for audit or non-audit services requiring fees of a de minimis amount is not permitted.

(2) No services included in (b) – (d) above were approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.

(f) Less than 50 percent of the hours expended on the principal accountant’s engagement to audit the registrant’s financial statements for the most recent fiscal year were attributed to work performed by persons other than the principal accountant’s full-time, permanent employees.

(g) The aggregate fees billed for the most recent fiscal year and the preceding fiscal year by the registrant’s principal accountant for non-audit services rendered to the registrant, its investment adviser, and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment adviser that provides ongoing services to the registrant were $3,671,000 and $2,684,000, respectively.

(h) All non-audit services rendered in (g) above were pre-approved by the registrant’s audit committee. Accordingly, these services were considered by the registrant’s audit committee in maintaining the principal accountant’s independence.

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 attached.

(2) Separate certifications by the registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer, pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached.

(3) Written solicitation to repurchase securities issued by closed-end companies: not applicable.

(b) A certification by the registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer, pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, is attached.

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 Short-Term Bond Fund, Inc.

		By	/s/ David Oestreicher
			David Oestreicher
			Principal Executive Officer
Date	July 17, 2020

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	July 17, 2020
		By	/s/ Alan S. Dupski
			Alan S. Dupski
			Principal Financial Officer
Date	July 17, 2020

EX-99.CERT

Item 13. (a)(2)

CERTIFICATIONS

I, David Oestreicher, certify that:

1.	I have reviewed this report on Form N-CSR of T. Rowe Price Short-Term Bond Fund;
2.	Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.	Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations, changes in net assets, and cash flows (if the financial statements are required to include a statement of cash flows) of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.	The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) for the registrant and have:
	(a)	Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
	(b)	Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
	(c)	Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this report based on such evaluation; and
	(d)	Disclosed in this report any 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; and
5.	The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
	(a)	All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial information; and
	(b)	Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

Date: July 17, 2020	/s/ David Oestreicher
	David Oestreicher
	Principal Executive Officer

CERTIFICATIONS

I, Alan S. Dupski, certify that:

1.	I have reviewed this report on Form N-CSR of T. Rowe Price Short-Term Bond Fund;
2.	Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.	Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations, changes in net assets, and cash flows (if the financial statements are required to include a statement of cash flows) of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.	The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) for the registrant and have:
	(a)	Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
	(b)	Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
	(c)	Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this report based on such evaluation; and
	(d)	Disclosed in this report any 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; and
5.	The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
	(a)	All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial information; and
	(b)	Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

Date: July 17, 2020	/s/ Alan S. Dupski
	Alan S. Dupski
	Principal Financial Officer

EX-99.906 CERT

Item 13. (b)

CERTIFICATION UNDER SECTION 906 OF SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
Name of Issuer: T. Rowe Price Short-Term Bond Fund
In connection with the Report on Form N-CSR for the above named Issuer, the undersigned hereby certifies, to the best of his knowledge, that:
1.	The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934;
2.	The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Issuer.

Date: July 17, 2020	/s/ David Oestreicher
	David Oestreicher
	Principal Executive Officer
Date: July 17, 2020	/s/ Alan S. Dupski
	Alan S. Dupski
	Principal Financial Officer

EX-99.CODE ETH

CODE OF ETHICS FOR PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE AND SENIOR FINANCIAL
OFFICERS OF THE PRICE FUNDS
UNDER THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I. General Statement. This Code of Ethics (the “Price Funds S-O Code”) has been designed to bring the Price Funds into compliance with the applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Act”) and rules promulgated by The Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder (“Regulations”). The Price Funds S-O Code applies solely to the Principal Executive Officer, Principal Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer or Controller of, or persons performing similar functions for, a Price Fund (whether such persons are employed by a Price Fund or third party) (“Covered Officers”). The “Price Funds” shall include each registered fund that is managed, sponsored and distributed by affiliates of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (“Group”). The investment managers to the Price Funds will be referred to as the “Price Fund Advisers.” A list of Covered Officers is attached as Exhibit A.

The Price Fund Advisers have, along with their parent, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (“Group”) also maintained a comprehensive Code of Ethics and Conduct (the “Group Code”) since 1972, which applies to all officers, directors and employees of the Price Funds, Group and its affiliates.

As mandated by the Act, Group has adopted a Code (the “Group S-O Code”), similar to the Price Funds S-O Code, which applies solely to its principal executive and senior financial officers. The Group S-O Code and the Price Funds S-O Code will be referred to collectively as the “S-O Codes”.

The Price Funds S-O Code has been adopted by the Price Funds in accordance with the Act and Regulations thereunder and will be administered in conformity with the disclosure requirements of Item 2 of Form N-CSR. The S-O Codes are attachments to the Group Code. In many respects the S-O Codes are supplementary to the Group Code, but the Group Code is administered separately from the S-O Codes, as the S-O Codes are from each other.

II. Purpose of the Price Funds S-O Code. The purpose of the Price Funds S-O Code, as mandated by the Act and the Regulations, is to establish standards that are reasonably designed to deter wrongdoing and to promote:

Ethical Conduct. Honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships.

Disclosure. Full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that the Price Funds file with, or submit to, the SEC and in other public communications made by the Price Funds.

Compliance. Compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations.

Reporting of Violations. The prompt internal reporting of violations of the Price Funds S-O Code to an appropriate person or persons identified in the Price Funds S-O Code.

Accountability. Accountability for adherence to the Price Funds S-O Code.

III. Covered Officers Should Handle Ethically Actual and Apparent Conflicts of Interest.

Overview. Each Covered Officer owes a duty to the Price Funds to adhere to a high standard of honesty and business ethics and should be sensitive to situations that may give rise to actual as well as apparent conflicts of interest.

A “conflict of interest” occurs when a Covered Officer’s private interest interferes with the interests of, or his or her service to, the Price Funds. For example, a conflict of interest would arise if a Covered Officer, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position with a Price Fund.

Certain conflicts of interest covered by the Price Funds S-O Code arise out of the relationships between Covered Officers and the Price Funds and may already be subject to provisions regulating conflicts of interest in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“Investment Company Act”), the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Investment Advisers Act”) and the Group Code. For example, Covered Officers may not individually engage in certain transactions (such as the purchase or sale of securities or other property) with a Price Fund because of their status as “affiliated persons” of a Price Fund. The compliance programs and procedures of the Price Funds and Price Fund Advisers are designed to prevent, or identify and correct, violations of these provisions.

Although typically not presenting an opportunity for improper personal benefit, conflicts arise from, or as a result of, the contractual relationship between a Price Fund and its Price Fund Adviser (and its affiliates) of which the Covered Officers may also be officers or employees. As a result, the Price Funds S-O Code recognizes that the Covered Officers will, in the normal course of their duties (whether formally for the Price Funds or for the Price Fund Advisers, or for both), be involved in establishing policies and implementing decisions which will have different effects on these entities. The participation of the Covered Officers in such activities is inherent in the contractual relationship between each Price Fund and its respective Price Fund Adviser. Such participation is also consistent with the performance by the Covered Officers of their duties as officers of the Price Funds and, if consistent with the provisions of the Investment Company Act and the Investment Advisers Act, it will be deemed to have been handled ethically.

Other conflicts of interest are covered by the Price Funds S-O Code, even if these conflicts of interest are not addressed by or subject to provisions in the Investment Company Act and the Investment Advisers Act.

Whenever a Covered Officer is confronted with a conflict of interest situation where he or she is uncertain as to the appropriate action to be taken, he or she should discuss the matter with the Chairperson of Group’s Ethics Committee or another member of the Committee.

Handling of Specific Types of Conflicts. Each Covered Officer (and close family members) must not:

Entertainment. Accept entertainment from any company with which any Price Fund or any Price Fund Adviser has current or prospective business dealings, including portfolio companies, unless such entertainment is in full compliance with the policy on entertainment as set forth in the Group Code.

Gifts. Accept any gifts, except as permitted by the Group Code.

Improper Personal Influence. Use his or her personal influence or personal relationships improperly to influence investment decisions, brokerage allocations or financial reporting by the Price Funds to the detriment of any one or more of the Price Funds.

Taking Action at the Expense of a Price Fund. Cause a Price Fund to take action, or fail to take action, for the personal benefit of the Covered Officer rather than for the benefit of one or more of the Price Funds.

Misuse of Price Funds’ Transaction Information. Use knowledge of portfolio transactions made or contemplated for a Price Fund or any other clients of the Price Fund Advisers to trade personally or cause others to trade in order to take advantage of or avoid the market impact of such portfolio transactions.

Outside Business Activities. Engage in any outside business activity that detracts from a Covered Officer’s ability to devote appropriate time and attention to his or her responsibilities to a Price Fund.

Service Providers. Excluding Group and its affiliates, have any ownership interest in, or any consulting or employment relationship with, any of the Price Funds’ service providers, except that an ownership interest in public companies is permitted

Receipt of Payments. Have a direct or indirect financial interest in commissions, transaction charges, spreads or other payments paid by a Price Fund for effecting portfolio transactions or for selling or redeeming shares other than an interest (such as compensation or equity ownership) arising from the Covered Officer’s employment by Group or any of its affiliates.

Service as a Director or Trustee. Serve as a director, trustee or officer of any public or private company or a non-profit organization that issues securities eligible for purchase by any of the Price Funds, unless approval is obtained as required by the Group Code.

IV. Covered Officers’ Specific Obligations and Accountabilities.

A. Disclosure Requirements and Controls. Each Covered Officer must familiarize himself or herself with the disclosure requirements (Form N-1A registration statement, proxy (Schedule 14A), shareholder reports, Forms N-CEN, N-CSR, etc.) applicable to the Price Funds and the disclosure controls and procedures of the Price Fund and the Price Fund Advisers.

B. Compliance with Applicable Law. It is the responsibility of each Covered Officer to promote compliance with all laws, rules and regulations applicable to the Price Funds and the Price Fund Advisers. Each Covered Officer should, to the extent appropriate within his or her area of responsibility, consult with other officers and employees of the Price Funds and the Price Fund Advisers and take other appropriate steps with the goal of promoting full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in the reports and documents the Price Funds file with, or submit to, the SEC, and in other public communications made by the Price Funds.

C. Fair Disclosure. Each Covered Officer must not knowingly misrepresent, or cause others to misrepresent, facts about a Price Fund to others, whether within or outside the Price organization, including to the Price Fund’s directors and auditors, and to governmental regulators and self-regulatory organizations.

D. Initial and Annual Affirmations. Each Covered Officer must:

1. Upon adoption of the Price Funds S-O Code (or thereafter, as applicable, upon becoming a Covered Officer), affirm in writing that he or she has received, read, and understands the Price Funds S-O Code.

2. Annually affirm that he or she has complied with the requirements of the Price Funds S-O Code.

E. Reporting of Material Violations of the Price Funds S-O Code. If a Covered Officer becomes aware of any material violation of the Price Funds S-O Code or laws and governmental rules and regulations applicable to the operations of the Price Funds, he or she must promptly report the violation (“Report”) to the Chief Compliance Officer of the Price Funds (“CCO”). Failure to report a material violation will be considered itself a violation of the Price Funds S-O Code. The CCO is identified in the attached Exhibit B.

It is the Price Funds policy that no retaliation or other adverse action will be taken against any Covered Officer or other employee of a Price Fund, a Price Fund Adviser or their affiliates based upon any lawful actions of the Covered Officer or employee with respect to a Report made in good faith.

F. Annual Disclosures. Each Covered Officer must report, at least annually, all affiliations or other relationships as called for in the “Annual Compliance Certification” for T. Rowe Price Group.

V. Administration of the Price Funds S-O Code. The Ethics Committee is responsible for administering the Price Funds S-O Code and applying its provisions to specific situations in which questions are presented.

A. Waivers and Interpretations. The Chairperson of the Ethics Committee has the authority to interpret the Price Funds S-O Code in any particular situation and to grant waivers where justified, subject to the approval of the Joint Audit Committee of the Price Funds. All material interpretations concerning Covered Officers will be reported to the Joint Audit Committee of the Price Funds at its next meeting. Waivers, including implicit waivers, to Covered Officers will be publicly disclosed as required in the Instructions to N-CSR. Pursuant to the definition in the Regulations, an implicit waiver means a Price Fund’s failure to take action within a reasonable period of time regarding a material departure from a provision of the Price Funds S-O Code that has been made known to an “executive officer” (as defined in Rule 3b-7 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) of a Price Fund. An executive officer of a Price Fund includes its president and any vice-president in charge of a principal business unit, division or function.

B. Violations/Investigations. The following procedures will be followed in investigating and enforcing the Price Funds S-O Code:

1. The CCO will take or cause to be taken appropriate action to investigate any potential or actual violation reported to him or her.

2. The CCO, after consultation if deemed appropriate with Outside Counsel to the Price Funds, will make a recommendation to the appropriate Price Funds Board regarding the action to be taken with regard to each material violation. Such action could include any of the following: a letter of censure or suspension, a fine, a suspension of trading privileges or termination of officership or employment. In addition, the violator may be required to surrender any profit realized (or loss avoided) from any activity that is in violation of the Price Funds S-O Code.

VI. Amendments to the Price Funds S-O Code. Except as to the contents of Exhibit A and Exhibit B, the Price Funds S-O Code may not be materially amended except in written form, which is specifically approved or ratified by a majority vote of each Price Fund Board, including a majority of the independent directors on each Board.

VII. Confidentiality. All reports and records prepared or maintained pursuant to the Price Funds S-O Code will be considered confidential and shall be maintained and protected accordingly. Except as otherwise required by law, the Price Funds S-O Code or as necessary in connection with regulations under the Price Funds S-O Code, such matters shall not be disclosed to anyone other than the directors of the appropriate Price Fund Board, Outside Counsel to the Price Funds, members of the Ethics Committee and the CCO and authorized persons on his or her staff.

Adoption Date: 10/22/03

Last Revised: February 5, 2020

Exhibit A
Persons Covered by the Price Funds S-O Code of Ethics
David Oestreicher, Executive Vice President and Principal Executive Officer
Alan S. Dupski, Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer

Exhibit B
John R. Gilner, Chief Compliance Officer