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: 811-04358
| T. Rowe Price New America Growth Fund, Inc. |
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| (Exact name of registrant as specified in charter) |
| 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 |
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| (Address of principal executive offices) |
| David Oestreicher |
| 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 |
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| (Name and address of agent for service) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (410) 345-2000
Date of fiscal year end: December 31
Date of reporting period: December 31, 2018
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New America Growth Fund |
December 31, 2018 |
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 NEW AMERICA GROWTH FUND |
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HIGHLIGHTS
| ■ | The New America Growth Fund returned 1.28% in the 12 months ended December 31, 2018. The fund outperformed its benchmark, the Russell 1000 Growth Index, and its Lipper peer group. |
| ■ | Stock selection accounted for the bulk of the fund’s outperformance, especially in the health care and information technology sectors. |
| ■ | We believe that generating outperformance will depend more on stock selection than industry allocation decisions. |
| ■ | It appears that equity markets are now discounting risk more appropriately. For the first time in several years, we are trying to strike a fairly even balance between offense and defense instead of emphasizing downside protection. |
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CIO Market Commentary
Dear Shareholder
The year 2018 was not one that investors will remember fondly. The major stock indexes recorded their worst declines in a decade, with most falling over 20% from recent peaks and bringing a technical end to the bull market that began in 2009. In direct contrast to 2017, financial assets performed poorly across asset classes and geographies. The broadest measure of domestic bond returns, the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, returned exactly nothing (0.0%) for the year, and nearly all overseas bond and equity markets also performed poorly. “Cash was king,” in Wall Street parlance, which never makes for a happy reign.
Many issues were behind the market weakness, but we can point to four primary factors that weighed on sentiment:
Rising interest rates. Wage pressures appeared to be accelerating early in the year, sending longer-term bond yields to multiyear highs and sparking a sell-off in equities in early February. Wage gains soon moderated, but a continued decline in the unemployment rate—which reached a five-decade low of 3.7% in September—kept investors on the lookout for higher inflation ahead. In October, yields returned to their peaks on the back of good economic data and suggestions from Federal Reserve officials that they might keep hiking interest rates more quickly than expected. This was subsequently followed by a decline in long-term rates as investors sought safety late in the year and questioned the pace of future interest rate hikes.
Trade tensions. On March 1, President Donald Trump took markets by surprise in announcing a new series of metal tariffs. His administration quickly adopted a decidedly protectionist stance, with pro-trade advocates leaving and the announcement of plans for a range of new trade restrictions. Many threats never materialized, and the White House announced a renegotiated trade deal with Canada and Mexico. Trade tensions with China only appeared to deepen as the year progressed, however.
Slowing global growth. A global slowdown became apparent in the second half of 2018. Environmental and financial reforms put the brakes on the Chinese economy, as planned, but trade frictions caused growth to slow below official targets. Other emerging markets suffered from a stronger U.S. dollar and higher U.S. interest rates. In Europe, trade worries also hampered business spending, while unresolved Brexit fears and further threats to the eurozone from Italy and elsewhere also took a toll. Plummeting oil prices late in the year seemed to confirm a general weakening in global economic conditions.
Peaking fundamentals. The U.S. economy stood apart by accelerating in 2018, but a moderation in 2019 appears all but inevitable as the effects of fiscal stimulus moderate. Of specific concern to investors is the almost certain slowdown in corporate profits in the coming year. Overall profits for the S&P 500 grew by 25% versus the year before in the first three quarters of 2018—a pace sure to slow as the year-over-year impact of the tax cut fades, wage gains pressure margins, and the global economy cools.
The market’s dramatic pullback in the final weeks of 2018—stocks suffered their worst December since the Great Depression—seemed to reflect fears that a recession might even be imminent. I think such concerns are overblown. The Fed has already completed most of its planned rate hikes, promising less of a headwind for the economy and markets. China and Europe are likely to respond to slowing growth with stimulus, and both will benefit from lower oil prices. As I write, some encouraging signs have also emerged on the trade front, although whether the U.S. and China can resolve their differences remains perhaps the largest uncertainty facing markets.
In terms of stock performance, the painful end to 2018 served to improve valuations, making gains in the coming year less of a hurdle. I would also note that a further stock market “bust” in 2019 seems unlikely given that we never experienced the concentrated “boom” that has preceded past bad bear markets. In the final stages of the dot-com boom of the late 1990s, for example, investors flooded in to telecom shares, and huge amounts of capital and risk flowed in to housing in the mid-2000s. Currently, I simply do not see those sorts of distortions in the financial system.
Of course, opinions about what 2019 holds vary among our investment professionals at T. Rowe Price, and we sharpen each other’s thinking by constantly sharing opinions and insights. Please rest assured that your fund’s manager is drawing on the insights and perspectives across our global organization as he or she charts the course ahead.
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 to provide long-term capital growth by investing primarily in the common stocks of growth companies.
FUND COMMENTARY
How did the fund perform in the past 12 months?
The New America Growth Fund returned 1.28% in the 12-month period ended December 31, 2018. The fund outperformed its benchmark, the Russell 1000 Growth Index, and the Lipper Multi-Cap Growth Funds Index. (Returns for the Advisor and I Class shares varied slightly, reflecting their different fee structures. Past performance cannot guarantee future results.)
Effective March 1, 2018, the performance benchmark of the New America Growth Fund changed to the Russell 1000 Growth Index from the S&P 500 Index. We made the change because we believe that the Russell 1000 Growth Index is a more appropriate style-specific benchmark that better aligns with our growth-focused investment style than the S&P 500 Index.
What factors influenced the fund’s performance?
We outperformed our benchmark primarily due to stock selection, which was strong in the health care, information technology, communication services, and consumer discretionary sectors. Overall, the portfolio also benefited from sector allocation decisions. However, our overweight allocation to financials and underweight in the real estate sector detracted.
Most of the portfolio’s best contributors for the year were among our top holdings, as shown in the Twenty-Five Largest Holdings table on page 8. Amazon.com (our largest individual stock holding at 6.4% of the portfolio at the end of 2018) in the consumer discretionary sector generated a year of standout absolute and relative performance. Amazon continued to deliver better-than-expected revenue, earnings, and subscriber growth, coupled with strong gains in the Amazon Web Services segment. In addition to its dominant e-commerce and cloud computing businesses, both of which we think offer substantial growth, the company continues to invest in other business segments, including devices, video, and advertising. We believe these initiatives enhance the company’s prospects for the long term. (Please refer to our portfolio of investments for a complete list of holdings and the amount each represents in the portfolio.)
While Amazon provided strong returns among our discretionary sector holdings, the health care and information technology sectors were larger drivers of our strong absolute and relative results overall. In the health care sector, HCA Healthcare and Intuitive Surgical posted excellent gains. Intuitive’s share price appreciated more than 30% for the year, and our significant overweight to the stock powered strong relative performance. In the technology sector, Microsoft, Intuit, and Salesforce.com in the software segment and MasterCard and Visa in the IT services industry were among our leading contributors.
At the end of the period, our top 10 holdings represented 36.8% of the portfolio, which is a testament to our willingness to back our best investment ideas with conviction. However, several of the fund’s significant holdings performed poorly and weighed on relative returns. Facebook, NVIDIA, and Symantec each endured share price declines of 25% or more and were significant absolute performance detractors. Facebook reported decelerating user growth, and the company’s management issued guidance for lower-than-expected revenues as well as margin compression resulting from policy changes and data privacy controls, which pressured the stock. We remain constructive on Facebook’s longer-term prospects given its data collection capabilities, its dominant share of consumer time spent on mobile devices, and its advertising monetization ability.
How is the fund positioned?
While we attempt to maintain broad industry diversification within the portfolio, we continue to find our best growth ideas in the information technology, consumer discretionary, and newly formed communication services sectors. (The telecommunication services sector was expanded and renamed communication services at the end of September 2018.) Over the past 12 months, we maintained a generally benchmark-neutral allocation in the tech sector. We also like the growth characteristics for select health care companies. However, we eliminated several poor-performing biotech companies where we lost our longer-term conviction in their growth attributes.
Financials and real estate posted disappointing relative returns over the past 12 months. We trimmed our financials holdings on concerns about rising interest rates and the resulting pressure on profit margins.
What is portfolio management’s outlook?
Over the past two years, a recurring theme in our shareholder letters has been explicit attention to downside risk. For much of 2017 and 2018, we felt that equity markets were cavalier about risk in general and too focused on squeezing out the last 5% of upside instead of demanding a fair margin of safety for adverse scenarios.
Encouragingly, markets began to sober up in the fall of 2018, and your fund has picked up considerable ground against the Russell 1000 Growth benchmark since then. We believe that equity markets are now discounting risk more appropriately. For the first time in several years, we are trying to strike a fairly even balance between offense and defense instead of emphasizing downside protection.
This is not to say that we are throwing caution to the wind. We are in a decidedly late-cycle environment, there is little slack in the U.S. economy, and the risk of external geopolitical shocks remains elevated, but we believe that equity markets are doing a better job of discounting these risks. Stated simply, we are finding more opportunities to pick up the bat and swing.
Sentiment can oscillate quickly, and opportunities can close swiftly. However, if current market conditions persist, expect your fund to pivot gently into riskier assets during the early part of 2019. In particular, we are interested in identifying:
(1) Secular growth stocks that suffered disproportionately in the fourth quarter but whose fundamental prospects remain as bright as ever.
(2) Cyclical stocks that have significantly lagged the market and now trade at valuation levels consistent with an imminent recession.
We will look to fund these ideas by selling lower-risk stocks that have held up well and have less compelling risk/reward profiles. Though this seems to have a top-down tone, rest assured that we continue to rely on our fundamentals-based research and bottom-up stock selection process to construct your portfolio. Your fund remains anchored by durable growth companies—those with the ability to increase revenues and earnings regardless of the economic environment. We think that, over the longer term, strong risk-adjusted returns most often arise from owning companies that are at the forefront of innovation and riding powerful, durable trends.
As always, we will continue to work diligently on your behalf. Thank you for your continued support and your confidence in T. Rowe Price.
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 STOCK INVESTING
The fund’s share price can fall because of weakness in the stock markets, an industry, or specific holdings. Stock markets can decline for many reasons, including adverse political or economic developments, changes in investor psychology, or heavy institutional selling. The prospects for an industry or company may deteriorate because of a variety of factors, including disappointing earnings or changes in the competitive environment. In addition, the investment manager’s assessment of companies held in a fund may prove incorrect, resulting in losses or poor performance even in rising markets.
RISKS OF GROWTH INVESTING
Growth stocks can be volatile for several reasons. Since these companies usually invest a high portion of earnings in their businesses, they may lack the dividends of value stocks that can cushion stock prices in a falling market. Also, earnings disappointments often lead to sharply falling prices because investors buy growth stocks in anticipation of superior earnings growth.
BENCHMARK INFORMATION
Note: Frank Russell Company (Russell) is the source and owner of the Russell index data contained or reflected in these materials and all trademarks and copyrights related thereto. Russell® is a registered trademark of Russell. Russell is not responsible for the formatting or configuration of these materials or for any inaccuracy in T. Rowe Price Associates’ presentation thereof.
GROWTH OF $10,000
This chart shows the value of a hypothetical $10,000 investment in the fund over the past 10 fiscal year periods or since inception (for funds lacking 10-year records). The result is compared with benchmarks, which include a broad-based market index and may also include a peer group average or index. Market indexes do not include expenses, which are deducted from fund returns as well as mutual fund averages and indexes.
AVERAGE ANNUAL COMPOUND TOTAL RETURN
EXPENSE RATIO
FUND EXPENSE EXAMPLE
As a mutual fund shareholder, you may incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, such as redemption fees or sales loads, and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution and service (12b-1) fees, and other fund expenses. The following example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the most recent six-month period and held for the entire period.
Please note that the fund has 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.
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.
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.
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
| NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
T. Rowe Price New America Growth Fund, Inc. (the fund) is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act) as a diversified, open-end management investment company. The fund seeks to provide long-term capital growth by investing primarily in the common stocks of growth companies. The fund has three classes of shares: the New America Growth Fund (Investor Class), the New America Growth Fund–Advisor Class (Advisor Class), and the New America Growth Fund–I Class (I Class). Advisor Class shares are sold only through unaffiliated brokers and other unaffiliated financial intermediaries. I Class shares generally are available only to investors meeting a $1,000,000 minimum investment, although the minimum is generally waived for certain client 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. Certain ratios in the accompanying Financial Highlights have been included to conform to the current year presentation.
Investment Transactions, Investment Income, and Distributions Investment transactions are accounted for on the trade date basis. Income and expenses are recorded on the accrual basis. Realized gains and losses are reported on the identified cost basis. Income tax-related interest and penalties, if incurred, are recorded as income tax expense. Dividends received from mutual fund investments are reflected as dividend income; capital gain distributions are reflected as realized gain/loss. Dividend income and capital gain distributions are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Distributions from REITs are initially recorded as dividend income and, to the extent such represent a return of capital or capital gain for tax purposes, are reclassified when such information becomes available. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income distributions, if any, are declared and paid by each class annually. A capital gain distribution may also be declared and paid by the fund annually.
Currency Translation Assets, including investments, and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollar values each day at the prevailing exchange rate, using the mean of the bid and asked prices of such currencies against U.S. dollars as quoted by a major bank. Purchases and sales of securities, income, and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing exchange rate on the respective date of such transaction. The effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on realized and unrealized security gains and losses is not bifurcated from the portion attributable to changes in market prices.
Class Accounting Shareholder servicing, prospectus, and shareholder report expenses incurred by each class are charged directly to the class to which they relate. Expenses common to all classes, investment income, and realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated to the classes based upon the relative daily net assets of each class. The Advisor Class pays Rule 12b-1 fees, in an amount not exceeding 0.25% of the class’s average daily net assets.
Rebates Subject to best execution, the fund may direct certain security trades to brokers who have agreed to rebate a portion of the related brokerage commission to the fund in cash. Commission rebates are reflected as realized gain on securities in the accompanying financial statements and totaled $3,000 for the year ended December 31, 2018.
New Accounting Guidance In March 2017, the FASB issued amended guidance to shorten the amortization period for certain callable debt securities held at a premium. The guidance is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Adoption will have no effect on the fund’s net assets or results of operations.
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 Equity securities listed or regularly traded on a securities exchange or in the over-the-counter (OTC) market are valued at the last quoted sale price or, for certain markets, the official closing price at the time the valuations are made. OTC Bulletin Board securities are valued at the mean of the closing bid and asked prices. A security that is listed or traded on more than one exchange is valued at the quotation on the exchange determined to be the primary market for such security. Listed securities not traded on a particular day are valued at the mean of the closing bid and asked prices. Actively traded equity securities listed on a domestic exchange generally are categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. OTC Bulletin Board securities, certain preferred securities, and equity securities traded in inactive markets generally are categorized in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
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. 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 an equity investment with limited market activity, such as a private placement or a thinly traded public company stock, 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, new rounds of financing, negotiated transactions of significant size between other investors in the company, relevant market valuations of peer companies, 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 market-based valuation multiples; a discount or premium from market value of a similar, freely traded security of the same issuer; 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 December 31, 2018 (for further detail by category, please refer to the accompanying Portfolio of Investments):
There were no material transfers between Levels 1 and 2 during the year ended December 31, 2018.
Following is a reconciliation of the fund’s Level 3 holdings for the year ended December 31, 2018. Gain (loss) reflects both realized and change in unrealized gain/loss on Level 3 holdings during the period, if any, and is included on the accompanying Statement of Operations. Transfers into and out of Level 3 are reflected at the value of the financial instrument at the beginning of the period. During the year, transfers out of Level 3 were because observable market data became available for the security.
NOTE 3 - DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS
During the year ended December 31, 2018, 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 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. As of December 31, 2018, the fund held no derivative instruments.
Additionally, during the year ended December 31, 2018, the fund recognized $6,187,000 of loss on equity derivatives, included in realized gain (loss) on Futures on the accompanying Statement of Operations.
Futures Contracts The fund is subject to equity price 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 rates, security prices, foreign currencies, and credit quality; 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 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 potential losses in excess of the fund’s initial investment. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the volume of the fund’s activity in futures, based on underlying notional amounts, was generally between 0% and 3% of net assets.
NOTE 4 - OTHER INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS
Other Purchases and sales of portfolio securities other than short-term securities aggregated $3,595,940,000 and $3,685,729,000, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2018.
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. Financial reporting records are adjusted for permanent book/tax differences to reflect tax character but are not adjusted for temporary differences.
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.
Reclassifications to paid-in capital relate primarily to a tax practice that treats a portion of the proceeds from each redemption of capital shares as a distribution of taxable net investment income or realized capital gain. For the year ended December 31, 2018, the following reclassifications were recorded to reflect tax character (there was no impact on results of operations or net assets):
Distributions during the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, were characterized for tax purposes as follows:
At December 31, 2018, the tax-basis cost of investments and components of net assets were as follows:
The difference between book-basis and tax-basis net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) is attributable to the deferral of losses from wash sales and the realization of gains/losses on passive foreign investment companies for tax purposes. 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. All or a portion of the capital loss carryforwards may be from losses realized between November 1 and the fund’s fiscal year-end, which are deferred for tax purposes until the subsequent year but 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 0.35% of the fund’s average daily net assets, and a group fee. The group fee rate is calculated based on the combined net assets of certain mutual funds sponsored by Price Associates (the group) applied to a graduated fee schedule, with rates ranging from 0.48% for the first $1 billion of assets to 0.265% for assets in excess of $650 billion. The fund’s group fee is determined by applying the group fee rate to the fund’s average daily net assets. At December 31, 2018, 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, 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 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 both: (1) the I Class limit in place at the time such amounts were paid; and (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. For the year ended December 31, 2018, expenses incurred pursuant to these service agreements were $79,000 for Price Associates; $1,050,000 for T. Rowe Price Services, Inc.; and $484,000 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.
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.
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 December 31, 2018, the aggregate value of purchases and sales cross trades with other funds or accounts advised by Price Associates was less than 1% of the fund’s net assets as of December 31, 2018.
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of
T. Rowe Price New America Growth Fund, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the portfolio of investments, of T. Rowe
Price New America Growth Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”) as of December 31, 2018, the related statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2018, the statement of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period ended December
31, 2018, 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 December 31, 2018, 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 December 31, 2018 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 December 31, 2018 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
February 15, 2019
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 12/31/18
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:
| ■ | $31,996,000 from short-term capital gains, |
| ■ | $501,102,000 from long-term capital gains, subject to a long-term capital gains tax of not greater than 20%. |
For taxable non-corporate shareholders, $38,297,000 of the fund’s income represents qualified dividend income subject to long-term capital gains tax rate of not greater than 20%.
For corporate shareholders, $38,297,000 of the fund’s income qualifies for the dividends-received deduction.
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://www3.troweprice.com/usis/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, the fund files a complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. Prior to March 1, 2019, the 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. The fund’s Forms N-PORT and N-Q are available electronically on the SEC’s website (sec.gov).
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 independent 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(b) (1959) 2018 [189] |
President, Radian Guaranty (2008 to 2017); Member, Bazemore Consulting LLC (2018 to present); Member, Chimera Investment Corporation (2017 to present); Member, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (2017 to present) | |
| Ronald J. Daniels(b) (1959) 2018 [189] |
President, The Johns Hopkins University(c) and Professor, Political Science Department, The Johns Hopkins University (2009 to present); Director, Lyndhurst Holdings (2015 to present) | |
| Bruce W. Duncan (1951) 2013 [189] |
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; Director, Boston Properties (May 2016 to present); Director, Marriott International, Inc. (September 2016 to present) | |
| Robert J. Gerrard, Jr. (1952) 2012 [189] |
Advisory Board Member, Pipeline Crisis/Winning Strategies, a collaborative working to improve opportunities for young African Americans (1997 to present); Chairman of the Board, all funds (since July 2018) | |
| Paul F. McBride (1956) 2013 [189] |
Advisory Board Member, Vizzia Technologies (2015 to present); Board Member, Dunbar Armored (2012 to present) | |
| Cecilia E. Rouse, Ph.D. (1963) 2012 [189] |
Dean, Woodrow Wilson School (2012 to present); Professor and Researcher, Princeton University (1992 to present); Member of National Academy of Education (2010 to present); Director, MDRC, a nonprofit education and social policy research organization (2011 to present); Research Associate of Labor Studies Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research (2011 to 2015); Board Member of the 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 2017); Vice President (2015 to 2016), American Economic Association | |
| John G. Schreiber (1946) 2001 [189] |
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, General Growth Properties, Inc. (2010 to 2013); 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 (2013 to present); Director, Hudson Pacific Properties (2014 to 2016) ); Director, Invitation Homes (2014 to present) | |
| Mark R. Tercek (1957) 2009 [189] |
President and Chief Executive Officer, The Nature Conservancy (2008 to present) | |
| (a)All information about the independent directors was current as of December 31, 2017, except for the information provided for Ms. Bazemore and Mr. Daniels, which is current as of January 1, 2018. | ||
| (b)Effective January 1, 2018, Ms. Bazemore and Mr. Daniels were elected as independent directors of the Price Funds. | ||
| (c)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 and is a member of the Johns Hopkins University Board’s Compensation Committee. | ||
| INSIDE DIRECTORS | ||
| 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 | |
| Edward C. Bernard** (1956) 2006 [0] |
Director and Vice President, T. Rowe Price; Vice Chairman of the Board, Director, and Vice President, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.; Chairman of the Board, Director, and Vice President, T. Rowe Price Investment Services, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Services, Inc.; Chairman of the Board and Director, T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc.; Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Director, and President, T. Rowe Price International and T. Rowe Price Trust Company; Chairman of the Board, all funds (2006 to July 2018) | |
| David Oestreicher (1967) 2018 [189] |
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, and T. Rowe Price International; Vice President, T. Rowe Price Japan and T. Rowe Price Singapore; Principal Executive Officer and Executive Vice President, all funds | |
| Robert W. Sharps, CFA, CPA (1971) 2017 [135] |
Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company; Vice President, New America Growth Fund | |
| *Each inside director serves until retirement, resignation, or election of a successor. | ||
| **Effective at the conclusion of a meeting of the Boards of the Price Funds held on July 25, 2018, Mr. Bernard resigned from his role as a director and chairman of the Boards of all the Price Funds. | ||
| OFFICERS | ||
| Name (Year of Birth) | ||
| Position Held With New America | ||
| Growth Fund | Principal Occupation(s) | |
| Ziad Bakri, M.D., CFA (1980) Vice President |
Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. | |
| Brian W.H. Berghuis, CFA (1958) 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. | |
| Eric L. DeVilbiss, CFA (1983) Vice President |
Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. | |
| Shawn T. Driscoll (1975) Vice President |
Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company | |
| 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 | |
| Paul J. Krug, CPA (1964) Vice President |
Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company | |
| Catherine D. Mathews (1963) Treasurer and Vice President |
Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company | |
| Ian C. McDonald (1971) Vice President |
Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. | |
| Curt J. Organt, CFA (1968) Vice President |
Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. | |
| John W. Ratzesberger (1975) Vice President |
Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company; formerly, North American Head of Listed Derivatives Operation, Morgan Stanley (to 2013) | |
| Shannon H. Rauser (1987) Assistant Secretary |
Employee, T. Rowe Price | |
| David L. Rowlett, CFA (1975) Vice President |
Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. | |
| Taymour R. Tamaddon, CFA (1976) Vice President |
Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. | |
| Craig A. Thiese (1975) Vice President |
Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. | |
| 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, JP Morgan Chase (to 2017) | |
| Thomas H. Watson (1977) Vice President |
Director and Vice President, T. Rowe Price Trust Company; Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. | |
| Justin P. White (1981) President |
Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. | |
| Unless otherwise noted, officers have been employees of T. Rowe Price or T. Rowe Price International for at least 5 years. | ||
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 $2,544,000 and $2,169,000, 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.
Not applicable.
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) During the period, the Price Funds’ accounting agent, The Bank of New York Mellon (BNYM), converted the fund’s books and records from a legacy fund accounting system / operating model to a BNYM fund accounting system / operating model.
Item 12. 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 New America Growth Fund, Inc.
| By | /s/ David Oestreicher | |||||
| David Oestreicher | ||||||
| Principal Executive Officer | ||||||
| Date | February 15, 2019 | |||||
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 | February 15, 2019 | |||||
| By | /s/ Catherine D. Mathews | |||||
| Catherine D. Mathews | ||||||
| Principal Financial Officer | ||||||
| Date | February 15, 2019 | |||||