T. Rowe Price Equity Index 500 Fund is likely to concern sustainability-focused investors given certain substandard ESG attributes.
T. Rowe Price Equity Index 500 Fund's holdings are exposed to average levels of ESG risk relative to those of its peers in the US Equity Large Cap Blend category, thus earning it an average Morningstar Sustainability Rating of 3 globes. Competing funds in the category with ratings of 4 or 5 globes have less ESG risk in their holdings. Unlike impact, which measures positive environmental and societal outcomes attributable to an investment, ESG risk reflects the degree to which investments could be affected by material ESG issues like climate change and inequalities.
T. Rowe Price Equity Index 500 Fund has a Carbon Risk Score of 7.51, indicating portfolio companies face low carbon-related risks in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
One potential issue for a sustainability-focused investor is that T. Rowe Price Equity Index 500 Fund doesn’t have an ESG-focused mandate. A fund with an ESG-focused mandate would have a higher probability to drive positive ESG outcomes. The fund's current involvement in fossil fuels reaches 9.19%, surpassing 7.77% for its average category peer. Companies are considered involved in fossil fuels if they derive some revenue from thermal coal, oil, and gas. The fund has relatively high exposure (10.04%) to companies with high or severe controversies. From bribery and corruption to workplace discrimination and environmental incidents, controversies are incidents that may negatively affect stakeholders, the environment, or the company’s operations.