SUMMARY PROSPECTUS | |||||||
FRANKLIN FOCUSED GROWTH FUND | |||||||
Franklin Custodian Funds | |||||||
February 1, 2023 | |||||||
Class A | Class C | Class R | Class R6 | Advisor Class |
FFQBX | FFQCX | FFQRX | FFQSX | FFQZX |
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s prospectus, statement of additional information, reports to shareholders and other information about the Fund online at www.franklintempleton.com/prospectus. You can also get this information at no cost by calling (800) DIAL BEN/342-5236 or by sending an e-mail request to prospectus@franklintempleton.com. The Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated February 1, 2023, as may be supplemented, are all incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.
FRANKLIN
FOCUSED GROWTH FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
I. Proposed Conversion of Fund to ETF
At a meeting held on December 14-15, 2022, the Board of Trustees of the Franklin Custodian Funds approved the reorganization of the Franklin Focused Growth Fund (the “Mutual Fund”) into the Franklin Focused Growth ETF (the “ETF”), a newly-organized series of the Franklin Templeton ETF Trust, pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization.
If the Agreement and Plan of Reorganization is approved by the shareholders of the Mutual Fund, the reorganization of the Mutual Fund would consist of (1) the transfer of substantially all of the Mutual Fund’s assets, subject to its liabilities, to the ETF for shares of the ETF; and (2) the distribution of the ETF shares to the Mutual Fund’s shareholders in complete liquidation of the Mutual Fund. The new ETF will be managed in a substantially similar manner as the Mutual Fund, and the ETF’s investment objective, principal investment strategies, investment adviser and portfolio management team will be the same as that of the corresponding Mutual Fund, except that the ETF, unlike the Mutual Fund, will be a non-diversified fund (within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940) which means that it will generally invest a greater proportion of its assets in the securities of one or more issuers and will invest overall in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.
A notice of a special meeting of shareholders and a proxy statement/prospectus seeking shareholder approval for the Agreement and Plan of Reorganization and containing information about the ETF, reasons for the proposed reorganization and potential benefits to the Mutual Fund’s shareholders, will be sent to the shareholders of the Mutual Fund in the second calendar quarter of 2023.
If the reorganization is approved by the Mutual Fund’s shareholders, each class of shares of the Mutual Fund, other than Advisor Class shares, will then be converted into Advisor Class shares (without a contingent deferred sales charge or other charge) prior to the reorganization. After such conversion, any fractional shares held by shareholders will be redeemed, and the Mutual Fund will distribute the redemption proceeds to those shareholders. The distribution of redemption proceeds to shareholders may be a taxable event and those shareholders are encouraged to consult their tax advisors to determine the effect of any such redemption.
In addition, shareholders who do not currently have a brokerage account will need to open a brokerage account prior to the closing of the reorganization to receive and hold the ETF shares distributed in the reorganization (or alternatively the shares will be held in a default trustee account on behalf of the shareholder).
Upon the closing of the reorganization of the Mutual Fund, each shareholder of the Mutual Fund will receive shares of the ETF having the same aggregate net asset
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FRANKLIN
FOCUSED GROWTH FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
value as the shares of the Mutual Fund they held on the date of the reorganization and become a shareholder of the ETF. It is anticipated that the reorganization will qualify as a tax-free reorganization for federal income tax purposes and that shareholders will not recognize any gain or loss in connection with the reorganization, except to the extent that they receive cash in connection with the redemption of any fractional shares prior to the reorganization. If approved by the shareholders of the Mutual Fund, it is anticipated that the reorganization of the Mutual Fund would occur in the fourth quarter of 2023.
II. Waivers of Sales Charges
Effective March 1, 2023, any front-end sales charges applicable to the purchase of Mutual Fund shares or contingent deferred sales charges applicable to the redemption of Mutual Fund shares will be waived.
Investment Goal
Capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
These tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts in Class A if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in Franklin Templeton funds and certain other funds distributed through Franklin Distributors, LLC, the Fund’s distributor. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and under “Your Account” on page 166 in the Fund’s Prospectus and under “Buying and Selling Shares” on page 88 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. In addition, more information about sales charge discounts and waivers for purchases of shares through specific financial intermediaries is set forth in Appendix A – “Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers” to the Fund’s prospectus.
Please note that the tables and examples below do not reflect any transaction fees that may be charged by financial intermediaries, or commissions that a shareholder may be required to pay directly to its financial intermediary when buying or selling Class R6 or Advisor Class shares.
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FRANKLIN
FOCUSED GROWTH FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
Shareholder Fees1
(fees paid directly from your investment)
| Class A |
| Class C |
| Class R |
| Class R6 |
| Advisor
| |
Maximum Sales Charge
(Load) | 5.50% |
| None |
| None |
| None |
| None | |
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge | None | 2 | 1.00% |
| None |
| None |
| None | |
1. | Effective March 1, 2023, all front-end sales charges (sales charges imposed on purchases) and deferred sales charges will be waived in anticipation of the Fund's reorganization into an ETF as described above. | |||||||||
2. | There is a 1% contingent deferred sales charge that applies to investments of $1 Million or more (see "Investment of $1 Million or More" under "Choosing a Share Class") and purchases by certain retirement plans without an initial sales charge on shares sold within 18 months of purchase. |
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
| Class A |
| Class C |
| Class R |
| Class R6 |
| Advisor
|
Management fees | 0.70% |
| 0.70% |
| 0.70% |
| 0.70% |
| 0.70% |
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees | 0.25% |
| 1.00% |
| 0.50% |
| None |
| None |
Other expenses | 0.42% |
| 0.42% |
| 0.41% |
| 0.28% |
| 0.42% |
Total annual Fund operating expenses | 1.37% |
| 2.12% |
| 1.61% |
| 0.98% |
| 1.12% |
Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement1 | -0.27% |
| -0.27% |
| -0.26% |
| -0.16% |
| -0.27% |
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement1,2 | 1.10% |
| 1.85% |
| 1.35% |
| 0.82% |
| 0.85% |
1. The transfer agent has contractually agreed to cap transfer agency fees for Class R6 shares of the Fund so that the transfer agency fees for that class do not exceed 0.03% until January 31, 2024. During the term, this fee waiver and expense reimbursement agreement may not be terminated or amended without approval of the board of trustees except to add series and classes, to reflect the extension of termination dates or to lower the cap on Fund’s fees and expenses (which would result in lower fees for shareholders).
2. The investment manager has contractually agreed to waive or assume certain expenses so that total annual Fund operating expenses (excluding Rule 12b-1 fees, acquired fund fees and expenses and certain nonroutine expenses) for each class of the Fund do not exceed 0.85% until January 31, 2024. During the term, this fee waiver and expense reimbursement agreement may not be terminated or amended without approval of the board of trustees except to add series and classes, to reflect the extension of termination dates or to lower the cap on the Fund’s fees and expenses (which would result in lower fees for shareholders).
Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of the period. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. The Example reflects adjustments made to the Fund's operating expenses due to the fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements by management
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FRANKLIN
FOCUSED GROWTH FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
for the 1 Year numbers only. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
|
|
| 1 Year |
| 3 Years |
| 5 Years |
| 10 Years |
Class A |
| $656 |
| $935 |
| $1,234 |
| $2,084 | |
Class C |
| $288 |
| $638 |
| $1,115 |
| $2,241 | |
Class R |
| $137 |
| $482 |
| $851 |
| $1,888 | |
Class R6 |
| $84 |
| $296 |
| $526 |
| $1,187 | |
Advisor Class |
| $87 |
| $330 |
| $591 |
| $1,338 | |
If you do not sell your shares: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||
Class C |
| $188 |
| $638 |
| $1,115 |
| $2,241 |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 39.93% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests predominantly in equity securities of companies that the investment manager believes offer compelling growth opportunities. In selecting securities, the investment manager considers many factors, including historical and potential growth in revenues and earnings, assessment of strength and quality of management, and determination of a company’s strategic positioning in its industry.
The equity securities in which the Fund invests are predominantly common stock. The Fund may invest in companies of any size, including small and medium capitalization companies. In addition to the Fund’s main investments, the Fund may invest a portion (up to 25%) of its net assets in foreign equity securities, including those located in emerging markets.
The Fund generally seeks to maintain a portfolio consisting of securities of approximately 20-50 companies. Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on economic conditions, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.
The investment manager is a research-driven, “bottom-up” fundamental investor. The investment manager’s investment approach for the Fund focuses on identifying
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FRANKLIN
FOCUSED GROWTH FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
companies that offer, in its opinion, a compelling trade-off between growth opportunity, business and financial risk and valuation. Key valuation metrics include discounted-cash-flow, absolute and relative price-to-earnings, enterprise value, and sum of the parts, among others.
Principal Risks
You could lose money by investing in the Fund. Mutual fund shares are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank, and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or any other agency of the U.S. government.
Market The market values of securities or other investments owned by the Fund will go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. The market value of a security or other investment may be reduced by market activity or other results of supply and demand unrelated to the issuer. This is a basic risk associated with all investments. When there are more sellers than buyers, prices tend to fall. Likewise, when there are more buyers than sellers, prices tend to rise.
The global outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, has resulted in market closures and dislocations, extreme volatility, liquidity constraints and increased trading costs. Efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 have resulted in global travel restrictions and disruptions of healthcare systems, business operations and supply chains, layoffs, volatility in consumer demand for certain products, defaults and credit ratings downgrades, and other significant economic impacts. The effects of COVID-19 have impacted global economic activity across many industries and may heighten other pre-existing political, social and economic risks, locally or globally. The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is unpredictable and may adversely affect the Fund’s performance.
Stock prices tend to go up and down more dramatically than those of debt securities. A slower-growth or recessionary economic environment could have an adverse effect on the prices of the various stocks held by the Fund.
Focus To the extent that the Fund focuses on particular countries, regions, industries, sectors or types of investment from time to time, the Fund may be subject to greater risks of adverse developments in such areas of focus than a fund that invests in a wider variety of countries, regions, industries, sectors or investments.
Growth Style Investing Growth stock prices reflect projections of future earnings or revenues, and can, therefore, fall dramatically if the company fails to meet those projections. Prices of these companies’ securities may be more volatile than other securities, particularly over the short term. In addition, investment styles can go in
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FRANKLIN
FOCUSED GROWTH FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
and out of favor, which could cause additional volatility in the prices of the Fund’s portfolio holdings.
Management The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. The Fund's investment manager applies investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results.
Small and Mid Capitalization Companies Securities issued by small and mid capitalization companies may be more volatile in price than those of larger companies and may involve additional risks. Such risks may include greater sensitivity to economic conditions, less certain growth prospects, lack of depth of management and funds for growth and development, and limited or less developed product lines and markets. In addition, small and mid capitalization companies may be particularly affected by interest rate increases, as they may find it more difficult to borrow money to continue or expand operations, or may have difficulty in repaying any loans.
Foreign Securities (non-U.S.) Investing in foreign securities typically involves more risks than investing in U.S. securities, including risks related to currency exchange rates and policies, country or government specific issues, less favorable trading practices or regulation and greater price volatility. Certain of these risks also may apply to securities of U.S. companies with significant foreign operations. The risks of investing in foreign securities are typically greater in less developed or emerging market countries.
Cybersecurity Cybersecurity incidents, both intentional and unintentional, may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets, Fund or customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, cause the Fund, the investment manager and/or their service providers (including, but not limited to, Fund accountants, custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality or prevent Fund investors from purchasing, redeeming or exchanging shares or receiving distributions. The investment manager has limited ability to prevent or mitigate cybersecurity incidents affecting third party service providers, and such third party service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to the Fund or investment manager. Cybersecurity incidents may result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders, and substantial costs may be incurred in an effort to prevent or mitigate future cybersecurity incidents. Issuers of securities in which the Fund invests are also subject to cybersecurity risks, and the value of these securities could decline if the issuers experience cybersecurity incidents.
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FRANKLIN
FOCUSED GROWTH FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
Because technology is frequently changing, new ways to carry out cyber attacks are always developing. Therefore, there is a chance that some risks have not been identified or prepared for, or that an attack may not be detected, which puts limitations on the Fund's ability to plan for or respond to a cyber attack. Like other funds and business enterprises, the Fund, the investment manager and their service providers are subject to the risk of cyber incidents occurring from time to time.
Performance
The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the Fund's performance from year to year for Advisor Class shares. The table shows how the Fund's average annual returns for 1 year, 5 years, 10 years or since inception, as applicable, compared with those of a broad measure of market performance. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. You can obtain updated performance information at franklintempleton.com or by calling (800) DIAL BEN/342-5236.
Advisor Class Annual Total Returns
Best Quarter: | 2020, Q2 | 32.09% |
Worst Quarter: | 2022, Q2 | -25.01% |
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FRANKLIN
FOCUSED GROWTH FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
Average Annual Total Returns
For periods ended December 31, 2022
|
| 1 Year |
| 5 Years |
| Since Inception |
| |
Franklin Focused Growth Fund - Advisor Class |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Return before taxes |
| -39.63% |
| 8.27% |
| 11.72% | 1 |
| Return after taxes on distributions |
| -39.63% |
| 7.87% |
| 11.40% | 1 |
| Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares |
| -23.46% |
| 6.52% |
| 9.51% | 1 |
Franklin Focused Growth Fund - Class A |
| -43.11% |
| 6.77% |
| 10.49% | 1 | |
Franklin Focused Growth Fund - Class C |
| -40.84% |
| 7.19% |
| 10.61% | 1 | |
Franklin Focused Growth Fund - Class R |
| -39.96% |
| 7.75% |
| 11.18% | 1 | |
Franklin Focused Growth Fund - Class R6 |
| -39.65% |
| — |
| -0.86% | 2 | |
Russell 1000 Growth Index (index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
| -29.14% |
| 10.96% |
| 13.21% | 1 | |
1. | Since inception April 13, 2016. | |||||||
2. | Since inception February 14, 2020. |
Historical performance for Class A, Class C and Class R shares prior to their inception is based on the performance of Advisor Class shares. Class A, Class C and Class R shares' performance has been adjusted to reflect differences in sales charges and 12b-1 expenses between classes.
The after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown only for Advisor Class and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.
Investment Manager
Franklin Advisers, Inc. (Advisers)
Portfolio Manager
Matthew J. Moberg, CPA
Senior Vice President
of Advisers and portfolio manager of the Fund since inception (2016).
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or redeem shares of the Fund on any business day online through our website at franklintempleton.com, by mail (Franklin Templeton Investor Services, P.O. Box 997151, Sacramento, CA 95899-7151), or by telephone at
franklintempleton.com | Summary Prospectus | 9 |
FRANKLIN
FOCUSED GROWTH FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
(800) 632-2301. For Class A, C and R, the minimum initial purchase for most accounts is $1,000 (or $25 under an automatic investment plan). Class R6 and Advisor Class are only available to certain qualified investors and the minimum initial investment will vary depending on the type of qualified investor, as described under "Your Account — Choosing a Share Class — Qualified Investors — Class R6" and "— Advisor Class" in the Fund's prospectus. There is no minimum investment for subsequent purchases.
Taxes
The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case your distributions would generally be taxed when withdrawn from the tax-advantaged account.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
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FOCUSED GROWTH FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
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FOCUSED GROWTH FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
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Franklin Distributors, LLC One Franklin Parkway San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 franklintempleton.com Franklin Focused Growth Fund | |
Investment Company Act file #811-00537 © 2023 Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved.
| 961 PSUM 02/23 |