497K 1 c497k.htm MS P1 0523
        
  

SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

   
    
  

FRANKLIN MUTUAL

QUEST FUND

 
    
  

Franklin Mutual Series Funds

 
  

May 1, 2023

as amended May 25, 2023

 
    
  

 
    
     
      
     

Class A

Class C

Class R

Class R6

Class Z

TEQIX

TEMQX

FMQSX

FMQRX

MQIFX

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 May 1, 2023, as may be supplemented, are all incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.


FRANKLIN MUTUAL QUEST FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

Investment Goal

Capital appreciation, which may occasionally be short term. The secondary goal is income.

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 139 in the Fund’s Prospectus and under “Buying and Selling Shares” on page 81 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 Class Z shares.

Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)

           

 

Class A

 

Class C

 

Class R

 

Class R6

 

Class Z

Maximum Sales Charge (Load)
Imposed on Purchases (as percentage of offering price)

5.50%

 

None

 

None

 

None

 

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge
(Load) (as percentage of the lower of original purchase price or sale proceeds)

None

1 

1.00%

 

None

 

None

 

None

           

1.

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.

   
 

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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

 

Class Z

Management fees

0.68%

 

0.68%

 

0.68%

 

0.68%

 

0.68%

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

0.25%

 

1.00%

 

0.50%

 

None

 

None

Other expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other expenses of the Fund

0.08%

 

0.08%

 

0.07%

 

0.06%

 

0.08%

Dividend expense and security borrowing
fees for securities sold short

0.02%

 

0.02%

 

0.02%

 

0.02%

 

0.02%

Total other expenses

0.10%

 

0.10%

 

0.09%

 

0.08%

 

0.10%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

1.03%

 

1.78%

 

1.27%

 

0.76%

 

0.78%

Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement1

None

 

None

 

None

 

-0.04%

 

None

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

1.03%

 

1.78%

 

1.27%

 

0.72%

 

0.78%

1 The investment manager has agreed to reduce its fees to reflect reduced services resulting from the Fund’s investments in Franklin Templeton affiliated funds. In addition, the transfer agent has agreed to limit its fees on Class R6 shares of the Fund so that transfer agency fees for that class do not exceed 0.02%. These arrangements are expected to continue until April 30, 2024. During the terms, the fee waiver and expense reimbursement agreements may not be terminated or amended without approval of the board of trustees except to add series or classes, to reflect the extension of termination dates or to lower the waiver and expense limitation (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 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

 

$649

 

$859

 

$1,087

 

$1,740

Class C

 

$281

 

$561

 

$965

 

$1,898

Class R

 

$129

 

$402

 

$696

 

$1,532

Class R6

 

$74

 

$239

 

$419

 

$940

Class Z

 

$80

 

$250

 

$434

 

$967

If you do not sell your shares:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class C

 

$181

 

$561

 

$965

 

$1,898

   
 

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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 101.19% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests substantially to primarily in equity securities (including securities convertible into, or that the investment manager expects to be exchanged for, common or preferred stock) of U.S. and foreign companies that the investment manager believes are available at market prices less than their value based on certain recognized or objective criteria (fundamental value). Following this value-oriented strategy, the Fund invests primarily in undervalued securities (securities trading at a discount to fundamental value). The equity securities in which the Fund invests are primarily common stock. To a lesser extent, the Fund also invests in merger arbitrage securities and the debt and equity of distressed companies.

The Fund is not limited to pre-set maximums or minimums governing the size of the companies in which it may invest. However, the Fund currently invests the equity portion of its portfolio primarily to predominantly in mid- and large cap companies, with the remaining portion of its equity portfolio in smaller companies. While the Fund does not concentrate in any one industry, from time to time, based on economic conditions, it may make significant investments in certain sectors.

The Fund regularly attempts to hedge (protect) against currency risks, largely using currency forward contracts and currency futures contracts (including currency index futures contracts) when, in the investment manager’s opinion, it would be advantageous to the Fund to do so. The Fund may also, from time to time, attempt to hedge against market risk using a variety of derivatives.

The Fund may invest substantially and potentially up to 100% of its assets in foreign securities and participations in foreign government debt. Although the investment manager will search for investments across a large number of countries and regions, from time to time, based on economic conditions, the Fund may have significant positions in particular countries or regions.

The Fund may, at times, maintain a large position in cash and cash equivalents (including money market funds).

   
 

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Portfolio Selection

The investment manager employs a research driven, fundamental value strategy for the Fund. Investments are generally selected based on the investment manager's own analysis of the security's fundamental value, including for equity securities, an analysis of cash flow potential, long-term earnings, multiples of earnings, book value, and fundamental analysis, including environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations. The investment manager examines each investment separately and there are no set criteria as to specific value parameters, asset size, earnings or industry type. The investment manager does not assess every investment for ESG factors and, when it does, not every ESG factor may be identified or evaluated. For example, the investment manager’s assessment of investments in special situations investments, notably merger arbitrage and distressed debt, generally does not include analysis of ESG factors.

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 and its subsequent variants, has resulted in market closures and dislocations, extreme volatility, liquidity constraints and increased trading costs. The long-term impact on economies, markets, industries and individual issuers, is not known. Some sectors of the economy and individual issuers have experienced or may experience particularly large losses. Periods of extreme volatility in the financial markets; reduced liquidity of many instruments; and disruptions to supply chains, consumer demand and employee availability, may continue for some time.

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.

Value Style Investing  A value stock may not increase in price as anticipated by the investment manager if other investors fail to recognize the company's value and bid up the price, the markets favor faster-growing companies, or the factors that the

   
 

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FRANKLIN MUTUAL QUEST FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

investment manager believes will increase the price of the security do not occur or do not have the anticipated effect.

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.

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.

Regional Focus Because the Fund may invest at least a significant portion of its assets in companies in a specific region, including Europe, the Fund is subject to greater risks of adverse developments in that region and/or the surrounding regions than a fund that is more broadly diversified geographically. Political, social or economic disruptions in the region, even in countries in which the Fund is not invested, may adversely affect the value of investments held by the Fund. Current uncertainty concerning the economic consequences of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 may increase market volatility.

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.

Derivative Instruments The performance of derivative instruments depends largely on the performance of an underlying instrument, such as a currency, security, interest rate or index, and such derivatives often have risks similar to the underlying instrument, in addition to other risks. Derivatives involve costs and can create economic leverage in the Fund’s portfolio which may result in significant volatility and cause the Fund to participate in losses (as well as gains) in an amount that significantly exceeds the Fund’s initial investment. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. Other

   
 

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risks include illiquidity, mispricing or improper valuation of the derivative, and imperfect correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying instrument so that the Fund may not realize the intended benefits. Their successful use will usually depend on the investment manager’s ability to accurately forecast movements in the market relating to the underlying instrument. Should a market or markets, or prices of particular classes of investments move in an unexpected manner, especially in unusual or extreme market conditions, the Fund may not achieve the anticipated benefits of the transaction, and it may realize losses, which could be significant. If the investment manager is not successful in using such derivative instruments, the Fund’s performance may be worse than if the investment manager did not use such derivatives at all. When a derivative is used for hedging, the change in value of the derivative may also not correlate specifically with the currency, security, interest rate, index or other risk being hedged. Derivatives also may present the risk that the other party to the transaction will fail to perform. There is also the risk, especially under extreme market conditions, that a derivative, which usually would operate as a hedge, provides no hedging benefits at all.

Merger Arbitrage Securities and Distressed Companies A merger or other restructuring, or a tender or exchange offer, proposed or pending at the time the Fund invests in merger arbitrage securities may not be completed on the terms or within the time frame contemplated, which may result in losses to the Fund. Debt obligations of distressed companies typically are unrated, lower-rated, in default or close to default and are generally more likely to become worthless than the securities of more financially stable companies.

Liquidity From time to time, the trading market for a particular security or type of security or other investments in which the Fund invests may become less liquid or even illiquid. Reduced liquidity will have an adverse impact on the Fund’s ability to sell such securities or other investments when necessary to meet the Fund’s liquidity needs, which may arise or increase in response to a specific economic event or because the investment manager wishes to purchase particular investments or believes that a higher level of liquidity would be advantageous. Reduced liquidity will also generally lower the value of such securities or other investments. Market prices for such securities or other investments may be relatively volatile.

LIBOR Transition The Fund invests in financial instruments that may have floating or variable rate calculations for payment obligations or financing terms based on the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), which is the benchmark interest rate at which major global banks lent to one another in the international interbank market for short-term loans. In 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority announced its intention to cease compelling banks to provide the quotations

   
 

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needed to sustain LIBOR after 2021. Although many LIBOR rates were phased out at the end of 2021 as originally intended, a selection of widely used USD LIBOR rates will continue to be published until June 2023 in order to assist with the transition to an alternative rate. Actions by regulators have resulted in the establishment of alternative reference rates to LIBOR in most major currencies. There can be no guarantee that financial instruments that transition to an alternative reference rate will retain the same value or liquidity as they would otherwise have had.

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.

Portfolio Turnover The investment manager will sell a security or enter or close out of a derivative position when it believes it is appropriate to do so, regardless of how long the Fund has held the security. The Fund's portfolio turnover rate may exceed 100% per year because of the anticipated use of certain investment strategies. The rate of portfolio turnover will not be a limiting factor for the investment manager in making decisions on when to buy or sell securities. High turnover will increase the Fund's transaction costs and may increase your tax liability if the transactions result in capital gains.

ESG Considerations ESG considerations are one of a number of factors that the investment manager examines when considering investments for the Fund’s portfolio. In light of this, the issuers in which the Fund invests may not be considered ESG-focused companies. In addition, ESG considerations assessed as part of the Fund’s investment process may vary across types of eligible investments and issuers. The investment manager does not assess every investment for ESG factors and, when it does, not every ESG factor may be identified or evaluated. The investment manager’s assessment of an issuer may differ from that of investors, third-party service providers, such as ratings providers, and other funds. As a result, securities selected by the investment manager may not reflect the beliefs and values of any particular investor. The investment manager also may be dependent on the availability of timely, complete and accurate ESG data being reported by issuers and/or third-party research providers to evaluate ESG factors. ESG factors are often not uniformly measured or defined, which could impact the investment manager’s ability to assess an issuer. While the investment manager views ESG considerations as having the potential to contribute to the Fund’s long-term performance, there is no guarantee that such results will be achieved.

   
 

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SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

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 the 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.

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 Class A 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.

The indices in the table below shows how the Fund’s performance compares to groups of securities that align with a portion of the Fund’s portfolio and a blended benchmark that reflects the allocations of the Fund’s portfolio.

Sales charges are not reflected in the bar chart, and if those charges were included, returns would be less than those shown.

   
 

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Class A Annual Total Returns

Total return information is based on net asset values calculated for shareholder transactions. Certain adjustments were made to the net assets of the Fund on December 31, 2017 for financial reporting purposes, and as a result, the calendar year 2018 total returns based on those net asset values differ from the adjusted total returns reported in the Financial Highlights.

PerformanceBarChartData(2013:25.61,2014:3.11,2015:-5.85,2016:16.04,2017:6.54,2018:-7.36,2019:12.14,2020:-2.12,2021:11.26,2022:-7.16)

   

Best Quarter:

2020, Q4

13.07%

Worst Quarter:

2020, Q1

-22.69%

 

As of March 31, 2023, the Fund’s year-to-date return was -0.71%.

   
 

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Average Annual Total Returns

(figures reflect sales charges)

For periods ended December 31, 2022

           

 

 

1 Year

 

5 Years

 

10 Years

 

Since Inception

 

Franklin Mutual Quest Fund - Class A

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

-12.28%

 

-0.15%

 

4.15%

 

 

 

Return after taxes on distributions

 

-13.26%

 

-1.60%

 

1.86%

 

 

 

Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares

 

-7.00%

 

-0.44%

 

2.53%

 

 

Franklin Mutual Quest Fund - Class C

 

-8.78%

 

0.23%

 

3.98%

 

 

Franklin Mutual Quest Fund - Class R

 

-7.44%

 

0.73%

 

4.50%

 

 

Franklin Mutual Quest Fund - Class R6

 

-6.88%

 

1.31%

 

 

4.26%

1

Franklin Mutual Quest Fund - Class Z

 

-6.86%

 

1.25%

 

5.03%

 

 

Blended 70% MSCI World Value-NR + 30% Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Index (index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes but, for the 70% MSCI World Value-NR, are net of dividend tax withholding)

 

-7.82%

 

3.73%

 

6.38%

 

 

MSCI World Value Index-NR (index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes but are net of dividend tax withholding)

 

-6.52%

 

4.12%

 

7.24%

 

 

Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield Index (index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

 

-11.19%

 

2.31%

 

4.03%

 

 

           

1.

Since inception May 1, 2013.

  

No one index is representative of the Fund's portfolio.

The figures in the average annual total returns table above reflect the Class A shares maximum front-end sales charge of 5.50%. Prior to September 10, 2018, Class A shares were subject to a maximum front-end sales charge of 5.75%. If the prior maximum front-end sales charge of 5.75% was reflected, performance for Class A shares in the average annual total returns table would be lower.

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 Class A and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Investment Manager

Franklin Mutual Advisers, LLC (Franklin Mutual)

   
 

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Portfolio Managers

Keith Luh, CFA
Senior Vice President of Franklin Mutual and portfolio manager of the Fund since 2010.

Andrew Dinnhaupt, CFA
Portfolio Manager of Franklin Mutual and portfolio manager of the Fund since 2020.

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 33030, St. Petersburg, FL 33733-8030) or by telephone at (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 Class Z 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 "— Class Z" 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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Franklin Distributors, LLC

One Franklin Parkway

San Mateo, CA 94403-1906

franklintempleton.com

Franklin Mutual Quest Fund

  
  

Investment Company Act file #811-05387

© 2023 Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved.

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