497K 1 c497k.htm MS P5 121522
        
  

SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

   
    
  

FRANKLIN MUTUAL

FINANCIAL

SERVICES FUND

 
    
  

Franklin Mutual Series Funds

 
  

May 1, 2023

as amended, December 15, 2023

 
    
  

 
    
     
      
     

Class A

Class C

Class R

Class R6

Class Z

TFSIX

TMFSX

FMFVX

TEFAX

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 FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

The Board of Trustees of Franklin Mutual Series Funds recently approved a proposal to reorganize the Franklin Mutual Financial Services Fund (the “Fund”) with and into the Franklin Mutual Global Discovery Fund, each a series of Franklin Mutual Series Funds.

It is anticipated that in the first quarter of 2024, shareholders of the Fund will receive a proxy card and a Combined Prospectus/Proxy Statement requesting their votes on the reorganization. If approved by the Fund’s shareholders, the transaction is currently expected to be completed on or about April 26, 2024, but may be delayed if unforeseen circumstances arise.

Effective at the close of market (1:00 p.m. Pacific time or close of the New York Stock Exchange, whichever is earlier) on or about January 29, 2024, the Fund will be closed to all new investors except as noted below. Existing investors who had an open and funded account on January 29, 2024 can continue to invest in the Fund through exchanges and additional purchases after such date. The following categories of investors may continue to open new accounts in the Fund after the close of market on January 29, 2024: (1) clients of discretionary investment allocation programs where such programs had investments in the Fund prior to the close of market on January 29, 2024; and (2) Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans or benefit plans and their participants where the Fund was available to participants prior to the close of market on January 29, 2024. The Fund will not accept any additional purchases or exchanges after the close of market on or about April 24, 2024. The Fund reserves the right to change this policy at any time.

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.

   
 

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FRANKLIN MUTUAL FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND
SUMMARY 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 R6

 

Class Z

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

5.50%

 

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

         

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.

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

        

 

Class A

 

Class C

 

Class R6

 

Class Z

Management fees

0.88%

 

0.88%

 

0.88%

 

0.88%

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

0.25%

 

1.00%

 

None

 

None

Other expenses

0.18%

 

0.19%

 

0.20%

 

0.18%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

1.31%

 

2.07%

 

1.08%

 

1.06%

Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement1

None

 

None

 

-0.13%

 

None

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

1.31%

 

2.07%

 

0.95%

 

1.06%

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 0.03%. 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:

   
 

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FRANKLIN MUTUAL FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

          

 

 

 

1 Year

 

3 Years

 

5 Years

 

10 Years

Class A

 

$676

 

$943

 

$1,230

 

$2,043

Class C

 

$310

 

$649

 

$1,114

 

$2,206

Class R6

 

$97

 

$331

 

$584

 

$1,307

Class Z

 

$108

 

$337

 

$584

 

$1,293

If you do not sell your shares:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class C

 

$210

 

$649

 

$1,114

 

$2,206

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 31.16% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in securities of financial services 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 equity securities (securities trading at a discount to fundamental value). The equity securities in which the Fund invests are primarily common stock.

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 invests the equity portion of its portfolio substantially in mid- and large cap companies and may invest a significant portion of its equity portfolio in small-cap companies.

The Fund may invest in foreign securities without limit. 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 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.

   
 

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FRANKLIN MUTUAL FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

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.

Financial Services Companies The Fund concentrates its investments in companies operating in the financial services industry, which means that the Fund is less diversified than a fund investing in a broader range of industries, and is

   
 

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FRANKLIN MUTUAL FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

particularly sensitive to general market conditions and other risks of the financial services industry. These risks include the effects of: (1) changes in interest rates on the profitability of financial services companies; (2) the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults; (3) price competition; (4) governmental limitations on a company’s loans, other financial commitments and other operations; and (5) recent ongoing changes in the financial services industry (including consolidations, development of new products and changes to the industry’s regulatory framework). Some financial services companies have recently experienced significant losses in value and the possible recapitalization of such companies may present greater risks of loss. Insurance companies have additional risks, such as heavy price competition, claims activity and marketing competition, and can be particularly sensitive to specific events such as man-made and natural disasters (including weather catastrophes), widespread disease and pandemics, terrorism, mortality risks and morbidity rates.

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 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, and includes risks associated with: (i) internal and external political and economic developments – e.g., the political, economic and social policies and structures of some foreign countries may be less stable and more volatile than those in the U.S. or some foreign countries may be subject to trading restrictions or economic sanctions; (ii) trading practices – e.g., government supervision and regulation of foreign securities and currency markets, trading systems and brokers may be less than in the U.S.; (iii) availability of information – e.g., foreign issuers may not be subject to the same disclosure, accounting and financial reporting standards and practices as U.S. issuers; (iv) limited markets – e.g., the securities of certain foreign issuers may be less liquid (harder to sell) and more volatile; and (v) currency exchange rate fluctuations and policies. The risks of foreign investments may be greater in developing or emerging market countries.

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

   
 

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SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

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 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.

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

   
 

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FRANKLIN MUTUAL FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

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 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.

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

   
 

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FRANKLIN MUTUAL FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

contribute to the Fund’s long-term performance, there is no guarantee that such results will be achieved.

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 secondary index in the table below shows how the Fund's performance compares to a group of securities that also reflects the Fund's investment strategies.

   
 

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

Class A Annual Total Returns

PerformanceBarChartData(2013:25.32,2014:10.71,2015:8.05,2016:11.46,2017:13.55,2018:-16.72,2019:19.06,2020:-6.95,2021:23.7,2022:-4.99)

   

Best Quarter:

2020, Q4

27.40%

Worst Quarter:

2020, Q1

-37.20%

 

As of March 31, 2023, the Fund’s year-to-date return was -6.51%.

   
 

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FRANKLIN MUTUAL FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

Average Annual Total Returns

(figures reflect sales charges)

For periods ended December 31, 2022

           

 

 

1 Year

 

5 Years

 

10 Years

 

Since Inception

 

Franklin Mutual Financial Services Fund - Class A

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

-10.22%

 

0.49%

 

6.87%

 

 

 

Return after taxes on distributions

 

-10.56%

 

0.09%

 

6.50%

 

 

 

Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares

 

-5.63%

 

0.39%

 

5.56%

 

 

Franklin Mutual Financial Services Fund - Class C

 

-6.64%

 

0.86%

 

6.69%

 

 

Franklin Mutual Financial Services Fund - Class R6

 

-4.66%

 

2.00%

 

 

7.17%

1

Franklin Mutual Financial Services Fund - Class Z

 

-4.76%

 

1.88%

 

7.76%

 

 

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

 

-10.19%

 

3.07%

 

7.38%

 

 

S&P Financials Index (index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

 

-10.53%

 

6.42%

 

12.16%

 

 

           

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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FRANKLIN MUTUAL FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

Portfolio Managers

Andrew Dinnhaupt, CFA
Portfolio Manager of Franklin Mutual and portfolio manager of the Fund since 2014.

Luis Hernandez
Portfolio Manager of Franklin Mutual and portfolio manager of the Fund since 2019.

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 and C, 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 Financial Services Fund

  
  

Investment Company Act file #811-05387

© 2023 Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved.

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