Tuesday 9 July 2013

Franklin India Prima Fund-Growing Steadily-VRK100-09Jul2013



Franklin India Prima Fund is an open-ended equity mutual fund investing predominantly in mid-cap and small-cap stocks. The primary objective of the fund is capital appreciation in the medium to long term and the secondary objective is income. The fund has been delivering superior returns in the past four years, though it disappointed the investors with lackluster performance between 2006 and 2008. Investors with a time horizon of three to five years can consider investing in the growth option of the fund.
   
Top Five Constituents in the Fund:

Top Five Stocks
Weight % #

Top Five Sectors
Weight % #
IndusInd Bank
5.95

Finance
27.83
Pidilite Industries
5.95

Pharma/Healthcare
12.60
IPCA Laboratories
4.85

Engineering
11.35
Yes Bank
4.14

Chemicals
11.09
Federal Bank
4.07

Services
  4.90

 # Weight of the company/sector in the Fund as on 31May2013

Returns Performance:


NAV
AAUM
Return %

Rs
Rs crore
2009
   2010
2011
2012
2013 *
Franklin India Prima Fund
317.98
   773
107.5
19.1
 -22.1
 44.4
 -3.8
CNX 500 (NSE) return
     -
      -
  88.6
       14.1
 -27.2
 31.8
 -5.1
Nifty (NSE) return
     -
      -
  75.8
17.9
 -24.6
 27.7
 -1.6

        * Year-to-date till 8July2013; NAV-net asset value as on 8Jul2013 for the growth option and AAUM-average assets under management as on 30Jun2013.

Quick Facts:

Franklin India Prima fund’s exposure to large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap stocks is 12%, 65% and 23% respectively as on 31 May 2013. The expense ratio is 2.51% and the same is 1.87% for the Direct Plan. Direct Plans have lower expense ratio as compared to Regular plans. The fund holds a total number of 47 stocks in the portfolio. The cash holding of the fund is 8.25% as on 31 May 2013.

There is no entry load for the fund, but the exit load is 1% if investors redeem the units within one year of investment. The benchmark indices are CNX 500 and CNX Midcap.

Some of the comparable mid-cap equity funds are HDFC Mid Cap Opportunities, IDFC Premier Equity, Reliance Equity Opportunities, and Religare Invesco Mid Cap.

The Case for Investment in the Fund:

Franklin India Prima fund selects stocks based on the fundamental value of growth-oriented companies. As can be seen from the above table, the fund has delivered superior returns as compared to its index, as well as Nifty. In the last one year, the fund has delivered a return of 17.5% in the last one year, versus the Nifty return of 9.3%.

The fund is suitable for investors who can take moderate risk in their investment portfolio. Investors need to be aware of the fact that equity mutual funds are risky and are susceptible to market fluctuations. Moreover, mid-cap oriented fund are, in general, more risky than large-cap oriented funds.  

The fund’s portfolio is skewed toward private-sector banks, financial services and pharmaceutical companies. The fund is well diversified across stocks and sectors.

The fund managers are KN Sivasubramanian and R Janakiraman. The former is a veteran fund manager and has been with the fund since its inception in 1993. The latter has been associated with the fund since 2008. As is widely known, investors can lessen the impact of market fluctuations by making investments in a systematic and disciplined way. For the salaried class, who receive cash flows every month, systematic investment plans (SIP) are the best route for achieving superior returns in the long term.         

- - -

Reference: Franklin Templeton MF and Value Research.
Disclosure: The author holds a small number of units in the fund.
Disclaimer: The author is an investment analyst and freelance writer; and has a vested interest in the stock markets. This write-up is for information purposes only and should not be taken as investment advice. Investors are advised to consult their financial adviser before making any investment decisions. The author’s articles on financial markets and Indian economy can be reached at:


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