- Business
- Franklin Rising Dividends Fund (FRDAX) is an open-end mutual fund managed by Franklin Equity Group, a division of Franklin Resources, Inc., that seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies across all market capitalizations that have paid consistently rising dividends. The fund primarily holds common stocks of financially sound, high-quality U.S.-based companies with strong dividend growth records; it maintains a diversified portfolio emphasizing sectors such as software and services, capital goods, semiconductors and semiconductor equipment, financial services, and pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and life sciences, with top holdings including Microsoft Corp., Broadcom Inc., Visa Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc., and Accenture PLC Class A. It benchmarks performance against the S&P 500 Index, distributes dividends quarterly, exhibits low portfolio turnover of 12%, and features a dividend yield of approximately 1.46% with a weighted average market capitalization of $839.22 billion.
Launched with an inception date of January 14, 1987, for the original share class and October 3, 2005, for the Advisor Class (FRDAX), the fund is domiciled in the United States and headquartered in San Mateo, California, at Franklin Templeton's principal offices.
The fund operates within the large blend category, classified under Lipper Large-Cap Core Funds and Morningstar Large Blend, targeting institutional and advisor-eligible investors with a minimum initial investment of $100,000 for the Advisor Class, and maintains total net assets of approximately $27.82 billion.
In recent developments, Franklin Templeton completed the acquisition of Apera Asset Management LLP, a UK-based private credit manager, in September 2025, expanding its alternatives platform; the firm also forged a multi-year strategic partnership with Wand AI in October 2025 to advance agentic AI in asset management and launched two new active ETF strategies focused on international equity in October 2025. Franklin Equity Group, the fund's management team, underwent portfolio management changes in December 2025 for related strategies, with Jonathan Curtis continuing as co-portfolio manager alongside Jonathan Regan, amid broader organizational alignments including the integration of Putnam Investments post its 2024 acquisition. These initiatives reflect Franklin Templeton's strategic expansions in alternatives, technology integration, and equity capabilities over the past 1-2 years.