Fund Evaluator:
Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund A (FRSTX)
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Fund Details
Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund A Overview
Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund A (FRSTX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Core-Plus Bond fund. Franklin Templeton Investments launched the fund in 1994.
The investment seeks to earn a high level of current income; long-term capital appreciation is a secondary goal. Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 65% of its assets in U.S. and foreign debt securities, including those in emerging markets. Debt securities include all varieties of fixed, variable and floating rate income securities, including bonds, U.S. and foreign government and agency securities, corporate loans (and loan participations), and mortgage-backed securities and other asset-backed securities.
About Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund A (FRSTX)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 2.78 years: Michael Salm (2024), Patrick Klein (2022), Sonal Desai (2018), Albert Chan (2025), Matthew Walkup (2026). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund A has 976 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 28.6% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund A is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund A has 14.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0%. There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 119.8% (105.8% domestic bond, 14.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund A has -19.9% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $2 billion in total assets, which is above the $1 billion average for the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
FRSTX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund A expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category. Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund A has an expense ratio of 0.72%, which is 8% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund A has a portfolio turnover rate of 84%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 180% for the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund A returned 0.3%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category had an average return of 0.3%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund A has a trailing yield of 4.26%, which is below the 4.29% category average. The fund normally distributes its income monthly and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 0.9%, 0.2 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 4.2% over the past year (grade of B), 5.4% over the past three years (grade of A) and 1.7% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 2.7% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
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FRSTX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| FRSTX Return (NAV) | 0.3% | 1.0% | 4.2% | 5.4% | 1.7% | 2.7% |
| FRSTX Grade | B | C | B | A | A | A |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 1.4% | 0.7% |
| Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Avg | 0.3% | 0.9% | 3.9% | 4.7% | 0.3% | 2.1% |
| FRSTX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.7% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.6% |
FRSTX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| FRSTX Return (NAV) | 0.9% | 7.2% | 3.3% | 8.4% | -10.7% | 2.1% | 3.5% | 8.2% | -1.9% | 4.5% | 8.0% |
| FRSTX Grade | B | D | A | A | A | A | F | D | F | C | A |
| +/- Category | 0.2% | -0.2% | 1.0% | 2.3% | 2.7% | 2.7% | -5.2% | -1.0% | -1.0% | 0.1% | 3.6% |
| Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Avg | 0.7% | 7.3% | 2.3% | 6.1% | -13.4% | -0.6% | 8.6% | 9.1% | -0.9% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 4.3% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.36 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.78 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (5% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.76 |
| R-Squared: | 96% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Small-Cap Value |
| Bond Investment Style: | na Moderate Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 4.3% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $2838 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $2,032 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 85% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 7.5 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 2.8 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Desai Sonal (2018), Klein Patrick (2022), Salm Michael (2024), Chan Albert (2025), Walkup Matthew (2026) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 5/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 976 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 28.6% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 14.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 105.8% |
| Foreign Bond: | 14.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | -19.9% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Franklin Templeton Investments |
| Phone Number: | 800-342-5236 |
| Website: | www.franklintempleton.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | May 24, 1994 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 250 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 3.75% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.72% ( Rating : Above Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.78% |
| Share Class: | Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund A |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
