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3 Blackrock Mutual Funds to Buy for Long-Term Gains

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Founded in the year 1988, Blackrock is one of the leading investment, advisory and risk management solutions providers based in New York City. The company also manages various asset classes like equity, fixed income, cash management, alternative investment, and real estate.

Blackrock has more than 19,000 employees and is present in more than 36 countries. The company manages assets for clients, which include corporate, public, and pension plans for unions, governments, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, foundations, charities, corporations, official institutions, sovereign wealth funds, banks, financial professionals and individuals worldwide.

At the time of inception, BlackRock was founded as a stand-alone investment management company and focuses on providing asset and risk management services to clients. As of Jun 30, 2023, the company manages around $9.4 trillion in assets under management and is the world’s largest asset manager.

Blackrock mutual funds can be a preferred choice for investors who wish to diversify their portfolio but lack the necessary expertise to manager their own funds. These funds have given a positive return and are expected to perform well in the long term.

Volatility on Wall Street continues as investors are cautious and expectthe Federal Reserve to hold interest rate, which is currently in the range of 5.25-5.5%. However, the Fed has kept the doors open for a further rate hike to counter the rise in inflation, which is currently at 3.7% year on year for the month of September. Also, with rising tension in the Middle East due to the war between Israel and the Palestine-based militant group Hamas, corporate profitability will certainly be impacted. 

We have thus selected three Blackrock mutual funds that have not only preserved investors’ wealth but also generated excellent returns amid such a volatile market condition. These funds have the majority of their investments in sectors such as technology, finance, health and others, which are expected to perform well in the long term.

These funds boast a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 (Buy), have positive three-year and five-year annualized returns, minimum initial investments within $5000, and carry a low expense ratio. Notably, mutual funds, in general, reduce transaction costs and diversify portfolios without an array of commission charges mostly associated with stock purchases (read more: Mutual Funds: Advantages, Disadvantages, and How They Make Investors Money).

BlackRock Natural Resources Trust Fund (MDGRX - Free Report) invests most of its net assets in equity securities of companies with substantial natural resource assets or in securities, the value of which is related to the market value of some natural resource asset. MDGRX advisors generally invest in a portfolio of companies from industries like natural resources, energy, chemicals, oil, gas, paper, mining, steel, or agricultural products-related sectors.

Alastair Bishop has been the lead manager of MDGRX since Mar 30, 2017. Most of the fund’s exposure is in companies like Shell (7.3%), Exxon Mobil (6%), and Glencore (5.2%) as of 7/31/2023.

MDGRX’s three-year and five-year annualized returns are almost 22.7% and 7.9%, respectively. MDGRX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 and an annual expense ratio of 1.12% compared to the category average of 1.11%.

To see how this fund performed compared to its category and other 1, 2, and 3 Ranked Mutual Funds, please click here.

BlackRock Mid-Cap Value Fund (MDRFX - Free Report) invests most of its assets along with borrowings, if any, in a diversified portfolio of equity securities of mid-cap companies. MDRFX advisors prefer to invest in dividend-paying securities.

Tony DeSpirito has been the lead manager of MDRFX since Jun 11, 2017, and most of the fund’s exposure is in sectors like Leidos Holdings (2.4%), Cognizant Technologizes (2.3%) and Baxter International (2.3%) as of 7/31/2023.

MDRFX’s three-year and five-year annualized returns are almost 15.2% and 7.4%, respectively. MDRFX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 and an annual expense ratio of 0.99% compared to the category average of 1.01%.

BlackRock Large Cap Focus Value Fund (MDBAX - Free Report) seeks capital appreciation along with current income by investing most of its assets along with borrowings, if any, in large-cap equity securities and derivatives that have similar economic characteristics to such securities. MDBAX advisors primarily choose to invest in equity securities of undervalued companies.

Joseph E. Wolfe has been the lead manager of MDBAX since Mar 29, 2017, and most of the fund’s exposure is in companies like Wells Fargo (3.3%), Cognizant Technologizes (3.0%) and Citi Group (2.9%) as of 6/30/2023.

MDBAX’s three-year and five-year annualized returns are almost 13.8% and 5.9%, respectively. MDRFX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #2 and an annual expense ratio of 0.83% compared to the category average of 0.94%.

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