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3 Blackrock Mutual Funds to Buy Now for 2024

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One of the world’s premier asset management firms, BlackRock Inc. was founded in the year 1988. Based in New York City, the company offers investment, advisory and risk management solutions in 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’s client base includes 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 its inception, BlackRock was founded as a stand-alone investment management company that 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 manage their own funds. These funds have given a positive return in uncertain market conditions and are expected to perform well in the long term.

The Consumer Prices Index unexpectedly rose 0.1% in November after being unchanged in October. A slight increase in inflation readings is mostly due to an increase in the rental cost. Jobs growth accelerated in November as nonfarm payrolls increased by 199,000 jobs last month, while the unemployment rate fell to 3.7% in the same period from a two-year high of 3.9% in October.

The current inflation rate is higher than the Federal Reserve’s ambitious 2% target, and strength in job market is also a concern. So, the Fed is mostly likely to continue with the current overnight interest rate of 5.25-5.50% for a longer time period. A prolonged high interest rate impacts corporate profitability.

We have thus selected three Blackrock mutual funds that have not only preserved investors’ wealth but also generated excellent returns in such a gloomy market condition. These funds have the majority of their investments in sectors such as technology, finance, retail and non-durable, 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 than the category average. 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 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. Most of the fund’s exposure is in companies like Leidos Holdings (2.4%), Cognizant Technologizes (2.3%) and Baxter International (2.3%) as of Jul 31, 2023.

MDRFX’s three-year and five-year annualized returns are almost 10.6% and 9.7%, 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%.

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

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. Most of the fund’s exposure is in companies like Wells Fargo (3.3%), Kraft Heinz (3.0%) and Citi Group (2.9%) as of Sep 30, 2023.

MDBAX’s three-year and five-year annualized returns are almost 9.9% and 8.0%, respectively. MDBAX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #2 and an annual expense ratio of 0.83% compared to the category average of 0.94%.

BlackRock Sustainable Advantage Large-Cap (BIRAX - Free Report) fundinvests most of its assets along with borrowings, if any in large-cap equity securities and derivatives that have similar economic characteristics. BIRAX advisors generally invests in common stocks, preferred stocks and convertible securities

Raffaele Savi has been the lead manager of BIRAX since Jun 1, 2020. Most of the fund’s exposure is in companies like Apple (7.2%), Microsoft (6.9%) and NVIDIA (3.6%) as of Aug 31, 2023.

BIRAX’s three-year and five-year annualized returns are almost 8.6% and 12.2%, respectively. BIRAX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #2 and an annual expense ratio of 0.73% compared to the category average of 0.84%.

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