Quantbot Technologies LP Has $4.46 Million Stock Holdings in Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN)

Quantbot Technologies LP decreased its holdings in Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN - Free Report) by 14.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 219,867 shares of the closed-end fund's stock after selling 38,177 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP's holdings in Franklin Resources were worth $4,461,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BEN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Franklin Resources by 263.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,022,055 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $40,744,000 after buying an additional 1,465,148 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in Franklin Resources by 62.9% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 3,752,326 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $75,928,000 after acquiring an additional 1,449,210 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Franklin Resources by 44.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,998,574 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $60,421,000 after acquiring an additional 925,590 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources by 32.1% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 2,923,399 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $59,316,000 after purchasing an additional 709,736 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its stake in Franklin Resources by 2.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 21,155,516 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $432,730,000 after purchasing an additional 599,045 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 47.56% of the company's stock.

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Franklin Resources Trading Up 3.4 %

NYSE:BEN traded up $0.64 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $19.56. 3,424,335 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,255,947. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Franklin Resources, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $18.83 and a fifty-two week high of $28.15. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.09, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.42.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The closed-end fund reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.03. Franklin Resources had a net margin of 4.32% and a return on equity of 9.45%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.65 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Franklin Resources, Inc. will post 2.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Franklin Resources Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Franklin Resources's dividend payout ratio is currently 196.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Franklin Resources from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Franklin Resources from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $21.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Franklin Resources currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $20.86.

About Franklin Resources

Franklin Resources, Inc is a publicly owned asset management holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the firm provides its services to individuals, institutions, pension plans, trusts, and partnerships. It launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and multi-asset mutual funds through its subsidiaries.