Research Analysts Offer Predictions for BEN FY2025 Earnings

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN - Free Report) - Zacks Research reduced their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Franklin Resources in a research note issued on Thursday, December 19th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the closed-end fund will post earnings of $2.32 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $2.33. The consensus estimate for Franklin Resources' current full-year earnings is $2.39 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Franklin Resources' Q4 2025 earnings at $0.64 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.60 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.66 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.54 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.69 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $2.49 EPS.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded Franklin Resources from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Barclays increased their price objective on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Franklin Resources from $19.50 to $22.50 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $20.66.

Franklin Resources Stock Performance

Shares of BEN stock traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $20.46. 3,446,197 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,035,857. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $21.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $21.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 1.63. Franklin Resources has a 12-month low of $18.94 and a 12-month high of $30.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.39.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The closed-end fund reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. Franklin Resources had a net margin of 5.48% and a return on equity of 9.62%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.84 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin Resources

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 14.6% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 128,240 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $2,866,000 after acquiring an additional 16,347 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 10.2% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 13,587 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $304,000 after purchasing an additional 1,258 shares in the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 0.7% during the second quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 88,195 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $1,971,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Franklin Resources in the second quarter worth about $6,522,000. Finally, Wright Investors Service Inc. grew its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 47.4% in the second quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. now owns 92,869 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $2,076,000 after buying an additional 29,878 shares in the last quarter. 47.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Franklin Resources Inc sold 7,657 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.90, for a total transaction of $336,142.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 65,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,891,341.80. This represents a 10.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 24,024 shares of company stock valued at $1,051,375 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 24.13% of the company's stock.

Franklin Resources Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is a boost from Franklin Resources's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 30th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.26%. Franklin Resources's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 148.84%.

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.