Zacks Research Has Negative Outlook for BEN FY2025 Earnings

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research dropped their FY2025 EPS estimates for shares of Franklin Resources in a report issued on Thursday, April 10th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the closed-end fund will post earnings per share of $2.11 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $2.14. The consensus estimate for Franklin Resources' current full-year earnings is $2.16 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Franklin Resources' Q4 2025 earnings at $0.52 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.55 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.56 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $2.25 EPS.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The closed-end fund reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.03. Franklin Resources had a return on equity of 9.45% and a net margin of 4.32%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.65 earnings per share.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $24.00 to $20.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Franklin Resources from $18.00 to $15.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $19.38.

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Franklin Resources Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BEN traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $17.99. 3,376,526 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,352,959. Franklin Resources has a 12 month low of $16.25 and a 12 month high of $25.84. The company's 50 day moving average price is $19.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.45 billion, a PE ratio of 27.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.36.

Franklin Resources Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. Franklin Resources's payout ratio is presently 196.92%.

Institutional Trading of Franklin Resources

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Franklin Resources by 147.1% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,238 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 737 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 350.4% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,261 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 981 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources by 44.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,641 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Franklin Resources in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in Franklin Resources by 561.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,957 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 1,661 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.56% of the company's stock.

Franklin Resources Company Profile

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.