Zacks Research Analysts Decrease Earnings Estimates for BEN

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN - Free Report) - Zacks Research lowered their FY2025 EPS estimates for Franklin Resources in a report issued on Wednesday, January 29th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the closed-end fund will post earnings per share of $2.21 for the year, down from their prior estimate of $2.33. The consensus estimate for Franklin Resources' current full-year earnings is $2.19 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Franklin Resources' Q1 2026 earnings at $0.57 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $2.33 EPS.

Several other research firms have also commented on BEN. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Franklin Resources from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Franklin Resources from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Franklin Resources from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $20.86.

Franklin Resources Price Performance

NYSE BEN traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $20.61. The company had a trading volume of 2,755,694 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,814,121. The company has a market capitalization of $10.80 billion, a PE ratio of 31.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.42. Franklin Resources has a twelve month low of $18.83 and a twelve month high of $28.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $20.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.92.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The closed-end fund reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.03. Franklin Resources had a net margin of 4.32% and a return on equity of 9.41%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.65 earnings per share.

Franklin Resources Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.21%. Franklin Resources's dividend payout ratio is currently 196.93%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BEN. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Franklin Resources by 50.6% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 97,950 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $2,189,000 after buying an additional 32,904 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in Franklin Resources by 19.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 14,098 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $315,000 after acquiring an additional 2,340 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 190,383 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $4,255,000 after buying an additional 5,774 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources by 6.0% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 19,841 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $443,000 after acquiring an additional 1,131 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Franklin Resources by 46.7% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 20,591 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $460,000 after buying an additional 6,557 shares in the last quarter. 47.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.