Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Estimate for BEN Earnings

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research lowered their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Franklin Resources in a research note issued to investors on Monday, November 25th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the closed-end fund will post earnings per share of $0.56 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.78. The consensus estimate for Franklin Resources’ current full-year earnings is $2.39 per share.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Franklin Resources from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Franklin Resources from $23.75 to $21.25 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Franklin Resources from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $19.00 target price (down from $20.00) on shares of Franklin Resources in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.20.

Franklin Resources Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:BEN opened at $22.77 on Thursday. Franklin Resources has a 1 year low of $18.94 and a 1 year high of $30.32. The company has a market capitalization of $11.92 billion, a PE ratio of 26.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.38. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $20.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.63.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The closed-end fund reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.84 earnings per share.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Charles B. Johnson bought 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $19.08 per share, for a total transaction of $1,908,000.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 89,308,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,704,000,303.36. This trade represents a 0.11 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Franklin Resources Inc sold 8,467 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.69, for a total transaction of $369,923.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 51,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,229,020.11. The trade was a 14.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 24,024 shares of company stock worth $1,051,375 in the last quarter. 24.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin Resources

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Franklin Resources during the first quarter worth about $710,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Franklin Resources by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 102,385 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $2,320,000 after buying an additional 4,248 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 381,192 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $7,681,000 after buying an additional 32,490 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $2,189,000 after buying an additional 32,904 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. raised its position in shares of Franklin Resources by 23.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 600,623 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $12,103,000 after buying an additional 113,976 shares in the last quarter. 47.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.