Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for BEN Earnings

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) – Research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q2 2025 earnings per share 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 earn $0.53 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.55. The consensus estimate for Franklin Resources’ current full-year earnings is $2.21 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Franklin Resources’ Q3 2025 earnings at $0.57 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.58 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.62 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.50 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.64 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.67 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.91 EPS.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The closed-end fund reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.03. Franklin Resources had a net margin of 5.48% and a return on equity of 9.62%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.65 earnings per share.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $19.00 price objective (down from $20.00) on shares of Franklin Resources in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Franklin Resources from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Barclays dropped their price target on Franklin Resources from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Franklin Resources from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.18.

Franklin Resources Stock Performance

NYSE BEN opened at $22.22 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $20.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.01. 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 has a 1 year low of $18.83 and a 1 year high of $28.61. The company has a market capitalization of $11.64 billion, a PE ratio of 25.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.41.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp raised its stake in Franklin Resources by 2.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 21,155,516 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $432,730,000 after purchasing an additional 599,045 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Franklin Resources by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,334,601 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $147,312,000 after purchasing an additional 422,688 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 44.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,998,574 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $60,421,000 after buying an additional 925,590 shares during the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 32.1% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 2,923,399 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $59,316,000 after purchasing an additional 709,736 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Franklin Resources by 263.1% during 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.56% of the company’s stock.

Franklin Resources Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Investors of record on Monday, December 30th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 30th. This is an increase from Franklin Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.76%. Franklin Resources’s dividend payout ratio is 148.84%.

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.