Zacks Research Brokers Lower Earnings Estimates for BEN

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) – Zacks Research cut their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Franklin Resources in a report issued on Monday, November 25th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the closed-end fund will post earnings of $0.53 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.56. The consensus estimate for Franklin Resources’ current full-year earnings is $2.40 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Franklin Resources’ Q2 2025 earnings at $0.55 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.60 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $2.33 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.61 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.67 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.72 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.56 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.99 EPS.

BEN has been the topic of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Franklin Resources from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “underperform” rating and set a $19.00 price objective (down from $20.00) on shares of Franklin Resources in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $19.50 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Franklin Resources from $23.75 to $21.25 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.20.

Franklin Resources Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BEN opened at $22.68 on Wednesday. Franklin Resources has a fifty-two week low of $18.94 and a fifty-two week high of $30.32. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $20.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market cap of $11.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.38.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The closed-end fund reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion for 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 was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.84 earnings per share.

Institutional Trading of Franklin Resources

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Franklin Resources during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $118,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Franklin Resources in the third quarter valued at approximately $352,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources by 30.2% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 2,604 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources by 3.2% in the third quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,485 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $393,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Franklin Resources in the third quarter valued at approximately $880,000. 47.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Charles B. Johnson bought 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $19.08 per share, with a total value of $1,908,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 89,308,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,704,000,303.36. This represents a 0.11 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Franklin Resources Inc sold 8,467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.69, for a total value of $369,923.23. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 51,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 24,024 shares of company stock valued at $1,051,375. 24.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.