Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Forecast for BEN Earnings

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research decreased their FY2025 earnings estimates for Franklin Resources in a report issued on Thursday, December 19th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the closed-end fund will post earnings of $2.32 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $2.33. The consensus estimate for Franklin Resources’ current full-year earnings is $2.39 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Franklin Resources’ Q4 2025 earnings at $0.64 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.60 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.66 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.54 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.69 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $2.49 EPS.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The closed-end fund reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.01). Franklin Resources had a return on equity of 9.62% and a net margin of 5.48%. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.84 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Franklin Resources from $19.50 to $22.50 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Franklin Resources from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on Franklin Resources from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Franklin Resources has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.66.

Franklin Resources Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of BEN stock opened at $20.49 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $10.73 billion, a PE ratio of 23.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.39. Franklin Resources has a 1 year low of $18.94 and a 1 year high of $30.32. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $21.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $21.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.63.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin Resources

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Franklin Resources during the third quarter valued at about $880,000. FORA Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Franklin Resources in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,857,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position 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. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 44.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,998,574 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $60,421,000 after acquiring an additional 925,590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB lifted its position in Franklin Resources by 78.3% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 62,076 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $1,251,000 after acquiring an additional 27,259 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 47.56% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Franklin Resources news, insider Franklin Resources Inc sold 8,467 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.69, for a total transaction of $369,923.23. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 51,019 shares in the company, valued at $2,229,020.11. This represents a 14.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold 24,024 shares of company stock worth $1,051,375 in the last ninety days. 24.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Franklin Resources Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 10th. Investors of record on Monday, December 30th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 30th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.25%. This is a boost from Franklin Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. 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.