Zacks Research Has Negative Outlook of BEN FY2027 Earnings

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research cut their FY2027 EPS estimates for Franklin Resources in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, February 26th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the closed-end fund will post earnings of $2.93 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $2.95. The consensus estimate for Franklin Resources’ current full-year earnings is $2.16 per share.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Franklin Resources from $20.50 to $24.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Franklin Resources from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Franklin Resources from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $21.00 to $22.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.86.

Franklin Resources Price Performance

Franklin Resources stock opened at $19.59 on Monday. Franklin Resources has a 1 year low of $18.83 and a 1 year high of $28.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $20.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.63. The company has a market cap of $10.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.14, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 1.66.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The closed-end fund reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) 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 9.45%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.65 earnings per share.

Institutional Trading of Franklin Resources

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BEN. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 147.1% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,238 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 737 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 350.4% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,261 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 981 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 44.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,641 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Franklin Resources in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 254.4% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,779 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 1,277 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 47.56% of the company’s stock.

Franklin Resources Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.53%. Franklin Resources’s payout ratio is currently 196.92%.

About Franklin Resources

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.