Zacks Research Analysts Reduce Earnings Estimates for BEN

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for Franklin Resources in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, November 25th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the closed-end fund will earn $0.56 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.78. The consensus estimate for Franklin Resources’ current full-year earnings is $2.40 per share.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last posted its 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). Franklin Resources had a return on equity of 9.62% and a net margin of 5.48%. The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.84 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on BEN. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $19.00 target price (down from $20.00) on shares of Franklin Resources in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Franklin Resources from $23.75 to $21.25 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.20.

Franklin Resources Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of BEN stock opened at $22.68 on Thursday. Franklin Resources has a 52-week low of $18.94 and a 52-week high of $30.32. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 1.63. The company has a market capitalization of $11.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.37, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.38.

Insider Activity at Franklin Resources

In related news, insider Franklin Resources Inc sold 7,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.71, for a total transaction of $345,309.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 36,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,596,245.49. The trade was a 17.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Charles B. Johnson bought 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $19.08 per share, for a total transaction of $1,908,000.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 89,308,192 shares in the company, valued at $1,704,000,303.36. This trade represents a 0.11 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 24,024 shares of company stock worth $1,051,375. 24.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin Resources

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BEN. Interval Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources by 0.4% during the second quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 108,894 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $2,434,000 after purchasing an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Franklin Resources by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 69,585 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $1,402,000 after buying an additional 572 shares in the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its stake in Franklin Resources by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 88,195 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $1,971,000 after buying an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Franklin Resources by 30.2% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 2,604 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Franklin Resources by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,485 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $393,000 after buying an additional 609 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.