Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday morning.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on BEN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Franklin Resources from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Franklin Resources from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Franklin Resources in a research report on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Franklin Resources in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $26.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Franklin Resources from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $24.64.

Franklin Resources Price Performance

Franklin Resources stock opened at $26.57 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $24.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.02. Franklin Resources has a 12-month low of $16.25 and a 12-month high of $26.90. The stock has a market cap of $13.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.19, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.44.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The closed-end fund reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.23 billion. Franklin Resources had a net margin of 5.98% and a return on equity of 9.12%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.59 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Franklin Resources will post 2.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Franklin Resources Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 30th were given a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 30th. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. This is an increase from Franklin Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Franklin Resources’s dividend payout ratio is 145.05%.

Institutional Trading of Franklin Resources

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BEN. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Franklin Resources by 26.2% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 148,049 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $2,850,000 after acquiring an additional 30,763 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Franklin Resources by 169.3% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 7,909 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $152,000 after purchasing an additional 4,972 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in Franklin Resources by 41.1% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,189 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $504,000 after purchasing an additional 7,634 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Franklin Resources by 51.9% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,938 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 1,346 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 610,923 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $14,571,000 after buying an additional 11,411 shares in the last quarter. 47.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Franklin Resources

Here are the key news stories impacting Franklin Resources this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and stronger profitability: BEN reported $0.70 EPS vs. a $0.55 consensus and higher net income and operating income versus prior periods — a core driver of the rally because earnings power beat expectations. Investing.com: Earnings beat
• Positive Sentiment: Assets under management and net inflows improved: Several reports note sequential AUM growth and net inflows, which lift fee revenue prospects and support recurring revenue. This helped sentiment alongside the earnings beat. Zacks: AUM rises
• Positive Sentiment: Operational detail and management commentary available: The company released a formal press release, slide deck and an earnings-call transcript with details on margins, flows and strategy — useful for confirming sustainability of the beat. BusinessWire: Q1 results Seeking Alpha: Call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Market-driven fee tailwind but revenue mix matters: Coverage notes that market rallies boosted fee income (helpful), but revenue comparisons and sustainability depend on future flows and market levels — worth watching in coming quarters. MSN: Profit rises
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and caution: Morgan Stanley issued a “sell” and broker consensus on some screens is “reduce” — these downgrades can cap upside despite the quarter, as analysts point to cautious outlook or valuation concerns. Globe and Mail: Morgan Stanley sell AmericanBankingNews: Consensus Reduce
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue reporting discrepancies and mixed headlines: Some headlines say revenue topped estimates while others highlight misses versus certain analyst models — this mixed signal can create short-term volatility until the market parses the underlying drivers. Yahoo Finance: Q4/CY2025 recap

Franklin Resources Company Profile

Franklin Resources, Inc, doing business as Franklin Templeton, is a global investment management organization that offers a wide range of asset management solutions to institutional and individual investors. The firm’s core focus is on delivering active portfolio management across equities, fixed income, multi-asset strategies and alternative investments. Franklin Templeton’s product lineup includes mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), closed-end funds, separately managed accounts and sub-advisory services designed to meet varying risk-return objectives and income needs.

Founded in 1947 by Rupert H.