Franklin Financial Services Corp. (NASDAQ:FRAF) Short Interest Update

Franklin Financial Services Corp. (NASDAQ:FRAF) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 102,006 shares, an increase of 76.3% from the June 15th total of 57,861 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 38,914 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days. Approximately 2.4% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Franklin Financial Services Stock Up 2.1%

FRAF stock opened at $63.49 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $59.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.69. The company has a market capitalization of $285.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.89 and a beta of -0.02. Franklin Financial Services has a 52 week low of $38.52 and a 52 week high of $64.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.14. Franklin Financial Services had a net margin of 17.73% and a return on equity of 14.13%. The business had revenue of $23.88 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.30 million.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FRAF has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Hovde Group lowered Franklin Financial Services from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Franklin Financial Services in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Franklin Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.00.

Insider Activity at Franklin Financial Services

In other Franklin Financial Services news, EVP Steven D. Butz sold 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.73, for a total value of $80,822.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $323,865.30. This trade represents a 19.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 5.93% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin Financial Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FRAF. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 391,773.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 16,125,574 shares of the company’s stock valued at $809,504,000 after purchasing an additional 16,121,459 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 109.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 98,224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,401,000 after buying an additional 51,407 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Franklin Financial Services by 333.6% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 45,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,575,000 after buying an additional 34,982 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in Franklin Financial Services by 64.7% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 75,439 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,853,000 after buying an additional 29,637 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Informed Momentum Co LLC acquired a new position in Franklin Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth about $1,231,000. 24.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Franklin Financial Services

Franklin Financial Services, Inc (NASDAQ: FRAF) is a U.S.‐listed specialty finance company that makes and acquires secured loans, with a focus on asset-based lending and mortgage warehouse financing. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, FFS Investment Company, a Maryland corporation regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, Franklin Financial provides revolving lines of credit, term loans and other credit facilities secured primarily by residential and commercial mortgage loans, receivables and inventory.