Equities Analysts Offer Predictions for BEN FY2027 Earnings

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) – Analysts at Zacks Research reduced their FY2027 earnings estimates for Franklin Resources in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, June 25th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the closed-end fund will post earnings of $2.67 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $2.69. The consensus estimate for Franklin Resources’ current full-year earnings is $2.16 per share.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Franklin Resources from $18.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Franklin Resources in a report on Monday, June 16th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $21.50 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Franklin Resources currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.25.

Franklin Resources Stock Performance

Franklin Resources stock opened at $23.21 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $21.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a current ratio of 1.95. Franklin Resources has a fifty-two week low of $16.25 and a fifty-two week high of $24.37. The company has a market capitalization of $12.20 billion, a PE ratio of 34.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.43.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The closed-end fund reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.47. Franklin Resources had a net margin of 4.65% and a return on equity of 9.13%. The firm had revenue of $2.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.56 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Franklin Resources Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. Franklin Resources’s dividend payout ratio is currently 188.24%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin Resources

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Xponance Inc. grew its holdings in Franklin Resources by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 43,687 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $886,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources by 44.5% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,641 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 8,789 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $177,000 after buying an additional 510 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources by 49.9% during the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 1,668 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 555 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 83,549 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $1,695,000 after buying an additional 651 shares during the last quarter. 47.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.