Rep. Thomas H. Kean, Jr. Sells Off Shares of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN)

Representative Thomas H. Kean, Jr. (R-New Jersey) recently sold shares of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN). In a filing disclosed on May 15th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Franklin Resources stock on April 28th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “KEAN FAMILY PARTNERSHIP” account.

Representative Thomas H. Kean, Jr. also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) on 4/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Prologis (NYSE:PLD) on 4/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Fiserv (NYSE:FI) on 4/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Analog Devices (NASDAQ:ADI) on 4/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) on 4/11/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) on 4/10/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Fortive (NYSE:FTV) on 4/10/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City (NYSE:CP) on 4/10/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) on 4/1/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of nVent Electric (NYSE:NVT) on 4/1/2025.

Franklin Resources Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:BEN opened at $22.38 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.39. Franklin Resources, Inc. has a 1 year low of $16.25 and a 1 year high of $24.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.66. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $19.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.24.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The closed-end fund reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47. The firm had revenue of $2.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.44 billion. Franklin Resources had a return on equity of 9.45% and a net margin of 4.32%. The company’s revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.56 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Franklin Resources, Inc. will post 2.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BEN. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,918 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $683,000 after purchasing an additional 722 shares during the period. Czech National Bank increased its position in Franklin Resources by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 67,001 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $1,359,000 after buying an additional 4,143 shares in the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division increased its position in Franklin Resources by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 12,611 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $256,000 after buying an additional 1,438 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB bought a new stake in Franklin Resources in the 4th quarter valued at about $345,000. Finally, Guinness Asset Management LTD increased its position in Franklin Resources by 66.0% in the 4th quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 18,457 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $374,000 after buying an additional 7,337 shares in the last quarter. 47.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen raised Franklin Resources from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group raised their target price on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America reduced their target price on Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Cowen upgraded Franklin Resources from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $21.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.25.

About Representative Kean

Thomas Kean Jr. (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Kean (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Thomas Kean Jr. lives in Westfield, New Jersey. Kean earned a master’s degree from the Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. His career experience includes working with the Environmental Protection Agency during the George H.W. Bush administration and as an advisor to former U.S. Representative Bob Franks, a firefighter, and an emergency medical technician. Kean has served as the vice president of a fire department.

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.