Zacks Research Brokers Lower Earnings Estimates for BEN

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Franklin Resources in a report issued on Thursday, April 10th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the closed-end fund will post earnings of $0.49 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.51. The consensus estimate for Franklin Resources’ current full-year earnings is $2.16 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Franklin Resources’ Q4 2026 earnings at $0.64 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.77 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.94 EPS.

BEN has been the subject of several other research reports. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Franklin Resources from $18.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Franklin Resources from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $21.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $17.50 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Franklin Resources currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $19.63.

Franklin Resources Price Performance

Franklin Resources stock opened at $17.89 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 1.66. Franklin Resources has a one year low of $16.25 and a one year high of $25.84. The company has a market cap of $9.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.36. The business has a fifty day moving average of $19.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.37.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The closed-end fund reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.03. Franklin Resources had a return on equity of 9.45% and a net margin of 4.32%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.65 EPS.

Franklin Resources Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. Franklin Resources’s dividend payout ratio is presently 196.92%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Franklin Resources by 147.1% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,238 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 737 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its stake in Franklin Resources by 350.4% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,261 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 981 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Franklin Resources by 44.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,641 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Franklin Resources during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources by 561.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,957 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,661 shares during the last quarter. 47.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.