Barclays Upgrades Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) to Hold

Key Points

• Barclays upgraded Franklin Resources from "strong sell" to "hold"; the street consensus remains a Hold with an average price target of $28.56 (3 Buys, 5 Holds, 3 Sells).
• Q2 beat and strong flows: Franklin reported adjusted EPS $0.71 vs. $0.55 expected and revenue $1.75B vs. $1.70B, citing roughly $16.9B of long‑term net inflows and alternatives growth while repurchasing about 2.3M shares.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Barclays from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on BEN. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Franklin Resources from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Franklin Resources from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Evercore restated an "underperform" rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of Franklin Resources in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Franklin Resources from $30.50 to $34.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Franklin Resources from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $28.56.

Franklin Resources Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of BEN stock opened at $29.45 on Wednesday. Franklin Resources has a 1 year low of $18.17 and a 1 year high of $30.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $25.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.44.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The closed-end fund reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.16. Franklin Resources had a net margin of 6.97% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The firm had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.47 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Franklin Resources will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin Resources

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BEN. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in Franklin Resources by 169.3% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 7,909 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $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 1st 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 during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. bought a new stake in Franklin Resources during the 2nd quarter worth about $169,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in Franklin Resources by 52.2% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 509,171 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $12,144,000 after purchasing an additional 174,579 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 47.56% of the company's stock.

Franklin Resources News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings beat and upbeat call: BEN reported adjusted EPS $0.71 vs. $0.55 expected and revenue $1.75B vs. $1.70B, with management highlighting improved operating income and profitability — a clear catalyst for buying. Franklin Resources, Inc. Q2 2026 Earnings Call Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Large long‑term flows and alternatives growth: Management cited roughly $16.9B of long‑term net inflows and heavy traction in alternatives, supporting higher fee income and revenue durability. This flow strength is a major positive for recurring fee outlook. Franklin Resources Posts $12.4 Billion Alternatives Inflows
• Positive Sentiment: Share repurchases and margin tailwinds: Company repurchased ~2.3M shares (~$57.1M) in the quarter and noted margin improvement — buybacks help EPS support and are seen as shareholder‑friendly. Franklin Resources rallies as quarterly results highlight strong inflows, higher profits, and buybacks
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades / price target raises: Multiple firms moved to more constructive stances — e.g., Barclays upgraded BEN and TD Cowen raised its target to $37 (buy) — boosting sentiment and providing dealer support. Barclays upgrades Franklin Resources (BEN) TD Cowen / JPMorgan coverage notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Street reaction is mixed on valuation: JPMorgan raised its target to $31 but kept a neutral rating, signaling limited near‑term upside from some desks. JPMorgan price target update
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst dispersion and lingering caution: Despite the beat, analyst price targets and ratings remain varied (median/older targets near the mid‑$20s), which could cap momentum if cash flows or margins disappoint. QuiverQuant coverage and analyst summary

About Franklin Resources

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.

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