Equities Analysts Offer Predictions for BEN FY2027 Earnings

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research cut their FY2027 earnings per share estimates for shares of Franklin Resources in a report released on Wednesday, June 25th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the closed-end fund will earn $2.67 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $2.69. The consensus estimate for Franklin Resources' current full-year earnings is $2.16 per share.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on BEN. Bank of America cut their price objective on Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. TD Cowen upgraded Franklin Resources from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $27.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $21.50 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Franklin Resources from $18.00 to $15.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Franklin Resources presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $20.25.

Franklin Resources Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of BEN stock opened at $23.21 on Thursday. Franklin Resources has a 52-week low of $16.25 and a 52-week high of $24.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a current ratio of 1.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.20 billion, a PE ratio of 34.13, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.43. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $21.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.32.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The closed-end fund reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.47. Franklin Resources had a return on equity of 9.13% and a net margin of 4.65%. The business had revenue of $2.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.56 EPS. Franklin Resources's revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Franklin Resources Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BEN. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Franklin Resources by 561.1% in 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. Truist Financial Corp lifted its stake in Franklin Resources by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 37,358 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $758,000 after purchasing an additional 3,669 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in Franklin Resources by 160.9% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 69,300 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $1,406,000 after purchasing an additional 42,742 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its stake in Franklin Resources by 41.8% in the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 24,383 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $495,000 after purchasing an additional 7,192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its stake in Franklin Resources by 99.2% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 10,935 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 5,445 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.56% of the company's stock.

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.

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