Nomura Holdings Inc. Purchases 37,463 Shares of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN)

Nomura Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN - Free Report) by 245.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 52,725 shares of the closed-end fund's stock after purchasing an additional 37,463 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Franklin Resources were worth $1,070,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its stake in Franklin Resources by 147.1% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,238 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 737 shares during the period. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its stake in Franklin Resources by 350.4% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,261 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 981 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in 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 worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Franklin Resources in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. grew 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 valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,661 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.56% of the company's stock.

Franklin Resources Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:BEN traded down $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $21.53. 3,287,948 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,364,037. The stock has a market cap of $11.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Franklin Resources, Inc. has a 12-month low of $16.25 and a 12-month high of $24.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $19.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.28.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The closed-end fund reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.47. Franklin Resources had a return on equity of 9.45% and a net margin of 4.32%. The company had revenue of $2.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.56 earnings per share. Franklin Resources's quarterly revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Franklin Resources, Inc. will post 2.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Franklin Resources Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.95%. Franklin Resources's dividend payout ratio is currently 188.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on BEN. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $21.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. TD Cowen raised Franklin Resources from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $27.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Franklin Resources from $18.00 to $15.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $20.25.

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.