UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Has $38.78 Million Stock Position in Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN - Free Report) by 19.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,911,199 shares of the closed-end fund's stock after acquiring an additional 314,437 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.36% of Franklin Resources worth $38,778,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources by 51.1% during the fourth quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 600,968 shares of the closed-end fund's stock valued at $12,194,000 after purchasing an additional 203,188 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in Franklin Resources during the 4th quarter valued at about $376,000. WBI Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Franklin Resources by 42.0% during the 4th quarter. WBI Investments LLC now owns 103,169 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $2,093,000 after buying an additional 30,520 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 173.7% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 3,531,700 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $71,658,000 after acquiring an additional 2,241,500 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 132.7% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,935,292 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $59,557,000 after acquiring an additional 1,673,971 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BEN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Cowen raised Franklin Resources from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Franklin Resources from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $21.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report 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 assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $20.25.

Franklin Resources Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of BEN traded down $0.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $21.60. 1,058,933 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,375,392. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 1.66. The company has a market cap of $11.35 billion, a PE ratio of 33.30, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.39. The firm's 50 day moving average is $19.58 and its 200-day moving average is $20.30. Franklin Resources, Inc. has a 52 week low of $16.25 and a 52 week high of $24.37.

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

Franklin Resources Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 27th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.93%. Franklin Resources's payout ratio is presently 188.24%.

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.