Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) Upgraded to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) from hold to buy, adding to a mixed but generally positive analyst outlook. MarketBeat notes the stock’s consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average target price of $64.00.
• The company recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $1.48 EPS versus the $1.34 consensus and revenue of $23.88 million versus $23.30 million expected. It also posted a 14.13% return on equity and a 17.73% net margin.
• Shares were trading near their 52-week high at $62.58, above both the 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The company has a relatively small market cap of about $281 million, while insiders own 5.93% and institutions own 24.80% of the stock.

Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on FRAF. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Franklin Financial Services in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Hovde Group lowered shares of Franklin Financial Services from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $64.00.

Franklin Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of FRAF stock opened at $62.58 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $59.96 and its 200-day moving average is $54.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $280.98 million, a PE ratio of 11.72 and a beta of -0.02. Franklin Financial Services has a 52 week low of $38.52 and a 52 week high of $64.88.

Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $23.88 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.30 million. Franklin Financial Services had a return on equity of 14.13% and a net margin of 17.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Franklin Financial Services

In other news, EVP Steven D. Butz sold 1,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.73, for a total transaction of $80,822.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,610 shares in the company, valued at $323,865.30. The trade was a 19.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 5.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Franklin Financial Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Franklin Financial Services by 69.2% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 863 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 84.1% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 950 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Franklin Financial Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $79,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Franklin Financial Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $100,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Franklin Financial Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $133,000. 24.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Franklin Financial Services

Franklin Financial Services, Inc NASDAQ: FRAF is a U.S.‐listed specialty finance company that makes and acquires secured loans, with a focus on asset-based lending and mortgage warehouse financing. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, FFS Investment Company, a Maryland corporation regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, Franklin Financial provides revolving lines of credit, term loans and other credit facilities secured primarily by residential and commercial mortgage loans, receivables and inventory.

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