Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) Price Target Raised to $37.00 at TD Cowen

Key Points

• TD Cowen raised its price target on Franklin Resources from $33 to $37 and maintained a "buy" rating, implying roughly a 24.75% upside from the current price.
• Quarterly results beat expectations: Franklin reported $0.71 EPS vs. $0.55 consensus and $1.75B revenue vs. $1.70B, supported by ~$16.9–$17B of long‑term inflows, strong alternatives fundraising, share repurchases, and improved profitability.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with an average Street rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $27.89 (3 Buy, 5 Hold, 3 Sell), which could temper further upside despite the positive quarter.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by stock analysts at TD Cowen from $33.00 to $37.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the closed-end fund's stock. TD Cowen's target price points to a potential upside of 24.75% from the company's current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Barclays set a $31.00 target price on shares of Franklin Resources and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. 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 report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Franklin Resources from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. 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 report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore restated an "underperform" rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of Franklin Resources in a research report on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Franklin Resources currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $27.89.

Franklin Resources Stock Performance

Franklin Resources stock traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $29.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,760,760 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,481,888. Franklin Resources has a 1-year low of $18.17 and a 1-year high of $30.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.86. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $25.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.61. The company has a market cap of $15.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.45, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.44.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin Resources

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BEN. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Franklin Resources in the 4th quarter valued at $98,168,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its stake in Franklin Resources by 188.2% during the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 4,131,559 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $98,703,000 after acquiring an additional 2,697,743 shares in the last quarter. Azora Capital LP boosted its stake in Franklin Resources by 78.8% during the fourth quarter. Azora Capital LP now owns 5,796,575 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $138,480,000 after acquiring an additional 2,554,105 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in Franklin Resources during the second quarter worth $51,384,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Franklin Resources by 125.3% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,737,050 shares of the closed-end fund's stock worth $89,278,000 after acquiring an additional 2,078,369 shares in the last quarter. 47.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Franklin Resources News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat on both EPS and revenue — reported adjusted EPS $0.71 vs. consensus $0.55 and revenue $1.75B vs. $1.70B, signaling upside to near‑term profitability. Franklin Resources (BEN) Beats Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Large long‑term net inflows and alternatives growth — management reported about $16.9–$17B of long‑term net inflows and $14.3B in alternatives fundraising, a key driver of higher fee income and margin improvement. Franklin Resources rallies as quarterly results highlight strong inflows, higher profits, and buybacks
• Positive Sentiment: Share repurchases and insider buying — firm repurchased ~2.3M shares (~$57M) in the quarter; insiders also made purchases, which supports per‑share metrics and investor sentiment. Franklin Resources rallies as quarterly results highlight strong inflows, higher profits, and buybacks
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability improved — net income and operating income rose (net income ~$268.2M), reflecting higher fee income tied to flows and product mix. Franklin Templeton's quarterly profit rises on strong inflows
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/market signals — outlets highlighted bullish technical signals and positive analyst commentary that may attract momentum traders. Franklin Resources, IBD stock of the day, flashes bullish signal
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and investor materials released — management provided a slide deck and call highlights that clarify growth strategy (alternatives, multi‑asset) and capital allocation. These materials help investors assess sustainability of flows. Franklin Resources Earnings Call Highlights Growth Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/analyst roundups and forecasts — several outlets published notes and forecasts summarizing the quarter and longer‑term drivers; useful for context but not immediate catalysts. Here Are Wednesday’s Top Wall Street Analyst Research Calls
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst positioning and price targets — Street coverage remains mixed with a median recent target below current trading and at least one Underweight from Barclays; that could cap upside if analysts don’t lift targets. Franklin Resources rallies as quarterly results highlight strong inflows, higher profits, and buybacks

Franklin Resources Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.