Zacks Research Has Pessimistic View of BEN FY2025 Earnings

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research cut their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Franklin Resources in a report issued on Thursday, April 10th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the closed-end fund will post earnings per share of $2.11 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $2.14. The consensus estimate for Franklin Resources’ current full-year earnings is $2.16 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Franklin Resources’ Q4 2025 earnings at $0.52 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.55 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.56 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $2.25 EPS.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The closed-end fund reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.03. Franklin Resources had a return on equity of 9.45% and a net margin of 4.32%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.65 earnings per share.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Franklin Resources from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays increased their target price on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Franklin Resources from $18.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Franklin Resources currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $19.63.

Franklin Resources Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of BEN stock opened at $17.89 on Friday. Franklin Resources has a one year low of $16.25 and a one year high of $26.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $19.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.37. The stock has a market cap of $9.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.36.

Franklin Resources Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.16%. Franklin Resources’s dividend payout ratio is 196.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin Resources

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Franklin Resources by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,715,809 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $765,254,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095,373 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Franklin Resources by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 11,721,446 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $237,828,000 after purchasing an additional 1,011,755 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Franklin Resources by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 9,403,875 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $190,805,000 after buying an additional 1,542,478 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Franklin Resources by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,334,601 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $147,312,000 after buying an additional 422,688 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 33.1% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,438,863 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $130,645,000 after buying an additional 1,599,849 shares during the period. 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.