Zacks Research Analysts Lower Earnings Estimates for BEN

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for Franklin Resources in a research note issued on Thursday, April 10th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the closed-end fund will post earnings per share of $0.49 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.51. The consensus estimate for Franklin Resources’ current full-year earnings is $2.16 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Franklin Resources’ Q4 2026 earnings at $0.64 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.77 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.94 EPS.

BEN has been the subject of a number of other research reports. 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. TD Cowen cut their price target on Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $17.50 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Franklin Resources from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Franklin Resources from $24.00 to $20.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $19.38.

Franklin Resources Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BEN opened at $17.99 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.36. Franklin Resources has a 52 week low of $16.25 and a 52 week high of $25.69. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The closed-end fund reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin Resources

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted 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 in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources by 350.4% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,261 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 981 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Franklin Resources by 44.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,641 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Franklin Resources during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in Franklin Resources by 561.1% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. 47.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Franklin Resources Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.12%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Franklin Resources’s dividend payout ratio is presently 196.92%.

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.