Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.03 EPS

Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) released its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The company reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.03, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $24.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.70 million. Franklin Financial Services had a return on equity of 14.13% and a net margin of 17.73%.

Franklin Financial Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FRAF traded down $0.97 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $61.84. The stock had a trading volume of 19,604 shares, compared to its average volume of 39,985. Franklin Financial Services has a 1-year low of $38.52 and a 1-year high of $64.88. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $60.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $277.68 million, a P/E ratio of 11.56 and a beta of -0.02.

Franklin Financial Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 26th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. Franklin Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.47%.

Insider Transactions at Franklin Financial Services

In other Franklin Financial Services news, EVP Steven D. Butz sold 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were 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 directly owned 5,610 shares in the company, valued at $323,865.30. This represents a 19.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 5.93% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Franklin Financial Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Franklin Financial Services by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 34,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,755,000 after buying an additional 1,501 shares during the period. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP bought a new position in Franklin Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth $257,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Franklin Financial Services by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 69,651 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,496,000 after purchasing an additional 5,501 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP boosted its holdings in Franklin Financial Services by 24.4% in the 4th quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 16,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $813,000 after purchasing an additional 3,178 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Franklin Financial Services by 69.2% in 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 24.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Franklin Financial Services in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Hovde Group lowered shares of Franklin Financial Services from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Franklin Financial Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.00.

Franklin Financial Services Company Profile

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.