Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) Earns Outperform Rating from Analysts at Hovde Group

Investment analysts at Hovde Group initiated coverage on shares of Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) in a report issued on Wednesday. The firm set an “outperform” rating and a $59.00 price target on the stock. Hovde Group’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 18.31% from the company’s previous close.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Franklin Financial Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.00.

Franklin Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FRAF opened at $49.87 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $223.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.52 and a beta of -0.08. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Franklin Financial Services has a fifty-two week low of $32.39 and a fifty-two week high of $59.95.

Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Franklin Financial Services had a net margin of 15.90% and a return on equity of 13.40%. The firm had revenue of $23.31 million during the quarter.

Insider Activity

In other Franklin Financial Services news, Director Kimberly Rzomp sold 1,500 shares of Franklin Financial Services stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.07, for a total value of $81,105.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 5,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $315,876.94. The trade was a 20.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 7.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Franklin Financial Services

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FRAF. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Franklin Financial Services by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 34,951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,755,000 after buying an additional 1,501 shares during the period. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP bought a new position in shares of Franklin Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $257,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 69,651 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,496,000 after acquiring an additional 5,501 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP increased its holdings in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 16,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $813,000 after acquiring an additional 3,178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Franklin Financial Services by 69.2% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 863 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares during the period. 24.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.