35,798 Shares in Franklin Resources, Inc. $BEN Purchased by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 35,798 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock, valued at approximately $1,191,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Franklin Resources during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $961,845,000. Azora Capital LP bought a new stake in Franklin Resources in the second quarter valued at $229,850,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Franklin Resources during the second quarter worth $152,692,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Franklin Resources during the fourth quarter worth $98,168,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $98,703,000 after acquiring an additional 2,697,743 shares during the period. 47.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Franklin Resources Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:BEN opened at $34.70 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $17.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $33.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.00. Franklin Resources, Inc. has a 52-week low of $21.10 and a 52-week high of $36.28.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The closed-end fund reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.76 billion. Franklin Resources had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 8.72%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.49 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Franklin Resources, Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

Franklin Resources Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. Franklin Resources’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BEN shares. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Franklin Resources from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Franklin Resources from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Franklin Resources from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $34.00 target price on shares of Franklin Resources in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Franklin Resources has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $32.44.

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.