Franklin Resources, Inc. $BEN Shares Acquired by AlphaQuest LLC

AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) by 34,715.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 89,825 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock after purchasing an additional 89,567 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Franklin Resources were worth $2,078,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Franklin Resources by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 8,677,417 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $206,956,000 after acquiring an additional 97,708 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Franklin Resources by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,236,553 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $77,192,000 after purchasing an additional 80,146 shares in the last quarter. Azora Capital LP acquired a new position in Franklin Resources during the second quarter worth $76,051,000. Vest Financial LLC boosted its position in Franklin Resources by 6.4% during the second quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 2,904,475 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $69,272,000 after purchasing an additional 175,597 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kopernik Global Investors LLC grew its holdings in Franklin Resources by 16.7% in the second quarter. Kopernik Global Investors LLC now owns 2,843,849 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $67,826,000 after purchasing an additional 407,867 shares during the last quarter. 47.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Franklin Resources News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Franklin Resources this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and stronger profitability: BEN reported $0.70 EPS vs. a $0.55 consensus and higher net income and operating income versus prior periods — a core driver of the rally because earnings power beat expectations. Investing.com: Earnings beat
• Positive Sentiment: Assets under management and net inflows improved: Several reports note sequential AUM growth and net inflows, which lift fee revenue prospects and support recurring revenue. This helped sentiment alongside the earnings beat. Zacks: AUM rises
• Positive Sentiment: Operational detail and management commentary available: The company released a formal press release, slide deck and an earnings-call transcript with details on margins, flows and strategy — useful for confirming sustainability of the beat. BusinessWire: Q1 results Seeking Alpha: Call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Market-driven fee tailwind but revenue mix matters: Coverage notes that market rallies boosted fee income (helpful), but revenue comparisons and sustainability depend on future flows and market levels — worth watching in coming quarters. MSN: Profit rises
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and caution: Morgan Stanley issued a “sell” and broker consensus on some screens is “reduce” — these downgrades can cap upside despite the quarter, as analysts point to cautious outlook or valuation concerns. Globe and Mail: Morgan Stanley sell AmericanBankingNews: Consensus Reduce
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue reporting discrepancies and mixed headlines: Some headlines say revenue topped estimates while others highlight misses versus certain analyst models — this mixed signal can create short-term volatility until the market parses the underlying drivers. Yahoo Finance: Q4/CY2025 recap

Franklin Resources Price Performance

Franklin Resources stock opened at $26.57 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.44. Franklin Resources, Inc. has a 12-month low of $16.25 and a 12-month high of $26.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $24.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.03.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The closed-end fund reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.15. Franklin Resources had a net margin of 5.98% and a return on equity of 9.12%. The business had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.59 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Franklin Resources, Inc. will post 2.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Franklin Resources Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 30th were given a $0.33 dividend. This is an increase from Franklin Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 30th. Franklin Resources’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 145.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BEN. Barclays lifted their price target on Franklin Resources from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Franklin Resources in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Franklin Resources from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price objective on Franklin Resources from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $24.64.

About Franklin Resources

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.