Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.33

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.33 per share by the closed-end fund on Friday, April 10th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st.

Franklin Resources has increased its dividend by an average of 0.0%per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 45 consecutive years. Franklin Resources has a payout ratio of 58.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Franklin Resources to earn $2.42 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.32 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 54.5%.

Franklin Resources Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BEN traded up $0.85 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $27.85. The stock had a trading volume of 5,877,005 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,934,863. Franklin Resources has a 1-year low of $16.25 and a 1-year high of $27.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.86. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $24.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.06. The stock has a market cap of $14.50 billion, a PE ratio of 25.79, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.46.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The closed-end fund reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.15. Franklin Resources had a net margin of 6.97% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The business had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.59 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Franklin Resources will post 2.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Franklin Resources

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in Franklin Resources by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 9,751 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Franklin Resources by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 10,471 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $250,000 after acquiring an additional 433 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 0.5% in the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 102,708 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $2,376,000 after acquiring an additional 497 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Franklin Resources by 4.5% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 12,287 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $284,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the period. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Franklin Resources by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 16,343 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 577 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.56% of the company’s stock.

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.