AlphaQuest LLC Grows Stock Position in Franklin Resources, Inc. $BEN

AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in shares of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) by 34,715.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 89,825 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock after purchasing an additional 89,567 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Franklin Resources were worth $2,078,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Franklin Resources by 1.4% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 85,529 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $1,978,000 after buying an additional 1,197 shares during the period. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Franklin Resources in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $304,000. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Franklin Resources in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $408,000. Investor s Fiduciary Advisor Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Franklin Resources in the 3rd quarter valued at $221,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of Franklin Resources by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 181,326 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $4,194,000 after purchasing an additional 17,800 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BEN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Franklin Resources from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Franklin Resources from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Barclays boosted their target price on Franklin Resources from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Franklin Resources from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Franklin Resources in a report on Monday, December 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Franklin Resources currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $24.64.

Franklin Resources Trading Up 2.6%

NYSE:BEN opened at $26.57 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.85 billion, a PE ratio of 29.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.44. Franklin Resources, Inc. has a 52-week low of $16.25 and a 52-week high of $26.90. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $24.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

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

Franklin Resources Increases Dividend

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

Franklin Resources News Roundup

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

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.