Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires 30,184 Shares of Franklin Resources, Inc. $BEN

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its stake in shares of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) by 78.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 68,689 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock after buying an additional 30,184 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Franklin Resources were worth $1,589,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its stake in Franklin Resources by 55.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 32,101 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $766,000 after buying an additional 11,432 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Franklin Resources in the third quarter worth approximately $998,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in shares of Franklin Resources by 38.7% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 192,911 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $4,462,000 after acquiring an additional 53,776 shares in the last quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Franklin Resources in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,593,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new position in Franklin Resources in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $389,000. 47.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on BEN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Franklin Resources from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Franklin Resources in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Franklin Resources from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Franklin Resources from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Franklin Resources currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $24.64.

Franklin Resources Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of BEN opened at $26.57 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $24.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.03. Franklin Resources, Inc. has a 1 year low of $16.25 and a 1 year 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 stock has a market capitalization of $13.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.44.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The closed-end fund reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.59 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Franklin Resources, Inc. will post 2.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Franklin Resources Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 is a boost from Franklin Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 30th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.0%. Franklin Resources’s payout ratio is 145.05%.

More Franklin Resources News

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.