Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Hovde Group

Hovde Group initiated coverage on shares of Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) in a report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $59.00 price target on the stock.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Franklin Financial Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Franklin Financial Services currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.00.

Franklin Financial Services Price Performance

Franklin Financial Services stock opened at $49.40 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.36. Franklin Financial Services has a 12 month low of $32.39 and a 12 month high of $59.95. The company has a market cap of $221.26 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.42 and a beta of -0.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $23.31 million during the quarter. Franklin Financial Services had a return on equity of 13.40% and a net margin of 15.90%.

Franklin Financial Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Franklin Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.85%.

Insider Activity at Franklin Financial Services

In related news, Director Kimberly Rzomp sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.07, for a total transaction of $81,105.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 5,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $315,876.94. The trade was a 20.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 6.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FRAF. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 69.2% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 863 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 84.1% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 950 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 434 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new stake in shares of Franklin Financial Services in the third quarter worth $46,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new stake in Franklin Financial Services during the second quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. bought a new stake in Franklin Financial Services during the second quarter valued at $79,000. 24.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Franklin Financial Services Company Profile

Franklin Financial Services, Inc (NASDAQ: FRAF) is a U.S.‐listed specialty finance company that makes and acquires secured loans, with a focus on asset-based lending and mortgage warehouse financing. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, FFS Investment Company, a Maryland corporation regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, Franklin Financial provides revolving lines of credit, term loans and other credit facilities secured primarily by residential and commercial mortgage loans, receivables and inventory.