Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) Releases Earnings Results

Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) released its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The company reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.03, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $24.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.70 million. Franklin Financial Services had a net margin of 17.73% and a return on equity of 14.13%.

Franklin Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of FRAF opened at $62.28 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $55.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The company has a market capitalization of $279.64 million, a PE ratio of 11.34 and a beta of -0.02. Franklin Financial Services has a 52-week low of $38.52 and a 52-week high of $64.88.

Franklin Financial Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Franklin Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is 25.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on FRAF. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Franklin Financial Services in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Hovde Group cut Franklin Financial Services from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Franklin Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.00.

Insider Activity at Franklin Financial Services

In related news, EVP Steven D. Butz sold 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.73, for a total transaction of $80,822.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $323,865.30. The trade was a 19.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 5.93% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin Financial Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 69.2% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 863 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Franklin Financial Services by 84.1% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 950 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Franklin Financial Services by 0.8% during the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 64,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,241,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in Franklin Financial Services by 18.0% during the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 963 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC grew its holdings in Franklin Financial Services by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 9,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 980 shares during the last quarter. 24.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.