Franklin Financial Services Corp. $FRAF Shares Purchased by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in Franklin Financial Services Corp. (NASDAQ:FRAF) by 115.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,627 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,386 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.35% of Franklin Financial Services worth $806,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 391,773.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 16,125,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $809,504,000 after acquiring an additional 16,121,459 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC increased its position in Franklin Financial Services by 21.4% during the fourth quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 5,990 shares of the company’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 1,054 shares during the last quarter. Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new position in Franklin Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $251,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Franklin Financial Services by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 15,090 shares of the company’s stock worth $758,000 after purchasing an additional 2,098 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 29.9% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 14,488 shares of the company’s stock valued at $727,000 after purchasing an additional 3,331 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 24.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FRAF has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Hovde Group downgraded Franklin Financial Services from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Franklin Financial Services in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Franklin Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Franklin Financial Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.00.

Franklin Financial Services Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of FRAF stock opened at $63.80 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $286.46 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.62 and a beta of -0.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. Franklin Financial Services Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $38.52 and a fifty-two week high of $64.88. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $61.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.49.

Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.03. Franklin Financial Services had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 14.21%. The company had revenue of $24.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.70 million.

Franklin Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 26th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. Franklin Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is 24.77%.

Insider Transactions at Franklin Financial Services

In related news, EVP Steven D. Butz sold 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.73, for a total value of $80,822.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $323,865.30. This represents a 19.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 5.93% of the company’s stock.

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.