33,333 Shares in Franklin Resources, Inc. $BEN Bought by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems acquired a new position in Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 33,333 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock, valued at approximately $787,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Franklin Resources during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Franklin Resources by 277.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 1,150 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 845 shares during the last quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Franklin Resources in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in shares of Franklin Resources in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Franklin Resources during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 47.56% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Franklin Resources

Here are the key news stories impacting Franklin Resources this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings and revenue beat estimates: Franklin reported adjusted earnings of approximately $0.72 per share, above the $0.66 consensus estimate and up from $0.49 a year earlier. Revenue reached about $2.28 billion, exceeding the $1.76 billion estimate and increasing 14.3% year over year. Franklin Resources Tops Q3 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Record AUM and healthier flows: Assets under management reached approximately $1.79 trillion at June 30, supported by market gains and $18.4 billion of long-term net inflows. Western Asset Management’s $1 billion of long-term outflows represented an improvement over recent periods, suggesting better asset-gathering momentum. Franklin Q3 Earnings Beat on Higher Revenues, AUM Hits Record High
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns supported the investment case: Franklin repurchased 10.4 million shares for $348.1 million and returned $521.5 million to shareholders during the quarter, including dividends and buybacks. Franklin Resources Reports Quarterly Net Income
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate rebranding: The company will change its name to Franklin Templeton, Inc. on August 17, 2026, while retaining the NYSE ticker BEN. The change may improve brand alignment but does not directly alter operations or shareholder economics. Franklin Resources Rebrands as Franklin Templeton
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP results and expenses remain concerns: Reported net income was $171.5 million, or $0.31 per diluted share, below the prior quarter’s $268.2 million and $0.49 per share. Higher expenses also tempered the otherwise strong quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of Franklin Resources in a research note on Friday, July 10th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Franklin Resources from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised Franklin Resources from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded Franklin Resources from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Franklin Resources from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $32.00.

Franklin Resources Stock Performance

Shares of BEN opened at $33.91 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $32.67 and a 200-day moving average of $28.83. The company has a market cap of $17.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 1.87. Franklin Resources, Inc. has a 1 year low of $21.10 and a 1 year high of $34.92.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The closed-end fund reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.76 billion. Franklin Resources had a net margin of 8.12% and a return on equity of 10.58%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.49 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Franklin Resources, Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Franklin Resources Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 29th were given a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 29th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. Franklin Resources’s dividend payout ratio is 100.76%.

Franklin Resources Company Profile

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.