Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on FRAF. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Franklin Financial Services in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Hovde Group downgraded Franklin Financial Services from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.00.

Franklin Financial Services Trading Down 1.4%

FRAF opened at $62.58 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $281.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.72 and a beta of -0.02. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $59.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $54.74. Franklin Financial Services has a 1-year low of $38.52 and a 1-year high of $64.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.14. Franklin Financial Services had a return on equity of 14.13% and a net margin of 17.73%.The business had revenue of $23.88 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.30 million.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Steven D. Butz sold 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were 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 owned 5,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $323,865.30. This represents a 19.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 5.93% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Franklin Financial Services by 69.2% in the fourth 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 position in Franklin Financial Services by 84.1% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. purchased a new stake in Franklin Financial Services in the second quarter valued at $79,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund purchased a new stake in Franklin Financial Services in the second quarter valued at $100,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Franklin Financial Services in the 1st quarter valued at $133,000. 24.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Franklin Financial Services

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.