Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.17 EPS

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) released its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The closed-end fund reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.17, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. Franklin Resources had a net margin of 8.72% and a return on equity of 11.55%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from Franklin Resources’ conference call:

• Franklin Templeton reported $84.1 billion in long-term net inflows for fiscal 2026, with positive flows in every quarter across regions and channels. Adjusted operating income rose 23% and adjusted operating margin expanded 350 basis points to 28%.
• Private-markets fundraising reached $43.2 billion for the year, and the company raised its fiscal 2029 fundraising target from $100 billion to $150 billion. Management cited demand across secondaries, private credit, real estate, and venture, while noting fiscal 2027 fundraising is expected to be around the mid-$30 billions.
• ETFs and Canvas both exceeded growth expectations: ETF AUM reached $84.6 billion and Canvas AUM reached $32.6 billion. Franklin Templeton more than doubled its fiscal 2029 targets to $200 billion for ETFs and $100 billion for Canvas.
• Management expects adjusted operating margin to reach approximately 30% in fiscal 2027 and raised its fiscal 2029 goal to 35%, citing growth, cost discipline, and operational efficiencies. The outlook assumes flat markets, and fiscal 2027 adjusted expenses are expected to be in line with or slightly above fiscal 2026.

Franklin Resources Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BEN traded up $1.63 during trading on Friday, hitting $33.84. The company had a trading volume of 7,203,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,711,410. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.38. Franklin Resources has a fifty-two week low of $21.10 and a fifty-two week high of $36.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Franklin Resources Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 30th. Franklin Resources’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BEN shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Franklin Resources from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods initiated coverage on Franklin Resources in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $38.00 price target for the company. Evercore reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Franklin Resources in a report on Friday, July 10th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Franklin Resources from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Barclays reissued a “mixed” rating on shares of Franklin Resources in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $35.89.

Key Franklin Resources News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings were $0.94 per share, above analyst expectations of roughly $0.77–$0.78 and up from $0.67 a year earlier. Revenue of $1.88 billion also topped estimates of $1.86 billion and increased 3.9% year over year. Article: Franklin Templeton Q4 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Reports attributed the results to higher revenue, year-over-year growth in assets under management, robust long-term net inflows and lower operating expenses—indicators that support earnings momentum. Article: Franklin Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates on Higher Revenues, AUM Rises Year Over Year

About Franklin Resources

Franklin Resources, Inc, operating under the Franklin Templeton name, is a global investment management organization headquartered in San Mateo, California. The company provides investment solutions to individuals, financial professionals, institutions, and other clients worldwide.

Its products and services include mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, separately managed accounts, institutional portfolios, and alternative investment strategies. Through its investment teams and specialist affiliates, Franklin Templeton offers capabilities across equities, fixed income, multi-asset strategies, private markets, real assets, and other areas of asset management.

Franklin Resources was founded in 1947 by Rupert H.