Gold prices steady ahead of Fed decision; weekly weakness noted
TD Cowen raised its price target on Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) to $28.00 from $27.00 on Monday, while maintaining a Buy rating on the asset manager’s stock. According to InvestingPro analysis, the stock appears undervalued at its current price of $22.69, with solid fundamentals including a 5.77% dividend yield.
The research firm cited "building momentum in the long-term flow inflection" as a key factor in its decision, noting that attrition related to Western Asset Management Company (WAMCO) is "stabilizing well ahead of our baseline model."
TD Cowen highlighted that it remains the "lone sell side Buy rating" on Franklin Resources, expressing confidence in both top-down and bottom-up outlooks for the company. The firm suggested there is a potential path to a $30 price target, indicating that current Street expectations incorporate "punitive flow outlook(s)."
The research note emphasized that underlying flow and fee rate trends for Franklin Resources are "likely among best in class," with favorable leading indicators. TD Cowen also referenced its June 4 thematic research, which positioned Franklin as a "likely beneficiary among the Traditionals."
Franklin Resources, which manages the Franklin Templeton family of funds, continues to show "compelling upside, even post YTD bounce," according to TD Cowen, with potential for further gains depending on "pace of residual WAMCO run-off."
In other recent news, Franklin Resources reported positive developments concerning its assets under management (AUM), which exceeded expectations according to analysts at TD Cowen. This led the firm to reaffirm its Buy rating on Franklin Resources, maintaining a price target of $27.00. Additionally, Franklin Resources announced a minor merger and acquisition deal in Europe, though specifics were not disclosed. The company is also planning to liquidate its Franklin FTSE Hong Kong ETF, with the process set to complete by July 8, 2025. Another significant move includes Franklin Templeton’s decision to convert 10 of its Putnam municipal bond mutual funds into exchange-traded funds (ETFs), scheduled for late 2025 to early 2026. Furthermore, Franklin Resources has maintained its quarterly cash dividend at $0.32 per share, marking a 3.2% increase from the previous year. In leadership news, Surajit Ray has been appointed as the new Head of Portfolio Construction and Quantitative Risk for Franklin Templeton’s Franklin Equity Group. These developments reflect Franklin Resources’ ongoing strategic initiatives and management efforts to enhance its market position.
This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.