Franklin Resources Stock Outlook: Is Wall Street Bullish or Bearish?

Company Overview - Franklin Resources, Inc. (BEN) is an asset management company with a market cap of $11.7 billion, based in San Mateo, California, offering a wide range of investment solutions across more than 150 countries [1] Performance Analysis - Over the past 52 weeks, BEN has gained 8.3%, underperforming the S&P 500 Index, which surged 17.7% [2] - Year-to-date, BEN's stock is up 11.2%, compared to the S&P 500's 16.6% increase [2] - BEN has also lagged behind the iShares U.S. Financial Services ETF (IYG), which returned 19.3% over the past 52 weeks and 13.2% year-to-date [3] Earnings Report - On August 1, BEN's shares declined slightly after its Q3 earnings release, despite reporting better-than-expected performance with operating revenue of $2.1 billion and adjusted EPS of $0.49, both exceeding analyst estimates [4] - The company's overall top line declined 2.8% year-over-year due to lower investment management fees, while adjusted EPS fell by 18.3% from the previous year [4] Future Earnings Expectations - Analysts expect BEN's EPS to decline 11.3% year-over-year to $2.12 for the current fiscal year ending in September [5] - The earnings surprise history for BEN is mixed, with the company exceeding or meeting consensus estimates in three of the last four quarters [5] Analyst Ratings - Among 13 analysts covering BEN, the consensus rating is a "Hold," consisting of three "Strong Buy," five "Hold," one "Moderate Sell," and four "Strong Sell" ratings [5] - Barclays maintained an "Underweight" rating on BEN and lowered its price target to $20, while the mean price target of $24.67 suggests a 9.1% premium from current price levels [6] - The Street-high price target of $31 indicates an upside potential of 37.1% [6]