Stock fact sheet · data as of
Franklin Resources, Inc. (BEN): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol BEN · Financial Services · Asset Management · United States · Blend
Is BEN undervalued?
Franklin Resources, Inc. (BEN) closed at 33.87 on 5 Nov 2026, 40% above the GLS average fair value of 24.18. 8 of the 9 models that produced a number value the shares below the current price. A gap this wide usually means the market is paying for growth or a story the trailing numbers do not show yet; the models work from filed results, not forecasts, so they are conservative by design.
There is a wide gap between GLS Growth (5.06) and Graham Growth (63.60). When the models are this far apart the "fair value" is really a range, and the margin of safety above should be read with that range in mind.
Ranked against every other company we cover, neither cheapness nor growth clearly wins for BEN, so the nightly engine files it under Blend (value score 39, growth score 26, out of 100).
Nine valuation models for BEN
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 22.47 | -34% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 29.78 | -12% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 63.60 | +88% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 25.17 | -26% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 5.06 | -85% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 24.62 | -27% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 8.31 | -75% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | 19.42 | -43% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 19.22 | -43% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -25.71 | -176% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 36.00 | +6% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Franklin Resources, Inc. scores 5 of 9 on the Piotroski F-score: a middling result that falls one point short of the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter. Some of the nine tests on profitability, leverage and efficiency are failed, so the accounts are worth a look before selling a put on the name. On durability BEN scores 6.5/10 on the GLS Moat - a middle reading; the Moat Score tab on the Quote page's Financials view shows which of the four parts hold it back.
Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC 2.1%, ROE 4.3%, ROA 1.6% - with debt at 1.10 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 1.3%.
The dividend yield is 3.90% at a payout ratio of 77%; for a wheel trader holding assigned shares the dividend adds to the covered-call premium, and the ex-dividend date is worth knowing before a call is sold. Revenue comes mainly from Investment Advisory, Management and Adm… 79%, Sales And Distribution Fees 17%, Shareholder Service 3% (quarter Q3 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 7/10, insider activity 10/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales; the last recorded insider buy was on 19 Oct 2026.
| Piotroski F-score | 5 / 9 | ROIC | 2.1% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 6.5 / 10 | ROE | 4.3% |
| Debt / equity | 1.10 | ROA | 1.6% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 1.3% | Payout ratio | 77% |
| Institutions | 7 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 10 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 38: Weak
With a Wheel Score of 38 Franklin Resources, Inc. sits in the Weak band. It fails filter 3, below fair value - trades 40% above our fair value; and filter 4, financially healthy - Piotroski 5/9 (under 6); Value (weak) is its weakest part.
Implied volatility is 40% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out - inside the 35-60% sweet spot the Wheel Score rewards most: enough premium to be worth selling, not so much that the risk is unpaid. Chain open interest is 16,633 contracts across all expiries - enough for the wheel at normal size.
Volume runs at 4.8M shares a day on a market cap of $17.2B, with a beta of 1.59 - a high beta, so the stock tends to move more than the market and a strike can be gapped through; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that fair.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Passes | Listed options with 1,000+ contracts of open interest and 100+ traded a day |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Fails | trades 40% above our fair value |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Fails | Piotroski 5/9 (under 6) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Weak | 40% above fair value | |
| Premium | Strong | implied volatility 40% | |
| Moat | Good | moat 6.5/10 | |
| Health | Fair | Piotroski 5/9 | |
| Red Flags | Good | Red Flags score 82/100 | |
| Option trading | Fair | 1,069 contracts a day, 16,633 open interest | |
| Stability | Fair | beta 1.59, $17.2B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
Franklin Resources, Inc. reports earnings on 6 Nov 2026 (before the open) - inside the 14-day window the Sunday Scan avoids, because a put sold now would carry the report's gap risk.
No analyst upgrades or downgrades were recorded in the last 30 days.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Asset Management
The 12 companies below are the closest to Franklin Resources, Inc. by market cap within the Asset Management industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VPCCX Vanguard PRIMECAP Core Fund | 45.27 | 68.06 | +33% | 31No options | $16.9B |
| LGRNX Loomis Sayles Growth Fund Class N | 33.65 | 5.95 | -466% | 13No options | $16.8B |
| OWL Blue Owl Capital Inc. | 10.65 | 10.74 | +1% | 41Weak | $16.6B |
| VWLUX Vanguard Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares | 10.52 | 3.32 | -217% | 15No options | $18.0B |
| DUKH Ocean Park High Income ETF | 23.34 | 126.27 | +82% | 32No options | $16.3B |
| FIDZX Fidelity Advisor International Capital Appreciation Fund Class Z | 35.91 | 25.89 | -39% | 16No options | $18.2B |
| CRBG Corebridge Financial, Inc. | 36.24 | 103.21 | +65% | 81Good | $16.2B |
| TRRHX T. Rowe Price Retirement 2025 Fund | 18.88 | 195.03 | +90% | 28No options | $16.1B |
| IHGIX Hartford Dividend and Growth Fund Class A | 41.12 | 45.80 | +10% | 20No options | $18.6B |
| HDGCX The Hartford Dividend and Growth Fund Class C | 38.73 | 86.30 | +55% | 30No options | $18.6B |
| TPGXL TPG Inc. | 21.00 | 22.35 | +6% | 22No options | $19.2B |
| TPG TPG Inc. | 50.16 | 40.63 | -23% | 39Weak | $19.2B |
⚖ Compare BEN with 7 of them All Financial Services stocks →
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Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about BEN
Is BEN undervalued right now?
No: at 33.87 the stock trades 40% above the GLS average fair value of 24.18 (data as of 5 Nov 2026), well beyond what trailing earnings, cash flow and book value support.
What is the Wheel Score of BEN and what does it mean?
BEN scores 38 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filters 3, 4. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for BEN?
24.18 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 9 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Franklin Resources, Inc. report earnings next?
The next earnings report is due on 6 Nov 2026 (before the open), 1 days from the data date of 5 Nov 2026. The Calendars page lists every upcoming report with its time of day.
Does BEN have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 128 listed contracts with 16,633 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 40% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.