Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
Options put/call open interest 0.19, read 2026-10-27
Ethical does not pass the values gate
Price31.73 USD
Fair value40.00
Ethical score10.0/100
RatingAVOID
Our investment reviews on this name
2026-10-02Read Markdown32.68-2.9% to today ✓Markup gives way to Markdown
2026-07-02Read Markup31.33+1.3% to today ✓First review on file: Markup
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
Franklin Resources holds its Markdown at $31.73. Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 2 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-10-28
Phase
Markdown · caution
Quantitative state
Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 2 days
Price at the screen
$31.73
Valuation
21.07 trailing · 9.82 forward price to earnings
Values screen
FAIL· score 10.0
Beta
1.58
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Does not pass. Business activity screen
Test
Figure
Limit
What it means
Status
Business activity
Excluded
Core business clean
Business activity: Financials sector
Fail
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
The Ethical Read
Why It Falls Short, in Plain English
Franklin Resources does not clear the screen at the business-activity stage. It operates in conventional financial services, which the screen treats as interest-based, so the financial ratios are not the deciding factor here.
Read as at 2026-10-28. It updates when the underlying figures move, and past reads are kept below.
Follow this verdict
Get an email when BEN's ethical verdict changes
Today BEN does not pass the screen. If new figures move it to a pass, we send you one short email with the before and after. Verdicts change rarely, so you may not hear from us for a long time.
Free, no account needed. Every email has a link to stop.
What the Numbers Say It Is Worth
The Fair Value Range
Our analysis reads AVOID: it trades at roughly a 26% discount to our $40.00 fair value, narrow competitive moat, 14.30% revenue growth.
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-10-28 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. A 26.1% margin of safety to the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 13 covering, consensus Hold. The average target sits +10% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the analysts see meaningful upside from here.
Price History & Projections
Where it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-10-28 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words
Franklin stumbles on the ethical line
Picture a fund house that cannot clear its own gate. Franklin Resources fails the business activity screen outright, so we pass regardless of the numbers. The ethical bar is not optional and this one does not clear it.
Revenue is growing at 9 percent and the forward multiple sits at 10.5 times, yet return on equity is only 7 percent and margins are thin at 8 percent. A narrow moat and a hold rating from analysts leave little margin for error once the ethical issue is stripped away. We are staying away.
The main risk is that the ethical failure is permanent while the low multiple reflects exactly that problem. Asset managers live or die on trust, and here the numbers simply cannot override the screen. Analysis, not advice.
The risks · The things to watch: it already moves more than the market on an average day.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
BEN trades on a US exchange. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The Dated Journal · Newest First, Never Edited
Every Entry, As Written
2026-10-27Markdown$30.98+0.0%Entry 9
The analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 10% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (11 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $31.
2026-10-20Markdown$30.98-3.2%Entry 8
The analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 3.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 12% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (11 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $31.
2026-10-13Markdown$32.00-2.1%Entry 7
The analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 2.1% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 28% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (11 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $31.
2026-10-02Markdown · changed$32.68-4.8%Entry 6
The framework has shifted from markup to markdown since the last review. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 4.8% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 28% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (11 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $31.
2026-08-23Markup$34.31+5.1%Entry 5
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 5.1% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 28% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (11 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $31.
2026-07-22Markup$32.63+4.1%Entry 4
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 4.1% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 28% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (11 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $31.
2026-07-18Markup$31.33+0.0%Entry 3
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 28% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 51%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (11 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $31.
2026-07-03Markup$31.33+0.0%Entry 2
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Markup$31.33Entry 1
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
