Franklin Resources Inc Stock Price, News & Analysis

Franklin Templeton (NYSE:BEN) has appointed Rich Nuzum as Head of OCIO (Outsourced Chief Investment Officer) for Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions (FTIS), effective July 28. Nuzum, former Executive Director of Investments at Mercer, will be based in New York and report to Adam Petryk, Head of FTIS.

The appointment aligns with Franklin Templeton's strategic focus on expanding its OCIO business to meet growing client demand for streamlined operations and investment expertise. FTIS currently manages $93 billion in assets with over 100 multi-asset investment professionals as of June 2025.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) reported preliminary assets under management (AUM) of $1.61 trillion as of June 30, 2025, representing an increase from $1.57 trillion in May 2025. The growth was driven by positive market performance, despite experiencing preliminary long-term net outflows of $1 billion.

Western Asset Management, a key division, saw $4 billion in net outflows, while the rest of the company achieved $3 billion in net inflows. For the quarter ended June 30, the company's AUM breakdown showed Equity at $656.1B, Fixed Income at $441.3B, Alternative investments at $254.0B, and Multi-Asset at $183.0B, with Cash Management at $71.9B.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) will release its third quarter 2025 operating results on Friday, August 1, 2025 at approximately 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. A written commentary will be available simultaneously on the company's investor website.

The company will host a live teleconference at 10:00 a.m. ET featuring CEO Jenny Johnson, CFO/COO Matthew Nicholls, and EVP Adam Spector. The call will be accessible via the company's investor website or by phone, with replay available through August 8, 2025.

Western Asset Inflation-Linked Opportunities & Income Fund (NYSE: WIW) has announced its distribution details for June 30, 2025. The Fund declared a monthly distribution of $0.0625 per share, with 100% sourced from net investment income.

The Fund's fiscal year-to-date distributions total $0.3690 per share, also entirely derived from net investment income. Key performance metrics as of May 31, 2025, include an average annual total return of 2.43% over the past 5 years, an annualized distribution rate of 7.75%, and a cumulative total return of 2.94% for the current fiscal period.

The Fund operates under a managed distribution policy aimed at delivering long-term total return potential through regular monthly distributions. While distributions may be paid from various sources, including return of capital, the current distribution is fully covered by net investment income.

Franklin Templeton has launched a patent-pending Intraday Yield feature on its Benji Technology Platform, enabling second-by-second yield calculation and distribution for tokenized securities. This blockchain-integrated innovation allows investors to earn precise yields even when holding securities for partial days, a significant improvement over traditional end-of-day calculations. The Benji Technology Platform, developed since 2017, supports tokenized investments and has achieved several milestones, including launching the first U.S.-registered blockchain mutual fund in 2021, the first tokenized UCITS fund in Luxembourg in 2024, and securing approval for Singapore's first retail tokenized fund in 2025. The platform offers additional features like compliant wallet-to-wallet transfers and stablecoin transactions, serving various clients from corporate treasurers to hedge funds through both retail and institutional interfaces.

Franklin Resources (NYSE: BEN) reported preliminary assets under management (AUM) of $1.57 trillion for May 31, 2025, showing an increase from $1.53 trillion in April 2025. The company experienced preliminary long-term net inflows of $1 billion, despite Western Asset Management recording $3 billion in outflows. Excluding Western Asset Management, net inflows were $4 billion. The AUM breakdown shows equity at $630.7B (up from $596.6B), fixed income at $438.7B (down from $440.3B), alternatives at $253.5B (slightly down), multi-asset at $178.5B (up from $173.7B), and cash management at $71.5B (up from $70.8B). Western Asset Management's AUM decreased to $239B from $241B in April.

Franklin Templeton (NYSE: BEN) has announced a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in Apera Asset Management, a European private credit firm managing over €5 billion in assets. The acquisition will expand Franklin Templeton's global alternatives platform and enhance its direct lending capabilities in Europe's lower middle market. Post-acquisition, Franklin Templeton's alternative credit AUM would increase to $87 billion, with total alternative asset AUM reaching approximately $260 billion. Founded in 2016, Apera specializes in senior secured private capital solutions for private equity-backed companies in Western Europe, with offices in London, Germany, France, and Luxembourg. Apera recently closed its third flagship fund at €2.9 billion, demonstrating strong investor demand. The transaction is expected to close in Q3 2025, subject to regulatory approvals.

Western Asset Inflation-Linked Opportunities & Income Fund (WIW) announced its May 2025 distribution details and fiscal year-to-date allocations. The Fund declared a monthly distribution of $0.0625 per share, with 100% sourced from net investment income. The cumulative fiscal year-to-date distribution is $0.3065 per share. The Fund's 5-year average annual total return through April 30, 2025, was 3.19%, with an annualized distribution rate of 7.68%. The Fund maintains a managed distribution policy aimed at delivering long-term total return potential through regular monthly distributions. While distributions may come from various sources including net investment income and capital gains, shareholders are cautioned that returns of capital may occur if distributions exceed the Fund's investment income and realized gains.

Meta (META) shareholders are set to vote on a critical child safety resolution at the company's Annual General Meeting. The resolution, filed by Proxy Impact and supported by 18 institutional investors, demands Meta assess and report on its child safety impacts and harm reduction efforts. This comes after reports revealed serious concerns with Instagram Teens, including promotion of inappropriate content.

The initiative follows alarming statistics: 1 in 8 children under 16 reported unwanted sexual advances on Instagram within a week, approximately 100,000 children faced daily sexual harassment on Meta platforms in 2021, and a 1,325% increase in AI-related child exploitation reports from 2023. Additionally, 41 States and DC have filed lawsuits against Meta for allegedly creating addictive features harmful to young users.