Franklin Resources, Inc. - BEN STOCK NEWS

Franklin Templeton and three of its specialist investment managers have been recognized in the 2024 Best Places to Work in Money Management awards by Pensions & Investments. Franklin Templeton was honored in the Super Employers category (1,000+ employees), while Brandywine Global, Clarion Partners, and ClearBridge Investments were recognized in the Large Employers category (100-499 employees).

The recognition process involved a two-part survey: an evaluation of workplace policies and practices (20% of total evaluation) and an employee survey measuring workplace experience (80%). The company's culture is founded on three principles: Client-centric focus, Collaboration, and Continuous improvement.

This marks the 13th annual survey by Pensions & Investments, highlighting employers demonstrating strong workplace culture, talent support, and innovation in the money management industry.

Franklin Resources [NYSE:BEN] has announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.32 per share, marking a 3.2% increase from both the previous quarter and the same quarter last year. The dividend will be paid on January 10, 2025, to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 30, 2024. The company has maintained a consistent track record of raising its dividend annually since 1981.

Franklin Resources (NYSE: BEN) reported preliminary assets under management (AUM) of $1.65 trillion at November 30, 2024, up from $1.63 trillion at October 31, 2024. The increase was driven by positive market performance but was partially offset by preliminary long-term net outflows of $13 billion, including $12 billion from Western Asset Management.

The AUM breakdown shows: Equity at $643.8B, Fixed Income at $515.6B, Alternative at $247.4B, Multi-Asset at $179.0B, and Cash Management at $65.1B. Western Asset Management's AUM decreased to $317 billion from $328 billion, affected by $12 billion in long-term net outflows and $2 billion in cash management net outflows.

Western Asset Inflation-Linked Opportunities & Income Fund [NYSE: WIW] has announced its distribution details for November 29, 2024. The Fund will distribute $0.0605 per share, sourced entirely from net investment income. The fiscal year-to-date distribution totals $0.6655 per share. The Fund maintains a 7.39% annualized distribution rate and has achieved a 1.43% average annual total return over the five-year period ended October 31, 2024. The Fund operates under a managed distribution policy aimed at delivering long-term total returns through regular monthly distributions, which may include net investment income, realized capital gains, or return of capital.

On October 24, Franklin Templeton participated in Jumpstart's 19th Read for the Record campaign, with 38 employees across seven offices reading to over 700 students. The chosen book was 'Piper Chen Sings' by Phillipa Soo and Maris Pasquale Doran. As part of their sponsorship, the company donated over 1,100 copies of the book to students and classrooms. The initiative aims to promote early literacy by having people read the same book simultaneously worldwide.

Franklin Templeton Fund Adviser has announced distribution schedules for certain closed-end funds covering December 2024, January and February 2025. The distributions affect two funds: Western Asset Inflation-Linked Income Fund (WIA) with monthly distributions of $0.05000, and Western Asset Inflation-Linked Opportunities & Income Fund (WIW) with monthly distributions of $0.06050. The distributions maintain consistent levels derived from income and capital gains, with both funds showing 100% income sources for their fiscal year-to-date distributions through February 28, 2025. The distributions will be paid on December 31, 2024, January 31, 2025, and February 28, 2025, respectively.

Financial advisors are increasingly incorporating digital assets into client portfolios, according to the Q3 2024 Advisor Pulse Survey by DACFP and Franklin Templeton Digital Assets. 19% of advisors report that over half their clients own digital assets, up from 15% in Q2 2024, while those reporting no client crypto ownership dropped to 3% from 8%.

Key findings show that 70% of advisors have recommended crypto to 10% or more of clients, with 26% recommending 2% allocations and 22% suggesting 5% allocations. Among advisors not yet recommending crypto, 56% plan to do so, with half of those planning to begin within six months. The survey included 619 financial professionals, with 83% having over 10 years of industry experience.

Franklin Resources (NYSE: BEN) reported preliminary month-end assets under management (AUM) of $1.63 trillion at October 31, 2024, down from $1.68 trillion in September 2024. The decrease was attributed to negative markets and long-term net outflows of $18.5 billion, including $17.8 billion from Western Asset Management. By asset class, Equity stood at $618.2B, Fixed Income at $524.6B, Alternative at $247.9B, Multi-Asset at $174.4B, and Cash Management at $65.6B. Western Asset Management's AUM decreased to $328.3B from $353.3B in September.

Clarion Partners has achieved LEED certification for over 100 industrial projects, totaling more than 35 million square feet under the USGBC's LEED Volume Program. The company developed a LEED Volume prototype in 2021 with Argento/Graham for certifying new developments more efficiently and cost-effectively. The program focuses on low-emitting materials, energy and water efficiency, and solar readiness. A notable example is the Manassas Logistics Center's Phase 1, which received LEED-Silver certification, featuring two buildings totaling 337,046 square feet with energy-efficient features and 41 acres of preserved ecological land.