Franklin Resources Q3 Revenue Beats

Franklin Resources (BEN 0.60%), a global investment management firm, reported financial results for Q3 FY2025 on August 1, 2025. The most notable news from the earnings release was that the company modestly surpassed analysts’ expectations on both revenue (GAAP) and non-GAAP earnings per share. Earnings per share (Non-GAAP) came in at $0.49 versus an estimated $0.48, and revenue (GAAP) reached $2,064.0 million, substantially ahead of the $1,582.2 million consensus. However, both revenue and profit metrics (GAAP) declined year-over-year. The quarter showed improvement in net flows outside of the Western Asset Management subsidiary, but overarching pressures from Western continued to weigh on overall profitability and margin performance.

Source: Analyst estimates provided by FactSet. Management expectations based on management's guidance, as provided in Q2 2025 earnings report.

Business Overview and Key Success Factors

Franklin Resources manages investment portfolios across a broad range of asset classes, including equities, fixed income, alternatives, multi-asset solutions, and cash management. Its business model centers on collecting management fees based on total assets under management (AUM), which stood at $1.61 trillion as of Q3 FY2025.

The company’s scale, product diversity, and global distribution capabilities are central to its business. It seeks to capture client assets through mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), separately managed accounts, and alternative investment strategies. Critical factors to success include maintaining scale in AUM, adapting products to evolving market trends, and integrating acquired firms such as Putnam and Apera Asset Management. Regulatory compliance and cost control are also essential due to the complexity of operating in different markets and absorbing new business units.

Quarterly Highlights and Notable Developments

This quarter, Franklin Resources reported mixed performance. While GAAP revenue outpaced expectations and surprised versus consensus, it was still down compared to the prior year. Operating income (GAAP) declined 31% year over year. Operating margin (GAAP) dipped to 7.5%, compared to 10.5% a year ago, as acquisition-related costs and intangible asset amortization weighed on margins. Adjusted operating margin (non-GAAP) also narrowed by 2 percentage points from the prior year, settling at 23.7%.

The company’s assets under management finished at $1,611.8 billion as of June 30, 2025, falling 2.1% from the prior year, but increased about 5% sequentially due to favorable market appreciation. Most of the AUM increase was driven by strong market performance rather than organic flows. Long-term net outflows totaled $9.3 billion, an improvement from the previous quarter’s $26.2 billion outflow. However, these negative flows were primarily concentrated at Western Asset Management in Q2 FY2025. Excluding Western, Franklin had $7.8 billion in long-term net inflows. its seventh consecutive quarter of positive flows without that segment. Alternative assets, which include private credit, real estate, and private equity, saw net inflows of $2.5 billion, while the cash management segment also posted positive flows.

Alternative investments remain a major area of growth for Franklin Resources, with alternative asset fundraising totaling $19.0 billion fiscal year-to-date, including $15.7 billion in private markets, and alternative AUM of $258.4 billion as of Q3 FY2025. Alternative AUM rose to $258.4 billion, reflecting strong fundraising of $6.2 billion, $5.3 billion of which came from private market strategies. In June 2025, Franklin announced an agreement to acquire a majority interest in Apera Asset Management, a pan-European private credit firm with approximately $5.7 billion in assets under management. The firm continued to invest in new product capabilities, including direct-lending and private-equity vehicles, as well as three perpetual alternative funds that now each exceed $1 billion in size. Performance in the ETF platform was also notable: ETF assets climbed to a new record of $44.1 billion, buoyed by $4.3 billion of positive flows, marking the 15th consecutive quarter of inflows for the ETF platform as of Q3 2025.

Geographically, the international business performed well, with AUM sourced from outside the United States reaching nearly $500 billion. Both the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, Africa) and the Americas ex-US delivered positive net flows in Q2 FY2025. The Canvas platform, which offers custom index solutions in separately managed account format, reported 20% growth in AUM to $13.7 billion from the prior quarter. Expense control continued to be a focus: compensation and benefits costs remained flat sequentially, and the company stated that FY2025 expenses are expected to be consistent with the previous year, excluding performance compensation tied to the Putnam acquisition. Management noted a goal to cut $200–$250 million in costs entering fiscal 2026.

Dividend policy remained steady, with a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share—up 3% from the same period last year. The company also bought back 7.3 million shares, returning $157.4 million to shareholders, signaling ongoing commitment to capital returns.

Looking Ahead: Guidance and Strategic Focus

Management did not provide specific numeric guidance for revenue or earnings for the next quarter or the full year. Instead, leadership emphasized priorities such as integration of new acquisitions, continued expansion in alternatives, and discipline in cost management. Expense guidance for FY2025 is roughly flat compared to FY2024, and additional annualized reductions of $200–$250 million are anticipated for FY2026, provided business initiatives progress as planned. The firm’s institutional “won-but-unfunded” pipeline, which measures deals that have been awarded but not yet funded, is at a record $24.4 billion, up $4 billion from the prior quarter.

Franklin Resources will continue focusing on diversifying its product lineup, with ongoing investment in ETFs, digital asset vehicles, and custom indexing. Investors should monitor progress in margin improvement and fee mix as the company adapts to shifts across the investment landscape.

Revenue and net income presented using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless otherwise noted.