Franklin Resources, Inc. vs SMX Security Matters plc — how do they compare? Franklin Resources, Inc. trades at $33.24 (market cap $17.22B), while SMX Security Matters plc trades at $17.54 (market cap $17.11M). The key difference: Franklin Resources, Inc. is far larger — about 1006.4× SMX Security Matters plc's market cap, and Franklin Resources, Inc. pays a 3.98% dividend while SMX Security Matters plc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| BEN | SMX | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $17.22B | $17.11M |
Sector | Financials | Technology |
52-Week High | $34.44 | $295.56K |
52-Week Low | $21.18 | $12.87 |
Enterprise Value | $29.05B | $14.08M |
Dividend Yield | 3.98% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Franklin Resources (BEN) trades at $32.83, down 2.0% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages despite bearish oscillators. The company shows steady revenue growth to $8.77B in 2025 and has beaten earnings estimates for three consecutive quarters. Recent news highlights dividend sustainability and AUM growth to $1.79 trillion in June 2026, while analyst consensus leans neutral with a $34.67 price target.
BEN presents a mixed outlook with strong dividend appeal and earnings momentum offset by modest profitability metrics (ROE 2.08%) and negative cash flow trends. Near-term catalysts include Q3 earnings on July 31, 2026, but investors face risks from competitive pressures and market-sensitive AUM fluctuations. The stock trades at a reasonable P/E of 25.06 with upside to consensus target.
SMX trades at $16.21, up 3.58% today, amid neutral technical signals and recent reverse stock splits. The company is positioning itself in the recycling technology space with its Circularity-as-a-Service platform, targeting demand from new state recycling mandates. However, financial metrics show significant challenges with negative ROE of -2,216.26% and ROA of -398.22%, indicating substantial profitability concerns despite a reasonable P/B ratio of 1.93.
The outlook remains speculative with potential upside from regulatory tailwinds in recycling verification technology, but high execution risk given current negative profitability. Investors face substantial dilution risk from recent reverse splits and need to monitor the company's ability to convert regulatory opportunities into sustainable revenue growth.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Franklin Resources provides investment services for individual and institutional investors. At the end of August 2022, Franklin had $1.388 trillion in managed assets, composed primarily of equity (32%), fixed-income (38%), multi-asset/balanced (10%) funds, alternatives (16%), and money market funds (4%). Distribution tends to be weighted more toward retail investors (49% of AUM) investors, as opposed to institutional (49%) and high-net-worth (2%) clients. Franklin is also one of the more global firms of the U.S.-based asset managers with more than 35% of its AUM invested in global/international strategies and 25% of managed assets sourced from clients domiciled outside the United States.
Read more on BEN →SMX Security Matters plc is a digital authentication and tracking technology company that uses a chemical-based, invisible marker system to trace and verify products across global supply chains. Their technology creates a 'digital twin' of physical products, used for quality control, counterfeiting prevention, and ensuring sustainability compliance from raw materials to final sale. The company's solutions are applied across various industries, including precious materials, luxury goods, and fast-moving consumer goods.
Read more on SMX →