Franklin Resources, Inc. vs United States Natural Gas Fund — how do they compare? Franklin Resources, Inc. trades at $33.37 (market cap $17.03B), while United States Natural Gas Fund trades at $10.16. The key difference: Franklin Resources, Inc. pays a 3.94% dividend while United States Natural Gas Fund pays none, and Franklin Resources, Inc. is trading nearer its 52-week high, United States Natural Gas Fund nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| BEN | UNG | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $17.03B | — |
Sector | Financials | Commodities - Energy |
52-Week High | $35.77 | $16.90 |
52-Week Low | $21.18 | $9.63 |
Enterprise Value | $29.98B | — |
Dividend Yield | 3.94% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Franklin Resources (BEN) trades at $33.77, down 0.68% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and a consensus analyst price target of $36.50. The company reported record AUM of $1.80 trillion as of July 31, 2026 (Business Wire, 2026-08-05), and has beaten EPS estimates for the last three quarters, with Q3 2026 results showing strong net inflows and margin expansion. Revenue for 2025 was $8.77 billion, with net income of $524.90 million.
The outlook is positive, driven by earnings beats, AUM growth, and diversification into private markets, but risks include inconsistent cash flow trends and competitive pressures. Analyst sentiment is mixed, with 59% hold ratings, indicating cautious optimism amid execution risks.
UNG trades at $9.74, up 1.14% in the last 24 hours, amid bearish technical signals from moving averages and oscillators. The stock lacks key financial ratio data, but news highlights natural gas futures volatility and comparisons with equity-based ETFs like FCG. Recent articles from WSJ and Reuters (June 2026) note steady trading ranges and record supply-demand forecasts from the EIA, influencing sentiment.
Outlook remains cautious due to technical weakness and commodity price dependence. Risks include geopolitical tensions and weather-driven demand shifts. Opportunities may arise from LNG demand growth, but investors face high volatility without clear fundamental anchors from traditional ratios.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →UNG is a commodity ETF that tracks the daily price movements of natural gas futures. It primarily invests in front-month contracts at the Henry Hub, making it a highly volatile tool for short-term trading rather than long-term holding due to contango and roll costs.
Read more on UNG →