Stoneshield Investments SL: Leading European Real Assets Manager Stoneshield Capital to Join Forces with Franklin Templeton and Clarion Partners

Franklin Templeton's (BEN) real estate subsidiary, Clarion Partners, will acquire a majority stake in Stoneshield Capital, a European real assets manager. The deal, expected to close in Q4 2026, will triple Clarion's European AUM to $13B and increase total AUM by 12% to $82B. Stoneshield's co-founders will remain and lead the platform, which will focus on opportunistic investments in Europe. Pre-market, BEN shares are down 0.03% at $34.73.

Franklin Resources (BEN) shares rose 3.6% after reporting $1.83T in assets under management for August 2026, up from $1.79T in July. The increase was driven by market performance and $8B in net inflows. Shares later settled at $34.63, up 3.2%. The company's AUM breakdown showed equity assets leading at $775.1B. BEN is up 45.5% YTD and near its 52-week high of $35.77.

Franklin Resources (BEN) reported Q2 revenue of $2.36B, up 14.3% YoY, beating estimates. Hamilton Lane (HLNE) saw 56.5% revenue growth, outperforming expectations. StepStone Group (STEP) missed estimates with 26.6% revenue growth. Voya Financial (VOYA) reported flat revenue, missing EPS estimates. Federated Hermes (FHI) beat expectations with 18.3% revenue growth. Custody bank stocks averaged 5.9% share price increase post-earnings.

Franklin Templeton raised $1.5B via a collateralized fund obligation (CFO), offering investors exposure to private equity and continuation funds. CFOs, used by firms like Ares and Carlyle, attract risk-averse investors like insurers, providing access to private assets with downside protection. The NAIC revised guidance to ensure insurers verify the underlying dynamics of structured products.

Franklin Resources (BEN) reported Q3 2026 earnings, with EPS of $0.72 (8.3% above estimates) and revenue of $2.36B (1.9% above estimates). The company saw $18.4B in long-term net inflows, reversing last year's outflows, and pushing assets under management to a record $1.8T.

Franklin Templeton closed its first $1.5 billion Collateralized Fund Obligation (CFO), offering diversified exposure to private markets strategies. The CFO includes private equity secondaries and U.S. middle-market direct lending, managed by Lexington Partners and Benefit Street Partners. Franklin Templeton has $295 billion in alternative assets under management as of July 31, 2026.