logo
Franklin Universal Trust ('FT' or the 'Fund') Announces Notification of Sources of Distributions

Franklin Universal Trust ('FT' or the 'Fund') Announces Notification of Sources of Distributions

Globe and Mail4 days ago
Franklin Universal Trust [NYSE: FT]:
Notification of Sources of Distributions
Pursuant to Section 19(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940
The Fund's estimated sources of the distribution to be paid on July 31, 2025, and for the fiscal year 2025 year-to-date are as follows:
Estimated Allocations for July Monthly Distribution as of June 30, 2025:
Distribution
Per Share
Net Investment
Income
Net Realized
Short-Term Capital
Gains
Net Realized
Long-Term Capital
Gains
Return of
Capital
$0.0425
$0.0135 (32%)
$0.0119 (28%)
$0.00 (0%)
$0.0171 (40%)
Cumulative Estimated Allocations fiscal year-to-date as of June 30, 2025, for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2025:
Distribution
Per Share
Net Investment
Income
Net Realized
Short-Term Capital
Gains
Net Realized
Long-Term Capital
Gains
Return of
Capital
$0.4250
$0.2618 (62%)
$0.0119 (3%)
$0.00 (0%)
$0.1513 (35%)
Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of the current distribution or from the terms of the Fund's Distribution Policy. FT estimates that it has distributed more than its income and net realized capital gains; therefore, a portion of the FT distribution to shareholders may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur, for example, when some or all of the money that a shareholder invested in a Fund is paid back to them. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect FT's investment performance and should not be confused with 'yield' or 'income'. The amounts and sources of distributions reported herein are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The Fund will send a Form 1099-DIV to shareholders for the calendar year that will describe how to report the Fund's distributions for federal income tax purposes.
Average Annual Total Return (in relation to the change in net asset value (NAV) for the 5-year period ended on 6/30/2025) 1
Annualized Distribution Rate (as a percentage of NAV for the current fiscal period through 6/30/2025) 2
Cumulative Total Return (in relation to the change in NAV for the fiscal period through 6/30/2025) 3
Cumulative Fiscal Year-To-Date Distribution Rate (as a percentage of NAV as of 6/30/2025) 4
8.08%
6.17%
6.17%
5.14%
Fund Performance and Distribution Rate Information:
Average Annual Total Return in relation to NAV represents the compound average of the Annual NAV Total Returns of the Fund for the five-year period ended through June 30, 2025. Annual NAV Total Return is the percentage change in the Fund's NAV over a year, assuming reinvestment of distributions paid.
The Annualized Distribution Rate is the current fiscal period's distribution rate annualized as a percentage of the Fund's NAV through June 30, 2025.
Cumulative Total Return is the percentage change in the Fund's NAV from August 31, 2024 through June 30, 2025, assuming reinvestment of distributions paid.
The Cumulative Fiscal Year-To-Date Distribution Rate is the dollar value of distributions for the fiscal period August 31, 2024 through June 30, 2025, as a percentage of the Fund's NAV as of June 30, 2025.
The Fund's primary investment objective is to provide high, current income consistent with preservation of capital. Its secondary objective is growth of income through dividend increases and capital appreciation. Distributions may vary based on the Fund's net investment income. Past distributions are not indicative of future trends.
For further information on Franklin Universal Trust, please visit our web site at: www.franklintempleton.com
Franklin Resources, Inc. is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 150 countries. Franklin Templeton's mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company offers specialization on a global scale, bringing extensive capabilities in fixed income, equity, alternatives and multi-asset solutions. With more than 1,500 investment professionals, and offices in major financial markets around the world, the California-based company has over 75 years of investment experience and $1.61 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2025. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.com.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Starbucks and the art of knowing where you come from
Starbucks and the art of knowing where you come from

Globe and Mail

timean hour ago

  • Globe and Mail

Starbucks and the art of knowing where you come from

Gus Carlson is a U.S.-based columnist for The Globe and Mail. Almost a year into his tenure as Starbucks SBUX-Q chief executive officer, Brian Niccol has signalled that the future of the beloved but troubled coffee chain is rooted firmly in its past. In announcing the company's third-quarter results last week, Mr. Niccol made it clear that he is focused on recapturing the unique coffeehouse intimacy that was integral to the first small Starbucks in Seattle's Pike Place Market in 1971. In that store, staffed by one person, burlap sacks full of coffee beans lined the shelves on exposed brick walls. Customers could choose fresh beans that were ground up and served piping hot while they waited. Simple, fresh, fast and very personal. Mr. Niccol has reached back to that model. Among his back-to-basics touchstones: investing in staff training to improve a tattered customer experience; refurbishing stores and streamlining operations; rethinking a subpar mobile offering; using technology to reduce waiting times; and recasting menu development to improve quality consistency. Starbucks shares turn lower as CEO Niccol's turnaround plans gain traction Mr. Niccol knows something about turnarounds. He's the guy behind the rejuvenation of Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. He also took Chipotle Mexican Grill from a fringe player to a juggernaut in the highly competitive quick-service restaurant industry. In each case, Mr. Niccol employed a back-to-basics approach to chains that had lost their way when they expanded menus in an attempt to be everything to everyone. The problem with that strategy is that too often the focus on new products and processes dilutes the quality of the tried and true. When that occurs, the core faithful drift away – and as any business will tell you, it's often harder to re-engage a disgruntled customer as it is to entice a new one. Mr. Niccol's strategy for Starbucks seems to be rooted in this mantra: More isn't always better. Concentrate on doing what you do best, but do it better. Starbucks needed to get back to doing what it did best. When Mr. Niccol joined the company, it was a poster child for losing touch with its customers. Store traffic and sales had flagged in the three quarters leading up to his arrival. Store quality had deteriorated, its menu expanded to the point where it was too big to deliver quality consistently, and its digital efforts were weak, leading to long waiting times and incorrect orders. While it was trying to be more things to more people, it lost the unique magic of its brand – offering fast made-to-order fresh coffee on a mass scale. The result was a customer-experience nightmare. Investors worried that it was a situation where justifying US$6 or more for a cup of coffee was unsustainable. Starbucks' weak financial performance and lack of a compelling growth strategy prompted activist investors, led by Elliott Management, to call for a leadership change. Enter Mr. Niccol. Despite reporting a bigger-than-expected decline in U.S. same-store sales in the third quarter, revenue beat expectations. He told investors that he was optimistic about the results of an eight-week test of his Green Apron Service program in 1,500 stores. The program, set to roll out in U.S. stores later this summer, will establish new quality and staffing standards to improve store operations and manage peak hours more efficiently. Mr. Niccol said new software will reduce waiting times – 80 per cent of in-store orders are now made in four minutes or less, a target he set last year. He also said he needed to cut back on menu selections before testing new products. Once the simplification is done, he plans to roll out products that are in touch with contemporary customer tastes. On the horizon: protein drinks, new baked goods, including gluten-free and high-protein foods, coconut water and energy drinks, and a new dark-roast coffee. With the new products comes a new process designed to improve preparation and quality consistency. Store employees are now consulted about what menu items can be made quickly and consistently. In the past, menu selections were developed at Starbucks headquarters, and it was up to the baristas to figure out how to make them. As promising as these initiatives are, there's one challenge a reach back in history can't solve: prices. Back in 1971, an entire pound of house-blend coffee beans cost US$1.50 at the first Starbucks store, a fraction of what it costs today. Not even a fast-food magician like Mr. Niccol can make those prices reappear.

Philanthropist and former Ontario lieutenant-governor Hilary Weston dies at 83
Philanthropist and former Ontario lieutenant-governor Hilary Weston dies at 83

Globe and Mail

timean hour ago

  • Globe and Mail

Philanthropist and former Ontario lieutenant-governor Hilary Weston dies at 83

Hilary Weston, an Irish-Canadian businessperson, philanthropist and writer who served as Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario from 1997 to 2002, has died at the age of 83. Ms. Weston's family confirmed her death in a statement on Sunday. 'Our mother lived with unwavering devotion to her family and a belief in the power and importance of community and service,' said her son, Galen Weston Jr., who is the chairman and former president of Loblaw Companies Ltd. 'Brilliant, brave, compassionate, and beautiful, she brought a touch of music to everything she did — in her decades of public service, philanthropy and her remarkable business career. 'Her greatest joy was the life she created for her family and friends — filled with warmth, love and fun.' Prior to public office, Ms. Weston was the deputy chair of Holt Renfrew from 1986-1996 and participated in the charitable activities of the W. Garfield Weston Foundation. The Westons are one of the wealthiest and most prominent families in the country, best known for their connection to the Loblaw grocery chain. Her late husband, W. Galen Weston, known as Galen Weston Sr., died in 2021 at the age of 80. The couple was married for 55 years. As Ontario's Lieutenant-Governor, Ms. Weston focused on issues related to youth, women and volunteerism. In 2003, she was awarded the Order of Canada which is given to recognize outstanding achievement, dedication to community and service to the country. Rideau Hall said at the time that Ms. Weston served with grace and distinction, and she was only the second woman appointed to this position. 'Always seeking to improve the quality of life for her fellow citizens, she has been actively involved in numerous charities and not-for-profit organizations throughout her private and public life,' it said. Ms. Weston's passion for the arts, education, health research and volunteerism culminated in recent years with the creation of the Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation. Since 2021, the foundation has committed close to $150-million to charities impacting healthcare, education, women, refugees and the environment in Canada, Ireland and the U.K., her family said. Ms. Weston's daughter, Alanna Weston Cochrane, said her mother loved a challenge and brought an innate creativity and style to everything she did. 'But it was her vision, coupled with her enormous capacity for hard work, that made her a great female leader,' she said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store