The bank, which has increased its dividend 38 years in a row, would be a Dividend Aristocrat but for the fact that it is not in the S&P 500 Index.
Buying Dividend Aristocrats can be a great, long-term play for income investors.
A number of Canadian bank stocks have lower valuations and higher dividend yields than their U.S.-based peers.
Perhaps the most attractive aspect of Franklin Resources as a stock investment is the company's generous cash returns to shareholders.