AR vs BEN Comparison

Antero Resources is an exploration and production firm whose operations represent a pure play in the Marcellus Shale, located in northern West Virginia. The company started in 2002 as an E&P focused on the Barnett Shale (Fort Worth, Texas). Antero redefined itself in Appalachia's Marcellus Shale in 2005. In 2012, shortly before Antero's 2013 IPO, Antero Midstream Partners was formed to handle the company's rapidly growing gas volumes. In 2026, the firm narrowed its focus further by selling its Ohio Utica assets and using the proceeds to acquire additional Marcellus acreage from HG Energy. Just over half of its production and earning power is tied to natural gas, with the remainder mostly NGLs, where it holds a leading position, and some crude oil.

Franklin Resources provides investment services for individual and institutional investors. At the end of May 2026, Franklin had $1.780 trillion in managed assets, composed primarily of equity (40%), fixed-income (26%), multi-asset/balanced (12%) funds, alternatives (17%), and money market funds (5%). Distribution tends to be weighted between retail investors (57% of assets under management) and institutional accounts (40%), with high-net-worth clients accounting for the remainder. Franklin is one of the more global of the US-based asset managers we cover, with 30% of its AUM invested in global/international strategies and 29% sourced from clients domiciled outside the United States.