Franklin Resources is trading higher this morning despite a mixed reception to the company's latest asset management data. While the firm reported a 1.9 percent sequential decline in assets under management to 1.79 trillion dollars as of September 30, investors appear to be focusing on the 6 billion dollars in long-term net inflows and the growth of its alternatives business to 303 billion dollars. This move occurs against a backdrop of neutral sentiment from Wall Street brokerages, which recently assigned the stock a consensus hold rating. The stock's positive momentum stands in contrast to a broader landscape of mixed performance among industry peers, where several major asset managers closed the previous session in negative territory.