diff --git a/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicConditional.h b/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicConditional.h
index 1d1009327..01f7366d6 100644
--- a/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicConditional.h
+++ b/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicConditional.h
@@ -69,12 +69,30 @@ namespace gtsam {
       SymbolicConditional result;
       (BaseFactor&)result = BaseFactor::FromIterators(firstKey, lastKey);
       result.nrFrontals_ = nrFrontals;
-      return result; }
+      return result;
+    }
+
+    /** Named constructor from an arbitrary number of keys and frontals */
+    template<typename ITERATOR>
+    static SymbolicConditional::shared_ptr FromIteratorsShared(ITERATOR firstKey, ITERATOR lastKey, size_t nrFrontals)
+    {
+      SymbolicConditional::shared_ptr result = boost::make_shared<SymbolicConditional>();
+      result->keys_.assign(firstKey, lastKey);
+      result->nrFrontals_ = nrFrontals;
+      return result;
+    }
 
     /** Named constructor from an arbitrary number of keys and frontals */
     template<class CONTAINER>
     static SymbolicConditional FromKeys(const CONTAINER& keys, size_t nrFrontals) {
-      return FromIterators(keys.begin(), keys.end(), nrFrontals); }
+      return FromIterators(keys.begin(), keys.end(), nrFrontals);
+    }
+
+    /** Named constructor from an arbitrary number of keys and frontals */
+    template<class CONTAINER>
+    static SymbolicConditional::shared_ptr FromKeysShared(const CONTAINER& keys, size_t nrFrontals) {
+      return FromIteratorsShared(keys.begin(), keys.end(), nrFrontals);
+    }
 
     virtual ~SymbolicConditional() {}
 
diff --git a/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicFactor-inst.h b/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicFactor-inst.h
index d3d9f58d6..56850e991 100644
--- a/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicFactor-inst.h
+++ b/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicFactor-inst.h
@@ -60,10 +60,8 @@ namespace gtsam
 
       // Return resulting conditional and factor
       return std::make_pair(
-        boost::make_shared<SymbolicConditional>(
-        SymbolicConditional::FromKeys(orderedKeys, nFrontals)),
-        boost::make_shared<SymbolicFactor>(
-        SymbolicFactor::FromIterators(orderedKeys.begin() + nFrontals, orderedKeys.end())));
+        SymbolicConditional::FromKeysShared(orderedKeys, nFrontals),
+        SymbolicFactor::FromIteratorsShared(orderedKeys.begin() + nFrontals, orderedKeys.end()));
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicFactor.h b/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicFactor.h
index 94c3910ef..0054f9fbc 100644
--- a/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicFactor.h
+++ b/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicFactor.h
@@ -98,13 +98,30 @@ namespace gtsam {
     /** Constructor from a collection of keys */
     template<typename KEYITERATOR>
     static SymbolicFactor FromIterators(KEYITERATOR beginKey, KEYITERATOR endKey) {
-      return SymbolicFactor(Base::FromIterators(beginKey, endKey)); }
+      return SymbolicFactor(Base::FromIterators(beginKey, endKey));
+    }
+
+    /** Constructor from a collection of keys */
+    template<typename KEYITERATOR>
+    static SymbolicFactor::shared_ptr FromIteratorsShared(KEYITERATOR beginKey, KEYITERATOR endKey) {
+      SymbolicFactor::shared_ptr result = boost::make_shared<SymbolicFactor>();
+      result->keys_.assign(beginKey, endKey);
+      return result;
+    }
 
     /** Constructor from a collection of keys - compatible with boost::assign::list_of and
      *  boost::assign::cref_list_of */
     template<class CONTAINER>
     static SymbolicFactor FromKeys(const CONTAINER& keys) {
-      return SymbolicFactor(Base::FromKeys(keys)); }
+      return SymbolicFactor(Base::FromKeys(keys));
+    }
+
+    /** Constructor from a collection of keys - compatible with boost::assign::list_of and
+     *  boost::assign::cref_list_of */
+    template<class CONTAINER>
+    static SymbolicFactor::shared_ptr FromKeysShared(const CONTAINER& keys) {
+      return FromIteratorsShared(keys.begin(), keys.end());
+    }
 
     /// @}
 
diff --git a/gtsam/symbolic/tests/testSymbolicConditional.cpp b/gtsam/symbolic/tests/testSymbolicConditional.cpp
index 298ebb8a6..ddc602443 100644
--- a/gtsam/symbolic/tests/testSymbolicConditional.cpp
+++ b/gtsam/symbolic/tests/testSymbolicConditional.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ using namespace boost::assign;
 #include <boost/make_shared.hpp>
 
 #include <CppUnitLite/TestHarness.h>
+#include <gtsam/base/TestableAssertions.h>
 #include <gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicConditional.h>
 
 using namespace std;
@@ -84,6 +85,22 @@ TEST( SymbolicConditional, FromRange )
   LONGS_EQUAL(3, (long)c0->nrParents());
 }
 
+/* ************************************************************************* */
+TEST(SymbolicConditional, Constructors)
+{
+  SymbolicConditional expected(3, 4);
+
+  SymbolicConditional actual1 = SymbolicConditional::FromKeys(expected.keys(), 1);
+  SymbolicConditional actual2 = SymbolicConditional::FromIterators(expected.begin(), expected.end(), 1);
+  SymbolicConditional actual3 = *SymbolicConditional::FromKeysShared(expected.keys(), 1);
+  SymbolicConditional actual4 = *SymbolicConditional::FromIteratorsShared(expected.begin(), expected.end(), 1);
+
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(expected, actual1));
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(expected, actual2));
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(expected, actual3));
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(expected, actual4));
+}
+
 /* ************************************************************************* */
 TEST( SymbolicConditional, equals )
 {
diff --git a/gtsam/symbolic/tests/testSymbolicFactor.cpp b/gtsam/symbolic/tests/testSymbolicFactor.cpp
index b87753efa..57c3a2d5f 100644
--- a/gtsam/symbolic/tests/testSymbolicFactor.cpp
+++ b/gtsam/symbolic/tests/testSymbolicFactor.cpp
@@ -50,6 +50,23 @@ TEST(SymbolicFactor, eliminate) {
   CHECK(assert_equal(**fragmentCond++, *expected2));
 }
 #endif
+
+/* ************************************************************************* */
+TEST(SymbolicFactor, Constructors)
+{
+  SymbolicFactor expected(3, 4);
+
+  SymbolicFactor actual1 = SymbolicFactor::FromKeys(expected.keys());
+  SymbolicFactor actual2 = SymbolicFactor::FromIterators(expected.begin(), expected.end());
+  SymbolicFactor actual3 = *SymbolicFactor::FromKeysShared(expected.keys());
+  SymbolicFactor actual4 = *SymbolicFactor::FromIteratorsShared(expected.begin(), expected.end());
+
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(expected, actual1));
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(expected, actual2));
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(expected, actual3));
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(expected, actual4));
+}
+
 /* ************************************************************************* */
 TEST(SymbolicFactor, EliminateSymbolic)
 {