Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $123.69.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on Prudential Financial from $112.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Argus upgraded Prudential Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $113.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $121.00 price objective on shares of Prudential Financial in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st.

Prudential Financial Stock Performance

Prudential Financial stock opened at $125.57 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.30. Prudential Financial has a 52-week low of $87.95 and a 52-week high of $128.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.13 and a quick ratio of 0.13. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $119.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $117.57.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.43 by ($0.04). Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 16.00% and a net margin of 4.86%. The firm had revenue of $13.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.78 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Prudential Financial will post 13.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 20th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.14%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 20th. Prudential Financial’s payout ratio is currently 88.44%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Caroline Feeney sold 1,110 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.97, for a total value of $133,166.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,220,694.75. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential bought 261,059 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $27.58 per share, with a total value of $7,200,007.22. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,208,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $116,071,781.42. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Caroline Feeney sold 1,110 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.97, for a total transaction of $133,166.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,220,694.75. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Prudential Financial

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 5.7% in the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,981 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $966,000 after buying an additional 427 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 32.8% in the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,235 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $634,000 after purchasing an additional 1,294 shares during the period. Venture Visionary Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 2.6% in the third quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 27,056 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,277,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Prudential Financial by 91.2% during the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 671 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Finally, Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Prudential Financial by 0.6% in the third quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 21,578 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,613,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. 56.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Prudential Financial Company Profile

Prudential Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through PGIM, Retirement Strategies, Group Insurance, Individual Life, and International Businesses segments.