Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Shares Sold by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR lowered its position in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 53.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 47,332 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 55,316 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $5,610,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Prudential Financial by 18.9% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,556 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 2,152 shares in the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 16,215 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,922,000 after buying an additional 374 shares in the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial in the fourth quarter worth $224,000. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Prudential Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $874,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in Prudential Financial by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 57,321 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,794,000 after acquiring an additional 793 shares during the last quarter. 56.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Prudential Financial news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential purchased 537,249 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $27.92 per share, with a total value of $14,999,992.08. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 4,780,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $133,465,780.56. The trade was a 12.66 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on PRU shares. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Prudential Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “underperform” rating and a $101.00 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Prudential Financial from $135.00 to $129.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays upped their price target on Prudential Financial from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $149.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $125.77.

Prudential Financial Stock Down 0.7 %

PRU opened at $111.98 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.14. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $104.02 and a 12 month high of $130.55. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $119.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.23. The stock has a market cap of $39.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.31.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.36 by ($0.40). Prudential Financial had a net margin of 4.01% and a return on equity of 15.86%. As a group, research analysts predict that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.82%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.61%.

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.