Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Shares Acquired by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL lifted its stake in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 27,286 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $3,234,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 176.8% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,041,420 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $123,804,000 after acquiring an additional 665,180 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Prudential Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $76,303,000. Amundi grew its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 32.7% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,535,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $181,851,000 after buying an additional 378,266 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 31.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,444,288 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $174,903,000 after buying an additional 344,254 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Prudential Financial by 4.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,662,679 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,047,872,000 after acquiring an additional 341,787 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.83% of the company’s stock.

Prudential Financial Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE:PRU opened at $111.77 on Tuesday. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $104.45 and a 12-month high of $130.55. The firm has a market cap of $40.01 billion, a PE ratio of 14.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $112.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $118.95.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.36 by ($0.40). Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 15.86% and a net margin of 4.01%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.83%. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.29%.

Insider Transactions at Prudential Financial

In other Prudential Financial news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential purchased 87,047 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $28.72 per share, with a total value of $2,499,989.84. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 87,047 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,499,989.84. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.98, for a total transaction of $635,880.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,869,090.56. The trade was a 18.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PRU has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Prudential Financial from $136.00 to $128.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $149.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets assumed 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 for the company. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $129.00 to $125.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $126.15.

About Prudential Financial

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.