Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) Director Thomas Stoddard Purchases 250 Shares

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Director Thomas Stoddard bought 250 shares of Prudential Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $102.97 per share, for a total transaction of $25,742.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,742.50. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Prudential Financial Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of PRU opened at $104.41 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $111.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.44. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.38 and a 12-month high of $119.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market cap of $36.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.97.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The financial services provider reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $15.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.48 billion. Prudential Financial had a net margin of 6.20% and a return on equity of 16.32%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.96 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a $1.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This is a boost from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.4%. Prudential Financial’s payout ratio is presently 56.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $126.00 to $113.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $133.00 to $127.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Prudential Financial from $111.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Prudential Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $117.11.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sunflower Bank N.A. raised its holdings in Prudential Financial by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 2,911 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 10,022 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,131,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in Prudential Financial by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 28,795 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,987,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Prudential Financial by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,175 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $471,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Global Investments boosted its stake in Prudential Financial by 1.3% in the second quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 7,609 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $817,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.83% of the company’s stock.

Prudential Financial Company Profile

Prudential Financial, Inc, headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, is a diversified financial services company with roots dating to 1875. The firm provides a range of insurance, retirement and investment products aimed at helping individual and institutional clients manage risk, accumulate and protect wealth, and plan for retirement. Prudential’s long history in life insurance and related financial services has positioned it as a major participant in the U.S. insurance market and a provider of services to a broad client base.

Prudential’s core business activities include individual life insurance, annuities, retirement solutions and group insurance products for employers.