Denali Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 7,912 Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU

Denali Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 7,912 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $893,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its holdings in Prudential Financial by 98.3% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 230 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Prudential Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners boosted its stake in Prudential Financial by 93.4% during the 4th quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 982.8% in the fourth quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 314 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the period. 56.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Prudential Financial

In other news, Director Joseph J. Wolk purchased 400 shares of Prudential Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $105.32 per share, for a total transaction of $42,128.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 400 shares in the company, valued at $42,128. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Thomas D. Stoddard acquired 250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $102.97 per share, for a total transaction of $25,742.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,742.50. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PRU has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Prudential Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $124.00 to $98.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $112.00 to $104.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Prudential Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Evercore restated a “negative” rating on shares of Prudential Financial in a report on Friday, March 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $99.92.

Prudential Financial Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE:PRU opened at $100.76 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $96.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.86. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.89 and a 1-year high of $119.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $3.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.09 by $0.52. Prudential Financial had a net margin of 5.83% and a return on equity of 16.33%. The company had revenue of $15.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.29 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Prudential Financial 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.