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

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $111.08.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on PRU shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Prudential Financial from $109.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Prudential Financial from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. TheStreet raised Prudential Financial from a “c+” rating to an “a-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Raymond James downgraded Prudential Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Prudential Financial

In related news, EVP Ann M. Kappler sold 7,222 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.39, for a total value of $782,792.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,381 shares in the company, valued at $2,642,656.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Prudential Financial news, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 7,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.57, for a total transaction of $857,415.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,527,504.87. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ann M. Kappler sold 7,222 shares of Prudential Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.39, for a total transaction of $782,792.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,381 shares in the company, valued at $2,642,656.59. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 29,255 shares of company stock valued at $3,215,664 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Prudential Financial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Peoples Bank OH grew its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 2.3% in the first quarter. Peoples Bank OH now owns 4,046 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $475,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 1.3% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $875,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 38.6% during the first quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 352 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its position in Prudential Financial by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 4,932 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $579,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN increased its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 848 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.83% of the company’s stock.

Prudential Financial Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE:PRU opened at $115.26 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.60, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.35. Prudential Financial has a 1-year low of $77.87 and a 1-year high of $118.69. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $112.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $104.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a current ratio of 0.13.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.16 by ($0.04). Prudential Financial had a net margin of 3.76% and a return on equity of 15.50%. The company had revenue of $15.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.66 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 69.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Prudential Financial will post 13.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.