Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC Buys 319 Shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU)

Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 66.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $95,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Prudential Financial during the fourth quarter worth $13,258,000. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 16.5% in the 4th quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 12,364 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,465,000 after purchasing an additional 1,754 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in Prudential Financial by 78.4% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 4,981 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 2,189 shares during the last quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Prudential Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $222,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank increased its position in Prudential Financial by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 155,355 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,414,000 after buying an additional 12,267 shares during the last quarter. 56.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Prudential Financial

In related news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential bought 87,047 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $28.72 per share, for a total transaction of $2,499,989.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 87,047 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,499,989.84. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 27,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,869,090.56. This trade represents a 18.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Prudential Financial Trading Down 8.1 %

PRU opened at $96.27 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.73 and a twelve month high of $130.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $118.63.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.36 by ($0.40). Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 15.86% and a net margin of 4.01%. Analysts predict that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This is an increase from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on PRU. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Prudential Financial from $129.00 to $125.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Prudential Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $101.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $128.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $113.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Prudential Financial from $149.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Prudential Financial presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $126.08.

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.