Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) EVP Caroline Feeney Acquires 111 Shares

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) EVP Caroline Feeney bought 111 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $120.31 per share, with a total value of $13,354.41. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 10,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,268,067.40. The trade was a 1.06 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Prudential Financial Stock Performance

PRU stock traded down $0.43 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $110.35. 3,235,592 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,432,296. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 52 week low of $104.45 and a 52 week high of $130.55. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $113.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $119.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.51 billion, a PE ratio of 14.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.28.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.96 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 EPS for the current year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.89%. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.29%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PRU. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Prudential Financial by 46.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 77,265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,158,000 after buying an additional 24,682 shares during the period. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH raised its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 3,954 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $467,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,796,000. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 70.6% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 394 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LifeWealth Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Prudential Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $275,000. 56.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on PRU. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective 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 target on shares of Prudential Financial from $149.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Prudential Financial in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “underperform” rating and a $101.00 price objective for the company. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.