Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Stock Holdings Lessened by CHICAGO TRUST Co NA

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA lowered its stake in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 504 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $2,148,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its stake in Prudential Financial by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 868,535 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $90,076,000 after purchasing an additional 127,772 shares during the period. LVW Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Prudential Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $231,000. Mutual Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 28,006 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,904,000 after acquiring an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Prudential Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $367,000. Finally, GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 9,561 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $992,000 after acquiring an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. 54.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Ann M. Kappler sold 7,222 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.39, for a total transaction of $782,792.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,642,656.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, EVP Ann M. Kappler sold 7,222 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.39, for a total transaction of $782,792.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,642,656.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Pgim Strategic Investments, In purchased 1,191,895 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $25.17 per share, with a total value of $29,999,997.15. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,056,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,105,427.44. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 29,255 shares of company stock valued at $3,215,664. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Prudential Financial Stock Performance

PRU stock traded down $1.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $114.60. 1,274,520 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,621,749. The company has a quick ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.37 and a 52 week high of $116.62. The business has a 50-day moving average of $107.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $100.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.14 billion, a PE ratio of 17.13, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.36.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67 by ($0.09). Prudential Financial had a net margin of 4.89% and a return on equity of 14.52%. The firm had revenue of $13.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.42 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.54%. This is a positive change from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on PRU. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $118.00 price target (down from $119.00) on shares of Prudential Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. TheStreet upgraded shares of Prudential Financial from a “c+” rating to an “a-” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $105.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Raymond James cut shares of Prudential Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $105.60.

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.