Bfsg LLC Makes New $90,000 Investment in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU)

Bfsg LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 870 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $90,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PRU. Cambridge Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 77.2% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 241 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Prudential Financial in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Headinvest LLC bought a new stake in Prudential Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC raised its stake in Prudential Financial by 151.6% during the fourth quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 307 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Prudential Financial during the third quarter worth $38,000. 56.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Robert Axel sold 6,436 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.86, for a total transaction of $719,930.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 7,901 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $883,805.86. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Timothy L. Schmidt sold 7,912 shares of Prudential Financial stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.13, for a total value of $855,524.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 14,754 shares in the company, valued at $1,595,350.02. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Robert Axel sold 6,436 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.86, for a total transaction of $719,930.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,901 shares in the company, valued at approximately $883,805.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 29,255 shares of company stock worth $3,215,664. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Prudential Financial Stock Performance

NYSE PRU traded down $1.92 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $110.84. 175,259 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,499,608. The company has a market cap of $39.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $111.65 and a 200 day moving average of $103.56. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.22 and a 12-month high of $118.69. 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 (NYSE:PRU) last released its 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). The firm had revenue of $13.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.99 billion. Prudential Financial had a net margin of 4.89% and a return on equity of 14.52%. Prudential Financial’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.42 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This is an increase from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.69%. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. TheStreet raised Prudential Financial from a “c+” rating to an “a-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $115.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Raymond James lowered shares of Prudential Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Prudential Financial from $114.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Prudential Financial from $109.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Prudential Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.42.

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.