Brokerages Set Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) PT at $115.00

Shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the eleven research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have assigned a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $115.00.

Several research firms have issued reports on PRU. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Prudential Financial from $120.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings raised Prudential Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Prudential Financial from $133.00 to $127.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen cut Prudential Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed a “negative” rating on shares of Prudential Financial in a research note on Friday.

Key Headlines Impacting Prudential Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting Prudential Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend/total-return narratives and bullish dividend-appeal articles remind income-focused investors of PRU’s attractive yield and could support buying interest. Prudential (PRU) Could Be a Great Choice
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus sits around “Hold” and coverage notes the stock’s recent weakness; this provides little directional catalyst but frames expectations. Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-market flow has shown elevated activity, signaling increased volatility expectations but not a clear directional bet — watch implied vol and large strikes for clues to near-term moves. Is the Options Market Predicting a Spike in PRU Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Prudential’s Japanese subsidiary reported employees improperly removed/shared information with contracted agencies — a data-handling incident that creates operational, regulatory and reputational risk in Asia and is a clear near-term negative for sentiment. Prudential Japan Subsidiary Finds Employees Improperly Shared Information
• Negative Sentiment: Follow-ups and regional updates (Prudential Gibraltar/Japan) provide more detail on the scope (multiple seconded employees implicated), reinforcing uncertainty around compliance and potential costs. Prudential Gibraltar Addresses Data Handling Incident in Japan
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analyst moves have trimmed targets: Morgan Stanley cut its PRU price target (and kept an Equal Weight) and Wells Fargo downgraded to Underweight and lowered its target — analyst downgrades reduce buying conviction and can pressure the stock. Morgan Stanley Reduces Prudential Financial (PRU) Price Target after Updating Insurance Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s downgrade and lower target (cites lack of near-term catalysts) adds to the sell-side pressure and helps explain recent share weakness. Wells Fargo Downgrades Prudential Financial, Inc. (PRU) to Underweight and Lowers its Price Target to $103

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential acquired 1,406,739 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $24.87 per share, for a total transaction of $34,985,598.93. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 7,709,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $191,738,348.88. The trade was a 22.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Thomas D. Stoddard bought 250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $102.97 per share, for a total transaction of $25,742.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,742.50. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased 1,408,389 shares of company stock valued at $35,154,439 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Prudential Financial

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PRU. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 1.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 42,502,160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,566,432,000 after purchasing an additional 600,482 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Prudential Financial by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,234,061 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,945,381,000 after purchasing an additional 210,959 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Prudential Financial by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,533,806 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,078,904,000 after buying an additional 26,414 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its position in Prudential Financial by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,649,202 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $750,562,000 after buying an additional 420,081 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in Prudential Financial by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,701,116 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $280,214,000 after buying an additional 62,366 shares during the period. 56.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Prudential Financial Stock Down 2.1%

Prudential Financial stock opened at $97.08 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $107.68 and a 200-day moving average of $107.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Prudential Financial has a twelve month low of $90.38 and a twelve month high of $119.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.78 billion, a PE ratio of 9.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.98.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The financial services provider reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $15.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.48 billion. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 16.32% and a net margin of 6.20%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.96 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Prudential Financial will post 14.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.00%.

Prudential Financial Company Profile

Prudential Financial, Inc, headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, is a diversified financial services company with roots dating to 1875. The firm provides a range of insurance, retirement and investment products aimed at helping individual and institutional clients manage risk, accumulate and protect wealth, and plan for retirement. Prudential’s long history in life insurance and related financial services has positioned it as a major participant in the U.S. insurance market and a provider of services to a broad client base.

Prudential’s core business activities include individual life insurance, annuities, retirement solutions and group insurance products for employers.