Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Purchases Shares of 74,085 Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 74,085 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $8,363,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PRU. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its position in Prudential Financial by 98.3% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 230 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the period. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Prudential Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners boosted its position in Prudential Financial by 93.4% during the 4th quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in Prudential Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in Prudential Financial by 982.8% during the 4th quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 314 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.83% of the company’s stock.

Prudential Financial Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:PRU opened at $104.12 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $97.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $104.58. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $91.89 and a 12 month high of $119.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market cap of $36.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.86.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $3.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.09 by $0.52. The company had revenue of $15.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.10 billion. Prudential Financial had a net margin of 5.83% and a return on equity of 16.33%. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.29 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.82 EPS for the current year.

Prudential Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be paid a $1.40 dividend. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 26th. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on PRU. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $112.00 to $104.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Evercore reaffirmed a “negative” rating on shares of Prudential Financial in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $105.00 to $98.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $101.50.

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.