28,165 Shares in Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU Acquired by Measured Risk Portfolios Inc.

Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 28,165 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,751,000. Prudential Financial makes up approximately 3.0% of Measured Risk Portfolios Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PRU. Jessup Wealth Management Inc purchased a new position in Prudential Financial in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Prudential Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 98.3% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 230 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 93.1% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 278 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Prudential Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 56.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on PRU shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $106.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $91.00 to $87.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $92.00 price target (down from $106.00) on shares of Prudential Financial in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Argus lowered Prudential Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $105.46.

Prudential Financial Stock Performance

Shares of PRU opened at $121.83 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $104.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.28 billion, a PE ratio of 12.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.85. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a one year low of $91.89 and a one year high of $122.57.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $3.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.09 by $0.52. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 16.33% and a net margin of 5.83%.The company had revenue of $15.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.29 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th were given a $1.40 dividend. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 26th. Prudential Financial’s payout ratio is currently 57.61%.

Prudential Financial 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.