SFE Investment Counsel Has $4.01 Million Stake in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU)

SFE Investment Counsel decreased its stake in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 7.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 38,665 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,276 shares during the quarter. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $4,010,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of PRU. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in Prudential Financial in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in Prudential Financial by 11.3% in the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 50,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,979,000 after purchasing an additional 5,126 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Prudential Financial by 6.4% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 90,235 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,698,000 after purchasing an additional 5,452 shares in the last quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. boosted its stake in Prudential Financial by 0.7% in the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 47,576 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,621,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Prudential Financial by 36.4% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 135,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,037,000 after purchasing an additional 36,184 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.83% of the company’s stock.

Prudential Financial Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE PRU traded up $1.02 on Thursday, reaching $108.37. The company had a trading volume of 602,821 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,515,954. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.22 and a 52 week high of $118.69. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $111.20 and its 200-day moving average is $102.90. The stock has a market cap of $38.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.05, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.37. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.67 by ($0.09). Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 14.52% and a net margin of 4.89%. The business had revenue of $13.02 billion during 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% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 14th. Shareholders 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. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 77.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PRU. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Prudential Financial from $114.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. UBS Group upped their price target on Prudential Financial from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Prudential Financial from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. TheStreet raised Prudential Financial from a “c+” rating to an “a-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Prudential Financial from $109.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued 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 $111.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Prudential Financial news, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 7,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.57, for a total value of $857,415.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,691 shares in the company, valued at $1,527,504.87. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Ann M. Kappler sold 7,222 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was 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 directly owns 24,381 shares in the company, valued at $2,642,656.59. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 7,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.57, for a total value of $857,415.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,527,504.87. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 29,255 shares of company stock worth $3,215,664 over the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Prudential Financial 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.