Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Shares Sold by BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lowered its position in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU - Free Report) by 30.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 229,390 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 101,047 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned about 0.06% of Prudential Financial worth $27,779,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Prudential Financial during the first quarter worth about $77,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Prudential Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $58,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Prudential Financial by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 498,247 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $58,495,000 after acquiring an additional 2,001 shares during the period. Paloma Partners Management Co grew its position in Prudential Financial by 580.8% in the first quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 31,247 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,668,000 after acquiring an additional 26,657 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bayesian Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $247,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.83% of the company's stock.

Prudential Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PRU opened at $127.92 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $123.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $119.70. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.92 and a 52-week high of $129.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.29.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $3.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.01. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 15.30% and a net margin of 6.03%. The business had revenue of $19.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.44 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Prudential Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.07%. Prudential Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on PRU shares. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $109.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Prudential Financial from $116.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Prudential Financial from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Prudential Financial from $112.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $121.00 target price on shares of Prudential Financial in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $125.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential acquired 261,059 shares of Prudential Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $27.58 per share, with a total value of $7,200,007.22. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 4,208,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at $116,071,781.42. This trade represents a 6.61 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Caroline Feeney sold 1,110 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.97, for a total transaction of $133,166.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,175 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,220,694.75. This trade represents a 9.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is owned by 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.