Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, one has given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $126.33.

A number of analysts have recently commented on PRU shares. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $109.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Prudential Financial from an "underperform" rating to an "inline" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $117.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $116.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Prudential Financial from $149.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Prudential Financial from $118.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st.

Prudential Financial Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of PRU traded up $0.87 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $119.14. 989,965 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 956,732. Prudential Financial has a 12 month low of $100.60 and a 12 month high of $130.55. The company has a market capitalization of $42.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.29. The company's fifty day moving average price is $123.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $120.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $3.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.47 by $0.01. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 15.30% and a net margin of 6.03%. The firm had revenue of $19.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.57 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.44 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Prudential Financial will post 13.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.36%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 19th. Prudential Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.22%.

Insider Activity

In other Prudential Financial news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential purchased 537,249 shares of Prudential Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $27.92 per share, with a total value of $14,999,992.08. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,780,293 shares of the company's stock, valued at $133,465,780.56. This trade represents a 12.66 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Prudential Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PRU. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Prudential Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 1,312.4% during the 2nd quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 26,934 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 25,027 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 376.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 281 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its holdings in Prudential Financial by 61.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 367 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Prudential Financial by 235.4% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 379 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the period. 56.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Prudential Financial

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.